CHAPTER 218: CHAPTER 218: SETTING UP A STALL! CLEARING THE NAME OF LUOSIFEN!

Early in the morning, the weather was clear. Spring had started, and the air was warmly inviting.

Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei took a taxi and headed towards the vehicle transportation company.

Some people needed to use a car across provinces but didn’t want to drive themselves, so they would seek out vehicle transport services. It cost a bit more than the tolls and fuel expenses. Jiang Feng’s food truck had employed such a company, and the two of them were preparing to go get it.

Vehicle transport was a common sight on highways: usually a large truck pulling a double-decker trailer lined with cars, capable of hauling eight to ten vehicles at once. Jiang Feng’s food truck was among them.

On the highway, a young man drove as usual in the fast lane. As he overtook a large truck beside him, his gaze involuntarily flicked to the vehicles it was carrying. It was a car carrier truck, loaded with SUVs and sedans. But on the upper deck, a cartoonish bus stood out conspicuously. Most importantly, this bus bore images of gourmet food, clearly indicating it was a food truck of the kind common on snack streets.

Wow, am I seeing things? A food truck being towed? The transport fee must be more than the food truck itself is worth! Whoever thought of this is something else! the young man exclaimed in amazement. Strange things happen all the time, but this year really takes the cake.

It wasn’t that he had never seen a car carrier truck before, but one carrying a food truck was rather unusual.

It wasn’t just him; even the transport driver was puzzled when tasked with towing the food truck. Only after confirming several times that there were no issues did he set off, pulling the food truck toward Hangzhou.

The journey was smooth, and soon, the truck entered the vehicle transport company’s lot.

When Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei arrived, the food truck was already there. Seeing it, both of them nodded in satisfaction. The familiar feeling of setting up a stall washed over them.

Jiang Feng checked that the vehicle was undamaged and then climbed into the driver’s seat. Since Sun Zhuangfei couldn’t drive, he settled into a fixed seat in the back. Jiang Feng started the food truck, ready to purchase a batch of supplies before setting up their stall outside the park at noon.

To set up a stall, one definitely needed a place to cook. Jiang Feng had rented a small shopfront nearby where they could prepare food. Since the Hangzhou task needed to be completed three times, the shop would be in continuous use.

The two went to buy ingredients next. Their largest purchase was river snails. River snails were heavy, but fortunately, with two of them, the work was manageable.

Jiang Feng began preparing the spice blends while Sun Zhuangfei washed the river snails in a basin. Each river snail had to have its tail end clipped off so it could be cleaned more thoroughly.

Jiang Feng started to assemble spice packets and simmer a rich broth. The spice packet included sand ginger, star anise, tsao-ko, cinnamon, dried tangerine peel, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, licorice root, amomum, turmeric, cloves, and rice wine—all these ingredients were placed into a cloth bag and then into the pot.

Besides that, a few large pork bones, some large beef bones, chicken carcasses, and pork skin were added. The broth had to simmer for more than two hours. This way, the resulting broth was fragrant, rich, and had an excellent taste. It was purely natural, without any shortcuts or artificial enhancements. Every mouthful of the soup was pure essence.

Sun Zhuangfei silently washed the river snails. Washing them was strenuous work, requiring at least six thorough rinses. After washing, they had to be blanched in boiling water and then removed to ensure they were impeccably clean.

When it comes to Luosifen, the flavor of the river snails is crucial. Improperly cleaned river snails would result in Luosifen with a fishy, foul smell and a less delicious taste. For the ultimate freshness and flavor, the river snails had to be meticulously cleaned. This was also why many Luosifen dishes were unsatisfactory; some vendors didn’t maintain sufficiently high standards of cleanliness.

Once everything was clean, Jiang Feng heated a large wok on the stove. He stir-fried the cleaned river snails until they emitted a slightly crab-like aroma and all their moisture had evaporated. Then, he added various spices and seasonings and stir-fried the river snails once more. He put the stir-fried river snails into the simmering broth, and the soup base was ready.

Next came the side dishes, a simple step. These included stir-fried sour bamboo shoots, stir-fried wood ear mushrooms, pickled long beans, diced radish, deep-fried tofu skin, boiled rice noodles, and deep-fried peanuts.

All these items were placed in a bowl, and then several ladles of the rich broth were poured over them to create a steaming bowl of Luosifen.

The Luosifen Jiang Feng made was aromatic, spicy, and piping hot; the noodles were springy, the side dishes plentiful, and it was enticingly delicious. The noodles demanded to be slurped heartily, the broth sipped directly from the bowl. Every ingredient was fresh, making the eating experience truly satisfying.

After their busy preparations were mostly complete, the two drove the food truck toward the area outside Wansong Academy. There was a section there with several stalls.

Jiang Feng had learned from the other vendors that the city management officers didn’t come by from noon until 7 p.m. Setting up a stall here was permitted.

Jiang Feng planned to keep a low profile. After all, he was only locally popular for now. Even if some people knew of him, they wouldn’t recognize him so quickly.

