When it comes to chili peppers, the spicy Sichuan cuisine and spicy Hunan cuisine must come to everyone's mind.
After all, in everyone’s subconscious mind, the most spicy people in China must be from Sichuan, Hunan and Guizhou.
But if the person who won the title of "Chinese Spicy King" is an authentic Henan native of the Central Plains, would you believe it?
Since 2008, he has been eating about 5 pounds of chili peppers with liquor every day, and has even traveled around the world again and again just to break the spicy eating record.
Who is this veritable "Chinese Hot King"? Does he still continue to eat spicy food to this day?
Accidental connection
Li Yongzhi was born in 1961 in Shawo Village, Longhu Town, Xinzheng City, Henan Province.
Born with a playful nature, he did not like to study since he was a child. In addition, his parents were busy with work and neglected to discipline him, so his studies came to an abrupt end after graduating from high school.
Like most young people, Li Yongzhi is not willing to continue the life of his elders with their faces turned to the earth and their backs to the sky.
In early 2007, this middle-aged man full of dreams embarked on the road to Zhengzhou city with his luggage.
I thought that there would be more job opportunities in big cities, but I didn’t know that the requirements for entry-level workers are also very high.
Li Yongzhi, who has no work experience, has encountered obstacles on the road to job hunting. Coupled with the disadvantage of a high school education, the job has never been found.
As time went by, there was not much savings left in his pocket. He had no choice but to go back home.
After spending a period of time at home in confusion, Li Yongzhi finally got a job opportunity.
Just after the Spring Festival in 2008, Li Yongzhi went to Zhengzhou again with an old master from his hometown. From this time on, he officially became a worker on the construction site.
It goes without saying that the construction site is exposed to wind and sun, and the only time he can rest every day is during lunch.
In the summer of 2008, Li Yongzhi, who had just finished work in the hot summer, hurried to his favorite noodle restaurant.
Perhaps it was due to the weather, but there were twice as many customers in the store as before. He barely found a seat before sitting down.
More than ten minutes passed, and Li Yongzhi still didn't see the meal he ordered. At this time, his hungry stomach was already growling.
He had no choice but to drink water to satisfy his hunger. Unexpectedly, the pot of hot water on the table quickly ran out of water.
Just when Li Yongzhi was at his wits' end, chili noodles and dried chili peppers not far away suddenly came into view. Their red color actually gave people the illusion of a great increase in appetite.
With the mentality of giving it a try, he quietly took a few spoonfuls of chili noodles and put them into his mouth. Who knew that there would be no end from the beginning.
Not long after, the two cans of dried chili noodles in front of Li Yongzhi were all gone. Still not full, he continued to chew the remaining dried chilies in his mouth.
After he had almost eaten, he went to the boss and asked for a pot of water. The hot water and chili pepper made him feel an unprecedented pleasure.
At this moment, the noodles ordered by Li Yongzhi were served. Unexpectedly, the boss became furious as soon as he saw the empty chili noodles jar on the table.
" Why do you, a big brother, steal everything, even the peppers? "
The boss's words shocked Li Yongzhi. He quickly defended that he ate the peppers himself and did not steal.
Naturally, the boss will not believe such a ridiculous reason. Even if the customers around him help to prove it, it still won't help.
There was no other way. Li Yongzhi could only eat another can of chili noodles in front of his boss and use practical actions to prove his innocence.
At this point, the boss could only believe the words of this man who was nearly fifty years old. At the same time, another idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Brother , you are so good at eating spicy food, why don't you participate in the chili eating competition, and you can get bonuses! "
As soon as he heard the money, Li Yongzhi's eyes lit up instantly, and he was in disbelief again confirmed.
"Is there really such a competition for ? I am willing to participate. "
As soon as he finished speaking, the noodle shop owner quickly replied.
“In September next year, there will be a chili eating competition in Longhui County, Hunan Province. If you win, don’t forget to share a piece of the pie. ”
Li Yongzhi repeatedly promised that as long as he can make money, he will naturally not You will forget your boss’s great kindness.
In order to successfully win the championship, he simply replaced three meals a day with chili peppers. He tried everything from China's native chili peppers to India's devil chili peppers.
In September 2009, Li Yongzhi got on the long-distance bus to Longhui County, Hunan Province with full confidence. He believed that he would definitely win the bonus.
As you can imagine, the result was that he stood out from the competition and received a bonus of 10,000 yuan as expected and an honorary certificate of "Chili Pepper King" issued by the Longhui County Party Committee and County Government.
