Cooking System: Street Food Rules

A group of fishermen approached Jiang Feng's food truck, the hunger in their eyes palpable.

Jiang Feng looked at these customers. He met their eyes and knew: these were his people.

"Boss, you came just in time! I was so hungry I was about to start eating fish bait!"

"Hurry and give me one!"

"I want a rice combo set with fish-flavored shredded pork!"

"I'll have a rice combo set with stir-fried pork and wood ear mushrooms!"

The fishermen lined up, clamoring for their orders.

Jiang Feng courteously attended to each one.

Scan the code, pay, grab a boxed meal.

The boxed meals were selling incredibly fast. These people hadn't expected such a small stall to appear right beside Moon River. It was truly a godsend.

One particularly famished man opened his meal on the spot and started eating. The steaming hot boxed meal nearly moved him to tears. His rice combo set contained fish-flavored shredded pork. With each bite, the flavor was so exquisite he felt he could swallow his own tongue. The shredded pork was coated in a thick, delicious sauce. He used his chopsticks to spread some sauce onto his rice, dyeing it an enticing, rich color. Another mouthful of rice, and the feeling was incredibly satisfying.

Others saw how he was eating, their mouths watering as they swallowed hard with envy.

"Boss, give me three rice combo sets!"

"I want four rice combo sets!"

"Boss, you're a lifesaver! We've been fishing here most of the day and were starving, wondering what we were going to do for food, and then you showed up!"

People lined up in front of Jiang Feng's food truck, shouting their orders.

The feeling of hunger was awful: a cold, empty ache in the stomach. It was bearable if you could focus on something else, but torture when all your attention was on your stomach. It was truly uncomfortable.

Many were hungry, and then Jiang Feng had appeared, right on time.

Jiang Feng hadn't expected such enthusiasm. He smiled warmly, scanned a QR code, and handed over a boxed meal. Business was very good.

Some fishermen were still by the river, too far away to see the food truck.

"Is someone really selling boxed meals here?"

"Can boxed meals even be good? Setting up a stall here, it must be really expensive."

"Just talking about it is making me hungry."

"It's almost mealtime, how could we not be hungry?"

Many stood up, looking towards the food truck. They could only see people heading in that direction.

"Let's go buy some too. With so many people buying, they might sell out."

"True, a small stall can only carry so much food. It might all be gone."

A few discussed it amongst themselves. One stayed to watch the fishing rods while the other two hurried off to buy boxed meals. They practically ran.

It was understandable. Many had been fishing for a long time; it would be terrible to miss out on the boxed meals and go hungry. Although they had brought some snacks, snacks were nothing compared to a hot, steaming boxed meal.

Jiang Feng was pleased to see this. Though everyone was enthusiastic, it wasn't quite like the long lines his stall used to attract. Plus, the boxed meals sold quickly; the process was a breeze: scan, pay, and grab a meal, all in one smooth motion.

Many had already started eating Jiang Feng's boxed meals. Their initial thought was just to fill their stomachs. But one bite was all it took. They were instantly revitalized, their expressions brightening.

"Man, this boxed meal is really tasty!"

"Not bad at all, and so fragrant!"

"It's amazing! This boxed meal is the bomb!" The most up‑to‑date version is on M4VLEMP4YR.

"This food is so delicious! What if we use some leftover rice as groundbait?"

"The rice grains are so big, can the fish even eat them? We'd better eat it ourselves."

People chattered amongst themselves.

Others carried their boxed meals back to the riverbank, handing them to their companions, who couldn't wait to dig in.

The moment the lid was opened, the aroma of rice mixed with the savory scent of the dishes wafted out. The smell was incredibly tempting; it was intoxicating and seemed to bore straight into their empty stomachs. Their stomachs, quiet moments before, growled with hunger at the scent.

They started wolfing down the rice. Once they began eating, they couldn't stop, completely engrossed and with no time for conversation until every last bit of rice and food in their meal boxes was gone.

They took a sip of water and let out a deep sigh.

"This rice combo set is absolutely to die for! Plus, at only 18 yuan per set, it's so affordable!"

"It's been a long time since I've found such a tasty stall! The boxed meals are made so well!"

"We really lucked out finding this!"

Fishermen usually focused on fishing-related information, not so much on gourmet food. So, even with around fifty or sixty people buying food, no one recognized Jiang Feng. Everyone just thought it was a delicious little stall and couldn't stop praising its boxed meals. It was delicious and affordable, offering great value. Even restaurant meals didn't always reach this level of quality.

