Chapter 182: Chapter 182: This Old Number Six has changed places!
In the evening, Jiang Feng idly browsed through videos to kill time.
He had never come across himself in a video before, but this time, he actually did.
In the video, Sun Zhuangfei was playing the violin, while he was in the background frying a steak.
He didn’t know how to describe this scene.
It was just... pretty abstract.
Jiang Feng usually ignored such videos.
He hesitated at the comment icon but eventually clicked it.
The top comment was:
"A boss with social anxiety and a sociable rogue employee."
Jiang Feng smiled helplessly.
The comment got it backward; he wasn’t socially anxious at all, Sun Zhuangfei was the one who was a bit.
But no one would believe Sun Zhuangfei had social anxiety since he dared to play the violin in a suit in public.
The comments that followed were even more interesting.
"Executive Chef Jiang is getting fancier with his tricks!"
"He’s actually setting up a stall to sell steaks. They look so delicious, I want to try one!"
"His gourmet food is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; it’s all about fate!"
"You always spot Executive Chef Jiang in the most random videos!"
Netizens had a pretty good opinion of him.
After reading a few comments, Jiang Feng closed the section and moved on to the next video.
It was nice to read compliments, but too many could make him cocky.
「The next afternoon, on the food street.」
Many customers waited eagerly in advance.
Some sat at other small stalls, while others stood in line.
They were all determined to taste that steak.
Many self-media personalities, smelling an opportunity, came to shoot videos and livestream.
The self-media industry in Chengdu is fairly developed, and there’s no shortage of people aspiring to overnight fame and Internet stardom.
For a while, the scene was a bit chaotic.
Initially, everyone was orderly, but as more people arrived, they started to occupy the spot where Jiang Feng planned to set up his stall.
Driving over in his food truck, Jiang Feng noticed the situation from a distance.
"What the heck is going on?"
It wasn’t as if customers neatly lined up every time he set up his stall.
Because Jiang Feng’s steaks were so popular, customers poured in, and so did onlookers.
The area had become a hotspot for internet bloggers to check in.
A circle of smartphone rigs surrounded Jiang Feng’s stall.
It seemed like these folks wanted to livestream his stall to make some money.
Sun Zhuangfei also became anxious, poking his head out and looking around nonstop.
Little Black had come along today too, and he was also peering outside.
Jiang Feng immediately called the person in charge of the food street.
"Can I move to a different spot? It’s too chaotic here for a stall," Jiang Feng inquired.
"No problem, of course, no problem! I’ll arrange it for you!" the person in charge immediately agreed.
Soon after, the person in charge found him a new spot for his stall.
This new location was even better: in front of a small shop, with a few barriers cordoning it off.
Inside the barriers, there was room for tables and chairs.
A shop used to operate there, but after the owner quit, the space was still up for rent.
Jiang Feng didn’t need to rent the shop; he could just park his food truck in front of it and set up directly.
After all, the person in charge managed this area.
So, Jiang Feng drove his food truck to the designated spot, set out tables and chairs, and opened for business once again.
Meanwhile, Jiang Feng’s original stall location was still bustling.
Many people were waiting for Jiang Feng to arrive.
"Why are there so many influencers today? They’ve taken up all the space where Boss Jiang sets up his stall!"
"These minor livestreamers are so annoying!"
"Boss Jiang isn’t bailing on us, is he?"
The crowd buzzed with conversation.
Just then, someone rushed over to his friends, his face alight with excitement, and said,
"I saw Boss Jiang! He’s moved to a new spot! Let’s hurry over there!"
Hearing this, his friends’ faces lit up with surprise.
"For real? He’s moved?"
"Let’s go! While it’s still not crowded, hurry!"
"Come on!"
A few people immediately bolted toward the back of the food street.
Others in line also overheard their conversation.
"Boss Jiang moved?"
"They aren’t trying to trick us, are they?"
"They didn’t seem to be lying. Let’s go! We should head over too!"
People in the line started running in the other direction.
More and more people sensed something was up.
"Oh man, that cunning Boss Jiang, he didn’t move over there, did he?"
Someone had caught on!
"Come on, let’s get over there quickly too!"
The crowd started rushing to the other side of the food street.
The livestreamers were also dumbfounded. How could everyone just suddenly run off?
"Where’s that stall owner? Hasn’t he arrived yet?"
"Could he have moved?"
"What the—? How could he just change locations?"
The influencers, finally catching on, picked up their livestreaming gear and scrambled after the crowd. However, carrying their equipment slowed them down compared to the eager customers.
Some influencers continued to livestream, and their viewers, witnessing the scene, were thrilled.
The thrill of a livestream is the excitement; who would watch if there wasn’t any?
"Did that stall owner move spots? So sneaky!"
"Haha, look at all those people running over there!"
"Is the steak really that good?"
"This is made by a top chef. You can think of it as getting a top-tier Michelin steak for 40 bucks!"
