I've been possessed by a culinary genius, and I've turned Shaxian snacks into a rip-off!

"Holy crap! I was so touched for nothing! I thought he had a change of heart, but it turns out I was wrong."

"I must say, selling by the piece is indeed a clever move. At first glance, 99 seems cheap, and psychologically it seems quite affordable. But a normal bowl of braised pork should have at least five or six pieces of meat, right? Five or six pieces would cost five or six hundred. If they sold it for ten or eight pieces, it would directly break a thousand."

"When it comes to cunning, Li Heizi is the best. Every time he has a change of heart, it's all an act, a consumer trap he's set up for us."

"......."

Just as everyone was complaining, Yao Qianqian suddenly spoke up: "Even if it's 99 yuan a piece, we can just order one piece to try it out. Anyway, we've already ordered the regular version of the main dish today. The main dish is cheap, and we can just add meat as a topping. It's not like we're being ripped off too badly."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately felt that it made a lot of sense.

That's right!

They're here today to eat the regular version of Shaxian cuisine; the braised pork is just something to try, they can just order one piece if necessary.

They only ordered one piece, which cost 99 yuan. Combined with the regular dishes they ordered, it's practically the same as Li Heizi not ripping them off today.

"Qianqian is right! Today, our anti-gang alliance will show Li Heizi with our actions that his tricks are not foolproof. We will only order one piece of braised pork, just one piece, not a single piece more. Let him see what the power of unity is, and what it means to not be tempted."

"Yes! Just one piece!"

"One piece is enough, just to taste it, not to eat it as a meal."

"Li Heizi wants to kill us? No way! We'll weld the windows shut too!"

A group of people rekindled their fighting spirit.

"Boss, order!" Yu Shenchong shouted towards the kitchen.

Li Zhibai, wearing an apron, came out of the kitchen, picked up the order book again, and asked, "Gentlemen, would you like anything else?"

"We want to order braised pork, just one piece, please," Yu Shenxian said.

"Me too."

"Me too, one piece."

"We only need one each."

"..."

Li Zhibai listened to the numbers they reported, his expression as steady as an old dog.

He had long anticipated that these traitors would pull this stunt, but unfortunately, it was no use!

"Excuse me, everyone, our braised pork is sold by the bowl... oh wait, I mean by the pot."

Everyone: "..."

"Boss, your sign clearly says 99 yuan a piece, and we only want one yuan. Why can't you sell it to us? Isn't this false advertising?" Yu Shen protested.

Li Zhibai: "That only tells you the unit price of each piece, it doesn't mean it's sold by the piece. It's like when you go to the supermarket to buy candy, how much does it cost per piece? Do you really only buy one piece? Besides, if it's too small, I simply can't make it."

"If I can't make it, then I'll just have to stop selling it."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, and surprisingly, they realized there was a grain of truth to his words; it was indeed difficult to do something like that.

They stopped insisting, worried that Li Heizi might get angry and refuse to sell altogether.

"Fine, one bowl it is then."

"Boss, this bowl of yours shouldn't be very big, right?" Yu Shen suddenly asked.

Li Zhibai: "It's not big, just a normal bowl."

Upon hearing this, everyone instinctively pictured the kind of bowls they used at home. Since the boss was talking about normal bowls, they figured each bowl would only hold a few pieces of meat, and the total cost would be around a few hundred yuan, which seemed acceptable.

"Then give each of us a bowl."

"Alright! A bowl of our secret-recipe braised pork for everyone, I'll get it ready for you bosses right away."

After writing it down in his notebook, Li Zhibai said to them, "But you'll have to wait a bit. We only made Uncle Huo's portion in advance today. Yours will need to be made to order, so it might take a little longer."

"Sure! We can wait!"

Li Zhibai nodded and turned to walk into the kitchen to start preparing braised pork.

In the kitchen, Su Su was helping prepare the ingredients. Seeing her master come in, she asked curiously, "Master, have they all ordered braised pork?"

"We ordered, one bowl each."

"One bowl? Master, what size bowl do you need? I'll wash it in advance and prepare it."

Li Zhibai walked to the cupboard, bent down, took out an extra-large bowl from the bottom shelf, and slammed it onto the counter.

"Use the bowl you brought today."

Su Su: "..."

