201: There is no harm without comparison.

"Boss, what should we do? The other side isn't playing by the rules at all, and their momentum is growing stronger by the minute. If this continues, our meticulously prepared grand opening celebration will just end up benefiting them."

"Exactly, if we don't think of a way, all the money we invested will go down the drain."

"What's the rush? They're using freebies to attract people; how long can that possibly last?"

"Is this a question of how long it lasts? It's about popularity, okay? If we can't outperform them today, I'm afraid we'll just be repeating the same old mistakes. All the customers who arrive will choose the other side first, and we'll be reduced to being a second-rate restaurant picking up scraps."

"Damn it, I really don't know if the other side is sick. They aren't running their restaurant properly. We're having a grand opening, and they're having a grand opening too, and they're even doing high-end products. We spent so much money on publicity and finally gathered some popularity, only for it to benefit them. The more I think about it, the more suffocated I feel."

"Alright, what are you all panicking about? Isn't it just a price war? We've made so many preparations; we have the manpower and the money, so why should we be afraid of them? Since they want to play, we'll play along. Send the notice down: everything is free today. And unlike them, we won't be stingy; just consider it an increase in our marketing budget. As long as we get the traffic, we'll make endless money later."

The group looked at each other, hesitated for a moment, and then gritted their teeth.

"Let's, let's do it. I want to see what they have to compete with us when they're just serving boiled chicken."

Soon, the order was passed down.

Clang, clang, clang.

A sound of gongs echoed through the bustling street.

On the high platform of Fenggu Food City, the Host stood up once again.

"Everyone, good news! Starting now, for the next 12 hours, everything at Fenggu Food City is free. Eat all the massive amounts of gourmet food you want. Don't miss out if you're passing by. Hurry up and taste it. Don't miss this chance to feast to your heart's content."

As soon as the voice fell, the people still wandering on the street became interested.

"Free? It's free over there too. Let's hurry over and try it!"

"You go if you want, I haven't had enough here yet."

"At this rate, it'll take forever to get enough. I waited for half a day only to get two pieces of chicken, and they were gone in one bite. It's not satisfying at all."

"I'm still not going. Do you understand the concept of 'better to have nothing than to have something substandard'?"

"How do you know the taste on the other side isn't as good as this side?"

"Something that costs 25 a serving, how good can it be? When can't you eat that? Is it worth wasting this chance to eat real delicacies for free?"

"Fine, I can't argue with you. I'll go try it first."

In the queue, some people began to waver, turned around, and walked towards Fenggu Food City.

Those on the street who hadn't joined a queue yet also decisively chose Fenggu Food City, which looked more dazzling and offered larger portions.

In a short while, most of the people had gathered at the entrance of Fenggu Food City. It had to be said, Fenggu had made very sufficient preparations. Although there were many customers queuing, there was no feeling of chaos. The chefs were competing to perform, and for a time, it was incredibly lively.

Upstairs at Fenggu Food City, the senior management of the Gourmet City watched this scene with beaming smiles, the corners of their mouths curling up.

"See that? Playing this game, it's as if no one else knows how."

"Exactly, just wait. Soon those idiots on the other side will all come over, and then I'll see what they have to compete with us."

"Still, don't be too careless. Tell those chefs that although today is free, the taste cannot be faked, or we'll be smashing our own reputation."

"That's for sure."

… The group was feeling triumphant.

The customers queuing below also received the free food. Just as advertised, the portions were generous, and the aroma was mouth-watering.

"Not bad, not bad. The taste is quite good, and the portion is so generous. Coming here was the right choice."

"Exactly! And yet those fools on the other side are still waiting in such a long line for handouts. I don't know if their brains were caught in a door."

"Pfft, pfft, pfft! What is this? It's so disgusting."

Just as the previous words fell, someone made a series of sounds with their mouth. The food that had just been chewed a few times was spat onto the ground, and the person showed a face full of disgust.

"Brother, what's wrong with you? Did you eat a fly?"

"Fly my ass, is this stuff even meant for human consumption?"

"What do you mean?" the crowd asked, puzzled.

"I can't explain it to you. I can only say, 'Having seen the vast ocean, other waters are not worth mentioning; having seen the clouds over Wushan, other clouds are not worth admiring.' I'd better honestly go back and queue."