"If he were in my city, I’d definitely go!"
"This is so interesting! Everyone’s rushing over!"
The livestreamers had turned misfortune into a blessing, as their channels became even livelier.
At this moment, Jiang Feng’s food stall was once again swarmed with people.
The signature recipe steaks and pan-fried chicken cutlets were in high demand.
The food street manager had placed signs around Jiang Feng’s food truck, partly to protect him.
The usual queue formed in front of the food truck.
This way, the only way to approach the food truck was to get in line.
The situation was spiraling out of control.
Running a food stall felt like hosting a concert.
Soon, people completely surrounded the food truck.
The line continued to stretch back, with onlookers packed tightly around the food truck, three layers deep on the inside and three layers deep on the outside, making the area almost impenetrable.
Chengdu was, after all, a metropolis.
One livestreamer with advanced equipment promptly took out a drone, letting it capture an overhead view of the food street.
Through the drone’s lens, a food truck could be seen backed up against a storefront, its lights on. A chef in an apron and a mask was inside, frying steaks with a spatula. The open area in front was filled with tables and chairs, all occupied by customers. A young man in a suit bustled back and forth. Farther out, there was nothing but people.
It was like a zombie siege.
His livestream viewers were stunned by this scene.
Good heavens, is he running a food stall or holding a concert?
There are way too many people!
"Wow, this crowd is beyond imagination!"
"Do people really love to join in the excitement this much?"
"Isn’t that how it is nowadays? Everyone’s bored, so tons of people flock to any commotion."
"I won’t believe it unless Boss Jiang sets up a stall in my city!"
"Honestly, I hope he shows up in my city!"
"We don’t know his pattern for visiting other cities yet!"
People in the livestream chat were buzzing.
The scene was indeed getting out of hand.
The person in charge of the food street started to call security over.
Thankfully, everyone was there for the steaks, not as fanatical as celebrity fans.
If they could queue, they would; if they couldn’t get in line, they’d watch the excitement for a while.
The other food stall owners on the food street were shocked by the scene.
Seriously, what’s going on here?
We’re all running food stalls, so how come his has so many people?
This is just too much!
Let alone them, even Jiang Feng found it over the top.
It was fine a couple of days ago. How did so many people suddenly show up?
The speed of online promotion was truly, unexpectedly fast.
Jiang Feng looked ahead at the dense, surging crowd.
At that moment, Sun Zhuangfei came to the front of the food truck, and Jiang Feng asked him,
"There are a lot of people. Are you nervous?"
He had spoken with Sun Zhuangfei before and knew he had been autistic as a child before gradually overcoming it, which was why he asked with concern.
"Nervous? What’s there to be nervous about?"
"I don’t look at them. I just focus on which tables need serving and which customers have left," Sun Zhuangfei immediately responded.
"Okay. Thanks for your hard work," Jiang Feng replied.
Sun Zhuangfei, being a young man, was more agile and efficient than the aunties they might otherwise hire.
He was quite serious about his work.
More and more customers were gathering outside.
At this very moment, the person in charge of the food street was on the phone with his boss.
"Boss, let’s hire a few security guards. You have no idea how many people are in front of the stall."
"There’s hardly any room left to stand."
"It’s going to be like this for the next few days. We could add more stall spots; with this kind of customer traffic, we’re sure to earn back the cost."
"A lot of people have already contacted me asking for a spot."
The boss, hearing this news, also found it quite absurd but instructed the manager to handle it.
Jiang Feng’s popularity was skyrocketing.
However, Jiang Feng knew that for a chef, a good reputation and delicious food were what truly mattered; online traffic wasn’t as crucial.
He didn’t do livestreams; ensuring his dining customers were satisfied was enough for him.
The food stall was bustling with energy.
The queue was very long, filled with all sorts of people.
Du Wei was also in the crowd, and a guy next to him remarked,
"Why not just get a delivery guy to buy it for you?"
Du Wei shook his head. "That steak has to be eaten fresh on the spot to be delicious. If it cools down, even reheating it won’t bring back the original flavor, and the texture will significantly deteriorate."
"Steak is all about eating it while it’s hot and sizzling."
"So, you can only queue up; you can’t order it for takeout."
Hearing Du Wei’s explanation, his friend finally understood.
So that was it.
It really did seem to be that way.
Well, to enjoy such delicious food, queuing was worth it, especially since they’d arrived early.
The steaks, basted in melted butter, sizzled as they were seared at high heat.
Soon, the surface of the steaks developed a slight char.
The flavor of the meat was fully unleashed.
The customers at the front of the line waited, their eyes glued to the steaks on the cutting board.
It looks so appetizing!
Is this the steak I’m about to eat?
Their faces beamed with anticipation, and when they finally tasted the steaks, they were incredibly satisfied.
Pretty much every customer felt this way.
Jiang Feng had gotten used to it.