Chapter 253 - 218: So It Was You! The Owner of the Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant

Chapter 253: Chapter 218: So It Was You! The Owner of the Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant

After the "Braised Food Tasting" event, Lin Mengjuan had gone all the way to Xu’s Braised Shop three times to wait in line and buy their food. Every single time, she made sure to purchase the Spicy Braised Flavor. It was as if she’d gotten addicted to the painful pleasure of the taste—that feeling of spice so intense it numbed your nerves and sent your soul to heaven was a truly great stress reliever!

Where else could you find something so good, where just a small bite could melt away immense stress?

But just as she was preparing for her fourth trip to Xu’s Braised Shop to buy more, she suddenly learned some terrible news from the "Hai City Takeout Group"! Both Xu’s Braised Shop and Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant had been ordered by the food supervision department to cease operations until the results of a food safety investigation were released!

Some people in the group were even approached by the food supervision department and asked a series of questions about their specific feelings and physical reactions after eating the braised food from Xu’s Braised Shop.

After some discussion, the group members concluded that the braised food products most likely at fault were the "Spicy Braised Flavor" and the "Hellish Braised Flavor"!

Seeing the group’s conclusion, Lin Mengjuan had a bad feeling. Both the Spicy and the Hellish flavors were her absolute favorites!

She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but after reading the group’s speculation, Lin Mengjuan belatedly started to notice many unusual things.

For example, the Spicy flavor was extremely hot, a kind of taste she had never experienced before Xu’s Braised Shop opened. And for example, she had never before felt her soul ascend to heaven from eating food...

With a trembling hand, she opened her browser, typed in some keywords, and hit the search button.

A feeling of euphoria... check! Couldn’t stop after eating it just once... check! Causes physical weakness—she *had* been having a bit of a runny nose lately... check! Causes an irritable temper—she *had* been really short-tempered at work...

As she compared the symptoms one by one, Lin Mengjuan felt like she was going to fall apart. ’How can they all be a match?!’

’I just wanted to eat some braised food, why is this happening to me!’

Just as Lin Mengjuan was consumed with worry, a group member suddenly forwarded a video to the chat. It was from a local Hai City blogger who had paid out of his own pocket to have the food from Xu’s Braised Shop tested. Lin Mengjuan immediately dragged the progress bar to the very end, landing right on the part where the results were announced.

"...complies with food safety standards! A total of ten different types of braised dishes were included in this test: Spicy Mushrooms, Hellish Beef, Five-Spice Tofu Skin..."

’Hey! There’s nothing wrong with the Spicy or Hellish flavors! And the production date for this batch of braised food was the same as the day of my third purchase!’

WHOOSH— She could finally breathe a little easier. Later that evening, after seeing a clip from a local Hai City news broadcast posted by the "Xu’s Catering" account, she could finally relax completely.

Having escaped a huge disaster, Lin Mengjuan felt her mouth begin to water. ’It seems... I’m craving the spicy braised food from Xu’s Braised Shop again...’

Many people felt the same way as Lin Mengjuan. Some managed to restrain their desires, but others couldn’t resist and rushed toward Xu’s Braised Shop right after getting off work. As they rounded the street corner, they could see a surging crowd at the shop’s entrance from a distance, which made them quicken their pace.

But before they could even reach the storefront, they saw Zhang Dezhen walk out, waving his hands at the crowd and yelling, "Sold out! All five hundred jin of braised food prepared for today is sold out! Please go home, there’s none left for today! We’ll prepare more tomorrow, so come early, everyone!"

Amidst a chorus of dismay, Zhang Dezhen gave an apologetic smile, backed into the shop, and began collecting all the empty trays from the display refrigerators.

First, he used a damp cloth to wipe up the braising liquid that had dripped onto the counters. Then, he sprayed disinfectant and diligently scrubbed everything down twice, inside and out. Only when the glass was sparkling clean did Zhang Dezhen stop, satisfied.

To be honest, the past two days had been the most turbulent of his life.

One second, his mind was busy calculating how much commission he’d earn for the day and what his total would be. The next second, law enforcement officers appeared. The second after that, they were ordered to shut down until the test results came back. And the second after that, he was lying on the metal-frame bed in his rented room, tossing and turning all night.

He replayed everything in his mind, from preparing the ingredients to finishing the braised food, to packing and shipping it to Xu’s Braised Shop, and then to him personally unpacking it, arranging it in trays, and selling it. From start to finish, there wasn’t a single thing out of place...

’The ingredients were fine, the recipe was fine, the spices were fine, the hygiene was fine...’

’So where did the problem come from?! They couldn’t just shut down the shop for no reason!’ Unable to figure it out, he could only take out his phone and look up the possible reasons for an inspection and forced closure by law enforcement.

’Unsatisfactory hygiene, not that. Fire code violations, not that. Problems with ingredients, not that. Illegal use of prohibited substances in cooking, not that either...’

None of the possibilities listed online fit! ’So what on earth went wrong?!’

