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

"You've been saying you have no appetite every day for the past two weeks!"

The girl's eyes reddened. "The doctor said it's not a stomach problem; it's just that you don't want to eat anything!"

"What did you promise me before we started climbing? You had to eat something once we reached the top!"

The old man did not speak.

He looked at the steaming pastries in front of the stall, but his eyes didn't show much emotion.

Since his wife passed away, he has found nothing to taste good. Even when his favorite dishes are placed in front of him, he barely touches them.

His son and daughter took turns taking him to the hospital. He underwent a lot of tests, but in the end, the doctor only said that it was a psychological problem and that he had to be willing to move forward.

It's easy to say, but where can he go? The person he's been with for over forty years is suddenly gone, and there's not even anyone left in the house to bicker with. What difference does it make what he eats?

"Boss." Seeing that the old man wouldn't speak, the girl had no choice but to walk to the front of the stall herself. "A bowl of osmanthus, ginger, jujube, and millet pudding, and a wild mushroom pastry."

"Okay." Su Yun quickly ladled out a bowl of millet pudding.

The golden millet was cooked until it was smooth and thick, with a few bright red dates scattered inside, and a layer of light osmanthus honey on the surface. When the wind blew, the warm aroma of ginger and dates slowly spread.

The girl took the bowl and handed it back to the old man. "Just take a bite. If you don't like it, I'll eat the rest."

The old man was about to refuse, but the aroma of millet milk had already filled his nose.

The flavor isn't overpowering, unlike beef or mutton patties which can make people drool from a distance of ten meters away.

It's actually very light.

The fragrance of osmanthus carries a hint of jujube sweetness, and finally, the warm aroma of old ginger.

The old man stared at the bowl for a few seconds, then finally took the spoon, scooped up a small spoonful, and the moment the millet pudding touched his mouth, he suddenly stopped.

The girl looked at him nervously, "How is it?"

The old man didn't answer; he simply lowered his head and took another sip.

The millet was cooked until very soft, but it didn't completely lose the texture of the grains. The sweetness of the red dates had been infused into it, and the ginger flavor wasn't overpowering. After drinking it, a warm feeling slowly slid from the throat to the stomach.

The old man's eyes gradually reddened as he seemed to be thinking about something. In the past, his wife used to like to cook millet porridge for him in the winter.

However, she was always reluctant to use osmanthus honey, always saying that it was expensive and that she would save it to entertain guests during the New Year. In the end, the jar of osmanthus honey in the cabinet was still there, but she was no longer there.

"Grandpa?" The girl's voice trembled slightly.

The old man lowered his head and slowly finished the whole bowl of millet pudding, spoonful after spoonful. In the end, he even scraped off the last bit of pudding stuck to the edge of the bowl.

"Another bowl, please."

The girl was stunned; "What did you say?"

"I said, another bowl, please." The old man handed her the empty bowl, then glanced at the mushroom pastries in the pot, "and one more pastry, please."

The girl suddenly covered her mouth, tears almost falling on the spot. She had accompanied the old man to climb Mount Tai, originally just wanting him to have a change of scenery to relax.

I never expected that a bowl of millet pudding would actually make him ask for some!

"Boss! Another bowl, please!" the girl exclaimed as she rushed to the stall. "And two more of those mushroom pastries, please!"

"Okay." Although Su Yun didn't know what had happened, she still scooped up an extra half spoonful of red dates.

After the old man took the second bowl, he still ate very slowly, but this time, he was no longer as lifeless as before.

"Young man," he suddenly looked up at Su Yun, "who taught you how to make this ginger, jujube, and millet pudding?"

"I just figured it out myself," Su Yun said casually.

The old man nodded and didn't ask any further questions. Just then, his phone rang.

"Teacher Qin, are you sure you don't want to attend the youth pastry exchange meeting tomorrow?"

The old man glanced at the mushroom pastry in his hand. He was about to say he wouldn't participate, but he swallowed the words back. "Send me the list of candidates, and I'll take another look."

There was a visibly slight pause on the other end of the phone. "Okay! I'll send it right away!"

The old man hung up the phone, broke off a small piece from the edge of the pastry, and put it in his mouth.

The girl stood to the side, tears still wet on her face, but a smile finally appeared on her face.

......

Not far from them, a man in gray work clothes had already squeezed through with two other people.

His eyes were almost red as he watched the tourists scanning QR codes to pay in front of the stall.

"Who the hell is the boss?" the man yelled. "Stop selling!"

The gray-clad man's shout instantly drew everyone's attention.

Tang Guo subconsciously turned the live stream camera away.

"What's wrong?" Su Yun didn't stop what she was doing, but just looked up at him.

"You're the boss?" The man in gray frowned as he walked over. "Who gave you permission to set up a stall here? Do you even have the proper permits? You really..."

"Yes, brothers," Su Yun said, immediately choking the man.

"What procedures?" the man sneered.

His name is Zheng Qiang, and he is the manager of Boss Hu's stall at the mountaintop supermarket.

Having worked here for five or six years, this is the first time I've ever seen someone directly set up a pot on a platform to sell things.

