CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: THE CUSTOMERS ATTRACTED BY THE ZHAJIANG NOODLES!

The young police officers from the Municipal Public Security Bureau, after hearing their colleague’s words, also arrived at the food stall in Juxing Shopping Mall.

They had changed into casual clothes and looked just like ordinary people, although their neat short hair and bearing still revealed some differences.

The Public Security Bureau is a large organization with high standards, unlike the grassroots police stations.

Grassroots work involves a multitude of tasks, all directly involving front-line duties, where everyone works hard and sometimes appears a bit unkempt.

"It must be that one, the zhajiang noodle shop Zhang Cheng mentioned."

"The sign of that shop is new, and the words are handwritten on it," one young police officer said.

"Yeah, it should be that one."

The two made their way to Jiang Feng’s small shop and both ordered a bowl of zhajiang noodles.

Soon, the fragrant zhajiang noodles were served.

The aroma of the meat sauce ignited their appetites.

Since they hadn’t eaten much for lunch, the delicious smell of the zhajiang noodles made them even hungrier.

Then, the two picked up their chopsticks and devoured their meals like a gust of wind sweeping through leaves.

The zhajiang noodles tasted even better than they had imagined.

As they ate, they felt as if their taste buds were blossoming, indulging in the deliciousness of the meat sauce.

It was as if they were in a warm, heated room during the depths of winter, feeling warmth throughout their bodies.

They couldn’t help but swallow each mouthful after chewing a few times, savoring the satisfaction the food brought to their stomachs.

Neither spoke again, simply eating heartily.

Meanwhile, the other customers around them were doing exactly the same thing.

Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the taste of the zhajiang noodles.

These zhajiang noodles were incredibly delicious!

The flavor of the sauce was top-quality. After mixing, every noodle strand was fully coated in the sauce, resulting in a mouthful of savory meat with each bite.

Utterly delightful!

The two young police officers finished their zhajiang noodles, leaving hardly any meat sauce in their bowls.

They let out a deep breath.

"That was delicious, extremely satisfying! The taste of this new place is exceptional!"

"Let’s come back here for dinner."

"Sure, no problem."

The two stood up and left, feeling content.

Jiang Feng was busy at the stove.

There were many customers placing orders, all for zhajiang noodles.

Whenever he had a free moment, he would check his task progress.

Making noodles at a food stall didn’t have the same quick transaction speed as selling buns.

With a steady flow of customers, by around 1:30 PM, Jiang Feng had served 58 out of his target of 100 customers.

Everyone who ate the zhajiang noodles was extremely satisfied.

Some even chatted with him for a bit.

"Boss, your cooking skills are impressive. Where did you make zhajiang noodles before?"

Jiang Feng would often respond courteously, "Just had a little stall here and there."

The man, quite talkative, continued, "You came here because business wasn’t good over there, right?"

Hearing this, Jiang Feng responded with a smile, "Business was not bad; there were quite a lot of people."

At that time, Fengqi Mountain’s little plaza was extremely crowded.

Since he had been gone for a few days, the climbers were missing his buns.

Especially the monks from the Taoist Temple and other temples.

But what will be will be, and what won’t be, no matter how hard you try, can’t be forced. These things are a matter of fate.

Jiang Feng made a few more sales, and by two o’clock, the customers at the food stall had dwindled.

His task was still incomplete. The next busy period, when customers would be plentiful, wouldn’t be until after six in the evening.

Jiang Feng decided to close up shop, go home to rest, and walk his dog.

He closed the stall and wrote down the operating hours on the board:

11:00 AM - 2:00 PM

6:00 PM - 8:30 PM

After locking the cabinet, he left straight away.

Some of the other stall owners also closed up, while others, with nothing much else to do, stayed by their stoves, playing with their phones, ready to serve any customers who came by.

It’s a small business, after all; every little bit counts.

Jiang Feng carried a plastic bag home, containing the pigskin he had trimmed that day.

Upon his return, Little Black immediately came running out to greet him, tail wagging.

The little guy was very smart and not at all boisterous.

"Wait a bit. I’ll feed you once it’s ready."

Jiang Feng entered the kitchen at home, planning to make pork rind jelly from the excess pigskin.

