Along with "City Logistics," hot pot and buffets from Jiang's Private Kitchen have also become popular.
I don't know when it started, but all sorts of hot pot restaurants and buffets began to appear on the streets and alleys of Chongqing.
Like Jiang's Private Kitchen, the restaurant's entrance is adorned with various "hot pot" or "buffet" signs, all featuring the same pots and dishes. The differences lie in the variety and flavors, as well as the unique and inimitable environment and decor.
Jiang Shan called it "plagiarism".
They did want to copy it thoroughly, but the craftsmen couldn't capture the interior design style of the Jiangshan shops. The few craftsmen who could barely draw it, however, possessed the spirit of craftsmen—the kind who were indomitable and steadfast in poverty and hardship.
Furthermore, the investment costs are too high, after all, these are counterfeit and shoddy products, and they cannot be sold without any regard for personal relationships.
"Sister Jiang, look, even the names of the dishes are exactly the same!" Xiao Si and Si Wu were so angry when they came back after scouting the place that their noses were almost crooked.
There's a hot pot ingredient in the restaurant that's made with seven kinds of seafood, resulting in seven different colored "Seven" shapes. It's named after the seven brothers and is called "Seven Stars in a Row." Those shameless people outside actually copied it verbatim!
Pah!
Jiang Shan calmly comforted the two brothers, "Our own promotional leaflets are so detailed with pictures and text. If you copy it well, that's called learning from others. If you don't copy it well, that's called being stupid! Fourth brother, fifth brother, take it easy!"
Xiao Si Jiang Lin almost cried, "But there are clearly fewer people coming to eat hot pot these past few days. They say the prices outside are cheaper!"
Jiang Shan reached out and flicked Jiang Lin's nose. "They're just looking for a bargain! You get what you pay for. We're doing honest business, we're not afraid to compare prices. Besides, those who really know their stuff won't just chase after a cheap price. Just you wait and see, they'll be crying later!"
Jiang Lin was only ten years old and didn't understand these principles, but when he saw that some shop assistants were even running to the door of Jiang's Private Kitchen to solicit customers, he couldn't hold back his anger any longer!
He quietly gathered a few of his brothers together, and after a brief conversation, the group of kids, carrying a wooden bucket, dragged and pulled Shen Shusheng to the entrance of a hot pot restaurant on Changyuan Street, where they started a live broadcast.
The wooden bucket contained some fresh ingredients that had been temporarily grabbed from the kitchen. Shen Shusheng didn't need any advertising copy or a script, so he casually grabbed a large shrimp from the bucket.
"Wow! Such a big shrimp! Is this for humans to eat? It must be for gods! Look at this, has anyone ever eaten such a big shrimp? I certainly have!"
"Wow, sea cucumbers! I heard that only nobles in the palace can eat this stuff? Which noble said he had eaten it? Everyone move aside, let me see what the noble looks like!"
"This... this... oh my god, who has ever seen an abalone the size of a bowl? You've eaten one? You must be kidding me! This stuff is very rare. Even the nobles in the capital might not be able to eat it. And you ate it until you were stuffed? Don't be ridiculous!"
No one knew what Shen Shusheng's purpose was, but it is human nature to watch a spectacle, and it was mealtime, so the crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, and more and more people interacted with Shen Shusheng.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Saburo spoke from outside the crowd in a tone of utter disbelief: "It's nothing rare, there's plenty of it in hot pot restaurants!"
Those watching the spectacle weren't afraid of the high steps. A middle-aged man chimed in, "I've actually eaten abalone the size of a bowl before. It's on that street over there, at Jiang's Private Kitchen. They have tons of seafood there!"
“My son-in-law ate that crab before, and he even brought me a leg… such a big leg, it’s incredible!” An old woman gestured with both hands, her expression even more exaggerated than that of the scholar.
A customer had just finished his meal and came out. Xiao Wu Jiang Tao grabbed the man with a grin, blinked his big eyes and asked curiously, "Uncle, do the hot pot restaurants inside have such big and fresh ingredients? If it's cheap, I'd like to go eat with my brother and the others. I heard that this kind of ingredient is really delicious in hot pot!"
The guest was already in a bad mood, and after hearing Jiang Tao's words, he simply waved his hand and said, "If you want hot pot, let's go to Jiang's Private Kitchen. Their shrimp and crabs are fresh and plump. As for this place... never mind, you can go in and see for yourself!"
This customer genuinely felt he had paid a price for a lesson. The hot pot restaurant was still a hot pot restaurant, and the lobsters on the promotional flyers looked incredibly imposing, but the lobsters that were served were barely bigger than a finger and had no flavor at all!
Although the price is much cheaper, the merchant has suddenly lowered the consumer's expectations from 100 to 50. No one would be happy about that. No matter how cheap it is, it can't bring back satisfaction!
"Oh dear, it turns out it's a case of false advertising! I knew it, how come such high-end ingredients are so cheap everywhere?" Shen Shusheng's words were sharp, shutting down those who were planning to dine at the hot pot restaurant.
The waiter inside noticed something was wrong and came out with a broom to chase them away, only to be fiercely rebuked by Jiang Yi (nicknamed Shitou): "You dare to plagiarize Jiang's Private Kitchen with this kind of stuff? This is blatant deception of consumers! If you're so capable, compete fairly, compare products and prices, and see if you have the ability to create a taste that customers will love!"
That's just how the world is. Jiangshan has been a food blogger for many years and has seen too much truth and falsehood. Some people have come up with new tricks to plagiarism. When the pirated version is more real than the original, there is no longer any distinction between truth and falsehood. What is popular is the truth.
The plagiarists around Changyuan Street are of such low quality that they were wiped out before they even had a chance to stand out and face the test of time.
Shen Shusheng's live broadcasts were very effective. He could broadcast them a few times at any intersection and people would unleash dogs to chase and bite him.
Of course, the effect is also amazing. Those shopkeepers can release dogs to bite people, but they can't release dogs to lure customers. People have eyes to see and mouths to ask questions. Once they've been ripped off, they'd rather die than waste their money a second time.
Just like in modern times, the industry with the most bankruptcies must be the catering industry. Spring comes and autumn goes, people come and go, it takes two or three months for some, three or five years for others. All we see are new people laughing, but no one hears the old ones crying.
Thus, the Jiang family's private recipes became a sad song in the Pacific Ocean. Before one wave could even arrive, another had already passed. Those who can rise and fall in the business world are those who are prepared in advance.
Those who navigate the treacherous waters of officialdom are also prepared.
When we weren't prepared enough, we got a pretty bad thrashing from the waves.
The Hai Sha Gang truly lives up to its reputation as the number one pirate gang at sea. Its leader, Boss Sha, is known as the "King of Hell at Sea," ruthless and vicious, and his every move is sure to kill. As a result, the entire Hai Sha Gang has been at the top of the imperial court's wanted list for over a decade.
Almost all large ships traveling to and from Chongqing would pass through Zongyang County, and cargo ships on long voyages were extremely valuable, making them prime targets for pirates.
Despite Li Minghe's best efforts to take precautions, his men were simply too weak in combat, no match for the vicious pirates.
The more than 100 constables and sailors summoned by the Zongyang County Water Affairs Office had their first close encounter with pirates in the waters near their home, and the scene was rather gruesome.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com