[Customer Satisfaction: 311/200, Daily Task Completed.]
[Extra Reward Received: Kung Pao Chicken Recipe]
The next day, Jiang Feng once again exceeded his target.
It was already 3:30 in the afternoon. There were even more customers today. From 11:40 AM until now, Jiang Feng had not stopped at all! If he hadn't run out of ingredients, he estimated he would have had to cook for a while longer.
"Sold out, packing up!"
"Everyone, come again tomorrow!"
Seeing that people were still coming, Jiang Feng spoke up.
A few customers nearby asked Jiang Feng, "Boss, what time will you be here tomorrow? I'll come earlier."
"Can I order for delivery?"
"Do you have an address for your store, or can you give me your phone number?"
Hearing everyone's questions, Jiang Feng replied directly, "I'll be here at 11:30 AM tomorrow as well. I don't do delivery business, and I don't have a store, just my own little stall."
Upon hearing this, the customers felt a bit disappointed. They could only remark that the boss had quite the personality.
After the last customer finished eating, Jiang Feng and the cleaning lady gathered up the tables and chairs onto the food truck. Jiang Feng paid the cleaning lady her wages and, under the envious gaze of his fellow vendors, slowly drove the mobile minibus away from Hongshan Park.
"Now that's truly carefree, just gets up and leaves," the sausage vendor said, looking at Jiang Feng's departing figure, unable to hide his envy.
"If I had that skill, I'd definitely set up a stall every day and make big money!" Desire for money flickered in the eyes of the pancake vendor.
"With that skill, you might as well work in a big restaurant; you should be able to earn at least fifteen thousand a month, right!" the candied haw vendor mused with longing.
But with Jiang Feng gone, their business would also improve. Especially since Jiang Feng brought in a lot of foot traffic; customers would sometimes buy a sausage or a candied haw after finishing their rice with toppings.
Jiang Feng drove the minibus all the way back to his suburban shop. After parking and tidying up, he went home to rest.
For dinner that evening, naturally, it was the newly mastered dish, Kung Pao Chicken. This way, he could unveil a new dish the next day.
After dinner, Jiang Feng went to the butcher shop to order supplies for the next day. Since he ordered a lot of meat, the owner treated him very well. And because Jiang Feng personally came by, the owner couldn't skimp on quality; all the meat used was the best. The butcher went to prepare his order. With nothing to do, Jiang Feng waited outside the shop.
At that moment, a very soft and cute bark came from the side alley next to the butcher shop.
WHIMPER~
The sound was soft, but Jiang Feng heard it clearly. He turned to look toward the alley and saw a little black puppy poking its head out, staring at Jiang Feng in a silly way. The puppy seemed a bit scared, with a timid look in its eyes. Even though it was frightened, it still poked its head out to look at Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng found the little fellow interesting. Black fur, black eyes, it was rather cute.
The butcher came out just then.
Jiang Feng pointed at the little dog and asked, "Boss, is it yours?"
The butcher looked at the little black dog and said, "No, I've already got two dogs at home; that's a stray. Originally, there was a mother dog and three puppies living as strays here. Then someone reported them to the city authorities, claiming they were dangerous for children. The city sent people to catch the stray dogs.
"This little guy is smart; it ran and hid as soon as it saw the catchers coming, so it wasn't taken away. I felt sorry for it and would feed it occasionally. But there are a few households around here who don't like strays. If it's discovered, it'll probably still be taken away."
As a shop owner, the butcher was naturally aware of what went on in the neighborhood.
Upon hearing it was a stray dog, Jiang Feng's interest was immediately piqued.
"Do you have any cooked meat? Give me two pieces," Jiang Feng turned his head and asked.
The butcher guessed what he intended to do and said, "Yes, the braised meat shop next door is also run by my family. I'll get some for you."
The butcher went back, cut some pork liver and pork belly, and came out to hand it to Jiang Feng.
After receiving it, Jiang Feng walked towards the entrance of the alley. The little black dog saw Jiang Feng coming and immediately ran into the alley. It ran a few steps and then stopped, hiding behind a trash can, peeking out with its head.
Jiang Feng stood outside the alley, surrounded by sunlight, everything illuminated. The little black dog was hidden in the alley, devoid of light, engulfed in shadows.
"Come here, come here, come get the meat," Jiang Feng crouched down, shaking the pork liver in his hand, and called out to the little black dog.
The little black dog stood still, gaze fixed on Jiang Feng as it tried to gauge whether he was a friend or foe. The little guy was very alert, but the scent of the pork liver... so tempting!
It was hesitant, moving forward two steps and then stopping, then moving two steps again before stopping. It was as if there were two voices beside it. One said, "That's meat, delicious meat!" The other said, "Don't go there, it's dangerous!"
In the end, the little fellow could not resist the temptation of the delicious food.
Driven by hunger, it ran out of the alley.
Out from the darkness.
Towards the light.
Jiang Feng placed the meat on the ground. The little guy ran out of the alley and, disregarding everything else, lowered its head and began to gobble down the meat.
A smile appeared on the corner of Jiang Feng's mouth.
This little black dog was a purebred Chinese Pastoral Dog. There are three common colors for the Chinese Pastoral Dog: yellow fur, little whites, and Little Blacks. Yellow fur was most common; every rural household had one. Little whites were quite attractive, though the rural ones were always dirty. There were also many Little Blacks, which were popular in some areas for their symbolism of warding off evil and misfortune. Of course, there were also dogs with a mixture of three colors, which tended to be more aggressive. Then there were black and yellow mixes, commonly known as "four-eyed dogs," good-looking and smart.
This little fellow in front of him was a Little Black. With such lively energy, it was a Little Black with fine potential. Dogs are judged by their potential, and those puppies that are especially lively and spirited often turn out well when they grow up.
The little guy finished eating all the meat on the ground. After eating, its little tail began to wag, and its fear seemed to vanish. When it looked up at Jiang Feng, there was even a smile on its face.
"Quite clever," Jiang Feng remarked. He noticed the little guy's good potential and liked him even more.
"From now on, you'll follow me; no more roaming around. You have a home now!" Jiang Feng reached out and patted the little guy's head.
Upon hearing Jiang Feng's words, the little guy's tail wagged even more vigorously.
At that moment, the butcher came out and said, "Your order is ready, all items as requested. Please check."
"Great," Jiang Feng got up and walked towards the butcher shop.
Jiang Feng looked back once more. This Little Black was truly smart; it immediately trotted in small steps behind Jiang Feng, as if it knew it had been adopted.
Jiang Feng couldn't help but laugh. The more he looked at the little fellow, the more spirited it seemed.
After checking that all the meat and vegetables were fine, Jiang Feng hopped into the butcher's delivery vehicle with the little dog in tow and transported the goods to his stall. Little Black adapted very well by Jiang Feng's side.
Whenever Jiang Feng had a moment, he took it to the pet hospital for a thorough check-up, got all the necessary vaccinations, and even obtained a dog license.
From then on, at Jiang Feng's stall, there was now an adorable Little Black.