Cooking System: Street Food Rules

"Hey, that's a really big fish!"

"Those skills are impressive. Is he really a chef?"

"Quite a famous chef at that; he's very talented!"

Jiang Feng pulled the large grass carp out of the water. When it got close, the rod alone couldn't do the job, so a fellow angler nearby had to help scoop it up with a landing net.

The sight of the large, lively fish stirred up some commotion among the surrounding fishermen.

Jiang Feng placed the large grass carp into a bucket.

Some cats still wanted to eat the fish, sticking their heads into the bucket, but Jiang Feng immediately waved his hands to stop them.

The fish was bigger than the cats.

The kitten, however, was still a bit greedy.

Seeing that Jiang Feng didn't agree, the cat lying by the bucket could only lick its paw to ease the awkwardness.

Its appearance seemed to say:

I'm just sniffing; I wasn't thinking of eating it.

Jiang Feng seemed to have discovered the joy of fishing.

Especially as he kept catching fish, how could it not be fun?

He looked at the empty-handed man next to him, who was practically staring his eyes out at his float.

Eventually, the man couldn't hold back and asked Jiang Feng about his float adjustment and the water depth.

Jiang Feng told him the approximate measurements. After the man readjusted his float and cast his line again, he finally caught a small silver carp.

Even so, it was enough to make him happy.

For fishermen, not going home empty-handed was all that mattered.

The cats had apparently accepted Jiang Feng as their leader, and they all came up to rub against him.

Jiang Feng petted one, then another, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Little Black, watching this scene, cocked its head, regarding the group of cats with a somewhat disdainful look.

Shameless cats, go ahead and act cute. Who can outdo you in that!

All these feral cats were gorgeous, each one very lively.

Feral cats live a happy life, quite different from that of house cats.

Every day, they're looking for food, fighting for territory, and finding pretty female cats.

Some house cats go home with their owners for the New Year and encounter feral cats in the village.

Feral cat: "Let's go; let's find some female cats together."

House cat: "You go ahead; I'd rather not."

Feral cat: "You're not going even if there are female cats?"

House cat: "It's inconvenient. I'm not interested in female cats; my nuts are gone."

Feral cat: "I've heard city cats are clean, but I didn't expect you to be *this* clean."

...

Jiang Feng continued fishing. The fish he caught afterward were mostly silver carp again.

As he caught them, he fed the fish to the cats.

The cats put on a show of cuteness for him, making for quite an amusing scene.

When all the bait was gone, Jiang Feng rose from his small stool, picked up his bucket and fishing gear, and left.

The cats, seeing Jiang Feng about to go, called out "MEOW MEOW" to him reluctantly.

It was clear that they really didn't want Jiang Feng to leave.

"Boss Jiang, you're leaving already?"

"Yeah, I'm leaving."

"You're not fishing anymore?"

"No more fishing."

"Alright then, I'll take your spot."

"Sure."

The angler next to him had been eyeing Jiang Feng's spot as he saw him leave; he had been envious of it for a while.

However, it really wasn't much about the fishing spot, which wasn't particularly good—it was all because Jiang Feng was skilled at fishing.

If someone else took the spot, they'd still have no luck catching fish.

Little Black followed Jiang Feng onto the food truck and left Moon River.

After Jiang Feng had gone, many people discussed him. The main topic was his cooking skills.

"I really enjoyed the boxed meal today; it was so delicious!"

"Just make sure not to let anyone else know, or they'll definitely come and snatch it."

"Don't worry, mum's the word!"

"Let's all keep it to ourselves!"

They were united on this front.

The majority of those who came here to fish were men, as women generally weren't willing to endure the sun and wind every day.

Men tend to keep things to themselves better; they aren't as gossipy nor do they have such a strong desire to share.

They could indeed keep this a secret. As long as it made fishing more convenient, they wouldn't tell anyone.

Ma Yi was also among the anglers. That evening, when he returned home, his wife noticed the bread and steamed buns still in his bag, leaving her puzzled.

"Ma Yi, what did you eat for lunch? Didn't you have a meal?"

Naturally, Ma Yi couldn't tell her about Jiang Feng coming here. If he did, considering his wife's love for joining the crowd and posting photos on social media, she would definitely want to join in the excitement the next day.

"Old Liu ordered some takeout; I just had a little bit of that," Ma Yi said casually.

His wife didn't have any suspicions after hearing that.

"As long as you ate."

Upon hearing this, Ma Yi's face remained unchanged, but he sighed with relief inwardly.

Hopefully, it doesn't get out. This boxed meal was so rare and delicious. The fellow anglers couldn't get enough; outsiders must not discover it.

That night, the anglers kept their unspoken agreement, keeping Jiang Feng setting up his stall there a secret.

There are no walls in the world that can completely block out the wind, but if it can keep the wind at bay even for a while, that's enough. It always takes time for news to spread. Best to nip potential competitors in the bud.

In the Moon River fishing experts' group chat, things were lively that evening.

"Today, my wife asked me what I had for lunch, and I deftly skirted around it."