Several food trucks from other stalls were already parked by the roadside. Some sold stir-fried rice noodles, some sold Xiao Mian, others sold savory crepes.

Jiang Feng found a spot to park and set out the small tables and chairs. Next to him was an older woman selling starch sausages, and beside her, an old man selling pre-made dishes, including several bowls of Meicai Kou Rou.

Jiang Feng looked left and right, contemplating whether to change spots. The crackdown on substandard products had been pretty fierce recently. Why is everyone gathered here? Anyone unaware would think they were rounding up examples for a crackdown!

So, Jiang Feng called to Sun Zhuangfei to pack up the tables and chairs, and they moved to a different spot to set up the stall.

The new spot was further from the entrance of Wansong Academy, which meant the customer flow would be relatively lighter. But that was okay.

Next, it was a matter of waiting for business. The two sat in the food truck, waiting.

On the food truck’s lightbox, it read: Premium Luosifen: 15 yuan per bowl.

A few large metal basins were placed on the window ledge, containing sour bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, pickled long beans, diced radish, fried tofu skin, peanuts, and other ingredients.

They just needed customers to arrive; then they would cook the noodles, add these ingredients, and pour a ladle of steaming hot Luosifen broth over them. This delightful bowl of red-oil Luosifen would then be complete.

However, today’s attempt at business was different from the past. After waiting for a long time, not a single person came by. Business was rather bleak. This was the first time Jiang Feng had encountered such a situation.

He thought for a moment and then added another line to the lightbox: "Purely Handmade Luosifen: Delicious, Fresh, and Fragrant."

People were scared by the "stench-enhancing agent" scandal, fearing they might accidentally consume some extracted "foul essence." Jiang Feng writing this was an act of desperation.

"Boss, the recent Luosifen issue has blown up; a lot of people are talking about it," Sun Zhuangfei inquired. "Setting up our stall now, aren’t we kind of tempting fate?"

Hearing this, Jiang Feng felt helpless inwardly. It was all for his restaurant, after all. But he maintained a calm expression and said, "There are no bad foods, only bad businesses. Luosifen is a traditional delicacy and shouldn’t be misunderstood. I just want to restore Luosifen’s reputation. I want everyone to know that Luosifen is an extremely delicious noodle dish and doesn’t have a foul smell. The online claims that Luosifen stinks are all false and misleading."

Hearing Jiang Feng’s words, Sun Zhuangfei’s face showed admiration. The boss is truly on another level!

They sat inside the food truck, spacing out.

「At that moment」 Not far away, a young couple was looking in the direction of the food truck.

Girl: "Look over there, it’s Luosifen! I absolutely love it. Come on, let’s go have a bowl!"

Boy: "Haven’t you seen the recent news? They say Luosifen has stench-enhancing agents and is unhygienic."

Girl: "I have, but wasn’t that about Luosifen bought online? Look, their sign says ’Handmade Luosifen.’ It should be fine."

Boy: "Better safe than sorry!"

Girl: "Let’s just try it. I haven’t had it in ages. Just one bowl."

Boy: "Fine, you eat. I won’t."

Having made up their minds, the couple approached Jiang Feng’s food truck.

"Boss, one bowl of Luosifen, please," the girl ordered immediately.

"Sure, no problem." Seeing he had a customer, Jiang Feng instantly got busy.

He skillfully began to cook the noodles, carefully controlling the water temperature before adding the strands, ensuring they were cooked just right—not too soft, not too firm, with a perfectly springy texture.

He placed a ladleful of noodles into a bowl, then added the various ingredients one by one: sour bamboo shoots, wood ear mushrooms, pickled long beans, diced radish, fried tofu skin, and peanuts. On top of it all, he added a deep-fried egg.

Finally, Jiang Feng opened the pot of simmering broth, scooped out a ladleful of the rich, delicious soup, and poured it over the noodles. Billowing steam rose from the bowl.

Soaked in the hot broth, the fats from the ingredients began to melt into the soup. A visible layer of glistening oil floated on the surface, tinged with the red sheen of chili oil.

"Boss, this Luosifen looks really good!" the cheerful girl exclaimed in admiration.

"It’s all handmade, rest assured. The taste is definitely authentic," Jiang Feng replied with a smile.

The boy, however, asked, "It doesn’t have those additives they’re talking about online, does it?"

Jiang Feng added, "These are all freshly made. Authentic Luosifen doesn’t have a foul smell; at most, there’s the aroma of sour bamboo shoots. You’ll know if there are any additives just by smelling it."

The flavor profile of Luosifen is savory, spicy, sour, and aromatic. The sourness comes from the pickled long beans and sour bamboo shoots. There’s never been any mention of "foul" in its description.

The girl sniffed the aroma and found the bowl of Luosifen incredibly tempting; it made her mouth water. Just looking at it made her want to eat.

The boy glanced at it too. He swallowed hard and then said, "Boss, give me a bowl too, with extra cilantro and chili."

Jiang Feng nodded. "Alright, just a moment."

Then, he got busy again.