Chapter 194: Chapter 194: Strong Anti-Surveillance Abilities!
The foodies from the intelligence group finally climbed to the peak of the mountain. They came here specifically for Jiang Feng’s delicacies. Upon reaching the summit, they were instantly stunned.
Not far away, many people were queued up, including a dozen wearing red hats and another dozen sporting yellow ones. Nearby, many had found rocks to sit on and were slurping wontons from bowls. Others held paper bags with sliced scallion pancakes, savoring them leisurely.
Seeing such a scene, the foodies suddenly froze.
"Wait, is this the top of Mount Qingcheng?"
"Is it really only eight o’clock and there are this many people? Is there a market fair?"
"Goodness, let’s hurry and get in line, or we’ll miss out!"
"People are everywhere these days, everyone’s so full of energy!"
The group hastily lined up at the end of the queue. This wasn’t just a breakfast stall; it was a full-blown tourist attraction!
Luckily, by the time it was their turn, there was just a little bit of wontons and scallion pancakes left. Each person managed to get their share. The trip had not been in vain.
The wontons were indeed delicious—smooth and practically melting in the mouth. The scallion pancakes were also exceptionally soft. Jiang Feng preferred to make his scallion pancakes on the softer side, with a tender outer layer as well. Some scallion pancakes have a hard crust that’s crispy and shatters when eaten. It’s a different texture, and everyone has their own preference.
The foodies blissfully consumed a bowl of steaming wontons before heading to the top of the mountain to gaze into the distance. This level of comfort was comparable to lying back and getting a foot massage after a hearty meal and drink.
A gentle breeze wafted by, bringing a hint of coolness. But the guests on the mountaintop seemed to have a protective buff, like in a video game, and didn’t feel the cold at all.
Perhaps it was due to the food:
Delicious Wontons: Satiety +50, cold resistance increased by 30% for one hour
Delicious Scallion Pancakes: Satiety +50, Staminia +50
In short, having breakfast before enjoying the scenery filled one with vigor. Descending the mountain, they felt full of energy.
"Sold out, that was quick."
"Time to pack up!"
Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei began tidying up the stove together. The day’s breakfast sale was over, and after cleaning up, they prepared to descend the mountain.
Since setting up shop on the mountaintop, the crowd had visibly grown. At first, not as many people reached the summit. Now, with people ascending and descending, the paths were nearly blocked. Those who came for the sunrise and breakfast packed the mountaintop, leaving hardly any standing room. Even tour groups arrived early in the morning. It was outrageous.
"Boss, do you also feel like the number of people is increasing?" Sun Zhuangfei looked out over the small square and commented.
"Isn’t it obvious?"
"We have three more days to go, and I expect even more people."
"Let’s just maintain today’s pace; that should be good enough."
"Preparing any more would be too much to carry up here."
Jiang Feng nodded in agreement.
Soon, the customers finished eating one after another. Sun Zhuangfei went to clean up the trash and wash the bowls. There were plenty of disposable chopsticks left, so no need for additional preparation there. They were also stocked up on grains, oils, and seasonings.
It took the two quite a while to finish cleaning. Many more people came by to inquire afterward. But alas, it was almost nine in the morning, and Jiang Feng’s breakfast stall had already packed up. Even if he wanted to, he couldn’t make any more food.
Today’s stall was finished, and Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei once again shouldered their yokes, laden with their various bags, and descended the mountain.
Many tourists reached Jiang Feng’s stall only to find he had already left. Having no choice, they simply took commemorative photos with Jiang Feng’s stall. When they would encounter Jiang Feng again was anyone’s guess.
「After coming down from the mountain, Jiang Feng rested at home for a bit, then went to the market to select ingredients.」
He also wanted to decide on what to sell tomorrow. Right now, he had mastered many breakfast dishes and could make them according to his own ideas.
Jiang Feng entered the supermarket’s market area, shopping for meat and vegetables.
At this moment, a butcher peeked out, constantly looking around. Upon spotting Jiang Feng, he froze for a moment, his eyes lighting up. Then, he took out his phone and sent messages to several people.
The message read:
"Attention, the target has appeared!"
Shortly after, each of these people responded:
"Received!"
Jiang Feng was clueless that he was being watched. It was like a scene from a movie where the criminal enters the market.
Jiang Feng strolled through the vegetable, fish, and meat sections. He picked a few good-quality scallions and placed them in his cart, then went on to select fresh carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and the like. The supermarket was large and well-stocked with a variety of fresh meats and vegetables. As a chef, Jiang Feng was very meticulous in his selections.
