Cooking System: Street Food Rules

「Aunt Chen's home.」

Aunt Chen had brought back a bag of osmanthus cakes and carefully stored them away.

Just as her daughter, Liu Ya, returned home for the May Day holiday, she saw this and asked curiously, "Mom, what's this you've bought?"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Chen couldn't wait to tell her daughter, "This is something wonderful—an osmanthus cake that can prolong life."

When Liu Ya heard the words 'prolong life,' her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, Mom might have been scammed.

Nowadays, there are many scams targeting the elderly, and the most common ones involve health preservation and longevity. These scammers are experienced. They prey specifically on the elderly and are capable of doing anything to deceive them.

"Mom, I told you not to believe these things. Don't get scammed!" Liu Ya immediately expressed her concern.

"How can it be a scam? Everyone says the owner is a descendant of an Imperial Chef. His cooking skills are superb, and the osmanthus cakes he makes have amazing effects."

"Try one later; it's really delicious."

"After eating one, I even felt lighter," Aunt Chen added.

The more Liu Ya listened, the less she believed. How can it be so miraculous? Making your body feel lighter? It sounds more and more like a scam. Scammers' methods are really getting more clever these days.

However, since the osmanthus cakes were right in front of her, Liu Ya went over, picked one up, and took a bite.

The flavor instantly amazed her. This osmanthus cake was incredibly tasty—sweet but not cloying, with a distinctive aroma. The aroma was very appetizing. After she finished it, a sweet aftertaste lingered, and she felt as if even her breath was fragrant.

"Wow!"

It is indeed great!

Have the scammers become this skilled?

Where did they find such delicious osmanthus cakes? Liu Ya exclaimed.

Seeing her daughter still unconvinced, Aunt Chen replied, "He's not a scammer. Didn't you see how many people were in line?"

"Besides, what kind of scammer sells an osmanthus cake for just a few bucks?"

"That's still uncertain," Liu Ya retorted. "First, they gain your trust, then they fleece you—it's called a 'pig-butchering' scam."

"You child! Who are you calling a pig? If you don't want any more osmanthus cakes, then forget it," Aunt Chen said with some displeasure.

"Eat, eat, save two for me."

"I'll go with you tomorrow. I want to see for myself if the person selling osmanthus cakes is a scammer," Liu Ya said. She feared her mother might be swindled. People often lose a lot of money when scammed, so she thought it was better to prevent trouble before it started.

The next day, Jiang Feng was busy preparing many osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice balls. Judging from the past few days' sales, both the osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice balls had become very popular. The lines were very long. These treats weren't too troublesome to make, so he made as many as possible.

After his disappearance for a while, Jiang Feng's popularity had returned to a normal level. Many people were still looking for him, but it wasn't as if the entire internet was buzzing about him, nor was he attracting hordes of influencers. This was just as well. It was the feeling he wanted now.

Jiang Feng directed Sun Zhuangfei, "Today, let's make osmanthus cakes and glutinous rice balls. Tomorrow, we'll make wheel cakes."

"Wheel cakes are made fresh on-site, and there are many flavors."

"I'll give you a list of ingredients to buy—Oreos, red beans, things like that. Make sure to buy extra."

Upon hearing this, Sun Zhuangfei readily agreed, "Okay, Boss, no problem."

The two went about their work as usual. After making the osmanthus cakes, they drove to the film and television city once again.

The film and television city was as bustling as ever. Today, many girls in cheongsams were taking pictures here. Some had good figures that were accentuated by the cheongsams, adding a beautiful touch to the scenery.

Their stall was still located at Paramount. It had a rather romantic atmosphere.

At noon, after lunch, Liu Ya accompanied Aunt Chen to the film and television city. She was keen to see who exactly was selling these so-called life-prolonging osmanthus cakes.

It could be a group of scammers.

As a worldly young woman, she definitely wouldn't let a group get away with scamming the elderly if she encountered one.

The mother and daughter were still chatting.

"It'll definitely be fine. The owner is exceptionally handsome; he can't be a scammer."

"The more handsome they are, the better they are at cheating and winning over the elderly."

"A lot of young people are buying them too. And I heard that the owner is quite popular online and well-liked."

Is this a large-scale gang? They even dare to expose themselves on the internet?

As they talked, they arrived at the street. The Republican-era Shanghai street was teeming with people; they were everywhere. After all, it was the May Day holiday.

From afar, Liu Ya spotted a long line. It included many middle-aged and elderly people, as well as many young people. The scene was quite curious.

There really are a lot of people.

Liu Ya felt this didn't look like a scam operation. Considering the number of young people present and its location within a tourist area, it had to be legitimate. But the claim about prolonging life was still too bizarre.

