CHAPTER 216: CHAPTER 216 BOSS IS THIS A TEST FOR ME?

Jiang Feng entrusted the preparation of the ingredients entirely to Sun Zhuangfei. This way, he had time to walk his dog and watch TV. Well, he was the boss, after all.

Of course, he paid the salary in full without skimping and also made contributions to Sun Zhuangfei’s housing and social insurances. This was unlike the other employees hired at the fried chicken shop. Although Sun Zhuangfei also worked at the fried chicken shop, he was an official employee of the Jiangyue Terrace Sichuan Restaurant.

Jiang Feng spent a leisurely afternoon at home. Having a subordinate felt really good.

Afterward, he drove to the fried chicken shop in no particular hurry. The front of the shop was crowded with customers.

After Jiang Feng parked his car and stepped out, many people immediately surrounded him to take photos and greet him.

"Good afternoon, Boss Jiang."

"Start frying the chicken quickly!"

"Talk chicken, not trash, let’s be civilized, you and me!"

"When do you open for business?"

"Boss Jiang, are you taking on apprentices?"

"Boss Jiang, do you need a wife? Just say the word, and I’ll bring her straight to you!"

The crowd was noisy and boisterous. Jiang Feng responded with smiles.

"I need to start getting ready; we’ll still open at four in the afternoon."

"Thank you all for your support!"

Jiang Feng entered the fried chicken shop and closed the door behind him.

Sun Zhuangfei had reported on WeChat that the chicken was ready, and Jiang Feng wanted to check the situation first. However, when Jiang Feng walked behind the counter inside the fried chicken shop, a look of astonishment crossed his face.

Several iron basins were on the floor, all filled with marinated chicken.

"Holy cow, how much did you buy?" he couldn’t help asking.

"Three hundred chickens," replied Sun Zhuangfei, his face beaming with pride.

"Three hundred chickens?"

In the past few days, Jiang Feng had prepared about one hundred and fifty chickens, enough to make 300 combo meals. But this guy Sun Zhuangfei, once given the task of preparing the ingredients, had gone and gotten 300 chickens all by himself. This was outrageous.

"You did all this by yourself?" Jiang Feng asked again.

"Yes, Boss. Didn’t you tell me to decide on the purchases? I went over this morning," Sun Zhuangfei explained. "I thought I could handle it all, so I bought 300. Look, I’ve got them all marinated. Don’t worry, Boss, I cleaned them thoroughly."

Jiang Feng had only mentioned the task in passing and hadn’t specified the details. After all, Sun Zhuangfei had been following Jiang Feng for the past few days, and Jiang Feng assumed he would buy the same quantity as before. However, in Sun Zhuangfei’s eyes, this was a test from his boss. I have to do well. Trust him to do something like this. So, he had bought three hundred chickens by himself, cleaned them all, and marinated them.

Jiang Feng didn’t quite know what to say. He was pleased with his employee’s hard work, but it was really unnecessary. This would mean overtime again, wouldn’t it?

But since Sun Zhuangfei had finished the task, Jiang Feng didn’t need to do much more.

"Good job, you’ve worked hard," Jiang Feng commended Sun Zhuangfei. "Tomorrow is the last day; just get 200 chickens. Don’t overexert yourself." Of course, such a hardworking employee deserved praise.

"Boss, I’m not tired at all! If I had started earlier, I could have marinated 400 chickens!" Sun Zhuangfei assured him, puffing out his chest, feeling underestimated.

"No need!" Jiang Feng immediately waved off the suggestion. "Just 200 chickens. Don’t buy even one more."

"Alright, Boss." Sun Zhuangfei nodded gratefully, touched by his boss’s kindness. He thinks the boss is so considerate, worrying about his employees overexerting themselves.

Was Jiang Feng concerned about him overworking? He was worried about overworking himself! If you marinate 400 chickens, how long will I have to fry? Spare those poor chickens; give them a break. Two hundred is enough.

Jiang Feng began preparing the batter and, at the same time, started getting various sauces ready. Sun Zhuangfei took out the first batch of marinated chicken to start cutting and portioning out the different parts. This would make frying them later a bit easier.

The other young part-time workers hired for the job had also arrived. Jiang Feng offered better pay than the going rate and was generous, so everyone liked working in his shop. Their only regret was that the shop was open for such a short time. Just a few days, and then it would all be over.

Soon after, the fried chicken shop opened for business. Worried they wouldn’t get to eat the fried chicken, customers had arrived early. Today’s business hours, however, seemed unusually long. The queue persisted, and the fried chicken kept selling.

Passersby would even ask, "Boss Jiang, is it too late for us to line up now?"

Jiang Feng stuck his head out, glanced at the back of the line, estimated the number of people, and responded, "It’s not too late; we have enough supply for today."

Hearing this, the regulars were somewhat surprised.

"There’s still some available today?"

