After unexpectedly becoming popular, she was forced to close twice a month, and the "Box Lunch Sister" construction site offered a 10 yuan buffet for 9 years without price increase or reduction

A boxed lunch costs 10 yuan, with 20 to 30 dishes to choose from. If you don't have enough food, you can add more... Recently, a cost-effective boxed lunch at a construction site in Hefei, Anhui has become popular on the internet. The vendor Wang Rongya has been setting up a stall for 9 years, but the price has not changed. After being spread through self media accounts, the large and cheap construction site boxed meals have attracted a constant stream of people who come to check in. People refer to the vendor Wang Rongya as "boxed sister".

However, becoming popular has also brought troubles to the stall owner Wang Rongya. The order in front of the stall was chaotic, criticized for hype, and food was wasted... In just over a month, Wang Rongya was forced to close twice. How should society protect these simple goodwill when normal livelihoods are disrupted by the influx of internet celebrities and experienced users?

Before "Box Lunch Sister" became popular

Over the past 9 years, there has been almost no interruption in setting up a stall

Last night at around 9 o'clock, a reporter from Voice of China dialed the phone number of vendor Wang Rongya. She is preparing dishes for the next day's lunch stand.

"The dishes for tomorrow are bone stewed tiger Century egg, Braised pork belly, stuffed meat with Oily bean curd, ribs, duck intestines, etc. The meat dishes must be prepared the night before, chopped and cut, and drained of blood."

△ Wang Rongya shares ingredients on social media platforms

In the past few days, Wang Rongya had not set up a stall, which was the second time she had closed down in over a month.

On September 10th, Wang Rongya updated a message on her social media account: "Hello everyone, I am 'Box Lunch Sister'. I won't be running out today due to unexpected matters. I hope everyone won't run out of time. Thank you for your support."

Wang Rongya and his lover Chen Libing came to Hefei in 2015. Based on their previous experience of running a restaurant in their hometown, they made a living by providing boxed meals for their colleagues around the construction site in Hefei. Fresh vegetables should be bought at the wholesale market at three or four in the morning, washed, cut, burned, and then served on a plate.

Before being noticed by the internet, Wang Rongya and his lover drove a small truck loaded with food to the roadside around noon every day, set up tables and chairs, set up a sunshade, and then arranged stainless steel plates filled with dishes. A simple construction site cafeteria was ready.

The 10 yuan box lunch at the small stall is very rich in dishes. There are more than 30 courses of meat dishes, including salted duck, pork head, fish head with chopped peppers, Braised pork belly, and four or five kinds of vegetable dishes. "I have maintained this standard since the first day of selling meals, with 4 to 5 vegetarian dishes and the rest being meat dishes. The dishes are all homemade, and I feel embarrassed if the quantity is too small."

△ The dishes posted by Wang Rongya on social media platforms

Most of the workers who come to dine are old customers.

"We work here and basically eat here every day."

"Other families' boxed meals are not as affordable as their own. Their food is not only delicious but also very refreshing."

"I have been running in Hefei for over a decade, and I don't have as many meat dishes as his family..."

For 9 years, Wang Rongya and his wife have almost never stopped selling. "The workers come every day to see if I have set up a stall. If I haven't set up a stall, they will come and see me the next day. Even if I don't make money, I feel very comforted in my heart."

After "10 yuan self-service" unexpectedly became popular

Forced to close twice a month

Becoming popular is a surprising thing for Wang Rongya, who has been running a stall for 9 years. The group outside of workers learned that there is a 10 yuan box lunch stall on the roadside of Zhanghuatai in the north of Hefei, Anhui because several self media "exploration" videos mentioned that "you can eat as much as you want for 10 yuan".

Wang Rongya would add, "No matter how many bowls you have, you can charge only 10 yuan for meat and vegetables, as long as you don't waste them..."

Afterwards, more people came to eat upon hearing the news, and Wang Rongya's troubles also came. The internet celebrities who filmed Wang Rongya's boxed meals crowded the stalls, and there were also volunteers. Even in the days of mid August, the jurisdiction arranged for police officers to command traffic on site and maintain order. Volunteer Mr. Yang said, "We will put up a banner and give priority to migrant workers to eat, so they can enter directly without queuing."

Crowded scene around Wang Rongya's booth

On August 16th, Wang Rongya closed for the first time for 15 days. Afterwards, a customer finished eating and prepared to pack and take away with a tray they had brought with them, but was stopped by volunteers and caused conflicts on the spot. On September 10th, Wang Rongya closed down again.

"I didn't expect so many people to come and eat these past few days. My husband and I have only slept for an hour for four consecutive nights, and it must be unbearable for our bodies to get up early and dark for so many days. There are also some emotional factors. We have worked hard to cook so many dishes, and some people have finished eating here. When we left, we took away about five people in a basin and only paid for one portion."

Wang Rongya's troubles go far beyond these. The 10 yuan self-service simple meals that some people eat too much and eat too little, resulting in food waste; Some people question whether boxed meals are cheap because the ingredients are not good; Some people say that Wang Rongya deliberately hyped up in order to harvest traffic and make money.

But after resting for a few days, Wang Rongya still decided to resume his stall. For the fellow workers who came to eat, it was a small stall that made their appetite feel good; For Wang Rongya's family, this is also a livelihood that has been maintained for many years, with low profits and high sales.

"In the past few days of rest, I have seen many people online questioning me, saying that the cheap prices I sell are malicious competition and hype. I have been selling for 9 years, so hype is really unnecessary. The workers here are all old customers who come to me from distant construction sites to eat. I won't stop doing it just because of a small emotion."

Love booths should not become tools for attracting internet celebrities

Expert advice: "Keep quiet and not disturb"

How should society protect these simple goodwill when the internet becomes popular and normal livelihoods are disrupted by the influx of internet celebrities and experienced users? Zhang Lingxiao, Director of Beijing Jingshi Law Firm and Deputy Director of the China Charity Federation, stated that at present, some uncivilized behaviors such as cutting in line and wasting do not constitute acts that disrupt social order as stipulated in the Public Security Administration Punishment Law. But if internet celebrities intentionally incite everyone to grab food and seats, causing chaos or stampede on the scene, they may face administrative penalties.

"The 10 yuan boxed lunch offered by 'Box Lunch Sister' is very favorable. Although this kind of business behavior does not belong to legal charity, it still moves us and should not become a tool for attracting internet celebrities. 'Stay quiet and not disturb' may be the greatest goodwill of ordinary people towards the city."

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