NIP Chapter 93 When have I, Zhang Qiang, ever bragged?
Chapter 93 When have I, Zhang Qiang, ever bragged?
Not long after, the car stopped at the entrance of the construction site.
Chen Feng held the phone and gently pressed the speakerphone button.
"Hey, Qiangzi, come out here. We're at the main gate."
A series of loud crashing sounds came from the other end of the phone, and Zhang Qiang sounded breathless:
"What? You guys really came over? Okay, wait two minutes, I'll put some tools down!"
Chen Feng hung up the phone and turned to look at Su Chen.
Su Chen carefully placed the two huge double-walled insulated buckets at his feet. He shook his arms vigorously, deliberately making a show of extreme ease.
Xingruo was holding Mengmeng's hand, and the two were whispering to each other, occasionally letting out a light laugh.
Not long after, a series of hurried footsteps approached.
Zhang Qiang was wearing a yellow safety helmet, and his work clothes were covered in white lime powder and mud, making it impossible to see their original color.
He had a gray-black towel draped around his neck, and as he strode toward the gate, he haphazardly wiped his face with the towel.
He had barely stopped in front of Chen Feng, still catching his breath, when his eyes, like searchlights, sharply scanned the four faces.
He took a step forward and grabbed Su Chen's hand.
"What are you doing, Qiang Ge?" Su Chen was taken aback by his sudden action and tried to pull her hand back.
"Don't move! Let me see!" Zhang Qiang rudely turned Su Chen's hand over and over to examine it, looking at the palm and then the back of the hand.
"No burns? No blisters? No oil stains on the cuffs?"
Zhang Qiang released Su Chen and then turned to look at Xing Ruo.
Xingruo felt a little embarrassed by his gaze, took a half step back, and whispered, "Uncle Qiangzi."
"Your hair isn't messy, and the clothes under your apron are clean." Zhang Qiang stroked his chin, his brows furrowed tightly, before finally fixing his gaze on Chen Feng's relaxed face.
Chen Feng spread his hands, letting him look him over.
"Really nothing happened?" Zhang Qiang pointed at Su Chen's nose, his tone filled with disbelief. "One hundred servings! And you four really handled it all so smoothly? Not a single plate was broken? No customers complained?"
"Brother Qiang, I don't like hearing that." Su Chen slapped Zhang Qiang's hand away, straightened his back, and his tone was full of undisguised pride.
"Not only did we not break a single plate, but we also saw those hundred people off politely. Don't believe me? Ask Mengmeng, was anyone dissatisfied today?"
Mengmeng immediately let go of Xingruo's hand, ran to Zhang Qiang's legs, hugged his knees, looked up, and shouted:
"Godfather! Dad and Brother Su are so amazing!"
Everyone was queuing up obediently today, and no one even spoke loudly!
Mengmeng's arms are sore from collecting all the money!
Hearing Mengmeng's confident words, Zhang Qiang's tense face finally relaxed little by little.
He let out a long breath and leaned weakly against the iron fence beside him.
"Damn it..." Zhang Qiang rubbed his face hard.
"You don't know, my heart was in my throat the whole day while I was on the scaffolding."
I'm terrified that if I touch my phone, it will be a call from you, Su Chen, begging me to come back and save the day.
It seems Fengzi wasn't lying to me yesterday; you guys really can hold on!
Chen Feng stepped forward and patted Zhang Qiang on the shoulder: "I told you, I have my own way. From now on, you can relax here and just do your job peacefully."
Seizing the opportunity, Su Chen immediately bent down and picked up the two large insulated buckets from the ground, deliberately waving them in front of Zhang Qiang.
"Brother Qiang, look closely. We're not only busy enough, but we also managed to find time to bring you some 'gifts.' How about that, aren't you touched?"
Zhang Qiang was so focused on looking at people that he only noticed the two enormous iron buckets in Su Chen's hands.
He leaned closer, took two deep sniffs, and his eyes lit up instantly.
"This...this is ice?" Zhang Qiang felt a slight chill emanating from the outer wall of the iron bucket, his Adam's apple bobbing. "Fengzi, what good stuff did you get your hands on?"
"Su Chen, take note. Fengzi's got real insight." Zhang Qiang chuckled, reaching out to snatch the bucket handle from Su Chen's hand without any hesitation.
"Quickly, bring it here! I'm practically parched! Let me have a bowl right now!"
"Snapped!"
Chen Feng slapped Zhang Qiang's hand without any hesitation.
"Ouch!" Zhang Qiang quickly withdrew his hand, glaring at Chen Feng. "Why did you hit me? Wasn't this for me?"
"I brought this for you, but I didn't want you to eat it all by yourself," Chen Feng said with a laugh, taking the bucket from Su Chen's hands.
"These are two huge buckets, can you drink them all by yourself? Take them inside."
Zhang Qiang was taken aback: "Take it in? Where to?"
"Go to your rest area." Chen Feng gestured forward with his chin, his tone serious.
"Call all your coworkers, the foreman, and the guys who usually work in your shift over here. Everyone can share it."
Zhang Qiang's playful expression vanished instantly.
