The Game of Life

Jiang Feng had finished the order in his hand, and Ji Yue came in with a new order, posting it directly on the wall in front of Jiang Feng, saying, “The order from the table you brought in, Banana Cranberry, room temperature Sour Plum Drink, two cups of milk tea. Eight Treasure Tofu, Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, Braised Prawns, Marinated Deli Platter, and White Fungus and Lotus Seed Soup.”

“You brought in the guests?” Wu Minqi looked up, “I’ll take care of the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, and there’s ready-made White Fungus and Lotus Seed Soup in the pot with the blue sticker.”

“I just met them during the competition. Since when have we had a deli platter?” Jiang Feng was astonished, feeling somehow that Wu Minqi now had more control over the kitchen than he did.

“Selling on behalf of the marinated food store next door. Your mom negotiated the deal; we take a 20% cut,” Jiang Jiankang said.

Jiang Feng:…

Mrs. Wang Xiulian was truly a business prodigy.

Jiang Feng first went to make the juice. The Banana Cranberry needed to be made with yogurt, mixed with a bit of cream, blending the banana, yogurt, cream, and cranberry juice together. The final product was a milky white color dotted with the distinctive rose hue of the cranberry juice. Because of the banana, it was quite thick, the unique sour-sweetness of the cranberry juice coupled with the sweet fragrance of the banana, and the cream acting as a smooth interlude—the taste and texture were both quite remarkable.

Ji Yue carried four drinks out, and when she arrived at Zhang Luyu’s table, she felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. A moment ago, the group had been chatting happily, but now they were as silent as chickens, and a boy at the next table kept glancing over.

“Here are your drinks.” Ji Yue placed the Banana Cranberry in front of Wang Suli, the Sour Plum Drink to Zhang Luyu, and the two milk teas for Guo Mengting and Ye Shi respectively. Just as she was about to leave, Wang Suli called her over softly.

“Sister, could we move to another table?” Wang Suli asked.

Ji Yue smiled, “Sorry, we don’t have any other free tables right now. Is there a problem with this one?”

“No, no, I was just asking,” Wang Suli said, lowering her head.

Ji Yue had just walked away when Zhang Luyu couldn’t hold it in any longer, turning to the boy who was staring at their table and said, “Hey, buddy, could you stop staring at us? You’re kind of giving me the chills.”

The boy gave Zhang Luyu a complicated look and shifted his gaze away.

“What’s with this guy?” Zhang Luyu muttered.

“That… he’s my ex-boyfriend,” Wang Suli said with mixed emotions.

Zhang Luyu:…

“He… seems to have misunderstood something…”

Zhang Luyu:…

“Forget it, I don’t know him anyway.” Zhang Luyu, nonchalant, took a big sip of the Sour Plum Drink.

“Damn, this is delicious. This Sour Plum Drink is way better than the ones you buy at the supermarket!” Zhang Luyu exclaimed.

“They make their own Sour Plum Drink here. I used to drink it often and loved it. It’s even better chilled on a hot day,” said Wang Suli, taking a small sip of the Banana Cranberry and looking satisfied.

Ye Shi tasted the milk tea and laughed, “The milk tea is probably homemade too, no saccharin added. It tastes pure.”

“My daughter loves those messy milk teas they sell outside; it’s all saccharin, but no matter what I say, she won’t listen,” Guo Mengting complained, not touching the milk tea. She hardly drank store-bought beverages after getting married and had only ordered the milk tea because she saw many others in the restaurant ordering it.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Wu Minqi had finished making the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork, and Jiang Feng caught a glimpse and inwardly cursed.

Wu Minqi had finely chopped the scallions, ginger, and garlic for the aroma, and Jiang Feng remembered hearing Wang Suli on the subway saying she didn’t eat ginger. The dish was evenly stir-fried, with the ginger and garlic clinging to the surface of the carrots, wood ear mushrooms, and pork loin. Wang Suli definitely couldn’t eat it.

“Minqi, could you stir-fry another serving but don’t mince the ginger this time? I forgot to remind you that someone at that table doesn’t eat ginger. Leave this plate here for now,” Jiang Feng said.

