If I ask you to set up a stall, why do you always run to deserted places?

Duan Ming: "..."

Why can a mouth that's 38 degrees Celsius utter such cold words?

This old rascal, while eating a pancake, didn't he also eat up their brotherhood?

Fortunately, Xu Yang didn't need to come to pick them up at all.

The four of them crossed the South Heavenly Gate and followed the aroma of the cakes for a few minutes before they saw a large crowd gathered in front of them.

A piece of cloth was set up in the middle of the crowd to shield them from the wind.

The frying pan was sizzling, and a man dressed in black was standing in front of the cutting board, his hands moving so fast they were almost invisible.

"Holy crap, there really is a stall here."

Upon seeing this, Zhang Yue immediately quickened his pace.

"Old Xu!"

Duan Ming searched through the crowd and soon spotted Xu Yang next to the stall.

The guy was holding a brown paper bag, looking around warily, as if afraid someone would snatch it.

Duan Ming's lips twitched; anyone who didn't know better would think he was doing something like a thief.

"Didn't I tell you not to come?" Xu Yang also saw them. "Why are you here?"

Duan Ming's face darkened. "We've been climbing for over two hours, and this is your attitude?"

"What else?"

Xu Yang stepped aside, saying, "Am I supposed to welcome you with fanfare, like gongs and drums, to steal our food?"

"Steal your food? Who wants to steal your food?"

Duan Ming's forehead was covered in black lines. Did they have to be so desperate to eat anything?

Zhang Yue didn't have time to argue with them; his gaze had already fallen on the small blackboard in front of the stall.

In addition to the three dishes mentioned earlier (beef patties), three more dishes were added later by Su Yun.

[Charcoal-flavored Cumin Lamb Pastry: 15 yuan each!]

[Sichuan Peppercorn Chicken Leg Pastry: 12 yuan each!]

[Brown Sugar Walnut Lava Pastry: 8 yuan each!]

【...】

"I remember when you sent us the pictures, these flavors weren't even available yet!"

"They've changed them again!" Tang Guo, who happened to be holding her phone nearby, said upon hearing this. "The boss just wrote it up; this batch hasn't even been cooked yet."

The live stream camera then turned to the frying pan.

This time, the pastries in the pot were all different shapes.

The filling sprinkled with cumin seeds is lamb, while the filling dotted with two Sichuan peppercorns is chicken leg filling.

As for the brown sugar and walnut filling, Su Yun shaped it into small triangles.

The three types of cakes are arranged in the pan, with delicate flaky layers puffing up around the edges.

When the mutton fat is heated, a little seeps out and sizzles when it hits the bottom of the pot, immediately releasing the aroma of cumin.

Next came the green Sichuan peppercorns, with a cool and refreshing numbing aroma that was very tempting.

Finally, brown sugar emerges, its caramelized aroma blending with the nutty scent of roasted walnuts.

Even though there was still a layer of pastry between them, it kept trying to get into people's noses.

The three flavors take turns being served.

Zhang Yue and the other three stood in front of the pot, feeling as if they were being slapped across the face.

The aroma is amazing, isn't it?

Also, who was it down the mountain who said this stall was staged for a photo op?

Who said this kind of stove can't even cook meat properly?

This seems like it's going to backfire.

"Ahem!" He Sen coughed lightly, trying to bring his expression back to normal.

"A good-smelling aroma doesn't necessarily mean the filling is well-made. Lamb has a lot of fat, which easily soaks into the pastry."

"Yes, yes, yes! Chicken thigh meat has a lot of moisture, so it doesn't heat evenly when wrapped up, making it easy for the outside to be cooked while the inside is still raw," Qiao Qiao chimed in.

"And then there's the brown sugar filling. Once the sugar melts, it leaks out. If the seal isn't tight, the whole pancake will stick to the pan," He Sen explained logically.

After hearing this, Zhang Yue and Duan Ming felt much more at ease.

