"Hello, everyone—I’m Xiaoqi, the host from the Beijing Travel Channel. Today, here on North Fourth Ring Road, a small restaurant that opened just a month ago is closing for renovations. This news has caused quite a stir, attracting numerous customers to come check in and commemorate the occasion. What magic does this place hold? Let’s find out!"
Seeing there were already colleagues queuing up, even ahead of her, Zeng Xiaoqi made a swift decision. She decided to skip interviewing the restaurant owner and instead film the crowd lining up outside to prepare an introductory clip for her report. Not being able to beat her colleagues to the interview wasn’t an issue; it was all about releasing her story earlier than them. Fortunately, she had briefly familiarized herself with information about Lin Ji’s Food on the way there; otherwise, she really couldn’t have competed with her colleagues from CCTV Travel.
After her opening monologue, the cameraman started filming the long queue at the entrance. Meanwhile, Zeng Xiaoqi began looking for interviewees. While reading the information in the car, she saw that customers of Lin Ji’s Food online called themselves "Lin Ji Boys" or "Lin Ji Girls," so she decided to pose as one to build rapport with them.
Once the cameraman had finished filming, she found her first interviewee: a young woman in her twenties.
"Hello, I’m Zeng Xiaoqi, a Lin Ji Girl. Are you a Lin Ji Girl too?"
"Of course, I’m a Lin Ji Girl! I’ve posted dozens of times today... Oh, Sister Xiaoqi? I didn’t expect you to be a customer here too. I’m a fan! I watch you sharing your meals every day; I’m completely addicted."
So, have I been backstabbed by my own fan?
After the pleasantries, Zeng Xiaoqi officially started the interview. She had initially just wanted to ask about people’s motivations for queuing, but the fan spent the whole time praising how delicious and fantastic Lin Ji’s Food was. It made Zeng Xiaoqi’s mouth water, even though she had just had lunch.
She then randomly interviewed a few more people in line. And they enthusiastically recommended a bunch of the restaurant’s dishes.
"Those Tiger Skin Chicken Feet are superbly marinated. You have to try them when you go in."
"The Lotus Root is delicious too, so crisp and super tasty." ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ novel⟡fire.net
"The flavor of the steamed pork ribs in black bean sauce is the best. My goodness, I can’t believe those are pork ribs!"
"You absolutely must try Boss Lin’s sweet and sour pork tenderloin; it’s simply wonderful. I can’t even describe it in words."
"The Sour Plum Soup in the restaurant is slow-cooked over a low flame—you can’t find anything like it outside. Just try it, and you’ll understand how good it is."
"If you like spicy food, don’t miss out on the restaurant’s Boiled Beef Slices; it’s phenomenal!"
Zeng Xiaoqi’s mouth watered as she conducted the interviews. She hadn’t expected such an unassuming little restaurant to have so many delicious things on offer.
I’ll definitely go in later under the guise of an interview and try some of these dishes... Her plan was perfect. However, when she finally could go inside, she discovered that all the food had already sold out.
"Sorry, everyone, all the food in the restaurant has sold out," Lin Xu said apologetically to the crowd. "Please come back this afternoon. We’ll prepare more then and do our best to meet everyone’s needs."
He had never imagined that a closure notice would attract so many customers. Even journalists from TV stations had shown up.
"Chezai, give these journalist friends some sour... ah, looks like the Sour Plum Soup is all gone. In that case, just get them some other drinks. I’ll call Mr. Hu to send over some more meat."
He instructed his staff, then took out his phone and called Ou Hua, Mr. Hu, and Uncle Shen one by one, asking them to deliver more of the scarce ingredients, as well as other food and drinks.
With so many customers at noon, there will likely be even more in the afternoon.
He then called his senior fellow apprentice, Xie Baomin, asking him to send a few chefs over to help out. Since there were more customers, the amount of food also needed to increase. He wanted to do his best to satisfy the customers’ wishes to dine at the restaurant before it closed for renovations.
After sorting these matters out, he went to the kitchen and brewed a huge pot of Sour Plum Soup using a large jacketed kettle. Only then did he manage to free up some time for interviews.
The interviews themselves were quite simple. Whether it was Zeng Xiaoqi from the Beijing Travel Channel or the crew from CCTV Travel, their aim was to promote Beijing’s cuisine and enhance the city’s influence. Consequently, their focus was on the restaurant itself, rather than on Lin Xu personally. So, they asked him some simple questions, such as his motivation for opening the restaurant, the reason for its temporary closure, and its signature dishes.
Upon learning that Lin Xu was closing for renovations to upgrade to a larger, more formal restaurant, everyone curiously looked at the design renderings for the new establishment. This further heightened their anticipation for the future of Lin Ji’s Food.
After the interviews concluded, Lin Xu excused himself and hurried back to the kitchen to work. There was no other way; too many ingredients needed preparing, and the afternoon preparation time was too short, so he had to make every second count.
The TV crews filmed some B-roll footage around the restaurant before finally bidding farewell and leaving. Not having been able to film any of the restaurant’s actual dishes left them somewhat disheartened. After all, they had been eagerly anticipating it for much of the day while waiting in line.
Back in the interview van, Zeng Xiaoqi thought for a moment and then said to her team, "You all head back first. Edit what we just recorded and get it ready for broadcast. Give me a small camcorder and a tripod; I’m going back to the restaurant to continue interviewing."
The others were stunned.
"Yes, more interviews! I waited all this time and didn’t get to film a single dish. I’m not giving up that easily! Hand me the camcorder. You all head back. I’ll return after I’ve finished filming."
The cameraman replaced the camcorder’s storage card and battery with fresh ones and then retrieved a small tripod from the trunk.
Carrying the equipment, Zeng Xiaoqi returned to Lin Ji’s Food.
As someone renowned at the TV station for her relentless drive and ’never-give-up’ attitude, she simply couldn’t stomach this kind of setback.