Cooking System: Street Food Rules

Jiang Feng had taken another two days off.

The matter of assisting the disaster-stricken populace had spread from mouth to mouth, and everyone couldn't stop praising his buns.

Jiang Feng didn't pay much attention to these things.

He had already received a new task from the system:

[Initiate street vending task: Set up a stall in Guangdong Foshan National Arts Film and Television City for seven consecutive days, selling 100 portions of snacks each day]

[Receive recipes: grilled mochi recipe, osmanthus cake recipe, Shrimp Scramble Eggs recipe, wheel cake recipe, pan-fried bun recipe, glutinous rice dumpling recipe.]

[Task reward: Golden Canton Tower]

[Accept?]

With the new task at hand, Jiang Feng naturally chose to accept.

Jiang Feng thought to himself, The task location is actually in Foshan. I thought it'd always be in Guangzhou. The shop's rented for nothing.

He had heard of Foshan National Arts Film and Television City before. Many movies and TV dramas were shot there. For instance, films like "Chasing the Dragon," "The King of Comedy," and "YOLO" were all filmed there. It has many sets, but the main ones are the Hong Kong streets of the 90s, as well as the Shanghai Bund of the 90s.

With the task confirmed, Jiang Feng naturally planned to change locations.

He immediately called Sun Zhuangfei.

"Boss, are we going to Foshan tomorrow?" Sun Zhuangfei was somewhat surprised.

"Right, we depart tomorrow. Bring the cooking utensils. Meanwhile, I'll have the food truck transported over," Jiang Feng responded.

"Can I learn kung fu in that place? I've heard their Shadowless Kick is pretty powerful," Sun Zhuangfei added.

"Look around, you might find some opportunities," Jiang Feng replied.

For the two of them, setting up a stall in an unfamiliar city had already become a well-oiled routine. It was nothing more than sourcing ingredients, preparing them on the food truck, and buying some dining utensils along the way.

The next day, Jiang Feng found a freight service to transport the food truck. He also found a place to stay. Driving his car, with his assistant Sun Zhuangfei in tow and accompanied by cats and dogs, he set off straight for Foshan.

Many people thought Jiang Feng would continue vending in Guangzhou, but little did they know he had already left again.

Having sorted out the accommodation, Jiang Feng got in the car with Sun Zhuangfei and headed to the film and television city to scout. He got in touch with the person in charge of the film and television city to negotiate a spot for his stall.

The film and television city was a tourist attraction that required an entrance fee and was usually crowded. Sometimes, a production team would book an entire street for a while. If there weren't any film crews shooting, visitors could freely roam around. Currently, there weren't any big production teams, but there were some shooting short dramas around. Shooting a short drama was much simpler. It only needed two or three actors, a cinematographer, and some light reflectors, and they could shoot in any scene they wanted. It was interesting to watch, and short dramas were quite popular then.

The person in charge of the film and television city, named Meng Shuang, immediately agreed to Jiang Feng's request over the phone and allowed Jiang Feng to choose his stall location as he pleased.

Jiang Feng, following the system's instructions, chose to set up his stall on the Shanghai-themed street. Next to him was the Paramount Dance Hall.

The Paramount Dance Hall was an attraction. Sometimes production teams would shoot inside it; scenes from the Republic of China period set in Shanghai were mostly filmed there. After all, whether it was spy, action, or romance, there were always dance scenes at the Paramount.

"Wow, Paramount!" Sun Zhuangfei stood beside him, thrilled. He seemed to see the opulence of dancers from over a hundred years ago at the Paramount.

"I always see this place on TV, and I've even dreamed of going back to the Republican era and spending time here," Sun Zhuangfei's words surprised Jiang Feng.

This kid actually has a thing for this, Jiang Feng mused. If he ever went to Business KTV, wouldn't he be over the moon?

Only to hear Sun Zhuangfei say again, "I saw on TV, the Japanese soldiers would come here to watch dances, and I just want to take a gun, lie in ambush, and then blow their heads off with a single shot."

Hearing this, Jiang Feng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. So that was the reason! Everyone has a heroic dream, it seems. I never thought this kid would want to be TV hero Yan Shuangying.

Looking up, Jiang Feng saw that the architecture here was quite authentic. Since it was built for filming movies and TV dramas, it certainly had to be well-made.

At this point, Meng Shuang told Jiang Feng that since it was a themed street, setting up a stall there required wearing clothes that matched the street's character to enhance visitors' sense of immersion. That meant changing costumes. Jiang Feng didn't mind; as he thought, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. It was perfectly normal.

So, he and Sun Zhuangfei went to pick out costumes at the clothing store.

Sun Zhuangfei instantly took a liking to a changshan.

"Boss, this is great, let's both wear this," Sun Zhuangfei said excitedly. "With a small round cap and sunglasses, we'll definitely look cool."

The Changsha was the type with a straight collar and wide sleeves, complete with a matching small round cap, and a pair of round-frame sunglasses.

