Chapter 220 - 191: 2 Points Make a Line, 3 Points Make a Plane

Chapter 220: Chapter 191: 2 Points Make a Line, 3 Points Make a Plane

The city gates, guarded by half a pound of Hellish Braised Flavor, have fallen!

The fortress, defended by General Shuanshuang Spicy, has been conquered!

The treasure in the center of the fortress is now exposed for all to see. Will the hero who breached the walls be able to claim it for himself?

The eyes of every passerby and queuing customer were fixed on Xu An. The pressure was on. What would Xu An choose to do? Would he honor his promise, or would he go back on his word?

Unfortunately, since Xu An was completely wrapped in a thick protective suit and a gas mask, they could only see his eyes through the transparent goggles—and right now, they were wide with shock.

’I was counting on the ten-thousand-yuan grand prize to sustain the hype for the entire seven-day event,’ he thought. ’It’s only the first day, not even two hours in, and the grand prize is already gone. What am I going to do for the next six days?’

Though it was hard to believe, what was done was done. This wasn’t the time to dwell on such messy details. Xu An turned his head to look at Uncle Dongliang standing behind him and gave him a nod. Uncle Dongliang instantly understood, nodded back, and turned to walk into the shop. He picked up one of the trays sitting on the freezer and walked back outside to Xu An’s side.

On the tray, one hundred 100-yuan bills were neatly bound together by a single strip of red paper. As the breeze blew, the top few bills fluttered up and down. They were as light and graceful as dancing butterflies, but far more captivating.

When the tall, thin middle-aged man saw the stack of bills on the tray, the boozy flush on his face quickly faded. The nerves numbed by alcohol were freed from its control, and his mind cleared. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He slowly rose from his seat, his right hand reaching uncontrollably for the money...

Xu An took off his gas mask and chuckled, then took the tray from Uncle Dongliang’s hands, making the tall, thin man’s hand grasp at empty air. A collective "Aww!" of disappointment rose from the crowd. He was so close, so close to touching that stack of cash.

Ahem, ahem—

Clearing his throat very deliberately, Xu An spoke in a feigned tone of helplessness. "When I was developing the Hellish Braised Flavor, I tasted the most primitive version. The moment I swallowed, my life literally flashed before my eyes. And that was just the equivalent of two Shuanshuang Spicy peppers diluted in ten kilograms of braised food."

"I figured that with the power of this Shuanshuang Spicy, even if some true champion appeared, it would take at least two or three days. I never expected that today, on the very first day of Xu’s Braised Shop’s grand opening! Not even two hours in, it would be conquered by..." Xu An paused suddenly, leaned toward the middle-aged man’s ear, and whispered, "Excuse me, what is your surname?"

"Sun."

"I never expected that in less than two hours, it would be conquered by Mr. Sun!" Xu An grabbed Mr. Sun’s right hand and raised it high. "Now, please give a huge round of applause to congratulate Mr. Sun! Congratulate him for winning the grand prize of Xu’s Braised Shop’s opening event! He’s won a free pound of braised food every day for all of September! And! Ten thousand yuan in cash!"

The moment Xu An’s voice fell, gongs and drums erupted. Two lion dance troupes flanked Mr. Sun, dancing wildly. The crowd roared with thunderous cheers, and the scene in front of Xu’s Braised Shop was more spectacular than ever.

The cheers and applause reached their peak the moment Mr. Sun took the tray from Xu An’s hands. Residents from the two nearby neighborhood complexes couldn’t help but step out onto their balconies to see what was happening. Even people waiting for the bus at a nearby stop were drawn in by the sudden noise and began to walk over...

The old street, already packed with over three hundred people, became even more crowded as the queue length exploded once again. Zhang Dezhen watched the endless stream of customers, his face stiff from smiling so much. ’With this many people, it looks like there’s no way we won’t sell out the 250 kilograms of braised food we prepared today! I wonder how much commission I’ll make. It should be over a hundred yuan, right? It’ll definitely be over a hundred!’

Motivated by the money, his already astonishing hand speed increased by another twenty percent, and the line began to move even faster.

After taking the ten thousand yuan in cash, Mr. Sun looked at Xu An sheepishly and made a rather bold request. "Could I borrow the shop’s money counter for a second?"

He hadn’t said it loudly, but he was right next to the microphone in Xu An’s hand. His words, super-amplified by the mic, carried with crystal clarity to everyone present, immediately sparking a wave of laughter. Some troublemakers who loved a good show even started yelling at the top of their lungs, "Check the cash! Check the cash! Check the cash!"

"Alright! Check the cash!" Xu An raised the microphone to his lips and shouted with a laugh. He then turned, went into the shop, brought out a brand-new money counter, and placed it on the challenge table. With a gentlemanly gesture, he gestured for Mr. Sun to proceed. "Please."

Although two crimson blotches appeared on Mr. Sun’s face out of embarrassment, his hands didn’t slow down. Right in front of everyone, he tore off the red paper seal from the ten-thousand-yuan stack, placed a bill at the money counter’s entrance, and pressed the start button.

