Chapter 99 Behind the Scenes
Xu Qing's efforts have been fruitful over the past few days.

The snack stalls are crowded every day.

Seeing how prosperous the business was here, other small restaurants also followed their example and set up snack stalls.

People who don’t want to queue can go to other snack stalls to try something new and fill their stomachs.

Gradually, the business of other snack stalls also became prosperous.

More customers attract more businesses, and more diverse food attracts more customers.

Moreover, the chefs of small restaurants are the most perceptive. Once they find a way to make money, they will swarm in instantly like bees attracted by nectar.

Within a few days, this empty street was transformed into a snack street, attracting passers-by with its diverse, high-quality and low-priced food.

The aroma wafting from the snack street can be smelled from a long distance away. Even people who are skeptical about cheap food can't help but stop and watch when they smell such an aroma.

At the same time, some people were constantly spreading the stories about Tianhong Pavilion and the truth about the fake shark fin incident among the crowd, and these rumors gradually spread among the public.

"Have you heard? It turns out that the fake shark fin incident was a deliberate attempt to frame Tianhong Pavilion!"

"As expected! I told you, there is no such coincidence in the world! There must be something wrong here."

"Speaking of which, when I was poor and broke, I had no money and was almost fainting from hunger. I happened to walk to the door of Tianhong Pavilion. The chef was a cheerful old man with white hair. He handed me a big meat bun. The meat bun had a thin skin and a large filling. When I took a bite, my mouth was full of oil. It was really the most delicious food I have ever eaten! How could such a person do such a thing as cheating people with fake shark fins?"

"It is said that Tianhong Pavilion often gives alms to beggars passing by, and their food is always very affordable. The quantity is large and the price of one dish can buy two servings of food."

"And there are a lot of ingredients. It's not like those big restaurants, where they only put a little food on a big plate and sell it for a very high price. They are just trying to fool fools!"

"That's what I mean. I spent so much money but still couldn't eat enough. What's more, some big restaurants have very bad attitudes. I spent money and was very angry."

"Fortunately, there is a snack street now. I can finally eat food that satisfies my taste."

"That's right. No matter how expensive the food is, it tastes the same to me. My tongue can't tell whether it's good or bad. I just want to have a full meal."

"Stop talking, let's go, hurry up and get to Tianhong Pavilion to grab a good seat, otherwise you'll have to queue again."

"Yes, let's go!"

What happened in Tianhong Pavilion in the past has been spreading among people. Some people are indignant about it, some are moved to tears, and some are heartbroken. Such a good restaurant could be framed like this. What on earth is the Guangdong Chefs Association doing!
For this reason, people often come to Guangchulian to take a walk after dinner to digest their food. If they happen to meet the elders who are out, they have to complain to them.

Many elders were so scared that they dared not come to the Guangdong Chefs Association recently.

However, thanks to the reversal of Tianhong Pavilion's reputation, many small restaurants that had lost customers and were on the verge of bankruptcy have regained new life.

Seeing that more and more people were going to small restaurants, the rest of the wavering people put down their guard and doubts and returned to the restaurants they usually went to. Although the customer flow could not return to normal levels in a short period of time, the number of customers gradually increased, and each day became better than the day before.

Elder Li, who had been closely watching the development of events, finally breathed a sigh of relief; this hurdle was finally over.

Seeing the restaurants around him closing down every day, Elder Li felt heartbroken, as if an invisible big hand was holding everything tightly in its palm, and no matter how he struggled, he could not escape its control.

But now, after the fake shark fin incident, it would be difficult for Elder Wu to repeat his old tricks.

Elder Li looked at Luo Tian who was drinking leisurely at the side, and said with emotion: "Your child named Xu Qing is really extraordinary. He turned the situation around so easily. Alas, we are really old. When faced with an emergency, our brains can't work. We are far less flexible than young people. If it weren't for him this time, our Guangzhou Chefs Association, including the entire Guangzhou chef world, would be in Wu Cheng's hands, unable to break free, and could only watch him achieve his goal."

Hearing this, Luo Tian laughed and said, "Speaking of Wu Cheng, he is probably having a tantrum right now. His shrewd face is probably looking like a monkey's butt right now, haha!"

Elder Li also laughed heartily and said, "I really want to see his expression in person! He was so arrogant a while ago, and his arrogant look made me want to punch him in the face when I think about it. It's different now, things have changed!"

Both of them burst into laughter as they spoke.

Just as the two had expected, Elder Wu was furious at this moment. He walked around the room impatiently, spitting directly on people's faces.

"What on earth is going on? Tell me, tell me! Are you all dumb? You useless people! I have planned everything, and I just need you to execute it, but this happened! The cooked duck can still fly away! You disappoint me so much!"

Chu Xianglong and the other two lowered their heads and dared not speak.

They couldn't figure this out. Things were going well a while ago. A lot of small restaurants went bankrupt, while big restaurants made huge profits. Everything was within Elder Wu's expectations.

The next step is to unite the chefs of major restaurants and force the Guangdong Chefs Association to hand over power, so that the entire Guangzhou culinary world will fall under the control of Elder Wu.

After that, Elder Wu can implement a chef assessment system. Under the intense competitive pressure, more skilled chefs will emerge. Elder Wu can then help these people enter the imperial kitchen and become dragon chefs, laying a solid foundation for Elder Wu to be in charge of the imperial kitchen in the future.

Everything was going smoothly, so how could something go wrong?
Elder Wu saw that the three of them were silent, so he called out their names and said, "Chu Xianglong, you speak!"

"Yes!"

Chu Xianglong said: "According to my investigations these days, the change seems to be due to Tianhong Pavilion. Tianhong Pavilion set up a snack stand near the pier, and attracted a large number of boatmen to eat with its low prices, which also led to other people's business, so the business became prosperous. In addition, the rumors spread by the Guangdong Chefs Association led to a change in people's views on Tianhong Pavilion."

"Boatman? Haven't they heard of the bad reputation of Tianhong Pavilion?" Elder Wu asked with a frown.

“They should have heard about it, but a lot of small restaurants nearby have closed down, leaving them with no other choice.”

Combining the information he knew, Elder Wu thought for a while and sorted out the whole story.

"I never thought that a mediocre little restaurant could stand up after such a huge blow. This is not something that an ordinary little restaurant can do. There must be someone behind the scenes directing it. And this method is not something that the rigid and stubborn people in the Guangdong Chefs Association can come up with. Go check it out and find out who is the mastermind behind it!"

(End of this chapter)