Cooking System: Street Food Rules

Jiang Feng was selling osmanthus cakes.

Suddenly, Sun Zhuangfei, who was standing nearby, pointed in the direction of the road, his face full of surprise, and said, "Boss, the emperor, the emperor is coming!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng turned his head and saw that it was the drama crew that was filming the short drama earlier, with several people walking this way. The emperor, the eunuch, the concubine, and the cameraman were all there. They were chatting leisurely, all looking very natural and quite happy.

"There's a small stall."

"Let's go take a look, it wasn't here before."

"This Film and Television City is usually not crowded, so there aren't many vendors."

"Let's get something to eat, I'm hungry too!"

The group came over and noticed that the food truck was selling osmanthus cakes. Wafts of a refreshing scent drifted from the food truck. It was similar to the fragrance of osmanthus flowers but was somewhat subtler. Smelling it was invigorating and very pleasant.

"What a fragrant smell," the concubine couldn't help but exclaim.

"Boss, give us ten pieces," the little eunuch spoke. He seemed to be in charge, walking front and center. As the main character, he must have some backing, perhaps he's an investor.

"Sure, which flavors would you like?" Jiang Feng replied politely.

"Any is fine."

Jiang Feng prepared osmanthus cakes for the group. Just then, a wave of tourists happened to come by. They saw the scene next to the food truck and were immediately struck with amazement.

"No way, am I seeing things? The emperor, accompanied by his concubine, is buying osmanthus cakes from two fortune tellers at Paramount?" one of them exclaimed in shock.

The scene was indeed peculiar. It had a certain anachronistic eeriness.

"Take a photo."

"Definitely need to take a photo!"

"That seems to be Boss Jiang's food truck."

Several people captured this moment, and some immediately shared it online. Many people followed Jiang Feng, and the most interested among them were definitely the marketing accounts. Marketing accounts knew very well what netizens liked and loved to set the trend. Thus, the video was quickly posted by a marketing account, complete with a caption: "Latest news from Boss Jiang's stall: The emperor, the concubine, and the eunuch time-traveled to buy his osmanthus cakes."

When netizens saw this scene, they couldn't contain their amusement.

"Haha, it's really Boss Jiang, pulling off such a stunt!"

"I was completely dumbfounded for a moment! I was wondering what kind of epic drama they were shooting, and you're telling me it's Boss Jiang?"

"I thought it was an epic drama too, it's too preposterous—the emperor came to Paramount to buy osmanthus cakes!"

"The most preposterous thing is that I saw Boss Jiang!"

"Is he running a stall or shooting a movie?" people commented one after another.

The scene was indeed quite amusing. The video's popularity soared quickly. The actors from the short drama, upon leaving the Film and Television City and being reminded by friends, only then realized that the owner of the osmanthus cake stall today was Jiang Feng. The actors were all deeply moved.

"So it was him! No wonder those osmanthus cakes were so delicious!"

"Let's also shoot a video, it will be good for promoting our short drama too!"

"Exactly, that's what I was thinking, it's such a coincidence!"

"This video with the caption is quite interesting."

This video brought traffic to many people. Marketing accounts gained attention, while the short drama creators got popularity. For Jiang Feng, it meant that people learned about his vending location again. But that didn't matter much.

On the first day setting up his stall here, the osmanthus cakes sold quickly, and Jiang Feng ended his workday early after they were all sold out. Today the Film and Television City was a bit quiet, but that was to be expected. After all, tomorrow is May Day, and people hadn't gone out much today. Tomorrow there would be more people.

"Boss, what are we making tomorrow?" Sun Zhuangfei inquired about the plans for the next day.

Jiang Feng always had a plan in mind, and he could do things according to his own thoughts.

"Tomorrow, we'll still make osmanthus cakes but add glutinous rice dumplings as well. After all, we're not familiar with this place, so it's better to start with something simple."

Jiang Feng made the decision. The method for making glutinous rice dumplings was quite simple: just knead the dough, cut it into pieces, wrap it with a filling, and steam them. You could wrap them with red bean paste, fruit, or any sweet filling. They tasted soft and chewy and could even be stretched. You could even turn them into ice cream and eat them.

"There's one more thing."

"Tomorrow is May Day, right? My friend is coming over, so after we finish up, you can just sell in the Film and Television City. I'll pay you overtime, triple the wages," Jiang Feng said to Sun Zhuangfei.

Hearing Jiang Feng say this, Sun Zhuangfei was quite moved. He had indeed found a good boss! Sun Zhuangfei was a common worker, but with Jiang Feng, he always had a good income. Plus, Jiang Feng provided him with food and accommodation. The lodging was all arranged by Jiang Feng. It was perfect.

