His fame soared
"Dad, I want to eat beef too." The boy, who looked about twelve or thirteen years old, looked pleadingly at the middle-aged man beside him.
Looking at his son's pleading expression, the middle-aged man gritted his teeth and asked, "Are there any more beef slices?"
The waiter replied, "Sir, you've come at the perfect time! There's only one serving of beef slices left."
"Okay, then give me a serving of sliced beef, a serving of gravy with egg, and a serving of lotus seed tofu."
"Alright, please wait a moment, sir."
The boy's name is Zhang Chengxue, and his father's name is Zhang Maocai. Today, Zhang Maocai came to Taibai Tower to celebrate Zhang Chengxue's passing of the imperial examination.
Soon, a plate of sliced beef was served.
Zhang Maocai picked up a slice of beef and put it in Zhang Chengxue's bowl. Zhang Chengxue couldn't wait to eat it.
Seeing his son's blissful expression, Zhang Maocai couldn't help but swallow hard and asked, "Chengxue, is the beef delicious?"
Zhang Chengxue's cheeks bulged out as he mumbled, "Delicious, so delicious! Dad, this is the best thing I've ever eaten in my life."
"I wish I could eat this beef every day. It's so delicious."
"You want to eat beef every day? Your father can't afford it." Seeing his son enjoying his meal, Zhang Maocai was also very happy.
“Then when I pass the imperial examination, I will buy beef for Dad.” Zhang Chengxue’s words were a little unclear as he chewed on the beef. Then he picked up a slice of beef with his chopsticks and put it into Zhang Maocai’s bowl. “Dad, you eat too.”
Zhang Maocai was delighted by the coaxing and put another slice of beef into his bowl. "Eat up, and study hard after you finish eating, so you can pass the imperial examination and become a scholar."
The father and son buried themselves in their food and ate heartily.
Suddenly, an unprecedentedly rich fragrance filled the air.
The grilled beef skewers are grilled to order.
The flavor of beef skewers will drop when they get cold. In order to maintain the taste of the grilled beef skewers, Gao Xiangfeng grills one skewer of meat for each order he receives, and grills as many skewers as the order says, to ensure that each skewer of beef is served hot.
Gao Xiangfeng was busy in the barbecue area, alternating pieces of meat and butter on the charcoal fire, constantly turning them. He flipped the skewers quickly with both hands to ensure even heating. Although his grilling skills were already quite proficient, he still didn't dare to be careless, treating each skewer with utmost care.
As soon as the grilled beef skewers were served, the customers in the hall kept swallowing their saliva.
It smells amazing! It smells so good!
The first serving of grilled beef skewers was ordered by a refined gentleman. The waiter carried the plate to his seat and said, "Sir, the grilled beef skewers are ready. Please enjoy."
After the beef skewers were served, the refined gentleman discovered that the skewers were actually made of sharpened bamboo.
When the refined gentleman saw the beef skewered on a bamboo stick and served, he was speechless. Although the beef smelled delicious, wasn't it unseemly to eat it directly from the bamboo stick?
The waiter noticed his hesitation. "Sir, this is how you enjoy grilled beef skewers."
The beef, after being grilled over charcoal, shrinks slightly and has an enticing brownish-red surface.
The refined young man swallowed hard, his throat bobbing slightly. Finally, encouraged by the waiter's gaze, he picked up a skewer of beef and bit off the top piece of meat from the bamboo stick.
His eyes lit up the moment he bit into the beef, and he couldn't help but exclaim, "Mmm, delicious!"
The beef skewers are coated with an unidentified spice, giving them a charred and fragrant appearance. After a couple of chews, you can feel the meat juices bursting in your mouth. The charred, meaty, and oily flavors unfold layer by layer, creating an amazing taste that is irresistible.
Each skewer has five or six pieces of beef, each about two fingers wide, making it very satisfying to eat.
After eating a few bites of grilled meat, I took a sip of Taibai wine.
That was awesome!
The refined young man came from a good family and had tasted all kinds of delicacies, but this was the first time he had ever tasted grilled beef skewers.
He ate the grilled meat heartily, not caring about his image at all, completely different from the person who had just complained that eating directly with bamboo skewers was unseemly.
Soon, a skewer of beef was gone.
I had just satisfied my craving when the bamboo skewer was empty.
Since it was his first time trying grilled beef skewers, he only ordered two. Now that there was only one skewer left, he called over the waiter and asked to order two more.
The waiter looked at him with a troubled expression: "Sir, I'm really sorry, the grilled beef skewers are all sold out."
