Novel Full Chapter 226: Yangzhai Street is Getting More and More Competitive?
Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Yangzhai Street is Getting More and More Competitive?
Customers were still queuing outside.
Each one was hopping up and down, as restless as a monkey on a hot plate.
"Brother Jiang, how many orders of twice-cooked pork are left?"
"What? Only five left? It can’t be going that fast, can it?" The young man who spoke turned pale.
"I should have lined up earlier. Sigh, I’m not going to get any now."
Quite a few customers were filled with regret.
Yu Qingzheng, who had managed to buy the very last order of twice-cooked pork, was grinning so hard his teeth nearly fell out.
"Yes, yes, yes! This is great! I finally get to try the new dish today."
A chubby man who had come from afar was drooling with envy.
"Old man, I’ll give you three hundred. How about you sell it to me?"
"In your dreams! You think I’m a fool? I might never get to eat this twice-cooked pork again. I wouldn’t sell it for a thousand!"
Business in the morning was as explosive as ever.
Around three hundred customers were in the queue, but the crowd of onlookers had swelled to a thousand.
This much foot traffic so early in the morning.
It left the neighboring streets completely dumbfounded.
’What in the world is going on here?’
Over a thousand people flocking to Yangzhai Street for breakfast first thing in the morning? They must be insane!
Jiujiu Restaurant had completely given up.
His customers were lined up all the way to their doorstep, yet not a single one would even glance at their steamed buns.
’It’s pointless.’
’Might as well open the doors and watch the show.’
Brother Hai had also given up the struggle.
After holding it in for a long time, he finally said, "If you fight a man, you still have a chance. But you’re fighting a goddamn immortal. What fucking chance do you have?"
Jiang Liu was simply inhuman. In less than half a month since opening, he had single-handedly boosted the foot traffic of an entire street.
To say nothing of the hype surrounding his own restaurant.
...
Just as Jiang Liu announced he was sold out, the light rain began to taper off.
The customers were devastated.
They sighed and groaned.
"This is so hard. It’s my fifth time queuing, and I still don’t even know what the buns taste like. At this point, I’m starting to suspect someone’s playing a prank on me."
An auntie advised:
"Don’t give up! The buns are truly delicious. Not just the buns—anything Boss Jiang makes, if you don’t try it at least once, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life!"
A business owner from the next street over muttered sullenly, "Why don’t we just kidnap Boss Jiang? We can lock him up somewhere and have him cook delicious food for us every day. Wouldn’t that be great?"
"Hahaha, that’s a criminal idea. I think it’s a capital idea!"
"Sigh, I haven’t been able to keep up since three days ago. Unless I skip work and come super early... the chances are better at dawn. It’s even harder at noon and in the evening."
He had even figured out the best grinding strategy.
The moment the corporate drone finished speaking,
one of Jiang Liu’s loyal auntie fans immediately consoled him.
"It’s okay, don’t worry. Maybe one day it’ll hail and no one will be here. Then you’ll get to eat, right?"
"You’ll get used to it. It’s fair for everyone. Xiao Jiang is a good person; he wouldn’t pull any tricks."
"It can’t be helped. Boss Jiang’s food is so good, it’d be a crime against heaven if he wasn’t this popular. We live close by. Think about the people who travel hundreds of kilometers to get here—they have to set aside at least two days."
"That’s true..."
The corporate drone felt much better.
’Yeah, as locals, we’re already the envy of many.’
As business hours ended, the crowd on Yangzhai Street quickly thinned out.
Some customers ran directly to the parking spots across the street, hiding in their cars to avoid the rain and play games.
’Compete?’
’I’m fucking moving in here!’
’I’ll get back in line in a bit.’
’I refuse to believe I won’t get to eat!’
Meanwhile, the customers inside who had yet to finish their meals...
...glanced at the resentful faces outside the door and felt an incredible sense of satisfaction.
’No matter how rich you are, when you’re at Boss Jiang’s place, don’t you still have to queue up obediently and drool like everyone else?’
A mischievous customer finished his meal, walked out picking his teeth, and exclaimed loudly, "Ah, that yak meat was so delicious. And the potatoes were so soft and fluffy. Amazing!"
"Yeah, and especially the buns at the end! The flavor was out of this world."