So, Liu Ya walked forward, following the line until she reached the food truck and looked up.

She saw Jiang Feng busy inside the food truck. She also noticed some people around taking pictures with their phones.

"Oh my god, it's Jiang Feng! Boss Jiang!"

Liu Ya hadn't been following online news and didn't know Jiang Feng had set up a stall here. Seeing him now, she was pleasantly surprised.

She actually saw Boss Jiang here!

He came to Foshan?

Was it really so sudden?

It was said that Jiang Feng appeared randomly, but many people never expected him to show up in their own city. Seeing him now was an unexpected surprise.

"See? I told you he wasn't a scammer," Aunt Chen said at that moment.

"Not a scammer! Definitely not a scammer! He's amazing, super popular!"

"He owns a business, yet he sets up stalls everywhere!"

"This time he's actually selling osmanthus cakes in front of Paramount!"

It's really extraordinary! Liu Ya suddenly became very talkative, chattering away endlessly.

Then she pulled Aunt Chen towards the back of the line. "Come on, let's get in line! I want to queue up and talk to Boss Jiang for a bit!"

Soon, Liu Ya and Aunt Chen joined the line.

The business was still bustling. Jiang Feng was still cooking there. The customers at the food truck were all smiles, their joy infectious to those around them.

Wafts of floral fragrance filled the air. Smelling it only increased the anticipation for Jiang Feng's osmanthus cakes.

"Boss Jiang, the osmanthus cakes you're making smell so good!" someone called out to Jiang Feng.

"Thank you," Jiang Feng responded politely as usual.

He remained unhurried—not socially anxious, nor a socially adept extrovert—just quiet and calm. The more he was like this, the more people liked him.

The tourists loved this about him and continuously took pictures. Some girls in cheongsams, after buying osmanthus cakes, would pose with them for photos in front of Paramount. It was a pleasant scene. The business was still going well.

By around two in the afternoon, Jiang Feng decided to call it a day. He planned to go back, spend time with his cats and dogs, and handle some restaurant matters over the phone. Now that he owned more restaurants, he had more to manage.

Currently, the Shandong Cuisine Restaurant had become a local flagship for Shandong Cuisine. The Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant was also very popular. The Zhejiang Cuisine Restaurant, located by West Lake, generated significant revenue and was considered one of West Lake's attractions. The Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant had just opened. However, the food was delicious, and since its predecessor had been the top-ranked restaurant in that location, business was equally good.

Jiang Feng earned a good amount of money each month. But the restaurant business is fraught with risks; a crisis could strike at any time. Therefore, Jiang Feng was continuously strengthening his foundation.

All four restaurants were doing well in terms of revenue and reputation.

The current development is positive.

No matter what, it's time to get my own Cantonese Cuisine Restaurant on the agenda.

Cantonese cuisine really is quite fascinating, Jiang Feng thought to himself.

He knew he still had to focus on his business endeavors. After the grand opening of the Zhejiang Cuisine Restaurant and the buzz surrounding the state banquet dishes, Jiangyue Terrace had quickly become a major brand, well-known throughout the country. Since that was the case, Jiang Feng certainly hoped to open a few more.

Moreover, after that event, the state banquet organizers had invited him to help create some dishes or even work there full-time. Jiang Feng had declined all of them.

To him, there was no difference between cooking for foreign dignitaries and ordinary people. Cooking for ordinary people was even a bit more relaxing.

After dealing with Jiangyue Terrace matters, Jiang Feng shifted his focus back to his stall. He thought this week's themed street stall event was quite good. He planned to introduce a new item the next day: wheel cakes. He wanted the customers to enjoy fresher pastries.

Wheel cakes are made with a batter of eggs, flour, and milk, with various fillings added during cooking. Flavors included classic red bean, soft purple rice, sweet taro paste, pork floss, milk Oreo, taro and egg yolk, brown sugar boba, and vanilla pudding, among others. The texture is incredibly soft and fragrant. If chilled in the refrigerator before eating, they taste almost like ice cream.

With summer approaching, selling delicate pastries in the Republican-era themed district would also fit the ambiance of that period. Glutinous rice balls and osmanthus cakes were also good examples of such pastries.

Sun Zhuangfei was tasked with procurement. With Sun Zhuangfei around, Jiang Feng's workload was much lighter.

In the afternoons, he would walk his dog, and at night, he would play games while petting his cat, feeling very relaxed.

His cat, Little Black, was now the size of an adult cat. He had an exceptionally round head and eyes, and still looked as cute as ever. This reassured Jiang Feng. The cat hadn't gone through an awkward phase; instead, he only became cuter as he grew. After all, Jiang Feng had paid a lot for him; he was definitely a good breed.