"Yep, I prepared a bit more," Jiang Feng calmly replied.

He silently fried the chicken in front of the fryer. This time, there really was too much chicken to finish frying. The amount was simply overwhelming.

Sun Zhuangfei, on the other hand, was full of passion, methodically dealing with the chicken. Even though these were tasks that did not require much skill, maintaining a consistent pace without mistakes was quite challenging.

At this moment, another young customer came to the counter and said to Jiang Feng inside, "Boss Jiang, if I apply for a job here, can I eat fried chicken? I want to apply for a job. As long as I can eat the fried chicken, that’s enough."

Upon hearing the customer’s words, the faces of the few young people doing odd jobs changed slightly. Wow, someone’s trying to steal our jobs!

But it was as the customer had said: working for Jiang Feng meant you really could eat the fried chicken he made. This employee meal was indeed delicious and could be considered a job benefit.

Jiang Feng hadn’t expected someone to volunteer for work. He politely replied, "There’s no need. After today and tomorrow, once the fried chicken is sold out, I won’t be selling any more, and I won’t need any extra help."

Hearing what Jiang Feng said, the other customers immediately became anxious.

"What? Not selling anymore? Boss Jiang, with such good business, how can you just stop selling like that?"

"I was planning to come every day!"

"How can you not sell such delicious fried chicken?"

"Boss Jiang, your scarcity marketing is too powerful; it has really left us craving!" the customers exclaimed.

Running a street food stall was just one of Jiang Feng’s hobbies, not his livelihood; he had two large restaurants to manage. According to Jiang Feng’s plans, his goal was to scout for restaurant locations while casually selling snacks at a stall, enjoying a relaxed and happy life. If he had to keep selling fried chicken, that would be truly uncomfortable for him.

Seeing so many people trying to convince him, Jiang Feng didn’t quite know what to say and simply replied, "Selling fried chicken is a hobby. Thank you all for your support. I want to experience other things as well, and I hope you all understand."

He always remained so composed.

Many people knew Jiang Feng’s story: a chef who enjoyed setting up street stalls among regular folks, an affluent man with his feet firmly on the ground.

So, the imminent closing of Jiang Feng’s fried chicken shop was not unexpected. It was just that people were reluctant to see it go.

"I finally understand why so many food enthusiasts are looking for him; he really leaves a lasting impression."

"The fried chicken shop hasn’t even closed, and I’m already feeling nostalgic!"

"Can you give us a heads-up on where you’ll set up shop next time?"

"Why not create a group and let us know whenever you’re setting up a stall!" the people chimed in again.

They shared the sentiments of food enthusiasts from Eastern Shandong and Chengdu. To eat something delicious, one must look for Jiang Feng.

"I haven’t decided yet where I’ll go next time. I might take a few days off. We’ll talk about that when the time comes."

Jiang Feng continued to fry chicken in silence.

One after another, the batter-coated chickens turned golden and crispy in the fryer. The chicken was fresh, the batter was fresh, and even the seasoning sauces were fresh. That’s why the fried chicken was so exquisite: crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and loved by the people.

Such delectable fried chicken was rare. A small shop’s chicken cutlet would tend to be dry. As for fast-food chicken, being pre-made, it might be tasty but lacked the same freshness and aroma.

Jiang Feng, however, marinated the chicken on the spot and coated it with batter right there. The customers could see everything happening inside, so they felt both reassured about his fried chicken and satisfied.

People who bought the fried chicken ate contentedly on the side.

Someone remarked, "It’s normal. After all, he’s a chef; we should just be glad we got to eat what he made. Even if we wanted him to stay here, we couldn’t make him."

The others nodded in agreement.

Being able to eat his food was considered good fortune; expecting to do so regularly was unlikely.

Jiang Feng remained calm.

He took his food seriously, no matter what he was making, always painstakingly seeing it through. Meticulous, patient, and composed. His ability to reach this point was also inextricably linked to his personality.

Occasionally, Jiang Feng would pause to drink some water and then stress to Sun Zhuangfei, "Just buy 200 chickens for tomorrow, no more. We really can’t finish frying them all."

Hearing this, Sun Zhuangfei nodded and agreed. "Okay, Boss, I’ll buy just 200."

The bar across the street had its doors shut. Ma Jiang, Zheng Chuanlin, and a few other plainclothes officers had finished their shifts and came to Jiang Feng’s fried chicken stall in casual clothes, queuing up to buy a few servings. Everyone expressed their gratitude to Jiang Feng, and he responded politely as always.

After all, attracting a few wanted criminals was quite normal for a restaurant, especially when the food was genuinely delicious.

「When the last day arrived.」

The business at the fried chicken stall continued to boom. Sun Zhuangfei, following Jiang Feng’s instructions, had only marinated 200 chickens. The final day of the stall passed amidst the hustle and bustle. And with that, the week-long fried chicken stall came to an end.