Since then, participating in the chili eating competition has become Li Yongzhi’s life and daily life.
The peak of the "King of Spicy"
Since Li Yongzhi rose to prominence in Longhui County, more and more people have begun to notice this person who is born with the ability to eat spicy food.
At the same time, he also began to pay attention to some such competitions. After all, the bonus of tens of thousands of yuan was already worth his year's salary.
At this moment, a variety show in Hunan sent a strong invitation to Li Yongzhi. After
learned that there were many talented people on this program, his interest was immediately piqued and he accepted the invitation without saying a word.
On October 1, 2012, Li Yongzhi and his wife successfully flew to Changsha, Hunan Province to participate in the recording of the program.
This was his first time performing on such a big stage, and the unfamiliar spotlights and cameras made him feel uneasy.
However, when the host brought plates of chili peppers to the stage, all the tension and worries in Li Yongzhi's heart were forgotten.
Immediately afterwards, he ate chili peppers as if no one else was around, watching his opponents being defeated one by one, and the sense of accomplishment in his heart instantly rose.
If the previous competition in Longhui County made Li Yongzhi famous, then the recording of this program in Hunan brought him into the public eye.
On January 13, 2014, Li Yongzhi was invited to participate in the large-scale cooking reality show " Chinese Taste " launched by CCTV.
Perhaps because of CCTV, he particularly cherished this hard-won opportunity and showed an unprecedented performance on the program -
Chili pepper with white wine
As we all know, the alcohol content in white wine is very high compared to other alcoholic drinks. , and it will irritate the oral mucosa and cause a burning sensation in the intestines and stomach.
These two kinds of food are extremely spicy when mixed together, and they are also very harmful to the human body.
The strange thing is that Li Yongzhi never felt any discomfort on the show. If the chili peppers in any meal were not paired with white wine, he would still feel that something was missing in his heart.
's amazing performance quickly won unanimous praise from the guests and the audience, and he naturally won the "Golden Chopsticks" award.
Whenever he talks about this past event, Li Yongzhi always has a look of pride on his face. Being on the CCTV stage is what every ordinary person longs for.
Despite this, his family took him to the hospital for a check-up, and the moment the test results came out, it was even more shocking.
He has no health problems whatsoever.
After being confirmed by the hospital, Li Yongzhi began to eat chili peppers more unscrupulously. In order to pursue a sense of excitement, he often even paired it with garlic or onions.
As time goes by, he is no longer satisfied with the spicy food in China. Are there more chili peppers in foreign countries that are more worthy of challenge?
At this time, the Indian people heard about Li Yongzhi's name as the "King of Chili Peppers", and immediately invited him to participate in the devil pepper competition.
Devil's pepper is the hottest pepper in India and even the world. According to rumors, one pepper can kill an elephant.
But the more this happened, the greater the desire for challenge in Li Yongzhi's heart. He did not believe that there were peppers in the world that he could not eat.
At the end of 2014, this man who was over fifty years old was gearing up to embark on a journey to India, but his children at home persuaded him not to do anything.
Unexpectedly, Li Yongzhi did not take the children's words to heart at all, but instead argued with reason.
" I represent the country, and I cannot embarrass the Chinese people. "
As soon as he finished speaking, he took his luggage and walked out of the house without looking back. Because he represented China, he was fearless.
After arriving in India, Li Yongzhi soon learned that the world record for devil peppers was to eat five at one time, and only people who had eaten spicy food all year round could do it.
Hearing this, he immediately showed a disdainful expression, thinking that he had to weigh kilograms of peppers to eat, when would he use a few.
Before he could hesitate, Li Yongzhi took out the devil pepper beside him, one, two... 32. He easily broke the world record. When
looked at the envious looks and glances of his foreign friends, the joy in his heart was simply greater than making a fortune.
This trip to India has made many foreign friends know the name of Li Yongzhi. On November 9, 2015, 7 crews of German TV stations came to Shawoli Village, Xinzheng City and spent three days filming a documentary on the Pepper King.
Two days later, Reuters in the UK and Phoenix TV in Hong Kong also conducted in-depth reports on him.
At that time, Li Yongzhi was almost well-known to everyone, but his purpose was still not satisfied with this. He thought about competing with others all the time.
On November 11, 2017, he specially planted more than a dozen devil peppers and British colored peppers in the small open space in front of his door. Their spiciness is hundreds of times that of hot peppers.