After saying this, the person who spat threw the free food received from the Gourmet City into the trash can. He hurried towards the other side, joining the cycle once again.

Like him, other customers in the Gourmet City who had tasted the food were also frowning, throwing the food into the trash can, and returning to the queue for Food Under Heaven.

"Damn, what's going on? Are these people crazy?" The crowd in the Gourmet City queue looked at this scene with question marks all over their faces.

"You haven't tried the food from the other side yet, have you? You can go try it after eating here, and then you'll know how big the gap is, even though both are free." A person who had just received the food chewed twice, showed an 'as I expected' expression, gave a cold smile to the people discussing around him, casually threw the food into the trash can, and turned around decisively.

"Brother, I also came from over there. Is it really that bad over here?"

"Does that even need asking? Haven't the brothers in front already given you the answer? Believe me, don't waste your time here. It's not worth it."

"This…" The person asking was about to reach the front of the line and seemed reluctant to give up the chance to try it. His eyes darted around, and just as he saw someone in front about to throw their food into the trash, he quickly spoke up.

"Brother, wait! Since you're going to throw it away anyway, why not give me a piece to taste first?"

"What's there to taste? It's really a waste of time." Although he said that, the person who was about to throw the food away handed over the box in his hand.

Many people in the queue also reached out and took a piece to put in their mouths. Then, the pfft-pfft sounds rang out. Those who had eaten the food, with expressions of disgust, decisively left the queue and ran towards the other side.

"Is it really that bad? Why don't I think so?" The remaining people on the scene who were still holding food were all those who had previously queued at Food Under Heaven. At this moment, watching people leave the queue one after another, they also began to doubt their own sense of taste. After hesitating for a long while, looking at the increasingly long queue on the other side, they couldn't help but walk over too.

With these people leading the way, the remaining customers who were supposed to enter the Gourmet City to find a place to sit and taste the food also felt a great deal of curiosity. As if possessed, they also took their food and walked towards the other side. Anyway, it would take some time to finish this large serving in their hands. Taking advantage of this time to taste both sides, wouldn't that be better? With this thought in mind, the situation began to spiral out of control. It seemed that everyone in the queue had given up on the idea of continuing into the Gourmet City to taste the food. As soon as they got the food, they turned around decisively, fearing that if they went too late, they wouldn't get the food from Food Under Heaven.

Such a bizarre scene made the senior management of the Gourmet City upstairs watch with eyes almost splitting with rage.

"What is the meaning of this? Eating our food and going to queue on the other side? Do they have no shame?"

"Damn it, have these people lost their minds? They'd rather stand on the street to eat than come into the Gourmet City to sit?"

"Something's not right. Go check if there's a problem with our dishes. Otherwise, how could this situation happen!"

"I checked many times before the opening. There's no problem. This serving is fresh, I just went down and got it, and I didn't taste anything wrong with it."

"Then why is it like this?"

"Who knows? How about I go to the other side and see what's going on?"

"Fine, go quickly. No, find some new faces in the kitchen to go with you. I want to see what kind of medicine they are selling in their gourd."

… At this moment, the entire Gourmet City, from top to bottom, regardless of the reason, seemed to have been cast under a spell, constantly heading towards Food Under Heaven.

The queue at Food Under Heaven, which had finally been reduced earlier, now saw its numbers skyrocket, extending out to the street and beginning to wind around, otherwise, so many people wouldn't be able to stand there. And even funnier, in the queue, many people were waiting while eating the takeout food they had brought over from the Gourmet City. Such a scene also made the eyes of those who had been unwavering in the queue from the beginning dart around.

"Brother, how's the taste of the stuff over there? Why did you all run over here to queue?"

"I don't know. I think it's pretty good, but everyone who went over from your side said it was disgusting. I don't know what's so disgusting about it, so I was curious and came over to compare."

"I see. Then can you give me a piece of this to taste?"

"Why not? It's free anyway. If you want more after eating, just go over and get another serving later." As he spoke, the man very generously handed the box to the person asking in the queue.

The latter picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. His brows instantly furrowed. He searched around, and in the end, had no choice but to take a tissue out of his pocket, spit the food he hadn't swallowed into it, wrap it up, and throw it into the trash can in the distance.