What's even more outrageous is that business is still so good!

Their stall usually sells instant noodles, tea eggs, grilled sausages, and drinks. After tourists climb to the top of the mountain, they are cold and hungry, so even if a bucket of instant noodles costs more than ten yuan, they have to grit their teeth and buy it.

But today? Everyone's rushing to buy shortbread!

Beef, lamb, chicken leg—they're hot and filling, yet the price is about the same as a bucket of instant noodles! Isn't this just undermining their livelihood?

He originally wanted to listen to Boss Hu and not to cause trouble, but the other man's business was getting better and better, and the sound of receiving payments was constantly coming in. He couldn't sit still any longer!

"I'm asking you!" Zheng Qiang walked up to the stall, "Do you have a food business license? Do you have a health certificate?"

"This is a tourist area, not your own backyard! You can't just set up a pot and start selling; who will be responsible if there are food safety issues?"

Zhou Ye walked over from the side and said, "Speak your mind, don't crowd in front of the cutting board."

Who are you?

"Damn, you don't know me? I'm the Director of Order!"

Zheng Qiang was stunned for a moment. "What the hell?"

Chen Yu added from the side, "They're security guards."

Zhou Ye's face darkened. At a time like this, there's no need for further explanation.

Didn't you see they've already come knocking on our door? The boss is in danger! I told you, setting up a stall on the top of Mount Tai will inevitably lead to trouble, and sure enough, it happened so soon!

Although Zhou Ye was panicked and timid inside, he didn't show it on his face! No matter what, he was an employee, and he had to fight alongside his boss to the end!

"I don't care who you are!" Zheng Qiang pointed at the crowd behind him, "Look at the mess this place is in! With so many people crammed onto the platform, what if something happens?"

"Something happened? I thought this was much safer than your stall, right?" Zhou Ye moved him aside.

In the middle of the platform, a passage nearly two meters wide is clearly visible. People picking up their food leave from the right, while those queuing stand along the stone railing at the back.

This order... is definitely more organized than their stalls!

"Then..." Zheng Qiang's expression stiffened for a moment, "Then you used fire? The wind is so strong on the mountaintop, you still dared to use an open flame? Have you eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?"

"Who told you this is an open flame?" Su Yun pointed to the power storage device under the table. "This is called a portable electric heater. It's windproof and tip-overproof, and it will automatically shut off if the temperature gets too high."

"There are two fire extinguishers and a fire blanket nearby. If you don't know these things, don't talk nonsense!"

Zheng Qiang: "..."

No? He was truly dumbfounded. How come you, a pancake seller, have such complete equipment? And how did you bring it all up here?

"Whether the equipment is faulty or not isn't up to you to decide!" Zheng Qiang persisted. "Where's the test report?"

Su Yun put down the clipboard and pulled a piece of paper from the file bag hanging next to the food cart. "Here it is."

Zheng Qiang took it and glanced at it. It was a "Safety Inspection Report for Portable Food Processing Equipment" with a stamp on it.

His lips twitched twice.

Damn it! You actually have one?

What about food registration?

"It's in there too."

"Health certificate?"

"The second one."

"Temporary business license?"

The third one.

"Food raw material traceability form?"

"The rest of the stack is the same." Su Yun simply handed over the entire file folder.

When Zheng Qiang took it, he was dumbfounded. Good heavens!

The food vendor registration card, health certificates for employees, temporary stall operation permits, equipment safety inspection reports, food purchase records, beef and mutton quarantine certificates, and even the destination of kitchen waste recycling are all clearly written!

Seriously, I was terrified! Is this some kind of street vendor? Anyone who didn't know better would think he was preparing to go public!

The onlookers were amused, commenting, "Does the boss have such complete identification?"

"That's right! I don't even own a restaurant like this as much as he brings!"

"Six hundred and sixty-six! The most outrageous thing is that he actually managed to get a temporary stall permit on the top of Mount Tai!"

"That's awesome!"

"I suggest a thorough investigation into whether the boss signed a long-term contract with Taishan!"

"....."

The comments in the live stream chat were scrolling by at breakneck speed.

[You've found a perfect target for your nitpicking!]

You have to admit, these two ruthless bandits are really outrageous! How did they get their certificates while setting up a stall on the top of Mount Tai?

[So it's like Doraemon's magic pocket? It has everything you could ask?]

【...】

Zheng Qiang's face turned pale and then flushed.

He couldn't believe that a street vendor, especially one selling pancakes on the top of Mount Tai, could have such complete documentation.

It's fake! It's absolutely counterfeit!

"Who knows if this certificate is real or fake?" Zheng Qiang said subconsciously.

"Damn, so stubborn?" The surrounding tourists' expressions immediately changed. "Isn't there a QR code on it? Just scan it and you'll know!"

"Yeah, go ahead and scan it. You're not going to assume it's fake without even checking, are you?"

Zheng Qiang was stuck there, and could only take out his phone to scan the code. "Scan it then, who's afraid of who!"

Zheng Qiang wasn't afraid. He wasn't stupid, even if others were. Could he really get a permit to set up a stall on the top of Mount Tai? He'd never heard of such a rule before!