Chapter 91
The next day.
Jian Yunlan woke up early, had breakfast, and began preparing for the stall.
As the time neared noon, Jian Yunlan placed each duck into the oven and added fruitwood to the charcoal.
Finally, he hung up the lotus lamp for the dormant Hu Dangui and got on the tricycle.
Little Taotie was dressed in a pair of overalls similar to Jian Yunlan’s, his long silver hair tied up in small bunches. Sleepy-eyed, he climbed onto the tricycle and lazily said, “Human, I shall protect you.”
…Though, with his appearance, those words didn’t carry much weight.
But the rare feeling of setting up a stall with his employees still made Jian Yunlan feel a little touched.
The little boy flashed a confident smile and said to Ye Qingquan, “Daddy, I’m heading out now.”
“Alright!” Ye Qingquan, not bothering to hide, put on his sunglasses and mask right in front of Lanlan and shamelessly followed him.
*
Meanwhile, at Zhu Yuan Private Restaurant.
Almost simultaneously, Chef Song at Zhu Yuan was shoving ducks into their newly hastily prepared mobile oven.
Nearby were Chef Song’s three apprentices. Although they were still apprentices, having learned from Song for four or five years, they had become quite skilled. However, as they shoved the ducks into the oven and placed charcoal inside, they seemed a bit clumsy.
The mobile oven was equipped on a large tricycle, which looked quite impressive.
Yes, this was a tricycle for setting up a food stall.
The apprentices were frowning and looked unwilling, sighing in unison: “Sigh…”
“Master, you’re the head chef at Zhu Yuan! Why should you be forced to set up a stall like this? It’s such an insult,” said Apprentice One, indignantly.
Apprentice Two, also dissatisfied, added, “Yes, yes, your roast duck can sell for four thousand per duck! Why should you compete with those low-tier street vendors?”
Chef Song agreed with his apprentices.
As the top chef at a high-end private restaurant in Beijing, he never imagined that he would be involved with street food.
He was the pillar of Zhu Yuan!
Many people traveled across the country, spending a fortune, just to taste his cooking. Not to mention, his skills were inherited from his ancestors, with recipes dating back to the imperial kitchens of centuries ago. Even today, only the upper class could afford his personal service.
Zhu Yuan was not some fast-food place for the common folk; it was all about high-end, elegant, and upscale dining.
As for the street food roast ducks? Pfft.
Chef Song looked down on such cheap and unhygienic small businesses. Though they were all chefs, there were levels to it, and a street vendor chef was not even worthy to carry his shoes.
But now, who knew what kind of madness had struck his superiors, forcing him, Chef Song, to sell roast duck from a tricycle?
Why should he?
Though he was deeply unwilling, Chef Song sighed and stopped his apprentices from complaining: “Forget it, no more talk. The situation is what it is. Recently, Zhu Yuan’s performance has been declining, and we are at fault too.”
Though he said so, the wrinkles on Chef Song’s face sagged, and he wore an expression of someone who was wrongfully accused—like a hermit wronged by the world.
His apprentices, fired up with indignation, even considered confronting their superiors directly:
“Master, let’s go talk to Manager Hu! We don’t want to sell roast duck at the door!”
“Yes, exactly! How could they treat you like this?”
The reason Chef Song and his apprentices were preparing to sell roast duck at the stall was because it was a direct order from their superior.
In recent days, Zhu Yuan’s performance had been underwhelming.
Zhu Yuan was a private, membership-based restaurant, mainly making profits from several high-end VIP customers, many of whom were well-known figures in Beijing. However, recently, under the leadership of Mu Mingqiu, many customers had canceled their memberships at Zhu Yuan, and the reasons all related to Zhu Yuan’s roast duck.
For instance, when Young Master Mu Mingqiu canceled his membership, he directly said, “Your roast duck is so bad, it’s nothing compared to the street vendors’ roast duck!”
The upper management was getting restless.
If this trend continued, Zhu Yuan would face unimaginable consequences if they didn’t make a change.
And so… who knows which little genius came up with this idea:
“Since the street stall roast ducks are doing well, and even Young Master Mu has been attracted to them, why not send our head chef to set up a stall outside and attract customers? That should do the trick!”
This was why Chef Song and his apprentices were now stuffing ducks into a mobile oven.
The apprentices were all angrily complaining, and Chef Song, more than anyone, didn’t want to sell roast duck at the stall, but they were all stuck with this situation.
They had studied under Chef Song, dreaming of being admired as a famous chef, casually making money with their skill, not standing out in the sun at a street stall:
“They keep saying that business is down, especially roast duck orders, but isn’t that because their service sucks? What does it have to do with you?”
“Your roast duck is the best in the world. If it’s not selling, it’s because their marketing is lacking, not because the roast duck is bad…”
Chef Song was flattered by his apprentices’ compliments, feeling a lot better, and his previously hunched back straightened. He stroked his beard and said, “Alright, alright. Setting up a stall is a done deal. We don’t need to panic, we just need to show our true skills.”
