CHAPTER 230: CHAPTER 230 LITTLE DUCKLING AND THE GREAT DEMON KING

"Out again?"

"What? I just got here, and you tell me it’s sold out?"

"Has it started? It’s already over."

"Boss Jiang, why do you run out so quickly?"

"That was way too fast!"

As the roast ducks rapidly sold out, the college students’ wails filled the air.

Jiang Feng sighed. There’s nothing I can do, really nothing. This is all there is. Not a single drop—oh no, not a single duck is left. Only a few cucumbers and green onions remain.

"Boss, my roommate is dying. He wants a taste of your roast duck before he goes."

"Sell me a duck, and I’ll send you my roommate’s bed photos."

Others tried to reason and plead with heartfelt persuasion.

Jiang Feng remained unmoved. He picked up the megaphone and announced, "Everyone, I’m sorry, but today’s roast duck is all sold out. Come back tomorrow. I will make more tomorrow. Thank you all for your support!"

Having said that, he slowly drove his food truck away.

The vendors nearby couldn’t suppress the smirks on their faces as they watched Jiang Feng depart. With Jiang Feng gone, all the business was theirs.

These past two days, the stalls around them had begun to multiply, just like before at Wansong Academy.

Jiang Feng had truly become a sensation.

This made sense, as Hangzhou’s reputation as a culinary desert was not unearned; finding something delicious was a task. Otherwise, the top-ranked restaurants in various regions wouldn’t all be fast-food joints like McDonald’s. And Jiang Feng had already become well-known for his culinary skills. He was a young master chef of Shandong Cuisine and Sichuan Cuisine, and he carried a "delicious" aura with him. His background was also somewhat mysterious, so he was very much sought after by foodies.

Tomorrow, Jiang Feng planned to prepare more. He posted a job announcement at his own restaurant and also asked the neighboring business owners to help find suitable employees. With more people, the efficiency of duck preparation would be higher. Together they could stuff the ducks, while Jiang Feng only needed to make the sweet bean sauce and the crispy batter. By hiring two more people, they could produce at least sixty or seventy ducks.

On the way, Jiang Feng instructed Sun Zhuangfei, "Buy more tomorrow. Around eight-thirty in the morning, two people should be coming over. Keep an eye on them; have them marinate the ducks properly, inflate them, and scald them smooth. They must be inflated properly and scalded smooth, otherwise, it will affect the flavor of the duck."

Jiang Feng was very serious about his cooking.

"Alright, Boss," Sun Zhuangfei responded.

Jiang Feng added, "This time, buy seventy ducks. I’ve rented another big oven. With two more people, we should be able to manage everything."

Sun Zhuangfei nodded. "Okay, no problem. I’ll go make the purchases in the morning."

"Thanks for your hard work."

"It’s what I should do."

Jiang Feng treated Sun Zhuangfei well, and Sun Zhuangfei worked diligently.

After everything was arranged, Jiang Feng returned home to rest.

「The next day was yet another busy one.」

In the morning, everyone got to work preparing the roast ducks in the small shop. One by one, the plump ducks were hung up, awaiting their transformation.

At that moment, a passerby holding their pet Kel Duck walked by the shop. After all, Hangzhou was a bustling metropolis where people kept all sorts of pets. Beyond cats and dogs, there were those who kept Kel Ducks, pet pigs, chinchillas, and even foxes. A Kel Duck, worth tens of thousands, was considered a high-end pet.

Today, for some reason, the Kel Duck started squawking wildly and then jumped out of the girl’s arms, running towards Jiang Feng’s shop.

"Hey, Little Ga, where are you going?" The girl panicked and hurried after it.

The Kel Duck arrived at the entrance of the shop and peered inside.

Jiang Feng just happened to notice this scene. Whoa, what’s going on? A duck at the door? Is it here to deliver takeout?

Kel Duck: Sir, your takeaway has arrived.

Of course, Jiang Feng recognized it was a pet duck and wouldn’t act rashly. But the scene inside the shop was, perhaps, a bit too horrific for a duck.

The girl hurried over and quickly picked up the Kel Duck. "I’m sorry," she apologized to the people inside the shop.

When she looked inside, she then saw that over twenty whole ducks were already hanging there.

"Ah?" She belatedly covered the Kel Duck’s eyes, fearful it might see.

Jiang Feng also said, "We’re a roast duck shop. You should take better care of your Kel Duck."

Hearing Jiang Feng’s words, the girl nodded. She also thought Jiang Feng looked familiar and exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, you’re that chef, the one with the food stall! It’s you!"

Seeing that he had been recognized, Jiang Feng openly acknowledged, "Hello."

"Oh my gosh, what a coincidence!" The girl came in holding the Kel Duck, her entire focus now on Jiang Feng. This girl was also quite pretty, but she seemed a bit naive, probably from a well-off family where she was well taken care of.

"Yeah, it’s quite a coincidence," Jiang Feng nodded and then prepared to continue preparing the ducks.

