Chapter 193: Chapter 193: Punch in at the Moving Scenic Spot, Completed!
Once upon a time, there was a mountain, and atop that mountain was a little stall where the boss was assigning tasks to his employee.
"Keep the cooked scallion pancakes in the insulated box; don’t let them get cold," Jiang Feng said to Sun Zhuangfei. "Make sure to gather up all the trash later. Customers should be arriving shortly."
"No problem, Boss," Sun Zhuangfei readily agreed.
He was a hard worker, very diligent, and usually quiet, just silently getting on with his tasks. Occasionally, he would learn some cooking skills from Jiang Feng.
Today was the fourth day of setting up the stall, and Jiang Feng’s dishes were scallion pancakes and wontons.
The key to delicious wontons lay first in the filling and second in the soup. Jiang Feng had a secret recipe. The wontons he prepared were thin-skinned and generously filled. After cooking, one could see the tender pink filling through the skins. Biting into one was an endless delight.
The secret to a good scallion pancake lay in kneading the dough. If the dough was handled well and rested properly, then rolled out with scallions, flattened, and lightly fried on both sides in an electric griddle, it created a taste sensation.
Sun Zhuangfei had also started wrapping wontons this morning. The filling was prepared by Jiang Feng, and the wonton skins were also made by him; Sun Zhuangfei was simply responsible for wrapping them. It was all part of the job.
Before the customers arrived, Jiang Feng cooked two bowls of wontons and fried two scallion pancakes for himself and Sun Zhuangfei to eat. Sun Zhuangfei was already hungry.
It’s strange how the earlier you wake up in the morning, the hungrier you become. If you get up at six or seven, you’ll soon be starving. If you wake up at nine or ten, you won’t feel as hungry.
Jiang Feng’s way of eating was to cut a few lines into the scallion pancake with a knife, slicing it into pieces, and then eating it piece by piece. Sun Zhuangfei directly took a whole scallion pancake. Then, after letting it cool a bit, he folded it in half and took a large bite. Instantly, the fragrance of scallion and oil burst forth from the pancake.
Jiang Feng was already a master of wheat-based foods. He was extremely good at making steamed bread, stuffed buns, noodles, and fried dough sticks. Scallion pancakes were also a test of dough handling. Well-rested dough was brushed with oil, sprinkled with scallions and salt, then flattened and cooked on the griddle. The taste was simply incredible. The scallion pancake was soft yet chewy, and unexpectedly fragrant.
Sun Zhuangfei quickly polished off an entire scallion pancake.
"Boss, how come everything you make is so delicious?" he exclaimed in admiration. "How long will it take for me to reach your level?"
Jiang Feng calmly replied, "Work hard and learn, and you’ll definitely master it."
Sun Zhuangfei began eating the wontons again. The wontons Jiang Feng made were small, small enough for a spoon to scoop one up at a time. Upon biting into a wonton, the first sensation was tenderness. The wonton filling was very tender. He didn’t know how it was made, but the filling felt exceptionally fresh and tender. The soup was incredibly savory, and drinking it was comforting. It seemed to be because Jiang Feng used a rich, simmered stock. On the surface, they appeared to be ordinary wontons, but there was a hidden depth to their flavor.
After finishing his meal, Sun Zhuangfei felt full of energy. He couldn’t help but inwardly praise. The boss’s skills are truly at their peak. Even if the wages were a little less, having such a bowl of wontons every day would be worth it.
「Meanwhile」
Word about Jiang Feng setting up his stall on the back of Mount Qingcheng finally reached the foodies’ chat group. Upon hearing this news, people in the group were quite surprised.
"On the back of Mount Qingcheng? How did he end up there?"
"Ah? Choosing between hiking and food, that’s tough!"
"The key point is breakfast; you have to climb the mountain early in the morning!"
"I’m planning to hike up for the sunrise; it works out perfectly!"
"I’m also planning to go; let’s arrange a hike together!"
The messages in the group bubbled with excitement.
It wasn’t just the group. Someone posted a video of the sunrise from the mountaintop, which also captured Jiang Feng’s stall, and their praise for his stall was unending. The video quickly attracted the attention of others.
Since many tourists visited Mount Qingcheng every day, anyone coming for a visit would look up travel tips. A search for tips would inevitably bring up Jiang Feng’s stall.
"You must check out the food stall on the mountaintop!"
"This food stall owner is a mobile check-in spot!"
"To drink a bowl of soymilk, eat a bowl of douhua on the mountaintop, and then enjoy the scenery—simply perfect!"
Seeing these messages, tourists were also tempted. The majority of tourists in Chengdu planned to visit Dujiangyan and Mount Qingcheng. Most preferred to hike in the morning or in the afternoon. But after seeing these videos, many changed their plans to morning hikes. The most outrageous was a tour group that even organized an activity to hike up early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Tourists had the option to join or not, with a midday gathering.
