Cooking System: Street Food Rules

Another day passed.

On the fifth day of the stall being open, long before Jiang Feng even arrived at the canteen, many department heads were already assigning their subordinates the crucial task of securing the roasted chickens. Several managers explicitly ordered their staff to bring back half a roasted chicken each. Consequently, the canteen was already swarming with people who had arrived early to queue.

"No way, what time is it? Why are there so many people here to eat already?"

"It's because you can't get one otherwise! There's a limited number of roasted chickens, so we have to rush for them!"

"That delicious roasted chicken—how could you possibly get to eat it if you didn't vie for it?"

"It really is tasty. Our manager asked me to bring back a portion to try."

"What a coincidence! I hurried over here specifically for a roasted chicken too."

Quite a few people were discussing it.

The matter had become quite a hot topic within Alibaba Park, even reaching the ears of upper management. Even their own boss, when he came to the headquarters for work, requested a portion of roasted chicken to taste. It was quite a curious development.

Jiang Feng leisurely sold roasted chickens at the front counter, occasionally ducking into the back to whip up some egg fried rice. Customers would greet him from time to time.

"Boss Jiang, please share the recipe! This roasted chicken is too delicious," someone said.

Jiang Feng would often reply, "It's just an ordinary recipe, but the timing and quantities are managed quite well. Doing it with care is what matters."

Someone else would ask, "Can you increase the quantity? There are so many employees in the company, and everyone wants to taste the roasted chicken. Sell more, and everyone will be happy."

These scenarios were no longer uncommon. Jiang Feng always increased the supply for the last two days, based on how quickly the food sold. Being a bit busier was fine, as long as everyone enjoyed their meal.

"No problem, I'll make more over the next two days," he'd say. "I'll try to ensure that everyone gets a chance to taste it."

Jiang Feng always had a good attitude, calm and easygoing, and people respected him for that.

"Boss Jiang, how is everything you make so delicious? You're truly amazing," a customer complimented.

"I heard someone tallied it up; you've already made dozens of different delicacies, even snacks!" someone praised.

"The methods are largely similar, just like programming," Jiang Feng replied with a smile. "If you know one coding language, you can learn others quickly."

His words took the employees from the major tech company waiting in line by surprise.

Goodness, Boss Jiang also knows programming? Has he already adopted the internet mindset? Indeed, capable people excel at whatever they do.

Business continued as usual. Sun Zhuangfei quietly assisted on the side. He simply couldn't learn Jiang Feng's knack for chatting; it was better for him to concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Within Alibaba Park, some departments managed to snag Jiang Feng's roasted chicken, earning praise for their staff. Others arrived too late and found nothing left, only able to sigh in resignation. Good things truly were hard to come by.

Jiang Feng remained unhurried, merely instructing Sun Zhuangfei to buy more chickens—two hundred of them—for the next day. He also had the roasting oven brought to the back of the stall, planning to roast some on-site when the time came. These last two days would require some overtime.

Soon, the roasted chickens were sold out. Jiang Feng drove out of the campus, ready to head home and check on his cat and dog.

A few internet celebrities were lingering by the roadside.

"That's Boss Jiang's car!"

"It really is him! He's based around here!"

"Boss Jiang, why are you running a stall inside Alibaba Park? Are you going to sign with Alibaba Park?"

"Have you considered venturing into live-stream selling, perhaps becoming the new top influencer on Taobao?"

Seeing him leave the campus, several people immediately started live-streaming while bombarding him with questions. These micro-influencers were somewhat surreal. Lacking substantial content, they constantly sought out trending topics, and their questions were utterly ridiculous. Jiang Feng hadn't even considered any of it.

In fact, there were indeed rumors online claiming he was going to sign with Alibaba Park or that he had caught Taobao's eye. Of course, they were all baseless. Jiang Feng was focused on his brick-and-mortar business, occasionally sharing cooking videos online, and nothing more.

Without responding to them, Jiang Feng simply drove off.

Upon returning home, the first thing Jiang Feng did was check on his pets. Little Black greeted him at the door as usual. Jiang Feng patted Little Black's head and then started looking for the black cat. This was a top-notch black Bombay cat he had bought for 8,000 yuan; it definitely needed good care.

Jiang Feng had named the black cat "Sheriff," inspired by the "Black Cat Sheriff" cartoon.

"Sheriff! Sheriff!" Jiang Feng called out a couple of times, but the little cat remained silent. He searched for a while without any sign of it. Just as he was wondering where the little black cat could be, he turned to see Little Black indicating its location.

