Chapter 208: Chapter 208 These People Don’t Look Like Good People!
The Sichuan restaurant has stabilized, and the daily turnover is normal, Jiang Feng thought, looking at the accounts of Jiangyue Terrace Sichuan Restaurant. It had been a turbulent time. Fortunately, his investment had been a success. The Sichuan restaurant had secured a foothold in the city. Although it hadn’t reached the point where the mention of Chengdu immediately made people think of Jiangyue Terrace, it was still one of the hottest Sichuan restaurants around.
In the following days, Jiang Feng rested in Chengdu and casually observed the operation of the Sichuan restaurant. At the same time, he started to consider his next destination. He had already acquainted himself with the spicy Sichuan cuisine and gained a deeper understanding of handling spiciness. With both Shandong Cuisine and Sichuan Cuisine under his belt, it was time to explore other regional cuisines. Jiang Feng began searching for relevant information.
Suddenly, the system’s voice sounded:
[Mission start: Set up a stall for seven consecutive days at a designated spot in Yangzhou, selling 100 servings of fried chicken per day]
[Mission reward: Golden Drumsticks*2]
[Accept?]
The abrupt onset of a system task caught Jiang Feng by surprise.
"Yangzhou?"
Jiang Feng put down his mobile phone, intrigued. There’s an old saying, "In Yangzhou, under the March fireworks"—but even after the first lunar month had passed, it seemed to be quite good.
Jiang Feng had planned to first explore Guangdong cuisine in the Guangdong Region and then move on to Jiangsu cuisine. Since the system had issued a mission, he decided to go to Yangzhou first.
Yangzhou’s regional cuisine was famous and is known as Huaiyang Cuisine. Huaiyang Cuisine is not among the eight major cuisines, but it constitutes one part of Jiangsu cuisine, which is one of the major eight. Although it is only part of Jiangsu cuisine, Huaiyang Cuisine’s reputation rivals that of any other regional cuisine. Most of the dishes served at state banquets are from Huaiyang Cuisine! Huaiyang Cuisine is fitting for both elegant occasions and the common household. Learning it was surely advantageous.
But this reward is too random. Two Golden Drumsticks? At least make it slightly presentable! Jiang Feng commented internally.
He started to acquaint himself with the situation in Yangzhou, planning to head over there in the next few days to check out the designated spot and prepare to sell fried chicken.
Yangzhou was a city in Jiangsu, but this province was known for its distinctiveness, hence the saying "Thirteen Generals of Jiangsu." That meant the thirteen cities in the province never submitted to each other, each acting autonomously. After all, none of them were short of money.
Once, during a relief effort for Hubei, the airport saw fifteen medical teams: one from Guangdong, one from Eastern Shandong, and thirteen from Jiangsu. Some say the three provinces in the Northeast act like a single city, while Jiangsu’s "Thirteen Generals" are like thirteen separate provinces.
General MacArthur once said, "I can explain many things, but I can’t explain this: people from Jiangsu don’t seem to have the concept of being ’from the same hometown’ with each other." If Tang Monk were to pass through Jiangsu on his journey to retrieve the scriptures, he’d need more than two passes to get through. This place was quite interesting.
Jiang Feng didn’t need to concern himself with all that, though; he just needed to learn about Huaiyang Cuisine. In the meantime, he could set up his stall as part of the mission and scout for a restaurant. Perfect, he thought.
"Time for another mission. First, I need to rent a house that allows dogs," Jiang Feng muttered to himself, stretching lazily, ready to start a new journey.
That afternoon, Jiang Feng arrived at Jiangyue Terrace Sichuan Restaurant and summoned a few senior staff for a meeting. He gave all the necessary instructions and told Chief Executive Chef Hu Youwei that if any skilled Sichuan chefs were available, they could be hired. The kitchen had space for two more head chefs, but Jiang Feng would need to conduct the interviews himself.
After sorting out everything regarding the Sichuan restaurant, Jiang Feng got into his car, heading for Yangzhou. He rented an apartment; with his financial status, skimping on rent wasn’t necessary, so he chose a large flat with a move-in-ready package.
Once everything was settled, Jiang Feng went to check out the fried chicken venue. To his surprise, as soon as he stepped into the fried chicken shop, he saw four people inside, plotting something.
...
Ma Jiang was the head of the technical investigation department. Today, he had just received a task: a group of wanted criminals might be hiding in a bar. But without a search warrant, they couldn’t just barge in to conduct a search, so they had to look for a place to keep watch. In China, there’s no term for "undercover"; it is referred to as "covert operations conducted by related personnel with concealed identities."
Ma Jiang and his three subordinates had indeed found such a place. This place was none other than a fried chicken shop up for transfer. They were preparing to discuss employment with the owner when they were informed that the fried chicken shop had already been transferred to someone else. Moreover, the new owner was expected to arrive today. Consequently, Ma Jiang and his three subordinates waited in the fried chicken shop.
The four were quietly discussing something when Jiang Feng happened to walk into the store. The four immediately looked at Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng also noticed them and looked back curiously. Isn’t this store supposed to be transferred? Why are there so many people? he wondered.
