Chapter 161: Chapter 161 How could she shortchange herself!
"Wow! So many people!" After setting up his stall, the pork brain shopowner couldn’t help but exclaim when he saw Jiang Feng’s restaurant next door. If you don’t open for business, it’s one thing, but when you do, it’s a sensation! Jiang Feng’s little restaurant was packed, with every table inside and out full of people.
Some people who couldn’t find a seat simply ordered a few servings of pork brains, grabbed their spicy crayfish, and sat at the small tables in front of the pork brain shop. The owner of the pork brain shop didn’t mind; as long as they bought pork brains, it was fine.
For the customers, the spicy crayfish was already quite fiery, so eating some mild pork brains to balance the flavors made the experience more comfortable. Consequently, the pork brain shop’s business was also thriving.
At that moment, Lü Shuang was frantically calling his friends. "Hurry up, or all the crayfish will be sold out! What’s taking you so long! You have no idea how many people are in line!"
He couldn’t help but be anxious. Spicy crayfish couldn’t be prepared in large quantities like skewers. Given the size of Jiang Feng’s small shop, the amount of crayfish made each day was fixed. Once they were sold out, that was it.
Lü Shuang had been deeply impressed by Jiang Feng’s restaurant after eating the poached chicken there a few days ago. He also loved to share, recommending Jiang Feng’s delicious creations to everyone he met.
Many people did the same, and a lot of them posted videos. During meal times and late-night snack hours, these videos would pop up in people’s feeds. More and more people learned that the backstreet greasy spoon had a great chef who loved to make various tasty snacks.
Quite a few also enjoyed taking photos with Jiang Feng.
Soon, Lü Shuang’s two friends rushed over. "Quick, get in line! We’re running out of time," Lü Shuang urged them. "I just heard the chef say there aren’t many crayfish left."
"I was in the middle of a promotion match and couldn’t leave. As soon as it finished, I rushed straight here," one friend said.
"Isn’t this place known for poached chicken?" the other asked. "Now it has spicy crayfish too. The chef really has character."
The three chatted and took their place at the end of the line.
As luck would have it, by the time it was their turn, only a small amount of crayfish remained—just enough for one large serving. "This is the last serving; we’re all sold out," Jiang Feng announced to them, then turned to the others. "To everyone else in line, I’m sorry, please come back tomorrow."
Hearing his words, the customers still in line looked utterly disappointed. Watching others relish their crayfish, they could only leave with regret.
Lü Shuang’s trio, however, was delighted. Getting the last serving felt fantastic. The more thrilling the chase, the more precious the prize.
"Phew, lucky us! We just managed to get it!" Lü Shuang said, breathing a sigh of relief.
His friend nodded. "Yeah, lucky for me, I totally crushed my promotion match and rushed straight over."
The other chimed in, "There’s an empty table! Quick, it’s been ages since I’ve had spicy crayfish!"
The three were overjoyed. Just as a few customers left, an auntie quickly cleaned a table. They sat down, put on their gloves, and began to dig in. The taste of the crayfish was incredible.
The spicy flavor was exceptional. The crayfish were fried perfectly and then simmered perfectly; the meat was incredibly fresh, and you could feel the delicious taste dancing in your mouth.
Just then, Jiang Feng finished his work for the rush, came out, and took down the sign. Today’s business is done.
"Chef, your spicy crayfish is amazing! Seriously impressive!" Lü Shuang exclaimed, his face shiny with oil, giving Jiang Feng a thumbs-up.
"Glad you like it," Jiang Feng replied calmly.
Lü Shuang’s friends were also eating with gusto. They peeled the shells, extracted the soft yet springy meat, and chewed. The texture was tender, and the spicy flavor flowed from their tongues down their throats. It was a mystery how Jiang Feng prepared them, but the crayfish meat was incredibly juicy and thoroughly flavored, inside and out. It was simply perfect.
Jiang Feng never shortchanged himself; he had reserved a plate of crayfish for himself too, and they were all the largest ones. What chef doesn’t eat the best of the ingredients?That’s why so many chefs are chubby.
He couldn’t eat in front of the customers just yet; otherwise, newly arriving ones might try to buy the crayfish he’d set aside for himself. So, Jiang Feng quietly waited.
"These spicy crayfish are so fragrant! Chef, you must have a secret recipe," one of Lü Shuang’s friends praised. "They seem even more delicious than any I’ve had before. The taste is just so satisfying!"
Jiang Feng’s greasy spoon was already showing signs of becoming a hotspot. The poached chicken had drawn crowds before, and now that the spicy crayfish was also incredibly delicious, the adoration only grew.
The other customers also murmured their agreement. Several were eating their crayfish with such relish that they completely disregarded their image, their mouths and faces smeared with sauce. They eagerly bit into the food, continuously gasping and making "SSSP! SSSP!" sounds. After all, that numbing and spicy kick was exactly what spicy crayfish were supposed to deliver.
