Chapter 119: This Is a Food Documentary, Right

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: This Is a Food Documentary, Right

The shot of the storefront flashed by, replaced by a scene of Xu An standing in front of his restaurant, explaining its business model and operational standards.

"Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant primarily caters to office workers, providing them with a solid midday refuel..."

On screen, Xu An was dressed simply. His skin was tan, and his face still held a hint of youthful innocence, yet he spoke with great confidence and conviction, his eyes bright and full of spirit.

The tense atmosphere hanging over Xu Family Village was instantly swept away, and the crowd erupted in a chorus of praise.

Some praised Xu An for being so well-spoken, while others complimented his composure in the spotlight. There were even comments on how handsome he was, and how he was bringing honor to Xu Family Village...

But the image on the TV suddenly changed. Five large, red words appeared on the screen, and the atmosphere in the room grew tense once more.

Is It Really Like That?!

The camera cut to the dining area of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant, where a dozen or so customers were seated, chatting animatedly.

The camera suddenly zoomed in on a hand holding a tray. The tray was immaculately clean, with no standing water or debris.

Three pristine white plates were placed on the tray. A steel spoon rested upside down on one of them. As the spoon was lifted, the shot switched to slow motion. A thick, golden sauce dripped from its smooth surface onto pieces of crispy, golden-fried sweet and sour pork...

Everyone watching swallowed hard, their throats bobbing in unison. A collective GULP seemed to echo in the room.

Next, a large scoop of bok choy was ladled onto the plate next to it. Its stems were white as jade, its leaves a vibrant spring green, and specks of savory, crimson minced meat clung to its surface. The sight was instantly refreshing, sweeping away the sweet fragrance the sweet and sour pork had conjured in their minds.

The third dish was wavy-cut fries. The crinkle-cut potatoes were fried to a golden brown and coated in a thin layer of sauce, with bright red chili flakes, tender green scallions, and white sesame seeds clinging to their surface...

The spicy aroma instantly overwhelmed the previous refreshing scent, and their mouths began to water even faster.

Finally, a simple, delicately sweet loofah and sliced pork soup brought the sequence to a close, restoring a sense of tranquility to body and mind.

Those four brief shots made everyone watching feel as if they had just finished a gourmet feast. Satisfied in body and soul, they couldn’t help but let out soft sighs of contentment.

Only Xu An wore a strange expression. ’The filming for the first five fast-food places was so standard,’ he thought. ’Why did it suddenly turn into a food documentary when it got to my restaurant?’

Just watching the footage gave Xu An the urge to go try the food at Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant himself.

The footage that followed returned to a more standard format, similar to the other restaurants. The one difference was that the segment for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant included scenes of their delivery service.

Takeout boxes were delivered to one company after another. Office workers, beaming with joy, accepted the meals and returned to their desks to dig in. Everywhere the camera panned, people were smiling happily.

The screen went black, then the view shifted to the passenger seat of a small truck. Xu Guosheng was on camera, boasting as he recounted Xu An’s entrepreneurial journey.

The crowd erupted in laughter, many of them teasing Xu Guosheng for exaggerating. They joked that he knew even less than they did and was just making things up.

The scene switched again, this time to Xu An sitting in a van. The camera focused on him as he gave a straightforward account of his experiences and shared some interesting anecdotes from his journey.

Xu An recounted some things the villagers had never heard before, and the crowd quieted down again to listen intently to his story.

The next part of the segment was consistent with the other fast-food places, showing visits to the wholesale market and inspections of the suppliers’ various certifications.

The shot ended with Bald Chen declaring, "When I do business, it’s all about having a conscience!"

The next scene was, once again, different from the other restaurants. Row after row of greenhouses filled the screen, and along with them, Aunt Hong, dressed in a red suit.

The crowd immediately erupted into another round of catcalls and playful teasing, making Aunt Hong blush. She could only chuckle in response.

Inside the greenhouses were rows upon rows of tender vegetables. Tomato plants, guided by strings, grew straight and tall, their tops lush and green, their lower branches heavy with red, yellow, and green fruit. Next to them, towering cucumber vines hid vibrant green cucumbers, their ends still adorned with small yellow blossoms...

The greenhouses were overflowing with countless crops, exuding an incredible sense of vitality.

What Xu An hadn’t expected was that the scene they filmed of other growers arguing with Victory Supermarket wasn’t cut. It appeared right there in the documentary, accompanied by a small caption: "Victims of Expired Food."

’Is Qiansheng Group planning to completely abandon Victory Supermarket?’ he wondered. ’Or was this documentary produced so quickly that their PR department didn’t have time to react?’

