Gourmet: The Master Chef Just Wants to Leisurely Set Up a Stall - Chapter 68

After a day of holiday rest, Zhao Xiaojing returned to her busy and tedious daily routine.

The recipes for the fried skewer group had been finalized, consisting of over twenty varieties of skewers that rotated daily.

Every day, old customers excitedly joined the group, their enthusiasm contagious, causing the number of members to surge rapidly.

On top of that, the excitement of loyal customers who bought the skewers, only to find them even tastier than before, led to word-of-mouth spreading like wildfire. One after another, new people—both those who had tasted the skewers and those who hadn’t—were drawn into the group, further expanding its reach.

As time passed, the steadily growing number of orders meant Zhao Xiaojing became more familiar with the meat suppliers, allowing her to get ingredients at increasingly cheaper prices.

Group leader Li Donglai quickly assumed the role of coordinator. Seeing so many new and old friends joining the group daily, he decided to create a schedule based on the set recipes. He also organized the ordering process and included clear instructions for re-frying the skewers at home. All this information was neatly posted in the group’s announcements.

Most of the newcomers were parents who had previously tried the skewers, and they were fine with the fact that they needed to handle some of the preparation themselves or pick up their orders at fixed times. After all, being able to enjoy the skewers again was far better than the frustration of not finding any stalls and constantly craving them.

Besides, the price had become much more reasonable, and they could enjoy a different type of skewer every day.

However, some people who had never tried the skewers weren’t too pleased with all the rules involved. Every day, a few newcomers would join, see the announcements, and immediately leave the group.

Just after Mid-Autumn Festival, a few new members joined the group. Perhaps it was the frustration of returning to work after the holiday, but these individuals took one look at the announcements and assumed Li Donglai was the stall owner. Without a second thought, they started cursing him out.

“@Zi Qi Dong Lai: Who do you think you are, selling skewers with such an air of superiority? Are your skewers made of gold? I’m paying for this, and yet I have to pick up my order at a time you specify and fry it myself afterward? What kind of idiot came up with this?”

“@Zi Qi Dong Lai: Do you think we’re all fools for joining this group? If you don’t want to sell, then don’t! Why are there so many rules for buying something as simple as skewers? You might as well say we need to bathe in incense and fast for three days before eating them!”

“@Zi Qi Dong Lai: Finally, someone said it! I’ve been holding back for too long. Everyone here acts like eating these skewers is some kind of life-changing experience. Do you ever thank your own parents for cooking you dinner? It’s ridiculous how people worship you for selling skewers. At home, you probably just sit around like kings.”

Others who had been lurking in the group for a while joined in, adding fuel to the fire.

Li Jingying, who had been silently observing for several days, finally saw her chance to stir up trouble. Her eyes sparkled with wicked delight as she intently watched the screen, taking no small pleasure in others’ misfortune.

“Where did you people even come from? If you don’t want to eat, just leave the group. Why are you trying so hard to be noticed here? If you’re really bored, why don’t you go fishing instead? You seem pretty good at finding faults!”

An old customer from the fried skewer group quickly retaliated when they saw the newcomers cursing. They even took a screenshot and sent it to other parents they knew.

“Hurry up! Someone’s causing trouble in the skewer group. Let’s jump in and shut them down together!”

The parents swiftly logged on.

“Oh wow, I haven’t checked my phone in a while. Who let trash like this into the group? They sure know how to put on a show!”

“You’re spending a few dozen yuan on skewers. If you want them, buy them; if not, leave. Who’s forcing you to buy anything? Where do you get off acting so superior over a few bucks? Have you gotten too used to groveling service elsewhere?”

“Heh, so generous, aren’t you? A few dozen yuan may not mean much to you, but when your parents worked their fingers to the bone for that money, did you ever give them anything? Now you’re out here flaunting generosity? Do you know why customer service is so bad these days? It’s because of people like you licking boots!”

“When I dine out, I spend thousands of yuan without complaint. The waitstaff smile at me, and I tip them 200 yuan each time. Are you jealous, you bunch of bootlickers spending pocket change on skewers? You think I’m the same as you? Even if I had money, I wouldn’t kneel to buy your inferior products!”

Li Jingying kept her eyes glued to the chat. Seeing how both sides were going at it fiercely but leaving the skewers themselves relatively unscathed, she cursed inwardly at how useless these people were. Her eyes darted around as she formulated her next move.

“You must all be shills, right? Have any of you actually tasted these skewers? I bought them once, and there were maggots crawling on the meat! It was so disgusting I threw it away immediately. Even my dog sniffed it and walked off!”

“These skewers are so bad that even dogs won’t eat them. You’ve been relying on this preorder gimmick just to keep selling your garbage! Those guys who spoke earlier make total sense—they’ve clearly been tricked and are now exposing the truth!”

“I’m telling you all, we’re going to report this place for selling rotten meat and scamming people!”

After posting a flurry of messages, Li Jingying sat back and waited for the chaos to unfold.

“What the hell? Maggots in the skewers?? Why didn’t anyone mention this sooner? This isn’t just about a shady business—it’s criminal!”

“I just joined the group, but things are already getting wild. What’s going on with businesses nowadays? This is beyond shameless! And they’re selling this stuff to kids? Where’s their conscience?”

Li Jingying’s accusations set off a chain reaction, with more uninformed members jumping into the fray. The already heated argument escalated further.

By the time Li Donglai finished his work and leisurely opened his phone, he found several messages from concerned parents waiting for him.

“Feiyu’s dad, don’t get upset. Those people are idiots. The rest of us know how much we appreciate what you do. Don’t let them get to you—without you, we wouldn’t even be able to eat these skewers. Everyone can see the contribution you’ve made.”

“Li Ge, don’t waste your energy on those kinds of people. Just kick them out. If you don’t want to do it yourself, give me admin rights, and I’ll take care of it! You’ve done so much for the group already—you deserve credit for all your hard work.”

“Feiyu’s dad, are you okay? Don’t let those fools get to you!”

“Donglai, don’t worry! We’ve got your back—we’ll curse them out for you!”

Li Donglai was completely baffled. The more he read, the more confused he became.

Why was he suddenly so popular today? Why were so many parents reaching out to him at the same time? And why did it all seem related to the skewer group?

He clicked into the fried skewer group chat and was immediately met with 99+ unread messages. He scrolled up to the top and began reading.

As he read through the messages, his eyes widened in disbelief, and panic started to set in.

Where did all these troublemakers come from? How were they stirring up so much drama?

He could only hope that Boss Zhao hadn’t seen any of this yet. Please let her not have seen it!

Initially, Li Donglai had felt uneasy about how many people were joining the group every day. After all, he had been the one who stubbornly insisted on buying the skewers from Zhao Xiaojing in the first place, and now this whole situation had spiraled out of control—and it all started with him creating this group.