The Game of Life

Wu Minqi led Jiang Feng away from the shopping mall, across several intersections, and down a few side streets until they arrived at a small produce market.

It was indeed a small market, one that Jiang Feng had never seen on Gaode Maps, hidden within the alleys of residential buildings. At first glance, he estimated that there were no more than 20 stalls with only three selling meat. The sole fish stall was nearly sold out, only a few listless, mixed fish remained in the tank, belly-up.

With so few stalls and less-than-fresh produce, the meat stalls mainly had unwanted scraps of bones and less desirable cuts of meat. Wu Minqi had to settle for a piece of pork that was a passable mix of fat and lean.

Then, Wu Minqi, carrying the small bag of pork, led Jiang Feng to the adjoining grain and oil store.

She was very familiar with the area, knowing every stall, the structure of the residential buildings, and the surrounding shops like the back of her hand.

The grain and oil shop was small, and Wu Minqi bought two eggs and a bag of premium flour. Jiang Feng conveniently took over the flour, along with the eggs and pork, saying, “Flour can be quite heavy, let me carry it.” Wu Minqi nodded and led him towards the residential buildings.

‘Where are we going?” Jiang Feng asked curiously.

This area must be part of Alan City’s oid district, with buildings over a decade old, low floors and a relatively dilapidated appearance. Along the way, Jiang Feng saw many elderly men and women out for walks, and the two young people clearly stood out among them.

A guesthouse,” Wu Minqi said, clutching her crossbody bag tightly at her waist, lips pursed.

Wu Minqi confidently led Jiang Feng to a 5-story residential building. They went upstairs to the 5th floor, which had a coded door. She entered the code and with a “beep,” the door unlocked.

True to her word, it was an ordinary guesthouse that was somewhat worn. The space wasn’t large, around 100 square meters, and it was fully furnished, including a pool table in the living room and stairs leading directly to the rooftop.

Jiang Feng had heard of such guesthouses, but this was his first visit. They were typically rented out for parties, with a rooftop suitable for barbecues, rooms with karaoke setups, and kitchens for cooking. There might even be other entertainment facilities that Jiang Feng hadn’t noticed. Compared to regular guesthouses, the daily rent for this one was not cheap.

Some clubs from UAL University with fewer members and more funds would rent such guesthouses for activities, but they wouldn’t choose one this small. As an infamously impoverished club, the Chess Club naturally had no connection with such high-end leisure activities.

“Are you going to… cook?” Jiang Feng guessed.

“Yes, before I started helping out at your store, I used to come here on weekends to cook for myself,” Wu Minqi said as she opened her crossbody bag, which held nothing but her phone and a large water bottle, aside from her wallet.

She unscrewed the water bottle, revealing a large cup of clear broth inside.

A large cup of clear broth, coupled with the pork, eggs, and premium flour Wu Minqi had just bought, made Jiang Feng hesitate before asking, “Dragon Dumplings?”

“Yes,” Wu Minqi confirmed as she started kneading dough in the kitchen.

“I know you can’t handle spicy food well, so I prepared the broth for the dumplings last night. Today, I’ll make you the clear soup version,” Wu Minqi explained.

I know it might be a bit strange to cook for you on our first date, but it’s the only thing I could think of doing for you. Whether it’s watching movies, having coffee, or shopping, I’d be happy with any of it. But the thing that makes me the happiest is making something you want to eat for someone I like,” she said. Jiang Feng had complained during the winter break about how the popular Dragon Dumplings restaurant was terrible. She had remembered his words, quietly noting them in her heart.

”1… I’m really happy too,” Jiang Feng admitted, feeling like his face was hot enough to fry a steak on.

“I… I’ll go help you mince the filling,” Jiang Feng offered, taking the pork and rushing into the kitchen. After a moment of rinsing sounds, he asked, “How should the pork be chopped?”

“Water for the filling, use the back of the knife to pound out the sinew, finely chop it into a paste,” Wu Minqi said.

She was reminded of her childhood when her parents did the same.