He's a rough man, but definitely not stupid.
He suddenly understood why Chen Feng, after finishing a hundred high-intensity lunches, didn't rest immediately but instead went to great lengths to prepare two large buckets of iced drinks and even personally came to the construction site.
When Chen Feng was going through his toughest time, he dropped his work at the construction site without hesitation and went to help out at "Human Fireworks" for almost a month.
On construction sites, it's all about one radish per hole. Since he's been gone for a month, his work has definitely fallen to the other guys in his shift.
Although the foreman didn't say anything, the workers were bound to have some complaints.
Today is his first day back at the construction site, and he's worried about how to make up for the favors he's owed over the past month.
Chen Feng was clearly saving face for Zhang Qiang, paving the way for him, and smoothing over the "human relationships" on the construction site for him!
"Fengzi..." Zhang Qiang opened his mouth, his eyes getting hot.
He sniffed hard, roughly wiped his face, and said, "You...you've made me..."
"Stop talking nonsense, what's with the fuss?" Chen Feng shoved the handle of a bucket into Zhang Qiang's hand. "Hurry up and lead the way, the ice is melting in this heat."
"Okay! Let's go!" Zhang Qiang nodded heavily, turned around and strode towards the rest shed inside the construction site, his steps light as the wind.
Inside the rest shed, a dozen or so construction workers, some shirtless and others wearing vests, were lying haphazardly on wooden planks, taking a break.
Several huge industrial fans were blowing hot air.
Zhang Qiang slammed the heavy thermos onto the makeshift table in the center of the shed and shouted at the top of his lungs:
"Wake up, all of you! Get up!"
My brother came to visit, bringing some good stuff. Quickly, bring a bowl and share!
The workers were jolted awake by the shout; some rubbed their eyes, while others lazily touched the kettle beside them.
"Zhang Qiang, what are you yelling about?"
An older worker with tanned skin slowly walked over. His name was Lao Li, and he was someone who often worked with Zhang Qiang.
Old Li glanced at Chen Feng and Su Chen standing behind Zhang Qiang, his tone carrying an undisguised disdain.
"Hey, so this is the Mr. Chen you've been raving about all morning... what's with this 'down-to-earth' stuff?"
Old Li looked Chen Feng up and down, then pointed to the iron bucket.
"Zhang Qiang, you abandoned us for a month just to work for this Boss Chen."
You always say his cooking is better than a five-star hotel, so what, what kind of delicacies did you bring us today?
Is this mung bean soup?
A younger worker nearby also joined in the commotion:
"That's right, Brother Qiang."
While you were away for the past month, we brothers carried all the bricks for you.
If Boss Chen's cooking skills are really that amazing, he should at least prepare two tables of good wine and meat to reward us, right?
What's the point of bringing two buckets of water?
Several workers who had never met Chen Feng immediately echoed his sentiments, their words filled with skepticism about Zhang Qiang's previous "boasting."
In their eyes, how much skill could a cook from a run-down old street possibly have?
Zhang Qiang blushed as they teased him, and was about to yell back when a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind the crowd.
"Get out of my way! All of you, get out of my way!"
An extremely burly figure roughly pushed through the crowd and squeezed in.
It was Dazhuang.
Dazhuang held a huge stainless steel basin that he usually used to serve meals in his hand, his eyes fixed on the thermos on the table.
Following closely behind Dazhuang were Lao Zhou and Xiao Deng.
The three of them knew Chen Feng's skills, so they didn't need to say a word to these clueless guys.
"Dazhuang, what are you grabbing!" Old Li was pushed and stumbled, complaining somewhat angrily.
"You don't know anything!"
Dazhuang completely ignored Lao Li. He rushed straight to Zhang Qiang, not even bothering to greet Chen Feng, and eagerly began to lift the lid of the thermos.
"Brother Qiang, did Brother Chen make this himself? Quick! Get me a pot!"
Old Zhou also walked over quickly. He first nodded to Chen Feng, and then turned to Old Li and his group, saying:
"Old Li, grandson, I advise you all to shut up now."
My brother Chen's cooking skills are so good that even if he just boils a pot of plain water, let alone a bucket of mung bean soup, it will taste a million times better than the chicken soup your wife makes at home!
"If you're not going to drink, fine, but don't waste our time!"
Xiao Deng also grabbed a few disposable paper bowls from the side and excitedly lined them up on the table:
"Exactly! You guys haven't tried my cooking, it's absolutely amazing! Come on, Qiang, get me some!"
Old Li and the other workers, who had initially looked down on them, were all stunned by the almost "crazy" demeanor of Da Zhuang, Old Zhou, and Xiao Deng.
They exchanged bewildered glances, their mockery slowly turning into confusion. These guys, Dazhuang and his companions, were notoriously picky eaters; why were they so full of praise for this Boss Chen?
"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"
Zhang Qiang shoved away the large steel basin that Da Zhuang was offering him, and raised his chin with extreme pride.
Seeing the humiliated looks on Lao Li and the others, he felt extremely pleased.
"Old Li, when have I, Zhang Qiang, ever bragged? Today I'll show you!"