Chapter 132: Chapter 132: You’ll Understand When You Reach My Age!
"Mommy, I want ice cream."
At the food truck, a little boy said to his mother.
"We’ll eat some at home; the ice cream from these stands isn’t clean," the boy’s mother advised.
"I want it now!" The boy stopped and refused to move.
"Alright, alright, we’ll buy a little."
The boy’s mother took him to the front of the food truck. She glanced inside. Inside the metal box, the ice cream was delicate and fresh. Jiang Feng had just scooped some for the previous customer, forming a swift and smooth ball with his scoop. His movements were very fluid, seemingly without any hindrance.
The ice cream looked too tempting. Even the boy’s mother was a dessert lover.
"Boss, two bowls of ice cream and a White Rabbit ice cream bar, please," she ordered. Children shouldn’t have too many sweets, but she was an adult, and she could indulge. The ice cream and ice cream bars in the food truck looked too delicious. She didn’t just buy a cup of ice cream for herself but also an ice cream bar.
"Okay, that’ll be $13 total."
Jiang Feng began to prepare their ice cream. Once he placed four ice cream scoops into the container, it was complete. He then took out a fresh White Rabbit ice cream bar from the freezer.
The boy’s mother took the ice cream and the ice cream bar and first tried a bite of the ice cream bar. The rich milky flavor, the tender texture—it was like tasting a sweet mouthful of snow. It was simply delightful.
"Wow!" the boy’s mother exclaimed. This stall’s ice cream bar is too delicious! It tastes just like White Rabbit candy! And with a soft texture that melts instantly in your mouth, it has an even better texture than the actual candy. After all, candy can be sticky and hard to chew at first. But not the ice cream bar. It’s soft from the first bite. It melts instantly in the warmth of the mouth. The cool and sweet cream flowed down her throat. The creamy taste lingered between her lips and teeth.
In one word: refreshing!
Jiang Feng had perfect control over the proportions of the White Rabbit ice cream bar, with a perfect balance between the candy and milk, the cooking temperature, and the emulsification. This is how a smooth and delicate ice cream bar is made. Creating frozen treats is also a part of culinary skills, influenced by the meticulous handling of ingredients. Jiang Feng’s cooking skills were exquisite, making a perfect ice cream bar easily.
The boy’s mother ate the entire ice cream bar. Meanwhile, the little boy was happily eating his ice cream, looking up and saying, "Mom, I want an ice cream bar too."
His mother promptly responded, "Just eat your ice cream; the bar isn’t tasty at all. I only finished it because I didn’t want to waste it."
Parents are experts at fooling their kids. Despite the mother devouring the ice cream bar quickly and with visible enjoyment, she didn’t blink an eye while making her claims. The little boy was happy with his ice cream and didn’t pursue the matter further.
After finishing the ice cream bar, the mother threw the stick into the trash can and picked up a spoon to try the ice cream balls. She started with a taste of the vanilla flavor. The ivory-colored ice cream was sweet and extremely rich. As the ice cream melted in her mouth, she could feel the thick texture. Delicious.
"The ice cream is also so good!" A glimmer of astonishment appeared in the boy’s mother’s eyes. The taste is absolutely stunning. The creamy taste is rich, the texture smooth and velvety. Even Haagen-Dazs isn’t on this level. And this is from a roadside stall. Wow, really nice.
The boy’s mother continued to taste the next flavor of ice cream. Strawberry, chocolate, original... Each ice cream was just as fragrant.
As soon as she finished, she turned and realized that her son had disappeared. "Where is he?"
The boy’s mother turned around, only to see her son close behind, still focused on his ice cream. It turned out they had both been so engrossed in their ice creams that one walked fast and the other walked slow. The mother forgot about her child. The little boy forgot to follow his mother. It was a heartwarming scene of mutual devotion, you could say—the mother to her ice cream, and the son to his.
I almost lost my son, she thought. The boy’s mother quickly went back, took her son’s hand, and hurried away.
Selling ice cream was a relaxed process, and even making it was quite a bit easier than preparing a dish. The only downside was the low profit margin; you had to sell a large quantity to make it worthwhile. But Jiang Feng didn’t care much for the profit. Running the stall, completing a task, and getting to eat delicious ice cream and ice cream bars—what’s not to like?
"Uncle, uncle, we want two old-fashioned popsicles, please." At this moment, two elementary school students stood on tiptoe, their innocent eyes fixed on Jiang Feng.
Hearing this, Jiang Feng paused for a moment, slightly taken aback. I’m only in my early twenties, how did I get promoted to uncle status?