“Okay.” Wu Minqi went to fetch ingredients to fry another dish.

Wu Minqi was quick at cooking, and by the time she finished the second dish, Jiang Feng’s Eight Treasures Tofu was just out of the pan. Jiang Feng carried both dishes out, where Ye Shi was explaining the key points of West Lake Vinegar Fish.

“The genuine West Lake Vinegar Fish is rare now, and the sauce many stores mix is not right. In Hang City, only a few old stores have not changed their flavor.”

Jiang Feng placed the dishes on the table and casually asked, “Professor Ye, are you from Hang City?”

“It’s been over a decade since I left home, so I can only be considered half a Hang City local,” Professor Ye said with a laugh.

The braised snacks platter and the white fungus and lotus seed soup were already on the table. Jiang Feng said, “My dad is still making the Braised Prawns in Soy Sauce. This Eight Treasures Tofu is my work; I believe it’s what you ordered, Professor Ye, right?”

“It’s what I ordered, so I must have a proper taste,” Ye Shi said, scooping up a spoonful.

The Eight Treasures Tofu Jiang Feng made today consisted of delicate tofu, egg white, lily bulbs, lotus seeds, chicken, winter bamboo shoots, shiitake mushrooms, and diced ham sausage as ingredients. Its color was mainly white, the tofu was cut into small cubes, and the mushrooms and ham sausage were buried beneath the tofu and bamboo shoots, which looked even more tender after being thickened with cornstarch.

The taste of the entire dish was just as it appeared, very light, delicate, and refreshing.

In stark contrast was the spicy Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork that Wu Minqi cooked. She made a spicy version, adding pickled chili peppers she had brought specially from Shu—it was definitely a unique take amid the predominantly sweet versions of Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork at UAL University.

The dish looked spicy, with red chili oil staining the shredded pork and wood ear mushrooms, and the sauce underneath was completely dyed red, packing a powerful punch. Jiang Feng wouldn’t dare to try it.

“Ah, I forgot to say no ginger,” said Wang Suli, noticing the Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork and feeling annoyed.

“You mentioned in the subway you don’t eat ginger; I remember that. The ginger I added was in slices, not shreds. Oh, and this Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork might be too spicy; be careful when you eat it. I have to go now; several more delivery orders just came in.” After speaking briefly, Jiang Feng went back to the kitchen.

“Professor Ye, how is Jiang Feng’s cooking? Is it authentic?” Zhang Luyu had a taste of the pork in the Eight Treasures Tofu and found it quite delicious, but since he preferred strong flavors like braised pork, he wasn’t too interested in these light, almost medicinal, dishes.

“There’s no authentic standard for Eight Treasures Tofu; each restaurant has its own way of preparing it. It’s authentic as long as you think it’s delicious,” Ye Shi was very satisfied with the Eight Treasures Tofu, scooping up three spoonfuls in a row.

“Sss, this Fish-Flavored Shredded Pork is really spicy. I’ve never eaten anything this spicy before,” Guo Mengting took a deep breath and hurriedly drank a large sip of milk tea, “Hey, their milk tea is quite good too, very rich in taste.”

The group was feasting on the various dishes on the table when Wang Suli’s ex-boyfriend at the next table seemed to get restless. He started glancing over from time to time, looking hesitant and wanting to speak.

Zhang Luyu, who was sitting beside Wang Suli, was feeling quite uncomfortable and could barely eat. He couldn’t help himself and said, “Buddy, if you have something to say, just say it. I’m not her boyfriend. We just met in a competition and came out to eat together. Can you stop staring at us? It’s making it hard for me to eat.”

Wang Suli’s ex-boyfriend had a complicated expression and finally spoke, “Susu.”

“Call me by my full name,” Wang Suli said coldly.

“Wang Suli, do you… know the owner of this place?” her ex-boyfriend asked tentatively.

Wang Suli’s face remained cold.

“Can you ask the owner to move my reservation for Dezhou Braised Chicken to an earlier date?”

Everyone:…

Wang Suli:…

“Get lost.”

??