Chapter 131 Pagoda Meat [First Update]

The scene then shifts back to the big dumpling.

After eating two dishes that looked like pre-made meals, Da Tuanzi went from being skeptical to somewhat angry. Although he couldn't say it outright during the live stream, his sudden silence was noticed by everyone in the chat.

[Momo: It's been a long time since I've seen Da Tuanzi so listless. The last time was when we ate that pre-made chicken soup that cost 138 yuan at a chain restaurant, right?]

[Shao Xiang Sai Gao: Two dishes that looked like they were pre-made, and he still spent over 800 yuan! Forget about smearing his face, I'd flip his stall over! You get what you pay for. I wasn't expecting to eat a lobster for 800 yuan, but isn't using pre-made ingredients all the way too much?]

[Grape: Yeah, actually, Da Tuanzi has always had his own principles when it comes to live streaming. He doesn't get particularly angry if cheaper restaurants use pre-made dishes; he just makes a few jokes about ensuring food safety and hygiene. But big restaurants using pre-made dishes… frankly, people pay such a high premium just to eat the chef's cooking, right?]

When Da Tuanzi saw this comment, he thought, "That's exactly it."

His anger wasn't about spending 800 yuan; after all, that's not a lot of money for a big streamer like him. It was about spending 800 yuan on a table full of pre-made food…

He's rich, not stupid!

Everything has its price. A good chef can sell a meal for thousands or tens of thousands of dollars. As long as the price is clearly marked, no one will say anything.

But your restaurant is so big, and you claim to be a chef specializing in state banquets, yet the dishes are pre-made. Isn't that a form of deception?

The waiter brought over the freshly heated pork intestines.

"Hello, this is your nine-turn intestine."

Da Tuanzi forced himself to take a bite. After the fatty intestines were thoroughly heated, the inside was thin and dry, and the outer skin was even harder.

"...The pork intestines were cooked long enough and cleaned very well. They didn't have a special taste. The flavor of the ingredients and the salt were somewhat disproportionate."

[Momo: I understand. It was pre-made, but it was stewed for too long and became a bit too salty.]

[Chasing the Light: I'm begging you, do all food review bloggers have this kind of slang system? How am I supposed to watch mukbang videos like this?]

The live stream was noisy, with people occasionally commenting that they were enjoying watching it from Wenji's channel.

[Coco: Wow, the live stream from Wenji's kitchen is so exciting! Even though the camera is a bit blurry, the smooth, fluid movements... Have you guys seen that classic film by a certain director? The opening scene is about cooking, and I absolutely loved that part. Wenji's kitchen live stream gives me that same feeling!]

[I love French fries: I get it! Seriously, good cooks are even more exciting to watch than mukbang videos. I also really enjoy watching cooking streamers.]

[Momo: ...I went there because I heard so much about it, but all I got was a flatbread with pork intestines and potatoes. Isn't it sinful to watch this so late at night? I really want to eat pork intestines right now.]

[echo: Then go to Jin Yu Lou and eat the giant dumpling's braised pork intestines.]

[Momo: ...How can someone with a 36-degree mouth say such cold things? This thing, even the big dumpling only ate one bite! Even the superhumans who can't stand street-side 'dark snail noodles' only ate one bite; I doubt they could even last one.]

Big Dumpling: ...I'm even more exhausted now.

But then the lobby manager of Jin Yu Lou came over very politely to greet them, saying that today's dishes were made by the restaurant's second and third chefs, and asking if Da Tuanzi had any opinions.

A string of ellipses floated across the screen.

[Momo: I really don't understand Jin Yu Lou. If you don't care, you even had the lobby manager come to ask. But if you do care... at least make a few portions right away, or give the big streamer some special treatment, that would be showing you care. But the way you're doing it, even Da Tuanzi has nothing to say.]

The big dumpling was indeed speechless. He asked a few more times if he could meet the head chef, but the manager awkwardly refused.

"Sorry, I've been too busy today."

[echo: Busy cutting bags?]

[Kaleidoscope: Hehe, if you go into the kitchen now, you'll probably only find cooks and a few pots, right?]

[Xiaofu: How many dishes are left? Let's just bring them all out at once. I want to see just how low this old restaurant's standards are.]

The manager's forehead was beaded with sweat, and he was inwardly groaning.

The boss and several master chefs had only given orders, but today, the first day of selling the pig-slaughtering feast, not a single person showed up to support the business. He was exhausted from dealing with the customers' questions, and he had just received a call from the boss, who was furious on the other end.

"How did you manage the situation? I told you a big streamer was coming tonight, and you needed to be careful with the service. Did you see what the people in the live stream were saying? Why haven't you gone to communicate with them yet?"

The manager was busy and didn't actually watch the live stream until the boss yelled at him. He was completely distracted when he finally checked it.

Discussions about pre-made dishes filled the entire chat, and the popularity of the live stream continued to climb, from a few thousand people at the beginning to more than ten thousand people in a short time!

Even though Da Tuanzi didn't say it, many people had already seen the truth from the clues, and their words were full of contempt for Jin Yulou.

The manager rushed over to find Da Tuanzi, hinting several times that he wanted Da Tuanzi to come out with him. But Da Tuanzi stubbornly refused. Just as the manager was hesitating about whether to have the kitchen prepare a few dishes urgently to give Da Tuanzi special treatment, he suddenly heard a commotion in the hall!

[Shanshan: What's wrong? What happened?]

The lobby manager apologized, and a waiter came running over nervously.

"Manager, someone said... they found a foreign object in their food."