On the eve of the ripe peppers, Li Yongzhi set up a "challenge" at his doorstep with great fanfare, hoping to meet an opponent who could match his own. During the
period, there were many spicy eaters from all over the country, but it was a pity that they were defeated in the face of this unique foreign chili pepper.
Looking at his subordinates being defeated one after another, Li Yongzhi couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment in his heart, but living such an unchallenging life was really not very interesting.
Just when he was at a loss for the boring life, another "noble person" in his life appeared.
Belated harm
At the beginning of 2018, the express train of online short videos suddenly became popular in China. Li Yongzhi, who is good at trying new things, also used his spare time to register a social platform account.
At this moment, an Internet celebrity company came to the door and expressed its willingness to package it as an Internet celebrity to increase more exposure.
At that time, Li Yongzhi didn’t know what the concept of Internet celebrity was. As soon as he heard that it could make money, he agreed without saying a word.
Under the packaging of the Internet celebrity company, this old man over fifty years old regained his strength and moved the competition position to the live broadcast room.
In order to quickly gain the attention of more fans, the company often requires Li Yongzhi to eat many different types of peppers at one time in the live broadcast room.
faced the shouts and cheers of fans in the comment area. He felt very proud in front of the camera. Then, he drank glass after glass of high-concentration liquor.
In addition to chili pepper and white wine, hot pot is the most popular item in Li Yongzhi’s live broadcast room.
In front of the camera, he did not hesitate to put two packages of spicy hot pot base ingredients into the pot. After boiling, he began to add the ingredients.
It may be hard to believe that Li Yongzhi’s hot pot ingredients include only chili peppers. Boiling chili peppers in the spicy hot pot base is simply unheard of.
But it is this unprecedented form of performance that makes fans crazy about the list. Looking at the increasing income, they will not hesitate to eat too many chili peppers.
Is it true that Li Yongzhi has a Vajra body that is invulnerable to all poisons? Does eating so much chili pepper really have no effect on his body?
The answer is of course no, it’s just that the time has not come yet.
Late one night in 2020, Li Yongzhi, who had just finished broadcasting, suddenly felt a surge of pain in his stomach, followed by a sharp pain.
Before he could hesitate, his son quickly sent his father, who was rolling in pain, to the hospital. The examination results soon confirmed that the family's worries were not unnecessary.
gastric perforation
Looking at the facts written in black and white on the inspection report, Li Yongzhi finally realized how ridiculous his previous behavior was.
The doctor said without exaggeration that if the patient was delivered a few minutes later, he might not even be able to save his life.
Fortunately, Li Yongzhi escaped from danger with a series of rescue operations, but it is no longer possible to eat chili and drink liquor like before.
When he thinks about the days when he could never go back to the days when he could make money and be soft-hearted, he would feel a trace of sadness in his heart.
Just when Li Yongzhi was thinking about how to discuss the termination of the contract with the company, he never thought that the company would take the initiative to come to him.
Not only was he forced to terminate his contract with the company, but he also had to pay a very high liquidated damages for being absent from the specified live broadcast tasks without any reason.
Faced with the company's coercion and inducements, Li Yongzhi could only remain silent and eat Coptis chinensis, unable to express his sufferings.
What makes him even more heartbroken is that his former social platform account was also forcibly taken back by the company. He is not willing to use the number of fans he has accumulated over the years to borrow people.
Since Li Yongzhi was hospitalized, his account has been suspended. Fans can't help but care about the current situation of the "Chili Pepper King" in the comment area.
At this moment, a girl who claimed to be Li Yongzhi's "daughter" suddenly appeared in the live broadcast room and made it clear that her father would never appear in public view again due to physical reasons.
You must know that Li Yongzhi has never given birth to a daughter in his life, and this so-called "daughter" is just an actor arranged by the company.
Just when fans were lamenting about the physical condition of the "Chili Pepper King", he suddenly appeared in the public eye again.
At the beginning of 2021, Li Yongzhi applied for a trumpet account with the help of friends. He cried bitterly in front of the camera and disclosed everything the company had done.
Seeing this old man who was over fifty years old going through a lot of hardships for his life, the people in front of the screen couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
But in fact, Li Yongzhi was already destined to fail when he took the first step on this road.
Because there will never be a precedent in this world for success without paying any price, let alone an endless body.
If you want to live a happy life, down-to-earth work is the first choice for everyone.