Jiang Feng made a phone call, and shortly after, the store owner came over, beaming with a greeting.
"Hello, hello, you’re the one renting this shop, right?" The owner walked straight up to Jiang Feng, smiling.
"Yes, that’s me," Jiang Feng replied, "I’m here to check the equipment and the environment."
"Sure thing, we have fryers and ovens, which are not only suitable for fried chicken but also for stewed chicken," the shop owner promptly explained.
Afterward, the owner showed Jiang Feng around. This fried chicken shop had originally planned to join the "Kiln Chicken King" brand, but later found the franchise fee too expensive and decided to go solo. However, developing their own brand was difficult and attracted few customers, so business gradually became sluggish. Now that Jiang Feng was here, the owner was considering transferring the stall.
But Jiang Feng just took a casual look.
"I’ll rent it for a month," Jiang Feng said to the owner. "I’ll probably not rent it after a month. I can pay more rent; consider it as a fee for renting the equipment."
The two then haggled for a while. Eager for a cash injection, the owner agreed to Jiang Feng’s request to rent for a month first. Then, everything was settled.
This was a small fried chicken shop, similar to a "Mixue Ice City" storefront, with five tables available for seating. Most customers would take their orders to go. Delivery service was also an option. Jiang Feng knew he couldn’t manage alone and needed to hire staff.
Just then, Ma Jiang and his three companions walked towards Jiang Feng.
"Hello, you’re the owner of this fried chicken shop, right?" Ma Jiang greeted Jiang Feng.
"What can I do for you?" Jiang Feng looked at them with curiosity.
"Here’s the thing, we’d like to apply for the positions of waiters and dedicated delivery riders at your shop," said Ma Jiang.
"Huh?" Jiang Feng was somewhat astonished. Waiters delivering themselves to my door? That’s not likely, he thought.
"Isn’t that a bit odd?" inquired Jiang Feng, still curious.
Just then, a young guy standing nearby stared at Jiang Feng and suddenly blurted out, "Holy cow, you’re that popular stall owner!"
"Holy cow! It really is you!"
With his declaration, everyone else was taken aback.
Jiang Feng clicked his tongue. I’ve really become famous; even people here recognize me,
he thought.Ma Jiang asked the guy next to him, "Do you know him?"
The guy replied, "No, he doesn’t know me, but I know him.
"He’s a really popular chef whose cooking is delicious. He’s always setting up stalls in various places, and wherever he goes, it’s crowded.
"There were videos of him online a while back."
At this revelation, everyone turned to look at Jiang Feng, sensing something familiar. Jiang Feng was still clueless. This bunch is weird. They don’t look like good people. Could it be they have some special motives? he wondered.
Ma Jiang, however, became interested. After pondering the situation and learning about Jiang Feng’s background, he decided to lay his cards on the table. He took Jiang Feng inside the shop, produced his police badge, and revealed his true identity.
"You guys are... cops?" Jiang Feng exclaimed in surprise.
"Ahem, we’re undercover, tasked with surveilling the situation at the bar opposite," explained Ma Jiang. "Don’t worry, we’ll do any job well," he assured.
Four of you, though, to stake out one spot? Jiang Feng found it very strange. How can opening a small shop lead to all these events? Are we shooting a movie here?
"Actually, it’s three," Ma Jiang clarified. "One will help in the shop, two will do deliveries, and then there’s this guy—he’s planning to apply as a waiter in the bar. It’s all been arranged.
"And it’s all free," Ma Jiang added.
Actually, even if it weren’t free, there wouldn’t be a choice; police regulations stipulate that any additional income earned by undercover officers must be surrendered. For instance, the clean-cut guy planning to work in the bar might earn ten to twenty thousand in one night, but it still has to be turned in.
"That exciting?"
"I’m just running a fried chicken shop, how did I get into spy games?" Jiang Feng couldn’t decide whether to laugh or cry.
But after thinking it over, it seemed fine. All he had to do was make his fried chicken, without having to worry about anything else. Plus, free young labor. It’d be a waste not to use it, he thought.
"Let’s do this—just keep one dedicated delivery rider," Jiang Feng suggested. "I’m just starting out, so I’m not sure if there’ll even be delivery orders yet. I don’t really need that much delivery support."
"Even better, we’ll find a place to rest," one of the plainclothes officers quickly replied.
The three young men Ma Jiang brought seemed new to the police force, making them better for blending in. If they sent old hands, their sharp eyes and ingrained demeanor would make it hard to pass as plainclothes.
And so, the matter was settled. Still, Jiang Feng worried about potential complications, so he called the Jiangyue Terrace Sichuan Restaurant and had Sun Zhuangfei transferred to Yangzhou. Sun Zhuangfei was thrilled at the prospect of working with Jiang Feng and rushed over. Jiang Feng also rented an apartment for him; an employee following him would naturally have their room and board covered. This way, with an extra person at the fried chicken shop, things wouldn’t be so exhausting.