Chapter 121: Chapter 121: I’ll Just Brazenly Join the Feast!
The system deposited money with lightning speed, akin to how one tops up phone credit.
Jiang Feng’s little treasury had just become a bit more substantial.
Moreover, for this banquet, Jiang Feng only had to cook a large pork knuckle, which wasn’t tiring at all.
The grand feast at Niu Feihu’s household was the talk of the village.
Everyone knew it was because the city’s restaurant was being renovated, so the chefs were available to cater banquets, which got everyone thinking.
Some of the old men, after finishing their farm work, sat in their yards cracking sunflower seeds and chatting leisurely.
"The Niu family really lucked out. They had originally booked a chef from the next village for the banquet, but someone else snatched him up with a higher offer. So, they had to pull some strings to book the restaurant, and it just so happened that the restaurant’s chefs were available."
"Is that so? I heard their boss is incredible—young and cooks exceptionally well. So many people are lining up online to find him!"
"I saw that too. Online, everyone calls him Executive Chef, and he really is one. That pork knuckle today smelled so good! It must be delicious with a steamed bun dipped in the sauce."
"It was the boss who cooked that pork knuckle. I heard they’ve been reserved by someone else again."
"With so many events happening, surely someone will hire him."
This banquet became the center of everyone’s discussion.
Rural life is just like that; everyone values face.
This was especially true for those with a bit more money.
Jiang Feng had accepted a funeral catering job for tomorrow.
But for a chef, it made no difference; the job was still just to cook.
After he had arranged everything for the chefs, he went to check on the place where the banquet was to be held.
In the small rural courtyard, many large wreaths were laid out. The main gate stood wide open, and a large truck equipped for performances was parked outside. Family members of the deceased were dressed in mourning clothes, and the air was occasionally pierced by sobs.
Everything seemed normal, but on the stage set up on the large truck parked outside the home, a young man and woman were singing popular songs from over a decade ago—all energetic dance tracks—and dancing wildly.
Many villagers passing by would stop to watch the performance.
Inside the yard, people wept for the deceased, their intermittent cries audible.
Yet outside, the scene was bustling, with lively music blaring from the truck’s loudspeakers.
It was a local custom.
Jiang Feng watched the performance for a while and found it quite interesting.
He couldn’t really say what was so appealing; he was just joining the crowd for a bit of excitement.
The singer was a girl in her twenties, standing on stage with a clear view of everything below.
She spotted Jiang Feng right away.
It was hard not to; he stood out so much.
Surrounded by old men and women, he was the only handsome young man there.
It was just because she caught an extra glance of him in the crowd.
Then, the girl would look at Jiang Feng from time to time—after all, choosing between looking at a handsome guy and old men wasn’t a difficult decision.
Jiang Feng watched for a bit and then went to find the person in charge of the banquet.
This family was quite well-off, with many thriving members. After the elder passed away, many descendants came to pay their respects.
Generally speaking, catering a banquet in the countryside was often a small-scale affair, and it wasn’t uncommon for hosts to look down on such caterers. But Jiang Feng was different. As the boss of a major restaurant, the family treated him with exceptional politeness.
Liu Erlei, the one managing the event, was dressed all in white and looked quite prosperous. He was the wealthiest in his family and had financed this banquet himself.
"Boss Jiang, all our family wants is to give our elder a grand and respectful final send-off.
"Please take this banquet very seriously," Liu Erlei urged earnestly.
Jiang Feng nodded and readily agreed, "Don’t worry, no problem. I’ll personally come over."
Once their agreement was finalized and Liu Erlei had paid the deposit, Jiang Feng was committed to the task.
With more busyness awaiting him the next day, Jiang Feng went home early to take Little Black for a walk and play with him.
「The next day」
The chef team from Jiangyue Terrace Restaurant arrived at Liu Erlei’s house.
Two trucks roared up, and the chefs began to hustle, transporting ingredients.
Jiang Feng had it easy; he just supervised from the sidelines.
Being the boss sure felt great. No need to do any of the work myself.
Funeral banquets have their customs, and some dishes aren’t suitable for such occasions. Jiang Feng had already communicated thoroughly with Liu Erlei, so they just needed to prepare the dishes listed on the menu.
The dishes chosen for today were simple and unpretentious; Jiang Feng himself was in charge of braising the ribs.
Even the ribs had been pre-cut and marinated.
There were truly many people from the older generation in the countryside. It was normal for a family to have seven or eight siblings, and when you included their extended families, one would be catering for twenty to thirty people.
Once the villagers heard that the restaurant’s executive chef was coming, they arrived early, ready to contribute gift money and enjoy the meal.
In rural households, as long as you contributed gift money, you could take a seat and join the meal.
The scene was very lively.
The villagers murmured among themselves.
"I heard the Liu family hired actual executive chefs for today."
"I’ve heard that boss is really formidable! He sets up stalls all over, and wherever he goes, there’s always a huge crowd lining up!"
"I’ve heard the same. They say his culinary skills are incredible; you have to queue up for his food."