At this time, the girl suddenly had an idea. "Can I take a photo with you? Oh, and can Little Ga take a photo with you as well?"

Hearing this, Jiang Feng was a bit taken aback. It’s normal for two people to take a photo together. But in a roast duck shop, asking for a pet duck to take a photo with the chef who makes roast ducks? What kind of logic is that?

Little Ga: Listen to me, thank you.

Then, the girl took a selfie with Jiang Feng. After that, she had Jiang Feng hold Little Ga and took another photo of Jiang Feng and the Kel Duck. The Kel Duck sat still in Jiang Feng’s arms, its head shrunk down, not daring to move.

Jiang Feng: Are you moved?

Little Ga: I dare not move, not at all.

The girl found it very amusing and decided to give the photo a name: "Cute Little Ga and the Duck Demon King."

Jiang Feng had no idea that in someone else’s photo, he had already earned the nickname of the Demon King.

He, on the other hand, thought, This Kel Duck is quite plump, its meat firm. If it were made into roast duck, its presentation would certainly be appealing.

Later on, Jiang Feng handed the Kel Duck back to the girl.

"Boss Jiang, thank you. You’re really kind," the girl thanked him.

"Thank you, the duck is also very cute," Jiang Feng responded with a smile.

The girl left with the Kel Duck, and Jiang Feng continued to work on the roast ducks with his staff. The hired staff quickly learned the technique of stuffing ducks, and they processed them with great efficiency. He left the stuffing of the ducks to his staff, but Jiang Feng personally handled the final preparations. He brushed the pinkish-red crispy skin batter onto the ducks, let them dry, and then placed them into the oven. As they were roasted at high temperatures, the roast ducks were completed.

By the time it was past three in the afternoon, Jiang Feng had prepared a full truck of roast ducks. He got into the vehicle with Sun Zhuangfei.

"Another tough battle ahead," Jiang Feng said, taking a deep breath.

"Boss, I’ve gotten used to it," Sun Zhuangfei replied. He had indeed seen such scenes many times and was no longer surprised.

Jiang Feng started the vehicle and, neither too fast nor too slow, headed into the distance.

By afternoon, hungry college students started to come out in search of food. Some students who had visited the day before did not come back, while others were here today to join the buzz for the first time. So, the number of people seemed about the same as the day before.

At this moment, the vendors in the square were on tenterhooks. They were not looking out for customers, but rather for Jiang Feng. Everyone was anxious, wishing Jiang Feng would hurry over. It was rare for them to look forward to the appearance of a competitor like this. In their eyes, Jiang Feng was not a competitor but the God of Wealth, a bringer of crowds. They were all waiting for his arrival.

Soon, Jiang Feng arrived at the square, driving his food truck. Seeing him appear, the waiting customers smiled, and the fellow stall owners also sighed in relief and smiled. At this moment, everyone was thinking the same thing.

"He’s finally here!"

Jiang Feng arrived at the designated spot, opened the windows, took out the chopping board, opened the insulated containers, and retrieved various disposable food containers. There was quite a lot of stuff on the food truck. Fortunately, the food truck performed well; even loaded with many items, its operation wasn’t affected.

Once everything was ready, he began to drum up business. The crowd instantly gathered around. Enthusiasm was high, and everyone had their smartphones out, recording. Plus, Jiang Feng noticed that today brought many tourists and even a few internet celebrities. The popularity was indeed quite formidable.

Actually, this was still manageable. For instance, after the Tianshui Spicy Hotpot uncle and matchmaker Granny Wang from South of the River went viral online, they were swarmed by countless people every day. There were still many who loved to join in on the excitement. Jiang Feng, by shifting his location every seven days, avoided being surrounded by so many people. After all, by the time many people learned of his whereabouts, he had already left.

"Everyone, don’t worry, there are plenty of roast ducks today, everyone will get some!" Jiang Feng shouted through the megaphone.

Hearing him say this, the queued customers also relaxed. Their only worry was that they would miss out.

Soon, more and more people arrived, and the line grew longer and longer. Those who came were not just college students but also food lovers who had heard about him. They were all drawn by the aroma.

Jiang Feng was only responsible for slicing the duck meat; Sun Zhuangfei handled the packaging and everything else. He had also become quite adept. As soon as he heard what a customer wanted, he’d quickly prepare the food container and grab the shredded cucumber and green onion. Once Jiang Feng finished slicing the duck, Sun Zhuangfei would stack all the food containers, then swiftly pack them into a bag and hand it to the customer. This stood out for its meticulous service. No wonder Jiang Feng always brought him along to the food stall—this young man was truly efficient and decisive in his work.

The task progressed smoothly and was easily accomplished. Every day, Jiang Feng would obtain a Zhejiang Cuisine recipe. He planned to establish a signature Zhejiang Cuisine Restaurant in Hangzhou.

I won’t rely on my own popularity, but on genuine, authentic taste, he resolved. Thinking this, his hands moved even faster as he sliced the duck.