Jiang Feng's food stall was especially bustling.
The weekend crowd always brought better business.
This, however, proved challenging for those who came specifically to queue.
If you arrived late, you couldn't blame others; there was no alternative.
Liu Wu, the person in charge of Shuize Resort, had assigned a security guard to maintain order. With so many people queuing, it wouldn't be good if any incidents occurred.
At this very moment, food vlogger Liu Bao's livestream was exceptionally active. The number of viewers kept increasing and had now surpassed 4,000.
After finishing the marinated chicken, Liu Bao had some ribs, and then pig trotters.
His verdict was just two words: "Awesome."
"I really made the right call coming here!" Liu Bao lamented to his audience. "No exaggeration, this marinated meat tastes truly good. I had no idea a street food stall could achieve this level. Most brick-and-mortar restaurants can't even compare."
Typically, street food stalls are small operations, selling things like savory crepes, fried skewers, and similar items. Occasionally, you see carts selling marinated meats, but more often than not, the meat isn't fresh. Jiang Feng's mobile food truck came with its own stove. After a detailed makeover, it was clean and spacious, allowing him to cook and stew meat onboard. The marinated meats he produced were even more delicious than those from some established restaurants with bigger investments.
Liu Bao went on to say, "All I can say is that the real masters are among the common folk. Though he's just a street vendor, his handling of the ingredients and his dedication to the marinated meat are impeccable. He's a very conscientious chef."
Hearing Liu Bao speak so highly, the viewers in the livestream were somewhat surprised. However, the audience was generally skeptical.
[Is it really that good?]
[It's the first time I see Brother Bao rate a chef so highly, and it's actually for a street vendor?]
[Are you paid for this, streamer? Just say if you're paid!]
[How good can a street vendor's food really be?]
There were some skeptical voices in the livestream. At the same time, some people started to take notice of Jiang Feng.
Influence isn't built overnight. This is especially true in the culinary industry. It's like a pot of water about to boil. Before it bubbles, the surface remains still, but the temperature inside is constantly rising.
Liu Bao felt that if Jiang Feng could maintain his momentum, he would definitely become more popular. Becoming a marinated meat magnate someday wasn't out of the question. But his thoughts were still too simple; he assumed Jiang Feng's specialty was only marinated meat. Little did he know that marinated meat was just one facet of Jiang Feng's culinary skills.
Liu Bao told his viewers, "I dare not claim anything else, but if this food stall keeps operating like this, the owner is bound to become famous. The number of people buying his marinated meat will only increase."
Liu Bao's high praise was met with skepticism by some viewers and indifference by others, while some became even more curious about Jiang Feng.
At this moment, Jiang Feng was still selling marinated meats at his stall.
Business was booming. Perhaps because yesterday's marinated chicken had been a big hit, it was the first item to sell out today.
Jiang Feng wiped the words "Spicy Marinated Chicken" off the signboard.
Seeing Jiang Feng's action, the customers in line immediately looked disappointed.
"Damn, no more marinated chicken!"
"I came just for the marinated chicken!"
"Two chicken legs would do, they're cheaper!"
"Chicken legs aren't as tasty as the marinated chicken, though!"
"Boss, make more marinated chicken!"
Many people shouted out their requests. The delivery drivers in line also promptly contacted their customers by phone, explaining that the marinated chicken was sold out and asking if they would like something else. Fortunately, there was still plenty of other marinated meat available.
Today, Jiang Feng had prepared a larger quantity of marinated meats, totaling about four hundred pounds. He had been busy all afternoon yesterday and all morning today to prepare it all. This way, he could meet the demands of more customers.
Of course, he made good money. On Saturday, the food street was bustling with activity, and as lunchtime approached, the number of diners increased. Other food stalls and eateries attracted plenty of customers. However, none were as wildly popular as Jiang Feng's marinated meat stall.
A customer, enjoying a bowl of noodles, looked at the long queue and asked the eatery owner, "Boss, why is that food stall so popular? The queue is way too long!"
