Cooking System: Street Food Rules

Jiang Feng's stall was flanked by many tables and chairs, where customers could sit and savor their purchased stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes.

Zhang Haoran was the first customer to buy the swimming crab.

Having nothing to do at 6:30 this morning, he came here to queue. He had brought a power bank, so it was just a matter of playing a few rounds of 'Jin Chan Chan'.

He stood at the front of the line, head down, immersed in the thrill of drawing cards.

Initially, there weren't many people behind him.

After his first game ended, he looked back and saw thirty more people had lined up; everyone had arrived early to wait.

After his second game, Zhang Haoran looked back again to see the line had grown incredibly long. Many livestreamers had also come over, making the scene very lively.

He clicked his tongue. Good thing I came early, he thought.

Then, he continued playing 'Jin Chan Chan'.

The line grew longer and longer.

People who arrived later saw the huge queue and didn't bother to join it. Instead, they just gathered around to watch, planning to leave after observing the commotion for a while.

At this rate, it looked like no one would get to eat crab without waiting in line for at least two hours.

Then, Zhang Haoran noticed some people moving things into Jiang Feng's stall—likely ingredients. The young man in the lead was Sun Zhuangfei, whom Zhang Haoran recognized as Jiang Feng's assistant.

After that, Jiang Feng arrived and began cooking the crab.

Zhang Haoran put down his phone and looked toward the stall.

He saw Jiang Feng expertly slicing the rice cakes. The kitchen knife in Jiang Feng's hands seemed to have a soul, precise yet graceful.

Once the rice cakes were cut, Jiang Feng skillfully sliced the crabs.

Then, with a few deft movements, he suddenly began stir-frying the crabs in the wok.

The fragrance instantly wafted through the air. What an amazing aroma!

The crab meat, stir-fried at high temperature, mixed with various seasonings and became incredibly fragrant.

Under the high heat, the aroma spread rapidly, boring straight into everyone's nostrils!

Zhang Haoran was instantly hungry. The aroma was truly intoxicating.

It wasn't just him; a few people nearby were also craning their necks to look into the wok, eager to be the first to eat the food once it was ready.

After a while, Jiang Feng dished out the stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes from the wok.

Zhang Haoran had already paid by scanning a QR code. After receiving his serving of stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes, he sat down at a nearby table, ready to eat.

At this moment, he sensed something and turned his head.

He saw everyone in the queue watching him intently, seemingly trying to discern from his expression whether the stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes was delicious.

Now, he was the first person to taste the crab.

Zhang Haoran felt a bit of pressure. He deliberately changed his seat to face away from the queue.

Seeing this, quite a few people in line cursed under their breath. That sneaky guy, not even letting us watch him eat!

Zhang Haoran eagerly picked up his chopsticks and started with a piece of the stir-fried rice cake.

The texture of the rice cake was very soft and slightly chewy, but not at all sticky to the teeth.

As he chewed, he could feel the rice cake briefly cling to his teeth before quickly separating.

The flavor of the stir-fried crab meat had completely infused the rice cakes. During the intense heat of the cooking process, the flavor had spread into every nook and cranny of the rice cake.

So, while the rice cakes retained their own texture, their flavor was that of the stir-fried crab.

"Delicious!" Zhang Haoran's expression lit up with pleasant surprise.

Definitely worth the wait! This is incredible!

Zhang Haoran had eaten stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes before; after all, it was a local homestyle dish. It was very popular when crabs were in season and plump.

But even though it was spring, not the peak season for crabs, the dish Jiang Feng made tasted better than any crab he had ever eaten.

Zhang Haoran then picked up a crab leg. The base of the leg held a large chunk of white meat. During preparation, the crab meat had been coated with cornstarch before being deep-fried.

The deep-frying time was controlled perfectly. A moment longer and it would have been overcooked; a moment less, and it would have been raw. It had to have that perfect freshness.

Zhang Haoran bit into the crab leg. The meat was incredibly fresh and tender, as if this were the freshest crab in the entire world. This unparalleled, delightful sensation thrilled his taste buds.

So delicious! He was completely immersed in the flavor.

Little did he know, the official livestream camera was now focused on him. Moreover, the cameraman was quite direct, pushing the lens close to Zhang Haoran's face, practically filming him in an extreme close-up.

Seeing this, the online audience burst into laughter.

[This customer's acting is top-notch!]

[Zero signs of faking it!]

[He makes it look so delicious; I want some too!]

[This dish looks incredible just from watching!]

Barrage comments flooded the screen.

Zhang Haoran sensed something was off. He looked up and saw the camera pointed at him, freezing instantly. What's going on? Do they just shove cameras in your face these days?

Zhang Haoran's shocked and embarrassed expression was fully captured by the netizens, who found it even more hilarious.

"How does it taste?" the cameraman, rather brazen, asked enthusiastically.

"Ah, it's fantastic!" Zhang Haoran, being good-natured, immediately praised the food when asked.