That's right! It's not that they don't trust Lao Xu, they just respect his expertise!

Before she could finish speaking, Su Yun had already reached the tongs into the pot.

Several people's eyes twitched.

Su Yun first stood the beef pastry upright and gently rotated it around the edge of the pan. The pastry around the edges instantly turned a uniform golden yellow.

Then I flipped the chicken leg pancake over. The two peppercorns on the surface trembled slightly, but the pancake showed no signs of cracking.

As for the triangular shortbread, which is most prone to leaking sugar, all three openings were sealed tightly, so not only did the sugar not leak out, but not even a single grain of brown sugar escaped.

Su Yun looked up at He Sen. Although she didn't say anything, He Sen felt a sharp pain on his face.

"How is it?"

He Sen: "......."

How come this guy's ears are so sharp?

"No, I was just kidding." He Sen shook his head honestly.

Theory is theory, but these few pancakes in the pan slapped him in the face repeatedly.

Being stubborn at this point is not a good thing.

"It's ready! Who wants some first?"

Just as Su Yun picked up the first beef patty, Zhang Yue had already quickly stood in front of the stall.

"One of each of the three flavors, please."

"Wait a moment!"

Duan Ming quickly pressed him down, "There are four of us, why did you only buy three tickets?"

Zhang Yue said matter-of-factly, "One of each, let's evaluate them first."

"Then how do we divide it?"

"I'm in charge of the lamb patties, He Sen is in charge of the chicken leg patties, and Qiao Qiao is in charge of the brown sugar patties."

Duan Ming was taken aback for a moment. "What about me?"

The three people looked at him at the same time. "You're in charge of making the payments."

Duan Ming: "?? Get lost!"

Duan Ming shoved Zhang Yue aside, swiped the money himself, and said, "One of each of the three flavors, and one extra mutton one too."

"Didn't you say that after eating a 12-yuan mountaintop pancake, it's easy to find a toilet?"

Xu Yang asked casually from the side.

Duan Ming froze. "But I bought the 15-yuan one."

"What's the difference?"

"The more expensive ones must be safer!"

Xu Yang: "..."

Good heavens! Shameless!

"Don't look at me like that! Besides, I didn't question anything; it was clearly the two of them who questioned it."

Duan Ming betrayed Zhang Yue and his group without any hesitation.

Zhang Yue and the other man's faces darkened, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Su Yun quickly put the four pastries into a paper bag.

The first fragrant cumin lamb pastry was just handed over.

Zhang Yue eagerly took it, completely ignoring his previous disdainful mockery.

"Let me make this clear first, this is just a normal review, I won't just hype it up because everyone else says it's delicious."

This is the thing he cares about most after making restaurant review videos for so many years.

When you pay the shopkeeper, he will clearly mark the item as GG; if the item is bad, he won't blindly say it's good.

The account has 700,000 to 800,000 followers, not because of how exaggerated his expressions are when he eats, but because the audience knows that he at least has a few truths to say.

"Alright, alright, I'm filming, so hurry up and eat."

Qiaoqiao held the action camera for him.

Zhang Yue first broke the shortbread in half. With a snap, the outermost layer of flaky pastry cracked into pieces, and the hot air inside immediately burst out.

The lamb wasn't minced, but cut into small pieces slightly larger than soybeans, each piece coated in glistening juice and sandwiched with a slightly translucent roasted onion.

"Wow!" Zhang Yue was stunned.

Cumin seeds and chili powder stick to the meat, and as soon as the steam rises, the aroma hits you right in the head.

"This filling looks alright."

Zhang Yue quickly suppressed the shock on his face, forced himself to remain calm, and said to the camera, "The worst thing about mutton pies is the gamey smell and the greasiness. I'll try it for everyone first."

After saying that, he lowered his head and took a big bite.

The pastry crumbled as soon as it touched my teeth, and then the scalding hot mutton juice gushed out.

