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In the midst of the chaos, Jiang Feng stopped in his tracks.

If he wasn’t mistaken, he thought he saw the old man as a middle-aged person!

Jiang Feng hurried forward and in just a few steps, confronted the middle-aged man who looked like Jiang Weiguo. He scrutinized him carefully and confirmed that this middle-aged man, with sunglasses on, lurking in the corner, looking robust, not mingling with others, and who a few years ago probably would have been invited for tea due to his strange behavior, was indeed Jiang Weiguo.

Looking at the old man’s get-up, Jiang Feng found it increasingly amusing. It wasn’t that his outfit was bizarre or comical; there were plenty in the crowd wearing even more bizarre and comical attire. After all, at this time, anyone dressed even slightly fashionably looked like a scene stealer.

Jiang Weiguo, with his sunglasses hiding his face and tucked away in a corner, had to stand on his toes, craning his neck just to glance at the culinary stage in the middle. Clearly, he was trying to avoid others, not wanting to be seen, and even if spotted, he hoped not to be recognized.

“By the looks of it, Sun Guanyun is going to lose,” said an onlooker next to Jiang Weiguo to the person beside him.

“He’s bound to lose. He didn’t handle the deboning of the pigeon well, and the pigeon wasn’t plump enough when sealed,” another person in the crowd agreed.

The onlookers were either well-known gourmets or famous chefs within the industry—they were experts, and they could tell who was superior between Sun Guanyun and Sun Maochai.

“It’s such a pity. Master Sun’s body isn’t even cold yet, and Jubao Building is about to change hands.”

“Having Jubao Building under Sun Maochai is still better than ending up with Zhang Kun, that ungrateful wretch,” an onlooker with the same type of sunglasses as Jiang Weiguo commented, clearly someone who knew the inside story.

“Hey, where did you buy those sunglasses? How come they look different from the pair I bought last month?” one of the onlookers changed the subject.

“Last month’s model? That’s outdated already. I bought these glasses at Wang Liu’s place near the train station, and these are the latest models from Hong Kong City,” the sunglass-wearing onlooker said proudly, and even though no one could see his eyes, they knew he was smug.

“Forget about the sunglasses for a moment. You just mentioned Zhang Kun. What does this competition have to do with him, wasn’t he eliminated by Sun Guanyun in the first round?” another person asked.

As this question was posed, everybody curiously turned to look at the sunglass-wearing onlooker. Jiang Weiguo also couldn’t help but glance over and listened intently.

“You don’t know? On the surface, this competition seems to be Sun Guanyun’s plot to seize Jubao Building, but in reality, it was Zhang Kun who stirred things up from behind, only to be eliminated by Sun Guanyun in the first round. All of Master Sun’s disciples came today except for Zhang Kun, the eldest apprentice. He tried to steal a chicken only to end up losing the rice. I don’t think he’ll be able to get by in our area after this,” the sunglass-wearing onlooker explained.

“Not just around here, I think he won’t be able to get by anywhere in the south. Which chef in the provinces around us hasn’t received guidance from Master Sun?” someone chimed in.

Jiang Weiguo was listening by the side, and though Jiang Feng couldn’t see his expression, he could feel that Jiang Weiguo was not in a good mood.

“So where is Zhang Kun now?” Jiang Weiguo asked.

“Who knows? Maybe he’s hiding at home or packing up to skip town,” the sunglass-wearing onlooker said, noticing Jiang Weiguo’s interest, “Hey, did you also get your sunglasses from Wang Liu at the train station?”

“I suppose so,” Jiang Weiguo appeared not interested in further conversation.

“This brother looks unfamiliar. Which restaurant are you from? I don’t seem to remember seeing you around these past few days,” another person inquired.

“I am a disciple registered in the name of Master Sun, I just got off the train last night,” Jiang Weiguo said, uneasily adjusting his sunglasses.

