Cooking System: Street Food Rules

Fang Hui aimed the live-streaming camera at himself.

"Hey folks," he began, "today I'm on the commercial street looking for Executive Chef Jiang."

"He's currently in Hangzhou, but nobody knows where he's set up his stall."

"Eight of us made a pact: whoever finds him, the other seven have to send him a 'Carnival' gift."

"One 'Carnival' is 3,000 yuan, so seven of them means 21,000 yuan."

That's easy money I can't pass up, Fang Hui thought, then said to the camera, "It'd be a waste not to earn this."

Last night, several small-time streamers had teamed up to release a challenge video.

"Challenge: Find Boss Jiang's stall in Hangzhou."

These streamers tagged each other, indicating it was a joint activity. They also promised that whoever won, the others would send them a gift worth 3,000 yuan. Moreover, several streamers announced that if they won, they'd use the gift for a giveaway to their live audience.

That's how you play the internet game. Netizens love to be entertained, so streamers have to find ways to provide that entertainment. That's how streamers make money. It had to be Hangzhou, too. With its booming influencer economy, the idea was definitely a good one.

Sure enough, netizens were intrigued by the challenge. Comments poured in under the streamers' videos:

"Streamer, I've got faith in you! You've got the nose of a police dog!"

"Who do you guys think will win?"

"I think Big D should be the decision maker this time!"

"I'm betting on Dongguan Kid; he can hurdle."

"My money's on Fatty; he knows the gang rules!"

"Haha, this is intense! What are you waiting for? Go find him!"

This even became a minor trending topic, ranking among the top few on Hangzhou's local trending charts, at least. The event also significantly boosted Jiang Feng's fame and online traffic. Now, even more people knew his story.

Things started to get lively.

Fang Hui's first stop was the food court. Upon entering, he saw small eateries everywhere, each bustling with customers. It'll be tough to find a really popular chef in a place like this, he thought.

"He's not here," Fang Hui muttered, scanning the stall owners.

Just then, a viewer with the ID "Detective Di Renjie 007" posted a live comment: "Streamer, if you want to find Executive Chef Jiang, I suggest you check the suburban county towns."

"If he were in the city, he'd surely have been found by now."

"A county town is the most likely place."

This Detective Di Renjie 007 was the same person who had sent a message in Fang Hui's fan group the previous day.

Fang Hui saw the comment. "One of my followers suggested I search in the county towns."

He's got a point; that's actually quite possible, Fang Hui mused. If Boss Jiang set up a stall in a food court like this, his business would have exploded by now. I need to check more remote places.

After a moment's thought, Fang Hui decided to follow the viewer's advice and head to a county town. He and his assistant got in the car and rushed towards the county area Detective Di Renjie 007 had mentioned.

Several streamers were looking for Jiang Feng, and their viewership was visibly increasing. Their live streams, which previously drew only two to three hundred viewers, now easily pulled in over 5,000.

As soon as people joined, they'd ask:

"Streamer, have you found Boss Jiang yet?"

"If not, maybe call the police?"

"I'm rooting for you! Keep it up!"

The live chat was buzzing, and many people were laughing. The livelier the atmosphere, the happier the streamers became, and so they searched with even more vigor.

The event seemed to have a natural appeal, attracting an ever-increasing number of viewers and boosting traffic. Hangzhou already had many influencers, and seeing the significant traffic this event generated, other minor streamers also grew interested.

This was a golden opportunity to ride the wave of popularity. The traffic was already up, and more people were paying attention. If not now, when was a better time to stream?

Thus, many more streamers began broadcasting their search for Jiang Feng. Suddenly, the internet was flooded with live streams dedicated to finding him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was unhurriedly preparing rice noodles in his shop.

Sun Zhuangfei suddenly walked into the kitchen. "Boss, you're 'wanted,'" he said.

Jiang Feng paused, slightly startled. "Wanted?"

"Lots of streamers are looking for you," Sun Zhuangfei explained. "It's even a trending topic. I just saw it while scrolling through short videos. It's pretty big online."

Hearing this, Jiang Feng picked up his phone to check. A quick look confirmed it: several minor streamers had indeed launched a challenge to find him. It was a competition to see who could locate him first.

Jiang Feng was in a relatively remote small town, mostly populated by middle-aged people who didn't pay much attention to online trends. So, if he kept a low profile while running his shop, he was unlikely to be recognized.

"It's fine," Jiang Feng said calmly, putting down his phone. "We'll just carry on as usual. Let's not bother with what's happening online." He then quietly prepared a face mask. He didn't need one in the back kitchen, but he made sure to put one on if he went out front.