The mountaintop was lively and bustling in the early morning, with one wave of tourists following another.
"Where can I buy soymilk and fried dough sticks?"
"How come today you’re selling wontons and scallion pancakes!"
"It doesn’t match what others described!"
"Did I travel to a parallel world? In the original world, they sell soymilk and fried dough sticks, but in this world, they sell wontons and scallion pancakes?"
"Why doesn’t the scenery match what others have seen?"
Tourists arrived at Jiang Feng’s stall and, seeing its sign, all showed looks of doubt. Nevertheless, everyone still ordered a serving of wontons and a few scallion pancakes.
Jiang Feng had prepared plenty today. Having a helper to do the work really made a difference. Sun Zhuangfei had been making wontons for several hours, filling a large bucket with them. All Jiang Feng needed to do was season the meat filling and roll out the wonton wrappers; the rest of the miscellaneous tasks were Sun Zhuangfei’s responsibility. Sun Zhuangfei was capable too, sitting there quietly making them for several hours without a word. Jiang Feng had also prepared a lot of dough for the scallion pancakes. The goal for today was to operate for an extra hour, hopefully not selling out just after opening.
「Just then」
A tour group of about fifteen or sixteen people came up from below. This small team all wore red baseball caps, with the tour guide holding a little red flag. The tour guide’s voice came from the crowd.
"We’re about to reach the top of Mount Qingcheng’s rear mountain. The scenery along the way is also drawing to a close. But here, there’s a new surprise: a breakfast stall at the mountaintop. Everyone, look over there. That person is the very popular stall owner who likes to make different delicacies in different places and even owns a gourmet restaurant. Many tourists take photos with him. Online, he’s jokingly called the ’mobile check-in spot,’ and taking a picture with his stall is considered quite a memorable thing to do. The food made by this stall owner is especially delicious; I suggest everyone give it a try. It’s now seven forty, and you can spend time around here. Meet back here at eight twenty. Those who want to eat breakfast can go and buy it themselves."
After laying out the plan, the tour guide herself was the first to queue up at the breakfast stall. That’s how tour groups work: they set a time at a tourist spot and let the tourists wander on their own. Seeing this, other tourists followed suit and joined the queue.
Their actions attracted many onlookers. Many onlookers liked to tag along with tour groups because tour guides have a deep understanding of the attractions and can describe them eloquently. Listening to the explanations before viewing the sights offers a different experience.
These are two styles of tourism. Some people prefer "immersive tourism," which means hiring a guide or joining a group and enjoying the stories and history of each spot. Others prefer "free-style tourism," organizing it themselves to keep things relaxed, carefree, and enjoyable.
At the little stall, Jiang Feng was busy cooking pancakes on the electric griddle while also watching the small wontons in the big pot. Once the wontons were ready, he’d scoop out a few bowls and deliver them to the customers. Sun Zhuangfei was also bustling about. One moment he was cleaning the tables and stools, and the next he was serving customers their wontons and scallion pancakes.
Generally speaking, mountain climbing is a relatively free activity. But now, the small square had become like a popular attraction, with tourists queuing up. You could even see a line of "Little Red Riding Hoods." With no competition around, business was just too good.
Before long, the tour guide made her way to the front of the queue.
"Boss, I’ll have a serving of wontons and one scallion pancake," she ordered.
"Okay, please wait a moment here," Jiang Feng replied, immediately beginning to prepare her order.
The tour guide took out her phone, switched to selfie mode, turned her back to Jiang Feng, and snapped several pictures in succession. She had been a guide on Mount Qingcheng for many years and had long lost the urge to take photos. Now that Jiang Feng was here, she had deliberately led an early morning sunrise tour just to take a photo with him.
Check-in at the ’mobile attraction,’ completed! she thought to herself.
Jiang Feng didn’t know that because he appeared sporadically and vanished soon after, many online considered him a "mobile attraction." He was like a rare treasure chest that suddenly appears in a game; seeing him was inevitably surprising. This kind of thing had happened before in Eastern Shandong, where an entire tour group came specifically for him.
Jiang Feng didn’t mind much. Let them take photos, by all means. As long as it doesn’t affect business, it’s fine.
Soon after, the tour guide found a step, placed her bowl of steaming hot wontons on it, and squatted down to eat. There was no help for it; there just weren’t enough tables and chairs.
She scooped up a wonton and tasted it. It was tender and smooth. With a slight chew, the wonton skin broke, releasing the delicious meat filling mixed with the piping hot soup. The meat filling dispersed instantly, its aroma wafting out.
PHEW! PHEW!
The wontons were a bit hot, so the guide exhaled sharply a couple of times to cool them down. She was immersed in the delicious flavor of the wontons.
The reputation of this ’mobile attraction’ is indeed not just hype! The taste is really not bad!