Jiang Feng took down the sign hanging from the food truck and also closed the window. He was closing up for the day.
At this time, the flow of customers had just begun to decrease.
Li Ze, the vendor from the noodle stall next door, saw this and came over to chat with Jiang Feng.
"Closing up already?"
"A day's stall fee must be two hundred, right? Aren't you going to sell for a bit longer?"
Hearing Li Ze's words, Jiang Feng replied, "Once I've sold out, I'm ready to go. I didn't bring much braised meat."
Li Ze then said, "Your little stall is doing so well; ever since you arrived, the customers haven't stopped coming."
"Is this braised meat recipe a family secret, or is it a franchise?"
"I'd like to give it a try too, what do you think?"
That's how it was with these small vendors, their eyes always on the nearby stalls. When someone else did well, they couldn't help feeling envious and want a piece of the pie.
"I braise it myself; there's no special recipe."
"I need to go to the ranch. You keep busy."
Jiang Feng wasn't in the mood for a chat with Li Ze.
He took off his chef's jacket, removed his clear face mask, locked up the food truck, and then, leashing Little Black, happily took Little Black for a walk.
He hadn't had a chance to explore the resort since he started setting up his stall there.
He finished early today and had some extra time, so he decided to have a look around.
The area was pet-friendly, allowing dogs as long as they were on a leash.
Seeing Jiang Feng's straightforward refusal, Li Ze didn't press further.
He thought Jiang Feng, being young and tidy, would be easy to talk to.
Such people often feel too embarrassed to refuse when you make a request, somewhat eager to please.
But Jiang Feng paid him no attention at all. His refusal was firm, and he didn't seem to care in the slightest.
Li Ze abandoned any thoughts of getting a share.
Little Black was very well-behaved, trotting along on the leash and looking back at Jiang Feng every few steps.
Jiang Feng had taken Little Black to a veterinarian for a checkup.
The vet had high praise for Little Black's physical condition.
The vet told Jiang Feng, "I've seen at least eight hundred dogs, if not a thousand. You can tell if a breed is good just by feeling their bone structure and looking into their eyes."
"Your Little Black is definitely a rare find—a very healthy and smart dog."
"The potential for mutts varies greatly. At the high end, you have a 'dog king' that other dogs flock to. At the low end, you have frail ones prone to illness that barely survive three months."
"If you raise this one well, it really might reach the level of a dog king."
Hearing the vet's words, Jiang Feng smiled and responded, "Who cares if it's a dog king or not, as long as it's healthy."
"After all, I have to take care of it."
The vet replied, "It's different, though. A good dog is particularly trouble-free."
"If you get one that destroys the home or is often sick, it's a lot of trouble."
Jiang Feng didn't have much to say.
He just felt that he had a natural affinity with Little Black.
He thought it was just a stray dog with no home, but after the checkup, it turned out to be a gem!
No wonder that when the city management officers came to capture stray dogs, this little guy was able to escape from their clutches.
Looking at it now, it really was clever.
Jiang Feng walked out of the commercial street. Outside was a park, a children's playground, and several larger, beautifully decorated restaurants.
Further in lay the ranch.
Jiang Feng bought a ticket and entered the ranch.
The environment inside was lovely. As soon as he entered, he could see a few young lambs in their pens.
At that moment, the ranch's two Border Collies noticed Little Black and immediately looked over curiously.
Little Black also wagged its tail in greeting.
The little fellow was bold and not shy at all.
The ranch's Border Collies weren't on leashes and ran over directly.
In such circumstances, bystanders couldn't say much. After all, the ranch was the Border Collies' home, and it was normal for them not to be leashed in their own territory.
But other dogs were outsiders, and outsiders needed to be leashed.
The two Border Collies approached Little Black and immediately started sniffing it, heads lowered.
Little Black, head held high and tail wagging, was not the least bit frightened and greeted the Border Collies.
Jiang Feng was a bit worried at first, but seeing this scene, he was amused.
"Pretty impressive, not afraid even of such big dogs," Jiang Feng said with a laugh.
Several tourists found the scene adorable and stopped to watch for a while.
