CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: IT DOESN’T MATTER IF THE STALL IS SMALL, GOOD COOKING IS ALL THAT COUNTS!

Zhang Dashan approached Jiang Feng’s food stall.

"Boss Jiang, it took a while to find you."

"Why all of a sudden, are you setting up a stall here?"

Regret laced Zhang Dashan’s words. Once one has seen the vast sea, other waters seem shallow, and once one has seen mountains beyond mountains, other clouds seem mundane. To let me taste such delicious marinated meat and then leave. How cruel of you!

"I switch locations after setting up my stall for a while; I’m used to it," Jiang Feng replied politely. Meeting regular customers wasn’t a new experience for him, and he always received them courteously.

"You’re not selling marinated meat anymore?" Zhang Dashan asked, his reluctance evident.

"No, I can’t manage it alone. Preparing marinated meat is very troublesome; it basically takes a whole day. I plan to sell breakfast here this week," Jiang Feng responded.

Some tourists nearby listened to their conversation. After coming down from the mountain, some would come to buy buns and corn porridge, while others just sat on the benches to rest.

As they chatted, one of the tourists suddenly realized something. "I remember now, that stall owner seems to be the same guy who went viral at the resort last week. He disappeared right after he became famous! Some people even said he signed with a company to start live streaming selling marinated meat! I can’t believe he’s set up his stall over here!" the tourist exclaimed.

"I’ve seen that video too!" someone chimed in.

"No wonder his business is so good, I have to try it myself."

"I thought it was just a dishonest stall, turns out it’s someone remarkable!"

Everyone started gravitating towards the food stall.

Seeing that Jiang Feng wasn’t selling marinated meat, Zhang Dashan checked the stall’s sign. "Give me five pork buns," Zhang Dashan, interested only in the pork buns, requested.

"Alright." Jiang Feng took out a paper bag, grabbed five pork buns, and handed them to Zhang Dashan.

Zhang Dashan grabbed a pork bun; it was still hot. But having worked outdoors with cattle and sheep year-round, enduring wind and sun, his skin was rough, so he didn’t find it too hot to handle. He took a bite of the pork bun while it was still warm.

In an instant, the unique savory aroma of the seasoned meat burst forth in his mouth. The meat was saturated with juice, steaming hot yet refreshing. Chewing it filled his mouth with the delicious fragrance of the seasoned meat. It was still that irresistibly delightful sensation!

Chefs often have a personal style in preparing ingredients, adjusting flavors for diners only on special occasions. Zhang Dashan loved meat, and Jiang Feng’s skill in preparing it was unparalleled. With the taste perfectly to his liking, Zhang Dashan couldn’t get enough of Jiang Feng’s culinary creations.

"These soy-sauce pork buns smell so good! Boss Jiang, the pork buns you make are so tasty! It was worth making the trip here just for this! In the future, wherever you set up your stall, let me know. As long as there’s meat for sale, I’ll definitely come and support your business," Zhang Dashan exclaimed while heartily chewing the pork bun.

Zhang Dashan was one of Jiang Feng’s "die-hard fans." In fact, Jiang Feng had quite a few such loyal fans. Whenever Jiang Feng set up his stall, he would always encounter familiar faces. Many people came especially for Jiang Feng’s dishes. As the saying goes, food is paramount for the people, and some people love to pursue gourmet food. With Jiang Feng’s great culinary skills, he was sure to attract many customers.

"Okay, I’ll see how it goes in the future with the stall. But forget about joining any group; I don’t like talking about work during my rest time," Jiang Feng told Zhang Dashan.

"Why not register your own short video account? Short videos are all the rage now, even my ranch has several accounts," Zhang Dashan suggested.

"There’s no need, making short videos is also a hassle."

Jiang Feng now mainly relied on the system to earn money. While the income from his stall was high, it was nothing compared to the system’s rewards. Moreover, he preferred the tranquility of everyday life.

Zhang Dashan wolfed down the steamed buns in just a few bites—five large buns, not a crumb left. Ordinary people would be full after two, but he forced down five! After eating, his face showed pure enjoyment, and he seemed exceptionally content.

