"This restaurant actually opened up?"
"Yeah, I always thought this place had closed down or was renovating to become another shop."
Passers-by were curious about the Dream Restaurant's reopening, after all, to have been closed for so long in the city center, many netizens thought the owner must be filthy rich.
Otherwise, why not rent it out? The rent for a year would be a substantial income after all.
As for the barbecue stall introduced by Chen Ze, they were less interested. Ten RMB for a skewer of meat, and those skewers didn't even look that plentiful, with just three slices of meat each.
Chen Ze wasn't in a hurry though, figuring it was only a matter of time before someone in Sun Moon City would take an interest in trying it, and he was confident that after one bite, they'd willingly fork over more RMB.
"Brother, I'm coming home tomorrow, remember to pick me up," Chen Ze hadn't waited for customers yet when he received a message from Star.
"Sure, but if I have customers, I might not be able to make it. [Picking Nose]"
"Then I'll just have to 'cordially' speak with you a bit. [Goodbye]"
Chen Ze's mouth twitched; he could only silently reply, "I will definitely come."
How did the once sweet and understanding little sister grow up to be like this? It was a bit depressing for Chen Ze, who missed the Star who used to call him brother with her soft, glutinous voice, not this violent little sister who was always ready for a 'cordial' talk.
"Hey, honey, look at this place's barbecue, ten RMB per skewer."
"Maybe it's really tasty? Sweetheart, how about we buy two skewers to try?" A couple walked by hand in hand, the girl swinging her partner's hand.
"Sure, your husband here isn't short of money." The man laughed heartily.
"Boss, give me two skewers of barbecue... What are you doing with that torch?"
"Ah? I don't know; this torch suddenly appeared in my hand, I'm also not sure." Chen Ze discreetly slipped the torch into the charcoal basin.
"Two skewers of barbecue, coming right up, please wait a moment." Chen Ze put two skewers on the grill and brushed them with a bit of oil.
The exhaust fan was also turned on, and the smoke was being sucked away.
"It doesn't seem... very good." The girl frowned, noticing the barbecue had no fragrance, different from other places.
Normally, most barbecue stalls would emit a delicious aroma to attract more customers and ensure a good flow of patrons, but Chen Ze's barbecue had none.
"No worries, if it isn't tasty we can go to Ginza and have Haagen-Dazs."
Chen Ze smiled. Initially, he also thought that meat without a scent wouldn't be delicious, but after one bite, he fell in love with the flavor.
Chen Ze sprinkled the cooked meat with cumin and chili flakes and handed it over, at the same time taking the twenty RMB.
"Indeed, there isn't much taste, now I can only smell the cumin." The man was somewhat disappointed; it wasn't about the money, he just didn't like the feeling he was ripped off.
If it's not tasty, I'll expose this unscrupulous vendor on forums and Tieba.
The man bit angrily into the skewer.
"What... what is this?" His eyes shot open instantly; it felt as if he had just encountered a storm in his mouth, creating intense whirlwinds on his taste buds.
The taste of the chili flakes and cumin instantly filled his senses, but they were sublimed by the unique taste of the meat, which was so delightful that it didn't choke him at all.
"This is really tasty..." Both of them showed satisfied expressions at the same time, savoring the ultimate delicious meat, a delight for their taste buds.
"Sweetheart, I want more!"
"So do I, boss, give us ten more skewers." The man pulled out his phone and scanned the QR code Chen Ze had displayed at the stand, paying a hundred.
"Okay." Chen Ze took out ten skewers of meat and placed them on the grill.
"Is it really that good?" Several passersby hesitated for a moment; they had just witnessed the satisfied expressions of the two people who had finished their barbecue.
"Could they be shills?"
"Hard to say, I've seen so many so-called internet-famous shops online that open and hire a bunch of people to queue up, pretending the business is very good."
"Yes, it's even been reported in the news." A few passersby shook their heads, indicating they wouldn't pay the 'stupidity tax'.
But there were also one or two people who, after hesitating for a while, stepped forward to buy a skewer, and with just one bite, they fell in love with the flavor.
"Boss, I want two skewers!"
"Give me five!"
"Are my three skewers ready yet?"
Before long, more and more people were lining up, and the number of satisfied customers increased. Many were heartbroken to spend the money but declared boldly they would buy ten skewers.
A hundred RMB? Compared to the taste, it's simply negligible; a foodie spends much more than that on food each month.
However, there were also some people who shook their heads after eating and did not buy any more.
Chen Ze didn't mind; every dish has its audience, and expecting everyone to like it was unrealistic.
"My dear viewers, the soft and fluffy Cai Cai is now online~" A cute girl dressed in Hanfu walked down the street, livestreaming with her phone.
"Just now, a viewer asked me to try the barbecue skewers at the entrance of Dream Restaurant. Wow, he really made it sound tempting, how could foodie Cai Cai resist?" Cai Cai pretended to wipe drool from her mouth, as a stream of messages quickly floated across the screen.
[Orange Cat: Cai Cai, go eat~ I tried it too, the flavor is indeed indescribable]
[A Pot of Green Tea: Cai Cai is so pretty, did you buy the Hanfu?]
[Lifetime Support for Cai Cai: Wife, my wife~]
[Black Umbrella: Cai Cai, take the money and eat more, I love watching you eat the most]
Right after Black Umbrella sent a rocket tip, Cai Cai hurriedly expressed her thanks.
Before long, Cai Cai arrived at the entrance of Dream Restaurant and saw the surging crowd lined up.
"My goodness, there are so many people; look everyone, I think there must be dozens of people in line in front of me." Cai Cai looked surprised.
As Sun Moon City's top food vlogger, she had tried numerous viral restaurants and naturally knew some of the tricks they played, so she also suspected there might be fake customers among the queue.
Chen Ze experienced a mix of pain and pleasure, and despite having a smoke extractor, he inevitably got his face covered in smoke. He realized then that grilling was actually physically demanding work. Ever since the first adventurous customer, the line kept growing, and he would have been even busier if many hadn't chosen to pay with WeChat or Alipay.
Chen Ze glanced at the box behind him, which held his prepared skewers of meat. It was only half full now, and looking at the queue in front of him, he started to worry about running out of meat.
"Boss, I'll take twenty skewers of barbecue!"
Cai Cai finally stood in front of Chen Ze's grill. She had waited for a long time and could now finally taste the suddenly popular barbecue.
"Okay, please wait a moment." Chen Ze heard the notification on his phone for a 200 RMB payment and promptly took twenty skewers of meat to place on the grill.
After this girl, who was livestreaming, finished eating, he estimated the meat would sell out today.
Chen Ze thought this was very likely.