Cooking System: Street Food Rules

"It's shaking, it's shaking!"

"Hold steady, don't jerk the rod yet!"

"Damn, it got away again! This fish is so crafty!"

On the Moon River bank, the fishing bros all stood up, gathering to watch someone trying to catch blackfish. But the blackfish were very sneaky and wouldn't take the bait properly. They'd nibble the red-braised meat clean off from the side and simply slip away. This left the angler whose line was in the water feeling a frustrating sense of powerlessness.

"Damn it! If it dares to toy with me again, I'll jump into the river and catch the fish myself!" The angler obviously had a fiery temper. This kind of scene was just unbearable.

Many people came to watch, also clamoring to use red-braised meat to catch blackfish. Some even tried meat from stir-fried pork with wood ear mushrooms or fish-flavored shredded pork. However, for the time being, only red-braised meat seemed to have any effect.

Jiang Feng also came to the riverbank and found an empty spot. Most people were on the other side watching, so his area wasn't too crowded.

"Boss Jiang, make more red-braised meat tomorrow."

"Sure, no problem."

"What did you add to this red-braised meat? Do you have a recipe?"

"It's just the usual home-style recipe; I didn't add anything special."

Two people greeted Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng unfolded his portable stool, sat down, and started adjusting his float and fishing line. He hadn't prepared any regular bait yet. Since he'd heard that red-braised meat was effective, he planned to try it first. It seemed absurd, but strange things happened often enough that it wasn't shocking.

Jiang Feng baited his hook with a piece of red-braised meat.

Really works?

He stood up and immediately cast his line. The hook sank until the float stood upright on the water's surface. Jiang Feng knew that blackfish were fierce by nature, and catching them with a static bait was incredibly difficult. So, he carefully observed the water.

As if sensing Jiang Feng's intentions, the nearby anglers all turned to look at him.

Jiang Feng stood straight. He waited for about twenty seconds, then started to slowly reel in the line. This was a lure fishing technique, though lure fishing is generally a bit faster. As Jiang Feng reeled, the red-braised meat moved slowly through the water.

From a blackfish's perspective, this was moving prey. Blackfish are aggressive; they will charge at moving prey and bite down hard, giving it no chance to react. This was the correct way to catch blackfish!

Jiang Feng had only intended to try it out and didn't expect to catch one on his first attempt. But it seemed the blackfish had its eyes on the red-braised meat. There was no helping it; a delicacy falling from the heavens was simply irresistible. Human food was just tastier than nature's offerings. The internet-famous wolf on the Tibet Expressway, ever since tasting egg yolk pies, waited on the road every day to be fed. Raw meat? Not even dogs would eat it!

Just then, Jiang Feng suddenly felt a strong tug on his line, and the float was quickly pulled underwater.

"Got it!"

Jiang Feng's expression sharpened.

No way, this quickly?

A powerful force transmitted through the fishing rod as Jiang Feng began to struggle with the blackfish. He didn't reel in the line but just held the rod steady. The blackfish, realizing it was hooked, struggled fiercely to escape.

Seeing the commotion on Jiang Feng's side, the adjacent anglers immediately stood up.

"Holy crap! Got a fish, got a fish! It's a big one!"

"Executive Chef Jiang has hooked a blackfish!"

"It really is a big fish!"

They all shouted excitedly.

The anglers on the other side, who were enjoying the spectacle, also heard the shouts.

"Look over there, someone caught a big fish!"

"Hurry, let's go see!"

"So impressive! That's Executive Chef Jiang, right?"

"It's him! Holy cow! It really is him!"

People began crowding around Jiang Feng.

On the bank of Moon River, a young, handsome man was fiercely wrestling with his fishing rod. The rod was bent like a bow, looking as if it might snap at any moment. Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats, terrified the rod would break.

Jiang Feng continued to keep the line taut. His posture was steady, and he appeared to have everything under control. This step looked simple but was actually very risky. Many anglers who hooked big fish faced a dilemma: they either lacked the strength, allowing the fish to escape, or they used too much force and snapped the rod, making it difficult to land the fish. The trick was to play the fish. No matter how much it struggled, you had to hold on tight. Once the fish tired itself out swimming, you could start reeling it in, little by little.

"As expected of a chef, his stance is incredibly solid!"

"He's not even bulky, so how is he so stable?"

"That's what's impressive; he's got real skill!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

Jiang Feng hadn't noticed, but a large group of people had gathered around him. Not only people, but several feral cats that recognized Jiang Feng were also watching from the side.

The situation was critical; any mistake could lead to failure. After a standoff of a few minutes, Jiang Feng felt the fish's pull lessen and began to slowly reel in. He would reel in a few turns, then let the fish run a bit more. Slowly but surely, like boiling a frog in tepid water, the fishing line grew shorter and shorter.

A good hunter must be patient. Before long, the blackfish appeared near the river's edge. Jiang Feng kept reeling, dragging it onto the shore.

A Kitten, unable to contain its excitement, scurried over as if to help, trying to grab the blackfish and assist Jiang Feng in pulling it ashore. But Jiang Feng stopped the cat.

