Cooking System: Street Food Rules

In the scorching summer days, osmanthus pastries paired with a pot of old white tea offered a fragrant, sweet, mellow, thick, and smooth experience. A bite of osmanthus cake, followed by a sip of throat-soothing tea, seemed to ease much of the body's fatigue.

However, fresh osmanthus cakes were hard to come by.

The vast majority were preserved foods from the market, which couldn't compare in freshness and taste to those freshly cooked.

That was exactly the case with Jiang Feng's osmanthus cakes.

Therefore, in front of the food truck, people were lining up in long queues.

On May Day, the flow of people was tremendous. The streets were packed everywhere.

In front of Paramount, many were checking in and taking pictures, especially girls in cheongsams.

Nearby, in an open space, the food truck was selling osmanthus cakes, with the line stretching in another direction.

It looked extraordinarily bustling.

For the previous two days, Boss Jiang had Sun Zhuangfei handle the selling, but on this day, Jiang Feng himself also made an appearance at the food truck. The food being sold was still osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice dumplings. Jiang Feng planned to add wheel cakes to the menu for the next two days, and that would be enough. Even so, his business was surprisingly good.

To allow more customers to taste the osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice dumplings, Boss Jiang was also making them on the spot at the food truck. After all, making them wasn't too complicated.

People were forming long lines. Today's line was somewhat unusual; in the queue, there were about twenty elderly men and women, all seriously waiting their turn. This scene was truly peculiar.

Passersby saw it from afar and were curious.

"Look over there, why are there so many elderly people?"

"They couldn't be queuing for eggs, could they?"

"That's also possible."

Curious, the passersby went over and asked, only to find out that the elderly were local residents. Normally, they wouldn't join such bustle. Locals never visit tourist spots during May Day; there was no need for the crowd chaos. But this May Day was different.

The elderly had heard rumors that an Imperial Chef had come and made osmanthus cakes with miraculous effects, able to calm the mind and replenish vitality and blood. Word of mouth had made them believers. At their age, they had an unwavering belief in health supplements and wellness regimens. It was no wonder so many were easily duped.

Jiang Feng was unaware of this, and he didn't need to know; after all, it was just baseless rumors people were spreading.

Moreover, the osmanthus cakes genuinely tasted good.

The queue for the pastries grew even longer.

It definitely became the most stunning sight in the movie town, and only on the historic streets of Shanghai could one witness such a rare spectacle.

Additionally, the movie town wasn't very large. Essentially, a little over an hour was enough to stroll through it all. Therefore, many had plenty of time to line up.

Jiang Feng's stall also added another attraction to this movie town, one well worth visiting.

Boss Jiang was busy cooking osmanthus cakes at the food truck, where the fire under the stove finally blazed.

Many people greeted Boss Jiang.

"Hello, Boss Jiang!"

"Boss Jiang, we are your fans!"

As he kneaded the dough, Jiang Feng smiled and responded to his fans,

"Hello."

He was always very gentle, so the number of his fans just kept growing.

At this moment, an elderly lady approached the food truck and said,

"Give me fifty pieces of osmanthus cakes."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhuangfei, who was handling the cash, replied,

"Auntie, there's a limit on purchases. Each person can only buy up to ten pieces."

The elderly lady looked somewhat displeased. "You have so many osmanthus cakes here, what's wrong with giving me fifty pieces? It's not like you don't have them."

Sun Zhuangfei patiently explained,

"Auntie, we have too many customers. We have to ensure that those behind us can also get some, so we have to limit the quantity."

"Otherwise, a few people could buy them all, and others wouldn't get any."

The lady pursed her lips. Seeing his insistence, she could only say,

"Then give me ten."

"Okay."

Sun Zhuangfei packed them up and handed over the bag.

Meanwhile, Jiang Feng was at the side, busy cooking fresh osmanthus cakes.

The freshly baked osmanthus cakes were still steaming. When taken out, they were very bouncy, and as they were poured into the basket, they kept rolling, seemingly ready to make a soft, jiggly DUANGDUANG sound. Just looking at them made one's mouth water.

Then another elderly lady reached the front of the line. "Young man, I heard that these osmanthus cakes are made by an Imperial Chef. Are you the Imperial Chef?" she asked Sun Zhuangfei.

Sun Zhuangfei didn't know how to respond, so he looked at Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng, too, was caught off guard by the lady's question, so he replied with a smile,

"Auntie, there's no such thing as an 'Imperial Chef' these days. That term was used in the past for chefs who cooked for the royal family in the palace. We don't have that anymore."

Hearing his explanation, the elderly lady still seemed reluctant to believe.

"But I heard you are an Imperial Chef and that you're particularly skilled," she continued.

Jiang Feng was at a loss for words; the rumor was indeed quite outlandish.

"Auntie, I'm not, and no one is," he clarified.