"I'm in more danger. My wife showed me a video of Boss Jiang's stall today. She said that whenever she finds out where his stall is, she wants me to take her there to eat. I just kept my mouth shut."

"Good thing I don't have a wife."

"Who needs a wife for fishing? I had one before but got divorced because it was too bothersome!"

"The weather's going to be good tomorrow; let's all head out early."

"Boss Jiang should still be going, right?"

"If he's coming, I won't even eat breakfast tomorrow. I'll just have his boxed meal."

"Definitely."

The chatter in the group was lively. Everyone felt they were all striving for the great cause of fishing.

The Moon River fishing group, sworn to guard the secret of Boss Jiang's food stall. What evil intentions could fishermen harbor? They just didn't want others to eat the cheap boxed meals. Their intentions were good, though perhaps a bit misguided.

However, the strongest fortresses are often breached from within.

There are traitors among the people, spies in the fishing group. Some in the group hardly go fishing; they don't care much about it. What they do care about is that Jiang Feng is setting up a stall at Moon River. These people don't plan on publicizing it widely, but bringing their wives over should be fine, right? Different people, different thoughts.

Jiang Feng, on the other hand, had no clue about these things.

That night, he made a pot of delicious fish soup and a dish of braised fish at home.

The water quality in Moon River was excellent, with very little pollution. The grass carp meat was tender and delicious, making for a very satisfying meal.

The best connoisseur is still the chef himself. Jiang Feng always chose the choicest parts of the fish to eat. He was feeling pretty good.

「The next morning,」 Jiang Feng was up and bustling about in his shop early.

He had taken down the signs outside his shop and wasn't open for business, but since he was there, the door wasn't locked.

Old Wang, whose real name was Wang Jianjun, enjoyed morning jogs. Enjoy the story by reading on M|V|LE%MPYR.

Today, while jogging, as he passed by Jiang Feng's shop, he suddenly caught a whiff of a delicious scent.

"Hey, there's that smell again!" he thought. "It's so fragrant!"

He had noticed it the day before as well.

He jogged on an empty stomach every day for exercise and to lose weight. After jogging, he would go for breakfast.

But today was different. As he jogged down his usual path, he suddenly smelled the aroma of food.

The smell was intoxicating, going straight up his nose to his brain and causing his stomach to protest loudly.

Old Wang stopped in his tracks.

He looked around.

It was six in the morning, and most of the shops hadn't opened yet.

But there was one shop without a sign that seemed to have some activity.

Old Wang hesitated but decided to check it out. After all, an old man like him had nothing to fear.

He pushed open the door and initially saw a brand-new food truck.

The air was filled with the aroma of food, and the sounds of cooking came from the kitchen.

It smelled unbelievably good. Like the scent of frying meat.

Old Wang kept walking in.

At that moment, Jiang Feng was fervently cooking, with several trays of rice steaming in the steamer next to him.

The helping auntie had also arrived.

As Jiang Feng was cooking, he turned his head and saw an old man with a puzzled look walking through the front door.

Jiang Feng was startled for a moment, then understood what was happening.

"Sir, are you looking for someone?" Jiang Feng asked hurriedly.

Old Wang felt a bit awkward. "Ah, I smelled something tasty and came in to look... Are you cooking here?"

Jiang Feng, being quite polite, replied, "Yes, making boxed meals, for the stall."

"Could I have one?" the old man asked, swallowing.

"Sure," Jiang Feng said. "The payment code is hanging on the food truck; it's 18 yuan per meal. Auntie, please pack a boxed meal for him."

Jiang Feng hadn't expected to get business before even opening the stall. The old man had just come in, drawn by the aroma.

"Good, good, good." Hearing he could buy one, the old man was overjoyed, his mouth agape with happiness. It wasn't a wasted trip.

He went out to scan the code and pay, then took his boxed meal.

Then he found a place to sit down and began to eat right away.

The first dish Jiang Feng made that day was braised pork, and that's what the old man's meal contained. He picked up a piece of the braised pork and popped it into his mouth.

He was stunned from the first bite.

The meat was bursting with flavor, melting in his mouth, incredibly soft, and became juicier with each chew.

The braised pork was fresh out of the pan and still brimming with sauce. The meat was aromatic, juicy, and explosively delicious.

Old Wang couldn't help exclaiming in surprise, "Oh! This is really something!"

He noticed that the flavor here was different from other places. Glistening with oil, the taste was on point, very appetizing to look at.

The more he ate, the more amazed he became.

This shop that hadn't officially opened, how could it make food that tasted so good?

"Boss, when will you open for business?" the old man asked specifically.

"I'm not opening for business. This place is just for cooking; I mainly operate the stall," Jiang Feng responded.

"Not opening, eh! That's a shame," Old Wang smacked his lips.

He soon finished his boxed meal. After lingering a bit, he reluctantly stood up and left.

Well, so much for trying to lose weight by jogging in the morning. He couldn't control his appetite again. It was even worse now. Initially, it was just the smell he couldn't resist, but now, having tasted such a delicious boxed meal, he was even less able to hold back. It was all this boss's fault; why did he have to make it so tasty?