Abandoned the Immortal Cultivator, returned to his hometown to farm and sing

Chapter 1348, page 1335: Good People Get Good Fortune

It's perfectly normal for Qiangwa to be at Jiweilou.

This guy is "indulgent", "lazy and averse to work", "willing to sit rather than stand, and will lie down rather than sit", "will not eat the bad food if there is good food", and "would rather not eat than cook for himself".

This person is so contradictory; all that fat is from what they eat.

Since the opening of Jiweilou, he has practically made it his canteen, coming here at least four times a week.

With four renowned chefs gathered for the filming of "A Bite of China," how could he possibly miss it?
They're probably just hanging around all day, freeloading off everyone.

Half of the delicious dishes shown on the show probably ended up in his stomach, and he might even have gotten a few special meals prepared for him.

But what good is he anyway?

Luo Yihang pointed to a row of sheds around him, "You can eat but you can't cook, what use are you there? Can you even pass on the recipe?"

Qiangwa chuckled and rubbed three fingers together. "I don't know how to make it, but I have money. I'll just buy the recipe and ask Master Lin to teach me."

Luo Yihang curled his lip, "You? You can't even fry rice properly and it looks like a pancake. Do you think you can learn it if I teach you?"

Qiangwa also pursed his lips and pointed to the young stall owner who was busy cooking porridge in the shed, "I'm not learning it. Look, I made him learn it. The young man is good. He learns quickly and is quite capable."

"Who is he? Do you know him?" Luo Yihang asked, puzzled.

I've met or at least heard of most of Qiangwa's friends, including Luo Yihang, but I don't recall him being anyone.

"The boyfriend of one of the waitresses at Jiweilou, that chubby girl, happened to be there that day too."

Qiangwa started telling the story from the beginning.

Luo Yihang interrupted him, "Little Fatty? Lu Xiaoyue? When did she get a boyfriend?"

Luo Yihang remembered this girl.

I spoke up for them a long time ago when they were fighting with the fishing association; I'm their oldest and most loyal fan.

They were selected for the new product experience center, and when they first started selling candy, they posted unboxing videos to help promote it.

Before the opening of Jiweilou, they invited experience officers to try the dishes, and she was one of them.

And this girl was quite interesting; after tasting the dishes, she didn't want to leave and insisted on staying to work as a waitress.

She's a bit of an internet celebrity, so working as a waitress sounds pretty novel.

But the girl was determined to stay, saying she couldn't live without Jiweilou.

I can tell. Being a waiter was just a side job; his main purpose was to get a free meal.

I didn't want to accept her at the time. She's a young woman who left her family and home to come all the way to Tianhan. Her family must be worried.

But she said she was alone in Hangzhou, her home wasn't there, and she hadn't returned to her hometown since graduating from university.

Anyway, it's all out of town, whether it's Tianhan or Hangzhou, it makes no difference.

Since things had come to this point, and after a few more days of trial work, the girl, although she had never worked as a waitress before, was smart and quick to learn. The manager of Jiweilou thought she was good and kept her on.

Turning around, the chubby girl happily moved her home from Hangzhou to Tianhan.

There was too much luggage for the chubby girl to carry by herself, so she had to ask someone from Jiweilou to pick her up.

I haven't heard that she has a boyfriend.

"I just met him a couple of months ago. He's a young man from Shandong, a nice guy," Qiangwa replied.

Both times I said he was a good person, so he really is.

No wonder I heard a Shandong accent earlier; it turns out I really am from Shandong.

"That day, I was also part of the family group; I shared a table with them..."

Qiangwa continued, but Luo Yihang chimed in, "How did she end up with a boyfriend from Shandong in Tianhan? They're thousands of miles apart. A netizen?"

"Aren't you annoying? When did you become so gossipy? Go ask him yourself."

Qiangwa got impatient from being constantly interrupted.

"Okay, okay, I won't say, I won't say." Luo Yihang quickly waved his hand.

He doesn't really care; he's just bored.

