vncnus Chapter 26 The essence of humanity is a repeater
Chapter 26 The essence of humanity is a repeater
As Lin Muyuan's tweet hailed him as a "god" continued to spread online, more and more young people followed the navigation, as if participating in a secret and solemn pilgrimage. Some rode shared bicycles from nearby places, while others drove their beloved cars, venturing into this usually quiet old street in groups of three or five.
In no time, a loose queue formed inside the store, filled with colorful trendy brands, sneakers, and selfie sticks.
These new diners, compared to the group of elderly people who were lured in by the aroma in the morning, had completely different "eating etiquette".
When the first batch of lucky customers finally received the rabbit-shaped steamed buns that Zhang Qiang brought out, the entire store did not erupt in a flurry of chewing sounds as it had in the morning. Instead, it fell into a ritualistic silence.
The rich aroma of wheat and meat filled the air, tantalizing everyone's taste buds. The leading boys' Adam's apples bobbed violently. Some of them had their eyes fixed on the three plump, slightly trembling "little rabbits" on their plates, the sound of saliva dripping down their throats particularly clear in the quiet shop.
However, when faced with such extreme temptations, these young people demonstrated amazing resilience in their "image management".
"Wait! Don't move! Eat your phone first!"
A girl wearing black-rimmed glasses suddenly let out a soft gasp. Her face, which had been slightly pale from hunger, shone with a kind of divine radiance the moment she raised her phone. She didn't rush to pick up her chopsticks, but instead turned sideways, searching for the angle of the slanting sunlight. She even nearly twisted her waist into a pretzel trying to avoid some clutter on the table next to her.
Some diners are more casual, as if they are trying to complete some kind of check-in task. They snap a couple of photos of the steamer, quickly take a few pictures that clearly show the "rabbit shape", and then hurriedly put down their phones, grab the buns and stuff them into their mouths.
But many others were extremely "fussy." In particular, the four stylishly dressed girls sitting by the window, despite being drooling over the aroma wafting from the next table, insisted on arranging the four bunny-shaped buns in the center of the table to form an exquisite circle.
"Yueyue, move your plate one centimeter to the left, yes, like that, make sure the bunny ears are aligned!"
"Oh dear, the steam is blocking the camera lens! Let's all blow on it together!"
So, under the complex gazes of the crowd, the four girls simultaneously puffed out their cheeks and blew hard into the steamer, trying to capture that "ethereal" quality as the white smoke dissipated. At that moment, their hunger seemed to be forcibly suppressed by a sense of mission from social media, and they only put down their phones with a sigh of relief after repeatedly confirming that the photos and videos were flawless.
Immediately afterwards, the entire room's "restraint" completely collapsed the moment the first bite of the bun entered the lips.
That long-suppressed desire, when ignited by the scalding, rich, and even slightly savage meat juice, transformed into an extremely unified and primal reaction.
"Holy crap!"
The boy sitting at the front felt as if he had been electrocuted the moment he bit into the noodles and felt the salty, savory, and rich broth burst open on his tongue. All the adjectives he had prepared vanished at that moment, leaving only the most straightforward, rough, and sincere exclamation.
It's like a signal, an instruction that turns on some kind of mysterious switch.
Immediately afterwards, the same melody began to play from every corner of the store.
"Holy crap, that's amazing..."
"Holy crap, that's amazing..."
"Holy crap, that's amazing..."
This sound echoed in the small shop called "Human Fireworks". Regardless of whether they were men or women, no matter how elegant and reserved they had been just now, at this moment, when faced with this bun that could awaken the most primal human appetite, they seemed to have forgotten how to organize their words. They were like human machines, saying whatever others said.
It turns out that the essence of humanity is actually that of a repeating machine.
The scene was incredibly spectacular. Dozens of people, their breath steaming from the heat, shouted "Holy crap, God!" at the empty plates with tears in their eyes, as if this wasn't a steamed bun shop, but some kind of large-scale, fanatical worship event.
Sitting on her high chair, Mengmeng watched the group of older brothers and sisters seemingly "worshipping" her father. Although she didn't understand the meaning of the two-word exclamation, she could feel their joy. Swinging her little legs, she called out to Chen Feng, "Daddy, they're all praising you as an old sage!"
When Chen Feng heard this in the kitchen, he paused in his work, shook his head and smiled helplessly.
Once these young people enter a state of excitement, they start to "stir things up" without realizing it.
Because Chen Feng set a rule of "one serving per person per day", many people who were still not satisfied started to put on all sorts of hilarious little shows in the store.
Among the four girls who were taking photos of the platter, there was a particularly pretty girl who was now bowing devoutly to the last little rabbit-shaped bun in her hand.
With her eyes closed, she muttered, "By the great rabbit god, it's not that I don't want to take you, it's just that this boss is too eccentric. This is my only chance, please make sure this aroma stays in my memory until tomorrow morning..." After saying that, she took small sips of the peel as if performing some kind of sacred ritual, her expression as if she were savoring some ancient elixir, which made everyone around her burst into laughter.
Some people even started taking photos and imitating the rabbit hand-drawn picture on the wall.
A chubby boy, trying to hunch his neck, attempted to mimic the expression of a rabbit in the corner, clutching its belly and laughing. His comical appearance, coupled with the half-eaten bun in his hand, made him the most vivid "spokesperson" in the shop.
This joyful atmosphere quickly permeated every corner of the store.
Although Zhang Qiang was sweating profusely from exhaustion, he enjoyed the atmosphere. The energy and carefree attitude of these young people made him feel that this wasn't just selling steamed buns, but more like hosting a delicious party. He moved between the tables and chairs, helping one person take photos, handing out tissues to another, and occasionally joining in the cheering.
"Handsome, move less, don't rub my rabbit wall, that's our Mengmeng's precious treasure!" Zhang Qiang teased with a smile.
"Don't worry, boss! We're just expressing our respect for you! Seriously, this shop is so interesting, it's both warm and has character."
Laughter filled the air, occasionally punctuated by exclamations of delight at how delicious the food was. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the satisfied and joyful smiles on the faces of the shop's inhabitants, and also shining on the plaque that read "The Joys and Fulfillment of Human Life."
What was originally a somewhat rushed lunch break became exceptionally light at this moment. These young people, with their most genuine reactions, wrote the most vivid footnote to a legend called "taste" in this old street.
For Chen Feng, seeing these complete strangers beam with such radiant, even slightly silly smiles because of a steamed bun he had made himself, the heavy burden he carried about "restarting his glory" seemed to transform into the gentlest driving force amidst all the laughter and banter.
This is what he wanted, and what his grandfather missed most back then—the kind of genuine human joy that transcends class, age, and distance, arising solely from a meal.