Xujia Village.
The familiar wooden benches, the familiar 52-inch LCD TV at Aunt Hong's house, and the familiar people of Xujia Village—all gathered together today because Xu An is going to be on TV again!
Although Xu An didn't appear on screen this time, and although he paid to be on TV, and although the purpose of appearing on TV was to advertise his newly opened shop, none of this dampened the enthusiasm of the people in Xu Family Village; on the contrary, it made them even more excited.
A braised food shop can actually film commercials! And the commercials even get on TV! How amazing, how incredibly amazing!
Xu An, Grandma Xu, and his second grandfather sat at the very front of the group, watching the time slowly approach seven o'clock. Xu An felt inexplicably uneasy. Although everyone knew he was opening a new braised food shop and that he had paid for the advertising, even Grandma Xu was unaware of the opening promotions.
Thinking about the first prize of ten thousand yuan, Xu An felt cold sweat starting to break out on his forehead. Forget whether anyone could complete the challenge; just the sheer amount of ten thousand yuan would probably make Grandma Xu need two canes.
No matter how complicated Xu An's feelings were, time continued to move forward steadily, and soon it was time for the advertisement at Xu's Braised Food Shop.
The sound of rushing water was clearly audible to everyone present through the television's built-in speakers. The group, who had been chatting quietly, fell silent, turning their heads to face the television and staring intently at the commercials on the screen.
A table covered with a red velvet tablecloth occupies one-fifth of the screen. On the table are two exquisite glasswares, and amber-colored braising liquid falls precisely into one of them. Due to inertia, the braising liquid performs a graceful somersault, splashing up a dazzling spray before falling back into the glassware.
Plump duck feet, thick large intestines, soft and glutinous tofu skin, crisp bamboo shoots and other braised delicacies, along with various spices, fall from the sky one after another into the glass container filled with amber-colored braising liquid, splashing up and falling back down again and again.
Everyone sitting in front of the television swallowed hard, a loud 'gulp' echoing through the room, followed by a few soft laughs.
The scene then quickly shifts, showing the same table and glassware, unchanged in style, position, and size, but the colors of the braised food inside constantly changing. First comes amber-colored 'five-spice' braised food; then dark brown 'soy sauce' braised food; followed by reddish-brown 'spicy' braised food; and finally, clear 'Sichuan peppercorn' braised food with a hint of green.
Just as everyone was anticipating what flavor of braised food would appear next, all the items on the screen disappeared, leaving only a bright red background. A line of large characters appeared in the middle of the screen, accompanied by a steady male voice.
The last flavor is—extreme spiciness!
"This hellish braised dish is made with the hottest chili pepper in China, the 'Shuan Shuan La,' offering the purest spiciness. Want to try it?"
As the words fell, the red background receded rapidly, revealing a wrinkled chili pepper with a deeply grooved skin. After a five-second pause, the image zoomed back again, showing a bowl of braised food in a broth so red it was almost black. Four large characters engulfed in black flames appeared behind the bowl of food—"Hellish Braised Food." Then, the entire screen burst into flames, engulfing everything in its path. The steady male voice returned, this time speaking at a breakneck pace, like a black person rapping, without a single pause.
"Xu's Braised Food Shop is having a grand opening sale! Purchase just one jin (500g) of braised food and you can participate in our opening promotions. Third prize: 100 RMB cash + any three jin of braised food; Second prize: 300 RMB cash + any five jin of braised food; First prize: One jin of free braised food every day in September + 10,000 RMB cash!"
The lingering sound of the word "gold" still echoed in everyone's ears when the advertisement returned to the initial scene of the cascading gravy. But now, no one was paying attention to the mouthwatering image they had just witnessed; instead, they were all asking those around them if the advertisement had ended with "ten thousand yuan in cash."
As the crowd buzzed with discussion, the advertisement entered its final stage. The moment the steady male voice rang out, the room fell silent enough to hear a mosquito's buzz. This time, they heard the advertising slogan clearly: the first prize mentioned in the ad really was "ten thousand yuan"! As for the bonus of a pound of free braised food every day in September, it was completely ignored in the face of the ten thousand yuan.
From everyone's reactions, Xu An truly felt just how impactful the 'ten thousand yuan' gimmick was; it was probably enough to keep everyone in Xu Family Village up all night.
Xu An had initially worried that Grandma Xu would scold him for messing around, but to his surprise, Grandma Xu remained remarkably calm throughout, a calmness that frightened Xu An. He'd rather she scold or beat him; that would put him at ease.
"Grandma, don't you think I'm wasting money?" Xu An asked nervously, bracing himself for a scolding.
"Huh?" Grandma Xu was stunned for a moment before she realized what Xu An was talking about, and then she asked Xu An a tongue twister, "Why do you think I would think you're wasting money?"
Xu An, thinking Grandma Xu hadn't quite grasped the situation, reminded her, "That first prize of ten thousand yuan is just being given away for nothing."
Before she could finish speaking, Grandma Xu waved her hand to stop her. A look of displeasure appeared on Grandma Xu's face, and her tone became harsh. "So, in your eyes, I'm just an old woman who's stubborn and inflexible?"
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