Everyone has a gossipy side.

If I suddenly hear that someone I know is dating, I have to find out more about it.

"The young man was quite talkative, which suited my taste. After having congee at Jiweilou, I was lamenting that I wouldn't be able to get it again, and he said he could make it..."

The Shandong lad is Miao Xinlei, whom the chubby girl met during the "pig hanging in a tree" incident.

After the video was posted that day, people in her group were egging her on to matchmake.

Miao Xinlei helped with the video shoot that day, carrying things and directing the camera. He was a great help, and I was going to spend a few more days in Tianhan anyway.

Out of gratitude and to show hospitality, the chubby girl took him out to play for a few days.

After a while, the two of them really hit it off.

Unfortunately, it's too far away.

The chubby girl has no intention of leaving Tianhan.

Being separated for too long isn't a good thing.

Miao Xinlei gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, deciding that he would also come to Tianhan.

That was truly abandoning her family and career; she even quit her job in Shandong, throwing herself into love without hesitation.

After arriving in Tianhan, the young couple were deeply in love and very happy.

However, there are still practical problems to be solved.

Although love can make even water taste sweet, one can't just sit around and eat away one's savings. Miao Xinlei needs to find something to do.

As it turned out, before they had even found a suitable match, their family members were just getting a bowl of porridge when they met a benefactor.

Qiangwa was worried that there wouldn't be such delicious pork offal porridge again.

Miao Xinlei said he could cook it, and that he had already looked at most of it. He promised that once he found a job and settled down, he would cook a pot of it for Qiangwa to drink.

Looking for a job?
Why bother looking for a job? Just open a porridge shop!

Qiangwa immediately decided to invest money and partner with Miao Xinlei to open a porridge shop.

Miao Xinlei still refused, saying that he couldn't accept such a large sum of money without having done anything right.

Although in Qiangwa's eyes it was just a small amount of money.

But he couldn't accept it.

After some back and forth, they agreed to start by setting up a stall.

He sets up his stall at night, but that doesn't stop him from dating the chubby girl.

The stall was funded by Qiangwa's investment, which was even less than what Qiangwa had in his pocket.

Miao Xinlei contributed his technology as equity, and the two of them split the costs equally.

Qiangwa felt he was getting a good deal, so he took over all the other things, including getting the permits, sourcing the goods, and so on.

Getting the permits was easy; he was the one who helped Luo Yihang get the permits when he set up his stall selling fried Sichuan peppercorn buds.

Tianhan also allows street vendors to set up stalls.

Now it's even easier to say; just tell Liu Shuyi and he'll take care of it.

For the goods, we go directly through Jiweilou's channels; we just need to order more when we go to buy them.

As for the most crucial pork offal, it's a matter of just one phone call from Boss Qiang.

Qiangwa took on a lot of responsibilities, but what Miao Xinlei was truly grateful for was just a few words.

Look how good they are at "slacking off".

"And then you set up all these stalls? Don't tell me you own all of them?" Luo Yihang pointed around again.

Qiangwa puffed out his chest, beaming with pride, "Of course, it was all my doing."

Speaking of this Qiangwa, he seems really impressive.

"Originally, there was only one stall, right here in front of Jiweilou, convenient for two kids to date. But it became so popular that it was packed in just two days, with long queues. Pork offal congee is clearly a Cantonese dish, but I didn't expect it to be so popular in Tianhan."

The reason is simple: they were a perfect match by chance.

Tianhan is a special place.

To the north lies Guanzhong, in Shaanxi, a land known as the "Carb Kingdom."

To the west lies Sichuan province, known for its spicy, numbing, salty, and savory flavors.

To the east and south lies Hubei, a land abundant in aquatic products and known as a land of fish and rice.

Tianhan is in the middle, affected by both sides, yet not biased towards either. If Guangdong's supreme principle is that "chicken tastes like chicken, and fish tastes like fish," then...

Located in the heart of the Qinling-Bashan Mountains, Tianhan believes that good products come from good mountains and good water.

