The Game of Life

“Waiter,” Zhuang Li called over.

Zhuang Li was one of the first bystanders at the door and became one of the eight lucky winners who drew a 1000 Yuan voucher. Because of his luck, he also gained a name for himself.

“Hello, sir, what can I do for you?” Fan Mei, the attendant nearest to Zhuang

Li, came over and asked.

“I’m a bit confused by your ordering system. Why are the prices different for the same dish? Look at this, for the same ‘Three Earthly Delights,¹ Jiang Jiankang’s version is 48 Yuan, Jiang Feng’s is 36 Yuan, Zhou Shi’s is 32 Yuan, Shen Yi’s is 28 Yuan, Jiang Weiguo’s 66 Yuan, and Jiang Weiming’s is actually 88 Yuan⁷” Zhuang Li could hardly believe his eyes, “And this, the Marriage Combo a combination of Spicy Fish Head and Chicken with Vegetable Bundles priced at 188 Yuan, even the name is odd, and it’s limited to 6 servings. And this one, Diet Recommendation, Stress Relief Choice, why is the same ‘Ll Hongzhang Hodgepodge’ sold for 688 Yuan and limited to one serving while „ the one below is only 566 Yuan and not limited? Your menu is a bit confusing.”

Fan Mei smiled and said, “That’s because the culinary skill levels of our chefs vary, sir. To offer you the best dining experience, the prices for the same dishes prepared by different chefs are different. Limited dishes are special in their preparation methods, so to guarantee quality we must limit the quantity. Furthermore, every month our restaurant will re-evaluate the dishes, update the menu, and set new prices. If you have any dissatisfaction with a dish, you may click on the tablet before the bill to leave a review or suggestions, either by voice or text. If your review is sensible and useful, we will give you a random value voucher.”

Zhuang Li suddenly realized and said, “Ah, if you had explained earlier, I „ wouldn’t have spent so much time with my friend figuring out the menu.

Fan Mei looked apologetic and said, “I’m really sorry. This was a negligence on our part, wasting your time. How about I send you a jar of plum drink later as a compensation? Could you remember which server brought you in?” “I remember their hair was kind of blond, ah, that one!” Zhuang Li s companion pointed to Qi Rou’s fellow townsman.

“All right, I’m very sorry for taking up your time. I’ll go get your plum drinks now,” Fan Mei said as she left, mentally crossing off Qi Rou’s fellow townsman.

As useless as a lump of mud.

“Hurry, hurry, checkhow much the plum drink costs!” Getting a free jar of plum drink made Zhuang Li’s companion even happier than getting a girlfriend.

After all, a girlfriend is imaginary, but the plum drink was about to arrive. ” 88, my gosh, everything is so expensive in this place!” Zhuang Li exclaimed. “You should look at the location. Even that lousy shop next door in the mall can bring you a piece of raw beef with fries in a spicy hot pot and dare to call it a classic French combo for 168 Yuan a serving. Ah, forget it, the more I talk, the angrier I get. Let’s see what else is on the menu. Hey, there are Cantonese dishes too, let’s order one!” the companion joined in choosing dishes, “Last time I was on a business trip in Guangdong Province, their stir-fried flat rice noodles with beef were so delicious. Let’s get that, Sun Jikai’s, it’s cheaper at

28.”

“No worries, we’ve got the voucher, we’re not short of money. Let’s order the expensive one, this 36 Yuan one, and the waiting time is only 17 minutes anyway,” Zhuang Li declared boldly.

Apart from a few tables like Zhuang Li’s that encountered problems with their orders due to an irresponsible server, the dining experience of most guests was very positive, with many enjoying the Ordering System for at least ten minutes. Although there was a section specifically for those with decision-making difficulties, such as ‘Today’s Recommendation,’ any qualified and serious indecisive diner would ponder over each dish before eventually ordering from ‘Today’ s Recommendation.\'”

There were no ordering issues in section C. The cold dishes were followed by hot dishes being served in succession, each at a precise interval, orderly, one after the other.

