Chapter 87: A Sea of People! Sold Out Instantly

Chapter 87: Chapter 87: A Sea of People! Sold Out Instantly

While Nan Zhi was simmering the brine and stewing the marinated meats, it was as if everyone had taken up residence in the back kitchen.

The aroma wafting from the meat was like a rope, binding them firmly in place.

Even if someone had something to do and had to step away, they wouldn’t go far, staying within a few meters.

So, when the rich, overpowering scent of marinated meat drifted out from the back kitchen, carried by the wind until it filled half the street...

...not a single person in the back kitchen realized that several groups of customers had already come and gone before this one spoke up!

"What is that smell? It’s amazing!"

"It’s almost *too* fragrant. You think they added some kind of special seasoning?"

"That just shows you don’t know good food. This marinade smells completely pure—it’s definitely all-natural!"

"Huh, there’s nobody in the shop."

"Are they not open for business?"

"Then let’s come back and check later."

"..."

After several such conversations had taken place, a customer, whose cravings were stoked by the fragrant aroma, finally couldn’t take it anymore and called out.

And so, Nan Zhi came out.

Her reply, "We’re open now," was like flipping some kind of secret switch.

Everyone who had been watching from nearby swarmed over in unison!

"So you *are* open!"

"You should have said so earlier!"

"Miss, what are you selling here, anyway?"

...Wait a minute.

’So this customer who just asked that question didn’t even know what the shop was selling before getting in line?’

This was the first thought that popped into the minds of Fu Chao and the others who had followed her out.

But on second thought, the cause of this phenomenon was Nan Zhi’s marinated meat...

Ah!

Suddenly, it all made perfect sense!

By now, a bustling crowd of about ten people had gathered at the entrance.

There were neighborhood residents and owners of adjacent shops.

There was even someone in a tracksuit who happened to be jogging by!

They had all stopped for Nan Zhi’s marinated meat, craning their necks and peering inside.

Nan Zhi said, "My apologies, please wait just a moment."

She quickly directed everyone to work together and set up a table at the entrance as fast as they could.

They placed a cutting board, pre-prepared food containers, an electronic scale, and other items on it.

She put Qi Pei’er, the most approachable and communicative of the group, in charge of greeting the customers.

Then she had Fu Chao and Xie Yu carry out the large earthenware pot filled with marinated meats and vegetables and place it heavily on the table!

Just then, someone looked at them and found them incredibly familiar.

This wasn’t so much the case for Nan Zhi, Xie Yu, and Qi Pei’er, whose faces hadn’t quite reached the level of being nationally recognized.

But Fu Chao was a different story.

So someone immediately pointed at Fu Chao and said,

"Hey, aren’t you that actor... what’s-his-name..."

The other customers glanced over, eyeing Fu Chao with suspicion.

Nan Zhi chose that moment to step in front of the table.

"Alright, everyone, please form a line. You there, sir, what would you like?"

The customer who had almost recognized Fu Chao exclaimed,

"He looks so familiar... HEY! Don’t push me! This is my spot!"

"Stand here, stand here."

"Miss! What are your hours? Are you open at night?"

"Do you have marinated vegetables, miss?"

With everyone shouting over each other, all attention shifted to lining up and the marinated meat.

In an instant, Fu Chao’s identity was forgotten.

The mood of the livestream audience went from tense to bewildered, and then the screen was flooded with ’HAHAHA’s!

[LMAO, my Brother Fu has zero clout!]

[What’s a movie star compared to marinated meat! Even as a ten-year fan of Brother Fu, I’d buy the meat first! After all, when the meat’s sold out, it’s gone. You can always see your idol on TV later!]

[You fake fan!]

[Why did Nan Zhi put the pot of meat at the door? It’s making a mess. Shouldn’t they invite customers to eat inside the shop they worked so hard to decorate?]

[It’s probably because it’s marinated meat. Most people just buy it and go, so there’s no point in having them come inside.]

[Isn’t it because it’s still early, not lunchtime yet?]

[Wait, so they changed from a small diner to a marinated meat shop?]

[I don’t care, I just want to eat Nan Zhi’s marinated meat...]

...

Everyone was speculating about why Nan Zhi had placed the large earthenware pot at the entrance.

But soon, they discovered the real reason—

The earthenware pot had excellent heat retention. Its thick walls continued to radiate a steady warmth, keeping the various ingredients inside simmering.

Xie Yu was in charge of assisting Nan Zhi, constantly stirring the contents of the pot with a long-handled ladle.

The intense and overpowering aroma of the marinade spread, and spread, and spread.

It not only made the waiting customers’ mouths water with longing, wishing the line would move faster,

but it also drifted even farther, and it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the fragrance carried for miles.

As the saying goes, good wine needs no bush.

Aroma is the most direct way to capture people’s hearts.

Before, just a little bit of the smell leaking from the kitchen had attracted over a dozen customers.

So what would happen now that the pot was deliberately placed at the shop’s entrance?

The answer was obvious.

In any case, when the new intern, Hu, sent by Xu Lin, finally arrived in casual clothes, he was greeted by the sight of a massive, impenetrable crowd jostling at the entrance of Nan Zhi’s shop!

Nan Zhi and Xie Yu stood behind the table, taking orders and cutting the meat;

Nan Yi was still the cashier, with the well-behaved An’an helping him;

Qi Pei’er and Fu Chao were struggling to maintain order amidst the chaos;

Qing Xi and Qi Zhang weaved through the crowd, shouting at the top of their lungs for people not to push;

...The scene was truly a spectacle!

Hu quickly made a call back to the studio.

"Director, there are so many people here! Should we get someone to maintain order? We can’t let anything happen!"

Xu Lin replied, speaking rapidly,

"I already called the local police station... Hey, don’t just stand there on the outskirts like an idiot, squeeze your way in! The meat’s about to sell out!"

Hu snapped to his senses, hung up the phone, and threw himself into the crowd!

His mind completely forgot his duties as a variety show staff member, filled only with the three big words: "BUY THE MEAT!"

Before long, officers from the police station arrived.

Seeing such a sea of people, they too were a bit dumbfounded.

’What are they selling... Is it any good?’

In fact, many people on site had the same doubt.

Even after squeezing into the line, they still worried that the shop’s marinated meat might only smell good but taste average.

However, it wasn’t long before a customer who had just made a purchase provided a firsthand account—

Perhaps because the wait had been so long, the customer couldn’t bear to wait until they got home. They opened their container right away, and without even bothering with chopsticks, picked up a piece with their fingers and tossed it into their mouth.

Someone next to them curiously asked if it was good, but the person, their mouth glistening with oil, eyes wide, and nostrils flaring slightly... didn’t say a single word!

But it didn’t matter that he didn’t speak; everyone else could read the answer on his face!

’It’s absolutely, unbelievably, explosively delicious!’

...And then they pushed even more ferociously.

No matter how much Nan Zhi and the others emphasized that they had to line up in an orderly fashion to buy the meat,

and despite the fact that a line was indeed trying to form,

there were just too many people.

All the bustle of the entire street was concentrated here, making everywhere else seem deserted and empty by comparison.

Finally, less than an hour after they started selling...

The entire pot of marinated delicacies was completely sold out!