Chapter 246 Breakthrough

Right on time, the wooden door of Lin's shop was opened from the inside.

Su Xiaoxiao came out with the tablet used for calling numbers.

"Good morning, everyone. Please enter in an orderly fashion and avoid crowding."

The team began to move in an orderly fashion.

When it was Lao Sun's and Lao Zhao's turn, Su Xiaoxiao handed them two paper number plates.

"You two, please take a number and line up." Su Xiaoxiao handed over two paper number tags.

Old Sun took the number plate and glanced around the hall.

The floor is made of bluestone, the tables and chairs are made of solid wood, and the air is filled with the faint aroma of meat, without a trace of the odor of stale grease.

"They've done a good job of putting on a show." Old Sun lowered his voice, took out a miniature camera from his briefcase, and, using his coat as cover, aimed it at the open kitchen.

At this moment, Su Xiaoxiao walked over with a tablet computer.

"What would you two like to eat?"

Old Sun glanced at the blackboard on the wall.

"Two bowls of clear broth beef brisket noodles, a serving of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a serving of braised sea cucumber with scallions," Old Sun said casually.

"That'll be 3,536 yuan in total. Scan the code to pay and then we'll serve you." Su Xiaoxiao pointed to the QR code on the corner of the table.

Old Sun took out his phone and scanned the QR code to pay.

After paying, Old Sun looked at Su Xiaoxiao and tentatively tried to get information out of her: "Young lady, your shop is doing so well. I see that the people queuing outside are all big bosses. You must make a lot of money every day, right?"

Su Xiaoxiao gave him a wary look: "I'm only responsible for taking orders and serving dishes; I don't handle the accounts."

After saying that, Su Xiaoxiao turned around and walked back to the bar.

"He's quite wary," Old Zhao muttered to himself.

"Never mind her. When the dishes are served, we'll find fault with them carefully. I don't believe he can use any real ingredients in a dish that costs over three thousand yuan."

"If you find that the ingredients are of inferior quality, take photos as evidence and report the suspected fraud directly to the Food and Drug Administration with your real name."

Old Sun stared at Lin Fan, who was cutting ingredients in the kitchen, and said fiercely.

Ten minutes later.

Su Xiaoxiao came over with a tray and placed two bowls of noodles, a plate of scrambled eggs, and a serving of braised sea cucumber with scallions on the table.

"Please enjoy your meal, both of you."

Old Sun and Old Zhao exchanged a glance and picked up their chopsticks.

Old Sun picked up a piece of scrambled eggs with tomatoes first.

He had already prepared his explanation: it was nothing more than ordinary market eggs, seasoned with a little MSG and flavoring, meant to fool those nouveau riche who didn't know anything about the market.

But the moment the egg touched his tongue, his expression froze.

The chopsticks froze in mid-air, the mouth was slightly open, and the whole person seemed to have been paused.

Old Zhao, sitting opposite him, frowned when he saw that he hadn't moved for a while and asked, "How does it taste? Did they add any weird additives?"

"No, Lao Zhao, this egg..." Lao Sun didn't answer directly, but quickly reached out with his chopsticks again, picked up a large piece and stuffed it into his mouth. After chewing quickly, his eyes widened again.

"What's wrong with this egg?" Old Zhao asked, puzzled. He picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

After chewing a couple of times, Old Zhao stopped.

The moment the egg touches your mouth, a pure and indescribable rich egg aroma explodes in your mouth.

The slight acidity of the tomato perfectly balances the oiliness, and its soft texture slides down the back of the tongue, leaving only a sweet and mellow taste in the mouth.

It has none of the dryness of MSG, nor the pungent aftertaste of artificial flavoring.

Old Zhao swallowed the egg and stared blankly at the plate.

He was over forty years old, and his auditing job required him to travel all over the place. He had tasted all sorts of delicacies. But at this moment, he had only one thought in his mind.

All the eggs I've eaten in my life have been a waste of time.

Those so-called free-range eggs on the market that are advertised as costing tens of yuan per kilogram are like feed waste from an industrial assembly line compared to this plate of scrambled eggs.

After eating that egg, a warm, comforting feeling rose in my stomach, as if my whole body had been soothed.

"Old Sun..." Old Zhao lowered his voice, looking at his partner across from him, "This taste..."

Old Sun didn't say anything, but silently put down his chopsticks and turned his gaze to the plate of braised sea cucumber with scallions in the middle of the table, priced at 2,888 yuan.

Old Sun reached out and picked up a shiny black sea cucumber, bringing it close to his eyes for a closer look.

As a seasoned veteran who frequently conducts undercover investigations in high-end venues, Lao Sun could tell at a glance that this was definitely not the kind of inferior farmed sea cucumbers that are soaked in sugar water and become puffy and soft.

This sea cucumber has thick, meaty flesh, and its skin is covered with evenly distributed sea cucumber textures, with a subtle sheen of oil. The fried shallots underneath are golden brown, and the cooking time is just right.

He took a bite.

The moment your teeth cut through the sea cucumber, you feel an amazing tightness and crispness.

There wasn't an ounce of excess moisture, nor the slightest hint of fishiness. The aroma of scallion oil and the rich flavor of the broth had been thoroughly infused into every inch of the sea cucumber's flesh.

Old Sun's Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed the sea cucumber.

He took a sip of water, trying to wash away the taste in his mouth and force himself to calm down and find the problem, but the superb sweetness in his mouth still lingered.

"How is it?" Old Zhao asked impatiently.

Old Sun sighed: "Try it yourself."

Old Zhao refused to believe it and picked up another sea cucumber and bit into it.

A few seconds later, Old Zhao also fell silent.

The two men exchanged bewildered glances. They had taken double the commission from Su Qing and were there with miniature cameras to cause trouble.

But by now, after eating this meal, any thoughts of finding fault in their minds had been shattered by this dish.

Before they knew it, their chopsticks were moving faster and faster.

All thoughts of undercover investigations and gathering evidence were cast aside. Pure appetite took over.

In less than ten minutes, the two people finished off two bowls of clear broth beef brisket noodles, a plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a serving of braised sea cucumber with scallions.

Old Zhao even picked up a spoon and scraped off the last bit of scallion oil sauce at the bottom of the plate, then mixed it with the noodles and ate it.

After they finished eating, both of them had a layer of fine sweat on their foreheads.

"belch……"

Old Sun put down his chopsticks and let out a burp. The burp sounded somewhat abrupt in the quiet hall.

"This is so comforting. It's been so long since I've had such a delightful and refreshing meal."

"Yeah, how about we do it tomorrow..."

Old Sun was speaking when he suddenly bit his tongue. He looked at the clean bottom of the plate and his face turned red.

Old Zhao across from them also came to his senses.

He suddenly realized what he was there for and quickly picked up his water glass to cover up his embarrassment.

"Ahem... Since there are no flaws in the ingredients."

Old Zhao wiped his mouth, his expression turning serious: "Then let's find a breakthrough in the accounts. Ninety percent of sole proprietorships of this size will tamper with the invoices."

"As long as he dares to refuse to issue an invoice, or issues a fake invoice that doesn't match the description, our mission is accomplished. We'll report him to the tax bureau for tax evasion."

Old Sun nodded.