"Boss, no problem, I've got this," Sun Zhuangfei readily agreed.

「The next day.」

It was May Day. People had been oppressed by work and life for so long that they couldn't take it anymore. Coinciding with the May Day holiday, many people went out to play. Almost every tourist spot was packed with people. The current policy for time off work was also a pitfall. They didn't want the public to have too many days off. Work hours had to be made up. Yet, they hoped that during the holidays, people would go out and spend money to boost the tourism economy. But there was nothing people could do about it.

The Film and Television City was also crowded. Strolling around, visitors could see unique scenes. Walking along the streets of the Republic of China or through the imperial court felt quite nice. Additionally, news of Jiang Feng setting up a stall here yesterday had appeared online. He always popped up unexpectedly. However, the buzz was much lower than when he made the state banquet dishes, so the level of attention wasn't as high. That was the effect Jiang Feng wanted.

When a group of fans arrived at the Republic of China street in front of Paramount, they only saw Sun Zhuangfei dressed in a long robe and wearing sunglasses, selling osmanthus cakes. He felt very much at ease. It was as if he had truly come from the Republic of China era.

"Where's Boss Jiang?"

"Where is your boss?" Many people inquired at the side of the food truck.

Sun Zhuangfei replied politely, "The boss went out to have fun with friends today, leaving me in charge of selling. Everyone can rest assured, all the food was personally made by our boss."

Hearing him say that, everyone was both disappointed and looking forward to it. Many people came specifically for Jiang Feng. But Jiang Feng hoped that everyone would focus more on the food itself. So this was for the best.

Soon, a long queue formed in front of the food truck. People began buying osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice dumplings in droves. Due to the large number of people, there were limits placed on how much they could buy. After all, if there wasn't a limit, some could buy up the entire truck's worth.

"Will Boss Jiang come over?" someone asked Sun Zhuangfei again.

"Hmm, he should be coming, but I'm not sure when," Sun Zhuangfei responded.

At this very moment, Jiang Feng was walking about the Film and Television City with a girl. They took some photos and enjoyed the scenery. Jiang Feng was dressed in casual wear today, not trying to match the style of the tourist area, since he didn't need to run the stall himself. Wearing a mask was still necessary, as he didn't want to be recognized.

The street scenery was beautiful. Many people's eyes were drawn to the girl by Jiang Feng's side. Helpless against her youth and beauty, good figure, and fair skin, anyone would give her a few glances. Some also quietly envied Jiang Feng's good fortune.

At the food truck, the queue was massive. The glutinous rice dumplings were incredibly popular. They had a soft and sticky texture when bitten into, and it seemed as if they were covered with a layer of flour, which would stick to the lips. In fact, this was a kind of flavored sugar. The glutinous rice dumplings had a chewing texture similar to cotton candy, very soft. The flavor carried a hint of freshness that was refreshing and pleasing.

Shopping was naturally tiring. Having some sweet pastries to replenish sugar made it feel like one's Staminia was somewhat restored. And the things Jiang Feng made always had an indescribable delicacy about them. After eating them, one felt as if their whole body was invigorated, though it was hard to understand how he achieved this. Maybe it was just like what Stephen Chow's movie "The God of Cookery" said about making the most delicious food – you have to put your heart into it.

Jiang Feng always put his heart into whatever he did. The small stall's business was booming. Even without Jiang Feng, the queue was incredibly long. For a moment, it was as if one had truly returned to the bustling, lively Shanghai of the Republic of China era.

"Boss, I'll take two osmanthus cakes, the original flavor, and two glutinous rice dumplings," a customer placed an order.

"Alright, just a moment," Sun Zhuangfei promptly got the pastries for the customer.

"When will Boss Jiang come over?" the customer asked again.

"I can't say for sure, probably not for a while," Sun Zhuangfei had answered countless times, but he still responded patiently.

Following Jiang Feng, he could learn a lot. For instance, Jiang Feng's mindset. Jiang Feng always had a great attitude. By being around him, Sun Zhuangfei had learned many principles of dealing with people. That's the power of a role model.

"So what's Boss Jiang busy with?" someone continued to probe.

"What is our boss busy with?" Sun Zhuangfei hesitated. He certainly couldn't say the boss was out wooing a lady, could he? So he could only reply, "I honestly don't know."

At this moment, Jiang Feng was in a photo studio, having changed into the attire of a university student from the Republic of China era. He had gotten up early in the morning and was busy for several hours making osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice dumplings before finishing. Now that he had time, he needed to relax with his girlfriend. The two made an appointment at a photo studio and chose the Republic of China theme for their photos. The style was that of university students from the Republic of China period. The resulting photos felt very pleasing.