The food truck slowly drove into Shuize Resort.
The resort's manager, Liu Wu, came to assign Jiang Feng his spot.
"The location for each vendor's stall is predetermined. Don't change spots randomly, and don't take someone else's spot. Otherwise, you will not be allowed to set up in the resort," Liu Wu told Jiang Feng. "If there's anything you need, just talk to me. I'm in charge of arranging things for the small vendors in the resort."
"Alright, no problem," Jiang Feng readily agreed.
After all, when setting up in someone else's territory, one must follow the rules. Jiang Feng was a law-abiding young man.
On Jiang Feng's food truck, several stainless steel pots of braised dishes were stewing. Even with the lids on, the aroma couldn't be contained and wafted out. The ingredients in the different broth pots varied slightly. For example, the pot for braising pig's trotters had some caramelized rock sugar added for a rich, dark color, resulting in reddish, shiny trotters. For stewing chicken feet and drumsticks, a white broth was used, producing a fresh and tender white appearance. A multitude of choices, different flavors; it all depended on what the customers liked.
Liu Wu smelled the aroma of the braised meat and found it very enticing. "Your braised meat really smells great," he said. "Work hard; there are quite a lot of people at the resort. If you do well, you'll definitely have plenty of business."
Hearing this, Jiang Feng replied courteously, "I'll do my best."
Next was the wait for business. It was still early, and there weren't too many visitors to the resort yet. Moreover, being a Monday, there were relatively fewer guests. Jiang Feng quietly waited for customers to arrive.
Around 11 a.m., the number of visitors on the food street began to increase. There were many vendors: some sold noodles, some fried sweet cakes, and others sold stinky tofu, fried skewers, milk tea, and coffee. Just walking down this street and buying a few items could easily leave one half-full.
By this time, the ingredients Jiang Feng had been stewing were mostly well-flavored. He lifted all the lids off the pots. The meat bubbled, and the savory, enticing aroma instantly spread in all directions. Nearby diners couldn't help but salivate upon smelling it.
"Where's that smell coming from? It smells amazing!"
"Which stall is it?"
It was almost lunchtime, around 11 o'clock, and the visitors were starting to feel hungry. Upon smelling this aroma, their hunger became even more pronounced. One's body doesn't lie; this was the stomach telling the brain, "This smells delicious, hurry up and eat."
Two other stall owners nearby also smelled the aroma of the braised meat. They looked startled.
Goodness, a master has arrived! they thought. Could this incredible aroma be coming from that young, handsome guy over there?
Most of the vendors here were middle-aged men and women; young people generally weren't keen on running a stall. Seeing how young and well-presented Jiang Feng was, they had initially assumed his cooking skills were probably average. People can't be perfect, after all. they mused. If he's young, handsome, and a great cook, that's just too much.
But now, they realized Jiang Feng was even more than they had thought. The smell of his braised meat was too tempting to resist.
Soon, Jiang Feng welcomed his first wave of customers: two petite girls with exceptionally good skin and adorable looks. They wore white, fluffy clothes and carried cat-shaped shoulder bags, looking vibrant and youthful. They were typical Southern belles, often referred to online as "Southern Little Potato."
The two glanced at the menu Jiang Feng had posted:
[Braised Pig's Trotters: 40 yuan per jin]
[Braised Chicken Feet: 40 yuan per jin]
[Braised Beef: 80 yuan per jin]
[Braised Intestines: 56 yuan per jin]
[Braised Chicken Drumsticks: 8 yuan each]
[Braised Eggs: 2 yuan apiece]
[Braised Pig's Ears: 40 yuan per jin]
[Braised Bean Curd Skin/Dried Tofu/Potato Slices: 22 yuan per jin]
The prices for Jiang Feng's braised meats were slightly above the market average—more expensive than typical street-side braised meat shops but cheaper than high-end, big-name stores. His craftsmanship and recipes were definitely worth the price.
Both pretty southern girls seemed well-off.
"This braised meat stall smells so good."
"What do you want to eat? Let's buy some."
