Report to the authorities
The following day, a new notice was posted at the entrance of Taibai Tower.
Taibailou is launching a limited-time winter menu featuring beef, and all guests are welcome to come and try it.
beef?
Are you sure you didn't see that wrong?
We didn't see wrong, did we?
People passing by the entrance of Taibai Tower could hardly believe their eyes.
"Really? They dare to sell beef in broad daylight?"
"Alas, Taibai Tower is digging its own grave. The government will definitely send people to seal it off."
“I used to have a neighbor who secretly slaughtered a cow and ate beef. Later, someone found out and reported it to the authorities, and he was arrested and imprisoned.”
"No way, I really like drinking Taibai liquor. If Taibai Tower gets shut down, where will I buy liquor to drink in the future?"
When Dong Xingyou, who was passing by, saw the notice that Taibailou was selling beef, his eyes widened. Then, an indescribable excitement rose from the soles of his feet, making him tremble all over.
Dong Xingyou is the manager of Jixianlou, which is also a restaurant, and it is located just two streets away from Taibailou.
Because they are not far apart, the two restaurants are competitors. Of course, this is only Dong Xingyou's opinion.
Taibai Tower was formerly known as Liuxiang Residence.
Liuxiangju and Jixianlou were the real business rivals. Dong Xingyou used a price war to siphon away most of Liuxiangju's business. In addition, Liuxiangju's head chef was conscripted by the imperial court, and without the head chef, Liuxiangju's business plummeted.
In the end, Liuxiangju lost to Jixianlou.
With Liuxiangju gone, Jixianlou was left as the only dominant restaurant in the area. Dong Xingyou was quite pleased with this, but before he could be happy for long, Taibailou took over Liuxiangju's place.
After Taibai Tower opened, Jixian Tower's business declined day by day.
Dong Xingyou had tried various methods. He proactively lowered his prices, hoping to attract customers from Taibailou to his own restaurant. However, Taibailou's wine and dishes were delicious, and people were willing to go even though the prices were high. On the other hand, despite repeatedly lowering his prices, his business did not see much improvement.
Dong Xingyou was so angry his nose almost twisted out of shape.
He had long disliked Taibai Tower, and now that he learned that Taibai Tower was actually slaughtering cattle and selling beef, how could he let go of this good opportunity? If Taibai Tower collapsed, no one in the surrounding streets and alleys would be a match for Jixian Tower.
Slaughtering cattle and selling beef without authorization.
The most serious offenses result in beheading, while the least serious offenses result in imprisonment.
Dong Xingyou, a sly smile playing on his lips, tilted his head back and said smugly, “Everyone come and see! Taibai Tower has not only slaughtered a cow, but is also going to sell the meat.”
His shouts attracted more passersby to come and watch.
At the foot of the imperial city, there are many scholars and literate people. Passersby glanced at the notice posted on the wall.
"Huh! It's actually true, Taibai Tower is really going to sell beef."
"Slaughtering a cow is a crime punishable by imprisonment! What kind of place is this Taibai Tower? How dare they sell beef?"
"I've never eaten beef before in my life. I saw on the label that beef will be available for sale in three days. Is that true? If it is, I want to come and eat it."
"This is incredibly audacious! Aren't they afraid of being arrested by the authorities?"
Hearing the crowd discussing the government, Dong Xingyou became even more excited: "Taibai Tower not only slaughters cattle, but also sells beef on a large scale. They simply don't respect the laws of the Great Wei!"
A few passersby, wanting to stir up trouble, joined in, shouting, "Help! Help! Taibai Tower is slaughtering a cow and selling beef!"
These days, it's really rare to find someone who dares to openly sell beef.
"Where does Taibai Tower get so much beef to sell?"
"That's right. I heard that the prime minister of the previous dynasty loved to eat beef, but he only dared to secretly kill one cow to satisfy his craving. Now that Taibai Tower is going to sell beef, he must have killed more than one cow."
Everyone gasped upon hearing this.
