Chapter 157: Chapter 157: Explosion-Proof? Doesn’t Exist
Jiang Feng’s Bowl Chicken Shop began to bustle.
Jiang Feng would only open the doors around 12 noon.
Two aunties working part-time would come early to clean up and arrange tables and chairs. They also took the opportunity to display the fresh skewers on the counter.
The reputation of Sous Chef Jiang’s Bowl Chicken began to spread in the area.
"Have you heard? There’s a greasy spoon in the backstreet that sells bowl chicken, run by a chef from another city with a huge fanbase."
"Really?"
"I’ve heard about it too. The owner’s cooking skills are especially good, and the food is indeed delicious."
"A lot of people have already gone there."
Initially, the word only spread in the area surrounding the shop, and not very quickly at that. But now is the era of social media. Whenever people encounter something noteworthy, they think about posting a video. So, some started to record videos while waiting in line and post them online.
Lü Shuang was one of them. He always loved to join in the excitement. Hearing that Jiang Feng’s shop was popular, he made a special trip to try it. Seeing the shop packed inside and out, with two aunties bustling about and Jiang Feng preparing skewers at the stove, he didn’t care whether he could eat or not, deciding to post a video first.
"At the backstreet here, a new Bowl Chicken Shop has opened! The owner is a chef from out of town, with superb skills."
"Look everybody, it’s just opened for business and it’s already full of people."
"This bowl chicken, you definitely won’t regret eating it!"
Lü Shuang posted the video on TikTok. It was mealtime, and the video quickly appeared in the "Nearby in the same city" section.
A few people saw the buzz at the greasy spoon and left comments:
"Where exactly is it? It looks pretty lively."
"Is their bowl chicken really that good?"
"So many people? It must be tasty! Hurry and share the address!"
There are indeed many food enthusiasts. When they come across something delicious, they are naturally interested.
Some also recognized Jiang Feng from the video.
"I think I’ve seen this owner before. He really likes to set up stalls, always sells different things, and his business is particularly good every time."
"Is that him? He seems to be from the Eastern Shandong Region."
"Forget it, I’ll go there and check it out."
Lü Shuang noticed his video seemed to be catching on. His previous videos would only get about a dozen likes and four or five comments. But the impromptu video he posted of the Bowl Chicken Shop amassed more than 120 likes and forty or fifty comments.
Lü Shuang immediately felt exhilarated. Good things are meant to be shared.
Lü Shuang approached the stall and picked out a large bunch of skewers, a variety of different dishes included. Holding a big bunch of skewers felt like holding a bouquet of flowers.
Soon, all the skewers were cooked. The auntie soaked them, topped them with a spoonful of soulful chili oil sauce, and served them to Lü Shuang.
Since the place was too crowded, Lü Shuang could only share a table with others. He sat down at a table where two people were chatting.
"This shop really tastes good. Let’s not promote it too much; otherwise, it will attract too many people and the wait will be too long."
"I’ve told others too. It’s better if just people from around here know about it. The owner doesn’t lack business, and it’s quite good like this."
"I just worry someone will shoot a video and post it online. Once this little shop gets famous, it will be a hassle when we want to eat here again."
"It’s bound to get popular, but it’s best to delay that fame as much as possible."
Hearing their conversation, Lü Shuang paused, slightly taken aback. Good heavens, so people actually think like that? Trying to keep the shop’s location a secret? But so many people love to share; it’s impossible to keep it hidden. Preventing it from blowing up? Not a chance.
Lü Shuang understood the reasoning. Frankly, the current number of customers was just right; no need to queue for food. If a huge wave of new customers came, people would have no choice but to stand outside and wait.
Lü Shuang took a bite of a beef meatball and was immediately captivated. The chili oil seasoning was simply marvelous! Fragrant but not greasy, spicy but not numbing. One skewer was enough to completely awaken his taste buds. It was genuinely, incredibly delicious!
Lü Shuang continued to eat at the table. He no longer thought about the video; after all, many similar videos were circulating, not just his.
With everyone’s recommendations, Jiang Feng’s Bowl Chicken Shop became even more popular. Many people saw videos about Jiang Feng’s small shop and discussed it in the comments section.
"Tell the truth, is it really delicious? This isn’t just a promotion, right?"
"It really is delicious, I earnestly recommend it. You can search for the owner’s past achievements; he’s an incredible person!"
"The owner himself is a brand, Executive Chef Jiang. He was really famous over there."
"I just went to eat. It’s super delicious! The owner personally makes it with great care."
"The tripe is absolutely amazing, even better than the ones in hotpot!"
Seeing others’ recommendations, skeptical netizens were reassured.
It was also easy to get there. One could take the subway to the nearby station and then leisurely ride a shared bicycle over. If the weather was too cold for cycling, it was also walkable, roughly eight or nine hundred meters away. This area was a street full of snacks, with a variety of options available.
Jiang Feng was at the front, focused on preparing the skewers. The greasy spoon wasn’t very formal, just a small shop, with the stove and counter not far from each other, and nobody minded these details. As long as it was clean and delicious, it was all good.
The water in the pot kept boiling tumultuously. Strings of ingredients went into the boiling water and were quickly cooked.
