"I sell it for 80 because I’ve applied a discount, the original price is 280 per serving. That’s quite a concession, isn’t it?"

"In business, value matters. What I’m offering is definitely worth more than its price. He sells it for 25 because that’s all it’s worth, and maybe he’s even making 20 with tears in his eyes."

Boss Cai saw the 25 RMB per serving sign posted by Wang Fan and dismissively curled his lips.

That’s a sign of no confidence—afraid that if it’s expensive no one will buy it!

If you’re confident, can you sell it so cheaply? A full duck at our place is 280 RMB, and our occupancy rate is still over 80% every day.

Today’s victory is mine to take, even Jesus couldn’t take it back, hahaha!

This wave of massive traffic is destined to be mine, Cai’s!

Just not sure if there’s a chance with this female streamer? I really wouldn’t mind being a top supporter.

"Miss, would you be interested in a drink after today’s event?"

Wang Fan paid no attention to the noise from the opposite stall, his confidence equally strong.

Black is black, and white is white. Once the food is tasted, the patrons will know. No amount of hype will change that.

By now, the duck meat had been simmering in the stew pot for 50 minutes, and the rich aroma told Wang Fan that taking it out now would be its best taste.

Putting up the sign for 25 RMB for a large portion and 18 RMB for a small portion symbolized the official start of today’s sale.

"Wang, to support you, I came all the way from Shanghai. Ain’t that brotherly of me?"

Shen Teng, wearing large sunglasses covering half his face, proudly stood in the front of the line.

Seeing him, Wang Fan couldn’t help but smile, "You’ve really gone to trouble for me."

Shen Teng chuckled, "No biggie, give me two servings first. I didn’t eat last night, been waiting for your treat."

Wang Fan lifted the lid of the stew pot, pulled out a large duck leg, and with a few "thud, thud, thud" chopped it into two-finger-wide chunks.

The duck leg with the rear end attached was really big, weighing about a pound per serving.

The cut duck leg had a clearly defined texture, with a shiny pale yellow skin wrapped around pink and crimson lean meat, looking extremely enticing. The slightly green hue at the bone joints hinted at Wang Fan’s perfect simmering time.

Once the duck leg chunks were neatly packed in a box, Wang Fan added a pinch of finely sliced green onion, then gently poured a ladle of pale yellow broth from the stew pot over the meat, making the whole dish appear even more succulent and inviting.

Shen Teng licked his lips and couldn’t help but praise, "Wang, your craft rivals any so-called century-old establishment. I’ve tasted around Nanjing and never had anything like this appearance."

Wang Fan laughed, "No matter how much you praise, it’s only one serving today."

Shen Teng shrugged helplessly, "One is one, but I’m telling the truth. I never flatter, not even my own dad."

With that, he proudly carried his duck meat over to the opposite stall.

At that moment, Boss Cai’s duck just came out of the pot too, selling half a duck for 80 RMB.

His ducks were slightly smaller, with half weighing about one and a half pounds.

Shen Teng had tasted the Drunken Duck Inn’s duck before and truthfully, the flavor was commendable, otherwise Boss Cai wouldn’t dare to challenge like this.

Compared to Wang Fan’s large duck leg, the meat yield from half a duck was significantly lesser. Shen Teng estimated the meat yield from both ducks might actually be about the same.

After all, the upper half of a duck has very little meat, mostly skin, and a thin layer of meat and fat.

Shen Teng observed the customers at Wang Fan’s and Drunken Duck Inn, noticing a clear segmentation.

Boss Wang’s side had mostly young people, mostly in their twenties, while Drunken Duck Inn had mostly middle-aged patrons, largely around forty, presumably locals.

These people chatted while queueing, subtly showing disdain for Wang Fan in their words.

"Youngsters these days really don’t know their limits—thinking they have some skills and dare to challenge authority, making salted duck in our Nanjing. We have to show him his place."

"Exactly, I just love Drunken Duck Inn’s salted duck, but it’s usually too pricey. 80 RMB for half is quite a deal."

"Should we buy a serving from across the street, eat in front of that young boss, and give a critique on the spot? Hahaha."

"Good idea, let’s do that."

Shen Teng found it amusing, feeling no concern for Wang Fan at all.

Wang’s products are always top-notch. If they took a bite, they’d be left speechless and might even become Wang’s fans.

Standing in line with his duck, Shen Teng naturally attracted attention, being the only one with a duck.

An uncle ahead couldn’t resist turning to ask, "Young man, did you get that duck from across the street?"

Shen Teng nodded and raised a piece of duck meat from his bowl to show the man, "What do you think of this quality?"

The man leaned closer to inspect the duck meat, noting the pale skin, red meat, and green bones, with the duck skin firm and lean meat fibers distinct, undoubtedly top quality.

The man exclaimed, "This is being sold at that booth? 25 for this?"

Shen Teng nodded, "25 for a large, 18 for a small."

With that, he didn’t hesitate to pop the duck piece into his mouth.

As the meat entered his mouth, the first sensation was the salty and savory taste.

The brined duck allowed the salt to deeply penetrate the meat, making it flavorful, and the fried salt carried its own umami, with the rich aroma of Sichuan pepper, needing no sauce at all to be appealing.

Biting down, he could distinctly feel the duck skin’s elasticity and resistance, but it was brief, as it cut through effortlessly.

Beneath the duck skin was a thin layer of fat, air-dried and brined, firm rather than greasy like ordinary duck fat, and below that was astonishingly tender duck meat.

The tender, smooth meat was pierced effortlessly, releasing a rich, fragrant juice, saturating his mouth with a delightful aroma.

This savory richness was magically refreshing, just pure brined savory flavor, making the duck taste incredibly pure, increasing Shen Teng’s appetite.

Shen Teng regretted, wishing he’d been shameless enough earlier. If he’d been a bit bolder, Wang would have surely given him two servings.