Where Was That Meaty Aroma Coming From?

Wen Yang scrolled quickly through the comments until he suddenly spotted a familiar comment from a longtime follower.

"Old Yang, you've really done me dirty! I went over and saw the pancakes. They smelled amazing, sure, but I couldn't get any!"

What could Wen Yang do? He was helpless too. He casually snapped a photo of his scallions, soybean paste, and pancake and replied below.

"I can't get any either!"

Then he put his phone away, took a bite of pancake, and sighed himself.

Don't ask. If anyone did, the answer was regret. Had he known Boss Shen's stall would become so popular all at once, he would definitely have eaten his fill before sharing the location. Now look what had happened-even getting some for himself took a fair bit of effort with that many people around.

The next morning, Shen Chuan got up and began preparing the braised pork.

After soaking and marinating all night, the fresh pork had fully absorbed the flavors. All it needed now was braising.

The ribs from the rib section and the marrow bones from the legs were ideal for making stock. He also took out an old hen he had bought from Auntie Zhang and cleaned it to use in the stock.

He brought a large pot of water to a boil, then tossed in the ribs, marrow bones, and cleaned hen to simmer slowly.

The aroma of the prepared spices went without saying.

The spices fell into two categories. One needed to be toasted in a pan to release their fragrance fully.

There were also a few special seasonings that couldn't be toasted, as doing so would alter their flavor. They only needed to be soaked in warm water, mixed with the toasted spices, wrapped in cheesecloth, and tossed into the pot to simmer slowly.

Once the stock had simmered until it was rich and milky white, he would add the spices to bring out their fragrance, then finally put in the pork to braise slowly.

The biggest difference between farm-raised local pork and supermarket pork was its thicker fat. As soon as the three-finger-thick layer of fat went into the pot, a layer of oil bloomed across the braising liquid, bathing the lean meat. Braised this way, the lean meat would be more tender and silky without tasting greasy.

It wasn't that the system was being overly demanding about ingredients. The difference in flavor between ingredients bought from supermarkets or markets these days and naturally homegrown ingredients was simply enormous.

Take the cucumbers and tomatoes Auntie Zhang had given him when he bought vegetables. Even eaten plain, they had a fresh fragrance and were juicy and pleasant to eat, completely different from supermarket produce. The cucumbers tasted like cucumbers, and the tomatoes tasted like tomatoes.

He had tried buying some supermarket vegetables before opening his stall too, but the food made with them just tasted a little inferior.

After putting the pork on to braise, Shen Chuan munched through several cucumbers at noon with that aroma in the air, purely out of craving.

With this aroma, he couldn't imagine how busy the stall would be that afternoon.

He needed to watch a few more episodes of domineering CEOs showing off in short dramas to get into the groove!

After six hours of slow braising over low heat, the pork was finally done.

Before heading out with the stall, Shen Chuan had braised pork rice for dinner. A large piece of pork with alternating layers of fat and lean meat, plus a ladle of braising liquid mixed into the rice, made for a thoroughly satisfying meal.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Chuan changed into his freshly ironed suit and straightened his lapels in front of the full-length mirror. He looked sharp and as handsome as ever, brimming with confidence about taking the stall out that evening.

He was utterly confident about today's outing. He had spent more than a full day preparing to show off, and today he was going to make it a big one!

By then, Jiang Wenyan was already waiting at the entrance to the residential complex.

After working part-time these past few days, he had some money on hand and no longer needed to ask his family for it. He radiated ease and contentment.

Remembering how Boss Shen always said people should treat themselves better, he had taken yesterday off too when Boss Shen rested.

Today, he had even brought a sun umbrella while he waited, applied sunscreen to his face, and put a can of sunscreen spray in his pocket.

The moment he saw Shen Chuan's vehicle, Jiang Wenyan stood up and jogged over, offering him a cup of lemonade he had prepared beforehand.

"Boss Shen, you're here! I made this lemonade myself and added extra ice, so it's nice and cold right now. Have some. We'll be there by the time you finish."

Shen Chuan: ...

Looking at the lemonade that had been thrust into his hand, Shen Chuan opened his mouth awkwardly. In the end, to spare his own mouth the suffering, he decided to speak tactfully.

"Little Jiang, have you ever wondered why business is still bad when your stall is right next to mine, with so much foot traffic?"

Jiang Wenyan blinked in confusion. He hadn't expected Boss Shen to care about his business too. What was he supposed to do with this sudden feeling of being touched?

He immediately said, "Don't worry, Boss Shen! I won't stop helping you just to run my own business!"

Seeing his expression, Shen Chuan understood. This guy thought business was bad because he wasn't at his own stall running it!

He had never doubted his own skills!

"Why don't you try some?"

Shen Chuan silently handed him the lemonade.

"I brought this for you, Boss Shen. I don't like lemonade. It's really sour."

Shen Chuan: ...

"Just try it and you'll understand."

Since Shen Chuan had put it that way, Jiang Wenyan took the lemonade in confusion, opened it, and had a sip.

"Pfft... pfft, pfft, pfft!"

The next second, the moment he opened his mouth, he sprayed out all the lemonade.

How could he describe the taste of that lemonade? The lemon was sour and bitter, and he had added so much sugar that it was cloying too. It didn't taste good at all!

Even Jiang Wenyan, slow as he was, realized what Boss Shen meant.

Business at his stall wasn't bad because he devoted himself to helping Boss Shen. It was because his lemonade tasted awful!

"But I paid a hundred yuan for this online lemonade stall tutorial! How could it taste this bad? Did that bastard scam me?"

Shen Chuan: ...

"Could it be that cooking skills vary from person to person?"

Shen Chuan finally understood what it meant to have a personality that never turned against itself. Look at Jiang Wenyan's easygoing nature-he never blamed himself when something happened. How nice!

[Ding! Show-off Points +20!]

Jiang Wenyan shot Shen Chuan a reproachful look, threw away the lemonade with an aggrieved expression, then called for Shen Chuan to get in so they could leave.

In that short time, his spirits had risen again, with no trace of his earlier grievance. He took out his sunscreen spray and sprayed some on himself, then some on Shen Chuan too.

Shen Chuan paused. "You're pretty thorough about sun protection."

Jiang Wenyan climbed into the vehicle and, feeling the cool air from the air conditioner, said with a grin, "Hehe, I learned from you, Boss Shen. If I don't take a little care of myself and get roasted as black as charcoal in the sun every day, wouldn't I embarrass you standing next to you?"

Shen Chuan suddenly felt as though someone had shown off at his expense.

That damned attention to detail should have been his to use. Jiang Wenyan didn't gain anything from showing off!

It looked like his God of Cooking swagger still wasn't enough. He needed to find a way to give his stall some more swagger!

As the food truck traveled down the road, Jiang Wenyan belatedly noticed something was off. Where was that meaty aroma coming from?

The aroma of braised pork lingered in the cab the whole way. Unlike the scallion fragrance of the scallion pancakes, this braised pork aroma was rich and lingering. It wasn't pungent, yet wisps of it kept slipping into his nostrils, making his stomach growl.

Jiang Wenyan sniffed, unconsciously easing off the accelerator, and couldn't help asking, "Boss Shen, do you smell something? It smells amazing!"