Gourmet: Midnight Vending

Chapter 451 - 385: Temporary Stopover

Unlike before, this time Chen Mo neither used the teleportation function nor drove onto the expressway, but cruised slowly on the national highway using the autonomous driving feature, keeping to the speed limit.

Traveling from Jingzhou to Taiwan via national highway, he needed to pass through many provinces, but luckily, the comprehensive autonomous driving of the Xiao Huang car was very reliable.

Chen Mo only needed to stop to prepare meals when he was hungry, park for a couple of juices when he was thirsty, or lean against the driver’s seat for a nap when he was tired.

The rest of the time was spent playing on his phone or mentally running through the wild recipe ideas he had come up with.

Of course, initially, Chen Mo had tried driving himself, but he found that holding the steering wheel instantly brought out the worst in him!

"Damn, how can this driver be so clueless up ahead? No cars around and driving this slow for no reason?"

"Jeez, can’t change lanes? Don’t know how to use a turn signal?"

"Crap, parallel driving? My high beams could blind you and you still won’t give way?"

"File a complaint, file a complaint! What kind of driver is this on the road, doesn’t even know their own car wheels are misaligned?"

After a while, Chen Mo decided to give up, taking his hands off the wheel and letting the vehicle switch entirely to autonomous driving mode.

If he kept driving like this, he’d lose at least ten years of his life.

So after leisurely driving for three days, the car finally left Jin Province, exited Ji Province, passed through Su Province, and arrived in Zhejiang Province.

Along the way, Chen Mo indeed witnessed many things he’d never dared imagine before. When driving through the mountains at night, various unclear animals would curiously watch the oncoming vehicle from the roadside.

First, he toured Yiwu for two days to experience this extraordinary city, then continued in the pre-set direction.

"Why claim that Zhejiang is a culinary desert? Can one dish, West Lake Vinegar Fish, negate the entire province’s culinary culture?"

Standing atop the car overlooking the vast landscape, Chen Mo clenched a fist and waved it, "I don’t believe it, I must rectify the name of Zhejiang cuisine! No matter what, after driving so many days, I have to experience it first."

As for how to experience it, surely it required diving into the local community.

Like that foreign guy said, to truly experience food, you must go where the locals frequently visit; absolutely cannot patronize restaurants tailored for out-of-towners.

Chen Mo glanced at the roadside sign ahead, indicating he had entered a city named Dongyang.

A quick mental search for basic information about this city left Chen Mo slightly disappointed.

After all, Dongyang was just a normal county-level city, not very large, but it did have a night market. Yet, according to system information, this night market was the type found all over the country.

Primarily selling items such as grilled squid, fried noodles, crayfish, fried chicken bites—nothing new!

If it was only like this, Chen Mo returned to the cockpit and continued driving forward, not particularly interested in visiting the so-called largest night market.

"Besides, so-called true local delicacies actually never appear in crowded places."

"Rather, they are hidden within the community, especially in everyday life!"

Take the noodles from Jin Province, for example; only knife-cut noodles get a bit of attention. In reality, knife-cut noodles are just the tip of the iceberg in the variety of Jin Province noodles, many of which won’t be found in restaurants.

If two people from Jin Province discussed noodles, it would be so exaggerated that one might not have eaten what the other had.

"I still need to go to a smaller place."

Consulting the map, Chen Mo gradually entered a village named Dashuang.

"This name, wonder how ’refreshing’ it really is."

Upon entering the village, Chen Mo realized that most cities in the country are quite similar, but the villages differ vastly!

The structure and appearance of villagers’ houses varied, as did the village layout, with entirely different ambiances upon entering.

This village called Dashuang immediately offered a cozy and relaxing vibe. From a bird’s eye view in his mind, the village was surrounded by mountains, resembling a Treasure Basin.

Centered around a place named Ju Kui Tang, eight roads radiated in all directions. Streets were adorned with elegantly styled houses and numerous ancient stone bridges and wells, exuding great charm.

Chen Mo parked at the village’s entrance. There weren’t many people on the streets, reflecting the current situation in most of the country’s villages.

Casually picking a small house by the street at mealtime, Chen Mo knocked on the door.

After a short wait, the door creaked open, and a plump round face peered through the gap, "Who is it?"

Chen Mo handed over five red bills he had prepared in advance, "Hello, I’ve walked all the way here and my stomach’s empty. Is there any food I could perhaps share?"

The person looked curiously at the money in Chen Mo’s hand, didn’t take it, and instead looked past Chen Mo, glancing around for quite some time.

"Filming a show?"

"Huh? No, no, it’s just me."

"Hosting a livestream?"

"No, really just me. I’m on a nationwide personal journey, and happened to pass by Dashuang Village, thought I’d drop by to taste local Dongyang cuisine."

Upon hearing this, the face relaxed, stood up straight and opened the door wider, "Come on in then, but put the money away. We just made some food, you’re welcome to join."