Jiang Feng always managed to seize the perfect timing. This was also an opportunity to practice his control over the ingredients.
The owners of the greasy spoons around him looked at Jiang Feng’s shop with considerable envy. We’re all running restaurants, so why are you so exceptional? How can your business be this good?
Of course, these owners were also happy, as Jiang Feng’s restaurant genuinely brought in more customers. Business improved for everyone. So, even if there were feelings of jealousy, they weren’t shown too obviously.
「At this moment」
Lü Shuang finished all his skewers. He wiped the chili oil from the corner of his mouth, his face radiating satisfaction. Delicious! Truly, a great reputation is well-deserved! There had to be a reason for Jiang Feng’s sustained popularity.
After finishing the skewers, Lü Shuang opened TikTok and checked his notifications. The comments and likes on his video were increasing, already breaking three or four hundred. This was uncommon for an ordinary person.
Netizens in the comments section were all asking what this shop was really like. Lü Shuang didn’t care about others who might be secretive, afraid that Jiang Feng’s little shop would be discovered by more people.
He strongly recommended in his own comment section, "It’s really delicious, highly recommended! I’m not promoting; this owner operates a small restaurant himself and doesn’t hire anyone for promotion. I just think it’s tasty! Everyone should come and try it!"
His comment attracted a few people; even if it was just a dozen, it was still effective.
His video was just one of many; in reality, dozens of people were posting videos of the shop. These videos formed a "matrix," delivering a "combo punch," capturing the users’ "pain point," and creating a "new ecosystem" for the Bowl Chicken snack. In layman’s terms, the more people that posted videos, the more people came to eat Bowl Chicken.
Lü Shuang was replying when two customers beside him, also playing with their phones, started chatting.
"Damn, I just said we shouldn’t advertise, and then I swiped to a video about this shop," one person said helplessly.
"I swiped to it too. It just shows that a lot of people in the nearby area are clicking on these videos," the other person replied.
"In the future, we’ll likely have to queue up here. It was just like that ’Fresh Taste’ restaurant before. It used to be fine, and then suddenly all the tourists came, and you couldn’t get a seat, always had to wait for a while."
"If we have to queue, then we queue. The skewers move fast anyway."
"I don’t even know who’s posting these videos; they must have too much free time!"
"Exactly! It’s like they want the whole world to know about anything remotely noteworthy!"
As the two continued to grouse, Lü Shuang put away his phone and quietly left.
People always have different ideas. Some prefer to hide their light under a bushel; others like to show off. Both are normal.
Not long after Lü Shuang left, he received a WeChat voice message from a friend.
"Hey, how’s that Bowl Chicken Shop you posted about on TikTok? If it’s good, I’m heading over right now!" his friend asked directly.
"It’s so good! That chili oil base is the most satisfying I’ve ever had. Hurry up, or you won’t even be able to get in line."
"Okay, send me your location. I’ll come over in a bit to try it."
"You’ll absolutely love it!"
Lü Shuang ended the call. Sharing good things always feels nice, especially seeing others enjoy it just as much as you do. That’s the joy of sharing.
「At this point」
Jiang Feng was still busy blanching skewers. He seemed like an unfeeling skewer-blanching machine. He adjusted the pot’s temperature, put the skewers in, and when they were almost cooked, he blanched them in cold water before placing them in bowls for the auntie to handle.
It was that familiar, never-ending cycle again.
But Jiang Feng had great Staminia and was mentally energized. At times like these, he was in a state of mental relaxation.
Seeing the bustling crowd inside and outside the shop, everyone eating skewers with great enjoyment—some standing, others making use of chairs in the crowded space—their faces full of smiles and satisfaction, it felt good.
The contentment of the diners gathered together, encouraging the God of Cookery System and causing it to continuously release rewards. The rewards for the past few days had been recipes for signature Sichuan dishes, one each day.
The variety of Sichuan dishes is vast, so just seven recipes were obviously not enough for Jiang Feng to establish a Sichuan restaurant. On one hand, he took the time to learn Sichuan cuisine himself. On the other, he needed to set up his stall a few more times to obtain more Sichuan recipes. By then, he would be a true all-around talent.
"Boss, two servings of skewers, please!" Another pretty girl with a cute dialect came to the counter to pay.
"Sure, just a moment," Jiang Feng responded warmly.
"Boss, you look so adorable!" the pretty girl looked at Jiang Feng and said candidly.
Hearing her say this, Jiang Feng felt slightly awkward. "Adorable" in the local dialect meant "good-looking." Jiang Feng roughly understood, but it still felt a bit odd hearing it for the first time.
The girl’s friend couldn’t stand it any longer. She covered her face and tugged at her, "Come on, let’s go. You’re embarrassing yourself."
"This young man is so attractive, I can’t even handle it!" the pretty girl glanced at Jiang Feng again, as her friend was left speechless.
It had to be said, the accents of girls from Sichuan Province and Chongqing City were quite cute and pleasant to listen to. However, he’d heard that the rate of domestic violence against men in this region was quite high, second only to the Northeast, Anhui, and Ningxia. It seemed the men here didn’t have it easy.