Chapter 163: Chapter 163: I’ve always liked to keep a low profile, but my strength doesn’t allow it!
The crawfish restaurant was on its third day of business.
That day, Jiang Feng had selected the crawfish ingredients and arrived early. The first thing he did upon arriving at the shop was to fry dough sticks.
It might be hard to believe, but a restaurant specializing in spicy crawfish had become famous for its dough sticks! Moreover, on a popular review app, Jiang Feng’s shop appeared on the charts, with many people commenting:
"I’d call the taste of the spicy crawfish the best, and the taste of the dough sticks unbeatable!"
"The spicy crawfish are fantastic, but you absolutely must get dough sticks with them!"
"Bad review: You can’t buy dough sticks without buying spicy crawfish!"
"This crawfish boss makes really good dough sticks!"
Quite a few people were joining in on the joke. Of course, there were also many sincere reviews, all praising the taste of the crawfish.
Sous Chef Jiang’s Greasy Spoon quickly became the number one hotspot on the street, by far the most popular. It didn’t need any promotion; it simply burst into popularity.
Because of this, Jiang Feng planned to make even more dough sticks today. He operated on one simple principle: listen to the customers. Whatever they wanted to eat, he’d make more of it, as long as everyone left happy.
So, this time, Jiang Feng fried up several large basins of dough sticks to have on hand. He even took a moment to eat one himself; the taste was indeed good.
He bustled about, and as afternoon arrived, the spicy crawfish restaurant opened its doors, and customers swarmed in. It was, as usual, a bustling scene.
「...」
"Folks, Executive Chef Jiang’s little shop is just ahead! We’ll see it any second now," outdoor livestreamer Liu Bao explained to his phone camera, a wide smile on his face. His cousin steadily held the phone gimbal, responsible for the follow shots.
The livestream’s viewer count had reached over 10,000. Liu Bao was very popular locally, with most of his fans being locals. This time, Liu Bao had ventured all the way to Chengdu, piquing everyone’s curiosity, and they flocked to watch the stream.
[Executive Chef Jiang actually traveled so far!]
[I haven’t eaten at his snack stall for so long, my mouth is practically devoid of flavor!]
[Executive Chef Jiang, please come back!]
[Chef, how can I live without you!]
The live chat was buzzing. Jiang Feng now had far more fans than Liu Bao. Jiang Feng’s method of setting up his stall and his personality were incredibly appealing to people, who loved watching videos of him at work. It was just that Jiang Feng didn’t manage a personal account. After all, he didn’t have time to film videos, and besides cooking, he always felt awkward in front of a camera.
In the livestream, Liu Bao walked down a street. It wasn’t very wide, with two rows of cars parked along the curb. The sidewalks were spacious, and many shops had placed their tables outside. At this time of day, many people were eating, creating a lively atmosphere.
Liu Bao followed the map, heading further in. "Where is it?" he muttered, looking at the shops lining the road.
[Can the streamer even find it?]
[Hurry up and show me what Executive Chef Jiang is selling!]
[What are you dawdling for?]
The viewers in the livestream, acting like supervisors, urged him on.
Just then, Liu Bao looked into the distance and saw a massive crowd of people in front of one shop. People were packed tightly in front of that shop, and some were filming videos. It was a stark contrast to the surrounding, quieter shops.
That familiar feeling of a sea of people!
Without a doubt, that has to be Boss Jiang!
"Found it!" Liu Bao exclaimed with delight. "That’s definitely the place!" he said, pointing ahead for his viewers.
His cousin aimed the phone’s camera forward, and the viewers also saw the throng of people.
[Wow, that place is so lively!]
[Reminds me of the days I used to queue at Executive Chef Jiang’s stall!]
[I’ve been in crowds like that for his food too, so many people!]
[Hahaha, Executive Chef Jiang is a hit wherever he goes!]
The live chat instantly erupted with excitement. Everyone found it highly entertaining.
Liu Bao and his cousin quickened their pace, soon arriving in front of Jiang Feng’s restaurant. And, just as they’d guessed, this was indeed Jiang Feng’s establishment.
When Liu Bao reached the front of the shop, the auntie working there told him to take a number first.
"Okay, we’ll take a number," Liu Bao replied and immediately got one. It was quite unusual for such a small restaurant to require customers to take a number and wait.
Liu Bao peered inside the restaurant. It was small, and he could clearly see everything within. He quickly spotted Jiang Feng in a white chef’s uniform, busy stir-frying crawfish at the stove. He was still the same, standing ramrod straight with an exceptional presence, his movements unhurried and precise.
Liu Bao was instantly thrilled. "Executive Chef Jiang!" he shouted towards the interior.
Hearing Liu Bao’s call, Jiang Feng glanced outside. "It’s you! Long time no see," Jiang Feng replied with a polite smile.
"I came all the way from Eastern Shandong! I’m livestreaming right now, and everyone misses you!" Liu Bao shouted again.
At this moment, the livestream chat exploded.
[Holy cow! I see Executive Chef Jiang again!]
[Still so handsome!]
[Come back and set up your stall! I want your snacks!]
[Why isn’t this little shop located downstairs from my apartment?]
[Has he started opening shops randomly across the country?]
The netizens were incredibly excited. It was clear that everyone genuinely liked Jiang Feng.
Never mind the people of Eastern Shandong; Jiang Feng had only been in Chengdu for a few days, yet the local residents were already full of praise for him, with many visiting daily. Food is paramount to the people. Who wouldn’t like an executive chef with superb skills, who was passionate about making affordable street food for the masses? And the food he made was truly unforgettable; once tasted, it lingered in one’s memory.
