Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Have you ever heard of the Moon River Food Truck God?
"That’s it for today. I’m heading back."
"Come back tomorrow!"
Jiang Feng finished fishing, said goodbye to the onlookers, and left with his bucket.
He needed to leave quickly.
Just moments ago, several people had approached him, asking to make videos with him. Among them were two pretty girls who were clearly creating short-form videos. Their videos supposedly got quite a few likes after they "checked in" with him. As a result, more and more people wanted to "check in" with Jiang Feng at Moon River.
Someone even added a new point of interest on the Moon River map. If you searched for Moon River on the map, the terms that used to pop up included:
"A fishing paradise"
"Clear river water, great for bringing the family for fun."
"Nothing but the river."
But now, the top search result was:
"Limited-time Attraction: Executive Chef Jiang"
When Jiang Feng heard about this from one of the pretty girls, he was somewhat stunned. Crap, how did I become a tourist attraction?
The girl, named White Snow, was an influencer who made short videos for live streams. She had an amazing figure, with a tiny waist and slender legs, and many of the fishing enthusiasts kept glancing her way. She had been by Jiang Feng’s side the whole time.
"Let’s go."
Jiang Feng returned to the food truck, packed up, and drove away.
At that moment, coincidentally, a group of people came looking for Jiang Feng.
"Where’s Executive Chef Jiang?"
"I came to see Executive Chef Jiang too."
"I heard he’s here this week. Came to take a photo and check in!"
"Where’s my limited-time attraction?"
They all asked one after the other.
One of the veteran fishermen nearby spoke up, "He just left, probably about two minutes ago. You can still catch him if you go now."
"After all, he’s driving a food truck. There aren’t many cars on these suburban roads, so he should be easy to track down."
Everyone thought the veteran fisherman’s advice sounded reasonable.
"Let’s go, chase him down!"
"Let’s go take a look!"
This group of people took off, some in cars and others on motorcycles, speeding along the suburban highway towards the city.
Unfortunately for them, had they ever heard of the "Moon River Food Truck God"?
Jiang Feng’s food truck was provided by the System and was surprisingly powerful. When there were no cars on the road, Jiang Feng would speed up.
Speed at seventy miles, mood is free and easy~
Someone was driving leisurely in the suburbs. Suddenly, he saw in his left side-view mirror that a small bus behind him had its left turn signal on, indicating it was about to overtake. He shifted slightly to the right, giving it space to pass.
However, as the food truck passed him, he saw the slogan on its side: "Freshly Made Boxed Meals – $18 Each," along with images of exquisite mountain and sea delicacies printed on its body.
He was flabbergasted.
What the heck? That was a food truck?
A food truck overtook me?
After overtaking him, the food truck continued to speed ahead, quickly disappearing from sight.
It must be my imagination!
Since when are food trucks so powerful?
The driver comforted himself.
Before long, several other vehicles sped past him as well. The first to zoom by was a motorcycle, followed by cars. But once they entered the city and merged into the traffic, they couldn’t find Jiang Feng’s food truck anywhere.
"Damn, we couldn’t even catch up! Where did Executive Chef Jiang go? Can he fly?"
"My mighty SUV can’t keep up with a food truck that’s practically a bus?"
"Maybe he’s taking shortcuts through the drainage ditches?"
"Or maybe he pulled over and is hiding somewhere behind us?"
The patrons were abuzz with speculation.
By this time, Jiang Feng’s food truck had entered the city. He resumed his usual pace and drove slowly towards home. His food truck had indeed been modified and was used for catering. It was quite like the AE86, worthy of the "Moon River Food Truck God."
Unaware that people were chasing him, Jiang Feng headed back home and began to relax and play.
「Meanwhile, by the banks of Moon River.」
After White Snow posted the video of her checking in with Jiang Feng, many people in the comments section gave it a thumbs up.
"Executive Chef Jiang is doing well, getting to make videos with White Snow!"
"Executive Chef Jiang is quite handsome in person!"
"His buns taste so good—big and soft, and the meat filling is especially generous!"
"I always end up seeing Executive Chef Jiang in various odd videos, but he never makes his own!"
White Snow hadn’t expected that joining in for a bit of fun would lead to so many likes. It was clear that Jiang Feng was quite popular locally. He was even known in other cities.
White Snow immediately thought about leveraging this popularity for more traffic. She looked over at Liu Bao, approached him with a slight smile, and said, "Brother Bao, hi! I’m a fan of yours. I’ve watched lots of your videos!"
Upon hearing White Snow’s words and noticing her attractive appearance, Liu Bao immediately became excited. "Oh... Oh? Is that so?"
"Brother Bao, I heard Executive Chef Jiang changes his stall location every week. Is that correct?" White Snow asked again, her voice soft.
"Yep, he takes a two-day break in between. I review his food every week. The dishes he makes are amazing; eating them is incredibly satisfying."