"Let’s see what that boss cooks later. We have to try his food!"
"I came especially for him!"
Jiang Feng had quite the reputation; after all, there were videos of him online, and everyone recognized him.
If it had been before, when he was just a street vendor, people might have looked down on him. But with an identity as both a restaurant owner and an executive chef, no one dared to take him lightly.
Liu Erlei’s village and Niu Feihu’s village, where the banquet had been held the day before, were neighbors.
Hearing there was a funeral banquet here, some people even made a special trip from the next village over.
"How come you all came over too?" someone who recognized them asked, puzzled.
"Grandma Liu passed away, so we’ve come to mourn. It’s a difficult time," the people from the neighboring village replied.
"You weren’t seen when the death was announced, and now you’ve come for the banquet. Are you sure you’re here to mourn?"
Seeing their true intentions exposed, they said shamelessly, "Well, it’s a gesture of goodwill."
Seeing their behavior, the villagers from Liu Erlei’s village immediately became curious. It seemed that yesterday’s banquet must have been excellent; otherwise, these people wouldn’t have made the special trip.
Jiang Feng was organizing the ingredients when he saw Liu Bao appear in front of him.
"Executive Chef Jiang, long time no see," Liu Bao greeted him.
Seeing Liu Bao, Jiang Feng raised an eyebrow and responded, "Hello."
"I’m catering here, so please don’t film any videos. If too many netizens are drawn here, it could cause trouble for the hosts."
Jiang Feng worried that too many uninvited online followers might come.
In situations like this, online traffic was a bad thing.
Upon hearing this, Liu Bao immediately said,
"Executive Chef Jiang, rest assured, I didn’t bring any equipment, nor will I shoot any videos.
"I understand the principles and wouldn’t do such a thing just for views.
"We’re here openly to freeload."
Liu Bao spoke with such righteous conviction that Jiang Feng was momentarily unsure how to respond.
But as long as there was no random filming, it was fine.
"Alright, suit yourself," Jiang Feng responded.
Liu Bao gave an OK gesture and left with his cousin.
His social skills were strong, and he had a knack for spinning tales. Striking up conversations came naturally to him, so blending into a rural feast was easy.
The chefs began their preparations.
Jiang Feng had originally planned to only stew ribs, but seeing that there was ample time, he decided to make one more dish.
Too much idle time was still uncomfortable. I used to stir-fry for several hours straight.
"Old Zhang, I’ll cook the Dezhou braised chicken. Let Ho Tian come over to help me," Jiang Feng said to Zhang Hu.
Zhang Hu was the executive chef and overall supervisor of the chefs at the restaurant. Ho Tian was his apprentice, very reliable and steady with his cooking. Jiang Feng needed to inform Zhang Hu if he wanted to use Ho Tian.
"Sure, no problem," Zhang Hu responded, and he had Ho Tian assist Jiang Feng.
The Dezhou braised chicken had been rubbed inside and out with marinade and left to sit since the day before.
But marinating was just the beginning; many more processing steps followed.
Jiang Feng heated a pot of water while Ho Tian prepared the whole chickens according to Jiang Feng’s instructions.
All the chickens’ claws had to be trimmed, and their bodies trussed or shaped to hold their form.
Then, Jiang Feng placed the chickens in the pot and scalded them with hot water, causing the skin to tighten and appear plump.
Next, Jiang Feng poured glistening honey over the chickens and began to massage it in continuously, ensuring the honey was spread evenly over their bodies.
This step was akin to receiving an essential oil back massage at a spa.
The chickens could never have imagined they would get such treatment after death.
Personally massaged by the executive chef.
A fitting end indeed.
After the massage, the next step was to prepare the spice sachet. Jiang Feng had a secret recipe, and the sachets were already prepared.
Then, he heated oil in a wok. Instead of putting the chickens directly into the oil to fry, he held each chicken with a large wire skimmer and repeatedly basted it by pouring hot oil over it with a ladle.
This method, called oil-basting, soon colored the chicken skin to a deep, soy-sauce red, causing it to crisp and slightly separate from the meat.
Finally, he selected a pot of high-quality stock, added the spice sachet and various other aromatics, and placed the chickens inside to stew.
After stewing for two hours, the chicken was ready. It was succulent and reddish-brown, with a rich, lingering flavor. The meat was so tender it practically fell off the bone, easily separating with a gentle tug.
More than a dozen chickens stewed in the pot. All around them, bubbles continuously rose with a GURGLE, GURGLE, GURGLE.
Jiang Feng placed the lid on the pot, allowing all the flavors and nutrients to be sealed into the chicken meat.
Then, it was just a matter of waiting for time to work its magic before the feast began.
Dezhou braised chicken demands skill and a precise recipe.
Authentic Dezhou braised chicken restaurants even use special iron boxes for stewing the chicken.
But this was a village feast, without such strict formalities. As long as the portions were generous and the food delicious, that was all that mattered.
Jiang Feng had fully immersed himself in rural life; the feeling of stewing a large pot of meat in the open, spacious environment was quite pleasant.
He was still finding joy in his own way.