The quantity of the dishes wasn’t high, with only eight hot dishes in total, among which Jiang Weiming’s Roasted Pig and Ji Xue’s Clay Pot Chicken with Rice Wine were showstopping main courses, and Jiang Feng’s Sweet and Sour Yam served as the dessert, placed fifth in the order.

Quality over quantity, each table in section C accommodated only ten guests, too many dishes wouldn’t be finished anyway.

Xia Mushi didn’t reach for his chopsticks the whole time, just silently observing the other diners around him.

“Master Xia, the food is quite good, especially this jar meat, even comparable to Yonghe House’s, you… oh, I’m sorry, I forgot,” the diner familiar with Xia Mushi, seated next to him, initially wanted to invite him to try some jar meat but suddenly remembered that Xia Mushi’s health probably wouldn’t allow him to eat such greasy food, and smacked his own head.

“Look at my memory. I just heard the server say that the next dish is blanched choi sum. You can have a good taste of that, Master Xia.”

Blanched choi sum is a Cantonese dish, and the quality of the choi sum is very important. The control of Fire Control when cooking choi sum is also critical, as it affects the texture, while the sauce determines the flavor. Sun Jikai may not have strong fundamentals and therefore disdained by Sir, but after all, he is the cherished eldest grandson personally taught by Sun Guanyun, and his sauce for the blanched choi sum is quite good. For this dish, Jiang Weiming was in charge of the blanching part, while Sun Jikai prepared the sauce.

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear. Just as the diner familiar with Xia Mushi had finished speaking, the blanched choi sum was served.

The choi sum was a vibrant green, like a jade carving crafted by a skilled master, gleaming with light and stacked on the plate to form a small green mountain.

“Wow, this dish looks great. Tong, you can’t start eating until I’ve finished taking pictures,” Pei Shenghua suddenly got excited.

“Heh.” Tong Deyan was considering whether to block this guy from his social circle.

Every night at midnight on the dot, he’d post pictures of the food he’d taken that day. Even though nearly all of his friends were chefs, this was still unbearable.

Considering that Pei Shenghua was one of his few friends, Tong Deyan waited for him to find a good angle and finish taking photos before picking up a piece with his chopsticks. The vegetable hearts were crisp and tender, refreshing without losing flavor. It’s just that the sauce seemed a bit mismatched with the skill of ‘blanched’ cooking the dish, lacking a certain something.

“This vegetable heart is good; the fire control is quite nice. Tong, you re not up to par. The blanched vegetable heart I had from you last time was not as good as this,” Pei Shenghua said while eating the blanched vegetable heart.

“What I made last time was garlic vegetable heart,” Tong Deyan said.

Pei Shenghua: “… It’s pretty much the same. They’re both vegetable hearts, but you didn’t manage the fire control as well as this one.”

Tong Deyan ignored him and gave him a look of disdain.

At another table, Xia Mushi took a bite of the vegetable heart and then set down his chopsticks, feeling considerably better, though it didn’t show on his face. Xu Cheng, who was sitting at the same table, noticed that Xia Mushi wasn’t eating much and raised his hand to summon a waiter.

Ji Yue was standing by in area C. She recognized Xu Cheng and walked over with a smile, asking, “Mr. Xu, may I help you with anything?”

Xu Cheng also recognized Ji Yue. After all, he had eaten quite a few meals at Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant in the past few months. He was a bit surprised for a moment, not expecting that the Jiang family had moved the entire restaurant, including the waitstaff, without losing a single employee.

“Can I order a dish?” Xu Cheng asked.

“Of course.” Ji Yue went to get a tablet for Xu Cheng, immediately drawing attention from others.

“What is Mr. Xu going to do?”

“Seems like he’s going to order a dish.”

“You can still order?”

“What are you talking about, when has it ever been impossible to order at a restaurant?”

“Should we also check out the menu?”

Some people just went ahead and did it.

“Waiter, I’d like to place an order!”

PS: (The word count is done, no charge)

From the title of the last chapter, you can tell that I’ve been out of it recently due to mid-term revision.

I have my last exam next Wednesday, and I’ll be back to posting two chapters a day by Thursday.

The end.