The temperature wasn't very high, but when Chen Mo opened the pot lid, the ten or so people leaning outside the food cart couldn't hold back and took a deep breath!

The smell was truly fragrant.

It was like the feeling you get in winter when you enter someone else's house and immediately catch the scent of meat. It doesn't matter if the meat is actually good or not; the aroma just hooks into your nose, making you want to rush out, buy two pounds of good liquor and peanuts, and have the urge to crash at a neighbor's house to eat meat.

Chen Mo looked at these customers, thinking how it was quite something for them to have traced him all the way from Jingzhou to Ning County.

"Don't just stare. I'm making buns, but you can't eat them straight away, okay?"

Chen Mo dispelled their idea of scooping out a bowl of meat each and eating it right then, and he brought out the dough bowl that was left to rise in the cupboard.

The dough appeared to have some small holes, but that was nothing serious.

Chen Mo continued to put on disposable gloves and began kneading the dough, repeatedly rubbing, kneading, and pressing it until the dough returned to a smooth surface, then began rolling it into long strips.

Every time the knife moved to a position, the progress bar advanced a bit, and Chen Mo sliced where there was a shimmering spot.

"Whoa! Boss Xiao Chen, these buns must be delicious. Look at this, even the dough pieces are cut to almost the same size. It takes ten or even eight years to develop skills like this. I'll have to try a few more later."

Zhou Hu looked at Old Zhao a bit disdainfully after hearing this.

We haven't even started wrapping the buns, and he's already singing praises, probably just to eat a few more later, right?

Being a straightforward college student, Zhou Hu directly moved the purchase limit decree to the scene, "Let's agree first. For these buns, a few of our brothers have run ten miles, so later no one fights over them, distribute by headcount!"

Old Zhao, seeing his little scheme was exposed, laughed to cover his embarrassment, "Right, right, there are ten of us here; just divide them evenly then!"

Dunzi casually spread his hands, "Yes, I just can't stand those who not only eat but also brag about how good it is while smacking their lips."

His words reminded Old Zhao of the man who snatched food from him at the bridge last night.

Turning his head, he thought Dunzi's figure seemed a bit familiar!

The minced meat in the pot was not mashed into a paste but, after braising, had turned into many small lumps, and after being soaked for over half an hour, the soup in the pot had also reduced.

Chen Mo rolled the dough pieces into thin pancakes, mentally playing the steps for making buns while his hands slowly wrapped along.

A minute later, a soft bun was placed in the steaming rack.

Guo Aiping looked anxious, "Boss Xiao Chen, your taste is really good, but I think your bun-making technique seems a bit off; look at mine!"

She jumped right into the food cart, found herself a pair of disposable gloves, and without a word, "You have to do it like this."

Guo Aiping placed the dough skin in her palm, scooped some minced meat with the other hand, placed it in the center of the dough skin, then cupped with her left hand and pinched with her right, while turning the dough with her left hand. In just ten seconds or so, she had shaped a bun.

"Got it?"

"Got it..." Chen Mo tried another one, "I'll take it slow."

"It's okay; everyone's like this when starting out, but you'll get faster the more you do."

With Guo Aiping's assistance, the bun-making speed increased a lot, and soon more than a hundred buns were distributed over five layers of steaming trays.

"Great job!" Guo Aiping, who was used to cooking at home, immediately reached out to plug in the power as soon as she finished saying this.

Chen Mo hurriedly raised his hand to stop her, "No! Still need to let them sit for a while."

"Huh?"

"Let them sit for a while after wrapping; a second proofing makes the bun skin taste better. Just wait a little bit more."

The boss had spoken, and Guo Aiping dared not disobey!

She also kept this small tip in mind, thinking if they were really good, she could mimic it when making buns at home.

The electric cooker bought from the supermarket was really handy, especially the reservation feature. Chen Mo set a ten-minute reservation before starting to heat, so he didn't have to worry about it afterward.

He simply cleaned up the sanitation inside the food cart, and the ten people who had chased after Chen Mo began to wander independently around the grain station.

Guo Aiping and Old Zhao went to the vinegar shop to buy vinegar, the six college students ran to the hill behind the grain station to take photos, while Dunzi and Zhang Feng were outside the pigpen watching the pigs eat, with no clue what was so fascinating about it.

"Hey youngster, Old Zhang is back!"

