After taking a shower, Zhang Guodong and Lao Hao left the hotel with Lao Cao.
Although the hotel offers local specialties, they pale in comparison to the diverse array of cuisines from both the north and south of the town, and the experience is far less enjoyable.
Tongguan Town has a food street that is open 24 hours a day. Especially at night, it is brightly lit, and the variety of snacks and delicacies is dazzling and even more tempting. Moreover, the aromas of many different flavors on the whole street stimulate the taste buds and whet the appetite.
Upon entering the food street, the first thing you see is a porridge shop. It offers not only various types of porridge from the north, such as millet porridge and sorghum porridge, but also southern porridges, such as black rice porridge, eight-treasure porridge, and white fungus porridge.
Old Cao led everyone into the porridge shop first.
Zhang Guodong doesn't like porridge, but seeing the various carefully prepared congees and their fragrant aroma made his mouth water. The porridge was served with side dishes, mostly pickled vegetables, including Sichuan-style and Northeastern-style pickled vegetables. Enjoying the porridge and pickled vegetables was truly a treat.
Lao Hao and Lao Cao opted for millet porridge, along with two platters of pickled vegetables. Lao Cao's three assistants followed suit, each ordering a small bowl of porridge.
Unlike Lao Hao and Lao Cao, Zhang Guodong didn't prefer bland flavors. He had a great appetite and ordered a small bowl of seafood wontons. The wontons were topped with bright green cilantro and white shrimp, soaked in beef bone broth, making them incredibly delicious.
Lao Hao and Lao Cao were a little envious of Zhang Guodong's good appetite.
As they get older, their appetites decrease, and they dare not eat too much of many things. Seeing Zhang Guodong eating with relish, Old Cao couldn't help but say, "It's good to be young!"
Zhang Guodong chuckled twice.
Old Hao also laughed and said, "Xiao Zhang has been exercising a lot lately, so it's no wonder he has a big appetite!"
"Oh? Old Hao is teaching boxing again?" Old Cao asked in surprise.
When the topic turned to boxing, Old Cao became interested. He knew that Old Hao's Tai Chi was of a very high standard; in his youth, Old Hao had possessed impressive skills. Now that he was older, his Tai Chi and other martial arts had become even more refined.
Compared to his friends, Lao Hao's health is significantly better. That's the benefit of practicing health preservation!
However, Lao Cao envied Lao Hao for having a good physique, but he was too lazy to learn it himself, though he was somewhat interested in watching others practice.
Old Hao smiled faintly, "It's just a friendly spar. Young Zhang has remarkable talent; it would be a shame if he didn't learn from him!"
Speaking of Zhang Guodong's talent for martial arts, Lao Cao was astonished. In this era, the concept of talent has long since faded. Lao Hao, on the other hand, prefers young people with drive and humility—a fact known to all his old friends. He never expected that this young Zhang would actually catch Lao Hao's eye. Internal martial arts are superior to external martial arts, although their focuses differ; internal martial arts unlock the body's potential, and the human body is infinitely mysterious.
"What does Xiao Zhang do for a living?" Old Cao asked curiously.
"Vegetable seller—" Zhang Guodong was a little embarrassed by what Lao Hao said. He wanted to be modest, but he couldn't be modest and told the truth, which almost made Lao Cao spit out his food.
"Little Zhang isn't being honest!" Clearly, Old Cao didn't believe Zhang Guodong was really selling vegetables, but fortunately, the conversation mainly focused on boxing, so it was easy to change the subject.
Zhang Guodong was helpless; no one would believe him if he told the truth now, so he could only nod and humbly accept Lao Cao's criticism.
His wish is to stay physically fit, and now he's gotten into the habit of exercising. If he doesn't exercise for a day, he feels uncomfortable. It's almost addictive!
However, as Lao Cao said, the human body is indeed full of mysteries, and even with the most advanced technology, we can only explore a tiny fraction of its secrets.
Old Hao smiled and glanced at Zhang Guodong, explaining, "The third son of the Cao family is a renowned expert in traditional Chinese medicine, with profound knowledge of meridians. He is currently the vice president of the National Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and his research focuses on unlocking the potential of the human body. He is very authoritative!"