It was then that Jiang Feng spotted the little black cat hiding in a recess of the TV cabinet, lying on its side, watching him intently.

The small creature's eyes showed great puzzlement. Who is Master calling? Is he calling me? Aren't I right here?

Jiang Feng chuckled in exasperation. The little fellow was lying in the shadow, completely blending in with it. If you didn't look closely, you wouldn't be able to spot him at all. He really was black.

Jiang Feng walked over and scooped up the little guy. "Come on, let's go eat. I've got to feed you guys."

He busied himself feeding the two little ones and then still had to take Little Black for a walk. Life was still bustling, but it was also quite interesting.

「Meanwhile, at the Alibaba Park offices.」

Executives were already discussing retaining Jiang Feng or formally inviting him to join them. It turned out that because Jiang Feng had been cooking there, news about Alibaba Park had been all over the internet these past few days, and Alibaba Park's stock price had even risen slightly.

The world truly worked in magical ways. This was the age of internet attention, the information age. As long as people saw you and formed an impression, significant profits could be reaped, no matter how ludicrous the reason. Even news like a popular chef opening a stall in Alibaba Park's industrial campus could make Alibaba Park reappear in the public eye. Taobao, which had been on a decline, suddenly gained a fresh wave of attention.

Jiang Feng hadn't expected such an outcome. However, when he brought his roasted chicken and oven in that day and the manager in charge of food services approached him for a talk, Jiang Feng still found it rather odd.

"Alibaba Park wants to hire me for a high salary?" Jiang Feng was incredulous. "Hire me to do what?"

"A cafeteria spokesperson," the manager replied seriously.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng was floored. What the heck? A cafeteria... spokesperson? Listen to yourself, does that even make sense? Who would be a spokesperson for a cafeteria!

Seeing Jiang Feng's expression, the manager hurriedly explained, "It means you would represent Alibaba Park's culinary culture. We will promote you heavily, and we'd also like you to go to Taobao's headquarters to endorse food-related items. The base salary is a million, and with profit sharing, you could make several million a year!"

Jiang Feng waved his hand. "No, thank you. I'm just here to run this stall, and I'll leave once I'm done. Let's stick to the contract."

Hearing this, the manager wanted to persuade him further, but Jiang Feng's refusal was clear, so he said no more.

Jiang Feng still found it outrageous. Just by coming here to cook, he had received an offer from a major company. Nowadays, so many people dreamed of getting into such a company but couldn't. Of course, he received the invitation because he himself generated a lot of buzz, which, for internet companies, was always profitable.

A cafeteria spokesperson. Truly outrageous, Jiang Feng sighed to himself.

Then, he calmly continued being Boss Jiang of his stall.

Over the past few days, he had easily completed his daily tasks and obtained a new Zhejiang cuisine recipe each day. His repertoire grew ever more extensive. In Hangzhou, naturally, he planned to open a Zhejiang Cuisine Restaurant.

The stall began to draw customers; foodies had already formed a long queue. The roasted chickens were sold one after another, with almost no time for a break in between. In this day and age, delicious food was worth queuing for. Jiang Feng's business made the neighboring stall owners incredibly envious.

He and Sun Zhuangfei were busy, and soon, all the roasted chickens were sold out.

The last customer, a middle-aged man, chatted with Jiang Feng. "Boss Jiang," the man began, "the way you run this stall, it has the feel of those century-old, time-honored shops."

Jiang Feng asked with a smile, "How so?"

The middle-aged man continued, "In many cities, there are these century-old establishments. Everyone in the neighborhood knows about them, and people queue up there every day. Some of these old shops have limited supplies; they open at a set time, customers line up to buy, and they close once sold out. It's very similar to how your stall operates."

Hearing the man's words, Jiang Feng pictured such shops in his mind: an old, quaint establishment tucked away in a deep alley, perhaps passed down through generations, its flavors deeply embedded in people's hearts. They would prepare ingredients daily, sell during fixed hours, close once sold out, and never lack customers. Such century-old shops usually possessed special secret recipes.

His stall did indeed resemble such old establishments. "It is somewhat similar; running a shop this way is quite nice," Jiang Feng replied politely.

"You're a remarkable person," the middle-aged man said with a friendly smile. "I've heard about your story; you're not just anybody. There are few people with ideas like yours these days. You not only do things well but can also achieve great success. A person like you will shine wherever you go."

"Thank you." Jiang Feng, sensing the man's sincerity, thanked him.

He didn't think it was anything particularly special. He knew that things went smoothly for him primarily because he had the system. However, encountering such a customer still felt quite pleasant.