The Game of Life

This time, Li Mingyi didn’t remain confused for long. After returning home, he searched everywhere for Jiang Huiqin. Following a bit of comforting from Chen Suhua and another glass of warm water, he gradually calmed down and became lucid.

“Feng, I’m really sorry,” said the now clearheaded Li Mingyi, sitting on the sofa and leisurely placing his reading glasses on his nose, “Your dish is exactly like the one your great-aunt used to make for me.”

“To be able to taste it again, I can finally go in peace to join your great-aunt,” Li Mingyi said with a smile, picking up the newspaper.

“Dad, what nonsense are you talking about? The doctor said you were fine at your last checkup. What do you mean, ‘go down’?” Chen Suhua brought him a cup of warm water, placing it on the coffee table. “Feng, thank you for your trouble. I can take care of him here, you go back and have your meal.”

Chen Suhua escorted Jiang Feng to the stairwell, and he still seemed worried, “Great-uncle just didn’t eat much; should I go back and bring some porridge over?”

Chen Suhua sighed and refused.

“No need, your great-uncle… he can’t eat anymore.”

“These days, he can only drink a small bowl of porridge every day. He went for a checkup at the hospital the day before yesterday, and the doctor said that he…”

“He only has at most half a month left.”

As she spoke, Chen Suhua’s eyes reddened, and tears streamed straight down from her right eye.

Jiang Feng turned his head back, looking at her in shock.

Half a month?!

On the way back, Jiang Feng felt dazed.

Li Mingyi was not only his great-uncle; through his memories, he had also witnessed Li Mingyi and Jiang Huiqin’s youthful ardor and mutual support through tough times. Although it was just a fleeting glimpse, Li Mingyi held a special place in his heart.

Once Li Mingyi was gone, there would truly be few people left who remembered Jiang Huiqin.

It wasn’t until he reached the front door of the restaurant that Jiang Feng snapped back to reality, remembering he had yet to check his task reward.

While everyone was still having their meal on the second floor, Jiang Feng went straight to the storage room, opened his attribute panel, and located the item column.

[A Memory of Jiang Weiguo]: A memory that can be revisited multiple times.

[Land Deed]: The land deed for Taifeng Building. [Claimable: Yes/No]

Click Yes.

Strangely, no land deed appeared out of thin air.

But that was normal since Taifeng Building was a restaurant from the time of the Republic of China in Beiping; it probably didn’t exist anymore. A land deed from that period wouldn’t be of any use nowadays, at most a collectible item to be kept at home.

The stinginess of the game hadn’t changed one bit.

Jiang Feng went upstairs and joined everyone for the meal.

Seeing Jiang Feng return, Jiang Weiguo asked, “How’s your great-uncle?”

“He was fine when I left; he had come out of it and was reading the newspaper,” Jiang Feng replied, not wishing to tell Sir about the dire news concerning Li Mingyi’s limited time left and unnecessarily saddening him.

Jiang Feng returned to his seat to find that the dishes on the table had been nearly cleared, with just a little bit of each left – apparently, they had been deliberately saved for him.

“Feng, you weren’t just boasting, your grandfather’s cooking truly is second to none in the world!” Wang Hao said, his face full of satisfaction as he drank the pork rib soup, his expression as exaggerated as possible.

“Feng, just tell me, does your family also have a Jiang Family Restaurant over there like Wu Minqi’s, with several Michelin stars or something? Just say it; I can handle the truth!” Liu Zixuan tried to pick up the last few rice grains soaked in meat juice from his bowl with his chopsticks.

“Michelin stars? You mean Michelin tires! I can’t finish all these dishes you left for me. Who wants this Four Joyful Meatballs?” Jiang Feng picked up a pair of chopsticks of food.

“I do.”

“Liu Qian, you’re still eating after two meals? Eating too much isn’t good for girls, you have to do live streaming later. Let me have it, I’ll have it.”

“Hao, you’re all muscle already, no more eating for you. I’m skinny, I’ll eat it!”

“Ha, as if you’re skinnier than me! I didn’t get enough, I’ll have it!”

“How about we split it evenly?” Qiu Chen chimed in jokingly.

“As if I’d split it with you!” everyone exclaimed in unison.

The group fought over the last Four Joyful Meatball on the plate, completely disregarding their old school friendship, without any more time to pay attention to Jiang Feng.

In the following few days, Jiang Weiguo took charge of cooking.

Jiang Jiankang was so content that he almost wished he could close the restaurant. Jiang Jianye and Jiang Jianshe made the simplest choice; they closed their pet shop, putting up a sign that the shop owner was otherwise engaged and proceeded to wait hand and foot on Sir at the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant. Jiang Feng guessed that if it weren’t for his eldest uncle Jiang Jianguo worrying that they might drive Sir away with their constant presence, they would have long since brought their bedding and moved into the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant.

It was clear to everyone that Jiang Weiguo came to Alan City for Jiang Feng. Every day, Sir praised Jiang Feng so much that he himself started to feel disoriented.

With Jiang Weiguo’s arrival in Alan City, the customers of the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant were in for a treat. Sir was someone who could not stay idle; sometimes he personally cooked the dishes that he felt like making. Coupled with Wang Hao being as loud as a megaphone who couldn’t keep his mouth shut, he almost made Sir out to be a Food God descended to earth, unrivaled across the land of Hua.

For a while, the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant became unmatched in popularity near UAL University, with students flocking to it. During dinner time, even many teachers made their way there, anxious like lottery players awaiting the draw; no one knew whether their dish would be one prepared by Sir until it was served.

In just four short days, the main quest was completed.

“Ding, main quest, [Stand Firm], completed. You have earned reward item: [Renovation Blueprint].”

Renovation Blueprint?

Jiang Feng was chopping vegetables when he heard the notification and found it strange.

Why would they give me a renovation blueprint? His second uncle still had over a hundred thousand in debts unpaid; it was a bad time to talk about renovations, even if he were the biological son of Mrs. Wang Xiulian!

Jiang Feng waited for the game to release the new main quest.

He waited for five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Half an hour.

Jiang Feng: ???

Where’s the main quest???

What kind of crappy game is this? Not only is there no update for a month, but now they don’t even give you the full main quest to play. This is a scam, right? What exactly is going on in the brain of the person who planned this game? Do Earth players not have rights?

Are they picking on Earth players for their slow internet connection?

Are they bullying people because Earthlings are eating their rice?

Jiang Feng cursed the game planner, the main creators, and the operators from head to toe repeatedly in his mind all the way until the evening when he returned to the dorm and still the game hadn’t released a new main quest.

The main quest column successfully turned into ???

Jiang Feng finally realized it.

The main quest.

Gone!

Lousy game, ruining my youth!