Just then, Li Xiangfo from the monastery drove down the mountain, parked his car, and made his way toward Jiang Feng’s stall. Arriving at the stall, Li Xiangfo said to Jiang Feng with a smile, "Boss Jiang, your vegetarian buns are really good; the monks at the monastery like them very much. I’d like to order some more vegetarian buns and mantou from you tomorrow. Sixty vegetarian buns and sixty mantou, what do you think? The same kind you made today will be fine."

Zhang Dashan, overhearing Li Xiangfo’s words, suddenly showed a trace of amazement on his face. Boss Jiang is impressive; even the monks from the monastery are ordering buns from him!

Jiang Feng readily agreed, "No problem, it’ll be the same time tomorrow; come and pick them up."

"Great, thank you so much," Li Xiangfo said, giving thanks before turning to leave.

Li Xiangfo was still dressed in monastic robes, looking like a monk who had practiced for many years, yet in reality, he was a layperson.

After Li Xiangfo left, Zhang Dashan approached Jiang Feng and exclaimed, "Boss Jiang, you’re even doing business with the monastery now!"

While attending to customers, Jiang Feng replied, "It just so happened. The bakery owner that used to supply the monastery with breakfast went back to his hometown for a few days. I happened to be here, so I’m filling in."

Hearing this, Zhang Dashan laughed and said, "I’ve heard that both the monastery and the Taoist temple on Fengqi Mountain are quite spiritually active. The mountain isn’t too high, but the feng shui is particularly good. Maybe the Taoists will come too!"

No sooner had Zhang Dashan finished speaking than two teenage Taoist priests in Taoist robes appeared at the entrance of the square, heading straight for Jiang Feng’s stall.

Looking up, Jiang Feng saw the two young teenage Taoist priests and was somewhat astonished himself. Well, I’ll be, Zhang Dashan’s words came true; the Taoists really did come!

It was now 7:30 in the morning, and it was still early. About seven or eight customers were eating breakfast next to the stall, all with satisfied expressions. Zhang Dashan, having enjoyed his meat bun, was happily chatting with Jiang Feng. There weren’t many customers, so Jiang Feng waited at his food truck.

The two teenage Taoist priests looked about eighteen or nineteen years old and had kind, benevolent faces. The Taoist temple on Fengqi Mountain was a small one, housing only ten people and belonging to the Zhengyi sect. Zhengyi Taoists can eat meat, except for four types: cow, dog, blackfish, and wild goose. They had few dietary restrictions, which only applied on special days.

On ordinary days, these two teenage Taoist priests were responsible for the kitchen chores. That morning, they had prepared dough for mantou and put it in the steamer. However, the dough didn’t rise properly, resulting in yellowish mantou with a terrible texture that was inedible. Thus, their senior brother sent them down the mountain to buy buns at mid-mountain.

"The stall our senior brother mentioned must be this one. How did he know there was a stall here? We’ve never seen it before," one of the teenage Taoist priests remarked.

"Seems like he saw it on a short video platform. I heard him saying yesterday that he wanted to come down and buy some buns."

The two muttered among themselves. They approached Jiang Feng’s food truck and glanced at the sign before saying, "We’ll take 20 soy-sauce pork buns and ten tea eggs."

"Okay." Jiang Feng took out paper bags and started filling them with buns for them. The two teenage Taoist priests waited in front of the food truck.

After the buns and tea eggs were packed, the two left the square carrying their bags and headed up the mountain. They still had to prepare the morning vegetarian meal.

"Boss Jiang, your business is really something; both monks and Taoists are buying your buns," Zhang Dashan said in admiration.

Jiang Feng looked on calmly and responded with a smile, "It’s the nature of a stall to welcome customers. There’s a monastery and a Taoist temple on this mountain, so doing business with them is quite normal. To me, no matter their identity, everyone is just a regular customer. As long as the customers like what they eat, that’s what matters."

Zhang Dashan felt that Jiang Feng was completely different from other vendors. Not only was his craftsmanship masterful, but his attitude was also so carefree. He had the aura of a hermit who was above worldly concerns. Running a stall to this level was truly unrivaled. A mountain need not be high; it is famous so long as there is an immortal. Waters need not be deep; they are spiritual so long as there is a dragon. The size of the stall doesn’t matter; it’s the cooking skill that counts.