She had thought that the large bowl she brought today would be used to hold some prepared ingredients or soups, but she never expected that her master would use it to hold braised pork.

How big is this bowl? It's about the size of a washbasin. A normal person could use it to hold enough rice to eat for a week.

It's so big you could even bury an adult's head in it; usually, only dishes like boiled meat or pickled fish are served in such a large bowl.

Using this to hold braised pork is really a bit creepy.

"Master, are you sure you want to use this to serve the braised pork? This is a large soup bowl!"

"What's wrong? Doesn't it look good?"

"It's not that it's bad-looking, it's just that it might be a bit too big."

Su Su quickly estimated in her mind that if this bowl were filled with braised pork, it could hold at least forty or fifty pieces, and who in their right mind could eat forty or fifty pieces of braised pork in one go?

"Is it big? I think it's alright."

"People have come all this way, we can't let them go hungry, can we? My philosophy in running a shop is to be honest and straightforward. I'd rather lose money myself than let my customers go home hungry."

Su Su: "..."

Master, doesn't your conscience hurt when you say these words?

If you serve that pot of braised pork, the guests won't go home hungry; they'll probably go home bankrupt.

After taking out all the large bowls, Li Zhibai thought for a moment and then found a smaller bowl and put 10 pieces of braised pork in it. This was a special size he prepared for the old man, just the right amount for him to eat alone, no more and no less.

It wasn't that he didn't want to rip off the old man, but he worried that if he served the old man a large pot of food first, those guys outside would run away in fright.

Let's lower their guard first, and then give them a big surprise.

Soon, Li Zhibai came out of the kitchen wearing an apron, with a bowl of braised pork with a glossy, reddish-brown color on a plate.

Each piece of braised pork is uniform in size, coated with a thick, reddish-brown sauce, and underneath the meat is a layer of rice soaked in the sauce and turned a dark brown color. Just looking at the color makes you want to pick up the bowl and take a big bite.

"Sir, your braised pork."

Huo Wang was momentarily dazed when he saw the bowl of braised pork.

picture!so similar!

The rosy color is similar to what my late husband used to make, but this bowl is clearly better made and the presentation is more exquisite. It's purely a difference in skill.

He then smelled the fragrance again and immediately closed his eyes.

Eleven years have passed.

I haven't smelled this for eleven years.

He was so familiar with this smell; he had thought he would never smell it again in his life, but it actually appeared.

Huo Wang picked up his chopsticks with a slight tremor in his right hand, took a piece of braised pork, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.

Soft and smooth, it doesn't even need to be chewed. Just a gentle touch of the lips and tongue and the skin melts on the tip of the tongue, filling the mouth with a rich, meaty aroma.

The lean meat was stewed until very tender, and the meat fibers were soaked with sauce, so it even burst with juice when you bit into it.

Finally, there's that faint rose scent, hidden behind the aroma of meat. It slowly rises from the back of his tongue after he swallows, very light and subtle, with a lingering aftertaste.

Huo Wang slowly chewed the braised pork in his mouth, and time seemed to flow backward at that moment.

In a daze, he seemed to see himself when he was twenty years old.

He had just finished his early shift and was riding his bicycle home from the textile factory, the bike clanging and rattling all the way. As soon as he opened the door, he smelled a rich aroma of meat wafting out of the kitchen.

He walked into the house and saw a pretty girl with two long braids standing in front of the stove, holding a bowl of freshly cooked braised pork. She smiled and said to him, "Brother Wang, try this. This is my braised pork. Don't say anything if you don't like it."

He picked up a piece of meat, blew on it twice, and stuffed it into his mouth, wolfing it down. Then he gave her a thumbs up: "Delicious! So delicious! You have to cook braised pork for me for the rest of your life."

The girl blushed and whispered, "Yes, for a lifetime."

She then devoted her entire life to him.

More than forty years.

From twenty to over sixty, from black hair to white hair, from newlyweds to a house full of children and grandchildren, from two people to only one left.

Until that winter, when she stood in front of the stove and made the last bowl of braised pork, she never tasted braised pork that flavored again.

As Huo Wang ate, tears streamed down his deeply lined cheeks, and he murmured her name.

"Amei... I really miss you so much!"

"You know what? I finally got to eat braised pork that tastes like yours again, made by a young man."

"He did a better job than you."