In the Moon River Fishing Tycoons group chat, praises flowed continuously.

"The stall Old He recommended is truly incredible; the taste is amazing!"

"The price is cheap too, only 18 yuan per set!"

"I'm so satisfied! If only he came every day!"

"It's genuinely delicious. This stir-fried pork with wood ear mushrooms is even better than what the restaurant downstairs from my apartment makes!"

The chat group was buzzing with messages.

Some who hadn't been hungry initially and hadn't bought a boxed meal started to get curious seeing the messages.

Is it really that tasty?

Why is everyone praising it so much?

I have to try it too!

And so, a few more people ran over to Jiang Feng's food truck to buy a rice combo set.

The people who came to fish by Moon River were a diverse crowd. Some might look unassuming, but you'd never know how wealthy they actually were. There were plenty of rich tycoons among them.

After seeing the messages in the group, a few wealthy individuals thought to themselves, Is the rice combo set really that good? And it's less than 20 yuan. It's probably just at the level of a construction site boxed meal.

They came here to fish when they had nothing else to do, as the fishing environment was even better than at professional fishing grounds. And there really were a lot of fish. Although this bend in the river was crowded with anglers, Moon River's upstream and downstream stretches were long, with a large reservoir further down teeming with countless fish. There was no fear of fishing all the fish out.

Jiang Feng, on the other hand, was happy. Business was booming. In a short while, he had already sold over seventy boxes, and people were still driving over continuously. After seeing the messages in the chat group, anyone passing Jiang Feng's food truck would invariably buy a set.

Before long, someone finally recognized Jiang Feng. As he drove by and saw Jiang Feng's food truck, it looked familiar. He stopped his car, took a closer look, and exclaimed inwardly, Holy crap, isn't that Executive Chef Jiang? He often sets up his stall in different locations, attracting countless people who line up for his food. I can't believe he's at Moon River this time!

He immediately took a photo and posted it in the "Moon River Fishing Tycoons Group."

"This guy is Executive Chef Jiang, the super popular vendor who sets up his stall randomly!"

"His food is exceptionally delicious!"

"There are always huge lines for his food, and there are tons of videos of him online!"

"If he's here, the food must be good!"

"Anything he makes is bound to be delicious!"

Seeing these messages, many people belatedly realized who he was.

"Damn, it's him! I remember now!"

"The super popular stall owner? No wonder he's so popular! The food's cheap, delicious, and seems very clean!"

"So it was him!"

The crowd buzzed with discussion.

At that moment, the angler who recognized Jiang Feng had another thought and sent a message in the group:

"Everyone, don't share the news that Executive Chef Jiang is setting up his stall here online, and don't post any videos."

"We don't want others to see!"

"He has tons of regular customers. If they all come here, we anglers won't be able to buy any."

"You genuinely wouldn't even be able to fight your way to the front to buy one!"

Seeing this, the fishing folks in the chat group quickly agreed.

"Let's keep this news to ourselves, just internal consumption."

"Having rice combo sets to eat will make fishing here even more enjoyable."

"I definitely won't say a word."

Messages flew around the chat group. Jiang Feng had only just set up his stall, but he had already caused quite a stir in the fishing group.

Jiang Feng was oblivious to these messages, simply running his rice combo set stall. The crowd was enthusiastic, with people constantly coming to buy sets, often three or five boxes at a time.

Of the three hundred or so rice combo sets he had prepared, all were sold out by around one in the afternoon.

Jiang Feng saved one box for himself and one for Little Black.

The system task was already complete. And today's bonus reward surprised him.

[Guests Served: 268/100. Daily Task: Complete.]

The actual number of individual customers was just over two hundred because many people ate two portions, or bought an extra one they hadn't eaten yet, saving it for dinner.

[Bonus Reward Received: Skill – Fishing Master.]

This time, the reward was a skill. In addition to his culinary skills and knife skills for hand-shaved noodles, Jiang Feng had now acquired a fishing skill.

Fishing? I've never fished before. How did I get a reward like this? he thought. But it's not bad. Perfect. I'm free this afternoon. Taking Little Black for a walk by the river would be nice. Just to enjoy the scenery.

A short walk back down the road, there was a fishing gear shop. Gazing at the flowing waters of Moon River, Jiang Feng wanted to try out his newly acquired skill. So, he went to the fishing gear shop and bought a complete set of fishing equipment.

If he could catch a big fish, he had at least dozens of cooking methods in mind to "prepare" it—or, as he thought of it, to "liberate" the fish and send it to its "next life."