Chapter 22 This Is the Taste

Just as Ou Yang was happily and somewhat regretfully savoring the taste of the crab shell yellow, planning to go for another plate, the group of morning jogger grandpas arrived.

Six grandpas came in—one more than yesterday.

Each of them was dressed in a sleeveless undershirt with casual pants or sports pants. Sweat was still visible on their foreheads, and their undershirts were slightly damp. At a glance, it was clear they had just finished a proper morning run.

“Wow, there’s baked pastry this morning!” Grandpa Xu, a seasoned breakfast connoisseur, exclaimed as soon as he entered. He quickly walked to the window, staring at the crab shell yellow with delight. “Crab shell yellow—just out of the oven, we made it in time.”

Pointing at the crab shell yellow, Grandpa Xu eagerly said, “Young man, I’ll take two of these. And give me one steamer each of yesterday’s buns, plus a bowl of iced mung bean soup. I’m exhausted.”

After speaking, Grandpa Xu sat down at his familiar Table No. 9 and slumped back in his chair.

“You just ran a bit and you’re already complaining about being tired. And you used to say I was stingy. I think you’ve been living too comfortably these past couple of years. After running, you still eat this much—when are your blood pressure, blood sugar, and lipids ever going to go down?” Grandpa Cao complained mercilessly as he skillfully scanned the QR code. “Your staff hasn’t even started work yet, huh? Two crab shell yellows, one steamer of three-dumpling buns—payment sent.”

The other grandpas also scanned and ordered with ease, as if they were regulars who had been eating here for months. Only the newly arrived grandpa hesitated while looking at the menu, feeling like he had stumbled into some kind of modern breakfast scam.

“Why are your prices so high?” the grandpa questioned. “A crab shell yellow costs 5 yuan each. I remember the ones near my neighborhood were only 2.5 yuan each—you’ve doubled the price.”

“We currently have a 30% discount for our new opening. Also, this crab shell yellow is a new shrimp-filled version. It’s a limited-time promotional price, same as the pork-filled one at 5 yuan each. Starting tomorrow, it will return to the original price of 8 yuan each,” Qin Huai explained with a smile.

The real reason was that Qin Huai hadn’t originally planned to make a shrimp-filled version, so it wasn’t listed on the menu yet. The menu would only be delivered in the afternoon.

The grandpa became even more hesitant.

“Wang Laogen, stop dragging your feet,” Grandpa Cao said, lowering his voice like a devil whisper. “Yes, this place is a bit expensive, but it’s delicious. A premium supermarket carrot and a street vendor’s carrot aren’t priced the same. You’ve been calculating money for forty or fifty years and still haven’t calculated enough? I brought you here to run just so you could eat at this place. Trust me—definitely worth it.”

“Exactly. This place just opened yesterday. If you wait a while longer, you might not even be able to get in,” Grandpa Xu added, now acting like a loyal fan and temporarily setting aside any past friction with Grandpa Cao.

“It’s not Suzhou. How good can crab shell yellow here really be?” Grandpa Wang muttered under his breath.

Though he thought it was expensive, under the enthusiastic recommendations of Grandpa Cao and Grandpa Xu, Grandpa Wang still hesitantly ordered one crab shell yellow, one steamer of five-dumpling buns, and one steamer of three-dumpling buns.

The buns had just been steamed and were still a bit hot, while the crab shell yellow could be eaten immediately.

Soon, the entire dining area was filled with the rich aroma of freshly baked crab shell yellow.

Grandpa Xu couldn’t stop eating—two in just a couple of bites. He stood up with his plate, about to go get more.

“Bang!” Grandpa Wang, sitting opposite him, slammed the table excitedly, startling Grandpa Xu so much that he nearly dropped his plate.

“Wang Laogen, what are you banging the table for! If I drop this plate, you’ll have to pay for it!” Grandpa Xu complained.

Grandpa Wang ignored him, exclaiming emotionally, “This is the taste!”

The other grandpas: “?”

Has Wang Laogen developed dementia too?

Is the condition progressing this seriously? Should we call his wife to come get him?

“What taste?” Grandpa Cao asked.

“The taste of crab shell yellow!” Grandpa Wang replied.

The other grandpas: “??”

Grandpa Wang, now extremely excited and somewhat incoherent, gestured animatedly and said, “It tastes exactly like the crab shell yellow I had in Suzhou when I was young! Exactly this flavor! It’s definitely shrimp-filled—I haven’t tasted anything this authentic in half my life!”

The others: “……”

Alright, here we go again—another nostalgic trip down memory lane.

Grandpa Wang continued emotionally, “Back then, I was an accountant at a textile factory. That factory was one of the best in Suzhou. There was a state-owned restaurant right next to it. Every day, the thing I looked forward to most after work was riding my bicycle there to line up for crab shell yellow.”

“You have no idea—the crab shell yellow made by the chefs there. The first batch came out at exactly 6 p.m. every day, and the aroma would spread for miles!”

“The whole street would be filled with that smell as soon as it came out of the oven. The queue was so long that if you got off work one minute late, you couldn’t buy any. Back then, I’d rather skip lunch just to save money to buy a couple to satisfy my craving. If a family promised their child crab shell yellow and failed to buy it, the child could cry all night. I even managed to win over my wife back then because I was fast on my bicycle and always managed to grab some.”

“Unfortunately, the factory later declined, and I was transferred away from Suzhou. I never tasted that flavor again. Truly nostalgic…”

The other grandpas seemed used to Grandpa Wang’s occasional reminiscing and continued eating quietly without paying him any attention.

After a few minutes of recollection, Grandpa Wang had finished reliving his youthful days. Feeling as though he had regained the appetite of his younger self, he shouted toward the window:

“Young man, pack 30 crab shell yellows!”

“My wife loves this taste!”

Qin Huai efficiently packed them up.

Ou Yang watched in stunned silence, secretly envious.

He also wanted to shout, “30 crab shell yellows to go,” but without the money, he could only sit there with his plate, get another serving, and then slump in his seat scrolling his phone and slacking off.

After the grandpas left, Qin Huai quietly checked the mission panel.

10.4% / 25% (39 / 94)

The progress was quite promising.

Those grandpas were quite capable—they must have been frequent diners in the area.

When he left home this morning, the count was still 31/94. Just five grandpas had effectively eliminated eight shops.

Qin Huai silently gave the grandpas a thumbs-up in his heart.