These words fell on the ears of the customers who hadn’t managed to buy anything, and their spirits completely shattered.
They were both envious and furious!
Another "harmonious" argument broke out at the entrance.
Hearing his customers bicker and one-up each other, Jiang Liu smiled with satisfaction.
’The more anxious everyone is, the more it proves how delicious my food is.’
’By the same token, I’ll earn my praise points faster.’
The customers in the shop began to leave one by one.
"I’ll take the trash out for you on my way, alright? Brother Jiang, remember to change the trash bag later."
"Brother Jiang, where’s your mop? I feel like getting some exercise."
"It’s over already. Moments of happiness are always so fleeting!"
"Goodbye, Boss Jiang! Your tuna was so tender. It’s just a shame I didn’t get to try the twice-cooked pork. Will you be selling it at noon?"
"Thanks, everyone. And to this handsome guy, no need to mop, I’ll get to it in a bit. As for noon, we’ll see."
Jiang Liu exchanged a few pleasantries with his customers.
The young man who had offered to work for Jiang Liu forced a smile.
"Alright then, Brother Jiang. I’m off. Make sure you get some rest."
’I was hoping to curry some favor,’ he thought. ’Looks like there’s no chance now.’
Eventually, all the customers departed.
Jiang Liu had already gotten the shop mostly cleaned up.
It wasn’t very dirty. He just tossed the plates into the sink to soak, and after that, he’d stick them in the dishwasher to get cleaned.
By the time he finished everything, it was a little after nine o’clock.
Jiang Liu glanced outside and saw that customers were already clamoring and lining up again.
However, there were no obvious scalpers. Everyone knew about Jiang Liu catching Wang Dongxu, so even if there were scalpers, they would be very discreet.
He took out his phone.
There were a few messages.
Xia Changzhi said he would help him ask around.
After replying to Xia Changzhi, Jiang Liu opened the WeChat chat with his girlfriend.
Jun Qingmeng: "First period today was arts and crafts. Tongtong made a little steamed bun out of modeling clay."
Jun Qingmeng: "[Image]"
Jun Qingmeng: "We’re doing great. You need to take care of yourself too, boyfriend. Don’t make your girlfriend worry."
Jun Qingmeng: "[Chin on hand emoji]"
Jiang Liu smiled. "Not bad. It looks great. She’s got my style from back in the day."
Jiang Liu: "I will. You two make sure to eat well, too. It’s getting cold, so cover up with a blanket at noon."
The moment he sent the message,
Jun Qingmeng sent back an eye-roll emoji.
Jiang Liu didn’t reply again.
He put his phone away.
He decided to start working.
For lunch, Jiang Liu planned to offer a little bonus: steamed Waxy Corn. The cost was low, and the customers loved it.
「10:00 AM.」
Wang Cheng sent Jiang Liu a message on WeChat.
"The real estate department has started its review. Everything is going smoothly. Someone from the fire department checked out your new store today, and the fire safety certificate should be issued in a couple of days."
"If there are no surprises, the business license should also be approved soon."
To get things done this quickly, he had pulled a lot of personal strings.
Jiang Liu was a little surprised. "It’s almost done already? When should I pay her the money?"
Wang Cheng: "It has to be fast. When it comes to Boss Jiang’s business, all of us at Zhongtai are on it. You can pay in a couple of days; there’s no rush on our end."
Wang Cheng: "The legal representative is Hu Yongfa. That’s confirmed, right, Boss Jiang?"
Jiang Liu replied: "Yep, just put his name down."
’Of course I’m not going to manage all the details of the new store myself,’ he thought. ’If there’s a food-related incident, I won’t be the one held responsible.’
Jiang Liu was the boss behind the scenes, so to speak, while Hu Yongfa was the manager on the front lines.
On the way home yesterday,
Jiang Liu had spoken with Hu Yongfa on the phone.
When Hu Yongfa heard he was being made the store manager, he was so happy he nearly died.
He couldn’t stop kissing up to "Master Jiang."
Saying things about how he’d work hard and wouldn’t let him down.
Wang Cheng replied: "Alright, then it’s settled. As for the materials, I’ve added Hu Yongfa on WeChat. If anything comes up, I won’t bother you. I’ll just give him the instructions directly."