The blackfish was large and thrashed about vigorously.

"He really caught it, wow!"

"Is he here to sell lunch boxes or to steal the show?"

"An expert, definitely an expert!"

"He must have at least a Level 2 fishing license!"

The nearby anglers were a mixture of envy and jealousy.

Jiang Feng grabbed the blackfish by its mouth and lifted it into a bucket. One bucket was just the right size for one blackfish.

"Executive Chef Jiang, impressive!" someone shouted at him.

"Awesome!" many people were shouting. It was the highest compliment men like them could offer.

"Thank you," Jiang Feng smiled heartily.

"Executive Chef Jiang, can I take a photo with the fish?" a fishing buddy immediately asked.

"No problem."

What followed was the fishing buddy's moment to shine. When you're out and about, you're responsible for your own image. Even if you've caught nothing in reality, your social media feed must tell a different story.

One angler took a selfie holding the big blackfish, then posted it with the caption: "Another fruitful day!"

Seeing him show off like that, the other anglers couldn't stand it.

"I want a photo too!"

"Executive Chef Jiang, I want a picture with it too!"

"Me too!"

Everyone was highly enthusiastic.

"Sure, go ahead and take your photos," Jiang Feng responded with a smile.

When anglers caught a big fish, they wanted the whole world to know. If someone caught an exceptionally large one, they might even put it on the back of their bicycle and parade it around the village a few times. To anyone they met, they'd say: "Have you eaten? I just caught a twenty-three-pound-five-ounce big fish. No big deal." Or, "This fish? Just caught it. It practically jumped onto my hook by itself." And as they said this, they'd put on a particularly casual, nonchalant expression, though they could hardly suppress the grin tugging at their lips.

Jiang Feng was very composed. But since everyone wanted photos, he didn't stop them. He just waited to the side. A large crowd had gathered.

"This blackfish must weigh around eighteen or nineteen pounds."

"Imagine how many smaller fish it's eaten!"

"It's a good thing this is a river and not a pond; otherwise, the blackfish would have eaten all the other fish!"

"Catching a few more blackfish like this is actually good for the river."

People commented as they looked at the blackfish.

After everyone had their turn taking photos, Jiang Feng put the blackfish back into the bucket.

Today was another day of harvest. Blackfish eat almost anything and have few natural predators in the river—their only true nemesis might be pickled cabbage, considering how much would be needed to stew such a large one.

It's outrageous, red-braised meat really works for fishing. Jiang Feng thought to himself. Will everyone use their lunch boxes for fishing tomorrow? But it's alright. There are two dishes in the lunch box; if the customers eat one, I'd still have completed my task.

A few cats were looking at him; they recognized Jiang Feng as the fishing expert from yesterday and were waiting around. What bad intentions could cats have? They just wanted some fish, that's all.

"I'll fish for a bit more."

Jiang Feng began preparing his bait, forming it into balls, and continued to fish quietly. He was catching only small fish, perfect for feeding the cats. Jiang Feng was soon surrounded by kittens again.

「Meanwhile」

Some people, hearing Jiang Feng was here, came looking for him. Unfortunately, they only found the food truck, which had already closed for the day.

"Where's Executive Chef Jiang?"

"Fishing by the river? The lunch boxes sold out early; you guys are late."

"Fishing?" This chapter was originally posted on M^VLEMPYR.

They were curious.

Outdoor livestreamer Liu Bao was in a similar situation. He'd rushed over after seeing messages in the group chat. Unfortunately, he missed the meal, but he did hear that Jiang Feng had started fishing there.

Liu Bao reached the riverbank and spotted Jiang Feng at a glance. Jiang Feng sat on a small stool, dressed in a tracksuit, with a little black dog and several kittens at his feet, looking quite relaxed.

He was livestreaming and told his viewers, "Executive Chef Jiang wants to fish this week, so he's set up by Moon River. What a coincidence, I'm also a fishing expert!"

Liu Bao said this as he walked over to Jiang Feng.

"Executive Chef Jiang, how's the fishing going?" Liu Bao greeted.

Jiang Feng, who had just caught a bleak, replied while reeling it in, "Not bad, catching a few."

Liu Bao looked at the blackfish in the bucket. "Holy cow, you caught that? It's huge!"

Jiang Feng glanced at the blackfish. "Caught it myself. Got lucky."

That's luck? Liu Bao was incredibly surprised.

A nearby angler enthusiastically told Liu Bao, "Executive Chef Jiang is amazing at fishing; every cast is a catch! That blackfish was his. We were all watching just a moment ago!"

Hearing this, Liu Bao's interest was piqued. That's something. I definitely can't beat him in cooking, but I can still compete with his fishing skills.

"Wait up, I'll go buy a rod."

Seeing Liu Bao's passionate display, the viewers in the livestream also got excited.

Jiang Feng, however, said, "Let's call it a day. I'm done fishing and about to head back to make some fish with pickled greens. Come back tomorrow."

Hearing this, Liu Bao inwardly sighed in disappointment but readily agreed, "Okay, I'll come tomorrow."