This was the place where I first tried making Eight Treasure Pickles.
This time, Jiang Tao had another go at making barbecue sauce, and he still chose to experiment secretly at his rental apartment, planning to amaze everyone later.
If the effect turned out well, this Delicious Barbecue Sauce could become the Jiangâs Food Factoryâs second product.
Not only could he use it when opening his own barbecue restaurant, but he could also expand into selling the barbecue sauce.
Right now, Jiang Tao had Eight Treasure Pickles in his left hand, barbecue sauce in his right, holding onto two ace products.
The future of Jiangâs Food Factory looked boundless.
About half past two in the afternoon.
A Benz GSL pulled up on the empty lot outside Xiaoshanhe Village, parking next to a dust-covered 4.2-meter cargo truck.
Pushing the door open and getting out, Jiang Tao looked at his familiar "old buddy" and couldnât help feeling sentimental again.
Just last winter, he was still sitting in that 4.2-meter cargo truck, worrying about how to find money to pay off the familyâs debts from building their house.
He was still calculating on his phone how much extra interest heâd have to pay if he borrowed money through Z PayPal.
But with a sudden noisy bang, his whole life flipped upside down.
His speed of making money was like heâd turned on cheat mode.
In less than two months, heâd transformed from a broke guy in debt by seventy or eighty grand to a middle-class man with tens of millions to his name.
Everything felt like a dream.
His eyes landed on the windshield of the 4.2-meter cargo truck; the glass had been replaced and there was no sign it was ever smashed.
But Jiang Tao knew well that all of this was real, not just an illusion.
"Old buddy, youâre the one who brought me luck. One of these days, Iâll get someone to give you a proper upgrade."
Jiang Tao tore his gaze away from the cargo truck and turned to walk toward the city village.
Even though he basically didnât need that 4.2-meter truck anymore, he never thought about selling it.
If he sold it, heâd probably only get thirty or forty thousand for it.
He really wasnât short on cash now, so it was better to keep it for sentimental reasons.
You canât forget where you came from!
Jiang Tao would never forget those days of driving a cargo truck around, being a truck driver.
If it hadnât been for that rough patch, maybe he wouldnât be standing here enjoying success today.
Turning toward the city village, Jiang Tao passed a produce supermarket, and decided to walk in.
After entering, he headed straight for the tomato shelf.
On the shelf, among a pile of tomatoes, only two had a very obvious yellow "â" arrow on top.
That meant out of all these tomatoes, only those two met the quality standards for making Delicious Barbecue Sauce.
Only with the tomatoes handpicked by Brother Tongzi could you make the most authentic Delicious Barbecue Sauce!
"This quality control is harsh? The odds are way too low!"
Muttering to himself, Jiang Tao pulled a clear plastic bag from the shelf and put in the two tomatoes marked by Brother Tongzi.
Next, he went over to the red onion section.
Among the onions on display, there wasnât even one that met the standard!
Luckily, down below on the shelf, he found three in a netted bag and took them all.
Then he bought five heads of garlic, a bag of white sugar, a bottle of apple cider vinegar, and a bag of yellow mustard.
After purchasing the necessary ingredients at the produce supermarket, he went to Pang Dongdong Supermarket for some seasonings.
Chili powder, sea salt, black pepper, as well as syrup and butter.
These were all essential ingredients for making Delicious Barbecue Sauce.
Though the strict requirements made collecting them harder, at least he got everything he needed.
After shopping, Jiang Tao lugged all his bags over to the entrance of his old dorm building.
"Xiao Jiang! Youâve been as elusive as a dragon latelyâyouâre so hard to catch these days!"
"Tonight, donât leave! Letâs have a couple of drinks together!"
LĂŒ Qian was downstairs walking his birds; when he saw Jiang Tao he gave a big grin, greeting him and inviting him to dinner tonight.
"A bit unlucky, Brother LĂŒ. Iâve got plans tonight, got a dinner already."
"Next time, Iâll treat both you and Aunt Ma."
"Hey, by the way, whereâs Aunt Ma? Havenât seen her."
Jiang Tao glanced around but didnât spot Ma Dongmei, so he asked curiously.
These days, the relationship between LĂŒ Qian and Ma Dongmei was like scale never leaving the weight, weight never leaving the scale.
Wherever Ma Dongmei appeared, Old LĂŒ was sure to be within ten meters.
Sure enough, just as he thought, the door creaked open.
Ma Dongmei came out of LĂŒ Qianâs place, carrying a vegetable basket in her hand.
When she saw Jiang Tao standing at the entrance, Ma Dongmeiâs smile blossomed instantly. She waved and greeted him warmly.
As someone whoâs been through it, Jiang Tao spotted the clue at once.
Old LĂŒ and Ma Dongmei were living together now!
Watching the two of them looking loving as ever.
As the "Yue Lao" whoâd matched them up, Jiang Tao couldnât help feeling accomplished!
"Heh heh, by the way, Xiao Jiang, me and Xiao Mei are getting married this May 1st."
"You, the matchmaker, gotta be there! Iâve got a big red envelope ready for you."
LĂŒ Qian grinned at Jiang Tao, his wrinkled old face relaxing from smiling so much.
"Absolutely! Iâll definitely come! Let me congratulate you and Aunt Ma in advance."
Jiang Tao laughed and looked at the two of them, sending blessings in his heart to the "old newlyweds."
To find a soulmate in the second half of life is really a wonderful thing.
"Since youâre busy tonight, letâs leave it for another day, weâll get together then."