Chapter 135: Chapter 135 Childhood Memories Galore!
Wu Lun quickly bought a popsicle and an ice cream from Jiang Feng’s stall.
He made his way back to the Mixue Ice CIty store, and as soon as he entered, he saw the boss, Zheng Fei, sitting there.
"Boss, what brings you here?" Wu Lun asked eagerly.
"Didn’t we say that revenue has dropped by 10% these past few days? How could I not come to see what’s going on?" Zheng Fei was the boss, after all. Franchising a store cost at least 500,000 yuan, and he was eager to break even and start making money.
Zheng Fei then looked towards Wu Lun. "What’s up with you? Why did you go line up across the street?"
Wu Lun hurriedly explained, "Boss, it’s that ice cream cart across the street that has taken our business. Lots of parents and students are buying from there.
"I went over specifically to check it out and taste why everyone was heading there. I also wanted to see if that food truck had launched some new flavor we could learn from.
"But it was just ordinary ice cream and popsicles.
"I haven’t even had a chance to eat them yet."
Upon hearing this, Zheng Fei stood up and looked across the street. Sure enough, many people were gathered around Jiang Feng’s stall, lining up, and Jiang Feng was continuously handing out popsicles.
"A popsicle cart?"
"The cart’s business is that good?"
"Then was my 500,000 yuan investment in the franchise wasted?" Zheng Fei muttered softly to himself. He couldn’t figure out how a popsicle cart had outdone a storefront.
"Boss, that ice cream cart has quite a reputation. The young man running it is an internet-famous chef who’s incredibly popular right now. He likes to set up stalls selling various kinds of delicious food, and people really like him."
"Wherever he goes, a queue forms."
"But don’t worry, boss, he only sets up shop in one place for a week. Once that’s over, he’s gone," Wu Lun added.
"Him? I know him, I remember. Wasn’t he selling steamed buns in the mountains?"
"He’s come to set up his stall here now?" Zheng Fei suddenly realized. He had seen Jiang Feng’s videos before and found them interesting; he had even liked one of them. He never thought the day would come when that cart would show up in front of his own store.
"Boss, try the ice cream I just bought," Wu Lun offered the ice cream.
Zheng Fei took it and immediately scooped up a piece to eat. Just one bite, and he was conquered by the flavor of the ice cream. It tasted nothing like the soft-serve ice cream in their store. The ice cream Jiang Feng sold had a unique fragrance. Its texture was very rich, yet wonderfully refreshing.
These were all meticulously prepared according to precise recipes, with every detail handled perfectly. Plus, they were all made the previous day and sold fresh today. Handmade products from a top chef definitely taste better than those made with industrial ingredients.
Zheng Fei quickly finished the ice cream. Wu Lun also finished his popsicle.
"How did the popsicle taste?" Zheng Fei looked up and asked.
It was incredibly delicious, Wu Lun almost blurted out, but realizing it wasn’t appropriate, he casually said, "It was alright."
Zheng Fei sighed and said, "Let it be for this week; don’t bother. We can’t compete with him.
"Let him set up there.
"You all do your work well. I’m leaving."
Zheng Fei stood up and made his way toward the food truck across the street. Then, to the astonishment of the employees, Zheng Fei lined up at the end of the queue for the truck.
"Damn, the boss is..."
"You know the boss loves soft serve; he never misses a chance to show off by eating a couple when he comes."
"Is it really that tasty?"
The employees chattered amongst themselves.
Store manager Wu Lun nodded sincerely. "It really is delicious! I have no idea how they make it taste so good. It’s just so fragrant!"
"That popsicle’s texture was amazing. I feel like selling it for 3 yuan is too cheap!"
"It would be worth it even at 5 yuan!"
Hearing Wu Lun say this, the other employees were instantly intrigued. So, after the boss finished queuing, bought his ice cream, and left, they took turns going over to line up and try the ice cream too.
Jiang Feng’s business was booming. As people in the area found out what was going on, they flocked to line up, all just to try Jiang Feng’s popsicles. Regular customers began showing up too.
"Executive Chef Jiang, someone in our foodie group said you’re setting up your stall here. We all want to come over!" a regular greeted Jiang Feng.
"Foodie group?" Jiang Feng was a bit puzzled. He hadn’t set up any foodie group!
"We created it ourselves. Since you’re always changing stall locations, we formed an Executive Chef Jiang foodie group. It already has over 300 people."
"Wherever you set up your stall, we’ll know right away."
Hearing the regular’s words, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but smile wryly. Goodness, his foodies had established an intelligence network just for him. This is preposterous!
