Chapter 338: Chapter 338

Jiang Feng returned to his room, from where he could see the scenery outside through the window. The other members were also resting in their rooms. The rooms had been renovated and the environment was very nice, which made for a sound sleep.

Perhaps because everyone was a bit tired, they all went to bed early. Roaming the streets that night had been thoroughly enjoyable, and Zhao Liying was great to be around—easy-going and comfortable.

Back in China, the hype around Chinese Restaurant continued online. With Jiang Feng’s addition, this season of Chinese Restaurant became even more interesting.

In fact, this was always the case whenever Jiang Feng set up his stall: it would start with just a few people, and soon a large crowd would queue up. This time, the cameras captured the process, and with some joyful elements added, it made for very entertaining TV.

Some people had already figured out where the filming was taking place and were preparing to join in the fun. Of course, most of Jiang Feng’s regular customers weren’t that crazy; after all, not many people would travel abroad just for a meal. But many celebrity-chasing fans love to join in the fun, especially those with money to spare and lots of free time. The other four celebrities were indeed top-tier.

「The next day, the sun rose as usual.」

Before the doors even opened, a few locals were lining up. After waking up, the members of Chinese Restaurant got to work early.

Wang Junkai opened the door, stretched, and was prepared to embrace the sunshine, only to see several foreigners looking at him as soon as he looked outside.

"Hello, when do you start selling the Chinese pancakes?" a foreigner immediately asked.

Wang Junkai was a bit bewildered. No way, this early? The restaurant just opened, and customers are already here? They’re here even before we’ve started work! It made sense, though; the pancakes and egg-filled crepes Jiang Feng made were particularly delicious, so of course, customers were willing to come.

"Around 9 o’clock," Wang Junkai responded. Then, he went back and reported the situation.

"The customers have already arrived?" Huang Xiaoming was also surprised. This is indeed a first! Customers waiting before we even open... This is certainly a good sign!

"Yeah, when the chef’s cooking is delicious, they’re sure to come," Yeang Zi praised.

"Alright, let’s start our stall early!" the team decided.

Soon, business at the Chinese Restaurant began. Another fulfilling day was underway.

Jiang Feng’s culinary skills were truly exceptional, and word of mouth spread rapidly—news passing from one person to ten, then from ten to a hundred. The town wasn’t large, but as a tourist city, there were many restaurants. Standing out among them was no easy feat.

The production team’s original idea was just to attract some foreigners, shoot some videos, and mainly capture the interactions between celebrities. Who would have thought that the chef they invited was so skilled that the restaurant became an instant hit?

At this moment, a voice from the system suddenly echoed in Jiang Feng’s mind:

[Task initiated: Operate the Chinese Restaurant for seven consecutive days, serving 50 customers daily.]

[Task Reward: A random traditional craft skill and a random lost recipe.]

Hearing the system’s voice after so long, Jiang Feng found it quite novel. He’d thought that if the satisfaction of foreign customers didn’t affect the system, it wouldn’t issue tasks anymore.

Jiang Feng thought to himself, Not bad. I can pick up some extra tasks, and I can claim rewards too. He was really looking forward to the traditional craft skills. In fact, to him, crafting was much like cooking—they were both art in his eyes. The moment a dish or an art piece was finished, it brought a great sense of fulfillment.

Remembering the restaurant’s weekend break and the system’s requirement for seven continuous days, he thought, The restaurant is supposed to be closed on weekends. I’ll have to use a leave request slip. That way, I can complete the task.

「A new day had started.」

The number of customers today was noticeably higher than yesterday. Chinese Restaurant was fully bustling. There were many cameras in front of the stoves. The director’s team found that watching Jiang Feng cook was also a pleasure. Even when there were many orders, Jiang Feng was always relaxed and methodical, always appearing confident. In comparison, the waitstaff seemed somewhat flustered.

"Manager, we’re full, and there are more people lining up outside," Yeang Zi quickly reported the latest situation to Huang Xiaoming.

Huang Xiaoming was somewhat surprised. "There are more people lining up?"

"I’ll go check it out. I’ll handle the reception outside," he immediately said.

"Okay, I’ll let you know whenever there’s a free table," Yeang Zi replied.

「Just three days had passed...」

And the Chinese Restaurant’s clientele had become incredibly large, with the vast majority being locals. From their conversations, one could feel the restaurant’s explosive popularity.

"This is that Chinese restaurant, right?"

"Yes, it’s this one. I learned about it from an internet blogger. The head chef of this restaurant is the Huaxia Culinary God."

"The Huaxia Culinary God?"

"That’s him. I’ve seen his videos on YouTube where he made dishes called ’Phoenix Gave Birth to Nine Offspring’ and ’Divine Dragon Gave Birth to Nine Offspring.’ They were really impressive!"

