nownovels Chapter 163 A Great Humiliation
Chapter 163 A Great Humiliation
Outside the wooden door of "Human Fireworks," sighs and lamentations rose and fell.
Those dozens of middlemen who rushed back in a panic were filled with regret when they heard Su Chen say "cut off the order."
At the very end of the long queue, around positions ninety-eight and ninety-nine, a few young die-hard fans were enjoying the spicy aroma wafting from the room, while glancing sideways at the group of "traitors" who had scrambled back.
Seeing the defeated look on these people's faces, the young men who had stood firm to the end could no longer hide the wicked and mischievous mocking smile on their lips.
"Hey, aren't these the big bosses from earlier? What's wrong? Is the Red Wall Jade Liquid Chicken Soup across the street scalding hot? Why did you come back to our shabby hole-in-the-wall restaurant before you could even hold your bowl properly?"
The crew-cut young man, number ninety-ninth in line and clutching the last redwood number plate tightly, raised an eyebrow, his voice dripping with sarcasm:
"We saw it clearly just now; you guys threw out the number plates so quickly."
We were just thinking how lucky we were that you guys chose to run away this morning.
Otherwise, with Brother Chen's strict rule of serving 100 portions a day, how could we, who arrived later, have been so lucky as to snag this last, supreme delicacy?!
"That's right!!" A girl with a ponytail next to her chuckled, patting her own reddened queue number plate with a crisp, clear sound.
"When we saw you come back with such long faces, we knew in our hearts—that so-called Master Zhou over there, his reputation is bigger than the sky, but in the end, what he makes can't even compare to a fraction of what Brother Chen makes!!"
Thankfully, we firmly believed in Brother Chen's cooking skills from the very beginning. This food is truly only for those who know their stuff!
Thank you all!
Hearing these blunt and unambiguous taunts, the faces of the dozens of diners turned pale and then green, looking extremely ugly, as if a dye shop had been opened.
They were already upset about missing out on the divine loach, and these harsh truths only added fuel to the fire.
The regret and resentment in his heart turned into a sour feeling, stuck in his throat, making him so uncomfortable that he wanted to slap himself twice on the spot.
"Gentlemen, we were completely wrong because we didn't know what we were dealing with..."
The bespectacled white-collar worker, his face contorted in a grimace, bowed repeatedly, seemingly speechless. "But now that we've cancelled our cards, is there really no way for us to survive on this long street? Is there absolutely no way for us to even have a bite to eat?"
These people really looked pathetic, so the jokes from those few crew-cut young men were enough.
Since they were all just diners trying to make a living in the south of the city, they still offered each other a "clear path."
"Alright, alright, look at how pathetic you all are."
The young man with the crew cut raised his chin and pointed to a dead corner at the east end of the long street, his voice light and cheerful:
"Don't count on Brother Chen here."
However, I shared a table with my brother yesterday and ate braised pork noodles at "Old Liu's Noodle Shop" in the east end.
Let me tell you something: Old Liu's braised pork noodles are made with a secret recipe that was personally instructed and improved by our boss, Chen Feng!
The taste, while not quite as divine as when Brother Chen personally cooks it, definitely shows he's passed down a few of his skills!
The "Second Canteen," a place brimming with the warmth of everyday life, is no joke. If you're late, don't blame me for not warning you!
What?! The second canteen?! Braised pork noodles made with two or three of Boss Chen's secret techniques?!
The dozens of diners, who had been driven to desperation, suddenly had their withered eyes gleam with a hungry, wolf-like green light upon hearing the name "Chen Feng"!
"Holy crap!! It's Old Liu's Noodle Shop on the east side, right?! Let's grab some meat!!"
Without any hesitation, the dozens of people turned around like madmen and ran wildly toward Old Liu's noodle shop.
Meanwhile, at Old Liu's Noodle Shop at the east end of the long street, things were already bustling with activity.
Thirty old wooden benches were all occupied by casual diners enjoying their meals.
Old Liu stood alone in front of the steaming stove, his calloused hands swinging an iron ladle with remarkable rhythm and speed.
"Boom—!!"
Before he could even catch his breath, the narrow threshold at the shop entrance was suddenly and abruptly broken again by the dozens of people rushing over in a frantic rush!
"Boss!! A big bowl of braised pork noodles!! Hurry up!!"
"I'll pay double! As long as it's meat made with Boss Chen's recipe, I have to have a bite this morning, no matter what!!"
Looking at the massive, brand-new crowd that instantly filled the narrow alley in front of the shop, Old Liu was a little stunned, and almost dropped his old apron while wiping his sweat.
Although his weathered old face was full of confusion, he had no idea that the traffic would be pouring into his shabby shop like a torrential downpour.
But for this honest old man who had spent most of his life struggling at the bottom of society...
The more people come, the more the stove fills with the aroma of cooking, which means that his wife, lying in the hospital bed, will finally have a solid foundation for her medical and surgical expenses this month!
"Alright!! Everyone, don't rush!! My braised pork is all you can eat!! All you can eat!!"
With red eyes and drenched in sweat, Old Liu let out a rough, happy shout, his whole body turning the black iron pot over and over with all his might, like a fully wound-up machine.
Meanwhile, fifty meters away, in the brightly lit lobby of the "Extreme Flavor Space" flagship store, the scene was quite different.
"Master... the situation outside is getting out of control..."
The eldest apprentice gripped the intercom tightly, his face pale, and whispered the information he had just gathered from his informant:
"Just now... the second group of diners who just returned their cards here complained that our chicken soup lacked soul."
He ran back to line up for Chen Feng's hundred portions next door.
As a result, the spots were snapped up, and they... they all rushed to "Old Liu's Noodle Shop" on the main street to snatch the braised pork noodles made by that old man who didn't even have a chef's license... Our informant said that the old man was just using a recipe modified by Chen Feng..."
"Crunch... crunch..."
Behind the alloy cutting board, Zhou Benchang felt extremely angry and humiliated, his right hand gripping the custom-made large knife tightly.
This middle-aged master, who had been adored by thousands in the Central and Southern regions for most of his life and had served important figures within the palace walls, was now trembling with anger, his once prosperous face turning a deep purplish-red.
He never expected that, after using these unique skills, he wouldn't even be able to crush a migrant worker cook like Chen Feng on this remote old street.
Now, they're even worse off than Old Liu, who's at the bottom of the long street, not even as good as Chen Feng's toes, and only has two or three parts of the inheritance...
Even Zhou Benchang is no match for him!
"A complete disgrace... This is absolutely a complete disgrace!!"