But it didn’t matter. Since he had set up his stall, he would definitely welcome any customers.
Jiang Feng’s popsicles sold very quickly. Before long, the popsicles and ice cream were sold out again. This time, the elementary school students hadn’t even gotten out of school yet.
They’re all sold out already?
Jiang Feng himself found it unbelievable. The popsicles sold very quickly, especially since customers were buying them two at a time, naturally speeding up sales. And it didn’t require any complex operations; just handing the popsicles to customers was enough, making the selling process swift. He had also become faster at scooping ice cream; just a few scoops filled a container, making his efficiency very high. So, it was normal for everything to be sold out.The day’s mission was completed, and the system awarded him another [Punched Fresh Orange] recipe. Mastering one more dessert recipe wasn’t a bad thing.
"Everyone, the popsicles and ice cream are all sold out! Please come back tomorrow."
"Time to go!" Jiang Feng waved to everyone and left with style.
「Back home」
Jiang Feng pondered introducing new flavors. After all, his regular customers kept coming, and he needed to give them some surprises. Jiang Feng decided to make [Chilled Watermelon and Glutinous Rice Balls].
[Chilled Watermelon and Glutinous Rice Balls] were also a novel treat. He crushed watermelon into juice, put it in a pot, and added some granulated sugar to cook it briefly. Next, he poured glutinous rice flour into a bowl and then poured in the watermelon juice to make watermelon glutinous rice dough. The result was a pale red dough, which he then rolled into a long strip, cut into small pieces, and formed into watermelon glutinous rice balls. A quick boil in the pot, and they were ready.
The watermelon glutinous rice balls also needed watermelon jelly. To make it, he added granulated sugar to watermelon juice, boiled it at 90 degrees Celsius for a while, then let it cool and set before chopping it up. Mixing the chopped watermelon jelly with the watermelon glutinous rice balls and adding some ice cubes resulted in a cool and refreshing dessert: [Chilled Watermelon and Glutinous Rice Balls].
Jiang Feng picked up one of the chilled glutinous rice balls and tasted it. The overall taste was excellent. The watermelon balls were like soft, chewy sticky rice dumplings, fragrant and fresh, while the watermelon jelly was especially springy and smooth, like regular jelly gliding in the mouth. They were very pleasant to eat.
However... Jiang Feng had a few bites. Delicious as it was, he believed the best way to enjoy watermelon was to eat it directly. Cutting open a big, red, seedless, thin-skinned watermelon, slicing it into wedges, picking one up, and taking a few bites—CRUNCH! CRUNCH! That was truly the most refreshing part of summer.
I’ll keep the [Chilled Watermelon and Glutinous Rice Balls] for myself; making the ice is quite troublesome, Jiang Feng thought. I could, however, introduce several new flavors of popsicles. He ate the chilled glutinous rice balls with a spoon while secretly contemplating.
He had transformed into quite the little inventor and began to research new popsicle flavors. Besides milky flavors, he could also make fruit juice-based ones.
Just then, Jiang Feng had a flash of inspiration. He suddenly remembered a popsicle he had especially loved as a child. It was a large, cylindrical, orange-flavored popsicle with a creamy center, an ice pop that had once been all the rage across the country. Children from different areas had different names for it, such as "Precious Lotus Lamp," "Hawaii," "Big Ice Bucket," and so on. But what remained unchanged was its sublime taste. The orange-flavored ice on the outside was exceptionally cold and refreshing, while the cream in the middle was incredibly soft and sweet.
Jiang Feng knew how to make the outer orange-flavored ice and how to prepare the cream himself. So, he would make this kind of popsicle by hand. He set about researching it: buying molds, sourcing ingredients, brainstorming, and gathering information.
After toiling away all afternoon, he finally succeeded in making a delicious orange-flavored "Big Ice Bucket" popsicle. Jiang Feng tasted it. It was as delicious as he remembered. You could enjoy both the fruity popsicle exterior and the sweet, creamy filling. The feeling was really good.
It’s time for today’s kids to taste what a real childhood memory is, he thought. This big popsicle will totally captivate them! Jiang Feng thought to himself.
He planned to make more of these large popsicles the next day and feature them as the main product, five yuan each. And he would go over around 11:40 to let the youngsters try them. Kids would love this big popsicle, and adults even more so. It was full of childhood memories, after all! Who could resist?
Thinking this, Jiang Feng got busy. He was a one-man production line, so it was a bit hectic. But thankfully, having mastered the method, it didn’t require too much effort. Soon, one delicious orange-flavored "Big Ice Bucket" popsicle after another was made by him.
This treat, anyone who tried it would have to praise it.