The elderly lady didn't linger on the issue of the Imperial Chef but still couldn't resist asking curiously,

"So, these osmanthus cakes, do they contain some special ingredients that have life-prolonging effects?"

"Can they replenish qi and blood, and slow down aging?"

Hearing her words, Jiang Feng was momentarily taken aback.

No, how did such a rumor even start?

Osmanthus cake is just osmanthus cake; it can't slow down aging.

At most, it just makes your stomach feel comfortable after eating it.

"Auntie, this is just a regular osmanthus cake; it's not that mystical," Jiang Feng said, waving his hand dismissively. "Please don't spread such rumors anymore."

These aunties loved to gossip; they'd often read half a story online and then embellish the rest themselves. After the first gossip-loving auntie found out Jiang Feng had set up a stall, she looked up his videos online. Who knows what sensationalist article she read, but she soon started spreading wild tales, claiming Jiang Feng was an Imperial Chef, something about being the reincarnation of the Kitchen God, and the like. And some people really believed it.

More than one auntie had asked him this, and Jiang Feng found it rather absurd.

Do people really believe in such mystical stuff?

There aren't that many exaggerated things in the world.

But he didn't pay it too much mind and just patiently clarified that it was just a regular osmanthus cake.

The gossip-loving auntie bought ten pieces of osmanthus cake.

She immediately picked up a piece and tasted it.

The flavor of the osmanthus was very rich. Unlike the osmanthus cakes she usually ate, this one had hints of warmth and tenderness. The texture was very soft and chewy. Even though the auntie had poor teeth, she felt no discomfort eating it. The delicate scent of osmanthus wafted into her nose. The fragrance was light yet had a lingering aftertaste, invigorating her senses even before she took a bite.

The auntie chewed the osmanthus cake gently.

The sweet sensation dispelled the bitterness in her mouth.

A look of indescribable excitement appeared in the auntie's eyes.

This osmanthus cake... really is different!

What everyone said was true!

This really is something special!

The auntie, as if she had found a treasure, clutched the osmanthus cakes and hurried home.

Jiang Feng hadn't expected that no matter how much he tried to set the record straight, he couldn't stop people's wild imaginations. The deliciousness of the osmanthus cake had instead led to unnecessary misunderstandings.

However, such misunderstandings were harmless as long as they were happy.

Jiang Feng continued to busy himself making osmanthus cakes.

There were still many buyers.

In the queue were elderly men and women, along with young people, making for a rather curious scene.

Once back home, the auntie didn't waste a moment, immediately going around the neighborhood to spread the word.

"You know the film studio area, right? A formidable Imperial Chef has arrived there. The osmanthus cakes he makes have the power to prolong life; they're really miraculous.

"I heard that the young boss is the reincarnation of the Kitchen God, who has come to our town to bring us delicious food. Just eating it can increase your lifespan!

"I went to try it today, and after eating his osmanthus cake, I truly felt different. I felt more energized and could walk up five floors without any trouble!

"So many people were there. Old Zhang's aunt, Liu's mom—they all bought some early."

The aunties passed the word around, and it got more exaggerated as it spread.

So, the elderly men and women set out from their residential blocks, all making their way toward the film studio.

Entry to the film studio required a ticket. But as locals, the elderly men and women definitely would not buy tickets to enter such an attraction. They knew plenty of ways to get in. They all took various alleys and made their way inside, blending into the studio scene. Several aunties chose to sneak in through a small gate in a wall behind the palace.

Tourists taking photos were startled to see seven or eight aunties, each carrying a bamboo basket, emerging from the palace. It caused quite a stir.

Assassins!

Where did they come from?

And why were they coming out of the palace?

The aunties ignored the tourists and headed straight for Jiang Feng.

The area in front of Paramount grew somewhat chaotic as several aunties tried to skip the queue. It took Jiang Feng's stern insistence for them to line up properly.

Many people stayed to watch the excitement, and some took photos. The commotion was no less than before.

Luckily, the osmanthus cakes sold out quickly.

By around two o'clock in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day, Jiang Feng had sold all his osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice sweets.

Finally, Jiang Feng heaved a sigh of relief.

"It's all taken care of at last."

"Let's pack up!"

Jiang Feng called Sun Zhuangfei to pack up, and then they drove away.

Some elderly men and women were still hurrying over, but they were bound to be disappointed. The Kitchen God they were seeking had long since departed.

In the car, Sun Zhuangfei remarked softly,

"Boss, there were so many elderly men and women lining up today. It was quite an unusual sight."

Jiang Feng calmly replied,

"We don't need to worry about all that. As long as we make our food well, that's what matters."

"No matter their reason for coming, they're here to buy our snacks."

"As long as it's made well, let them say what they will."

Jiang Feng hadn't expected that osmanthus cakes could cause such a stir.

Prolonging life...

But if you consider it from the perspective of making people happy, then it really was true.

So in that sense, it wasn't wrong to say so.