“A disciple registered in the name?” Someone else wanted to ask more questions, but Jiang Weiguo had already turned his head and no longer wished to deal with them.

“This person is so strange.”

“I also think it’s odd; if he’s really a disciple registered in the name of Master Sun, why would he stand at such a corner?”

“Could he have come to seek revenge on Zhang Kun?” someone wildly speculated.

“How could that be; I’ve never heard of Zhang Kun having any enemies in his daily life.”

“You can’t judge a book by its cover. Look at how honest and always smiling he is normally; who would have thought that right after Master Sun’s death he would do such lowly things? Maybe he offended someone outside, or owed money, or eloped with someone’s daughter!”

The onlookers, now detectives in their minds, began to wildly speculate about the origins of Jiang Weiguo.

“What are you all talking about?” Qi Zhongkai, the second disciple of Sun Zheran, came over when he heard the loud discussion, thinking something had happened.

“Mr. Qi, you’re just in time; there’s this guy who says he’s a disciple registered in the name of Master Sun, come and have a look,” said one of the onlookers with sunglasses, pointing at Jiang Weiguo.

Qi Zhongkai followed where he was pointing and immediately recognized Jiang Weiguo.

“Disciple Jiang!” Qi Zhongkai appeared to be very happy, as he hadn’t seen Jiang Weiguo for many years.

The onlookers who had been guessing whether Jiang Weiguo had come to seek revenge on Zhang Kun were all stunned.

Jiang Weiguo clearly didn’t want to attract attention and pulled Qi Zhongkai to another corner where there were no people.

“When is Master’s funeral?” Jiang Weiguo removed his sunglasses and asked.

“He was buried a week ago; since you’re here you must know. We also didn’t expect that right when Master’s body was not yet cold, our eldest senior brother… would do such a thing,” Qi Zhongkai said, his emotions sinking as he spoke about the disgraceful things Zhang Kun had done.

“Sun Guanyun is bound to lose today’s competition,” Jiang Weiguo said.

“Yes, the fifth junior brother practically has no chance of winning. The youngest junior brother said he doesn’t want Jubao Building; if he wins the contest, he’ll leave here for Hong Kong City,” Qi Zhongkai said, “Right now we’re just worried that Guanyun will become obsessed.”

“If that’s the case, why continue the competition?” Jiang Weiguo had rushed here after receiving news of Sun Zheran’s death and was unaware of the reason for this contest.

“Guanyun and Maochai have been cornered. Zhang Kun and Sun Guanyun are both determined to take over Jubao Building. Even if the two of them are now like chickens that fail to steal and lose the rice they have, their scheming has turned into an empty basket of water—a joke. But for the reputation of Jubao Building, once the competition starts, it can’t end without deciding a champion,” Qi Zhongkai sighed, “It’s said that Maochai intentionally threw the match, and with Guanyun’s prideful nature, he would definitely take it even harder.”

Jiang Weiguo knew Sun Guanyun’s temperament very well; at one time, because he wouldn’t acknowledge Sun Zheran as his master, Guanyun believed he was looking down on the Sun Family and treated him coldly for a long time. If Maochai intentionally threw the match in such a public competition, such a stolen victory would hurt Sun Guanyun more than if he had been killed.

“Where is Zhang Kun now?” Jiang Weiguo cut to the chase, not wasting any words.

“He should’ve been hiding at home. I heard that he’s been trying to contact restaurants in Guangdong Province, but no place wants him. He might be thinking of running off to Hong Kong City,” said Qi Zhongkai.

“Where does his family live?” asked Jiang Weiguo with an I’m-going-to-beat-him-to-a-pulp look on his face.

At once, Qi Zhongkai became wary, looking at Jiang Weiguo as if he were seeing a young man about to stray onto the wrong path. Although Jiang Weiguo was no longer of that young age, a middle-aged man in his fifties, especially Jiang Weiguo, was far more terrifying than a rash youngster.

