The Game of Life

Xu Cheng was a pure food connoisseur, while Sun Guanyun was a pure chef; their relationship was limited to just that.

After exchanging a few courtesies, Xu Cheng once again proposed a date for Sun Guanyun to make him the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon and was once again turned down. He left with a smile on his face, still in high spirits despite the rejection.

Upon stepping out of the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant, Xu Cheng took a deep look at the restaurant’s bold red sign with its rustic charm and sighed, “Indeed, the real masters are in the common folk!”

Han Guishan couldn’t deny this, but at the moment, he was more concerned about another issue: he glanced at his watch; it was still eleven o’clock.

“What do we eat next?”

“Eat?” said Xu Cheng, surprised, “Didn’t we just have a meal? Aren’t you full? Why don’t we pack some food from this restaurant to take away?

Han Guishan:

You, Xu Cheng, really deserve to suffer from gastritis!

Having just tasted the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon, Han Guishan couldn’t bring himself to eat any other ordinary dish. He said, “Never mind, the driver is waiting at the intersection, and I asked my assistant to arrange a meeting with Director Qian at two in the afternoon to discuss the live broadcasting of the competition.”

“You discuss it. I’d better stay out of these affairs,” said Xu Cheng, and they headed together toward the intersection.

Upstairs in the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant, Sun Guanyun watched Jiang

Weiguo with a hint of pride.

Being sought after by Xu Cheng wasn’t exactly a good thing, but it certainly was something to boast about.

“Jiang Weiguo, do you see that? This is prestige! Even if I step down from the head chef’s position, there will still be people like Xu Cheng seeking me out.

Can you say the same?”

“Hmph,” Jiang Weiguo coldly snorted with disdain, “Who is Xu Cheng?

Sun Guanyun:”…”

“You old fellow, you’re doing this on purpose, right? How can you not know who Xu Cheng is?”

“Who is he?” Jiang Weiming didn’t know either.

For all these years, the two brothers had stayed in the countryside, away from the limelight, not watching TV or buying magazines, let alone purchasing books written by Xu Cheng years ago. Naturally, they had no clue who Xu Cheng was.

Sun Guanyun felt like he was making eyes at a blind man, unable to get angry at all, and could only dismiss it, saying weakly, “Forget I said anything.”

The three elderly gentlemen sat upstairs drinking tea. Ji Yue had long since finished licking the plate and gone downstairs to get busy. After chatting for a while, Sun Guanyun, feeling it was about time, got up and went downstairs. Jiang Feng in the kitchen had also been anxiously minding the pot with the squabs, having stopped what he was doing two minutes prior to stand by the steamer. Strangely enough, when Sun Guanyun’s Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon just came out of the pot, there was only the aroma of the pigeon meat; the flavors of the fillings inside the pigeon belly were tightly locked in, only revealing their fragrance when the belly was cut open.

However, the squab Jiang Feng was steaming emitted a faint aroma of the vegetarian stuffing even while it was still in the pot.

When Sun Guanyun arrived, Jiang Feng asked, “Sir Sun, can it come out of the pot now?”

“You make the call.”

Jiang Feng hesitated. The Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon required very strict fire control, as a slight misstep or a difference in temperature could affect the entire dish’s flavor and texture. For his first attempt, he had no experience and, feeling that the fire control was about right, hesitated for a dozen seconds before deciding to turn off the heat.

It wasn’t time to take it out yet; he had to thicken the sauce first. Following the method previously shown by Sun Guanyun and with his guidance by his side, Jiang Feng’s sauce thickening seemed quite decent. The squab was taken out of the pot, waiting for the right moment.

Jiang Feng’s squab didn’t look as good as the one Sun Guanyun had made before.

The Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon made by Sun Guanyun had a round and full belly with a warm and even color, at first glance appearing as a small, bloated squab lying in the plate. Jiang Feng’s squab, though bloated, wasn’t as full, and the unevenness was magnified several times on the tiny bird’s body. The aroma of the stuffing wafted out the moment it was taken out of the pot.

The squab failed to contain the vegetarian stuffing inside, allowing the fragrance to leak out prematurely, which led to a significant loss of flavor. “What’s going on?” Jiang Feng was somewhat puzzled. His squab looked no different from Sun Guanyun¹ s before it went into the steamer.

“Your deboning technique isn’t mature; the squab skin already had tears, and you were too greedy when stuffing it, adding a bit too much. You weren’t quick enough in sealing the holes, leaving the needle holes too large,” Sun Guanyun explained. “See? These are all minor issues, but there can’t be any problems when making this dish. Any small defect will be greatly magnified after being steamed for over an hour. One mistake, and the whole dish is ruined.”

“To make this dish, the knifework must be outstanding, the fire control just right and the seasoning precise. Most importantly, each step must be executed perfectly without error; otherwise, it’s not the best Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon,” Sun Guanyun said. “Your grandfather always said I kept secrets and didn’t teach the most crucial step of thickening to my apprentices, leading to no one other than me being able to make this dish correctly. But the most difficult part of the dish isn’t the thickening; it’s perfecting every step beforehand. I taught you for seven days, and you still can’t learn or master it. This dish can’t possibly be mastered without a year or two of hard practice.

“You just tried making it, so you must be aware of the difficulty. You can choose to learn this dish, and T11 teach you the technique for the sauce, or you can choose to learn something else. Seven days is enough time for you to learn. Whether it’s Buddha’s Hand Spare Ribs, Peony Pan-Fried Stuffed Snake Fillet, or any other Cantonese dish you want to learn, I can teach you.

One was out of reach; the other was within easy reach.

Jiang Feng glanced unconsciously at the two elders. Jiang Weiguo was expressionless, while Jiang Weiming smiled at him.

Obviously, they were leaving the choice to him.

“I choose the thickening sauce,” Jiang Feng said.

If there’s a best, why settle for anything less?

“Ding.” The crappy game rose from the dead again.

Jiang Feng:…

Really, one day he would find a way to complain about this crappy game. “Good,” Sun Guanyun scooped up a spoonful of the thickening sauce Jiang Feng had made. “This thickening sauce isn’t the right color; I’ll give you pointers on it tomorrow. Pay attention now; it’s about time.” Sun Guanyun slowly drizzled the sauce over the squab.

One spoonful, then another.

“What do you notice?” Sun Guanyun asked.

“The color, the color seems to change a bit as the thickening sauce is poured on,” Jiang Feng was uncertain; he suspected his eyes were playing tricks on him.

“That’s right, the color. When poured at just the right temperature, the color of the sauce will change slightly, so you must drizzle it slowly like dripping water, starting from the belly, finishing with the wings,” Sun Guanyun stopped. “Now, try what you made.”

Using a knife, Jiang Feng cut open the squab and scooped up a small spoonful. The taste was good, but compared with what Sun Guanyun had made earlier, it was like night and day.

The three elders also tasted it but offered no comments.

Jiang Feng called for Wang Xiulian and Ji Yue to come and try as well. “Not as good as the previous one,” Wang Xiulian commented.

“Mediocre,” Ji Yue assessed.

Jiang Feng asked Wu Minqi if she would like to try, but Wu Minqi politely declined.

In the end, Jiang Feng turned his gaze to Jiang Jiankang, who had managed to stir-fry a serving of Kung Pao Chicken into the equivalent of two servings¹ worth of time: “Dad, do you want to try?”

“Sure!” Jiang Jiankang beamed, the Kung Pao Chicken flying out of the wok in an instant.