Chapter 95 Shifting Strategy to Sell Other Products
"Little girl, give me a plate of fried rice!" A familiar voice called out, and Aunt Guo came over carrying several empty mineral water bottles. "Your fried rice is much better than those fancy ones! At least it's not salty or spicy. And it tastes good."
Su Yingxue smiled as she packed up the third-to-last serving of egg fried rice for Aunt Guo: "Aunt Guo, this is the second time you've come to my stall today!"
"Of course! Your fried rice is so fragrant, and it's so delicious and clean to eat." Aunt Guo took out her phone. "My daughter gets off work this afternoon, and I'm telling her to come and try it too, just in case she comes too late."
As they were talking, a middle-aged man carrying a camera walked up to the stall, curiously examining Su Yingxue's fried rice: "Excuse me, are you the one who makes fried rice on Douyin? I saw the video this morning and came here this afternoon specifically to try it, but I didn't expect the fried rice stall to be almost sold out so quickly."
Su Yingxue looked up in surprise: "You are...?"
"I'm a reporter from the local food newspaper," the man said, handing over his business card. "I saw your stall was so popular this morning, so I came specifically to do an interview. I didn't expect the competition to be so fierce this afternoon."
Su Yingxue took the business card, which read "Zhang Ming, Editor-in-Chief of Ancheng Cuisine".
Before she could respond, a system notification sounded in her ear: [Task Completion: 49%. A decline in stall popularity has been detected. Special challenge triggered: How to maintain an edge amidst competition from numerous emerging food stalls? Hint: Leverage your unique strengths.]
Su Yingxue's heart tightened as she looked at the last plate of fried rice in the pot, then at the long lines of sausage and fried chicken strip stalls in the distance.
She took a deep breath and smiled at the reporter, "Mr. Zhang, could you wait until I sell these last few servings of fried rice? I'd like to talk to you about the secrets behind it."
“Of course.” Reporter Zhang Ming pulled out his notebook with interest. “I was just about to ask, how do you plan to cope with the competition from so many new types of snacks?”
Su Yingxue plated the last golden fried rice, sprinkled it with bright green scallions and special dried radish, and handed it to an old man who had been waiting for a long time.
“Actually, I think every kind of food has its own place.” She turned to the reporter, “Fried rice may seem ordinary, but it’s filling, warming, and also—”
She pointed to the young people queuing in the distance, "Those fried foods are tempting, but they can get greasy if you eat too much of them. But fried rice with eggs is still comforting, even if you eat it at three or four in the afternoon."
Zhou You nodded thoughtfully to the side. Indeed, he noticed that although there were long queues in front of the new stalls, many tourists would come over and buy a bowl of fried rice with eggs to cleanse their palates after eating the greasy snacks.
"Last serving!" Su Yingxue handed the fried rice to a young girl, smiling as she said, "Thank you for supporting traditional cuisine!"
The girl asked curiously, "Sister, are you coming again tomorrow? My friend said she wanted to try it, but she came too late this afternoon and couldn't get any."
Su Yingxue paused, glancing down at the empty insulated container and the clean wok. She looked up and smiled at the girl, "The last serving for today is sold out, but..."
She looked at Zhou You, who had just come over for his inspection, and said, "Manager Zhou, the food festival lasts for six more days, right?"
Zhou You nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, yes! Tomorrow is the second day of the food festival!"
"See you tomorrow!" Su Yingxue said to Zhou You. "I'll try to bring a new flavor tomorrow!"
As the last grain of rice was fed to the tourist, Su Yingxue breathed a sigh of relief and turned off the stove.
A system notification immediately sounded: [Mission Complete! Congratulations on completing the "Fried Rice Comeback" mission. Rewards: Cooking Skill +10, and the recipe for the signature dish "Secret Lamb Seasoning" permanently unlocked.]
Looking at the empty ingredient box and the clean wok, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. Although business wasn't as booming in the afternoon as it was in the morning, and although the various novel snacks had drawn away most of the tourists, she still managed to complete the task assigned by the system—selling out the egg fried rice and gaining many repeat customers.
In the distance, long queues still formed in front of the newly opened starch sausage stall, the aroma of fried chicken strips remained enticing, and the cumin scent of squid filled the air.
However, several tourists still stopped in front of Su Yingxue's fried rice stall, some asking if she would be open again tomorrow, and others expressing their support for traditional cuisine.
Zhou You walked over and patted Su Yingxue on the shoulder: "Well done today! The boss just asked me if you wanted to renew your food festival stall contract for next year."
Su Yingxue packed up her stall, shaking her head with a smile: "Let's talk about it next year. But..." She looked at the setting sun in the distance and the still bustling food festival scene, "This battle today was worth it."
The system quietly notified you: [Special reward has been issued: A special guest will be visiting your stall tomorrow. Stay tuned!]
Su Yingxue was slightly taken aback, then smiled broadly. Regardless of what tomorrow holds, today she had already left her mark on the March Mountain Food Festival with a pot of golden fried rice.
As dusk settled, the food festival at March Mountain gradually quieted down, with only a few wisps of cooking smoke lingering in the evening breeze, like reluctant diners unwilling to leave.
Su Yingxue stood in front of the stove in the rented room, looking at the mostly empty thermal box. She gently tapped the edge of the iron pot with her fingertips; the residual heat still lingered, and it hummed.
She suddenly remembered the old street in her hometown—at dusk, the alley entrance was always filled with a smoky aroma, a blend of the richness of mutton fat, the freshness of mutton, and the fragrance of sesame seeds roasted at high temperatures.
The aroma was so strong that it could travel from one end of the street to the other, attracting passersby to stop and follow the scent.
Lamb-filled flatbread is a famous dish in Kaifeng. It sells very well in the city. Originally, it was made with lamb fat, but it was later improved to become lamb-filled flatbread.
"How about... we try this mutton flatbread?" She narrowed her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips.
The iron griddle was burning hot over the stove. Su Yingxue scooped up a spoonful of mutton fat and slowly poured it over the griddle.
"Sizzle—"
With a soft sizzle, the mutton fat melted instantly, flowing down the griddle and transforming into a thin, golden-yellow film in the blink of an eye. Steam rose up, carrying a rich, pungent aroma that wafted into her nostrils. She took a deep breath, her eyes brightening—this smell was right.
The ground lamb was already prepared, fine and smooth like paste, with a perfect balance of lean and fat, and a pale pink hue. With a flick of her wrist, she sent the ground meat into the pot, quickly stirring it to separate the pieces. Under the high heat, the minced meat instantly shrank, its color changing from red to white, and the oil seeped out, sizzling loudly.
She sprinkled in some chopped onions, stir-fried them a few times, and the sweetness of the onions immediately balanced the richness of the lamb, making the aroma even more intense.
Turn off the heat and season. Mix sweet bean sauce, chili sauce, and a secret seasoning powder—cumin, Sichuan peppercorns, five-spice powder, and salt—in the correct proportions. Sprinkle all the mixture over, then add a handful of chopped cilantro and green onions. Stir with chopsticks, and the aroma explodes instantly, domineeringly invading the entire room.
It looks pretty good. It tastes even better after taking a bite.
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