Chapter 29 Grandson, hurry up and swipe your card!

Chapter 29 Grandson, hurry up and swipe your card!

Just then, Dr. Liu rushed over, grabbing the wheelchair armrest so urgently that his white coat wrinkled: "Mr. Hou! Your stomach ailment has just healed; this savory pancake is too oily and salty, absolutely not!" He turned to Su Yingxue and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, young lady, the old man just had stomach surgery a month ago, and the doctor specifically instructed him to only eat liquids..."

"Dr. Liu! Mind your own business!" Old Master Hou Defa's chest heaved violently with anger, his silver-white eyebrows furrowed, and his fingertip pointing at the savory pancake trembled. "My mouth is watering just smelling this! I'll only have one! Just one!" He turned to his bodyguard and roared, "Xiao Wang! Get them all out of here! These pancakes are all mine!"

Bodyguard Xiao Wang immediately tensed his arm muscles, warily scanning the surroundings. Seeing this, several people in line tactfully stepped back. Su Yingxue was amused by the commotion, her lips twitching, and the shovel in her hand fell to the counter with a "clatter."

"Grandpa, please calm down." Su Yingxue quickly placed a small piece of the freshly cut savory pancake onto a plate, then poured a bowl of warm water and pushed it towards him. "I'll just give you a small piece to try, just to satisfy your craving. This pancake is indeed very oily, so please don't eat too much after you've tasted it." She deliberately put on a stern face, "If your stomach hurts, Dr. Liu won't let me off the hook."

Grandpa Hou Defa's anger immediately turned to joy, like a child who had received a new toy. He held the plate in both hands, brought the savory pancake close to his nose, and took a deep breath: "Good girl! Refreshing!" He carefully took a small bite, the crispy crust crackling clearly between his teeth. Suddenly, the old man's eyes widened, and he mumbled indistinctly, "Oh... this taste..." Then, as if he had discovered a treasure, he swallowed it whole and quickly took a second bite.

"How was it?" Su Yingxue asked, suppressing a laugh.

"Absolutely amazing!" Old Master Hou Defa slapped the armrest of his wheelchair, his cloudy eyes shining with astonishing light. "This crispy crust, this savory sauce, it's even more authentic than the imperial kitchen's cooking!" He praised between bites, his words muffled. "Young lady, who did you learn this skill from? Did you learn it from a retired imperial chef?"

Dr. Liu's previously tense face finally broke into a chuckle: "Old Hou, eat slowly, don't choke." He turned to Su Yingxue and shook his head helplessly, "The old man craves this; he even secretly hides sugar when injecting insulin."

After finishing his small piece of pancake, Grandpa Hou Defa licked his lips with a lingering satisfaction, then suddenly shouted, "Xiao Wang!" The bodyguard immediately handed him a bank card. "Give this to this girl! There's 20,000 in this card! From today onwards, I'll cover all the savory pancakes in this cafeteria!"

The cafeteria fell silent instantly. Those in line stared wide-eyed, and Su Yingxue's shovel clattered to the ground. Dr. Liu frantically waved his hands, "Dr. Hou! You mustn't! You..."

“I'll take it!” Old Master Hou Defa waved his hand, interrupting with a booming voice, “Young lady, I’m having this pancake!” He turned and glared at Dr. Liu, “Dr. Liu, is it any of your business? I’m paying for it myself!”

Su Yingxue quickly picked up the shovel, both amused and exasperated, and stopped the bodyguard from handing her a card: "Sir, you really don't need so much." She pushed the card back, "I'll just take ten yuan from you, consider it payment for tea while we chat."

"Tsk tsk tsk!" Old Master Hou Defa squinted at Su Yingxue, looking her up and down as if he had discovered some rare treasure. "You're an interesting girl!" He suddenly shouted, "Xiao Wang! Go and call my grandson! Tell him I've met a precious girl whose pancake-making skills are even better than a Michelin-starred chef! Tell him to come and pay right now!"

Bodyguard Xiao Wang nodded immediately: "Yes, sir." He took out his phone, "I'll contact President Hou right away."

Dr. Liu sighed, rubbing his forehead: "Mr. Hou, your grandson is attending an international conference right now..."

"What meeting?!" Old Master Hou Defa slapped his wheelchair. "Tell him to come back right now! Tell him I want to book the whole place for savory pancakes!" He turned to Su Yingxue and winked. "Little girl, are you coming tomorrow? If not, I'll send a helicopter to pick you up!"

Su Yingxue smiled, her eyes crinkling. Looking at the lively old man in front of her, she suddenly felt that tonight's shift was worthwhile.

The old man is such a character! This savory pancake is free, I'll give it to you.

Grandpa Wang watched from the sidelines, feeling both angry and anxious. His stir-fry business had plummeted. He used to make a lot of money by serving his own dishes every night, but on the very first day, everyone was eating savory pancakes. What was he going to do? A thought struck him: No, he had to come up with a dirty trick.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Grandpa Wang, carrying his life savings, rushed to Old Zhang's restaurant at the alley entrance. He kicked open the door, startling Chef Zhang, who was kneading dough, so much that he almost dropped the dough bowl.

"Old Zhang! Get me some savory pancakes, quick!" Grandpa Wang slammed his hand on the table, spitting as he spoke. "Like the kind they sell at the street stalls! No, it has to be even better! As for the price..." He rolled his eyes, then held up two fingers and waved them in front of Chef Zhang, "Four yuan a serving! Cheap and plentiful, I guarantee it'll steal all their business!"

Chef Zhang rubbed his sleepy eyes, looking completely bewildered: "Uncle Wang, this is a traditional dish, four yuan isn't even enough to cover the cost..."

"Enough nonsense!" Old Wang pulled a wad of crumpled bills from his pocket. "This is a five-hundred-yuan deposit. If you can make a hundred of these by eight o'clock this morning, I'll add another five hundred!" He lowered his voice and added menacingly, "Remember, they have to smell especially 'fragrant,' the more fragrant the better!"

Chef Zhang glanced at the stack of bright red banknotes, his Adam's apple bobbed, and finally he nodded: "Alright, alright, Uncle Wang, I'll give it a try. But your request..."

Grandpa Wang patted his chest and said, "Just name your request! My neighbor Old Li's nephew used to be a champion in a cooking competition. I'll get him to give you the recipe! I guarantee it'll taste better than that girl's at the hospital!"

The next morning at 8:00 AM sharp, at the entrance of the hospital cafeteria.

Nurse Li rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked towards the cafeteria as usual. Last night, while on night shift, she dreamed that Li Xiaofeng was holding a savory pancake and exclaiming "delicious!" This morning, she was thinking about buying a few more to bring to her colleagues.

"Hey? Isn't that Grandpa Wang?" Nurse Li spotted him from afar at the cafeteria entrance, where Grandpa Wang was greeting patients' families with a beaming smile. "Oh, Grandpa Wang's switched to selling savory pancakes now?"

When Grandpa Wang saw Nurse Li, his face lit up with a smile, and he rushed over as if he'd seen a savior: "Oh my, Nurse Li! Come and see, I specially prepared some savory pancakes for you today! Four yuan a piece, one yuan cheaper than the ones that girl at the hospital makes!"

Nurse Li looked at the new stall suspiciously. There was a stack of golden-yellow cakes on the stall, a darker color than the ones Wang Ailan had, but the aroma was strange, something about it was off, like… the smell of a chemistry lab?