Business is booming

Dong Xingyou reported to the authorities that someone was deliberately killing cattle at Taibai Tower.

"Who is standing here? What do you wish to accuse?"

"Your Honor, I, Dong Xingyou, have come to report the Taibai Tower in Liuhe Lane for slaughtering cattle and selling meat."

The government office in the capital that managed civil affairs was the Shuntian Prefecture, and Meng Guanshen was the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

"Taibai Tower has already announced that they will be selling beef tomorrow. Your Excellency, you must send someone to shut them down!"

Meng Guanshen: "I understand the situation. You may leave."

Fu Zhiqiao had already sent someone to report that the beef indeed came from the Wenya Grassland thousands of miles away. Wang Qi's travel permit could prove this. In addition, Xie Zhuo personally took care of things, so Meng Guanshen had no intention of making things difficult for Taibai Tower.

After leaving the government office, Dong Xingyou was beaming with joy. Unaware that Xie Zhuo had already sent someone to warn them, he assumed the government would shut down Taibai Tower. So, he spread the word that Taibai Tower was violating the law by slaughtering cattle and selling beef, and that the manager would soon be imprisoned.

Not only did Dong Xingyou report the matter to the authorities, but he also had a backup plan: he persuaded Guo Changyi to come forward and uphold justice.

Guo Changyi was forty-three years old and an old scholar. When he was a child, his family was very poor, so poor that they had to borrow oxen from relatives to plow the fields. It was under such difficult conditions that he studied hard and passed the imperial examination to become a scholar.

After passing the imperial examination at the county level, his path was not as smooth as he had imagined. He failed the imperial examination for three consecutive years, and his family could no longer afford to support him to continue taking the exam. Helpless, he had to give up the path of the imperial examination and opened a private school in his own courtyard, teaching children and charging very low tuition fees.

According to him, he wanted to give more children from poor families the opportunity to study and learn to read. This gave him a certain reputation among the people of Beijing. In addition, his life story was very inspiring, which encouraged many poor students. His words had a considerable influence among ordinary people.

"Oxen work hard, but killing them for meat is utterly immoral."

Most of the ordinary people were farmers, and oxen were indispensable partners in their farming. Upon hearing that Taibailou was slaughtering oxen to produce beef, their anger flared instantly. They rushed out to protest Taibailou's sale of beef, angrily denouncing it as heartless and inhumane!

Cattle are great helpers for farmers to plow the fields. If everyone starts eating beef and all the cattle are slaughtered, what will happen to their farmland? Won't the farmland all be abandoned?

The people, filled with anger, went to Taibai Tower to settle scores.

It just so happened that Taibai Tower was closed.

With the gates of Taibai Tower tightly closed, the people had nowhere to vent their anger and felt extremely frustrated. Some extremists couldn't bear it any longer and went to the entrance of Taibai Tower to throw rotten vegetable leaves to vent their anger.

Vegetables are limited and precious in winter. There are only two or three kinds of vegetables that you can eat: cabbage and radish. You should save the good leaves to eat, and use the rotten leaves to vent your anger.

The commotion outside startled the people inside Taibai Tower.

Defu walked out and looked at the rotten vegetable leaves scattered on the ground at the door. He said with a serious face, "Everyone, I want to reiterate once again that the beef in our Taibailou restaurant comes from a legitimate source. Those who ignore the facts and spread rumors will be sent to the authorities."

When the words "meet the officials" were mentioned, the crowd gathered at the door finally quieted down. They continued to curse and swear, but dared not make any further moves.

Dong Xingyou's original intention was to use the power of the masses and public opinion to suppress Taibai Tower and force the government to shut it down. Little did he know that his actions would instead spread the news that Taibai Tower was selling beef.

The more controversial an issue is, the more likely it is to spark discussion.

Ordinary people and farmers opposed eating beef, but noble families and wealthy people were open to it.

Ultimately, the power of discourse lies in the hands of those who have power and money.

"Does Taibai Tower really sell beef? I'll have to go check it out."

What does beef actually taste like?

"Beef should taste better than pork, right?"

"I ate beef once many years ago. I remember it was from a cow that was about to die of old age. The beef was very chewy, and I still remember the taste!"

