Chapter 151 Counterfeit Version of Lu Qin! A Wild Boar Can’t Appreciate Fine Bran!
The chubby boy, Zhou Weiwei, parked his little donkey and stepped into Liu Ji Snack Shop. The shop had just opened, offering a 20% discount on all items. Though the space was small, all eight tables were filled with custors.
“What would you like?”
Master Liu wiped the table with a greasy rag, haphazardly clearing away the ss left by previous custors before sweeping all the used al boxes into the trash.
Zhou Weiwei frowned. The rag in Liu’s hand was visibly dirty, clearly used on multiple tables without being washed. After wiping the table, it left streaks of oil and water stains.
Being a clean freak, Zhou Weiwei had always avoided street food—until he discovered Lu Qin’s snack stall, which was exceptionally hygienic. It was the gold standard of cleanliness among street vendors.
So, the scene before him filled him with disgust.
But he couldn’t just walk away. He needed to figure out what was going on with this Liu Ji Snack Shop.
He sat down without touching the recently wiped table.
“One order of stir-fried rice noodles.”
“Just one order? You can try so of our other dishes. Our twice-cooked pork and crystal cake are also great,” Liu suggested.
Zhou Weiwei shook his head.
“Just the rice noodles.”
“Oh.”
Seeing that the chubby custor only ordered one dish, Liu’s attitude visibly cooled. He turned away and disappeared behind the curtain.
Zhou Weiwei took a deep breath. What kind of service was this? Order less and get treated poorly? How rude!
He took out a tissue to wipe the table himself. The tissue turned yellowish-brown from the grease. Disgusted, he tossed it into the overflowing trash can, which was surrounded by scattered napkins and al boxes.
The hygiene here was atrocious! And this was supposed to be a grand opening? They couldn’t even use the excuse of being too busy—hiring an extra hand or simply emptying the trash bin wouldn’t take much effort.
Still, most street food custors weren’t too picky about cleanliness. A bit of dirt was just part of the experience. Soon, the stir-fried rice noodles arrived, steaming hot.
The aroma was slightly weaker than Lu Qin’s. The presentation was not as good either. A single lift with the chopsticks pulled up a massive clump of noodles. The ingredients were identical to Lu Qin’s—egg, diced ham, and lean pork. But the price was 12 yuan, one yuan cheaper than Lu Qin’s.
Zhou Weiwei was convinced this pricing was deliberate, ant to undercut Lu Qin. He took a bite and was instantly shocked.
It was incredibly similar—almost identical to Lu Qin’s!
As a die-hard Lu Qin fan and a moderator of Lu’s foodie group, Zhou Weiwei had been a loyal custor since Lu Qin’s first day of business. He knew Lu Qin’s flavors inside out. This Liu Ji version was very close in taste, but the texture was off. The balance of oil and seasoning wasn’t quite right—it lacked the sa refreshing aftertaste. Still, the flavor was impressively replicated. A high-quality knockoff.
The ability to mimic Lu Qin’s taste so well was remarkable. No wonder the place was packed despite being new. It wasn’t just the discount. Even more suspiciously, the nu was identical to Lu Qin’s—clearly an attempt to steal custors.
Zhou Weiwei ordered a crystal cake next. Again, the taste was very similar, but the texture was lacking. Ordinary custors weren’t food critics. Most weren’t overly picky. As long as the food tasted good, minor differences in texture were tolerable. After all, this was street food, not fine dining. Who could afford to be so selective?
Without trying anything else, Zhou Weiwei could already guess—everything on the nu was just a slightly inferior copy of Lu Qin’s offerings.
This shop should’ve been called “Lu Qin Snack Shop (Counterfeit Version).”
After Zhou Weiwei left, other custors began noticing as well.
Soone posted in the Penguin chat group.
[I found a place called Liu Ji Snack Shop at the night market. The nu is exactly the sa as Lu Qin’s!].
[I saw it too! The taste is almost identical!].
[Did Boss Lu take on an apprentice?].
[Is this Lu Qin’s branch store?].
[There’s no line here! I just had the fried rice noodles, twice-cooked pork, and mung bean dessert—I’m stuffed!].
[Where is it? I’m coming! Lu Qin’s stall still has no queue yet, and I’m hungry!].
[Better eat fast before it gets crowded!].
…
A wave of custors rushed to Liu Ji Snack Shop. Seeing the influx of people, Liu Ji’s boss grinned ear to ear. These must be custors stolen from Lu Qin!
His plan had worked—successfully diverting traffic from Lu Qin’s bustling stall. That place had way too much foot traffic…
“Co in, co in! We have air conditioning!”
Liu even grabbed extra stools to accommodate the growing crowd.
“Haha! I’m gonna get rich!”
Liu gleefully went back to frying noodles.
anwhile, long-ti custors started discussing.
“The taste is pretty good! Similar to Lu Qin’s, just a little greasier.”
“I don’t mind. The line at Lu Qin is unbearable. Liu Ji is slightly worse but way more convenient!”
“It’s really close in flavor. I’m not picky!”
“This fried rice noodle dish tastes kind of strange… is it just ?”
“Maybe we’re just too used to Lu Qin’s version. The mung bean dessert feels off too, but I can’t pinpoint why.”
“Whatever, as long as it tastes good. Better than waiting in line forever.”
…
Back in Lu Qin’s foodie group, discussions heated up.
[Liu Ji’s food is almost the sa, but no long wait tis!].
[@Moderator, why isn’t Boss Lu doing anything? That Liu Ji guy used to run a street stall, now he’s copying everything!].
[What a shaless copycat!].
[I only eat the real deal. No knockoffs for !].
[Sa! I trust Boss Lu’s cooking. No other ‘Ji’ can compare!].
[Liu Ji’s food isn’t bad, but it’s just not the sa. That crystal cake was nowhere near as good.].
[I thought it was pretty close, though.].
[A wild boar can’t appreciate fine bran.].
…
For true loyalists, Lu Qin’s food was flawless. But there was one big problem—those insanely long lines.
Many custors opted for Liu Ji instead. A knockoff was better than waiting. And clearly, Liu Ji’s owner was no amateur. His ability to replicate Lu Qin’s flavors ant he had serious cooking skills. So before Lu Qin’s stall even opened for the day, a third of his custors had already been lured away by Liu Ji.
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