Business at the Big Bone Soup Shop continued. The staff from the funeral home came over again, more of them this time—about twenty or so. They left satisfied after eating the rice noodles, and Jiang Feng's mission progressed swiftly. Additionally, many people visiting the funeral home would stop by Jiang Feng's Big Bone Soup Shop for a bowl of rice noodles.

The rice noodles Jiang Feng made were delicious. The soup, in particular, was exceptional.

After finishing their meal, a few customers were utterly content. One middle-aged woman leaned in conspiratorially and asked Jiang Feng, "Boss, tell me honestly, did you put something special in the broth?"

Seeing her expression, Jiang Feng smiled. "Just ordinary ingredients."

"Really? Nothing else?" the woman pressed, a hint of caution and apprehension in her voice. "Then why open your shop here? Is there some local secret that makes your broth so good?" She asked this with her head lowered and eyes darting up, as if sharing a secret.

Jiang Feng simply replied, "I really didn't add anything else."

What strange customers, Jiang Feng thought.

On another front, the young streamer Fang Hui was still searching for Jiang Feng. His live stream was getting more and more lively. But finding one person in a city wasn't easy, especially since Jiang Feng was in a remote suburb, making it even harder.

"Streamer, any progress?"

"Are you sure Boss Jiang is in Hangzhou?"

"Someone left a comment on Jiangyue Terrace Shandong Cuisine Restaurant's video account, and they replied that Boss Jiang is indeed in Hangzhou."

"Hurry up and find him! Once you do, we'll all go eat there!"

The live chat buzzed with activity. Fang Hui was delighted to see so many people in his stream. After all, views meant money.

He quickened his pace, hurrying into the small town. There weren't many people around, but Fang Hui had a method. He went to a noodle shop, bought two bottles of water, and asked the owner, "Boss, is there a new little shop or stall nearby that's opened recently? One with really good food? And that's really popular?"

Hearing this, the noodle shop owner replied, "I really don't know anything about that. Haven't heard of it."

It was understandable that the owner didn't know; Jiang Feng had only been open for two days and hadn't advertised much.

"Okay, thanks," Fang Hui said and left.

His approach was quite smart. The viewers chimed in their approval in the live comments:

"Not bad, just keep asking around like that."

"If you find him this way, I'll send you a gift!"

Everyone became an 'armchair detective,' trying to track Jiang Feng through Fang Hui's stream.

Jiang Feng, however, didn't care about the online commotion or whether he was found. He simply continued to run his business steadily, unperturbed.

In the back kitchen, the bone broth simmered to perfection. Even the chili oil was personally fried by him. A bowl of his spicy beef rice noodles in rich, nectar-like bone broth, with its kick of spice, was truly comforting.

On the second day, his customer base visibly grew. The mission was completed with ease. Jiang Feng obtained another recipe for Hangzhou-style dishes. Since they were both Zhejiang cuisine, it was a perfect addition.

By about eight in the evening, very few people were left in the small town. The sky was also getting dark. Deciding it was about time, Jiang Feng signaled Sun Zhuangfei to pack up and prepare to close.

Hearing they could leave, Sun Zhuangfei quickly tidied up. Being next to a funeral home was pretty creepy, after all, he thought.

Meanwhile, Fang Hui was still searching for Jiang Feng.

Finding one person really isn't easy, he thought.

His live stream was packed, and one viewer joked, "Streamer, you should be a cop! You're a natural at tracking people down!"

"Ever thought about becoming a K9 handler?"

"You could be an auxiliary cop specializing in missing persons."

The chat was full of discussion.

Fang Hui entered another shop and asked the same questions. The owner said he hadn't heard of any new restaurants.

However, a customer eating there spoke up. "Are you looking for a newly opened restaurant that's quite good?"

"I know one. It just opened yesterday, and it's delicious."

"It's by the funeral home, right next to it."

"It's a Big Bone Soup Shop. Their bone broth is incredible, not just ordinarily good."

"I've been wondering why such a talented chef would open a shop there myself."

Hearing the customer's words, Fang Hui's eyebrows shot up. "A Big Bone Soup Shop?" he asked with interest. "Could you point me in the right direction?"

"It's only two or three kilometers away. It's on that street with all the funeral services; search for the funeral home, and you'll find it."

"Great, thanks," Fang Hui said, processing the information.

That's outrageous, he thought. A Big Bone Soup Shop next to a funeral home? What kind of person thinks of that? But then again, it really could be Boss Jiang. After all, he once sold soy milk and fried dough sticks on a mountaintop. He's so elusive, like a ghost; ordinary people can't figure him out.

Fang Hui's assistant shivered. "Are we really going near the funeral home this late at night?"

"Yes, we're going! Just to take a look!" Fang Hui decided.

I've been searching all day; I can't give up now.