"I've lived most of my life and I've never tasted beef. If Taibailou really sells beef, I'll definitely go and try it."

...

There are many people who oppose eating beef, but there are also many people who want to eat beef.

Seeing that things were not going well, Dong Xingyou started spreading false information again, saying that the beef sold at Taibailou was of dubious origin and was stolen from other people's oxen.

"Aren't you curious about where the beef sold at Taibai Tower comes from? Do you buy it from farmers in the countryside whose cows are about to die of old age?"

"An old cow that died of old age? There couldn't possibly be so many cows that all of them died of old age at once."

"That makes sense. It could be a diseased cow... I wouldn't dare eat it. Eating diseased beef would probably make me sick."

"That's right, they must be using unclean cattle, otherwise who would be willing to slaughter a cow?"

Defu also noticed these kinds of statements, and he immediately consulted Fu Zhiqiao.

Fu Zhiqiao remained calm. She was an old hand at online trolling. She replied, "Facts speak louder than words. Let them make a scene! The bigger the scene they make, the better our business will be."

Defu trusted Fu Zhiqiao's decision completely and immediately felt relieved.

Seeing that his message had an effect, Dong Xingyou went to bed early that night, preparing to rest up for the next day's performance at Taibai Tower.

*

The third day was the day Taibai Tower opened and began selling beef.

At 3:45 AM, before the Taibai Tower had even opened its doors, a large crowd of onlookers had already gathered at the entrance.

Defu peeked out from the third floor and reported to Fu Zhiqiao with a beaming smile, "Miss, our Taibai Tower is about to become famous!"

Since it was the first day of selling beef, Fu Zhi Qiao personally oversaw the operation. She calmly sipped her tea and instructed, "Tell the staff in the building to be more alert."

Defu replied respectfully, "Don't worry, young lady, everything has been arranged."

Defu had tasted braised beef and grilled beef skewers before, and he believed that from today onwards, Taibailou would surpass Qiongxianlou in popularity and become the number one restaurant in the capital.

If alcoholic beverages are the foundation of Taibailou, then the introduction of beef will propel Taibailou to its peak.

Taibailou is only open for lunch and dinner. The beef slices are unlimited. You can order as many as you want as you have money, until they are sold out.

The only limited item is the beef skewers; one person can only order a maximum of four skewers.

To allow more people to taste the flavor of grilled beef, Fu Zhiqiao has made a special rule that beef skewers can only be ordered per person, with a daily limit of 400 skewers, 200 skewers each for lunch and dinner.

Dong Xingyou rushed to Taibai Tower, only to find a large number of people waiting to eat beef at the entrance, but he did not see any of the yamen runners.

He immediately sensed something was wrong, but tried to reassure himself, "Don't worry, don't worry, Taibai Tower isn't open yet. Maybe the government officials will wait until it opens before they come to catch me red-handed."

Yes, that must be it!

Even after Taibai Tower opened for business, the government officials still didn't come.

Those who came to Taibailou to eat beef were relieved to see that Taibailou was open for business and the government had not yet come out to arrest people.

"It seems that the beef at Taibailou is really fine."

"Yes, the fact that the authorities didn't come to arrest anyone means that the beef came from a legitimate source and wasn't stolen from someone else."

"I'm relieved it's not an ox for plowing. I've brought enough money. Let's go eat beef!"

Dong Xingyou stood blankly at the door, watching people stream into Taibai Tower. He wondered what had gone wrong. He had already reported it to the authorities, hadn't he? Why weren't the officials coming out to deal with it?

He rushed to Shuntian Prefecture in a fit of rage, demanding to see the Prefect: "Your Excellency, Taibai Tower is violating the law by slaughtering cattle and selling beef. Why are they not being arrested?"

Meng Guanshen had already received Xie Zhuo's instructions. Moreover, he had carefully examined Wang Qi's travel permit and found that the source of the beef was indeed correct: "As far as I know, their beef is not from draft cattle."

"Sir, don't be fooled by them. The beef from Taibailou must be from draft cattle!" Dong Xingyou didn't believe that the beef from Taibailou came from a legitimate source.

"Oh? Do you have any evidence to prove that there's something wrong with the beef at Taibailou?"

Dong Xingyou was speechless.

