C20 Endless Stream of People

Du Binn's tone was exceedingly polite, yet it was clear that a note of disdain was woven into his words.

The short man bristled at this, ready to retort, but the old man interjected.

"Boss, I'd like an order of soup dumplings. Could you make that my priority, please?"

The old man maintained his composure. At the glimpse of the price, his eyebrows gave a slight twitch before he quickly regained his serenity.

In fact, Du Binn had already taken note of the old man. Among everyone in the courtyard, only he shared the same composed demeanor. The old man, upon seeing the steep price, showed no sign of shock, only calm.

"Alright, just a moment, sir. I'll get right on it," Du Binn responded.

With that, Du Binn headed for the kitchen. But as he passed the short man, he couldn't resist dropping a remark.

"If anyone finds it too pricey, then I won't bother serving it."

Du Binn strode into the kitchen without a backward glance, leaving the short man standing there, dumbfounded.

As the crowd's attention turned to him, his cheeks flared with heat, and he was overcome with embarrassment. He desperately wished for the ground to swallow him up.

Before long, an enticing aroma began to drift from the kitchen.

The old man, catching the scent, couldn't help but smile.

His face was a picture of delight, and he spontaneously burst into compliments.

"Absolutely fragrant."

"The flavor is truly delightful."

Shortly after, Du Binn emerged with a steamer full of soup dumplings.

The sight of the plump, white dumplings had everyone salivating.

These patrons, unlike those from the day before, had their own unique ways of savoring the food, but one among them was particularly discerning.

It was the old man who had spoken earlier. He carefully picked up a dumpling, brought it to his nose for a sniff, and then placed it on a small dish. He gently prodded the skin with his chopsticks, noting the dumpling's elasticity, and nodded in approval.

Then, he pierced the dumpling's skin with his chopsticks, releasing a puff of steam.

As the dumpling's skin split, the savory broth inside began to seep out.

The elderly gentleman inspected the meat filling with a discerning eye and was quite pleased. He then picked up a dumpling and took a savory bite.

"Mmm, not bad at all."

He nodded approvingly and complimented the chef, "Boss, your Xiaolongbao is truly authentic."

A connoisseur of fine food, the old man, though long retired, had never ceased his quest for culinary delights. It was his granddaughter's casual mention of Du Binn's Xiaolongbao that had piqued his interest and led him to make a special trip here.

To his delight, the dumplings exceeded his expectations. He had savored various Xiaolongbao over the years, some quite pricey, but Du Binn's creation was a revelation.

"Thank you kindly for the compliment," Du Binn responded.

"Tell me, young man, who taught you your craft?" the old man inquired, his curiosity piqued. Surely, with such skill, Du Binn must have been mentored by a renowned chef, perhaps one the old man himself knew. This would make exchanging culinary insights all the more convenient.

The old man's musings, however, were met with a surprising letdown.

Du Binn could tell from the old man's methodical eating style that he was a connoisseur; Secretary Wang had a similar approach, though not quite as refined. This gave Du Binn the confidence in his assessment.

With a smile, he revealed to the old man, "I figured it out on my own. I've had no master."

The old man was astounded. "What? You devised this all by yourself?"

"Yes, sir," Du Binn affirmed.

"A true genius, indeed!" the old man exclaimed, unable to contain his admiration.

Flattered by the praise, Du Binn felt a touch of bashfulness.

"Please, sir, you flatter me."

Expecting modesty, the old man was taken aback when Du Binn continued, "But I must admit, there are probably not many who can make Xiaolongbao quite like mine."

The old man had nothing but respect for Du Binn's culinary prowess. Having tasted many a delicacy, he found these Xiaolongbao to be uniquely delectable.

"Let's eat up, folks! There's a line out here waiting."

The aroma wafting from inside was too much for those waiting outside the door—they began to press impatiently.

"Yeah, let's hope they don't run out of soup dumplings by the time it's our turn," someone chimed in.

The man glanced at Du Binn and urged, "Boss, you've got to make more. We've traveled a long way for this."

Du Binn chuckled to himself, then turned to the short man who had doubted his dumplings earlier. "So, what do you think of my soup dumplings, sir? Are they worth the price?"

Observing the short man savoring the last bits and licking his fingers, Du Binn approached him with a knowing smile. "They're quite tasty, but I still think they're a tad pricey," the man admitted, somewhat sheepishly.

Du Binn sensed the man's playful challenge and decided to tease him back. "Is that so? How about I break the rules and offer you another basket? Would you like that?"

"Really?" The short man's eyes widened in surprise. Upon seeing Du Binn's amused expression, he caught on.

Flushing with embarrassment, he quickly stood up and left the courtyard.

As the crowd in the courtyard dwindled, having finished their meals, the restless throng outside surged in, quickly filling the space to the brim.

Before long, the courtyard echoed with a chorus of orders.

"Boss, I'll have a serving of soup dumplings."

"Me too, boss!"

...

"Just a moment, everyone," Du Binn responded, rolling up his sleeves before heading into the kitchen.

Meanwhile, the chatter inside the restaurant picked up.

"Why do these buns smell so incredible?" a young man mused aloud, unable to stop salivating since he caught the scent at the door.

"Who knows? They smell amazing, but I wonder if they taste as good as they smell," replied the woman seated beside him.

"Check this out, they have a one-serving-per-customer rule," pointed out a young man, probably in his twenties, gesturing towards the posted regulation.

"A rule like that? That's pretty unusual," someone remarked.

The patrons continued to buzz with conversation as Du Binn emerged, carrying a tray of freshly steamed soup dumplings.

"Your dumplings are ready, everyone. Enjoy at your leisure."

The second group of customers couldn't stop raving about the dumplings after trying them.

Once the group of a dozen had departed, new patrons quickly took their place. Before long, all 100 servings of dumplings had sold out, and it was just ten in the morning.

Du Binn checked the system alert and saw there were still six hours left in the business day. He decided to take a break; the morning had been a whirlwind of activity.

With that in mind, Du Binn scribbled a note and affixed it to the door.

The note read, "Owner temporarily out. Business will resume this evening."

Locking up, Du Binn headed over to Uncle Wang's place.

Uncle Wang had nearly finished crafting the tables and chairs, and Du Binn was eager to check out his work.