Chapter 74 - 69: Opening of the Ice Sculpture and Food Festival

Chapter 74: Chapter 69: Opening of the Ice Sculpture and Food Festival

On Saturday, Ning He rushed to the stall as soon as she woke up, ready to perfect the tomato soup base today.

The culinary academy students sent by the community manager, "Auntie," had been a huge help these past few days. They could manage even without Ning He being there constantly. Plus, with Mia and Tina providing real-time "sold out" updates on the forums, the number of people lining up never got out of control.

Miraculously, because the "sold out" posts were bumped to the front page every day, more and more people were discovering Ning He’s malatang stall. Although the number of people queuing up each day didn’t change much, the number of interested netizens had actually doubled. Someone even started a dedicated check-in thread; any netizen who had eaten the Fourth Ring malatang could leave a comment to sign in. It was already over eighteen hundred posts long.

This was all within Ning He’s expectations. In order to build up hype for the Ice Sculpture Food Festival, she had employed a bit of hunger marketing, and the results were excellent. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to achieve her goal with just a few seconds of exposure in a collective TV commercial.

It was just nine o’clock, and Connie and Ah Huai were already leading a group of students to prepare the ingredients for the day.

Ning He claimed a stove for herself and began washing and chopping.

With the bone broth prepared in advance, getting the tomato base ready wasn’t actually that complicated.

First, she stir-fried scallions, ginger, and garlic—the foundation of the aroma—along with some chili powder for a hint of spice, releasing their fragrance into the hot oil. Then, she poured in the peeled and diced tomatoes.

These tomatoes were a special slow-ripening variety she had bought at the trading hall. They had a long growing cycle, resulting in a full, mealy pulp that was sweet, sour, and juicy—perfect for achieving the flavor Ning He wanted.

But it still needed a boost from some tomato paste.

When the diced tomatoes had cooked down into a puree, she added a packet of tomato paste and a spoonful of Connie’s family’s secret sauce paste. The color and aroma instantly intensified, so much so that even the neighboring stalls caught the scent. People poked their heads over curiously, swallowing involuntarily.

After stir-frying the sauce base, she poured in the prepared bone broth, followed by a large bowl of soy milk—the key to making the soup a creamy white color with a mellow, rich flavor.

Finally, she seasoned it with salt, sugar, and white pepper. The soup base was ready.

Then it was time for a taste test.

Besides Connie and Ah Huai, Ning He also cooked a small bowl for each of the student helpers as a brunch.

Compared to the aggressive, overpowering, and intense flavor of the original malatang, the tomato soup base was sweet and sour with a hint of spice. It was reminiscent of a beautiful first love, evoking a feeling of fluttering hearts and happiness.

At least, that was the verdict from Leitel and his old buddies, who had heard the news and rushed over.

They had been waiting for the roasted chili sauce with some melancholy, but after a bowl of this tomato-based malatang—a completely new experience—they had a different kind of satisfaction to savor for a while.

The tomato pot was a success. Next was the wait for the food festival to arrive.

On Sunday, Ning He and the others went to the Ice Sculpture Square to admire the giant Snow Angel, which was nearly complete. The flowing skirt and the harp with its dozens of strings, all carved from ice and snow, were breathtaking enough to behold. As long as enough people came to see it, they were absolutely confident they would get a lot of votes.

Beiluo City’s television station also began its warm-up promotions, broadcasting promotional videos from each district in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The Inner Three Rings even paid for primetime advertising slots, and ads started appearing online as well. Everyone was pulling out all the stops to attract residents from other districts to visit and vote.

Ning He also had Mia announce their food festival plans. Not only would there be a new flavor and special discounts, but more importantly, sales would be unlimited. Anyone who came would be able to buy some. This news overjoyed many netizens who hadn’t yet had a chance to try the malatang. They quickly flooded the post with a long chain of replies, unable to wait.

