CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: THIS PLACE IS UNREMARKABLE, BUT FEATURES A GOURMET "CROUCHING DRAGON"!

Zhang Cheng was a young police officer from the city’s police station who, due to his strong professional abilities, was transferred to work at the headquarters.

Being transferred to the headquarters was always a harbinger of promotion, meaning he would be given priority in future personnel selections and appointments.

Zhang Cheng himself was very dedicated to his work, and this time at the headquarters, he was full of enthusiasm.

After working for several days, he had quite a few reflections. It wasn’t that the work was particularly difficult. Quite the opposite, in fact. At the headquarters, he was only responsible for the work of one department, which was much easier than having to handle everything at the grassroots level. The main issue was that the food in the headquarters’ canteen was awfully bad. Every day it was just white rice mixed with Lao Gan Ma chili sauce, and then picking some shredded meat from the dishes, barely enough to fill his stomach.

The headquarters canteen served communal meals, unlike school canteens. After the dishes were prepared, people would take their plates to get food, without a chance to choose.

Today at noon, he just couldn’t take it anymore, so he changed into casual clothes and went out to eat at an open-air food stall with his colleague, Wang Hai.

Both ordered a bowl of Zhajiang noodles, hoping to eat quickly and get back to rest.

They’d have to resume work after the lunch break.

When the Zhajiang noodles were served, steaming hot sauce sprinkled over the al dente noodles, it looked quite appetizing.

Moreover, the sauce was visibly filled with bits of meat, greatly stimulating his appetite.

"Looks good," Wang Hai praised while stirring his Zhajiang noodles.

"Yeah, after eating the headquarters’ food for so long, anything seems irresistibly delicious," Zhang Cheng replied with a smile.

The two thoroughly mixed the sauce into their noodles, ensuring the sticky Zhajiang coated every strand.

The aroma of meat filled the air, and Zhang Cheng felt a distinct pang of hunger in his belly.

Then he couldn’t hold back any longer, using his chopsticks to grab several strands of noodles, stuffing the middle part into his mouth.

The Zhajiang noodles had a savory and rich meaty flavor.

The noodle dish, known for its bold taste, immediately stimulated the taste buds as soon as the sauce hit the tongue.

Zhang Cheng felt the flavors burst in his mouth, and his eyes widened slightly.

He quickly slurped up all the noodles, with some sauce left at the corners of his mouth.

Without bothering to wipe it off, he immediately grabbed another chopstick full of noodles and sent it into his mouth.

Wang Hai was in a similar state.

Both were eating with great relish, taking big bites of noodles and occasionally grabbing a clove of garlic to chew on.

They were grinning from ear to ear, the expression of utter satisfaction.

As the lunch hour progressed, more customers arrived at the food court.

With its variety of options, unpretentious food, and affordability, the food court was a favorite place among the common folks.

Some people took notice of how Zhang Cheng and Wang Hai were eating.

They ate as if they were on a food live stream, making the food look incredibly tempting. Especially that look of contentment—it was something you just couldn’t fake.

"Those two are eating so well, it’s making me hungry."

"Let’s have Zhajiang noodles too," said a pair of pedestrians passing by, who saw them, swallowed, and remarked to each other.

"Sure, no problem."

Another two customers came over to order Zhajiang noodles.

Jiang Feng immediately began to cook the noodles. The sauce was kept warm, and the cucumber strips were already cut. All that was left was for the noodles to cook. Then he would place them in a bowl, ladle on the delicious sauce, and sprinkle a handful of cucumber strips. Perfect!

The two new customers paid by scanning a QR code, carrying their bowls of Zhajiang noodles to sit down at the tables in front of the stall.

After mixing the sauce evenly, they also quickly picked up Zhajiang noodles with their chopsticks and stuffed them into their mouths, slurping them in bit by bit.

The wonderfully impactful taste exploded in their mouths.

When making the sauce, there was no need to add salt, as many of the seasonings already contained it.

Even so, the taste of the sauce tended to be on the salty side. But the refreshing cucumber strips, mixed in with the Zhajiang, helped to balance the flavor.

This bite of Zhajiang noodles felt fantastic.

Their mouths were filled with the fragrance of the sauce.