Jiang Feng offered free napkins, but sometimes people were too engrossed in eating to even wipe their faces.
"Chef, add a serving of noodles for us!"
"I’ll have one too!" customers at two different tables called out just then.
"Alright, coming right up." Jiang Feng stood up, took some hand-pulled noodles from a bag, brought the water in his pot to a rolling boil, and then added the noodles. After boiling them for a short while, he used a strainer to lift the cooked noodles into a bowl.
Then, the auntie would take the bowl and a pair of clean, long chopsticks, go to the customer’s table, and pour the noodles directly into their remaining spicy crayfish sauce. This sauce was thick and concentrated, full of flavor. As everyone ate their crayfish, the top layer of oil was absorbed by the shells and meat, so the remaining sauce wasn’t overly greasy.
The customers stirred the noodles into the sauce themselves. The steaming hot noodles reheated the sauce slightly and were quickly enveloped by it, each strand becoming coated with the aromatic and spicy flavor.
Once evenly mixed, they’d pick up a portion of noodles into a small bowl and devour them. The spicy sensation once again filled their mouths. The hand-pulled noodles had a wonderfully chewy texture, very satisfying to eat. After swallowing, the hearty noodles filled their stomachs, banishing any remaining hunger.
The feeling was almost euphoric, pure enjoyment.
Lü Shuang and his two companions also noticed the noodles. "Holy crap! You can get noodles in the crayfish sauce too? We have to get some!"
"Definitely!"
The three were in immediate agreement.
"Chef, add two portions of noodles for us!" they immediately called out.
"Alright, just a moment!" Jiang Feng’s voice echoed in response.
Jiang Feng continued to cook noodles at the stove, unhurried and calm. Boiling noodles is easy; there’s no difficulty to it.
In no time, two bowls of freshly cooked noodles were served. The auntie also brought them disposable bowls and chopsticks. Lü Shuang and his friends had just finished all their crayfish, and as the scorching hot noodles were added to the sauce, steam immediately billowed up. The three began to stir vigorously, mixing the noodles thoroughly with the flavorful sauce.
Then, two of them, shamelessly playing dirty, stirred only a few times before quickly scooping up a large helping of noodles into their own bowls.
"Hey, that’s not fair!" Lü Shuang exclaimed, realizing a bit too late, and he too hurried to grab his share.
All three ignored the noodles in their individual bowls, focusing first on divvying up all the noodles from the main serving dish. Only after every strand was claimed did they lower their heads and begin to slurp them down.
The noodles were truly the soul of this crayfish meal. They carried the same delicious flavor but were even more filling than the crayfish themselves. After finishing the noodles, they felt so blissfully comfortable they just wanted to lie down.
At this point, they noticed the neighboring pork brain shop again and ordered three bowls of mild pork brain to round off their meal. After eating those, they left, thoroughly content.
Jiang Feng opened his stall at 4:00 PM and closed just after 7:00 PM. Including the busy lunch period, his working hours didn’t exceed eight hours a day. Life is quite leisurely.
The auntie began to pack up the stall and clear away the trash, while Jiang Feng cleaned the stove inside.
The owners of the surrounding eateries couldn’t help but watch with envy. A true chef is a true chef, so carefree, they thought. The profit he makes in just a few hours probably surpasses what we earn in an entire day. Indeed, a capable person can make money anywhere.
Jiang Feng paid the auntie her wages, and she left happily. Then, Jiang Feng went back inside his shop, took out the reserved crayfish from the pot, put on a pair of gloves, and began to blissfully eat them alone. They were all large ones.
The meat was particularly succulent. After taking a bite, Jiang Feng felt the spicy flavor flood his senses, as if every pore in his body had opened up. It was incredibly comforting.
Not bad at all, he thought, quite satisfied with the crayfish he had made.
Little Black lay quietly by Jiang Feng’s feet. It didn’t eat spicy crayfish; it didn’t eat anything spicy at all. Jiang Feng would prepare dinner for it when they got home.
The little fellow was cute and adorable; sometimes, even the customers liked to tease it.
Jiang Feng had prepared a large portion of crayfish for himself, and eating them alone was incredibly satisfying.
Soon, the table was covered with crayfish shells. He hadn’t added hand-pulled noodles to his portion but had put in a couple of fried dough sticks. The chewy texture of the fried dough sticks was also quite nice.
After finishing the crayfish, Jiang Feng cleaned up, locked the shop, put Little Black on a leash, and they left. His SUV was parked in a roadside spot not far away. Running a small shop selling crayfish is pretty interesting, he mused. It was certainly bustling on the first day.
The news that Sous Chef Jiang’s shop had reopened quickly spread. Many people were prompted to visit by the buzz. This time, the crayfish were even more popular than the previous poached chicken had been.