great-warnovel Chapter 156 Reputation
Chapter 156 Reputation
Inside Lao Liu's Noodle Shop.
Just ten minutes before those thirty-odd diners came rushing over here, the entire restaurant was so quiet you could hear a leaf fall.
In the dimly lit shop, a few old wooden tables, polished to a shine, stood forlornly, not a soul in sight.
Old Liu wore a blue apron with two holes draped diagonally around his waist. He squatted hunched over at his front door, a cigarette trembling in his right hand, looking with a worried expression in the direction of the thirteen chain stores next door.
The lively atmosphere over there could shatter the tranquility of his little shop's glass windows from a great distance.
"What a disaster... With this capital coming in, it's practically severing the roots of the old neighborhood. The livelihood of this entire street is likely to be cut off by these rich people."
Old Liu took a deep drag of his opium and exhaled a smoke ring with a weary expression.
Although business has indeed improved a lot in the past two days because Chen Feng taught him how to make braised pork and also helped him gain fame, which put his mind at ease, Lao Liu still has absolutely no confidence.
After all, the person on the other end of the line is said to be the young master of the Su Group, who has invested tens of millions of dollars in it. The overwhelming publicity and the super low price of 9.9 yuan a bowl are too tempting for ordinary people.
He glanced at his somewhat worn-out stove, then at the few scattered customers outside who had been called away by Su Ang's loudspeaker. Comparing the two, Old Liu's uneasy heart sank to the coldest bottom of the well.
"Sigh, so early in the morning, all the crowds have been drawn away by those fancy alloy light signs."
"I can't even catch a glimpse of it. This whole pot of pork belly that I painstakingly arranged and cooked to perfection is probably going to be a complete waste..."
Old Liu shook his head, sighed somewhat aggrievedly, and was about to stand up to turn the low flame on the stove down a bit.
"Tap, tap, tap."
Just then, from the end of the wet stone path, came several hurried splashing sounds.
Approaching from afar, at an extremely fast speed!
Two young, independent customers, still clutching their "Extreme Flavor Space" black gold refund slips, tugged at their sweaty shirt collars and, like two vicious dogs eyeing a hot meat bun, slammed their heads through Old Liu's peeling wooden door.
"Boss!! Boss, hurry up!! Do you still have braised pork noodles?! Give me two bowls!! Large portions, please!!"
Old Liu was completely stunned, frantically wiping his somewhat withered hands on his apron: "Yes, yes, we do, but our noodles aren't nine yuan and ninety cents..."
"Who wants that $9.90 tech gimmick?! We want that braised pork belly they've been talking about online!! Hurry up, the rest of the team is about to arrive!!"
A large force?!
Before Old Liu could even process the weight of those words, the next second, a deafening roar of footsteps erupted in the narrow alley outside the shop!
"Boom—!!"
At the corner of the long street, more than thirty diners, sweating profusely and with their clothes buttons flying off, stared with eyes like hungry wolves, and rudely crowded together in front of the narrow doorway of Old Liu's noodle shop!
"Give me a bowl!!"
"I'll pay double! Boss Liu, get me a pot of noodles first, I'm practically drooling!!"
"Don't push!! I got here first!!"
The old shop, which was so deserted that even flies wouldn't land there, saw all thirty old wooden stools snatched up in just thirty seconds.
There were even a few young people who arrived late, who simply squatted on the threshold or leaned against the corner of the wall, their eyes fixed on the big black iron pot in the kitchen that was constantly emitting steam.
"Hey! Hey!! Don't panic, everyone, I, Old Liu, will start cooking right away!! I'll start cooking right away!!"
Old Liu was completely overwhelmed by this inexplicable surge of popularity, leaving him feeling dizzy.
He didn't even have time to put out his pipe. In a fluster, he kicked open the kitchen curtain and started working with incredible speed, like a wound-up old machine.
"Splash—!!"
The moment Old Liu excitedly and tremblingly lifted the lid of that old, black iron pot.
The aroma of braised pork, improved by Chen Feng, was like a caged steel behemoth, rising with the white steam from the pot and domineeringly clearing out the entire dimly lit restaurant!
"Holy crap...this is the taste!!"
"Without that pungent chemical flavoring from the place next door, this is such an authentic, natural, and delicious meaty aroma!!"
An old foodie in the front row was stunned by the smell, and his saliva was flowing out of his mouth like it was free.
"Hey hey hey, the braised pork noodles are here—!!"
Sweating profusely, Old Liu slammed a neatly arranged large bowl of braised pork noodles onto the table with a resounding thud.
In the large bowl, tender slices of pork belly, marbled with fat and lean meat and coated in a rich, reddish-brown glaze resembling the finest amber, rested atop snow-white noodles.
"I'll try a bite first!!"
The diner raised his chopsticks and immediately picked up a piece of braised pork and stuffed it into his mouth.
In that instant, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets in shock!
The skin is chewy and soft, the meat is tender and juicy, and the flavor is rich and satisfying!
The fatty pork belly melted in his mouth, the complex flavors of Shaoxing wine, rock sugar, and garlic sizzling all blending together and spreading down his throat.
This feeling is comparable to taking a big gulp of ice-cold plum juice on a sweltering summer day—every pore is screaming with extreme bliss!
"Absolutely amazing!! Absolutely amazing!!"
The diner, his mouth stuffed full of noodles and his face flushed, slammed his fist hard on the old wooden table with a sharp, clear sound.
"As expected of the second canteen, a place brimming with the warmth of everyday life!!"
Boss Chen Feng's secret recipe truly captures the essence of cooking with the smoke and fire of the stove!
This meat is miles better than that industrially frozen braised pork from Su Ang's family, which supposedly meets Michelin standards!
"Brothers, stop getting ripped off next door!! If you can't find the 'human touch' food here, come to the East Second Cafeteria!! Their braised pork noodles are divine!!"
The diners, both those who had finished eating and those who were still eating, went absolutely crazy.
They shamelessly gulped down the last mouthful of rich meat broth from the huge bowl, excitedly pulling out their phones as they did so.
These steaming bowls of noodles were photographed and then sent flying across the city's major social media networks.
At this moment, word-of-mouth spread like wildfire, like an unstoppable mudslide, escaping through the small wooden door of Lao Liu's Noodle Shop and spreading far and wide along with the reputation of "Second Canteen"!