Zhang Guodong was surprised; he was indeed extraordinary.
Old Cao chuckled twice and said modestly, "You, Old Hao, how could your little ones be any simpler?"
However, he appeared quite pleased with himself.
Old Cao is very proud that his children are successful in various fields.
The two exchanged a smile, seemingly chatting casually, but Zhang Guodong was quite shocked. The vice president of the National Association of Traditional Chinese Medicine? That was no ordinary person.
It's important to know that the health of many central leaders is controlled by these people; they're incredibly powerful.
After chatting and eating, Zhang Guodong and his group left the small porridge shop and continued strolling through the food street. They found sausage snacks, Sichuan-style, some sweet and slightly spicy, but definitely delicious. Served in a flavorful broth, they were far superior to spicy skewers. Zhang Guodong immediately set his sights on one of them.
Each person received a string of sausages, and Zhang Guodong also paid out of his own pocket to treat everyone to a serving of braised pork with preserved mustard greens and fragrant rice, one of the three treasures of Huizhou.
The small box contained braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens and fragrant rice. Large slices of dark reddish-brown cooked pork belly were mixed with black preserved mustard greens, and the aroma of the meat wafted up with the steam, making one's mouth water. Moreover, it could be eaten on the go; the flavor was savory and fresh, the meat was tender and juicy, not greasy at all, and the preserved mustard greens were rich and fragrant.
Braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens, also known as "shao bai" (烧白), has many names depending on the region. Its characteristics include a glossy, reddish-brown color, a thick and flavorful broth, and tender, flavorful pork belly that is smooth, rich, and not greasy at all. When you chew a piece and your mouth is filled with its oil, you'll find it surprisingly non-greasy. The preserved mustard greens absorb the oil, while the pork belly takes on the fragrance of the greens and the aroma of pine nuts. The combination of preserved mustard greens, pine nuts, and fatty pork belly is truly perfect.
Although the preserved mustard greens were somewhat different from the vegetables grown in Taoyuan, the novelty of eating them for the first time made up for this shortcoming, and Zhang Guodong ate them with his mouth full of oil.
The fragrant rice was added as an extra ingredient, and the method for making it is actually very simple, similar to how Zhang Guodong adds stir-fried radish while steaming rice.
When the two are combined, the flavor and appetite are stimulated.
Old Hao and Old Cao didn't finish their food, and they ate with bitter smiles.
"It's delicious, but I don't dare eat too much, it's so painful! Old Hao, we can't let Zhang Guodong choose what to eat. There's a good snack place on this street, suitable for everyone, we can't miss it!" Old Cao said. "Especially suitable for us old men!"
"Haha, I'm getting old, I can't deny it! Let's go," Old Hao said.
Zhang Guodong blushed slightly and quickly swallowed the last string of pearls.
The food was too meaty. He and the other three could eat it, but Lao Hao and Lao Cao couldn't; they had digestive problems. Looking at the delicious food but not daring to eat too much was indeed a kind of torment.
Old Cao was introducing a dish called Mao Xue Wang, which is actually a Sichuan dish. It mainly consists of duck blood, bean sprouts, ham, eel, pork, and daylily. Of course, the eel must be farmed; wild eels are not available.
A plate of Maoxuewang (a spicy Sichuan dish) features a bright red broth, slices of duck blood, and is garnished with daylily buds—it's an exquisite dish. However, it's not cheap; just considering the ingredients, a single plate can cost several tens of yuan.
Old Cao explained that this dish is suitable for the elderly, as it helps prevent arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. Chinese cuisine actually has a strong connection to traditional Chinese medicine.
This is what is known as food therapy; every dish contains Chinese medicinal herbs, which are quite precious.
For example, spices like star anise and cloves are actually Chinese medicinal herbs, but they are used as seasonings in food. This broadened Zhang Guodong's horizons considerably.
Upon closer reflection, it seems that everyday vegetables, when combined in a simple way, can have the effects of traditional Chinese medicine.