The refined young man's face immediately fell.
He devoured the first skewer of beef in big bites, but he couldn't bear to eat the second one so quickly. He chewed each piece of beef slowly and savored it carefully.
At the same time, accompanied by a strange aroma, grilled beef skewers from other tables were served one after another.
The aroma of the grilled beef skewers was incredibly enticing. Other customers who hadn't ordered them took a deep breath of the fragrance, and seeing other tables enjoying their skewers, they suddenly felt their own food wasn't as appealing. It wasn't that their food was bad, but rather that there were better options right next to them that they couldn't have…
This feeling is so agonizing!
The beef skewers weren't cheap, but the beef was so rare that many people were willing to spend the money to try them. After all, this was Beijing, a city with no shortage of wealthy people, and the two hundred skewers sold out quickly.
Those who didn't get to eat beef skewers were slapping their thighs in frustration, thinking how they could have gotten some if they had arrived half an hour earlier!
We must come early tonight to eat beef!
Customers who had tried the grilled beef skewers were still craving more. As they left, they told Defu, "Boss, the grilled beef at your Taibailou is delicious, but the quantity is too small. Two or four skewers are simply not enough!"
The customers who enjoyed the grilled beef skewers that day went back and raved about it to their friends and family, praising how delicious the beef shank slices were and how wonderful the grilled beef skewers tasted...
Those who didn't get to try the beef became even more curious: what makes Taibailou's beef so special?
The grilled beef skewers became a hit as expected.
Defu was all smiles every day. Thinking about how much money he could make from the beef and mutton stored in the freezer, he praised his daughter for her foresight. He was so glad that she had bought so much beef and mutton back then, otherwise, given how popular it was, it definitely wouldn't be enough to sell.
*
As more and more people ordered grilled meat skewers, Taibailou's reputation grew, attracting many dignitaries and nobles.
Although high-ranking officials and nobles had connections to obtain beef, they didn't dare to eat it so ostentatiously. Besides, the beef at Taibai Tower was much tastier than what they made in their own kitchens.
Everyone in the capital knows that Taibailou's beef is exceptional. A plate of sliced beef, a few skewers of grilled beef, paired with their Taibai wine—tsk tsk, the taste is simply indescribable!
Taibailou used to have good business, but it was always overshadowed by Qiongxianlou on Zhuque Street.
The reason is that Taibailou used to attract customers with its alcoholic beverages, but Taibaijiu and Zui Shixian were both very strong liquors, and even the most enthusiastic drinkers couldn't come to drink strong liquor every day. Now, with the addition of beef as a specialty dish, Taibailou's reputation has been completely established, and people will choose to eat at Taibailou even if they don't drink alcohol.
Xie Zhuo had eaten the beef that Fu Zhi Qiao had made.
Before he went to the battlefield, Fu Zhiqiao gave him braised beef jerky and five-flavor powder. Later, thanks to this bag of five-flavor powder, he was able to lead the elite cavalry to survive in the harsh environment.
Knowing that Taibailou's beef was already on sale, he invited Sun Lixuan to go and support them.
After learning that the beef at Taibailou was sold in limited quantities, Xie Zhuo approached Fu Zhi Qiao and, after some hesitation, said that he wanted to treat his friends to beef and asked if Fu Zhi Qiao could give him special treatment and reserve more beef for them.
Fu Zhiqiao naturally agreed.
In the private room of Taibai Tower.
Xie Zhuo and Sun Lixuan sat facing each other.
Sun Lixuan asked, "Huaiyan, is there really no limit to the amount of beef we can eat today?"
"It's just that there's no limit for the two of us."
"If it weren't for my connections, Sun Lixuan wouldn't be able to enjoy unlimited beef," Xie Zhuo glanced at him, a hint of smugness in his voice.
This is a privilege that no one else receives; it's unique in the capital!
Sun Lixuan immediately understood: Taibai wine was brewed by Xie Zhuo's sweetheart, and Taibai Tower was probably also inextricably linked to her. The fact that he could eat unlimited beef was probably because of Xie Zhuo.
Since introducing beef, Taibailou has become a household name in Beijing. However, Taibailou has a rule that beef slices are sold on a first-come, first-served basis until they are sold out, and each person can only order a maximum of four skewers of grilled beef. Every morning, diners in Beijing would gather their friends and wait outside Taibailou to be the first to enter and order more skewers of grilled beef under the guise of dining with a group.
Without Xie Zhuo's connection, he would have had to be like these other diners, arriving at Taibailou at the last minute to order beef, because only those at the very front of the line could get some.