Jiang Feng looked at Liu Bao and said with a smile, "When I have time, I’ll go back to Jiangyue Terrace to cook for everyone. Thanks for all your support."
He then returned to busily preparing crawfish at the stove. Being liked by so many people felt pretty good. But he wouldn’t change anything because of it. He’d continue as he was: setting up his stall daily, making snacks, and feeling quite good about it.
The surrounding customers turned to look at Liu Bao. Some were at tables eating crawfish, others were waiting in line, and some were on their phones.
A middle-aged man who lived nearby realized Liu Bao knew Jiang Feng and asked, "Is Boss Jiang from your area? Was his business always this good before?"
Hearing the man’s question, Liu Bao immediately launched into an excited explanation, "Oh, he did incredibly well! Wherever Executive Chef Jiang set up his stall, it was a sea of people. A few times, the streets got so blocked you couldn’t even get in!
"You have no idea how hard it was to get food from his little stall!
"Tons of delivery drivers would be queuing up—just imagine how crazy that was.
"Later, Executive Chef Jiang opened a Shandong Cuisine Restaurant. He personally cooked for the first week, and you can’t imagine how many people were crammed outside that restaurant all week.
"They were all there to eat his Shandong cuisine.
"Thinking back on it now, it still seems unbelievable. That scene was truly spectacular."
The nearby customers listened quietly to Liu Bao’s account, all of them quite interested.
Inside, Jiang Feng was stir-frying spices, feeling a mixture of helplessness and pride.
Sigh, I’ve always preferred to keep a low profile. But my skills just don’t allow it!
Beside Liu Bao, several delivery drivers were also listening. They didn’t doubt Liu Bao’s words in the slightest, because they themselves were there queuing for customers, to buy Jiang Feng’s crawfish. This place was incredibly popular.
"Is he really that amazing?" the customers asked, thoroughly surprised.
"There are tons of his videos online; you can find them with a quick search," Liu Bao said with feeling. "If Executive Chef Jiang made his own videos, he’d easily have several million fans!"
Soon, platters piled high with crawfish began to emerge from the kitchen. Customers who received their orders beamed with happiness and hurried off to find a place to eat.
Liu Bao and his cousin watched with watering mouths, momentarily forgetting about the livestream; all they wanted was to eat crawfish. But the livestream still had a lot of viewers.
After another half hour, it was finally Liu Bao’s turn.
"Give me a super-large portion, plus four dough sticks, and two servings of hand-pulled noodles!" Liu Bao ordered.
His cousin nodded vigorously beside him. At that moment, Liu Bao’s image seemed to grow larger in his eyes.
Yes, it had to be a super-large portion!
Jiang Feng received the order and replied, "Alright, just a moment. It’ll be ready soon."
He continued to busy himself making crawfish, every step still precise. Even though he’d been working nonstop since four in the afternoon, the exertion didn’t affect the quality of his cooking. Moreover, he didn’t feel tired; on the contrary, his spirits were still high.
Jiang Feng quickly prepared a large platter of crawfish, then cut up the dough sticks and added them in.
When Liu Bao received the crawfish, he was ecstatic. "Finally, I get to eat this again!"
He and his cousin quickly found a spot, set up the phone stand to one side, and prepared to dig in.
Liu Bao put on disposable gloves and explained to the stream, "A super-large portion of spicy crawfish, 128 yuan. Look at this, everyone, a huge platter full! Executive Chef Jiang is really generous with his portions."
"I can’t wait any longer. Let me try a piece of crawfish first."
It was time for the audience’s favorite part of the stream—the eating segment—had arrived. Everyone watching the stream gazed longingly at the crawfish, their mouths watering uncontrollably.
Liu Bao twisted off a crawfish head, peeled away the shell, and extracted a piece of meat, still twitching and coated in glossy red chili oil sauce.
Under the watchful eyes of the livestream audience, he popped the crawfish meat into his mouth.
Instantly, the spicy, savory flavor exploded on his palate. The sauce Jiang Feng concocted was unbelievably good; somehow, its aroma had completely permeated the crawfish meat. Each bite sent a thrilling jolt of spice across his taste buds.
"This flavor is absolutely divine! It’s still so delicious! The moment this spicy crawfish hits my tongue, I can’t stop salivating."
"The crawfish meat is incredibly tender and tastes exceptionally fresh."
"The texture is perfect; the stir-frying and stewing are both spot-on!"
"This trip was totally worth it! The Executive Chef truly is an Executive Chef!"
Liu Bao couldn’t stop praising Jiang Feng’s crawfish. While peeling crawfish, he didn’t forget his job, vividly describing its taste to his online audience.
The livestream chat surged with comments.
[Damn it, I just finished dinner, I shouldn’t be watching this! I’m hungry again!]
[This stream is making me crave it so badly! I want some too!]
[I can’t watch anymore! It’s making me mad! Why do you get to eat it and I don’t?!]
[I’m ordering some crawfish too! I’ll just pretend Executive Chef Jiang made it!]
Liu Bao and his cousin devoured the crawfish. Soon, they fell silent, the only sounds being their sharp intakes of breath—HISS, HISS—as they furiously ate. The exhilarating satisfaction was akin to soaking in a hot bath, getting a thorough scrub, and then sitting in a sauna, sweating profusely until every pore felt open and cleansed.
Jiang Feng’s restaurant, Liu Bao’s livestream, the people coming and going on the street—everywhere was bustling with energy.
It was dinnertime. It was the time when the sights and sounds of everyday life were at their most vibrant.
Being immersed in it all felt remarkably comfortable. This kind of relaxed, leisurely feeling, perhaps, could only be found at the roadside stalls of China.