"Shopkeeper Liu, what exactly is this new item? Hurry up and show everyone; stop leaving us in suspense!"
"Exactly, exactly, we’ve been waiting for so long just to see what this new item is. Let’s have a look at it quickly!"
"Shopkeeper Liu is surely teasing us on purpose, isn’t he? Stop beating around the bush. As long as the item is good, I’ll buy it immediately, price is no object!"
Most of the people present were regulars at the Fuman Building. It was precisely because of their confidence in the Fuman Building that they were so eager and impatient.
Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily, his face creased with smiles: "Ladies and gentlemen, please be patient, and let me declare in advance that our restaurant’s new dish is not like the usual fare. When it’s revealed, don’t be so shocked you drop your jaws!"
Shopkeeper Liu always joked with the customers, and everyone was familiar with his temperament. Upon hearing this, they all laughed heartily, urging him to hurry up and open the food box.
"Alright, alright, I’m opening it now. Everyone, watch closely!" Shopkeeper Liu glanced at Lin Yuan, then slowly walked to the stand and opened the food box.
The crowd all stared at Shopkeeper Liu’s hands intently, but his hands merely opened the lid of the food box and did not take out the plate.
Just as they were about to urge him to hurry up and take out the plate, suddenly a person standing closer to the stand grimaced and muttered nose-clutched, "What... what is that smell?"
"Could it be, did someone pass gas? How uncouth, with so many people here, couldn’t they move further away!"
"Eh, it doesn’t seem like it. Has someone’s toilet barrel been overturned? Oh my, I can’t take it, it’s getting smellier!"
Gradually, more and more people near the stand started to notice the stench, and the chatter among the crowd grew. The men were less restrained in their speech, more casual. However, the young ladies were much more reserved, merely covering their noses and mouths with handkerchiefs, their eyebrows furrowed tightly together.
Lin Yuan leaned against the window on the second floor, smiling as she watched the scene unfold below. Of course, the stinky tofu on the stand wouldn’t have such a dramatic impact, causing so many to notice the smell – she had naturally taken some measures.
Ma Junying naturally smelled the odor too, his brows knitted together, yet his gaze involuntarily shifted towards the second floor. Instinctively, he knew this smell didn’t appear out of nowhere and must be related to her.
Ma Xiaonan frowned, pursing her lips, and stuffed a piece of sweet cake into her mouth, "It’s so stinky! Even covering my nose doesn’t help! Sweet cake seems to be the solution!"
The effect was about right, and finally, Shopkeeper Liu took the plate out of the food box. With the four exceptionally bright lanterns illuminating the stand, the contents of the plate were immediately clear. Inside, neatly arranged, were several pieces of black stuff, squared off, with something that seemed like soup on top, the green garnish of scallion bits and cilantro.
But, what was that black stuff? Could that really be the new item?
What surprised the crowd even more was that, after Shopkeeper Liu removed the contents from the food box, the stench seemed to intensify.
"This smell, why is it getting stronger? Could it be?"
Although nobody said it aloud, the look on everyone’s faces showed they had guessed.
Shopkeeper Liu looked on mysteriously at everyone, smiling without a word.
The faces of the people in front of the stand looked even better, was this, were they saying they had guessed correctly?
That horribly stinking odor, was it really coming from this new dish?
Everyone exchanged glances, seeing expressions of astonishment and disbelief on the faces of those around them. What was going on? Was the prestigious Fuman Building actually serving something like that thing, cough cough, that disgusting thing? Were they not smashing their own brand?
"Cough cough, Shopkeeper Liu, you’re not joking, are you?"
If Shopkeeper Liu wasn’t joking, then he must have lost his wits – who else would ruin their own business ?
And many others speculated it was because the Boss of the Fuman Building had mistreated Shopkeeper Liu. Nursing a grudge, Shopkeeper Liu took this opportunity—while the Boss was absent—to personally wreck the Fuman Building for revenge.
"Um, Shopkeeper Liu, are you really bringing this out? Does your Boss, does he know about this?" asked a person familiarly, cautiously reminding him. Sizing up the hesitant expression, they nearly blurted out, "Are you nuts, actually selling shit!"