CHAPTER 332: 332

The camera captured the expressions of foreigners eating Chinese savory crepes. Seeing their faces filled with admiration, a sense of pride naturally welled up within everyone. Jiang Feng was intently making the crepes, while the others were busy drawing in customers from the surrounding area. Many people, noticing the bustle, flocked over. Not only locals but also tourists from various countries stopped by, most of them Caucasian.

"What are they doing over there?"

"Looks like some people from China are opening a restaurant, selling Chinese food?"

"Chinese food? There has never been a Chinese restaurant on Sicily Island."

"Let’s check it out. Has this restaurant been open since the morning?"

Many people discussed among themselves. As the crowd grew, Jiang Feng’s Chinese savory crepe business boomed. The members of the Chinese Restaurant all had sincere smiles on their faces. Making money felt great.

Previously, everyone had been feeling repressed. The production team was too stingy and offered no startup capital, which had made the initial period of opening the shop fraught with difficulties. Now, finally, money was coming in, and it felt like breaking through the clouds to see the clear sky. Money was indeed the greatest form of security.

Once the customers tasted the Chinese savory crepes, they were stunned by the deliciousness of the Chinese cuisine.

"How can it be this delicious!"

"I’ve never tasted anything so amazing!"

"I’ve never even heard of something this tasty!"

"This is unbelievable!"

"Delicious!"

Foreigners exclaimed their compliments from time to time. Some even gave Jiang Feng a thumbs-up. The atmosphere was exceptionally good.

As time ticked away, people kept coming by to buy the crepes. Of course, this was also thanks to the generous efforts of the Chinese Restaurant members who drew in customers and introduced the food. Otherwise, ordinary passersby seeing the cameras and the crowd would definitely not have approached. After the members explained, the tourists realized this place was selling Chinese food, and they decided whether or not to buy based on their interest.

During a lull, Jiang Feng quickly made five Chinese savory crepes for everyone in the Chinese Restaurant, including himself. "You guys should eat some crepes too," Jiang Feng called out. "We still have to work in the afternoon, and who knows when we’ll be able to eat. Let’s have a crepe to tide us over."

"Okay."

"Thank you, Chef," they said.

All four members gathered around. When Jiang Feng finished the first crepe, there was a polite discussion about who should get it, and it ended up going to Yeang Zi. In the end, it didn’t matter who ate first since everyone would get their share. Soon, everyone got their crepes.

Huang Xiaoming was a bit tired, perhaps because he had been focusing so much on the show, and he didn’t have much of an appetite. People tend to lose their appetite when they’re under a lot of pressure and busy. But the Chinese savory crepes made by Jiang Feng were especially fragrant. Apart from the crispy cracker filling, the crepe itself was quite soft. It was very comforting to eat. Huang Xiaoming quickly finished his and felt much better.

Yeang Zi, the first to finish her crepe, continued to watch Jiang Feng make more, seemingly still craving another.

Wang Junkai saw her expression and teased her, "Stop staring, your eyes are going to pop out. If you want more, just ask the chef to make you another one."

Upon hearing this, Yeang Zi lifted her chin and said, "I’m already full, just watching."

Wang Junkai chuckled, "You might want to watch your weight."

"You’re the one who should be watching it!" she retorted. The two bantered as usual, providing comic relief for the show.

Jiang Feng continued making Chinese savory crepes. The sales of these crepes would be included in the business revenue. They still had the daunting task of earning twenty thousand euros in twenty-one days, needing to reach around a thousand euros in daily sales. There was certainly pressure.

By 10:30 a.m., when the batter was nearly used up, they decided to pack up. Zhao Liying was in charge of the accounts and tallied up the earnings. They had sold a total of 35 Chinese savory crepes, amounting to an income of 280 euros. Hearing this number, everyone laughed genuinely.

"This is great, we finally have some money!"

"Now we can buy more ingredients," everyone cheered.

Huang Xiaoming then asked Jiang Feng, "Chef, see if you need anything else and have a couple of us dash out to buy it. You get started on the prep work in the kitchen. We’ll assist and get ready to open for business."

Jiang Feng nodded, gave it some thought, and said, "Buy three old hens, 20 kilograms of pork, and just pick up some sea fish; that should suffice." Things weren’t cheap here, but meat prices weren’t exorbitant. They could still get a fair amount with over two hundred euros.

