txolops Chapter 174 The Conquered Colleagues
Chapter 174 The Conquered Colleagues
Scene from the Summer Food Festival at Yintai Plaza.
As darkness fell, the landscape lights in the square and the lights in the stalls all came on.
This is the absolute peak time for people to eat dinner after get off work.
In front of tent number one, the queue not only did not shorten, but instead grew longer and longer, and even began to split, winding around the edge of the main stage twice.
The place was bustling with noise and full of lively atmosphere.
Lin Chen stood in front of the blazing stove, his hands moving quickly and steadily.
Wang Hai's voice was slightly hoarse, but he still handed out the takeout boxes quickly, with payment notifications constantly ringing in his ears.
Compared to the booming scene at stall number one, where money was flowing in every day, the atmosphere at stalls number two and three, which were right next to it, was as cold as an icebox.
In front of stall number two.
The steak owner threw the tongs he was holding onto the table.
The steak on the hot plate had dried out due to repeated heating, and had completely lost its appeal.
"Old Li, are you open for business yet?"
The steak vendor sighed, turned to the Japanese food vendor at stall number three next to him, and asked.
The Japanese restaurant owner was sitting on a stool behind the counter, lost in thought.
Upon hearing this, he glanced at the salmon platter in front of him.
"zero."
The Japanese restaurant owner said, "From the time it opened until now, an hour and a half, everyone has gone to queue up next door."
Occasionally two or three people would walk by, smell the aroma of meat from next door, and turn away without even glancing at my salmon.
"I don't understand!"
The steak owner looked towards the direction of stall number one and said, "A bowl of minced meat rice costs 128 yuan, and a bowl of fried rice costs 99 yuan!"
Why are these white-collar workers ignoring our high-end Western food and instead rushing to eat Chinese street food?
This is too eerie!
The Japanese restaurant owner didn't say anything, but just stared at Lin Chen's thermos.
The rich, meaty aroma that kept wafting into my nose was powerful and pure.
As a seasoned veteran in the catering industry, he knew very well that this aroma could not be created by mixing in cheap flavorings.
"No. I want to die knowing why."
The Japanese restaurant owner suddenly stood up from his stool, "I want to see what kind of magical seasoning he put in!"
It can steal the soul from your guests!
"What are you doing? Going to join the queue?"
The steak owner paused for a moment, "If we go to queue up dressed like this and get recognized, how will we save face?"
"Find someone to buy it for you."
The Japanese restaurant owner spoke up.
He glanced around the perimeter of the square and waved to a delivery guy who happened to be passing by.
The delivery guy immediately came over: "Boss, are you sending a package or buying it for me?"
"Bro, can you do me a favor?"
The Japanese restaurant owner took out 300 yuan from his apron pocket and handed it directly to the young man, saying, "Go to the next stall, number one, and get in line. Buy me a 128 yuan minced meat rice bowl and a 99 yuan fried rice bowl."
The remaining seventy-odd yuan is your errand fee; keep the change.
The delivery guy glanced at the money in his hand, then at the ridiculously long queue next to him, and instantly understood.
"You're spying on the enemy, aren't you?"
No problem! I'm very tight-lipped!
The delivery guy stuffed the money into his pocket. "Boss, just a moment, I'll go get in line right away!"
Watching the delivery guy blend into the group, the Japanese restaurant owner and the steakhouse owner exchanged a glance, neither of them saying a word, and simply retreated silently behind their respective workstations.
In the time that follows.
The two sat in their stall, listening to the sounds of payments being collected and the undisguised praise from customers coming from the No. 1 shed outside, feeling a pang of discomfort in their hearts.
"Boss! It's back!"
Finally, the delivery guy came running back with a takeout bag and placed it on the table at the Japanese food stall.
"Thanks, bro."
The Japanese restaurant owner took it.
"Don't mention it."
Before leaving, the delivery guy couldn't help but mutter, "Boss, to be honest, the smell of meat was absolutely amazing when I was in line. It made me want to finish work and buy some myself."
Upon hearing this, the Japanese restaurant owner's face darkened even further.
He didn't reply, but simply untied the package.
The steak owner also came over.
The two stood behind the control panel, took out two packing boxes, and lined them up in a row.
"Click, click."
The lids of both lunchboxes were opened at the same time.
The moment the lid was lifted.
A aroma of meat and scallions wafts through the air.
You don't need to get close to smell it; it hits you directly in the face.
"This color..."
The steak owner looked at the fried rice and swallowed back any criticisms he had intended to make.
This is definitely not the kind of work you can just do at a roadside stall.
"What's the use of just looking at it? You only know if it's all show and no substance once you taste it."
The Japanese restaurant owner was stubborn and refused to admit it.
He picked up a plastic spoon from the takeout bag and handed one to the steak owner.
"You eat fried rice, I'll eat meat rice, and today I'm going to find something to complain about!"
The Japanese restaurant owner gritted his teeth and scooped a large spoonful of meat sauce into the rice bowl.
He put the spoonful into his mouth.
Take a bite.
Time seemed to stand still at that moment.
The Japanese restaurant owner's tightly furrowed brows suddenly froze the moment his teeth touched the diced meat.
The piece of meat, with its perfect balance of fat and lean, wasn't greasy at all as he had expected.
It melted incredibly on the tip of the tongue, bursting forth with an extremely pure and rich aroma.
The lean meat underneath was incredibly soft and tender, melting smoothly in my mouth.
What made his scalp tingle even more was the sauce.
The Japanese restaurant owner's eyes widened suddenly, a strong sense of professional tremor flashing deep within them.
The sauce has a perfect balance of salty and sweet.
"Click."
The Japanese restaurant owner took a bite of the pickled radish served as a side dish.
The refreshing crispness instantly cleared away the lingering taste in the mouth, making the taste buds crave the next bite.
at the same time.
The steak owner standing next to him had already put a bite of the fried rice into his mouth.
The steak owner's hand trembled violently the moment he swallowed.
He stared blankly at the box of fried rice, savoring the texture in his mouth.
"The cooking time...the flavor..."
The steak owner said, "The intense heat of the wok locks in the rice, yet you can't taste a single speck of excess oil... This skill takes at least ten or eight years to master..."
He recalled his steak that cost 188 yuan.
Compared to Lin Chen's 99-yuan fried rice, it was practically a joke.
A deathly silence fell behind the control panel.
Outside, the No. 1 tent was bustling with noise; inside, there were two colleagues who had completely lost the will to resist.
The Japanese restaurant owner didn't say anything more.
He simply picked up his spoon again and began stuffing mouthful after mouthful of the "Chinese pork rice" that he had scorned just ten minutes earlier.
Less than five minutes.
The two takeout boxes were completely eaten.
The Japanese restaurant owner put down his spoon and picked up a napkin from the table to wipe his mouth.
He didn't look at the high-end salmon in front of him, but just stared blankly at the empty takeout box.
"Old Li..."
The steakhouse owner forced a bitter smile. "We... we've really messed up this time."
"We lost."
The Japanese restaurant owner said, "I accept my defeat wholeheartedly."
With his skill in cooking and seasoning, I'd buy it even for 280, let alone 128.
No wonder his business is so booming.
They were utterly disheartened and no longer had the slightest thought of competing with Greenhouse No. 1.