"The greasy spoon on the backstreet that blew up in popularity is open again! This week they’re selling spicy crayfish!"
"Their crayfish noodles are absolutely unmatched!"
"The ultimate spicy delight, visiting the chef’s little eatery!"
That very night, news about Jiang Feng’s crayfish shop flooded the internet. It caught fire faster than expected. These days, everyone had more free ti and loved to join in on the buzz. A popular eatery quickly caught people’s attention. This ti, the videos began to spread further, no longer confined to the area around the backstreet but reaching the entire city of Chengdu. Even many tourists ca across similar videos.
"The greasy spoon on the backstreet is selling spicy crayfish? Is it really that delicious?"
"That noodle dish looks good!"
"Could it be a promotion? I hate ads!"
"I don’t think so. How could a small eatery afford so much promotion?"
"That owner seems pretty aweso. He’s famous; I rember seeing his videos before."
People were discussing this in the video comnts. In this era, everyone was tagged with various "labels." Big data knew you best. So people loved watching gaming videos, so loved movie comntaries, so loved cute pet videos, and others loved entertainnt videos. There were also those who just liked watching models with long legs and various beauties doing suggestive dances. Besides these, there were multiple categories like fishing, food, motorcycles, travel, parenting, and more. Those who liked watching food videos easily ca across Jiang Feng’s videos.
"A Shandong Cuisine chef making spicy crayfish? Sounds odd, gotta try it."
"The crayfish is delicious? What crayfish isn’t? I’m not going! What? The owner is handso? Well, that’s worth checking out."
"I don’t believe it can be that good. I’ll go tomorrow!"
Amidst the chatter, the fa of Jiang Feng’s crayfish gradually grew.
「The next morning」
Jiang Feng leisurely went to the market and picked out a large batch of live crayfish. He was quick at selecting, grabbing handfuls and tossing them into a large basin. The crayfish vendor could tell he was an expert, as Jiang Feng only picked out the finest green-shelled ones. The vendor wanted to say sothing but couldn’t find the words. After all, Jiang Feng was a chef; selecting top-quality crayfish was naturally not difficult for him. Jiang Feng chose several basins of crayfish and then boarded a truck, transporting them, along with himself, to his little eatery.
He went to a street-side stall and casually ate a bowl of cold noodles. Soon, the hired helper arrived, ready to start washing the crayfish one by one. Business was so good that they had hired three helpers for the day. The cooking stove had also been upgraded to a slightly larger one. Jiang Feng wasn’t idle either. Taking advantage of the spare ti, he stood before the stove and began frying dough sticks. The dough sticks he fried were golden and crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. When pulled apart, the white, fluffy interior released plus of steam, and the fragrant aroma of dough instantly filled the air. Dough sticks like these would be a massive hit at any breakfast stall. However, he wasn’t running a breakfast stall, so he could only sell them alongside the spicy crayfish.
Preparations inside the eatery were busy yet orderly. Soon, custors began to form a queue outside. The flavor of the crayfish was too good, and word of mouth spread, drawing more and more people who wanted to try it. Business was naturally booming.
By four o’clock, Jiang Feng’s stall officially opened. He hung up the sign, pushed open the door, and saw a large crowd already gathered outside. It’s quite pressuring when everyone’s looking at you like that.
"Don’t rush, everyone! Please co up according to your number, one by one," Jiang Feng shouted to the crowd.
One of the helpers had already prepared numbers for the custors using a ticket dispenser. There were simply too many people, and a queue could easily get chaotic, so Jiang Feng had made these preparations in advance. After receiving a number, custors were free to wander off, which allowed for easier movent and also brought so business to the neighboring shops.
Then, the custors started to co up one by one. Jiang Feng plated the prepared crayfish and brought them out. Business was instantly red-hot. Jiang Feng was busy at the stove.
A man who looked downcast ordered a dium serving of crayfish and waited by the side. The crayfish prepared in advance had already sold out, and Jiang Feng was hard at work making new batches.
The man struck up a conversation with Jiang Feng. "Boss, can you add extra chili for ? I’m feeling down today and want to sweat it out."
Jiang Feng, who could chat with anyone, asked, "What’s wrong? Eating is about enjoynt. Don’t be so hard on yourself."
"Sigh!" The man let out a long sigh. "I’ve been wounded by love."
The other diners, who were thoroughly enjoying their crayfish, instantly perked up their ears upon hearing this.
Well, well, an unexpected bonus?
We get to hear gossip while eating crayfish?