An average youngster wouldn’t stand a chance against Jiang Weiguo, who could take on at least three single-handedly.

“Brother Jiang, things have been pretty strict lately. You really can’t act on impulse,” Qi Zhongkai tried to persuade Jiang Weiguo to put down the butcher’s knife and turn back from the edge.

“I know my limits,” said Jiang Weiguo. Seeing Qi Zhongkai’s expression remained the same, he added, “Those 5 kids of mine are tough skinned, I haven’t spared the rod, but I know my limits.”

Jiang Feng: …

For some reason, he suddenly felt a bit of sympathy for Jiang Jianguo. According to his own father, Jiang Jiankang, the old man loved deeply and disciplined accordingly. The one he cherished the most was Jiang Jianguo, so he was also the one who got beaten up the most.

Qi Zhongkai: ???

“Let’s not talk about this anymore. Maybe he has already run off. When did you get here? I’ll take you to pay respects to Master’s grave and burn incense for him shortly,” said Qi Zhongkai, attempting to change the subject.

“I got off the train this morning. I went to Jubao Building and found no one there. I only learned about the competition here after I asked around, so I came over,” Jiang Weiguo said.

Qi Zhongkai was curious, “How did you get in then? I remember there were people stopping outsiders at the entrance. No one unrelated to the event is allowed in.”

Jiang Weiguo: …

He couldn’t possibly say that he had climbed over the wall when people weren’t looking, and that the security guards outside were still looking for him.

“I just walked in,” said Jiang Weiguo.

Qi Zhongkai: ???

His intuition told him that Jiang Weiguo was lying.

“What about the others?” Jiang Weiguo quickly shifted the topic.

“They are with Mr. Fan and Mr. Chen. The two of them, along with Chef Hu, are the judges for the finals,” said Qi Zhongkai. He was about to lead Jiang Weiguo to the best spot for viewing when he suddenly stopped.

His gaze changed.

Jiang Weiguo’s expression changed too, as he stared at the competition area.

Jiang Feng also turned around abruptly.

Sun Maochai’s pigeon stuffed with swallow’s nest was out of the pot.

Lifting the lid.

A plump pigeon lay peacefully inside the casserole, and as Qi Zhongkai had just mentioned, the three judges approached the culinary station, with Jiang Feng hurrying over as well.

With a knife, they sliced open the pigeon’s belly, revealing the crystal-clear swallow’s nest nestled within the tender pigeon meat. Saturated with broth, the snow-white swallow’s nest was pure and alluring, free from any impurities; the soup too was clear and bright, exuding the unique fragrance of the pigeon.

Sun Guanyun’s pigeon stuffed with swallow’s nest was still steaming in the bamboo steamer, but he had already approached Sun Maochai to observe the dish he had prepared.

After the three judges tasted Sun Maochai’s dish, all of them showed an expression of amazement. They looked at Sun Guanyun with a mix of awkwardness and helplessness.

They knew Sun Guanyun’s capabilities. Even if he performed beyond his usual level, he couldn’t create a dish of pigeon stuffed with swallow’s nest more delicious than Sun Maochai’s.

The outcome of the competition was as good as decided.

“May I have a taste?” Sun Guanyun uttered the first sentence Jiang Feng had heard him speak since entering this memory.

“Guanyun, ah.” One of the judges wanted to say something but hesitated.

Sun Guanyun took a taste.

Just one.

“I’ve lost.”

Sun Guanyun set down his spoon, not caring about his own dish that hasn’t been served yet, and left straightaway.

No one dared to follow him. They just watched him go. Jiang Feng, walking by his side, saw the 46-year-old Sun Guanyun laugh as he walked.

Tears streaked down from his eyes.

Jiang Feng was enveloped in a thick fog, and within it, he could still hear Sun Guanyun’s voice, sounding both sorrowful and joyful.

“I’ve lost.”

.

PS:

I want monthly tickets!!!