Making pork rind jelly was simple. Jiang Feng put the pork skin in a pot, added scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, and cooked it thoroughly. Then he washed it clean in warm water, singed the hair off one side, and scraped the fat from the other.

Then he cut it into strips and washed the fat off with baking soda.

Next, he put it back in the pot, added seasonings, and simmered it for about an hour.

Once cooked, he fished out all the seasonings and poured the pork skin broth into an iron basin to cool naturally overnight. The result would be glistening pork rind jelly.

Mixed with a special sauce, it would become a refreshing cold dish.

Jiang Feng placed the pork skin broth in the fridge. If it cooled quickly enough, they could have it that evening.

Jiang Feng also fried some yu xiang pork strips and steamed a pot of rice on the side.

He intentionally fried some extra meat to feed Little Black.

The food Little Black ate was always top-notch.

But it was unclear whether it could distinguish the taste of its food.

The afternoon flew by. When it was past 5:00 PM, Jiang Feng got into his car and drove to Juxing Shopping Mall again.

I still have two and a half hours of work left. I’ll see if I can get off early and head home by 8:00 PM, Jiang Feng thought.

Jiang Feng heated oil in the wok, preparing the sauce for the zhajiang noodles.

He was always serious when it came to cooking. Although he appeared calm and collected on the surface, he was actually meticulous with every step.

After 6:00 PM, the food stall area became bustling with people.

The people who came here were all hustling for their livelihoods.

After a day of exhaustion, they just wanted to enjoy a delicious meal to nourish their tired bodies.

"Boss, give me a bowl of zhajiang noodles, the large size."

"I want a bowl of zhajiang noodles too."

Customers approached Jiang Feng’s stall to place their orders.

"Okay, please wait a moment."

Jiang Feng responded politely and then busied himself boiling noodles.

Soon after, a group of young men with short hair arrived at Juxing Shopping Mall.

One or two of them wouldn’t have stood out, but seven or eight of them walking together, with their upright posture, made an immediate impression.

They were obviously trained.

"That zhajiang noodle place there is really delicious!"

"Trust me, it’s really satisfying!"

"I’ve been writing reports all day. I’m exhausted!"

"My head hurts too. We finally caught that wanted criminal, but he just won’t confess. Dealing with these tight-lipped ones is tough; there’s not much we can do."

The group quietly discussed among themselves.

Once they reached the crowded area, they stopped discussing official business to avoid eavesdroppers and prevent unnecessary trouble.

The seven of them arrived at Jiang Feng’s stall.

"Boss, we’ll have seven bowls of zhajiang noodles, all large," one of them said.

"Okay."

Seven more orders. Jiang Feng accepted them.

"And give me five large orders of zhajiang noodles to go," the man added.

"Sure, just a moment."

Jiang Feng lit the stove and got to work.

The aroma of meat wafted through the air.

The seven found two tables to sit at, played with their phones, chatted about life, and griped a bit about the cafeteria food.

It felt pretty good.

Mealtimes were always relaxing. Sometimes, when enjoying good food, they could forget their troubles, which made it even more comfortable.

Jiang Feng was busy at the stove.

Handling twelve orders at once significantly advanced his task progress.

After serving a few more customers, he could close up and head home.

Everyone is busy with what they care about every day. That’s just life.

At the dinner table, the young police officer, Ma Ran, looked worried. He was from the Criminal Investigation Unit and dealt with major cases. This time, they caught a murderer who had killed several people, and the evidence was enough to convict him.

But the criminal, knowing he was doomed, adamantly refused to say where he buried the last victim.

The victim’s family came to the police station every day crying, just wanting to give their loved one a proper burial.

But the criminal remained silent. Since the police couldn’t use forceful interrogation methods, they were at a loss.

"Why don’t you try tempting him with a bowl of zhajiang noodles?"

"Offer him a little something, and that guy might just spill the beans," suggested Zhang Cheng.

Zhang Cheng usually handled office work and wasn’t in charge of criminal investigations. He and Ma Ran were police academy classmates, so he had called him out for dinner.

Hearing Zhang Cheng’s suggestion, Ma Ran nodded.

"Alright, I’ll have a bowl first to check the taste," Ma Ran agreed.

"This method might be worth a shot. There have been precedents, and it has proven effective."