Chapter 174: Chapter 174: Our Boss is Wild and Loves Freedom, Can’t Be Controlled!
Liu Lei’s family finally made their way into the Sichuan cuisine restaurant.
They were loyal patrons of Jiang Feng, particularly fond of the dishes he prepared.
As soon as they entered, the lively and cheerful atmosphere hit them full on.
The restaurant was not quiet, and though there wasn’t a particularly loud noise, it felt like every table was engaged in joyous conversation, just like at a banquet.
A waiter led them to a small table and brought over the menu.
"We’ve finally made it in," Liu Lei exclaimed. It was his first time seeing such a queue for a small restaurant. It could only mean that Jiang Feng’s reputation was well-known, attracting too many customers.
The family began to order.
"I read the reviews online; everyone says the spicy popcorn chicken, Kung Pao chicken, shredded pork in garlic sauce, and such are all delicious, all signature dishes."
Liu Lei, looking at the menu, momentarily didn’t know what to order. All signature dishes, none poorly made. He wanted to order them all, but his stomach and budget wouldn’t allow it.
"I want the spicy popcorn chicken and the boiled fish."
"The boiled fish he makes must be delicious!" Liu Lei’s wife said as she ordered.
"Okay, let’s order both of those, and also the couple’s lung slices."
"Add a sour and spicy shredded potato."
"And a tomato and egg drop meatball soup."
Liu Lei checked off the items on the menu.
Three meat dishes, one vegetable dish, one bowl of soup, and three bowls of rice. The order was quite large.
"Isn’t this too much? We’re only three people; we won’t be able to finish it all," Liu Lei’s wife said, looking at the menu with a bit of distress. She was the type to run a household, always mindful of their expenses. But they belonged to a well-off family, and indulging in a meal wasn’t an issue.
Liu Lei laughed and said, "It’s not too much. It’s not often we get to come here, so when we do, we should eat well."
"Besides, I wouldn’t want to swap out any of these dishes."
Liu Lei’s wife looked back at the menu. Boiled fish was a must; the numbingly spicy flavor was too good to pass up. Spicy popcorn chicken was said to be a specialty, so that was needed as well. The couple’s lung slices—aromatic and spicy, a cold dish to stimulate the appetite—had to be ordered. They could do without the shredded potatoes, but they had to have at least one vegetable dish, and since it wasn’t expensive, it was decided. Soup was also necessary. Looking over it, there really wasn’t anything they could remove. Plus, there were other dishes on the menu she wanted to try but had to give up on.
"Well, that’s settled then."
Liu Lei called the waiter and placed their order.
Soon, the order was brought to the kitchen.
At that very moment, Jiang Feng was ready to prepare the boiled fish. He decided to make a larger batch all at once.
He thoroughly cleaned and sliced the fish fillets with a kitchen knife. Jiang Feng’s knife skills were excellent. With each cut and slice, a piece of fish fillet was neatly prepared by him. He placed the sliced fish fillet and the chopped fish bones into a bowl, adding salt, beer, cooking wine, and white pepper powder. He mixed it all evenly with his hands to marinate. Then he washed them again.
The fish required multiple preparations before going into the pot. It was necessary to remove the fishy taste and also to let the fish soak up enough water so it wouldn’t end up dry or tough. Only with proper preparation would the texture be just right when eaten. This also tested the chef’s skills.
After marinating and washing several times, he beat an egg into the fish, poured in some sweet potato starch, and stirred it to coat the fish evenly. Then, he allowed it to marinate, which would take about 10 minutes.
For boiled fish, one could add whatever they liked to the pot. Jiang Feng’s choice was to add some bean sprouts, as well as celery and garlic shoots. Next, he fried the spices and began to stew them. He continuously scooped out the fish as it cooked, ensuring each piece was perfectly done. Cut thin and tender, the fish had to be cooked with perfect control of the heat and time; otherwise, it was easy to overcook.
In the end, Jiang Feng poured a pot of hot broth over the scooped fish and side ingredients. He then sprinkled knife-cut chilies, chopped garlic, and some sesame seeds on top. Finally, he heated a small pot of oil and poured it over the fish.
With a SIZZLE AND CRACKLE, bubbles instantly erupted on the surface of the dish. The aroma was immediately released. After sprinkling some chopped green onions for color, the dish of boiled fish was complete.
Upon closer inspection, the thick fish broth was teeming with green onions, chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, sesame seeds, and other seasonings scattered amid the succulent slices of fish. The fish was smooth and not tough, with the flavors of numbing spiciness well infused. It was truly a triumphant joy of cooking.
Once several pots of the boiled fish were ready, Jiang Feng had his apprentice serve them. The restaurant outside was bustling as ever.
In a short while, the boiled fish was brought to Liu Lei’s table.
He was a hardworking man with a harmonious family, living amidst the ordinary concerns of daily life, most preoccupied with clothing, food, housing, transportation, and his child’s education. Being able to take his family out for a delicious meal on the weekend was a beautiful part of life for him.
"The boiled fish is here."
The apprentice set down the boiled fish.
The family immediately looked into the basin. At this moment, the boiled fish was still hot. You could still see small bubbles stirring visibly.
The aroma of numbing, spicy, fresh, and savory scents assaulted the senses. The taste of chili, Sichuan peppercorn, green onion, and garlic shoot was very pronounced. For the locals, that numbingly spicy flavor was something they thoroughly enjoyed. Eating it was simply too satisfying.