“The street stall roast duck can’t possibly compare to your skill, Master,” Apprentice Three sneered, saying, “The only reason their business is booming and even Mu Mingqiu has been lured away is because they are closer to the customers, so to speak, more down-to-earth.”
“If you set up a stall, Master, you’ll immediately attract all the customers. The roast duck stall owner might end up crying!”
To be honest, Chef Song thought the same thing.
He had heard that the person setting up the stall outside Zhu Yuan was a three-year-old child!
A three-year-old? Hah.
The reason the stall was so popular was likely because of the novelty of a child doing it, and the fact that street stalls were closer to the customers. It certainly wasn’t because the roast duck was really good.
If he, Chef Song, set up a stall to sell his roast duck, with his exceptional skills, he’d destroy the competition in no time.
Having made up his mind, Chef Song no longer felt anxious.
Soon, as the clock ticked toward noon.
Chef Song and his three apprentices rode the prepared tricycle and arrived at Zhu Yuan’s entrance.
As soon as they stepped outside, Chef Song spotted a few familiar figures.
On the left side of the road, Xu Shishi, wearing sunglasses and large diamond earrings, sat in her Lamborghini, looking chic, her makeup flawless, gazing off into the distance.
On the right side, Mu Mingqiu had brought an entire professional team with him. He was reclining under an umbrella, with his butler and several servants busy preparing fruits and drinks for him. Mu Mingqiu held a book titled “Parenting Guide for Three-Year-Olds” and occasionally glanced eagerly toward the end of the road.
Chef Song: “…”
Xu Shishi was fine. Though her family was wealthy, she wasn’t a top-tier client at Zhu Yuan. Before, Xu Shishi had waited over a year and used connections just to get a reservation at Zhu Yuan. She wasn’t important enough for Chef Song to go out of his way to serve her.
But Mu Mingqiu? He was a prestigious VIP client!
It seemed the rumors were true; Mu Mingqiu had indeed been lured away by the street stall. But Chef Song was confident that with his culinary skills, getting Mu Mingqiu back would be no problem.
Chef Song, with his three apprentices, plastered a smile on his face and approached, flattering him:
“Young Master Mu, we’ve also started setting up a roast duck stall at the entrance. You’re our esteemed member, and if you don’t mind…”
Mu Mingqiu frowned, still focused on his book, barely sparing Chef Song a glance.
He casually waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, as if swatting away a fly: “Go away.”
The butler and several imposing bodyguards stepped forward, their demeanor polite but forceful, to escort Chef Song away:
“Chef Song, our young master is waiting for Boss Lan. Please don’t get the wrong idea. If you delay Young Master from getting his roast duck, you’ll be responsible for the consequences.”
Chef Song and his apprentices turned pale instantly.
“Well, we won’t disturb Young Master Mu any longer,” Chef Song said with a nod, half embarrassed and half fearful. He led his apprentices back to their stall in defeat.
Their stall was right at the front entrance of Zhu Yuan, and the three-year-old boss’s stall was also in front of the Zhu Yuan, but on the opposite side of the street.
Chef Song had intentionally chosen this spot.
With both street food stalls facing each other, it would be obvious to any onlooker which one was better!
Though Chef Song had no experience in running a street stall, his unparalleled culinary skills, inherited from the imperial chefs, meant that the three-year-old child running the other stall would be no competition.
Back at the stall, Chef Song turned his frustration into motivation and began directing his apprentices:
“You, keep an eye on the roast duck’s heat.” “And you, don’t just stand there—go cut the cucumber and scallion into strips.” “Apprentice Three, stand by the side and attract customers. Make sure you shout loudly!”
The apprentices immediately got busy, while Chef Song himself moved a bamboo chair, sat comfortably, and began fanning himself with a fan, doing no work at all.
…For the sake of giving his apprentices some space to practice, as he liked to say.
But in reality, it was just an excuse to slack off.
This was the usual behavior in Zhu Yuan’s kitchen, and the apprentices, despite their dissatisfaction, dared not voice their complaints, as Chef Song’s status was too high.
They shot him a glance of discontent but soon returned to their work.
“Hello,” a voice interrupted. “Is this the Zhu Yuan roast duck?”
Chef Song paused his fanning.
He knew it—someone of his caliber would never have to worry about attracting customers, even if he had faced a setback with Young Master Mu.
Sure enough, people were already coming!
Chef Song straightened up and didn’t rush to greet them. Instead, he lazily glanced over.
The person asking was a tour guide.
The guide held a small flag, and behind him were twenty or thirty tourists in matching group outfits, all with eager, expectant eyes.
The group had passed by this area several times over the past few days and had smelled the delicious aroma of roast duck each time. Naturally, they assumed it was Zhu Yuan’s roast duck. Just yesterday, someone had even cried by the roadside because they couldn’t get any roast duck.
This was enough to show just how delicious the roast duck was.
“We’ve been smelling the delicious aroma for days, and now we finally get to taste it!”
The tourists’ eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.
So Chef Song and his apprentices going be surprised at Jian Yunlan’s marinated broth that does well with his roasted ducks?