The manager tensed up instantly, glancing at the live stream camera with a quick glance: "Impossible, everything in our store is freshly made, all made with fresh ingredients from that day... I'll go check it out right now."

The manager's voice was somewhat soft. Seeing the number of people at the large dumpling stall increasing rapidly, many passersby, seeing that there was something to watch, squatted down and refused to leave.

[Miaomiao: I heard that! They said they found a pre-made food packaging bag in their food!]

[Dongdong: I saw it too. Someone was live-streaming it, and that camera was even closer. The customer who found the packaging bag in the food was really angry and even showed the packaging bag to the camera.]

[Crayon: ...Isn't this a done deal? Before, some people disagreed with the idea of ​​pre-made meals. Now look, the packaging is already out!]

[Want to eat cabbage: Oh no, I have a feeling Jin Yu Lou is going to go bankrupt.]

[Sleepy Goldfish: +1]

[ali: It's a bit of a sad story. A local, well-known restaurant was caught red-handed using prefabricated materials... It's destined to trend on social media.]

...

After frantically calming down the guests, the manager rushed around putting out fires. He arrived at Da Tuanzi's side without stopping, but he was already overwhelmed and had no better solution. He could only ask Da Tuanzi to turn off the live stream in front of the camera.

"We are very sorry, this is a dispute within our store. We would appreciate it if you could stop the live stream to avoid infringing on the privacy rights of others."

That's the point of live streaming: the store owner has the right to refuse customers from live streaming, so Da Tuanzi shut down the live stream.

Just a second before the live stream ended, a comment appeared on the screen.

[Honey-glazed pork: Look! There's a hashtag for it! It's about to trend on social media!]

*****

Unaware that Jin Yu Lou was already halfway finished, Wen Fan was still cooking in front of the camera.

After steaming for two hours, the pagoda-shaped pork is fully cooked. Wen Fan boils water in a pot and blanchs the bok choy. Take the pagoda-shaped pork out of the steamer and pour out all the broth along the rim of the bowl. Heat a pot and bring it to a boil to thicken the sauce.

Wen Fan held a plate in one hand and a steaming bowl in the other, and gently turned it over. The pagoda-shaped pork slices were poured onto the plate, layer upon layer of dark red pork slices resembling a pagoda, exuding a rich meaty aroma.

The small bok choy is arranged around the plate, and the thickened broth has a crystal-clear, flowing amber luster. The broth is evenly poured over the pagoda-shaped pork, giving the meat a glossy, oily look.

"Pagoda-shaped pork, two portions, sixty-eight yuan each!"

As soon as the price was announced, people rushed to grab the dish. Once the dish was on the table, people took pictures of it from different angles.

After taking photos, it was time to eat. The meat slices were thinly cut; with a gentle flick of the wrist, the previously connected slices separated, revealing a hidden surprise inside. Thick slices of preserved mustard greens were wrapped in fatty meat, the rich, flavorful greens soaked in meat juices – the perfect accompaniment to rice!

Half of the viewers on the screen were drawn in to watch the spectacle, while the rest were all praising Wenji's great value for money.

[Xiao Shen: No, such a complicated cooking method, and it's only 68 yuan? That's a bit too much!]

[Wei Sheng: Exactly! How do you calculate the cost of all this work? The boss is so generous!]

[Ya Ya: ...This is even more painful. If you were selling it for several hundred, I could just look at it and be tempted, but sixty-eight...I really can't afford it!]

[XiXi: Speechless. I've already set my alarm for tomorrow. I'm going to queue up tomorrow morning!]

...

After finishing the pagoda-shaped pork, Wen Fan wiped the table clean.

When asked by viewers in the live stream whether he would broadcast again tomorrow, Ren Haijin gave a simple, honest smile.

"I don't know."

He's not very interested in the internet. Even though he gained several hundred followers from today's live stream, Ren Haijin still doesn't feel like he should be doing live streaming.

He was convinced that if Wen Fan said he would broadcast it again tomorrow, then he would broadcast it.

After turning off the live stream, Wen Fan sat on his stool in the kitchen and checked the feedback on his phone for the evening.

Great! Not only has Wenji's account gained a lot of followers, but the comment section below has also seen a significant increase in positive comments.

Those malicious comparisons were quickly deleted after being bombarded with criticism.

[Canxing: Jin Yulou, huh? Their pre-made dishes have been proven wrong. Look at Wenji, they use real ingredients and aren't afraid of live streaming.]

[Fu Gui: There's nothing to say. I can only say that whoever likes Jin Yu Lou can go eat there; I'm not giving them my money. Pre-made food is fine, but selling pre-made food as if it were freshly cooked at freshly cooked prices—I'm not going to a restaurant that treats me like a fool.]

[Momo: Some old shops always think they've got too much credit for themselves and act arrogantly towards customers. Look at the work ethic of smaller shops! Today I spent the whole day observing Wen Ji's kitchen. Although it's small, everything was neat, tidy, and clean!]

[Bridge: Both companies are livestreaming at the same time today, and everyone can see that. They badmouthed the other beforehand, created hype for themselves, and then messed things up... Now no one will say Wenji is just a superficial internet celebrity restaurant, right?]

...

The criticism in the comments section increased significantly overnight, and even more so than the uproar in the comments section.

It is a public opinion crisis for Jin Yulou.

The search term quickly became a trending topic. Many people may not know Jin Yulou, but once this term appeared, many people recognized it.

The controversy surrounding pre-prepared meals was still raging not long ago, and now, Jin Yu Lou has been completely branded as a disgrace.

One negative review after another flooded into Jin Yulou's comment section.

Inside the Golden Jade Pavilion, the Second and Third Jins and the young master were all dumbfounded.