On the day of the cooking competition, East Street was impossibly crowded with spectators. A young apprentice from Quanju Xuan, the one responsible for buying groceries, couldn't contain his curiosity and slipped out to take a look.
He returned, still shocked and excited, and gave his manager a vivid account of what he'd seen.
He focused on the new seasonings and casually mentioned how packed Hongfu Restaurant was with customers.
Manager Quan was busy at the time and had no patience for the details.
Quanju Xuan's head chefs and cooks were already among the best in Yeyang City. 'Why would they need any special seasonings to make the food taste better? What a joke.'
"But..." The young apprentice, remembering the scene, grew worried and anxious. "The response was really good. A lot of people were..."
