What the heck? Did I dream last night?

Shouldn't the master be looking exhausted, with sunken eyes and a lack of energy after working all night? How can he still look so lively?

Wang Fan indeed looks as if nothing happened, and his skin is naturally fair, which makes him look even whiter under the sun, unlike someone who grilled skewers all night.

On the contrary, the two of them fit the description perfectly.

As Zhuo Qianqian ate the freshly grilled skewers from Wang Fan, she looked over at the two of them and earnestly said, "Wei, Yu, even though things are quite open nowadays, you two need to restrain yourselves. If it affects the skewers, be careful the boss deducts your pay!"

Wang Fan chuckled and said, "Yesterday was indeed a bit too exhausting. Wash your face and get ready to eat. Today, try the special grilled skewers from our hometown."

Zhuo Qianqian gave a thumbs up: "Crispy on the outside, juicy inside, the more you chew, the more flavorful it gets. It's so delicious, I could eat it with no friends! 32 likes for the boss!"

Wang Fan laughed heartily, "No matter how much you praise, you won't get a raise."

Zhuo Qianqian snorted lightly, "I'm telling the truth."

"Alright, alright, eat quickly. We'll likely have a lot of work today. You need to eat more to have the energy to grill."

Even without Wang Fan saying so, Zhuo Qianqian wouldn't eat any less. Her appetite is extremely Lu Dong-like. While she might be a bit behind compared to Li Wei and Feng Haoyu, she's not that far off.

Zhuo Qianqian is just 19 this year, a freshman with a youthful face still showing a bit of baby fat. Her fresh look without makeup, with condiments and oil from the skewers around her mouth, made her hearty meat-eating appearance quite appetizing.

And truth be told, even Wang Fan found himself eating an extra two skewers.

As they were feasting, two people took the cable car to the mountain early.

"Is the store everyone's been talking about online at this South Celestial Gate?"

"It should be, looking at these reviews, many have checked in. Seems to be that one over there."

Zhao Bufan pointed to a relatively small store and said, "The name is Wang's Barbecue, so it must be the one."

"Yeah, let's check it out. I want to see how delicious the skewers can be to overshadow mine."

The speaker is an older man with a smiling face. The man is not tall, somewhat chubby, with grayed hair and a slightly dark face, looking just like an elderly from the village.

In fact, he's just an old man from a village, known for Zibo barbecue, known as Grandpa Zhao.

Grandpa Zhao didn't come looking for trouble today, but yesterday, patrons at his place kept saying they wondered how his skewers compared to the ones on Mount Tai. Someone then stood up and stated they had tried the ones on Mount Tai and they were better.

Grandpa Zhao got a little unconvinced. He was the first to run a barbecue in Zibo and had honed his skills over many years, how could he lose to a newly opened place?

Believing in investigating before speaking, Grandpa Zhao dragged his son Zhao Bufan to Mount Tai early in the morning.

"Sniff sniff... This doesn't smell like lamb. Are they faking it up on Taishan Peak?"

Grandpa Zhao sniffed the barbecue smell and immediately knew it wasn't lamb or beef. Despite the fragrance, the meat was off, and cheating wasn't acceptable, making him slightly disapprove of this fellow griller, Wang Fan, he's never met.

"Come on, let's check it out."

Having said that, Grandpa Zhao marched directly to Wang's Barbecue.

Li Wei, eating skewers and watching outside, immediately noticed the approaching Grandpa Zhao. He'd eaten a few times at Lao Zhao's Barbecue and recognized Grandpa Zhao.

"?"

A big question mark appeared above Li Wei's head, wondering what Grandpa Zhao was doing here?

Isn't it a small world for fellow grillers?

With that thought, Li Wei's eyes widened suddenly.

A skewer showdown?

In a close encounter, the brave wins?

Loser jumps off from here?

"Master, incoming!"

Li Wei quickly informed Wang Fan, pointing at the approaching Grandpa Zhao: "This is Grandpa Zhao from Zibo, very famous locally for his barbecue."

Wang Fan and Zhuo Qianqian turned their heads in unison, and Feng Haoyu also craned his neck to see outside.

As Grandpa Zhao approached and saw them enjoying the barbecue, some of his displeasure dissipated.

If one dares to eat their own cooking, it at least means it's not too bad.

Wang Fan clapped his hands and stood up, asking, "Hello, is there anything you need?"

Grandpa Zhao pointed at Wang Fan's grill and said, "I also run a skewer stall. Yesterday, my customers said my skewers aren't as tasty as yours. I wanted to come and taste your cooking."

Grandpa Zhao was straightforward and didn't mince words.

Wang Fan, a bit amused, replied, "Well… taste is quite subjective, isn't it? Some might find my cooking not very tasty."

Grandpa Zhao agreed, realizing he might have been hasty.

"What do you call this skewer?"

Wang Fan responded, "It's called roasted skewers, a specialty barbecue from our Northeast region."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Zhao realized he had misunderstood, his face reddening in embarrassment as he scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "I thought you were using other meats to pass off as lamb from the smell, my apologies."

Though the elderly in front seemed questionable, Wang Fan had quite a positive impression of Grandpa Zhao as someone straightforward by nature.

"No problem, I'm planning to offer this new dish today, want me to grill a couple for you to taste?"

Grandpa Zhao, happy to hear this, said, "Sure, I haven't even had breakfast yet."

Wang Fan took five skewers and immediately started grilling them.

After a night of practice, his skills had significantly improved, with each action performed with ease — in simple terms, relaxed and casual.

Grandpa Zhao could see that this was a technique polished through countless practices, exhibiting a mindset of having everything under control. With a beer on the side, grilling while drinking reflected his own style.

They have skills!

He hasn't eaten or grilled the skewers before and couldn't judge the technique, but the noticeable and distinct aroma of fresh meat and spices confirmed the food's freshness, not some shoddy counterfeit.

The roasted skewers took longer to grill than lamb skewers, and once ready, Wang Fan placed the five skewers on a tray and handed them to Grandpa Zhao.

Grandpa Zhao took them but didn't eat immediately, opting to inspect them first.

Different from the brown color of lamb skewers, the roasted skewers were dark red, with a slight soy sauce aroma and a glow of oil, covered in spices, undoubtedly appearing very savory.

"Crunch..."

Grandpa Zhao took a bite and instantly felt a crispy outer layer, perfectly grilled, crumbling at the slightest bite in his mouth.

Great texture!

With just one bite, Grandpa Zhao gave a silent thumbs up in his heart.

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