Zhang Yue's eyes widened suddenly.

The lamb cubes are very tender; with one bite, the juices mixed with the sweetness of the onions burst out from the fibers.

The aroma of cumin and chili rises up, but there's absolutely no unpleasant gamey smell.

Only the rich and assertive aroma of mutton itself.

The best part is the crust.

The mutton fat had already melted, and the inner flaky crust was soaked with meat juice, but the outside was still crispy. Isn't that outrageous?

One bite and it's hot inside and crispy on the outside; your mouth simply can't keep up.

Zhang Yue had already prepared a whole set of evaluation words, but after chewing on them for a long time, he could only squeeze out one sentence.

"Awesome!"

Qiaoqiao waited a few seconds, then asked, "And then?"

Zhang Yue took another bite. "Wait a minute, let me try one more time."

"..."

By the time he took his third bite, half the pancake was gone.

Qiaoqiao finally sensed something was wrong. "Weren't you doing a review? How come you've finished eating? Leave some for me!"

"This is a bit hot, let me blow on it to cool it down for you."

"Damn it! You're almost done blowing!"

As soon as Qiao Qiao reached out, Zhang Yue turned around and used his shoulder to block the camera and Qiao Qiao from view, then quickly started eating.

Qiaoqiao held up her camera, and everyone was stunned.

"...Should we still film this part?"

"Take pictures, take pictures!"

With his mouth stuffed full, Zhang Yue mumbled, "Don't cut it at all, just post it like this, let's emphasize authenticity!"

"Okay! Let me make this clear first, it's not that the pancake is that good, I'm just doing it for the sake of the show!"

Qiao Qiao: "..."

Don't you feel any remorse saying that?

When we were dividing the cake, we were talking about it, but you ended up finishing your whole portion by yourself!

Qiaoqiao was furious!

He Sen ignored them.

He took the Sichuan peppercorn chicken leg pastry from the paper bag.

He spoke the most and expressed the most doubts along the way.

Now that he's actually at the entrance, he's more serious than anyone else.

He Sen first broke off a small piece of the pie and glanced at the cross-section of the chicken.

The chicken thigh meat was fully cooked, snow-white in color, but the juices had not been dried out.

Finely chopped Sichuan peppercorns are mixed with bright green scallions and a little crisp bamboo shoots, and then evenly coated on the outside of the chicken thigh meat.

"No chicken breast?" He Sen said in a low voice, somewhat incredulous.

Chicken breast is cheap and easy to prepare, but it tends to become dry after being cooked into filling.

The boss actually used only boneless chicken thighs!

I even left a little bit of chicken skin on, so that the chicken fat would moisten the filling after it was heated.

Just looking at this point, you can tell it's not a lie.

He Sen lowered his head and took a bite.

It was crispy at first.

Immediately afterwards, the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns wafted from the chicken, and a light numbing sensation slowly spread along the tip of the tongue, perfectly complementing the savory flavor of the chicken thigh meat.

"hiss!"

The crisp bamboo shoot made another crunch in the middle, and He Sen chewed slower and slower, his brows furrowing more and more tightly.

"This pancake..."

His companion, watching from the side, was secretly pleased. "Is there something wrong?"

"have."

"I knew it!"

"The problem is, I can't find a single problem!"

companion:"……"

He Sen lowered his head and took another bite.

He started cooking when he was a teenager, and it's been almost ten years now. His dad always says that making pastries isn't the focus of a private kitchen; knowing how to make a few signature dishes is enough.

But the family business has been getting worse and worse in the past two years. Customers either complain that the menu is not innovative enough or that the food in the old restaurant is not suitable for taking pictures.

His father refused to change, and he couldn't come up with anything new that would truly convince his father.

Thinking of this, He Sen sighed.

Just then, my phone vibrated; it was a message from his mother.

He Sen's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly clicked on it.

[Mom: Sen'er, something's happened at home, come back right away!]