As Zhang Dezhen was scratching his head in frustration, he caught sight of an envelope-shaped icon at the top of his phone screen out of the corner of his eye. It seemed he had an unread message.

He exited the browser and tapped the message icon. He saw at a glance that the sender was his wife’s younger brother—his brother-in-law!

"Careful. Someone reported you!"

’Just those few words, with no context. What was his brother-in-law trying to say?’

He was about to exit when he noticed the message’s timestamp: 4:16 PM! The officers had arrived at the shop at 4:50 PM! ’Could it be... my brother-in-law knows something?!’

Without a moment’s hesitation, Zhang Dezhen dialed his brother-in-law’s number. The first call was hung up halfway through ringing. Undeterred, Zhang Dezhen tried a second time, a third... all the way until the fifth call, when the other end finally picked up.

"How did you know someone was going to report us? Do you know who it was? Or was it you! What was the reason for the report?!"

The moment the call connected, Zhang Dezhen fired off a barrage of questions like a machine gun.

"Don’t worry about how I know. You just need to know it wasn’t me who reported you!"

His brother-in-law’s voice was low. After saying that, his voice dropped even further, almost to a breathy whisper, forcing Zhang Dezhen to press the phone tightly to his ear and hold his breath to listen.

"Be honest with me, did you add something you shouldn’t have to that braised food? I’ve tried several times, but I can’t replicate that Spicy flavor of yours! Are you crazy?! Playing tricks with ingredients like that is a surefire way to get caught! The results aren’t out yet, so you should pack your things and go. Run back to our hometown and hide..."

Before his brother-in-law could finish, Zhang Dezhen heard a somewhat high-pitched middle-aged man’s voice from the other end of the line, seeming to say, "Master Yao, is your stomach feeling any better? Should I get you some medicine...?"

"Master Zhang, Master Zhang? Master Zhang Dezhen!"

Xu An came in from outside and saw Zhang Dezhen standing there in a daze, holding a stack of trays. Because he wasn’t paying attention, the trays were tilted, and the remaining braising liquid dripped from the edge onto his apron, then slid down to the floor, forming a small puddle.

"Ah, yes, yes! Boss, what brings you here!" Xu An’s shouts snapped Zhang Dezhen out of his reverie as if waking from a dream, his soul returning to his body.

"I came by to see how business was today. Looks pretty good. It’s only a little after six, and you’re completely sold out. Looks like we can prepare a bit more for tomorrow." Xu An nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the two empty refrigerators.

"Master Zhang, you should head home and get some rest early tonight. The Taobao Store starts selling the braised food tonight, and there will be a lot for you to do tomorrow. Get a good rest and recharge your batteries!" Xu An reminded him.

"Yes, yes, you got it!"

For some reason, the message from his brother-in-law kept replaying in Zhang Dezhen’s mind. The word "report" grew larger and larger until it filled his entire head, causing him to unconsciously avoid Xu An’s gaze. His hands grew more and more flustered, and he accidentally dropped a tray on the floor.

"Master Zhang, are you not feeling well? If you’re unwell, you should head home. I can finish cleaning up here."

Xu An noticed Zhang Dezhen’s strange behavior but didn’t think too much of it, simply assuming he was physically unwell.

"Yes, yes!"

Zhang Dezhen quickly agreed and bent down to pick up the tray. But before his fingers could touch it, he saw a young man’s somewhat rough, deformed hand pick it up instead. He could only rub his hands together sheepishly and stand back up.

Watching Xu An deftly clean up the insulated containers, Zhang Dezhen felt a strong sense of guilt, which made him rub his hands together faster and faster. If you’d put two small sticks in his palms, he probably could have started a fire.

"Boss!" Zhang Dezhen suddenly shouted, startling Xu An, who was focused on cleaning. "Boss! I think I know who reported our shop!"

"Who?!" Xu An whipped his head around to look at Zhang Dezhen.

"It might be the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant. I interviewed for a job there before, so I’m very familiar with his voice..." Zhang Dezhen explained everything he knew from beginning to end. After he finished, he felt a weight lift off his shoulders.

’Hiring a chef from Master Zhang’s hometown to make braised food, the Golden Dragon Braised Shop name on the menu, Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant...’

’All the clues connected! So it was you, the owner of Golden Dragon Fast Food Restaurant! You wanted to get into the braised food business too, huh? What a coincidence!’

「In Yu Liang’s home.」

If someone were to walk into his bedroom at this moment, they would be hit by the incredibly rich, spicy aroma. They would see the empty takeout containers on the coffee table and the various slightly cool cans and bottles scattered all over the floor...

Yu Liang paid it no mind, sitting as steady as a mountain at his computer desk. His hands on the keyboard and mouse moved so fast they were a blur. The raw footage in the software vanished at a visible rate, transforming into a complete video. His full, thick lips mumbled the same phrase over and over: "Must be published before six-thirty! Must be published before six-thirty..."

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