"I want large intestines; I think they're delicious."
"I want pig's trotters and elbow."
The two chatted for a bit in front of the stall. One of the girls glanced at Jiang Feng now and then, also giving the other girl a meaningful look. As close friends, they understood each other perfectly. The other girl immediately got her meaning: Look at this stall vendor, isn't he handsome?
Then, the other girl's eyes revealed a hint of a smile. She pursed her lips in admiration and nodded, her eyes twinkling with excitement. She meant: Super handsome!
"Young man," one of the girls said to Jiang Feng, "we'd like a jin of braised large intestines, and one pig's trotter. Please cut the trotter for us."
"Okay," Jiang Feng replied.
He took a disposable plastic container from the food truck. He first scooped the intestines into the container and then weighed it.
"A little over a jin. Perfect, we'll count it as one jin."
Jiang Feng did business with a focus on trustworthiness and honesty. If a customer wanted a jin, he would scoop exactly a jin. Nowadays, most braised meat sellers are unscrupulous and play tricks. If a customer asks for a jin, they will often give significantly more, like one and eight-tenths of a jin, or even two jin. Some customers don't mind, but others get quite annoyed, thinking, I asked for one jin, why are you giving me two? Do I have to spell it out? Jiang Feng was much simpler; he gave customers exactly what they asked for. Doing business, for him, was about ensuring a pleasant transaction for everyone.
Next, Jiang Feng scooped out a stewed, rosy pig's trotter and weighed it.
"The pig's trotter is exactly two jin."
He showed the girls the scale, then took a cleaver, cut up the pig's trotter, and placed it in another clear plastic container. Jiang Feng stacked the two containers, put them in a plastic bag, and added two pairs of disposable chopsticks and two pairs of disposable gloves.
"That'll be 136 yuan. Freshly braised, it smells wonderful. It's best eaten hot; the texture won't be as good once it cools," Jiang Feng said with a smile as he handed over the braised meat.
The two girls briskly scanned the QR code to pay, smiling as they said to Jiang Feng, "Thanks, boss." They gazed at Jiang Feng for a few more seconds, then walked away carrying the braised meat.
The scent of braised meat continued to drift. Tourists, unable to restrain their hunger upon smelling it, sought out the source of the aroma, heading towards Jiang Feng's food truck.
The two southern girls found a bench and sat down, planning to finish off the braised meat right there.
"That guy was quite good-looking, a pleasant surprise."
"Yeah, I told you, really handsome."
Putting on disposable gloves, they prepared to start with the pig's trotters. They took out the clear container and opened it, gazing at the braised pig's trotters inside. The trotters had an overall lustrous, reddish appearance. When they opened the container, the rich aroma of the braised trotters wafted out. The meat on the pig's trotters was visibly tender, and the middle section had already fallen off the bone.
One girl picked up a piece of trotter, put it in her mouth, and gently tore at the meat. The meat simply peeled away from the bone. Looking at the trotter bones, they were clean, without a single strand of meat clinging to them, a testament to how thoroughly they had been stewed and flavored.
Upon taking a bite, the first sensation was the meat's softness and tenderness. It felt like an abundance of collagen had been rendered perfectly, and with just a gentle chew, she could feel the tendons within the trotter. The pork was soft and easy to chew, the tendons were springy, and the savory braising sauce burst with flavor in her mouth, carrying a slight spiciness. With just one bite, there was only one sensation – sheer delight.
The girl's eyes widened in amazement as she hummed appreciatively. Chewing a few times with her mouth full of meat, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This is so delicious!"
The other girl picked up a piece of the trotter, and with a gentle pull, the meat and skin came apart. She grabbed half of it, brought it to her mouth, and bit into the meat.
A blazing heat, an exquisite texture. It made her unconsciously chew a few times before swallowing. After finishing, her tongue felt pleasantly tingly, and the fragrance lingered all the way down her throat.
"Mm, this is really good."
"The food here is so tasty too!"
They ate joyfully, and before long, the entire pig's trotter had been completely devoured.