To prepare for the potential crowds at the food festival, Ning He and Connie Ahui moved their stall to the insulated tents in the Ice Sculpture Square’s food zone a day early. The administrator had given them the most prominent spot, which was also very spacious—easily large enough to accommodate the ten stoves Ning He had brought.

As for the meat ingredients, with coordination from the community "Auntie," several third-level stall owners in the North Third District proactively helped out. They ordered in bulk from their suppliers, and after setting aside a small portion for themselves, the rest was all for Ning He’s stall. Of course, the three of them had to front the money. Between that and what Ning He spent at the trading hall, the trio had nearly emptied their savings before the food festival even began.

Finally, amid great anticipation, the Ice Sculpture Food Festival arrived.

Before dawn, all of Beiluo City was bustling with activity.

Ning He woke up at three in the morning. By the time she arrived at the Ice Sculpture Square, other stalls were already staffed.

The twenty young students all arrived on time, and the ingredients were transported from the insulated tents. Preparations had to be finished by eight o’clock, so everyone rolled up their sleeves and got busy.

To serve customers as quickly as possible, Ning He set up a separate area for the ingredient display. This way, customers could first line up to choose their ingredients, and then line up again at one of the various stoves, increasing efficiency.

By seven o’clock, the counters in the ingredient area were laden with baskets overflowing with food. From left to right were green vegetables, other vegetables, soy products, mushrooms, various types of thick and thin noodles, and at the very end, fried eggs.

The bone broth was already simmering on the ten stoves, and the tomato base Ning He was in charge of was also cooked. When the time came, they would just need to ladle a scoop of it to cook with the bone broth—very convenient.

At seven-thirty, the television station broadcast the opening speech from the Beiluo City Lord.

The old man on the big screen had a kindly face and bright, spirited eyes, and his voice was strong and resonant.

This was the first time Ning He had seen the legendary City Lord. Seeing everyone in the square watching the big screen with quiet intensity—even little Susan had a solemn expression—she understood the status this great figure held in the hearts of Beiluo City’s residents.

As the old man’s speech concluded, the sound of ceremonial cannons echoed from all over the city.

Amidst fireworks and colorful ribbons, the Ice Sculpture Food Festival officially began.

Cheers echoed throughout Beiluo City. Every alley and street was bustling with people, and the faces of adults and children alike were beaming with smiles. The public transit system ran at full tilt, carrying people to the venues that interested them most.

At a bus stop in the Second Ring, a group of people was studying the bus routes.

"There’s no direct route from here to the North Third District in the Fourth Ring. We’ll have to transfer. The trip will take about fifty minutes. Everyone okay with that?" the person in the lead asked.

"Yeah, yeah, let’s hurry up and go! If we’re late, someone else will definitely get there first. We’ll have to wait forever, and I can’t stand that!" someone immediately replied.

"Exactly! I waited for an hour last time. Smelling it but not being able to eat it is pure torture!"

"In that case, let’s head out right now!"

Similar scenes were playing out in other parts of the Inner Three Rings as people rushed to board the first available buses.

Outside the Mecha Academy, Juno and several dozen students had also gathered.

"Did you find out for sure? Is Ning He really running a stall in the North Third District?"

Juno nodded affirmatively. "There’s no mistake. Senior Mohan said Ning He is in the North Third District selling something called malatang. The North Third District’s promotional video showed that food, too. It has to be her."

"Then I have to go try it! Nothing they make at their stall is bad. If even Senior Mohan recommends this malatang, it must be amazing!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go!" Gabi and Galen said in unison, already impatient.

"Wait a second, there are still people who haven’t arrived!"

Juno peeked back toward the campus, then suddenly raised a hand and waved. "Over here!"

Soon, nearly a hundred more students from other departments joined them.

"Where did you find all these people?" Gabi and Galen asked, shocked.

"I posted on the school forums. Enough chatter, let’s get moving!"

Soon, a group of over one hundred students from the Mecha Academy was also on its way to the North Third District.