Guangdong cuisine emphasizes "freshly killed and cooked on the spot," focusing on the shortest time from raw to table, highlighting the "wok hei" (wok aroma) and "freshness."

Tianhan's philosophy is to "eat seasonally and freshly," meaning to eat certain foods at the right time, and when they are at their tenderest and best.

For example, the young green vegetables still covered in dew in the early morning, the freshly picked peaches that are at their best when they are half-soft and not hard under the sun, and the pine mushrooms that have just sprouted in the mountains after the autumn rain.

Moreover, Guangdong has a tradition of food and medicine sharing the same origin, and its diet emphasizes "clearing heat and removing dampness" and "warming and nourishing".

As a place where medicinal herbs are produced, Tianhan also has a tradition of medicinal cuisine. When stewing chicken, gastrodia elata is added; when making glutinous rice ribs, polygonatum is added; and when making steamed buns with flowers, eucommia is added.

In conclusion, Tianhan and Guangdong, one nestled along the Han River and the other facing the South China Sea, seem completely unrelated, yet they surprisingly resonate with each other in their cuisine.

The recipe was developed jointly by two renowned chefs from Guangdong, two renowned chefs from Tianhan, and two veteran traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

This pork offal porridge, a fusion of specialties from both regions, surpasses its predecessors.

Upon its release, it immediately won over the palates of Tianhan people.

And of course, it also caters to the stomachs of people from Guangdong.

Jiweilou has quite a few regular customers who are also foodies.

The houses in the neighboring community are almost sold out.

Many of them are from Guangdong.

People from Guangdong are wealthy and love to eat.

The chubby girl only mentioned it a few times when the food was served.

When the Cantonese diners heard this, they exclaimed, "Wow, they even have pork offal congee here! And it's made with freshly slaughtered pork offal, from the famous Ping'an Gou Rongchang pig!"

The time was the same as in Guangdong.

You should definitely try it.

One taste and I was amazed.

They all became regular customers and spontaneously promoted the food enthusiastically.

The news quickly spread among the gourmets of Jiweilou; since they were all neighbors, they all knew about it when they took a stroll downstairs.

With these people endorsing it.

In just a few days, the news spread like wildfire, from one person to ten, from ten to a hundred, and from a hundred to thousands.

One stall was soon not enough.

At first, the stall was packed as soon as it opened, and by noon the queue had become incredibly long.

Then it escalated to the point where people started coming to reserve seats as early as 11:30.

Then, the arms race began.

11:30, 11:00, 10:30...

Eventually, by 10 o'clock, there were about a hundred people waiting on the roadside, willing to wait for two hours.

When the pork offal arrived at noon, there were hundreds of people queuing up, stretching all the way to the street corner.

Miao Xinlei was simply too busy, and besides, it wouldn't be enough; how much porridge could one person cook?

Preparing the food was exhausting for him.

With so many people, the waiting time becomes longer.

The problem is that it's the middle of the night, past midnight, and for the sake of this pot of porridge, I'd rather change my early bedtime routine and wait for several hours.

You said you can't get a drink?

How could I not get angry!

People cutting in line, grabbing seats, arguing, making a scene, and even resorting to violence.

It happens every day.

People call the police every day.

Too many people obstruct traffic, and the traffic police come every day.

Miao Xinlei was extremely annoyed and couldn't control him.

He was so anxious that his mouth was full of blisters. He found Qiangwa and told him he was quitting, and that he would refund all the money and settle the accounts.

Believe it or not, even though it's just a small stall, it actually makes quite a bit of money.

In just a few days, not only did I recoup my initial investment, but I also made a profit.

When his partner decided to quit, Qiangwa didn't refuse, as long as Miao Xinlei agreed to cook him a pot of food from time to time.

The two paid the bill, then found a truck to take the equipment back to the factory and stored it in a warehouse.

The chaotic midnight porridge stalls that had stirred up such a stir in just a few days have come to an end.
-
"Wait a minute, there are so many stalls here, why are they open again?" Luo Yihang asked curiously.