Killing one cow is already a serious crime; if you kill several more, wouldn't that be a crime punishable by beheading?
There are many high-ranking officials in the capital, and quite a few of them have actually killed and eaten cattle in private. The court turns a blind eye to this, and as long as it doesn't come out in the open, everything is fine.
However, since Taibailou openly offers beef, it's hard for it to go unnoticed.
"Why is Taibai Tower so high-profile? Could it be that it has some kind of backing?"
"Even the emperor is subject to the same laws as commoners; no matter how powerful one's backing is, one cannot directly challenge the law!"
"That's true. So where do you all think the beef sold at Taibailou comes from?"
Who knows?
"It was bought, it couldn't have been stolen, could it? If someone's cow was stolen, they would definitely report it to the authorities."
Some say the beef at Taibai Tower is bought directly from farmers, while others say it's stolen...
As more and more people gathered to watch the spectacle, Defu had no choice but to step in.
"You have some nerve, slaughtering a cow just to steal business!" Dong Xingyou raised his head, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and looked quite self-righteous: "Tell me, where did your beef come from?"
Defu explained that the beef sold at Taibailou was not from slaughtered oxen, but from specially raised beef cattle, with a legitimate source, and that the matter had already been reported to the government.
Dong Xingyou persisted: "Just because you say it's not a draft ox doesn't mean it isn't a draft ox!"
Defu recognized Dong Xingyou, and his attitude immediately turned cold: "I am the manager of Taibai Tower. If I don't have the final say, then who does?"
Dong Xingyou wanted to say something more.
Defu rolled his eyes at him: "Then go report it to the authorities!"
Dong Xingyou choked.
Defu then cupped his hands in greeting to the crowd: "Taibai Tower is open as usual today. We will be closed tomorrow, and beef will officially be available for sale the day after tomorrow. All customers who want to eat beef, please remember to come early!"
"Those who want to eat beef should not miss this opportunity. The quantity of beef is limited, first come first served, and once it's gone, it's gone."
Hearing that there wasn't much beef, the crowd stopped worrying about its origin. The owner had assured them that all their beef came from legitimate farmed cattle, and with the opportunity to eat beef right in front of them, everyone shouted, "Owner, I want to eat! I want to reserve a private room, reserve one serving, no, reserve three servings of beef!"
"I want to eat beef too..."
That's beef!
Many people will never get to eat beef even once in their entire lives!
The calls to reserve beef rose and fell, and people kept pushing forward, hoping to squeeze in front of Defu.
Dong Xingyou stumbled as he was jostled, his hair ornament askew. He was so angry that his chest heaved violently. He flicked his sleeves and cursed as he dodged away from the crowd.
No, we can't let Taibai Tower get away with this. Dong Xingyou secretly thought of ways to take revenge. He tried to suppress his anger and told himself that now was not the time to be angry. If he wanted to deal with Taibai Tower, he had to think of other ways.
*
"Don't push! Everyone, don't push!" Defu's face was full of smiles as he gestured for everyone to be quiet. "You can reserve a private room, but the beef can't be reserved. It's first come, first served."
As he spoke, he stepped aside, and Taibai Tower resumed business as usual.
People flocked into Taibai Tower. They had originally come to eat, but upon hearing the news that beef was being sold, they also took the opportunity to ask the waiter about the beef.
The waiter had been instructed beforehand not to say anything, and if asked, to simply reply, "Customers who wish to eat beef, please come early tomorrow."
The less they said, the more doubts the guests had.
However, no matter how they tried to subtly inquire, everyone in Tai Lou remained tight-lipped, revealing not a single detail about the beef. Seeing that they couldn't get any information out of them, they had no choice but to wait two days until Tai Bai Lou opened for business the day after tomorrow before investigating further.
The news that Taibailou was going to sell beef spread far and wide, and many regular customers came over to ask, "Manager Fu, I heard that Taibailou is going to sell beef?"
"Yes, what brings you here?"