WHIRRRR. The machine hummed to life. Everyone in the crowd held their breath, their eyes wide, completely focused as they watched the bills being slowly swallowed by the counter, one by one, and then spat out again...

At first, only Mr. Sun was quietly counting, "One, two, three, four..." But slowly, very slowly, the onlookers near him began to count along with his rhythm. Then more and more people joined in, and the sound grew louder and louder. In the end, even Xu An couldn’t resist joining the festivities, holding the microphone and counting along with the crowd.

"...Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!"

All one hundred bills were genuine. Another wave of cheers erupted. Although it was a shame the grand prize was gone, seeing such a spectacle made the trip totally worth it.

Besides, even though the grand prize was gone, the lucky draw was still going on. There were plenty of discount coupons in the prize box, and someone had just drawn a free pound of braised meat. The most expensive braised meat was the braised beef, which cost forty yuan a pound. That was like getting forty yuan for free!

With all these incentives, the customers in line didn’t leave just because the grand prize had been claimed. Instead, their resolve to wait was strengthened. If you didn’t buy a pound or two of braised food, how could you prove you were there to witness someone walk away with ten thousand yuan in cash?

With all one hundred bills verified as genuine, Mr. Sun pulled a few red plastic bags from his pocket. He wrapped the stack of cash in layer after layer until it was completely sealed, then clutched it tightly in his hand, a relaxed and happy smile finally spreading across his face.

’Ten thousand yuan! That’s a whole year’s salary! I can finally replace that washing machine at home that’s been CLANGING and BANGING for years, the one that wakes up the whole building every time I turn it on. I can replace the old sofa we’ve been using for twenty years. I can...’

Just as Mr. Sun was lost in his daydreams, Xu An handed him a Xu’s Braised Shop business card with his signature on it.

"Mr. Sun, this is the other part of the grand prize. You are entitled to a free pound of braised food every day for the entire month of September—meat or vegetable, any flavor, any price. You can redeem it in person with this card. This prize cannot be transferred or collected by anyone else."

"Thank you, thank you! I wish you a prosperous business, Boss, may you earn a fortune every day and may wealth pour in..." Mr. Sun rattled off a series of well-wishes before his tone shifted. "Boss, that... is the Hellish Braised Flavor included in this?"

"Included, of course it’s included! As long as it’s a product for sale in our shop, anything goes."

"What about the Shuanshuang Spicy..."

"That’s not included, I’m afraid. You can only choose from the braised products at Xu’s Braised Shop."

It was a bit of a shame, but when he felt the ten thousand yuan in his pocket, Mr. Sun’s face lit up with a grin again. ’With money, I can buy as much as I want once the chili shop owner restocks!’ His thumb gently rubbed the plastic-wrapped bundle of cash twice. ’Having money feels amazing!’

When the minor internet celebrities invited to the opening event saw Mr. Sun actually pocket the ten thousand yuan, and then noticed the camera crew from the Hai City local station filming the scene, their eyes lit up, and their minds started racing with ideas.

’Ten thousand yuan is a great gimmick, and the local Hai City station is covering it too,’ they thought. ’Once the news airs, a lot of people are going to be interested, right? Plenty of them will search for more information online!’

’If they find a more detailed report on my account, with more photos that weren’t in the news, they’ll definitely leave comments on my post! If I guide the conversation a little, getting over a hundred comments will be a piece of cake!’

The more they thought about it, the more excited they got. As if injected with adrenaline, the influencers grabbed their cameras and started snapping away. CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. The ones focused on food took close-ups of the products from Xu’s Braised Shop; the ones who specialized in comedic content focused on the taste of the Hellish Braised Flavor; and the ones who loved big news centered their attention on the ten-thousand-yuan prize...

People slacking off at work today started to feel like something was off. They had just closed a post from an influencer on a social media app titled "I Hereby Declare This the #1 Braised Food Shop in the World," only to see a link shared by a friend in a chat group: "Hellish Braised Flavor Made with China’s Hottest Chili, Do You Dare to Try It?!" They switched to another app and saw an article titled, "A Pie-in-the-Sky Opportunity, Win 10,000 Yuan in Cash Just for Completing a Challenge!"...

The titles were different, the content was different, the pictures were different, and the posters were all different, but they all had one thing in common: the shop they recommended was the same one—Xu’s Braised Shop!

The comment sections below these posts were flooded. Most were from curious passersby, but some were live testimonials from people actually at the scene, attracting a great deal of curiosity and questions. The comment threads grew longer and longer, quickly surpassing the hundred comments the influencers had initially hoped for and heading straight for three hundred. And the number was still growing rapidly, showing no signs of stopping.

Along with the increasing comments came the shares. These posts were forwarded again and again by individuals into work, friend, roommate, and family chat groups. From there, each group became a new node, rapidly spreading to other chats until a web of information had formed.

Through all these shares, many people grew curious about Xu’s Braised Shop. No matter which chat group they were in, they saw discussions about it. ’Maybe I should check out that shop after work? See what their braised food tastes like? And find out if that so-called "Hellish Braised Flavor" really lives up to the name "Hellish"...’