Jiang Feng shopped at a leisurely pace. The butcher instructed his assistant to watch the stall, then came out and began following Jiang Feng himself. He was careful, tailing Jiang Feng from behind, afraid he’d lose him. There was no helping it; the market was so large, it would be terrible if he lost him.
Jiang Feng seemed entirely unaware as he picked up a bag of preserved eggs. When he reached the seasoning shelves, he suddenly turned into the space between two racks.
The butcher, seeing Jiang Feng enter, hurriedly followed. However, to his surprise, when he peered between the shelves, Jiang Feng was nowhere to be seen.
"Huh? Where’d he go?" The butcher craned his neck, looking around, but still couldn’t spot Jiang Feng.
"Dude, why are you following me?"
Just then, a voice suddenly emerged from the side, startling the butcher.
"Ah!" The butcher, a burly man standing 1.8 meters tall, let out a somewhat effeminate shriek when Jiang Feng startled him, even hopping on the spot.
The butcher turned his head and saw Jiang Feng right beside him. A drop of cold sweat formed on the butcher’s forehead.
Such strong counter-surveillance skills! I thought my stealthy tracking was going unnoticed, but it was discovered!
Actually, it wasn’t that Jiang Feng had strong counter-surveillance skills. With the butcher’s burly, wall-like build, and his constant glances towards Jiang Feng while walking, anyone would have noticed!
The butcher laughed awkwardly and hurriedly explained, "It’s like this, I saw you buying groceries here yesterday and thought you might come again. My niece and her classmates are big fans of yours. They said they wanted a photo with you and asked me to keep an eye out. I was supposed to notify them as soon as I spotted you. I was worried I wouldn’t find you, so I decided to follow you for a bit."
Hearing the butcher’s words, Jiang Feng also breathed a sigh of relief. So that’s what it was; then it’s nothing. Being followed by a towering, muscular man would make anyone wary. Jiang Feng wasn’t scared, but it was still better to ask and be sure.
"I need to shop around here for over half an hour, so there’s no rush. They can just come find me when they’re ready." Jiang Feng nodded.
"Sorry about that, Boss Jiang," the butcher said apologetically.
"It’s okay." Jiang Feng waved his hand and pushed the shopping cart away.
The embarrassed butcher didn’t follow and returned to his stall.
Jiang Feng then made his way to a section selling grains. There were rice, millet, black rice, corn, soybeans, red beans, mung beans, and black beans—everything one could possibly need.
I could make Eight-Treasure Porridge, Jiang Feng mulled over the idea. Eight-Treasure Porridge is sweet, and the locals here love spicy food, so it wouldn’t be quite suitable. He soon abandoned the idea. Making porridge is a good idea, though. Maybe Century Egg and Lean Pork Porridge would be better. This one is savory and has a stronger flavor. Given the local preference for stronger flavors, it would be suitable.
Jiang Feng settled on tomorrow’s plan: Century Egg and Lean Pork Porridge, along with scallion pancakes and wontons. The process would be the same as today, though he’d need to cook an extra pot of porridge to bring up. Not difficult. That’s decided then!
Making up his mind, he got busy purchasing ingredients.
As he was shopping, three young girls soon arrived at the mall, looking for him. Guided by the butcher, they quickly found Jiang Feng.
"Ah, it’s Boss Jiang!"
"It really is him!"
"Let’s go!"
The three girls approached Jiang Feng.
"Boss Jiang, can we take a picture with you? We’re big fans, but we just can’t manage to get up early enough to climb the mountain. When we heard you were here, we came right over." The girls were quite sincere.
"No problem," Jiang Feng responded with a smile.
These days, anyone good-looking with a bit of talent who appears online is bound to attract many fans. Jiang Feng was no exception. He didn’t really mind; taking a photo made everyone happy.
After the photo, Jiang Feng thought he would chat with them for a bit. But the three girls walked off, admiring the photo. As they walked, they said:
"We finally got our check-in photo!"
"Let’s post it on Little Red Book."
"He’s really handsome in person!"
"Look at this photo, he looks so good!"
Hearing their conversation, Jiang Feng was somewhat astonished. I mean, I’m right here, aren’t I? Why are they still looking at the photo? Indeed, he can never guess what’s on a girl’s mind.
Shaking his head, he decided to ignore it and went back to selecting ingredients to prepare Century Egg and Lean Pork Porridge. Food is the one thing that should never be forsaken.
He continued to wander around the mall, buying a big pile of groceries. Other stall owners would likely be astounded if they saw this. Running a small stall yet buying groceries at a mall? Wasn’t that too extravagant?
Jiang Feng, however, found it normal; after all, with the high prices on the mountaintop, there was still a profit to be made.