The man who came was named Gu Xiancai. He was a well-known painter in the Great Wei Dynasty and a regular at Taibai Tower. He said that as long as he drank Taibai wine, his inspiration for painting would burst forth. Therefore, he would come to Taibai Tower from time to time to have a drink and became a familiar face to Defu.
He caught a cold not long ago and stayed at home without going out. Now that he has just recovered, he can't wait to come to Taibai Tower to satisfy his craving for alcohol.
As luck would have it, the news that Taibai Tower was going to sell beef came just in time.
Gu Xiancai chuckled, "Of course, it was the fine wine from your Taibai Tower that lured me here."
He pointed to the notice posted on the wall by the door and asked Defu, "Are you really going to sell beef? Aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"
"Don't worry, sir! The beef at Taibailou has been officially registered with the government, so you can eat it with peace of mind."
Hearing Defu say this, Gu Xiancai's smile widened even more: "Alright, alright, then I definitely have to come and support you. Given our relationship, you have to save me a serving of beef!"
Defu smiled wryly and said, "Master Gu, please don't make things difficult for me. I really can't make an exception to the rules set by the master. If you really want to eat beef, remember to come early. As long as you come before noon, I will definitely let you eat beef."
Taibai Tower usually opens around 9:45 AM, but Defu promised to save him a portion of beef until 1:15 PM, which was already quite a favor.
"Very well, Manager Fu, you said it yourself!" Gu Xiancai left satisfied.
After Gu Xiancai left, several more groups of people came to ask about beef, and Defu answered them all. Later, because there were so many people asking about beef, he simply sat behind the counter to answer their questions.
Not only ordinary people, but also many high-ranking officials sent their servants to inquire whether there was really beef to eat and whether it could be taken away.
Beef is a limited-edition dish and cannot be taken away. If you want to eat beef, you have to come here in person.
Taibai Wine is positioned as a mid-to-high-end restaurant. Its Taibai wine, premium Taibai wine, plum wine, and Zui Shi Xian wine all have an excellent reputation and are loved not only by ordinary people but also by officials.
The next day, Taibai Tower closed for the day.
Although it was not open to the public, it was not closed for the holidays either; all the staff at Taibailou were still working.
The kitchen, in particular, was bustling with activity.
Early in the morning, Fu Zhiqiao had Cheng Yexuan take half a cow from the ice cellar and deliver it to Taibai Tower. Although tomorrow was the day to sell the beef, the beef, fresh from the ice cellar, was still rock hard and needed to be left overnight to thaw naturally. Furthermore, it was winter, and the temperature was low, so the beef would thaw much more slowly than usual. Therefore, all preparations needed to be completed well in advance.
To ensure that the beef could be sold for a month, the daily usage was predetermined. Cheng Yexuan would deliver the beef to be sold the next day to Taibai Tower every day.
Grilled meat is fine; you can marinate it for half an hour before grilling. But braised meat is different. Beef needs to be braised in advance and then soaked in the braising liquid to fully absorb the flavor. Take it out the next day after it has cooled down. The cooled beef will have a firmer texture and won't fall apart when sliced thinly.
Thus, Cheng Yexuan changed from a bodyguard protecting Fu Zhiqiao's personal safety to a bodyguard protecting the beef.
Just after noon, Han Rong and Tang Xingkang couldn't wait to start cutting the beef. As the head chefs, they needed to do it themselves.
After thawing, the beef should be cut according to the cuts used, as the cuts used for braised meat and roasted meat are different.
Gao Xiangfeng and Jiang Shun assisted from the side.
In the hall on the other side.
"Our mutton comes from free-range lambs brought back from the Wenya Grassland thousands of miles away. The meat is incredibly fresh and tender, absolutely incomparable to that raised by farmers in the countryside. You get what you pay for, it's definitely worth the price!"
"And our beef is also Qin Chuan beef brought back from Wenya Farm..."
"Did everyone remember?" Defu trained the workers on the sales pitch, describing the taste and characteristics of beef and mutton.
Everyone answered in unison, "We've got it!"
Inside Taibai Tower, all was bustling with activity; outside, a bloody storm raged.
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