"Sure, but you shouldn’t call me uncle. You might want to change that," Jiang Feng lowered his head to look at the two of them and smiled.
The two elementary school children immediately furrowed their brows, deep in thought.
"Master, we want two old-fashioned popsicles." One of the students had a flash of inspiration, remembering the title his parents used for taxi drivers, and blurted it out.
Master? Jiang Feng was somewhat speechless.
"Here are your popsicles; now you two stop talking." Jiang Feng waved his hand.
The child passed over the money, and Jiang Feng put it in the drawer. The other elementary student had been silent all this while, but after receiving his popsicle, he thanked Jiang Feng, "Thank you, handsome big bro!"
Hearing his words, Jiang Feng’s eyes lit up. Now *that’s* how you talk.
"You’re welcome!" Jiang Feng naturally accepted the compliment.
The two elementary school students, with their popsicles in hand, happily left.
The traditional popsicles Jiang Feng made weren’t the ones commonly found on the market today but genuine condensed milk ice creams. This type of traditional popsicle was made using a method from the Republican era, essentially the old popsicles from the early 20th century, more akin to today’s small, pudding-like ice pops. The recipe given to him by the system was precisely this, showcasing that the system’s recipes also had some history to them. The ingredients included eggs, milk powder, sugar, honey, condensed milk, and cornstarch. It was these ingredients that made the traditional popsicle come to life.
The popsicle was still dairy-based, with the aroma of corn and the textures of egg and condensed milk, plus the sweetness of the sugar and honey. With one bite, the popsicle easily gave way. The sensation of milk spread through the mouth. The texture was similar to the White Rabbit ice cream bar, but the flavor was different. The traditional popsicle had the taste of corn.
The two schoolchildren didn’t expect the popsicles to be this delicious; they praised them as they walked.
"That handsome uncle’s popsicle is so tasty."
"Don’t call him uncle anymore; my sister says adults these days don’t like to be called uncle."
"Then what should we call him?"
"Just call him handsome big bro."
"Okay, I get it. Adults these days just love it when kids say things that make them feel younger."
"You can say that again. Why can’t they act more mature?"
The two little rascals were overcome with emotion. Adults these days...
At that moment, one of the elementary student’s father came over and asked, "What are you two talking about?"
The student replied, "Dad, you wouldn’t understand."
"I wouldn’t understand?" His father said, utterly bewildered.
"You’ll understand when you’re my age."
His father was even more dumbfounded. Well, I’ll be—the world’s turned upside down.
...
Selling frozen treats to elementary school students was always enjoyable. Jiang Feng’s ice cream bars quickly sold out, and not much of his scooped ice cream was left. Customer after customer came, all quite interesting. These are the flowers of our motherland, even if some have thorns.
There were also two pretty little girls, who didn’t buy ice cream but just stood by the food truck, staring at Jiang Feng. Both girls were dressed up neatly and looked adorable.
"Hello, would you like some ice cream?" Jiang Feng asked with a smile.
But they shook their heads.
"Brother, you’re really handsome," one of the little girls said boldly.
Elementary students these days really care about looks; when they see someone handsome, they just can’t walk away, Jiang Feng thought, taken aback. Well, I’ll be. Have I just been hit on by an elementary schooler?
"Really? I guess I’m okay," Jiang Feng replied, indeed feeling a rush of happiness. Confirmed. I’ve definitely been hit on by an elementary schooler.
Just then, their parent hurried over. "Why didn’t you two come back with your brother?" the parent shouted at the two little girls. "Your brother said you weren’t leaving."
Hearing the parent’s words, the two girls quickly ran in their parent’s direction. As Jiang Feng watched their retreating figures, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth. Little girls are really cute.
Then, he continued to sell his ice cream. Only a little bit left. Sell out and go home.
At that moment, a few middle school students walked over.
"Ice cream, anyone?"
"Who wants to eat from a stall? Let’s go for bubble tea."
"Let’s go, bubble tea!"
They agreed to go together, heading straight to the bubble tea store. Jiang Feng remembered from his middle school days how girls loved to gather at bubble tea shops after school. Some things never change, even after all these years. Enjoying delicious food is a matter of fate. It just meant this delicious ice cream wasn’t fated for them.
The first day of business went very well. Jiang Feng left himself a little bit of ice cream before he quietly drove his food truck away. His frozen treats had left a profound impression in many students’ hearts. Even some of the parents had been conquered by Jiang Feng’s frozen treats.
There was no doubt that Jiang Feng’s business would only be even more booming tomorrow.