"Keep listening to me," Qiangwa said, annoyed at being interrupted again just as he was getting to the crucial point. "Do you remember General Manager Ge from the industrial park?"

“I remember, it’s from an arts and crafts factory,” Luo Yihang replied.

"Yes, it's General Manager Ge from the crafts factory. When he saw that the porridge stall was gone, he specifically came to me and said he wanted to take it over. We talked about it once when we were chatting, and he knew that I had partnered with someone to run the porridge stall."

"That's not right, Mr. Ge would be interested in a porridge stall?" Luo Yihang asked, puzzled.

Mr. Ge's craft factory is a staunch partner. So many of the cat-themed products, from pillows to bag charms to mahjong tiles, are all made in Mr. Ge's factory.

Over the years, the factory has expanded from more than 20 people to more than 200.

Annual production exceeds one million units.

They're already millionaires, why would they bother with a porridge stall?
"It turns out that General Manager Ge is a regular customer of the porridge stall. He feels uncomfortable if he doesn't drink it for a day, like he's addicted," Qiangwa revealed the mystery.

This is much more reasonable.

"But that doesn't make sense. There's no need to do it yourself. Why does he act like a domineering CEO, buying out any restaurant he thinks is good?" Luo Yihang casually complained.

Halfway through vomiting, Su Jing suddenly interrupted, "Isn't there a pure and beautiful female boss in the shop who was bullied by a gang leader and harassed by thugs? Then the CEO suddenly appeared, acted all high and mighty, and slapped him in the face. With a cold face and a slight tilt of his head, his capable assistant behind him calmly revealed the CEO's identity. The gang leader was so scared that he kowtowed repeatedly and ran away covering his head..."

I have a lot to say, but I don't know where to begin.

Suiwa glanced at his wife sideways and said, "Your first priority now is to uninstall the tomato app from your phone."

Suiwa is so bold, daring to look at his wife sideways.

Everyone was amazed; he was truly a role model!
Su Jing raised her eyebrows and glared at her husband.

Then he pointed at Luo Yihang, Qiangwa, and also at Luo Minghai, questioning the situation.

"It's all your fault. None of you are doing anything productive. You're all supposed to be domineering CEOs, but you're out eating street food late at night. After seeing so many of you, I can't even relate to the domineering CEO novels anymore."

Luo Yihang and the other two looked at each other and shrugged.

"Why aren't we doing our proper work..."

"Street food stalls are fine too, even a domineering CEO needs to eat..."

"Does it have to be when the weather gets cold that the Wang Group goes bankrupt to be considered a domineering CEO? Who names their child after their surname? How stupid."

Oh right, Qiangwa was also obsessed with short dramas featuring domineering CEOs for a while.

Su Jing and Luo Yihang interrupted each other.

Qiangwa also lost interest in telling stories.

He quickly said, "Boss Ge has a worker whose son is a good-for-nothing, over thirty years old and still doesn't have a proper job. Boss Ge is thinking of helping him out by letting that worker's son take over the porridge stall."

"And then there are those people who were drinking the porridge who are upset and are making a big fuss. Some of them have come to me because they have connections, and it would be inappropriate for me to refuse."

"The porridge stalls had to be reopened, so we simply set up more stalls, starting with one or two, and then more and more."

"There are so many workers in the industrial park, and there are plenty of relatives and children who have nothing to do at home. There are plenty of people who would like to open a porridge stall."

"With more porridge stalls appearing, other vendors selling guokui (a type of flatbread) and cold dishes have also sprung up,"

"With these porridge stalls, there will be even more."

"If there's too much flour, add water; if there's too much water, add flour. After going back and forth like this, we've accumulated such a large batch."

“I asked the city for policies again, and then I took them all under control.”

"That's how this night market food street came about."

Qiangwa beamed with pride, gesturing wildly around the area, "These are all my properties, aren't you awesome!"

(End of this chapter)