Chapter 205: Chapter 205 Fried Rice with Eggs
Chen Yu's voice, when he asked his question, immediately attracted a large number of tourists nearby, and many people came over directly.
"Sir, what do you want to do? Do you wish to buy this square cauldron and take it home?"
A middle-aged woman with an air of sophistication, appearing to be in her forties or fifties, came over slowly.
However, her tone was laced with a touch of mockery.
Over the years, many Easterners had come here, trying to buy back cultural relics from their own country, but each item was exorbitantly priced, deterring many.
The price tag on the bronze square cauldron before them was an astronomical 1.3 billion, not something just anyone could afford to buy on a whim.
A hint of contempt flashed in Chen Yu's eyes: "You misunderstand, to me, this thing is nothing but a pile of scrap metal!"
This statement immediately provoked public outrage.
"Scrap metal! You really dare to say it, don't you know? The inscription carved on this is about the ceremonial procedures during King Ping's eastward move!"
"No matter where it is placed, this object is a treasure among treasures; even 1.3 billion seems a bit low."
"Where's this brat from, completely ignorant of the ways of the world!"
...
But Chen Yu didn't care about any of this and just stepped forward, placing his palm on the surface of the bronze square cauldron.
"When King Ping moved east, although the technique of bronze casting had reached its peak, it was still mold casting! While this method produces bronze cauldrons that are extremely sturdy and collectively aesthetic, the distribution of the metal alloy mixture inside is not very even! This results in an uneven spread of verdigris."
The entire hall suddenly fell into silence, as everyone stared at Chen Yu with a strange look in their eyes.
The museum director's face was full of shock.
"What do you mean? Are you saying that this large bronze cauldron is a fake?"
Chen Yu gently touched the cauldron's body: "This verdigris is distributed very unevenly, and there are a lot of hammer marks, obviously, it wasn't made with molds alone, but rather using the earthen kiln firing methods of the late Qing period."
All the people present were unsettled and rose to surround and closely examine it, while even the museum director called several experts over.
After studying it together, they found that, just as Chen Yu had said, the item was indeed a counterfeit made during the late Qing period.
A group of experts felt utterly humiliated; this object had been on display for such a long time, and they hadn't spotted any clues, to the point that two of them furiously kicked the bronze square cauldron.
Chen Yu didn't linger any longer and turned to go to the adjacent calligraphy and painting exhibition hall.
He figured that someone must have deliberately created a batch of fake treasures to sell to these Westerners at a high price.
It never occurred to him that not only did these people fail to realize the fakes, but they also showcased them in the museum for such a long time as prized possessions.
"Dad, you're amazing! How did you know that thing was a fake?"
Chen Yu pinched Tuan Tuan's little face and then pointed to his temple.
"Of course, because Dad is smart."
After a brief walk around, Katherine arranged a suite for the family of three to stay in temporarily.
Once they were settled, Chen Yu, Tong Ya, and Tuan Tuan went downstairs to a small alley.
This place was similar to many food streets back home, with all kinds of local specialty snacks.
Now that he had decided to sign with William's family, Chen Yu had to take into account the tastes and specialties of the locals.
Just then, two burly men walked over quite aggressively and sat down at the empty table next to them, slamming their hands down on the table.
"Boss, if you can't make dishes today that satisfy us both, then there's no need for your restaurant to stay open."
These two men appeared to be troublemakers on the surface, but the other patrons were not afraid at all. Instead, cheers erupted from them as the two men approached, some even egging them on.
The owner hurried out, holding a spatula and with a look of helplessness on his face.
This owner was also an obese man, weighing over two hundred kilos, resembling a small mountain.
Yet at the sight of the two men, a look of fear crossed his face.
"I must say, the two of you have exceptionally particular tastes. I can't make the dishes you want, so please try another restaurant!"
But one of the two big men was having none of it. He stood up and pointed to a sign next to them.
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"Your sign claims to leave all your customers satisfied! We've been here several times now and have never been satisfied. By rights, that sign of yours should have been taken down a long time ago!"
The owner couldn't help but sigh, and somewhat reluctantly reached for the sign, preparing to pull it down, though still with some reluctance in his eyes.
The laws of this place were incredibly strict, particularly for the food industry.
No matter the size of the establishment, if you put up a sign making certain claims, you had to fulfill everything written on it.
Once a complaint from a customer was lodged, the authorities would shut down the restaurant straight away, and also remove the sign.
In this place, a sign was the face of a shop.
If a restaurant was shut down, they could still set up shop elsewhere with their sign, but if the sign was removed, they would never be able to open a restaurant in their lifetimes again.
Just as the owner was about to forcefully remove the sign, the two large men became unhappy.
"Boss, we've been eating here for many years, and we've always been extremely satisfied with the taste. Can't you think of a way to make the flavor we want?"
The owner's face was full of conflict; it was a difficult request for him.
Not to mention that his cooking skills had plateaued, the flavor that the two men wanted was something they probably didn't know themselves.
Amidst the tug-of-war, Chen Yu suddenly stood up and took the spatula from the owner's hand.
"Perhaps I can give them the taste they're looking for!"
Before the owner could react, Chen Yu had already walked into the kitchen.
The guests who were dining there all stood up and crowded around.
"Where is this Easterner from? He really doesn't know his own limits. Those two are the most fastidious customers I've seen. Can he really satisfy them with a dish made on a whim?"
"That's where you're all mistaken. The East is a mysterious land; their chefs can perform magic."
"I don't believe it unless he can really make something delicious!"
…
While the crowd was discussing, the owner also hurried back into the kitchen. At that point, he was willing to let Chen Yu meddle in the kitchen.
After all, there was still a glimmer of hope.
It wasn't long before two simple servings of fried rice were brought out.
However, the aroma that wafted from them took everyone present by surprise.