When not chewing, there was a sticky, warm meat sauce in their mouths.

Once they chewed, the chewy noodles snapped, bouncing against their teeth, incredibly satisfying to chew.

It was an utterly delightful eating experience.

"This flavor, it’s authentic!" a diner, having thoroughly enjoyed his meal, let out a contented sigh.

Although Zhajiang noodles are a common dish, it’s rare to find a place that makes them exceptionally well.

If a noodle shop’s Zhajiang noodles were especially good, that shop was bound to be bustling with customers lining up to eat.

Patrons never expected that within this ordinary-looking stall, a culinary "Crouching Dragon" lay hidden!

As long as Crouching Dragon isn’t paired with "young phoenix," the term is still considered complimentary.

Jiang Feng’s Zhajiang noodles tasted incredibly authentic.

The flavor of the minced pork was rich and intense.

For those who preferred stronger flavors, this was a culinary masterpiece.

A person’s tongue is very pragmatic.

If a bowl of noodles isn’t tasty, one eats it bite by bite, taking sips of soup to help it down after every couple of mouthfuls.

But if a bowl of noodles is delicious, there’s no stopping to pause; one just bows their head and eats without interruption.

The diners eating Zhajiang noodles never paused.

Almost immediately after swallowing, they eagerly took another bite.

At this time, the walkways in the food court became increasingly crowded.

People wandered between the various storefronts and tables, looking for the snacks they wanted to eat.

Seeing others relishing their Zhajiang noodles compelled many to head over to Jiang Feng’s stall to place their orders.

"Boss, a bowl of Zhajiang noodles, and add extra chili!"

"Boss, two bowls of Zhajiang noodles, no coriander."

"Give me a bowl of Zhajiang noodles."

People in this area leaned towards Northern tastes, preferring bolder and richer flavors, so Zhajiang noodles were universally loved.

Jiang Feng started getting busy.

The pot of sauce was soon all used up.

But making the sauce didn’t take too much time. Jiang Feng took out a fresh piece of pork belly, sliced off the skin, minced the meat, and quickly whipped up another batch.

Business became even busier.

However, it was still just average for a stall in the food court.

Jiang Feng’s Zhajiang noodles hadn’t yet created a buzz. Once more repeat customers came tomorrow, business would surely improve. Then, as the number of return customers grew, business would get progressively better.

The two young police officers quickly polished off their bowls of Zhajiang noodles.

They ate with astonishing speed.

Zhang Cheng pulled out a couple of napkins, wiping his mouth as he said, "That was amazing! This place is seriously good!"

"No wonder folks from the station come here often. It must be for these Zhajiang noodles!"

Wang Hai cleaned his mouth and also wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Delicious, I’ve worked up a sweat eating!"

"Let’s come back again tonight if we have time."

"I want to have these Zhajiang noodles again."

Zhang Cheng nodded. "Sure, no problem, it’s a deal."

After a brief respite to savor the moment, they left with a swagger, hurrying back to their unit.

Once back at the unit, they discussed it with two other police officers from the officers’ dormitory.

"Zhajiang noodles at Juxing Shopping Mall? I’ve been there so many times, how come I never noticed them?" a young officer who had been working in the department for three years wondered aloud.

"It’s in the food court at Juxing Shopping Mall, just walk in and it’s right there."

"That stall’s Zhajiang noodles are too good. I’ve never had noodles this tasty before."

"The flavor is truly exceptional!" Zhang Cheng animatedly recommended the place to everyone.

Wang Hai joined in, "Yeah, it was incredibly satisfying!"

Seeing their expressions, the other two in the dormitory were a bit skeptical.

"Is it new?"

"I didn’t eat my fill at lunch. How about we go try it out?"

"Let’s go, I’m actually quite hungry. I was just about to settle for a cup of instant noodles."

The two hit it off and immediately headed toward the food court at Juxing Shopping Mall.

At this time of day, the food court was very crowded. Some who came could not find seats and had to wait for others to leave before they could take their place.

Jiang Feng’s business was doing quite well, not exceptionally busy but not too quiet either.

But the customers who had finished their Zhajiang noodles all seemed happy.

Probably by tomorrow, quite a few of them would return to his spot for a steaming bowl of Zhajiang noodles.