Hearing the customer's remark, the eatery owner replied, "It's delicious; the queue gets longer day by day. That stall was quite busy on its first day, but not enough to form a queue. It got more popular on the second day, and the crowd grew. By the third day, people started lining up. Now, six days later, the line has become this long."
The customers in the eatery listened to their conversation, amazed. Is that stall really that impressive?
The customer then asked again, "Is it truly that delicious?"
Hearing this, the eatery owner chuckled, nodded in confirmation, and said, "It's really delicious. I queued to buy some myself. The marinated meat is very flavorful and not greasy at all—you just taste the freshness. I wonder what his recipe is."
Hearing the eatery owner put it like that, the customer grew curious. "Then I'll go buy some to try in a bit."
The eatery owner smiled again and said, "Too late. He usually packs up at 12:30 PM, and it's already 12:20 PM. There probably isn't much left."
The customer glanced at the dragon-like queue, sighed softly, and abandoned the idea of lining up.
Today, Jiang Feng had prepared more marinated meat, but his transaction speed was even faster. Scooping the meat, weighing it, and boxing it up—all in one smooth motion. He was like a worker on an assembly line. He occasionally chatted with customers, always maintaining a gentle demeanor.
Around 12:40 PM, Jiang Feng scooped out the last of the marinated meat from the pot and announced he was closing up.
When they heard he had sold out, several customers gathered around, staring at the broth in the pot as if hoping to will some marinated meat into existence.
"It's all gone. I'm really sorry," Jiang Feng said to the customers. "Thanks for your support."
Then, he took down his signboard, closed the service window, started the minibus, and slowly drove away from the food street.
His stall spot was empty once again.
"Sold out again!"
"So carefree!" the noodle shop owner exclaimed in admiration as Jiang Feng departed.
Today's customer traffic was several times greater than usual, and there were even more people in front of Jiang Feng's stall. Moreover, the noodle shop owner had been closely watching Jiang Feng's business. That's how it is in business; you always watch the shop that attracts the most customers nearby. The noodle shop owner noticed that at least five different groups of people were recording videos with their phones at Jiang Feng's stall. These people would undoubtedly post videos of the queue online, meaning Jiang Feng's marinated meat stall was only going to become even more popular.
At this point, the noodle shop's assistant chatted with the owner.
"I heard from Manager Liu that the owner of that marinated meat stall will only be here for one more day, tomorrow, and then he won't be coming back. I'm not sure if it's true."
Surprised by the assistant's words, the noodle shop owner asked, "Really? Did Liu Wu say that?"
"Yes, I heard that too. Manager Liu tried to persuade the marinated meat stall owner to set up at Shuize Resort long-term, offering to waive the stall fee. But it seems the owner didn't agree," the assistant added.
"Oh, I hope not," the owner said immediately, somewhat worried.
Hearing the owner's response, the assistant looked a bit astonished and questioned, "Boss, wouldn't it be better if he left? He's taken so much business. I bet the owner of the kebab stall hates his guts."
The noodle shop owner shook his head and replied, "He hasn't taken anyone's business. Many people come specifically for him. On the contrary, he has brought a lot of foot traffic here. Many people who couldn't get into his line, or found it too long, ended up eating at our shops instead. Haven't you noticed our revenue these past few days has been better than last week's? It's all thanks to him! Otherwise, why do you think Liu Wu wants him to stay, even offering to waive the stall fee? He's our main attraction!"
Upon hearing the owner's explanation, the assistant finally understood.
The owner continued, "You can't be petty in business, getting jealous just because someone else is doing well.
"They've earned their success through their own hard work.
"And he's brought even more customers to this area.
"If he really leaves, that would be a real loss for everyone here."
The two chatted idly.
Society is full of all sorts of people, and everyone sees things from their own perspective.
Jiang Feng, however, paid no mind to the opinions of the other stall owners, nor would he waste energy on such trivial matters.
All he looked forward to was setting up his stall for one more day tomorrow to complete his weekly task, and then finding a better place to live with Little Black.