For that scene to appear in the documentary, complete with the caption, felt more like a signal—like the sounding of a battle horn before a charge. It was quite intriguing.

’After all, a government-produced film, no matter how rushed, would be reviewed at least a dozen times. How could such a basic error slip through?’

However, the thought flashed through Xu An’s mind for only a moment before he dismissed it.

Right now, Xu An was far more concerned about whether there was some problem with Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant. ’Why was it saved for last?’

But he had been watching all this time and hadn’t seen a single issue, which only made his anxiety worse. The wait was becoming unbearable.

’If it’s a death sentence, just get it over with!’ he thought frantically. ’What is this, death by a thousand cuts?!’

’This is absolute torture!’

Suddenly, the Food Inspection Department’s evaluation for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant appeared on the screen—Excellent!

’Damn! These editors are such trolls!’ he thought. ’They actually scared me!’

Once his heart stopped pounding, it finally sank in for Xu An. The Food Inspection Department’s evaluation for Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant was "Excellent"!

’The only "Excellent" rating out of all six restaurants!’

Just then, the people of Xu Family Village finally realized what it meant, and the room erupted in cheers.

The two men Second Grandpa had put on standby stood up, pulled lighters from their pockets, and lit the strings of firecrackers.

The CRACKLE-POP-POP of the firecrackers mixed with the sounds of laughter, floating over Xu Family Village and shattering the tranquility of the summer night.

"Lan, Anzi can support the family now. You don’t have to bear the burden all by yourself anymore," Second Grandpa said, turning to Granny Xu with eyes full of relief and pride.

"That’s right." Granny Xu smiled, glancing at Xu An celebrating with the other villagers. "I should have let Anzi take charge of this family long ago. I’m getting old!"

"You may be getting on in years, but your mind’s as sharp as ever. I just saw you on TV, clicking that abacus just as crisply as you did in your youth. You haven’t lost your touch."

...

Meanwhile, Li Xindong and his family were also sitting on the sofa, watching the local Hai City channel.

However, Li Xindong was still angry with his family. He sat some distance away from them and refused to speak, so they all just watched their own way, ignoring one another completely.

The three of them were watching TV in a fragile truce until Xu An appeared on screen, shattering the silence.

"Xindong, isn’t that Xu An, the owner of Xu’s Fast Food Restaurant on TV, your classmate? I think I saw him at your parent-teacher conference," Mrs. Li asked.

"Mhm," Li Xindong replied coldly, clearly wanting nothing to do with his parents.

"Look at him. He started from nothing and has already opened two restaurants. Judging by his business, he must be making good money." Mrs. Li’s tone shifted as she turned on Li Xindong. "You should learn a thing or two from him. All you ever talk about is going to university. See? He didn’t go to university, and isn’t he doing just fine?"

"It’s not that we won’t let you go to university. If you can get into Hai City University of Finance and Economics, we’d sell the pots and pans to send you. But any other school? Don’t even think about it!" Father Li’s words were sharp, cutting straight to the heart of the family’s recent crisis.

Father Li and Mrs. Li then continued to drone on about Li Xindong’s university plans. Each word struck a nerve, fanning a tiny flicker of flame within him. The flame grew, burning hotter and hotter, until it erupted into a raging inferno that consumed his reason completely.

"What’s so great about Hai City University of Finance and Economics? And what’s so bad about other schools, huh?! Why do I have to go to that school? If you love it so much, then you take the exam! You go! You go!"

With that, Li Xindong SLAMMED his door shut and locked himself in his room.

In the living room, Father Li and Mrs. Li stared at each other, their initial shock quickly turning to white-hot rage.

"Son of a bitch! I feed you, I house you, I pay for your education, and this is what I get? I’ve raised an enemy! You use my things and spend my money, so you listen to me! You’ll do whatever the hell I tell you to do!"

Father Li screamed a few more curses at Li Xindong’s door. When that wasn’t enough to vent his anger, he kicked the dilapidated door clean off its hinges. He pointed at the astonished Li Xindong and roared, "You went out, earned a little money, and now you think you can get cocky with me, is that it?!"

Then, Li Xindong watched as his father went straight to the iron box where he kept his wages. He pulled out all the cash, ripped it to shreds, and tossed the pieces into the air. They fluttered down into every corner of the room like perverse confetti. Only then did his father leave, a triumphant smirk on his face.

Li Xindong’s eyes were wide with disbelief. He slowly bent down and, with a trembling hand, picked up a torn piece of a banknote that had landed on his foot. He lifted it before his eyes...

The light tonight was especially harsh.