Steam rises across a parking lot opposite a construction site in the Zhenhai district of Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province as workers line up with lunchboxes.

Behind a folding table Zhang Tengfei doles out rice and braised pork with practiced speed.

Street vendor Zhang Tengfei serves up lunch to construction workers in Jiulonghu town, Ningbo, East China's Zhejiang Province. (Photos: Ningbo Evening News)

"Eat it while it's hot," he says with a smile.

Each meal costs no more than 10 yuan (about $1.43), a price Zhang has kept since opening his stall.

Zhang is better known online as "Afei 30."

There he documents daily food preparation and lunchtime interactions in short videos filmed from a first-person perspective.

His Douyin video account has more than 820,000 followers and over 10 million likes.

Screenshot from Zhang's Douyin account "Afei 30."

A new start

Zhang, 28, a migrant worker from Fuyang in East China's Anhui Province, became unemployed in November last year when the interior design company he worked for closed during restructuring.

While searching for work, he noticed street vendors near construction sites selling low-cost meals and decided to try it himself.

With no formal culinary training, Zhang learned to cook through tutorials and trial and error. He settled on simple dishes designed to be filling including braised pork with rice for 10 yuan and a vegetable stew with ribs and soup for 8 yuan. The meals drew steady demand from construction workers.

Customers line up for box lunches.

Circle of support

As attention grew for the stall, construction and urban management authorities helped arrange a fixed operating pitch.

Market regulators assisted Zhang in completing health and business registration requirements and temporary fencing was installed to improve order and sanitation.

By early January Zhang's license was ready. About 40 workers eat at the stall each day. Food sales bring in a limited profit of roughly 30 yuan, or about $4, daily, while income from social media helps offset costs and allows prices to remain unchanged.

"I promised I wouldn't raise prices," he said. "The videos and my fans help me keep that promise."

Running the stall has provided Zhang with steady work after a period of unemployment. Zhang's videos project a quiet dignity and respect for working people.

"This isn't just about food," one viewer commented online. "It's about someone finding their footing again."

A migrant worker tucks into his meal.

(With input from Ningbo Evening News)