CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 323: SYSTEM UPGRADE, NEW TASK!

Jiang Feng was pondering opening a restaurant.

Various invitations followed, one after another.

In addition to some business activities, several variety shows had also extended an olive branch to him. For example, "Chinese Restaurant," "Culinary Competition," and even programs where Chinese chefs competed against international ones.

Jiang Feng always declined to participate in competition-based shows. He believed that if all the participants were superb chefs, each would have their own strengths, and there was no need to insist on determining a winner.

As for programs like "Chinese Restaurant"—which featured celebrities and stars promoting local food specialties or spreading Chinese culinary culture abroad—Jiang Feng quite enjoyed watching them.

As for participating himself, Jiang Feng felt it would be somewhat out of place. So he declined.

For the past few days, Jiang Feng had been looking for a suitable location. Business was tough these days, but renting a restaurant building was fairly straightforward. However, Jiang Feng had different ideas. He planned not to rent but to buy, which would require more effort.

Also, his cash flow was somewhat insufficient. Since the System hadn’t made its presence known yet, Jiang Feng began to think about earning some money. Being a boss wasn’t so easy. When he needed money, he still had to work for it.

Of course, he had many assets, just not much ready cash. He could liquidate them anytime he wanted, so he didn’t really lack spending money.

I need to make some money, Jiang Feng mused to himself. Otherwise, I won’t be able to afford a building.

City specials, variety show invites, business events... he thought. Still, earning money through the System is more comfortable.

Jiang Feng stretched lazily and took a few more days to rest, spending his time eating and wandering around.

Then, Jiang Feng considered setting up a stall to sell some snacks. He still very much enjoyed the feeling of street vending.

Preferably with fewer people around.

I could just switch to a food truck and wear a mask; I probably wouldn’t be recognized so easily then.

Jiang Feng had already decided what he would sell.

That evening, the System’s voice suddenly rang out.

"System upgrade complete."

"Initiating urban street vending mission: Set up a stall at a designated location in Changsha. Sell 100 servings of pancakes and 100 servings of egg-filled pancakes daily."

"Recipes acquired: Pancake recipe, Egg-filled pancake recipe."

"Food truck rewarded: One tricycle food truck."

"Mission reward: Golden Groin Guard*1, Random Intangible Cultural Heritage Craft Skill*1."

"After the system upgrade, China’s Intangible Cultural Heritage Craft Skills will be unlocked."

Hearing this voice, Jiang Feng was somewhat surprised.

The System upgrade was successful?

An upgrade that unlocked intangible cultural heritage skills... that’s actually pretty good.

But what on earth is this reward, a Golden Groin Guard? Surely it can’t be a pair of golden briefs meant to be worn on the outside?

It doesn’t matter, though. As long as it’s gold, the design is irrelevant.

"Finally, the upgrade is a success," Jiang Feng said with a smile. "The newly unlocked features are quite reliable."

He’d had many whimsical ideas when he first heard the System was going to upgrade.

For instance, the System unlocking a time-travel feature, allowing me to travel through history on vending missions. That would have been quite fun.

Or inviting several impressive historical figures to experience modern delicacies.

It seems now all those ideas are impossible.

The food for this week’s vending was simple: just the pancakes and egg-filled pancakes commonly seen on the streets. They were available almost everywhere. This also indirectly showed that pancakes and egg-filled pancakes must be delicious to have such a vast audience. Of course, different people made them with different flavors.

After learning the recipes, Jiang Feng thought to himself.

The method for making pancakes is largely similar; the difference in taste must be due to the raw ingredients, he mused. For instance, the batter. Pancakes made from fresh batter, as opposed to batter that has been left to sit for a long time, will definitely have a different texture.

Jiang Feng’s knowledge of food was profound. He knew how to make food achieve its best possible flavor.

Sun Zhuangfei had already returned to the Sichuan restaurant. He was enjoying working there now, so Jiang Feng had no plans to call him back. The task of selling pancakes could be handled by one person alone. Besides, Sun Zhuangfei could be recognized now. People knew he was Jiang Feng’s assistant, and his physical features were very distinctive.

If I brought him along to sell pancakes, people would recognize us immediately without anyone needing to say a word.

Besides, who brings an assistant to sell pancakes?

That would be a dead giveaway.

Better to do it myself.

Jiang Feng made his decision and began to get things ready.

The System had thoughtfully prepared the tricycle as well.

Jiang Feng rented a small courtyard with a fully equipped kitchen. In Changsha, there were still many such farmstead-style courtyards available.

When he took out the tricycle in a deserted place, Jiang Feng was somewhat speechless.

Seriously, a human-powered one? he thought, exasperated. Couldn’t they at least provide an electric tricycle?

He could accept it, though. After all, the vending location wasn’t far.