"Now that you mention it, I remember. Is it really him?"

"Yes, he’s the head chef of this place!"

Ordinary people from various countries are all the same; they enjoy videos they come across. Actually, Jiang Feng was quite popular on YouTube. On the international version of Douyin, his videos also received many likes. Some foreigners particularly enjoyed watching these.

It could even be said that in Italy, Jiang Feng’s fame was even greater, though he himself had no knowledge of this. Similarly, he was unaware that a local internet celebrity on Sicily Island had detailed his past in a video. The video of Jiang Feng preparing a state banquet dish, in particular, had been widely circulated. Over time, the locals came to know about Jiang Feng, which was why these people were drawn here by his reputation.

The young couple from the souvenir shop came over again. Upon seeing the line at the shop’s entrance, they too were surprised.

"Why is there a line?"

"There weren’t this many people the other day, were there?"

Hearing their conversation, other people eagerly asked, "Have you eaten at this restaurant? How does it taste?"

Upon hearing this, the young man said with an admiring expression, "It’s stunningly delicious! I’ve never tasted anything so amazing before."

Then, everyone started to chat casually. Through the chat, the young man learned that the head chef of the restaurant—the man making pancakes in the morning—was actually a very famous top-level chef, and the most popular chef in China at the moment.

"No wonder it tastes so good!"

Looking at each other, the young couple sincerely marveled. Official source is novel★fire.net

「Inside the restaurant.」

A customer who had finished eating called over a waiter. Yeang Zi hurried over to answer.

"Hello, could we take a photo with the head chef?" the customer asked politely.

Huh? Yeang Zi had never expected such a request from customers. "Okay, I’ll go ask."

Then, she went to the kitchen to ask Jiang Feng. Upon hearing the request, Jiang Feng also found it strange.

"Take a photo with me? They must be Chinese, right?"

"No, they’re foreigners."

"Hmm... okay, it won’t take much effort."

Jiang Feng came out. The customer’s eyes lit up when they saw Jiang Feng.

"It really is you, Huaxia Culinary God! I’ve seen your videos where you make the ’phoenix’!"

The customer was a middle-aged man, somewhat overweight, with a typical Caucasian face.

"Thank you, it’s just a form of Chinese culinary carving," Jiang Feng responded politely.

Afterwards, Jiang Feng and the customer took the photo. Dressed in a white chef’s uniform, he looked handsome and clean, giving off a very comfortable vibe. Many customers were looking in their direction. Some were also taking pictures. When the head chef made an appearance, everyone showed absolute respect. After all, the food Jiang Feng made tasted really good.

The status of a top-level chef is very high, as is their appearance fee. To be able to enjoy such delicious food at this Chinese Restaurant was a real bargain. Jiang Feng’s skills were impressive.

When making Chinese cuisine, he also considered the local dietary characteristics. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; cuisine needs to evolve. The local custom was to have more exquisite food presentation—more visually pleasing, and somewhat ostentatious. To put it simply, it was about pursuing romance and atmosphere. After all, in top-tier restaurants, some dishes are incredibly expensive despite tiny portions. Yet, because they look good, people are willing to pay for them.

Chinese cuisine emphasizes color, aroma, and taste. This "color" refers to the overall presentation of the dish. Jiang Feng would make the dishes look attractive, at least to some extent, and that was exactly to people’s liking.

Initially, he thought the request for a photo from one customer was a coincidence, but then several more groups of customers asked to take pictures with the head chef. Jiang Feng was somewhat puzzled. What’s going on? Why are all these international guests asking to take photos with me? The other members are all big celebrities, and they don’t get this kind of treatment. Could these be plants by the production team? No, that doesn’t make sense either. Why would the production team do that?

He thought of many possibilities but never that he was actually quite popular overseas. Especially the videos of several state banquet dishes, which had remarkable numbers of likes. Foreigners really liked watching these. In fact, his title "Huaxia Culinary God" had spread abroad too. With the local internet celebrity’s introduction, people in the area knew Jiang Feng was here. Thus, there were many requests for photos with him.

「In the back kitchen.」

Zhao Liying remarked with a smile, "Lots of people are asking to take pictures with you."

"I’m not quite sure why. Maybe it’s because the food is delicious and everyone wants to see the chef," Jiang Feng replied.

"It’s not just that. You must be really popular overseas for this to happen," Zhao Liying laughed and said again.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible," Jiang Feng stated calmly. "This is my first time going abroad. How could I be popular overseas?"

"What’s impossible about that? Many domestic videos are very popular on foreign websites.

"Like our unique ethnic costumes, cultural activities related to the Spring Festival, and Li Ziqi’s rural scenery videos from China.

"Your previous palace cuisine—those dragons and phoenixes and the like—is super popular.

"These people really might have come for you."