Then, Jiang Feng continued to walk further into the ranch with Little Black, heading toward the Grassland area. Here, there were some trees and several sika deer foraging for food.
The sika deer were raised at the ranch; deer enclosures weren't uncommon these days.
Jiang Feng bought a bag of corn on the cob. Upon seeing the food in his hands, two sika deer immediately came over to beg for treats.
Jiang Feng was quite fond of these adorable animals.
If conditions allowed, he would also like to raise a few.
He patted a sika deer's head, feeling relaxed and pleased.
After a day of running his stall and a pleasant stroll, Jiang Feng returned to the food truck with Little Black. He drove off, ready to prepare the next day's braised meat.
As Jiang Feng was driving the food truck away, he happened to run into Liu Wu, the person in charge of Shuize Resort.
Liu Wu was there to check if the food vendors were following the rules.
"Jiang Feng, what's this? Leaving already?"
Seeing Jiang Feng driving the food truck away, Liu Wu immediately stepped forward to ask.
"Yeah, I've sold out of the braised meat, getting ready to head back," Jiang Feng replied.
Today, several groups of people had asked where the braised meat stall was, so Liu Wu had a particularly strong impression of Jiang Feng.
After all, good food was a way to attract customers.
"It's only three o'clock and you've already sold out?"
"Prepare more for tomorrow. People were just asking about the braised meat," Liu Wu said quickly.
"Okay," Jiang Feng casually responded and then drove the mobile food truck straight away.
He didn't plan to prepare too much, just around three hundred and forty pounds or so.
That amount was just right for him to manage.
Liu Wu watched Jiang Feng's departing figure, clicking his tongue in wonder.
His business is truly good! I've never seen anyone clock out so early.
Then, he went back to inspecting the other stalls.
Jiang Feng drove back to his shop and first dealt with the stock.
He skimmed off the meat scraps, added new ingredients, and stewed it again.
This stock was called triple stock, with an even richer flavor.
He prepared three pots of this reprocessed stock in total: one specifically for stewing pork, one for chicken, and one for duck.
They couldn't be mixed, otherwise the flavors would mingle.
Buy more pork trotters today; they sell the best.
That's what people like the most.
Jiang Feng was calculating.
The pork trotters he made were truly delicious and could be considered the stall's signature dish.
They were ruddy and tender, offering a mouthful of savory delight.
It was just a pity that pork trotters were expensive; otherwise, getting a few to savor would be absolutely thrilling!
Tomorrow, I can add some sausages; they're also tasty.
And a little less chicken feet.
Jiang Feng planned his purchases for the braised meats.
Although he was laid-back, he never slacked off in his work and always maintained the necessary meticulousness.
Once his plan was set, Jiang Feng went to the butcher shop to buy the meat.
「Meanwhile, at the city management office.」
For the past two days, the city management officers on patrol had a new task: to find out where that rice combo set stall had gone.
The city management officers started their shifts early. After eating Jiang Feng's rice combo sets, they felt good all morning.
Moreover, the rice combo sets were exceptionally tasty and left an unforgettable impression.
Today, city management officers Zhao Nan and Qian Bing actually found out Jiang Feng's whereabouts.
While buying cigarettes, they chatted with the supermarket owner.
The supermarket owner said, "You two don't know yet? He's not here this week. He's gone to sell braised meat over at Shuize Resort."
"Many people from around here are going to the resort specifically to find him!"
Upon hearing the supermarket owner's words, Zhao Nan and Qian Bing were somewhat astonished.
They thought they had heard wrong.
"Braised meat?" The two looked at each other in disbelief.
"Isn't he the one who makes the rice combo sets?"
Hearing this, the supermarket owner laughed. "How much can you make from rice combo sets? Executive Chef Jiang is a skilled cook; whatever he makes is delicious. He's gone to sell braised meat, and business is incredibly good there too."
"You have to admit, he's amazing. So young, and his cooking is just that good!"
Zhao Nan and Qian Bing took their cigarettes and paid. Remembering the taste of Jiang Feng's rice combo sets, they suddenly felt a strong craving.
"Okay, boss, thanks a lot!"
"We'll take a trip to Shuize Resort tomorrow."
"The food he makes is worth the trip!"
...