The Second High School of Liuhe City was located by a small river in Chentang Town, right next to Chentang Middle School. Xu Ze’s mother usually set up her barbecue stall near Chentang Middle School on weekdays, but on weekends, she often moved it to the entrance of the Second High School.
High school students at Second High were only allowed to leave campus on weekends, so many of them took advantage of their rare day off to gather around the various food stalls outside the school, picking out their favorite snacks.
Xu Ze, wearing an apron with some chicken bouillon brand logo, pushed the barbecue cart to a spot near the school gate. After parking it, he exchanged friendly greetings with the neighboring stall owners selling skewers, braised eggs, tofu, and fried snacks. Then, he set up his stall.
“It’s Ah Ze! Ah Ze is here!” A sharp-eyed girl spotted him and called out. Soon, a group of fifteen- or sixteen-year-old girls crowded around the barbecue stall, their eyes sparkling as they shyly called out, “Ah Ze, give me three squid skewers!”
“I want five skewers of green beans, Ah Ze!”
“…”
Xu Ze smiled and nodded at the girls, skillfully placing their orders on the grill over the charcoal fire. He picked up a brush and a bottle of seasoning, carefully applying the flavors.
The neighboring stall owners, watching Xu Ze’s bustling business, couldn’t help but tease him. “Ah Ze, it’s a good thing you only sell barbecue and don’t come often. If you sold other stuff, you’d probably steal all our customers… Haha…”
Xu Ze chuckled sheepishly but didn’t respond, focusing instead on flipping the skewers to make sure they didn’t burn.
Seeing the faint blush on Xu Ze’s face, the old lady selling braised eggs grinned, revealing her few remaining teeth. “Ah Ze, how about what I mentioned last time? My granddaughter Lingling is studying in the provincial capital now. Why don’t you two meet? How about becoming my grandson-in-law?”
“Uh…” Xu Ze was used to being teased by the braised egg granny. While he used to blush, he now responded with a light smile. “Granny, that depends on whether Lingling would even like me.”
Hearing this, the old lady burst into laughter, but before she could say more, the woman selling skewers and fried dough interjected with a playful smirk. “Braised Egg Granny, do you really think your granddaughter is a match for Ah Ze? Look at these girls—they flock to him the moment he shows up. They usually cry over a single pimple, but now they’re all buying barbecue from him without worrying about getting acne. That just shows how popular Ah Ze is. He probably already has a girlfriend at school. Our BBQ Prince isn’t going to settle for your little girl!”
“Tsk… Fried Dough Auntie, your mouth is as sharp as ever. One day I’ll tear it off!” The braised egg granny shot a glare at the woman but finally fell silent after being thoroughly roasted.
Xu Ze wisely chose to stay quiet. These women were experts at banter, and engaging with them usually ended with him being teased. So, he only responded when absolutely necessary.
With the braised egg granny finally quiet, the noise died down, and Xu Ze could finally focus on grilling. Skewers of squid, lamb, and chicken legs were handed out, and money piled up in the cash box. In just over an hour, the shoebox used as a cash register was nearly full, and the crowd of girls gradually dispersed.