Chapter 218 - 190: Grand Opening (Part 2)

Chapter 218: Chapter 190: Grand Opening (Part 2)

Zhang Peng had learned about the grand opening event for Xu’s Braised Shop from a primetime commercial on a local Hai City TV station. He’d been drawn in by the 10,000 yuan prize.

Although he had worked and lived in Hai City for over a decade, even starting a family and a career here, it couldn’t erase the fact that he wasn’t a native. He hailed from a province where people practically ate chili peppers as a staple food. In other provinces, the dish Spicy Stir-Fried Beef was mostly beef with chili peppers as a garnish. But in Zhang Peng’s hometown, Spicy Stir-Fried Beef meant you had to hunt for pitifully small bits of beef in a bowl overflowing with chili peppers. It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to rename the dish Spicy Stir-Fried Chilis.

Even after so many years in Hai City, he hadn’t kicked his habit of eating spicy food. In his opinion, all this talk about "the spiciest in the country" or "turning clear water into hot pot with just two swishes" was just marketing hype!

’Just watch me down half a pound of this Hellish Braised Flavor in one go, then eat two of those so-called "spiciest peppers in the country," the Shuanshuang Spicy, and walk away with that ten-thousand-yuan prize! I won’t even leave a chance for anyone else to try!’

After haphazardly selecting two catties of braised food, Zhang Peng sat down before the challenge table with a swagger and announced loudly, "I’m going for the first prize!"

WHOA—

The crowd queuing in front of Xu’s Braised Shop immediately erupted into another clamor. They were worried this man might actually walk away with the first prize, but at the same time, their curiosity about the ’Hellish Braised Flavor’ was piqued. The version they’d seen on TV just looked a bit dark, with some odd-looking chili peppers; its appearance didn’t seem to live up to a name like ’Hellish Braised Flavor’.

The person sitting behind the challenge table was Xu An, fully decked out in a protective suit and gas mask. He pulled an A4 sheet of paper from a drawer, handed it to Zhang Peng, and said, "...Due to the extreme spiciness of the Shuanshuang Spicy, we require you to sign a voluntary challenge waiver. If you have conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and so on, but conceal them and a problem occurs, the shop bears no responsibility!"

In truth, a disclaimer like this wouldn’t be legally enforceable even with a signature, but it was effective at scaring people and making them take the challenge seriously.

Zhang Peng grew extremely impatient listening to Xu An demand to see his ID and require a signature. ’It’s just a gimmick, why make it so complicated?’ he thought. ’This whole production makes it seem like one bite of the ’Hellish Braised Flavor’ or one of these peppers will kill you on the spot.’

Though inwardly impatient, the thought of the ten-thousand-yuan first prize made Zhang Peng swallow his annoyance. He took out his ID, handed it to Xu An, and signed his name on the challenge waiver. Xu An took Zhang Peng’s ID and glanced at the date of birth. Born in 1967, which made him forty-five—within the eligible age range.

Xu An placed the signed waiver in the drawer, then turned to retrieve a packaged box of ’Hellish Braised Flavor’ from an insulated container by his side. He set it down in front of Zhang Peng, stressing once more, "Anyone over fifty years old, or with high blood pressure, heart disease, a history of major surgery, or any other underlying conditions cannot participate in the challenge!"

Zhang Peng’s attention was now entirely on the box of braised food. He paid no mind to Xu An’s warning, just giving a careless nod to acknowledge it. He eagerly grabbed the box and tried to open it, only to find after fumbling with the lid a couple of times that it was wrapped in a thick layer of plastic wrap!

...

A string of curses flooded Zhang Peng’s mind. He desperately wanted to slam the table, point at the owner before him, and yell, "If you can’t afford to host a proper event, then don’t bother!"

But then he glanced at the burly-looking men watching him from the sidelines, considered his own build, and decided he couldn’t take even one of them in a fight. He chose to swallow his anger. ℯ

His right hand fumbled over the box for a moment before finally finding the seam of the plastic wrap. He hooked it with his finger, got a grip, and started tearing. One layer, two layers, three layers... He ripped off a full ten layers before the plastic wrap was finally off the box...

With no time to dwell on it, Zhang Peng ripped the lid off, broke apart his chopsticks, reached into the box, and lifted a piece of pork intestine to his mouth. The moment the intestine neared his lips, the aroma belonging to the ’Hellish Braised Flavor’ exploded out of the box. Carried on the breeze, the hellishly spicy scent drifted under the nose of every single person on the old street. Before anyone even realized what was happening, they all broke out in a collective, earth-shattering sneeze!

ACHOO— ACHOO—

A gloating expression appeared on Xu An’s face, hidden beneath his gas mask. ’The aroma is just an appetizer,’ he thought. ’The main course is about to be served!’

By the time Zhang Peng sensed something was wrong, it was too late. The pork intestine was in his mouth, his teeth had bitten down—it was over! Whether it was because his tolerance for spice had drastically diminished after so many years in Hai City or it was simply a matter of his constitution, the moment the food touched his tongue, all his exposed skin flushed a deep, furious red.

’Spicy! So spicy! This is amazing! I haven’t had anything this authentically spicy in years!’

Though his face was flushed, his forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his shirt was soaked, Zhang Peng kept relentlessly shoveling the braised food into his mouth, one bite after another. In moments, a third of the food in the box had disappeared.

’Awesome! So damn good! "Spiciest in the country"? Is that all it is!’

As everyone watched with bated breath, Zhang Peng’s chopsticks reached for the box of ’Hellish Braised Flavor’ again. Just as he was about to continue feasting and finish off the half-pound of food, a fiery heat surged up from his stomach, forcing out a long, loud belch. And with that belch came the spice—a delayed-fuse burn that finally hit him!