"Here it comes, try it quickly!" Liu Lei signaled for his wife to eat first, the family hierarchy clearly arranged.
"That was pretty fast." Liu Lei’s wife picked up a slice of fish with her chopsticks. The white fish flesh was extremely tender, firm when picked up, not breaking apart easily. This is where the chef’s skill shows. If the heat control isn’t just right, the fish slice would break as soon as the chopsticks pinch it, and the texture wouldn’t be as firm, affecting the taste slightly. The fish slice swayed on the chopsticks, dotted with sesame seeds, with sauce trickling down, covering every bit of the fish. The presentation was very appealing.
Liu Lei’s wife put the fish into her mouth.
The sensation upon entering the mouth could be described in four words:
Spicy and scalding hot.
The fish was still piping hot, with a hit of spice bursting forth as soon as it was tasted. The boiled fish matched the spicy and aromatic taste of Sichuan cuisine. The flavor of the stir-fried chili and Sichuan peppercorns had already penetrated every thread of the fish flesh. With a gentle chew, you could feel the elasticity of the fish. Though the slices of fish were thin, they didn’t fall apart. Upon chewing, the fresh and tender taste of the fish also spread out. These fish were all fresh, and after being processed by Jiang Feng several times, didn’t have the slightest fishy taste, only freshness and tenderness. Jiang Feng had his own methods for processing fish. The fish bounced lightly against the teeth, gliding over the tongue. The spicy sauce stimulated the taste buds.
"So fragrant! So tender! You have to try it! This boiled fish is especially delicious!" Liu Lei’s wife, her face lit up with surprise, signaled Liu Lei to try as well.
Liu Lei also picked up a piece and put it in his mouth. Indeed, this spicy flavor was very much to his liking, filling his mouth with a delicious aroma.
The two of them were especially delighted. But their son wasn’t too happy. The boiled fish was placed too far away, and when the son couldn’t reach it, he said, "Did you forget about me, or should I just leave?"
The couple then noticed their son and moved the fish closer to the center, even picking up a piece for him. Liu Lei’s son also tasted a piece of the fish. With that bite, he also found the spiciness thrillingly enjoyable. What one sought from a Sichuan restaurant was precisely this fiery atmosphere.
「Meanwhile, in Eastern Shandong, at Jiangyue Terrace Restaurant.」
Jiangyue Terrace was becoming increasingly popular. On one hand, Executive Chef Jiang had improved the Shandong Cuisine recipes, handling the quality control personally. Every dish was strictly controlled for taste and was very authentic. On the other hand, the employees enjoyed good treatment and benefits, so everyone worked hard. The corporate culture was very good. In this environment, customers were also willing to come over.
At this moment, many netizens were commenting under the official account of Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant.
"Your boss has gone to Chengdu to make Sichuan cuisine. Aren’t you going to manage him?"
"Your boss doesn’t care about you anymore!"
"Let Executive Chef Jiang come back to make Sichuan cuisine!"
"If he wants to make it, why don’t you just open another Sichuan cuisine restaurant?"
Clearly, local netizens were still eager to eat the food made by Jiang Feng. Unfortunately, Jiang Feng liked to travel and experience different places. Luckily, he had the assistance of the system, which matched his desires perfectly, preventing him from staying in one place for too long.
The operator of the Jiangyue Terrace account reported these comments to Liew Mei. Liew Mei, knowing the netizens loved to play with memes, instructed the operator to reply: "Where the boss goes, we can’t control, ah! I’m just a small operator."
Seeing this reply, the netizens were both amused and disappointed. It wasn’t the first or second time that Jiang Feng had disappeared and then reappeared.
The comment section of Jiangyue Terrace was lively. There were also comments from netizens whose IP addresses were abroad:
"When will Executive Chef Jiang come to our Chinatown to set up a stall? I want to taste it."
"I’m studying in England, hoping Executive Chef Jiang can rescue us students here."
"I’m in Kimchi Country, about to starve to death!"
Reading these comments, the local netizens responded:
"No way, you know about Executive Chef Jiang even abroad?"
"Is Executive Chef Jiang that famous?"
"Have you also heard stories about Executive Chef Jiang?"
"Forget it, we haven’t had our fill yet!"
The atmosphere in the comment section was very enthusiastic. Jiang Feng’s popularity was on the rise, with more and more people getting to know him. At this very moment, he was busy cooking in a small Sichuan cuisine restaurant, without a direct perception of his growing fame, just feeling that the place was always crowded, so he had to do well.
Before long, Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant even shared a video of Jiang Feng cooking in the Sichuan restaurant. The caption said: "Our boss is a free spirit and loves his freedom. We can’t manage him. We absolutely can’t manage him."
The netizens enjoyed this kind of memeing. Jiang Feng’s popularity soared even higher, and so did the popularity of Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant. Everyone thought it was quite amusing. A Shandong Cuisine Restaurant’s owner and executive chef ran off to cook at a Sichuan restaurant; who could understand this logic?
People started leaving comments again. Now it was the era of social media, where information exploded, and news spread quickly to Chengdu. The netizens of Chengdu also joined the discussion.
"Isn’t Executive Chef Jiang a Sichuan cuisine chef? His Sichuan cuisine is super authentic!"
"He’s a Sichuan cuisine master chef!"
"Haha, Chengdu welcomes everyone."