Sun Lixuan clasped his hands in thanks: "Then thank you very much, Huaiyan, for letting me enjoy such a delicious meal."
At this moment, Defu came with a waiter to serve wine, and Xie Zhuo asked, "Where is your daughter?"
Defu bowed his head: "The young lady is in the lounge. I will go and fetch her right away."
Xie Zhuo nodded; he intended to introduce Fu Zhi Qiao to Sun Li Xuan.
Xie Zhuochun's fluttering heart naturally did not escape Sun Lixuan's notice.
"Could the owner of Taibai Tower be that extraordinary young lady?" Sun Lixuan emphasized the words "extraordinary young lady".
Sun Lixuan remembered clearly that Xie Zhuo's assessment of Ya Dan and other noble ladies of the capital was that they were nothing more than a bunch of ordinary, unremarkable women. Xie Zhuo's evaluation piqued Sun Lixuan's curiosity. What kind of women had caught Xie Zhuo's eye, prompting him to describe a group of noble ladies as "nothing more than a bunch of ordinary, unremarkable women"?
Xie Zhuo poured himself a glass of wine: "Don't talk, just eat your beef!"
The daily amount of beef used at Taibailou is fixed. Xie Zhuo invited Sun Lixuan to Taibailou to eat beef and wanted to eat an unlimited amount, probably because he wanted to show off in front of Sun Lixuan.
Fu Zhi Qiao guessed his thoughts, so she specially arranged for De Fu to come and serve them personally. As soon as she appeared at the door, Xie Zhuo immediately stood up with a smile to greet her and stood beside her.
Fu Zhiqiao tilted her head slightly and glanced at Xie Zhuo. From her perspective, the man's jawline was clear and smooth, and his handsome features were flawless.
Xie Zhuo's overly eager and ingratiating behavior left Sun Lixuan, who was sitting opposite him, dumbfounded.
Recalling Xie Zhuo's icy demeanor in the past, Sun Lixuan was shocked, and something in a corner of his heart seemed to be collapsing.
Is this still the same aloof and arrogant young master?
In a few moments, Fu Zhiqiao walked to the table, a faint smile on her lips, and gave a slight curtsy: "Lord Sun."
Sun Lixuan stood up blankly, "Miss Fu."
This was the first time Sun Lixuan had met Fu Zhiqiao.
What came into his view was a woman dressed in a lilac-colored brocade robe, her skin as white as a freshly peeled water chestnut, her eyes as clear as a pool of water. A smile played on her lips as she gently lifted her skirt and stepped slowly across the threshold, the gold thread pattern on the skirt swaying gracefully, exuding a captivating charm.
So beautiful it's flawless.
Sun Lixuan suddenly understood what Xie Zhuo meant by saying that the noble ladies of the capital were nothing more than ordinary women.
Fu Zhiqiao was working in the lounge on the third floor when she heard Defu come over to report that Xie Zhuo wanted to introduce her to his friend, so she came downstairs without any hesitation.
It was just a greeting, and Fu Zhi Qiao thought she would only say a few words and then leave, so she didn't intend to sit down.
Seeing that she was standing, Xie Zhuo also stood up. Sun Lixuan, who was standing next to her, felt awkward sitting down by himself since both of them were standing.
The three of them stood there and exchanged a few words.
So this is how Huaiyan acts in front of the girl he likes. After realizing this, Sun Lixuan lowered his head and chuckled to himself.
Xie Zhuo could only glare at him, then smiled awkwardly at Fu Zhi Qiao: "Ignore him, let's serve the food."
Fu Zhi Qiao smiled slightly, stepped aside, and let the waiter behind her serve the dishes.
After saying goodbye, Fu Zhi Qiao was about to leave, saying, "Enjoy your meal."
As soon as Fu Zhiqiao left, Sun Lixuan completely relaxed, and his attention was quickly drawn to the beef on the table.
Braised beef and roasted beef are both very famous snacks to accompany drinks.
Each person had a plate of sliced beef tendon and sliced beef, fifteen skewers of grilled beef per person, and a serving of gravy and egg per person. All of these totaled six or seven pounds, which were all eaten by the two of them.
After finishing the last skewer of beef, Sun Lixuan let out a burp without any regard for his image.
So this is what it feels like to eat all-you-can-eat beef!
A cold wind was blowing outside, but a stove was lit in the private room. His stomach was full, and he had drunk Taibai wine. He was covered in a light sweat, and his whole body felt warm and comfortable.
The ultimate enjoyment comes from having both wine and meat.
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