Huang Xiaoming then took charge of the arrangements. "Alright, Junkai and I will go. Let’s be quick. The rest of you get the place ready. We’ll open the Chinese Restaurant punctually at 11:40."

"No problem!" everyone answered in unison.

Then, those assigned to buy groceries went off to do so, while others tidied up. Everyone quickly became busy again. After the morning’s Chinese savory crepe sales, many locals had formed an impression of the Chinese Restaurant, and some had even begun discussing it.

In a gift shop nearby, a young couple was chatting.

"Do you know about the Chinese restaurant next door? The one that’s filming a show," the boy said with a smile.

"Of course, I do," the girl said, somewhat annoyed. "Because of them, my favorite restaurant isn’t open, and it won’t be for another two months."

"They were selling breakfast earlier, and I saw many people buying it," the boy continued. "So I went over and asked them how it tasted. Guess what those people said?"

"What did they say?" the girl asked, her curiosity piqued.

"They all said it was incredibly delicious and stunning! Their expressions didn’t look fake. I’m quite interested in this restaurant," the boy replied. "I’ve always heard that Chinese food is especially delicious, but I’ve never tried it. Shall we give it a try for lunch?"

"Sure, let’s check it out," the girl agreed. "I haven’t had Chinese food either. I wonder if it’s hygienic."

Both of them were unfamiliar with Chinese food culture.

Probably only Chinese students who had studied abroad truly understood what a culinary desert the world outside China was. After returning to China, international students could be moved to tears by a single satisfying hotpot meal. Good food was scarce and expensive abroad; they had genuinely been scarred by hunger. If authentic Chinese cuisine could be brought here, it would be a total game-changer. Of course, this mainly applied to certain countries popular with students; Italy’s cuisine was actually quite good.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was already taking stock of ingredients in the kitchen. Every kind of ingredient was in place. This way, no matter what the customers ordered, he could make it. The restaurant wasn’t large and could only accommodate a few tables. So even at full capacity, Jiang Feng could handle cooking for these tables with ease.

Before long, Huang Xiaoming and Wang Junkai came back with groceries, and now they finally had enough ingredients. The Chinese Restaurant officially opened to the public. The "Open" sign was hung outside. The whole shop had a very clean feel to it.

People around knew about the opening of the Chinese restaurant, especially since the production crew had come to renovate half a month ago. People easily found out with a few inquiries. Now that it was officially open, many were expected to visit. Soon, customers began entering the shop.

Wang Junkai and Yeang Zi went over to greet them and ask for their orders. The hand-drawn menu listed several dishes.

A customer asked, "Do you have any recommendations?"

Wang Junkai replied in English, "I recommend the Kung Pao Chicken and the Crispy Pork. The flavors are absolutely good."

"All right, then give me what you recommend," the customer said. Ordering like this in an unfamiliar restaurant is usually a safe bet, as waiters always recommend the house specialties.

Quickly, the order was passed to the kitchen. Jiang Feng heated oil in his wok and began to get busy. Kung Pao Chicken, needless to say, was one of his specialties. The Crispy Pork was also quick to make. Since the menu had been confirmed the day before, the meat had already been prepared in advance. All that was needed was to stir-fry it in the wok, and it would soon be ready.

Foreigners aren’t accustomed to using chopsticks, so most dishes were suitable for mixing with rice, allowing them to eat with a spoon. Of course, because Chinese food is genuinely delicious, there are also training chopsticks available abroad, made specifically for foreigners who can’t use traditional ones. The restaurant hadn’t prepared such utensils, as they weren’t very convenient to use.

The restaurant had few cameras installed, but there were more in the kitchen. Cameras were positioned over every stove. When Jiang Feng was cooking, multiple angles would capture and record him. This was also a crucial part of the program.

Before long, two steaming dishes were served, along with two bowls of rice and a serving of abalone chicken soup. The meal cost nearly 100 euros, which was about the general price range for locals.

The two customers looked at the food on the table. This was their first time seeing such food—steaming hot, fresh out of the wok. Their usual diet consisted mostly of pizza, with occasional pasta. They were somewhat amazed to see the Kung Pao Chicken.

"Smells really good!"

"I’ve always heard Chinese food is particularly fragrant. Let’s try it quickly."

They took spoons, scooped up a spoonful of Kung Pao Chicken onto their rice, mixed it briefly, and then tasted their first bite. This bite opened up a new world for them. It turned out food could achieve such perfection!