"Damn, is my sense of taste really broken? Do you think it's disgusting too?"

"Brother, it's not your sense of taste that's broken; it's that there is no harm without comparison. While you can still eat it, hurry up and take a few more bites, otherwise this stuff in your hand will be wasted in a moment." Looking at the gradually shortening queue ahead, the man said earnestly.

"Uh…" Such a scene was not an isolated incident in the long queue now. It was happening around almost everyone holding food. For a time, the scene was full of sounds of disdain and disgust. This made the people holding the food more and more curious. Even though the Gourmet City side had once again increased their offers, proposing free drinks, it couldn't make these people want to turn back.

Finally, the first person who had brought food from the Gourmet City arrived at the Food Under Heaven stall. Looking at the plain, unadorned chicken that had no highlights at all, his mind was immediately occupied by two words. Is this it?

With a hesitant face, the man picked up two pieces of chicken. He tentatively put them into his mouth. Then, his eyes widened. The speed of his chewing suddenly increased. A few seconds later, he swallowed the chicken. The next moment, he looked at the box he was still holding and decisively threw it into the trash can next to him.

"How is it, brother? I didn't lie to you, did I? I told you to eat a few more pieces to fill your stomach while you could, but now you can't eat it anymore, right?" Behind him, someone chuckled.

"Awesome, there really is no harm without comparison. I finally understand why there are so many people queuing here. With this taste, even if I had to stand for an hour just to eat one bite, I would be willing."

"Then hurry up and queue, otherwise I'm afraid you really will only be able to eat one bite an hour."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going." Looking at the long queue, the man didn't hesitate any longer and ran quickly to the back. His actions made those who were still holding food boxes and tasting them feel even more expectant. They couldn't even be bothered to eat the food anymore. Instead, they looked towards the stove where live chickens were still being slaughtered, as if they wanted to re-acquaint themselves with this so-called Food Under Heaven.

In a short while, various exclamations of surprise erupted. Because they also discovered the green vegetables, termite mushroom, dongtao chicken, and other sky-high priced delicacies. For a time, the so-called "Gourmet City" had been completely cast to the back of their minds.

Meanwhile, in the private room behind the glass wall, the food had already been served. While marveling at the delicacies on the table, Young Master Guo was also appreciating the scene outside. He was filled with a mix of surprise and joy.

"President Zhang, you've really let me watch a great show today." Zhang Aiguo chuckled.

"Young Master Guo, today's show can only be said to be a coincidence. Now you don't blame me for insisting on dragging you here in person, do you?"

"Why would I blame you? I'm too grateful to President Zhang. If it weren't for you, how would I have the opportunity to find such a good ingredient supplier for my Easy Dragon Pavilion? Not to mention the level of quality, just looking at the reaction of the customers outside, I know that if I take these ingredients back, it will definitely cause an earthquake."

"So, have you decided how much dongtao chicken you want, Young Master Guo?"

"I'll take as much as you have, and I guarantee that all ingredients purchased from here will absolutely not be leaked."

"Good, Young Master Guo is a straightforward person, then let's consider it a deal."

"I couldn't ask for more."

Without giving Ye Tian a chance to speak, Zhang Aiguo directly finalized the order for him. The two men's words also made Ye Tian and Li Ming beam with joy.

Because dongtao chicken is not as cheap as ordinary chicken. Those who can afford to eat it are either rich or noble. Without certain connections, even if the quality of the ingredients is excellent, Ye Tian and the others would not be able to sell much in Copper City for a while. But with the channels of Zhang Aiguo and Young Master Guo, they can completely build up the reputation of their dongtao chicken in the shortest possible time. The benefits then will be much more than just the orders from the two of them.

Zhao Rubing listened to their conversation, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. Just as she was about to speak, Bank Manager Chen, who was on the side, spoke up somewhat uneasily.

"Brother Ye, Brother Li, Director Zhao, there is something I would like to say." Seeing that Bank Manager Chen's expression was a bit strange, the few people furrowed their brows slightly.

"Brother Chen, just say it."

"It's like this: when you were setting up the Breeding Farm before, didn't I help you process a loan? That loan has run into some problems. The head office suddenly said they want to re-audit customer qualifications. For some loans with insufficient qualifications, they need to take some measures."