This is getting interesting!
The man, his face etched with sorrow, continued as if talking to himself, "I t her three months ago. At the ti, I thought she slled really nice, with a faint, milky scent."
"I fell for her right then and started pursuing her."
"After putting in a lot of effort, I finally won her over."
"But then..."
At this point, the man paused. The surrounding custors were savoring their crayfish and the story with equal relish. When the man suddenly trailed off, everyone felt a bit anxious. It wasn’t just the custors; even Jiang Feng grew curious. While stir-frying crayfish, he asked, "What happened then?"
"Sigh," the man sighed again and said slowly, "It turned out she had a one-year-old kid."
"No wonder she had that milky scent about her."
Hearing the man’s words, the surrounding custors struggled to hold back their laughter, though they deeply sympathized with his plight. Two young won couldn’t help but burst out laughing before hastily stifling it.
Sorry, we’re professionals. We don’t laugh no matter how funny sothing is—unless we absolutely can’t hold it in.
The man was indeed unlucky to have encountered such a situation. Jiang Feng also felt a deep sense of sympathy for the man’s predicant. Being kind-hearted, he tried to console him. "I’m not in a position to comnt on this, but you could look on the bright side."
"Which is?"
"You have a good nose."
Upon hearing Jiang Feng’s words, the man was montarily stunned. He was a bit slow to react. The other custors were dumbfounded as well.
Holy crap! Is that how you comfort soone?
What a unique perspective!
The custors imdiately started murmuring to each other in low voices.
"This boss has such a unique way of comforting people!"
"I was so embarrassed I didn’t know what to say, but he managed to offer so comfort, which is pretty impressive."
"Indeed, the man has a good nose. The average person wouldn’t detect a milky scent like that."
"I wonder if the man has ever considered working for the Drug Enforcent Administration."
"Hahaha, his words make want to drink so milk!"
The man said no more, remaining silent. Jiang Feng sped up the process of making crayfish, focusing entirely on cooking. The atmosphere beca sowhat subdued for a while.
Soon, a savory and spicy dish of crayfish was ready. Jiang Feng handed it to the man and even kindly gave him two fried dough sticks. He’s a pitiful fellow, too, Jiang Feng thought.
Looking around, the eatery was once again packed, both inside and out. And still, more people kept coming. So who found no place to sit chose to get their food to go. Eating it at ho is just as good, anyway.
What surprised Jiang Feng was that the custors were not only interested in the crayfish but also in the fried dough sticks. Many people kept ordering them.
"Boss, give two more fried dough sticks!"
"Man, these fried dough sticks are so delicious! Boss Jiang, have you considered opening a breakfast stall selling soy milk and dough sticks? I’d co every day!"
"They really are tasty—so soft and fragrant. These are the best fried dough sticks I’ve ever had!"
Jiang Feng had originally fried several pans of dough sticks, thinking it would be enough. Unexpectedly, only half the crayfish had been sold, but the dough sticks were nearly gone. He didn’t have ti to fry more, so he could only tell the custors further back in line that the dough sticks were sold out.
"Ah? They’re gone already? How can an eatery run out of fried dough sticks?" the custors at the back asked, their faces full of regret.
"This is a crayfish restaurant, so it’s pretty normal to run out of dough sticks, I suppose," Jiang Feng replied with a smile. "I’ll fry more tomorrow. Sorry about today."
The atmosphere in the eatery was very lively. Custors of all kinds kept pouring in. And perhaps because he ran an eatery, many custors also loved to chat with him. They found talking with Jiang Feng quite interesting. Though he looked young, he gave off a mature vibe and could hold a conversation on almost any topic.
"Boss, how about a brain teaser?" At that mont, a young woman with a stunning figure looked at Jiang Feng and asked with a grin.
"Um... is that really necessary?" Jiang Feng still responded warmly.
The young woman looked at him and said, "Everyone knows that to kill a snake, you strike its ’seven-inch’ spot. So, what do you do if you encounter a snake that’s only four inches long?"
After she spoke, she gazed at him intently, awaiting his answer.
Jiang Feng was always good-natured and could handle almost any question thrown his way. This kind of corny riddle was right up his alley.
"Quite simple," Jiang Feng replied calmly. "Hit its three-and-a-half-inch spot, twice."
Seeing that she couldn’t stump him, the young woman’s enthusiasm deflated instantly. "Impressive!" she exclaid, giving him a thumbs up.
Jiang Feng just smiled and then got back to busily frying the crayfish.
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