Meng Guanshen could easily see through his thoughts: "If you continue to act so unreasonably, I will punish you!"

Finally, Dong Xingyou was expelled from Shuntian Prefecture.

On the other side, the main hall of Taibai Tower was packed, and the private rooms were also full of people.

Many people are eating beef for the first time, and the waiters patiently explain to the guests: "The marbling of the beef is very even, and the texture is tender. We guarantee that it will be a taste you won't forget after just one bite! Moreover, our beef has been registered with the authorities, so you can eat it with peace of mind."

Currently, the menu only offers three beef dishes: sliced ​​beef shank, sliced ​​beef, and grilled beef skewers, as well as a side dish of gravy and egg.

Beef tendon costs three taels of silver per plate, beef slices cost one tael of silver per plate, grilled beef skewers cost one string of cash for two skewers, and beef and egg costs half a string of cash per serving.

It's really expensive, but there's nothing we can do about it; beef is just too rare.

If you can't afford the beef shank slices, you can only settle for the beef slices, and if you want something even cheaper, you can only order the gravy and egg.

"Waiter, what is this meat gravy and egg dish?"

"The gravy eggs are a dish specially developed by our boss. Because beef is precious and scarce, in order to allow more people to taste the flavor of beef, our boss uses the gravy from cooking beef to make the eggs. We simmer them over low heat, and the beef broth slowly seeps into the eggs. The snow-white eggs gradually turn into a gravy color, absorbing all the beef gravy, giving the eggs a rich beef flavor."

The beef and eggs are braised together in the same pot, hence the name "meat gravy eggs".

The crowd was captivated by the waiter's description and unconsciously swallowed hard.

For those who want to eat beef but don't have the money, ordering a gravy and egg dish is a win-win situation – you get the taste of beef without breaking the bank.

Moreover, the waiter's words were extremely clever. He didn't say that people who ordered beef and eggs couldn't afford beef, but rather that the amount of beef was too small for everyone to have.

In this way, customers who order gravy and eggs will feel both proud and satisfied.

"Waiter, bring me a serving of meat gravy and egg."

"Waiter, I'd also like some gravy and egg."

Customers with plenty of money can order beef tendon slices, those with spare cash can order beef slices, and those who are short on cash can order gravy and eggs.

The guests who had eaten the beef all had expressions of pure bliss on their faces.

"We're in for a treat today!"

"If I could eat beef every day, I'd die happy."

"Being able to eat a beef meal makes me feel like my life has been worthwhile."

"Wow, so this is what beef tastes like."

Some customers, as if they hadn't eaten meat in eight hundred years, stuffed their mouths with beef and mumbled, "It's truly beef, so delicious!"

Although Gu Xiancai had received Defu's promise that he would be able to eat beef, he still rushed to Taibailou before noon. When he arrived, the hall on the first floor was almost full, and some guests had even started eating.

Gu Xiancai was relieved that he had arrived early, otherwise he might not have been able to eat beef today. The aroma of braised beef whetted his appetite, and he ordered all the beef-related dishes in one go.

The food was served very quickly.

Three dishes were laid out in front of Gu Xiancai: one was sliced ​​beef tendon, another was sliced ​​beef, and the third was gravy with eggs. A grilled beef skewer was also being prepared.

Gu Xiancai stared intently at the slices of beef on the plate, and the first thing he picked up with his chopsticks was the beef shank.

It's slightly salty at first bite, but after a couple of chews, the beef and tendon dance in your mouth, filling your mouth and nose with the aroma of soy sauce, and also carrying a hint of spiciness.

The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.

Gu Xiancai is over fifty years old this year. Fifty years old is considered old age in Da Wei. His teeth are not very good, but he ate the beef slices without any difficulty. He couldn't help but eat a few more slices.

The beef was simmered over low heat for one or two hours, resulting in tender yet juicy meat. After marinating overnight to absorb the flavor, it was sliced ​​into even, thin slices, making it palatable even for an eighty-year-old.

The beef slices are a cold dish. Although the aroma is not as strong after cooling as when they are fresh out of the pot, they still have a unique flavor when eaten cold.

Gu Xiancai ate with great relish, while a father and son sitting at the next table sniffed the air, exclaiming, "This is the aroma of beef!"