Chen Mo raised his head, it was the elder sister who asked questions earlier, coming out to dump swill, waving to him, "Old Zhang, someone is looking for you."

Following the elder sister's gesture, Chen Mo saw an elderly man about sixty years old standing at the entrance of the [Grinding] shop preparing to open the door. Uncle Zhang looked back at Chen Mo, "Grinding flour?"

Chen Mo jumped off the cart, "Buying flour."

Old Zhang let out an 'Oh', "How much do you want? Let me check." He pulled out a crumpled notebook from his pocket, "It'll take at least six months, and at most, I can arrange five kilos for you, one hundred per kilo, cash and carry."

Chen Mo: ???

Paying one hundred per kilo cash and carry was not a problem. As long as the product was good, Chen Mo felt it was normal for it to be expensive.

After all, there were people spending hundreds of thousands to wait half a year to go to Japan to eat hand-rolled rice rolls.

But what was this about needing to wait half a year just for some flour?

Seeing Chen Mo silent, Old Zhang seemed to anticipate it, "Ordering or not?"

While speaking, Old Zhang pushed open the door and walked in, tossing the bag he was carrying onto the ground.

Chen Mo followed inside.

This was a very ordinary small rural house, with a large stone mill placed at the front hall, inside was Old Zhang's bedroom, and there was another door opposite the stone mill. Old Zhang walked through that door and not long after returned, leading a donkey.

Old Zhang picked up the bag he had just tossed down, poured the wheat inside into the stone mill's plate, and tied the donkey with a rope.

He patted the donkey's backside, and the donkey obediently started circling.

"I know what you're thinking." Old Zhang sat on a small stool, stuffing tobacco into the mouthpiece of his waist flue, "My seeds are different from others, they're my own hybrid, very low yield, enough to feed just our family. The wheat is all ground like this, it's definitely good stuff, but you have to stick to the rules and queue."

Chen Mo really wanted to ask why he didn't grow more since he had such good stuff.

But on second thought.

If he had a treasure basin like that, would he choose to have the only source, or sell the patent?

Truthfully, having the only source might not make Old Zhang extremely wealthy, but it'd definitely ensure his descendants' prosperity for several generations, whereas selling the patent would mean a substantial short-term profit, but eventually, that money would run out.

Understanding this, Chen Mo didn't press further, only saying, "Can't you make an exception? I don't need much, even half a kilo is fine!"

As long as the system task was completed first, everything else would be doable.

If worse came to worst, couldn't he just not make that kind of pastry anymore?!

Old Zhang took a puff, fiercely blowing out as grey ash flew from the mouthpiece, and then he stuffed in more tobacco, "Rules are rules, even if the county magistrate wants my flour, he has to queue."

Chen Mo was about to say something when a child's voice interrupted him.

"Grandpa, Grandpa! Are you really giving me a bun today?"

A little kid, about three or four years old, burst in with a backpack, not waiting for Old Zhang to speak, and pointed at the donkey, "I want to ride the donkey!"

Old Zhang put away the pipe, affectionately picking up the kid and placing him on the donkey's back, "Oh my little ancestor, come, come. The buns are all made, you ride the donkey first, and I'll just light the fire to steam the buns!"

Seeing Old Zhang had no desire to continue the conversation, Chen Mo sensibly exited the little house.

"How'd it go? At least six months, right?" The elder sister, who'd just emptied the swill, stood at the doorway cracking seeds while saying, "It's all normal, Old Zhang's wheat is truly delicious. A couple days ago, several big bosses came by and bought some; they'd all booked it last year."

Chen Mo sighed, "Yes, six months. Hey sister, is there really no way to find a solution with Uncle Zhang?"

The elder sister shook her head, lowering her voice, "Old Zhang's entire family of seven or eight relies on this for their meals! If he gives you a break, what about everyone else later? You can only queue."

Chen Mo nodded, feeling quite a bit of regret.

If that's the case, the next step is either try to find another place with good flour that hasn't yet been found, or just wait six months before trying to complete the task.

While he was mulling it over, the sky gradually darkened.

In the courtyard, Xiao Huang's cart, the electric pot's appointment time was up, began heating, with steam slowly rising, accompanied by a faint aroma of flour that could be vaguely smelled.

In the dim, shabby house, Old Zhang disdainfully looked out through the crack in the door, at that little yellow cart.

Ha, no one who can break my rules has appeared yet.

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