Jiang Feng’s chosen vending spot was at the entrance to Orange Isle’s southern tip. He would have liked to set up his stall inside Orange Isle itself, but regulations didn’t allow it.

Changsha was generally quite tolerant of street vending, with stalls everywhere, creating a lively, bustling atmosphere. Orange Isle’s southern tip was an exception due to its regulations; being a scenic area, setting up shop there required formal cooperation agreements.

This time, Jiang Feng planned to keep a low profile.

So, he prepared batter, eggs, chicken tenders, sausages, and various other ingredients. Jiang Feng was ready to set up his stall.

The batter he mixed himself, using a System recipe, produced pancakes that were even softer and had a more tender, glutinous texture. The chicken tenders were also meticulously prepared and tasted better than average ones. The sausages were just ordinary Shuanghui brand ones, which he would add to the pancakes if a customer requested. He also bought over a dozen small packs of Weilong spicy strips. Some customers liked adding them to their pancakes—a novel way to enjoy the snack.

Around nine in the morning, Jiang Feng rode his tricycle toward the vending spot. The journey offered lovely scenery. If there was one drawback, it was the steep uphill section on the way, which required him to stand up and pedal hard to ascend.

「At that very moment.」

On the road, a couple in their car, on their way to work, saw Jiang Feng pedaling his tricycle.

"It’s not easy for street vendors these days, selling pancakes so early in the morning," the wife lamented, momentarily moved by the perceived hardships of life.

"That guy looks pretty young. Instead of finding a proper job at his age, he’s just selling on the street—there’s no future in that," the husband remarked disdainfully.

"What’s wrong with street vending?" the wife retorted. "Many people make twenty to thirty thousand yuan a month from it! And that very popular Boss Jiang, didn’t he start out with a stall?"

"That twenty to thirty thousand a month is just hearsay. Boss Jiang is already wealthy; street vending is just a hobby for him. Plus, he’s an exceptionally skilled cook. How can anyone else compare to that?"

"This kind of small stall has no future. If they could find a proper job, who would choose to be a street vendor?" the husband added.

Little did they know, the subject of their conversation was none other than Jiang Feng, a young tycoon whose wealth had long surpassed a hundred million. But then again, who would expect someone worth over a hundred million to be pedaling a tricycle selling pancakes!

Jiang Feng pedaled swiftly. For him, pedaling the tricycle wasn’t tiring, given his good Stamina. However, when going uphill, standing up to pedal felt more comfortable. Sitting made his backside feel somewhat unstable.

After reaching the top of the hill, he continued on his way.

Riding my beloved tricycle~ he hummed inwardly, It never gets stuck in traffic~

This lack of attention from people felt quite comfortable, honestly. It was just as he had told Sun Zhuangfei: "I am someone who likes peace and quiet."

Soon, Jiang Feng arrived at his destination. There were quite a few other stalls here. Stalls sold grilled sausages, baked sweet potatoes, stir-fried noodles, fruit platters, and corn. Fortunately, no one else was selling pancakes. This was a good thing. After all, direct competitors were the most likely to harbor resentment, and competition could lead to unnecessary disputes.

Jiang Feng found a spot and parked his cart. His location wasn’t particularly prime—it was relatively far from the entrance—but since all the stalls were grouped together, customers were bound to see his.

Jiang Feng stopped the cart and put on a face mask. He had also changed to a fresher hairstyle and was wearing a casual short-sleeved shirt and shorts. His youthful skin was evident. Anyone familiar with Jiang Feng would still have recognized him instantly. After all, things like height, build, and general aura aren’t easily changed. However, because of the different hairstyle, the mask, and the very ordinary food truck, few people paid him much attention. And no one was thinking along those lines anyway.

Who would have guessed that a simple pancake vendor was the renowned Culinary God?

Ah, this nostalgic feeling, Jiang Feng thought, feeling relaxed. Vending like this is much more comfortable than those city-exclusive events.

Everything is just as it should be.

People were focused on themselves, not concentrating their attention on him. Tourists chatted leisurely amongst themselves. Some sat by the roadside, taking a break. A family of three was out enjoying themselves.

Observing such scenes, Jiang Feng felt at ease.

This is the kind of freedom I was after.

Before long, two young people who had gotten hungry approached to place their orders.

The food truck displayed a fabric banner listing the prices:

Pancake: 7 yuan

Egg-Filled Pancake: 7 yuan

Add Egg: 1.5 yuan

Add Chicken Tender: 2 yuan

Add Weilong Spicy Strip: 1 yuan

Add Sausage: 1.5 yuan

"Boss, I’ll have a Pancake, add an extra egg, and chicken tenders."

"I’ll also take a Pancake, add two packs of Weilong spicy strips, and a sausage."

The two glanced at the menu and immediately placed their orders.

This time, Jiang Feng replied in a lowered voice, "Okay."

Then, he got busy at the food truck.