"I heard you’re always the first to find him?" White Snow’s eyes glinted with interest.
"More or less. If I’m not the first, I’m usually close. I have an intel group, and everyone who finds him tells me, so I can locate him pretty quickly."
"You’re so amazing!" White Snow exclaimed, her face full of admiration.
"Ha... hahaha, it’s nothing special." Liu Bao’s face lit up like a blooming flower.
"Then, next time you find him, could you let me know? I’d also love to try Executive Chef Jiang’s food, just like you," White Snow said softly, her eyes seeming to shimmer like rippling water.
"Of course, no problem," Liu Bao eagerly responded.
The two then added each other on WeChat, Liu Bao’s smile growing wider and wider. His cousin, standing nearby, frowned as he watched this unfold.
Just then, a fisherman behind the cousin hooked a fish and exclaimed excitedly, "Fish on! I’ve got one!"
The cousin looked at Liu Bao and sighed inwardly. It’s over. The fish really took the bait.
My brother’s been thoroughly hooked, practically smirking like a fish that took the bait!
Having achieved her goal, White Snow waved to Liu Bao, a coy smile on her face. "Brother Bao, we have other things to do, so we’ll get going."
"Remember to contact me."
Liu Bao laughed heartily, "Of course, don’t worry."
After White Snow and her companion left, Liu Bao looked smugly at his cousin. "See? I’ve got serious charm, right? To have such a beautiful fan."
The cousin sighed, "Bro, I feel like it’s not that simple."
"Beautiful girls are the most deceitful."
"And, it might not be about your charm."
Hearing his cousin’s words, Liu Bao shot him a disdainful look and waved his hand dismissively. "You don’t know a thing."
Then he continued merrily fishing.
* * *
Jiang Feng had acquired another Shandong Cuisine recipe that day: the Crispy Fried Double Delight recipe. This recipe was quite good.
Among the multitude of delicacies in China, different dishes have different focal points. For instance, Wen Si tofu requires extremely precise knife skills, while Crispy Fried Double Delight demands intense control over the heat, as well as exceptional knife skills. Nowadays, if a Shandong Cuisine Restaurant doesn’t have a skilled executive chef, they simply wouldn’t offer this dish. The dishes Jiang Feng cooked previously were tasty, but they were all home-style dishes that didn’t show off his capabilities. If he could cook this dish well, his culinary skills would be self-evident. Shandong Cuisine places a premium on techniques, and some dishes are very difficult to make.
This dish is only suitable for banquets, not for a street stall.
When I open a Shandong Cuisine Restaurant, I can make this a signature dish.
「The next day, Jiang Feng still got up early to prepare food.」
Moon River had recently become very lively. The place was already crowded to begin with, its riverbanks lined with fishermen. Now that Jiang Feng was there, even more food enthusiasts were drawn to the area. The riverside became even more bustling.
After preparing the boxed meals, loading up his food truck, Jiang Feng headed straight for Moon River. In the city, he maintained a normal speed. But once he left the city, Jiang Feng began to accelerate. The food truck was very stable. It raced along the suburban roads. The road had a speed limit of 70 km/h. Jiang Feng maintained a speed of around 69 km/h, overtaking several cars in a row, and soon arrived at the banks of Moon River.
The food truck, having been modified, was indeed powerful. It just didn’t have a license plate; otherwise, it could have gone directly onto the highway.
Moon River was still crowded. This time, besides the veteran fishermen, many people were also there filming with their phones.
"The main attraction is here! The main attraction is here!"
"It’s really him! I’m so glad I came!"
"Haha, it’s Executive Chef Jiang, in the flesh!"
"Let’s try his boxed meals. It’s much more convenient this way, and we won’t have to wait in line too long!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Soon, Jiang Feng arrived at his usual spot, switched on his lightbox, set up his sign, and prepared for business. A line quickly formed for his boxed meals. Others posed for photos nearby. It was a bustling scene; he had truly become a tourist attraction.
Jiang Feng didn’t mind. As long as everyone was happy, it didn’t affect his business.
However, there were a couple of overly intrusive social media bloggers who, holding their phones, kept shouting things like, "My loyal fans, hit that subscribe button!" This was really annoying. These were the types with little real talent, trying to make quick money through live streaming, and they rarely succeeded in earning much. The more successful ones, those with tens of thousands of followers like Liu Bao, generally understood boundaries and maintained proper etiquette.
The boxed meals sold at a rapid pace. It was truly great not having to cook on the spot. It reminded Jiang Feng of when he sold braised meat and buns. Selling pre-made food from a stall was definitely more comfortable.
Boxed meals were sold three at a time, with continuous waves of customers arriving. Soon, all the meals were gone.
Jiang Feng had planned to fish for a while, but seeing how large the crowd was, he decided against it. He wasn’t particularly addicted to fishing; he just found it relaxing, and teasing his cat was also enjoyable.