Back then, even though Wu Family Restaurant was doing well, it wasn’t as busy as it is now, and her grandfather was still the head chef. Sometimes, on Mondays, Wu Hanxue would sneak home to make Dragon Dumplings, Mrs. Wu’s favorite.

Mrs. Wu might not have known how to cook, but she couldn’t sit still. Unable to knead dough, she would go chop the filling, which turned out quite poorly every time, with the sinew not properly removed. Wu Hanxue would have to re-chop the filling after Mrs. Wu was done. Nonetheless, both enjoyed it immensely.

Wu Minqi looked towards the kitchen where Jiang Feng was earnestly picking out meat sinews.

A smile she could hardly conceal gradually spread across her lips, lighting up even her eyes.

Dragon Dumplings, as one of the many variations of wonton, have been the pride of the snack industry since ancient times. Whether it’s the predecessor wonton or Dragon Dumplings, or Pork Dumplings and Chicken Filling Dumplings, the method always stays true to the original, just as the Yunlintang Dietary Code Collection records. “Finely slice the meat filling, mix with diced bamboo shoots or wild rice stems, chives, or daylilies, add a touch of Sichuan pepper almond sauce, mix evenly and wrap. The dough should be slightly thick, cut into squares, then rolled thin with starch. When boiling in soup, stir with boiling water without covering. Wait till they float then remove from the pot, do not stir again. The filling must not include Chinese cardamom, as it causes belching.”

The Dragon Dumplings that Wu Minqi made focused on clear broth and finely minced filling. To achieve an even smoother filling, it would typically be water-kneaded pure meat. Kneading dough required skill, while chopping the filling was a matter of strength. Because Jiang Feng couldn’t eat spicy food, she had to make a clear soup dumpling, with the essence and soul of the whole dish resting in the clear soup.

The clear soup she brought today had been simmered by her since early yesterday morning. Using parts from chicken, duck, and pork, she stewed and slow-cooked from 6 AM until 11 AM, a full 5 hours, skimming off the foam to leave a clear and fragrant broth. It was only after the clear soup was ready that Wu Minqi casually went to Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant to join Jiang Feng and head to the provincial competition.

A good Dragon Dumpling must have dough thin as paper, fine as silk – picking it up and holding it to the light, it appeared like a sheet of translucent rice paper. Once Jiang Feng had the meat filling chopped to the required consistency, Wu Minqi’s dumpling wrappers were also rolled out.

Season the filling, wrap the dumplings.

Jiang Feng couldn’t participate in this step, his limit was wrapping dumplings, and his dumplings often were criticized by Mrs. Wang Xiulian for not being round and plump enough.

Unable to join in, Jiang Feng sat by watching Wu Minqi wrap the dumplings.

She was deft and skilled, quickly forming a diamond-shaped dumpling wrapper in her hand. Jiang Feng watched quietly, admiring her agile wrists, petite and graceful hands, round fingertips, and fair, delicate skin. Then, looking at her, with her eyes curving and a charming smile on her face. ’ Beauty lies in the lover’s eyes, truly the ancients did not deceive me!

In that moment, Jiang Feng thought Wu Minqi was the most beautiful girl in the world and would accept no arguments to the contrary. Any words of description seemed inadequate; her every frown and smile was captivating, even wrapping dumplings was so beautiful.

Wang Hao, the so-called adviser, was no good after all. Winning toys, wandering through aquariums, sweet nothings in cafes – none of these could compare to the fun and romance of making dumplings in a guesthouse.

Into the pot they went, and soon the dumplings were ready, with the clear soup heated and waiting. Two bowls of Dragon Dumplings served in clear broth sent forth an enticing aroma.

“Try it,” Wu Minqi said with anticipation.

One bite.

Flavorsome, sweet to the heart.

“Delicious!” Jiang Feng exclaimed sincerely.

“As long as it’s delicious.” Wu Minqi smiled, her eyes sparkling like stars, “Next time, I’ll make you something else.”

She learned a new dish every week, making an old one for Jiang Feng – with something new and something old, she could cook for a lifetime..