Jiang Feng was speechless at his aesthetic taste. This outfit combo was something Jiang Feng had seen before, from the movie "Kung Fu," worn by the characters Tiancan and Dique. Tiancan and Dique, the blind musicians playing the guzheng, who had killed three adepts of Wu Lang's 8-Diagram Pole, but were eventually taken down by Yang Guo and Little Dragon Girl. Moreover, this was the typical look for fortune tellers during the Republic of China period.

"You can decide for yourself; I'm not wearing that set," Jiang Feng spoke up. "Indeed, the Republic of China mainly featured changshans and suits. I'll be fine in a breathable changshan. In such hot weather, you've got to dress for cool comfort."

Wearing too many layers would make him overheat, and breathable clothing was much more comfortable.

The spot for setting up the stall was right next to the Paramount, where the food truck could pull in perfectly. The film and television city had been quite bustling. People often came here to take photos and check in. There were also many people filming short dramas. Short dramas were indeed popular now, with top hits earning big money. But turning a profit wasn't that easy.

So amidst all the bustling, the preparations for setting up the stall were finally complete.

Next was to decide what to sell the following day.

Jiang Feng planned to sell osmanthus cakes tomorrow. Selling various flavors of osmanthus cake in front of Paramount seemed like a nice idea.

The method for making osmanthus cake is simple: prepare the flour, steam it, and sprinkle some dried osmanthus on top. Of course, Jiang Feng's method wasn't that simple. Aside from the white osmanthus cake, he also intended to make light green, light pink, and golden yellow ones. The main appeal was a colorful and delicious experience.

Osmanthus cakes could come in many shapes and be made using molds. Jiang Feng chose the most common square shape. The very top was slightly raised, allowing it to be easily torn open to reveal the soft and fibrous interior.

Making osmanthus cake didn't require renting a shop; it could all be done on the food truck.

So the next morning, Jiang Feng and Sun Zhuangfei began to busy themselves with steaming the cakes. The rich aroma of the steamed cakes wafted from the food truck, mingled with a hint of sweetness.

When the steaming was about done, Jiang Feng drove the food truck all the way to the theme street of the film and television city. The food truck bus fitted in perfectly with the streets of Republic-era Shanghai. During this period, there were already some public buses of this design in the area.

Jiang Feng was dressed in a breathable changshan, sans hat, but to avoid being recognized, he still put on a pair of toad sunglasses.

Sun Zhuangfei, on the other hand, was fully kitted out: changshan, a small round hat, and round sunglasses. He not only looked like a fortune teller but also like a spy in disguise selling snacks. He didn't look like a good guy at all.

The two gave off a completely different presence when they stood there.

The osmanthus cakes were ready, placed in square steamer baskets and covered with transparent film. On closer inspection, the variously colored and flavored osmanthus cakes were neatly arranged. Each one was exquisitely delicate, soft, and firm. Just by looking at them, one could sense the soft texture of the osmanthus cakes. Their appearance was particularly attractive.

The two sat in the food truck waiting. Really, if they weren't making them on-site, just one person needed to be there. That's what Jiang Feng thought, planning to go for a walk after a while and leave Sun Zhuangfei to work.

Soon, groups of tourists started arriving at the film city to check in and take photos, mostly young women. It was still a weekday, and the next day would be May Day, so the number of tourists that day wasn't very large. However, starting the next day, the place would be bustling for the entire week, and Jiang Feng wasn't worried at all about business.

Two young women were strolling down the streets of Shanghai in the Republican era. As they took photos, they imagined they could have a passionate romance right here. In their hearts, the Republic era was more about love stories between young marshals and young mistresses. But in reality, the Republican period was very cruel, with countless tales of ruined households and deaths. The mortality rate was high. And it was not so much about the romances of young marshals and young mistresses, but more about the love between Rickshaw Boy Xiangzi and Hu Niu. Or rather, the vast majority of people were like Rickshaw Boy Xiangzi, and the vast majority were like Hu Niu.

At this moment, the two noticed Jiang Feng's food truck.

"Look over there, there's an NPC," one of the girls said with a hint of surprise.

"This is a themed scenic area, what NPC? It's just a small stall setting up shop," the other girl replied.

"Let's go take a look, those two wearing changshans are so interesting."

"Things in the scenic area are definitely expensive; it's better to buy outside."

As they chatted, they approached Jiang Feng's stall. They saw that he was selling osmanthus cakes, and the sign read: 3 yuan for one piece, 5 yuan for two. The price wasn't expensive and was within a reasonable range. The osmanthus cakes looked particularly appealing, and both girls were a bit tempted by the sweet treats.

"Boss, what flavors do you have?"

"The white ones are original flavor, the golden ones are pumpkin, the slightly black ones are black sesame, the red ones are brown sugar, and the light green ones are vanilla flavor," Jiang Feng responded.

"I'll take a vanilla and an original," the two girls agreed upon their choice and bought the osmanthus cakes.

"Alright." Jiang Feng took a pair of long chopsticks, picked up two pieces for them, and placed them in a small box.

The osmanthus cakes were still warm, soft, and chewy, with a good amount of bounce.

The two took their osmanthus cakes, each holding one, and immediately started eating.