"Thank you," the cameraman replied politely.

"You're welcome," Zhang Haoran responded courteously.

He had been quite annoyed initially; after all, a camera had suddenly been thrust in his face. But since the cameraman was so polite, Zhang Haoran's anger dissipated.

This cameraman really knows how to handle things. He's got me completely figured out, Zhang Haoran thought.

Zhang Haoran didn't dwell on it and continued to savor the stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes.

This dish was incredibly flavorful. Both the rice cakes and the crab were stir-fried to perfection.

Moreover, the seasoning was perfectly balanced and exceptionally even. There were no instances where one bite was overwhelmingly more seasoned than another.

Jiang Feng was a master chef, after all; his wok-tossing technique was superb. With a few stirs here and a few flips of the wok there, he had long since distributed the seasoning evenly.

It was simply impossible for clumps of seasoning to form. If that happened in someone else's cooking, it meant their arm strength was insufficient, and they were being careless with their stir-frying.

Zhang Haoran ate to his heart's content, finishing every last bit of rice cake and crab on his plate.

Because it was so delicious, after eating for a bit, he realized he had already devoured everything edible on his plate.

Left with no other choice, Zhang Haoran began to meticulously crack open each crab shell, ensuring he ate every last morsel of meat. He even sucked on the crab legs a couple of times, savoring every bit of flavor until none remained. Only then did he feel truly satisfied.

It wasn't just him; the other three customers who had gotten to eat the crab were also thoroughly enjoying their meal.

One man, a socially adept extrovert, after finishing his stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes, shouted towards the queue:

"Boss Jiang's crab is amazing!"

"Just two words: Freaking awesome!"

Seeing the man act this way, the people in line all laughed.

The cameraman for the Wenzhou Culture and Tourism account's livestream, seeing this man loved to put on a show, immediately aimed the camera at him. The man didn't disappoint, speaking to the camera:

"This crab is incredibly delicious, so flavorful! I've never eaten crab this tender.

"A big mouthful of crab meat, and your whole mouth is filled with that amazing taste.

"The only downside is the portion size—it's too small! It was gone before I really got into it, and you can't even pay for a larger serving."

I'm still not satisfied!

Netizens in the livestream chat saw this. Everyone could tell that the stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes was genuinely delicious, but many still played it cool.

[Delicious? I won't believe it unless you mail me some to try!]

[I'm not jealous at all! Not one bit!]

[Hmph, it's just crab and rice cakes. Big deal, like we can't get that anywhere!]

[That settles it, I'm having crab-roe-flavored instant noodles tonight!]

The atmosphere in the livestream chat was electric.

By this time, Jiang Feng had already started stir-frying the second batch of crabs. There were plenty of crabs, rice cakes, and seasonings for the day. Since the event was already creating such a buzz, he decided to go all out!

The aroma of the stir-frying crab spread from the stall, wafting far and wide. Smelling this, the anticipation of the customers in the queue grew even stronger.

The Wenzhou Culture and Tourism livestream chat was also packed with viewers.

[Boss Jiang, when are you coming to set up a stall in our city?]

[Come to Guangzhou! Guangzhou has a rich culinary culture. Come take on the challenge here!]

[Come to Yunnan! I want to eat mushrooms cooked by Boss Jiang!]

[Do you want to eat the mushrooms cooked by Boss Jiang, or do you want to eat Boss Jiang's 'mushrooms'?]

[Come to the Northeast! The Northeast has tons of great food!]

[Ever since wildlife protection laws came in, Northeastern cuisine hasn't been the same. All that's left is iron pot stew!]

[Come to the Grassland! I'll treat Boss Jiang to a whole roasted lamb!]

Messages flooded the livestream chat from netizens all over the country. It was clear that he was very popular.

Seeing this, representatives from various regional tourism bureaus inwardly nodded in approval. Well done. Let's keep this up and try to get Boss Jiang to our city soon. It would promote our local cuisine and scenery too.

Wenzhou Culture and Tourism had set a great precedent. Similar scenes were likely to play out in the future.

Jiang Feng paid no mind to all of this, focusing solely on stir-frying the crab. His knife moved quickly, his spatula was steady, and the dishes he cooked smelled wonderful.

Wave after wave of customers received their portion of stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes, sat down at the nearby tables, and savored it carefully.

Indeed, just as everyone had said, it was truly delicious! The fresh, savory flavor was utterly intoxicating. After finishing, they felt it wasn't nearly enough and craved more. It was a sweet agony.

It's so delicious, but the portion is too small!

Only one crab? I could eat ten of these myself!

If only we could pay extra for another serving!

I want another one!

Customers who had eaten the stir-fried swimming crab with rice cakes couldn't help but exclaim these sentiments repeatedly.

Wuma Street was thoroughly buzzing with excitement. Many local shop owners came out to watch the commotion. Such a scene was truly a rare sight and quite interesting to behold.