Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 222 - 160: Move Fast, Don’t Block My Place in Line (Part 2)

"What are you talking about? I didn't go to the restaurant this morning... Oh, I know what happened. You must have met my twin brother. That guy really lacks manners. I apologize on his behalf."

"...Do I look like an idiot to you?"

"Gentlemen! Listen to me, please calm down for a moment."

Outside the exit, Gray helplessly looked at the two exceptionally large men, standing tall at almost six feet two, and judging by their size, one of them could take on two average people.

One had his arm bracing the wall, while the other had his foot against it, neither willing to give way, completely blocking the exit.

"We're all here to have fun. We're friends away from home, and there are so many guests behind us waiting to go downstairs. Can we possibly step outside and talk?"

He placed one hand on the robust arm in front of him, and the other on the lower leg, gently patting to signal them to each take a step back.

At this moment.

"Ding—"

The nearby elevator doors slowly opened, and several shadows swiftly darted out.

"Haha!! I'm first!!"

The two gentlemen's faces changed dramatically, without thinking twice, they both surged forward, heading outward.

"Boom"

Gray was forcefully slammed against the wall by the enormous impact, his back tingling with numbness, and the pain made him grit his teeth as his internal anger flared.

If it weren't for being on duty...

Forget it, calm down, calm down!

With the two huge men rushing out from the stairway, the crowd behind them swarmed out like a flood.

Such a spectacular scene, despite working here for over half a year, he's never seen before, or even once seen the elevator fully occupied.

The hotel elevator accommodates 23 people, and with three elevators that makes 69 people, adding the continuous flow of tourists from the stairway, there must be over a hundred.

He scratched the back of his head in perplexity: "That's strange, even with employees included, breakfast usually has just about this many people. Lunch might have a bit more, but shouldn't exceed 150. Why are there so many people at night?"

Since the hotel doesn't offer free dinner for employees, evenings aren't like mornings or lunchtimes with groups of employees lingering around, only the twenty or so working staff.

There's over an hour until the evening shift starts, logically there shouldn't be anyone arriving so early to change shifts, so these rushing out must all be tourists?

He hastened toward the front desk.

"Hey, does anyone know what's going on here, why are there so many more guests?"

"Slurp... Slurp..."

"???

Responding to him was the faint sound of sipping.

He was familiar with this situation, his mouth twitched as he took a few steps to the front desk, sure enough, he saw two girls with their heads buried in plastic bowls, each spooning golden broth, drinking so fervently they were drenched in sweat.

"You both started drinking already?"

"Ah!!!"

"Ah!!!!"

The sudden noise startled the two girls, causing their wrists to shake, splashing the scalding broth all over their faces.

"Why are you scaring people like this!"

"I shouted with no reaction from you two, is it my fault? If it's a guest, be careful of complaints."

"Uh... Sorry, sorry, we'll be mindful next time!"

The two girls had just been promoted from interns, brought up to fill in for the employees on maternity leave, plus the restaurant had just opened with extensive publicity, and soon there's a kite festival to host...

Wait, kite festival?

Thinking about festival activities, his mind automatically flashed to the upcoming Olympics.

"No wonder, with so many overlapping events, more guests are bound to come."

Realizing this, he couldn't be bothered to chat idly with the two foodie girls, Elise would start her shift soon, and being misunderstood wouldn't be good.

Earlier he saw her happily chatting and exchanging contact info with Lucas, but later found no progress between them. He knew it must be a misunderstanding, he still stood a chance!

As for what they're drinking... No doubt it's the food Chef Lin is selling tonight.

"Ding—"

Another elevator arrived. He glanced at the time, with over an hour before his shift ends. Right now, there's a chance... maybe join the queue?

As the elevator doors opened, he dashed out the counter and ran straight to the door.

"???

Through the elevator door crack, the diners were dumbfounded at the sight.

"Hey!! What's with that security guard!"

By the time they breathlessly arrived at the restaurant entrance, the place was already overcrowded.

Near the food cart, over a dozen plastic stools were scattered, each occupied with people holding golden broth, continuously someone would emerge from the front of the line holding a bowl.

The line moved fast, almost advancing every two to three seconds.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be on shift, brazenly lazing around?"

Gray felt a tap on his shoulder, turned around, and replied confidently, "I'm here to maintain order, also checking for any food safety or quality issues. Patrol is part of my job scope, any problem?"

"...You call this a patrol??"

"Complaint, I want to complain!! What's your badge number? Name, show your name tag!"

"Go ahead, here's my name tag."

Gray casually turned, pinching his badge to show the two dissatisfied customers behind him, then pointed to the window-side position inside the restaurant.

"By the way, a tip for you, our manager's right there enjoying dinner with Miss Dreya and a few other guests. If you want to complain, you can wait for him to come out and do it face-to-face."

He finished, turned away, ignoring them.

"???

"Is a security guard really this cocky?"

"Technically, there's no rule saying someone maintaining order can't be in line; nothing wrong based on this point."

"Although the food is made by the head chef, it's not guaranteed pristine, a security officer sampling as a safety measure is reasonable."

"He's confident enough to have you complain in front of the manager, the procedures must be proper."

"Hey, you want to complain, right? Go ahead, make your move, no need to queue!"

"I'll save your spot, don't worry, go for it."

"Uh... I was just speaking offhand, I'm not that kind of person."

Lin Chen didn't expect President Wang to attract so many guests with just one sentence, within minutes the barrel of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was near bottom.

Seeing the barrel almost empty, uneaten diners immediately panicked.

"Boss, don't tell me it's sold out!"

"I was halfway through my bath when I got the message, ran down without even wearing my underwear, if I don't get to eat it tonight, I won't sleep!"

Most diners hadn't tasted Great Xia Cuisine or let alone authentic Great Xia Cuisine before arriving here.

After experiencing breakfast and lunch, the hidden craving awakened deep within.

If there's a choice, it would definitely be Great Xia Cuisine.

"Don't worry, there's another barrel, enough for about a hundred portions."

Lin Chen brought the second barrel of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall onto the stove to start heating, simultaneously laying out disposable boxes neatly on the counter, arranging abalone, fish maw, flower mushrooms inside to save time.

Lucas too had a bowl in hand, leisurely sipping among the crowd, occasionally talking to the camera, sparking curiosity among nearby diners.

"Hey, you live streaming?"

"No, no, shooting a vlog, just documenting my routine."

He didn't actively ask for people to follow him, but raised his bowl, scooping a piece of ingredient to the camera.

"Folks, this bowl of soup is quite significant. It's an imperial tribute soup only the emperor drank back in ancient Great Xia. The original recipe's ingredients are extremely precious. I'm holding the civilian version now."

"The original uses rare dried abalone hearts, shark fins, premium sea cucumbers, high-grade fish maw..."

As he listed each ingredient, he briefly explained its origin and benefits, leaving surrounding diners flabbergasted.

"Though what I'm drinking now is a low-tier version without expensive appearance, its essence lies in the golden broth."

"Based on my interview with the chef, he leaked the recipe to me, saying it involves pork bones, pig trotters, whole chickens, duck meat, several ingredients simmered for hours to create the rich, flavorful broth."

"As for how this golden color came about..."