With this in mind, Zhang Guodong began to pay attention to Chinese medicinal herbs.
Although the ingredients for Mao Xue Wang (a spicy Sichuan dish) are relatively 'ordinary', the secret recipe gives it a unique flavor, which Zhang Guodong thoroughly enjoyed.
The food street was long and had a lot of tempting food, but everyone's stomachs had limited capacity, so they had to head home.
Considering he'd be spending half the next few days in Tongguan Town, Zhang Guodong wasn't in a hurry. It wasn't far from the city; he could get back in an hour at most.
The purpose of this trip to Tongguan Town was to see the flower and tree market, but things didn't go as planned. Old Cao said that a new batch of flowers and trees would arrive the next day, so it would be best to stay overnight and see them the next day.
After discussing it with Zhang Guodong, Lao Hao agreed.
It's common knowledge that new products are the only way to produce quality goods.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning, Zhang Guodong and Lao Hao woke up at almost the same time and went out of the hotel to exercise without prior arrangement.
Seeing how conscientious Zhang Guodong was, Lao Hao nodded in approval from behind. It's good that the young man was so diligent!
The two parted ways. Before boxing, Zhang Guodong needed to warm up by running. Now he ran 8,000 meters, which was 2,000 meters longer than before, which was just right for his physical condition.
I set off, picked up my car, and ran along the road, with cars whizzing past me from time to time.
After a round trip of 8,000 meters, Zhang Guodong felt his body warming up, his breathing becoming labored, reaching his limit. Taking advantage of the momentum, he unleashed a set of Five Elements Fist techniques, relatively steady, causing his entire body's meridians and bones to vibrate. This kind of training was very intense, but the effect was excellent, making him break out in a sweat.
Zhang Guodong went home early, but Lao Hao hadn't returned yet. However, it was still early, so Zhang Guodong started showering and cleaning himself. Lao Hao returned a while later.
At eight o'clock in the morning, there was a knock at the door, but it was Old Cao who appeared, looking very energetic.
"Let's go downstairs for breakfast together, and then we'll go to the market!" Old Cao said.
New stock has just arrived. The market opens at 9 AM and closes at 12 PM, only three hours a day, excluding private transactions. However, for experts, three hours is enough.
Staying too long might lead to misjudgment. Gambling on flowers and trees, like gambling on stones, carries considerable risk, so maintaining a good mental state is essential. Perhaps the difference is that gambling on stones could result in nothing, while gambling on flowers and trees at least leaves you with at least one tree or one potted plant.
After breakfast, Zhang Guodong, along with Lao Cao, Lao Hao, and their three assistants, switched to a minivan and drove out of town. After about a kilometer, they arrived at a large vegetable greenhouse.
As far as the eye could see, there were endless rows of vegetable greenhouses, numbering in the thousands, a truly magnificent sight. The choice of this location for the trading market was unexpected for Zhang Guodong, but he couldn't help but admire the organizers' ingenuity.
Since it's a black market, secrecy is extremely important; otherwise, if we were to be wiped out, the losses would be enormous.
Moreover, these hundreds of greenhouses are almost identical, making it quite difficult to quickly locate the black market.
After parking, Zhang Guodong noticed that there seemed to be quite a few vans parked there. They looked ordinary, but there were dozens of them.
"Many people came together, otherwise there would be even more cars here!" Old Cao explained. "I wonder if there are any treasures among today's new shipments?"
At this moment, a man with sharp eyes came over. He glanced at Zhang Guodong and his group, then saw Lao Cao. His guard immediately relaxed: "Boss Cao, who are these two?"
This refers to Zhang Guodong and Lao Hao.
Old Cao was a regular here, as were his three assistants. However, the other party was clearly wary of bringing strangers here.
Old Cao laughed and said, "These two are my friends, and I'd like to see them. Ah Biao, lead the way!"
Ah Biao glanced at the two men again, nodded, and agreed, leading the way. It was only through an introduction from an acquaintance that they were allowed in; otherwise, no one could get in.
P.S.: Second update! Please vote!
Thank you again to '无剑书生' and '1uiz' for the generous donations! I will write with all my heart.
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