Selling Lunchboxes at the Film Studio [Gourmet]

In pursuit of her dream, Xia Man spends three years as an extra at a film and television studio. After playing a corpse, she suddenly awakens memories of her past life.

After collecting her day's pay, she heads straight home.

Xia Man's family lives right beside the studio, where her parents run a guesthouse.

As soon as Xia Man gets home, she announces, "My dream of becoming a star is over. I'm going to start pursuing my next dream."

"What dream?"

"Master chef!"

She gets straight to work. A food cart, a sign, cooking utensils: Xia Man spends all her savings, a total of 4,459 yuan and 68 cents. The eight cents came from a red envelope she just opened on a shopping app.

In the end, her parents have to pay for the ingredients, or Xia Man's business would have folded before it even got off the ground.

*

An unknown corner of the studio loses one extra, but a lunchbox stand pops up in the northeast.

When Zhang, a casting assistant, notices Xia Man hasn't shown up for several days and is wondering what's going on, a new ad appears in several of the group chats for extras he manages.

[Man's Lunchboxes is officially open~ It's a small stall, but every lunchbox is made with care. We look forward to seeing you! May your ratings soar and your fortune grow!]

[Today's lunchbox: five dishes and one soup. 20% off for the first three days after opening, just 24 yuan per meal. Delivery to the set available. Discounts for large orders.]

[Oil-braised prawns.jpg Crispy-fried pork tenderloin.jpg Stir-fried pork chunks.jpg Braised ox tongue.jpg Stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.jpg Tremella soup with rock sugar.jpg]

Zhang opens the pictures. His first thought is that the lunchbox looks delicious. Maybe he should get that for lunch today.

Only then does he realize Xia Man posted it. Did Xia Man change careers? Surely not.

But he has to admit, the lunchbox looks remarkably legit.

Maybe he should order one to try.

*

The entertainment industry's trending topics change every day, but today, a baffling new one suddenly appears:

#TheTyrantOfTheStudio#

Xia Man can't resist clicking on it. There's someone like that at the studio? How scary!

She'll have to be careful when selling lunchboxes from now on.

That's what she thinks as she clicks. The very first big picture is a sign for Man's Lunchboxes. Now Xia Man isn't the only one confused. The fans rushing in are left looking around in bewilderment too.

But it doesn't take long for the award-winning actress to comment:

[Waaah, Man's Lunchboxes are so delicious! The director won't let me eat them, but the smell is so irresistible that I have to hide in the break room every time lunchtime approaches.]

Then a top-tier star, a popular idol, a genius director... and even a famous domineering CEO all chime in:

[They really are irresistible lunchboxes. My favorite is the braised lion's head meatballs, but even my agent won't let me eat them!]

[Man's Lunchboxes are a must-have. Every bite is a delight.]

[Everyone at the studio has gained three jin. A camera overhaul is now inevitable!]

[After filming a whole drama, I went home and my wife told me to lose weight.]

[I'm a regular at the studio now...]

Finally, plenty of studio staff start posting photos under the trending topic.

White-cut chicken, osmanthus duck, pan-fried fresh fish, breaded shrimp, shredded pork in Beijing sauce, roast suckling pig... There are also fried milk and almond tofu, with not a single duplicate photo.

Onlookers: Is it still too late to become an extra?

Tourism to the studio skyrockets.

Quick-thinking fans have already started organizing another round of visits to the set.

Visit location: the film and television studio.

Purpose of visit: to eat Man's Lunchboxes.

The people at the studio never expected that they'd have to deal with not just internal competition, but outside competitors too. Some of those outsiders are even their own fans!

"Ahhh, Mr. Chen! I've been a fan of yours for over ten years!" A fan whose name no one knows stares at her idol, trembling with excitement, her voice cracking as she shouts.

The actor, certain he can use his good looks to get a lunchbox, says, "Then what about this last lunchbox..."

The fan replies, "I really like you, but today they're bringing back the osmanthus duck, and it's only here for a limited time!"

Theme: Finding the joy of life through food