The Game of Life

Jiang Feng sat in the convenience store, calmed down for a dozen minutes, quietly ate a small cup of oden, and watched an episode of an anime series with the store owner that he couldn’t quite understand. He listened as the owner recounted a whole bunch of plot points that were completely over his head, and then he slowly made his way back to the kitchen of Taifeng Building.

By then, all the customers who had dined in the lobby had left, the lights were mostly out, and the waitstaff had gone home, leaving only the kitchen lights shining brightly.

As Jiang Feng walked through the dimly lit lobby, he suddenly felt a sense of desolation.

The kitchen’s tasting session was drawing to a close. The three newly recruited chefs were veterans who had weathered many storms and were skilled in their craft. Even without assistance, they worked swiftly. When Jiang Feng entered the kitchen, he saw Ji Yue already starting to belch in front of the steamed pork with rice flour wrapped in lotus leaves.

Only Wu Minqi, Zhang Guanghang, Ji Yue, and the three chefs there for the taste testing were in the kitchen. Jiang Jiankang, who was supposed to be one of the judges, was nowhere to be seen.

“How is it? Where’s my dad?” Jiang Feng quickened his pace towards Ji Yue, but his question was directed at Zhang Guanghang in front of her.

“Mr. Jiang received a call and left about ten minutes ago. It seemed like Mrs. Wang needed him to go back first. Dong Li’s crab meat tofu, sweet and sour ribs, and steamed pork with rice flour are not bad. Dong Shi’s squirrel fish is okay. Master Wang’s firm tofu and braised prawns are very good. The mullet roe soup, I think, was lacking a bit in fire control. You try it,” Zhang Guanghang pointed to the dishes on the table.

Because of the time, all the dishes on the table had cooled down, making their presentation unappealing. The greasy dishes like sweet and sour ribs and braised prawns were especially affected, with the fat congealing as if they were refrigerated leftovers. Of the dishes on the table, only Dong Shi’s squirrel fish looked presentable. Although only half of it was left, Jiang Feng could vaguely imagine what it looked like fresh out of the pan.

“The squirrel fish is a bit lacking in fire control. The sauce tastes good, but the fish wasn’t marinated well, and it’s slightly over-fried. It seems fine at the beginning, but halfway through, it becomes tedious to eat, especially after it cools, there’s a faint fishy smell, and both the taste and texture turn strange,” Ji Yue, who usually only ate without commenting, suddenly took on the role of a food critic.

Hearing her say this, Jiang Feng, Wu Minqi, and Zhang Guanghang all turned to look at her simultaneously, making her feel uneasy.

“Why are you guys suddenly looking at me like that?”

“Because Orchid, you rarely give opinions on the dishes,” Zhang Guanghang said, smiling.

“The dishes you guys made before, I hardly ever ate, so how could I comment? The squirrel fish, on the other hand, I’ve been eating since I was a child, so of course, it’s different,” Ji Yue said.

“Aren’t you from Huaiyang?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Yes.”

“But isn’t squirrel fish a Suzhou-style dish?” Jiang Feng was a bit puzzled. Ji Yue used to be clueless about Huaiyang cuisine but seemed to be an expert on Suzhou dishes.

“Dongpo’s braised pork knuckle is also a Sichuan dish, but you don’t see it being sold exclusively in Sichuan or Shu. Anyway, the kind of dish I often ate with friends when we went out was like squirrel fish, I haven’t had Wen Si tofu or three sets of duck,” Ji Yue said helplessly.

“What? Dongpo’s braised pork knuckle is a Sichuan dish??!” Jiang Feng exclaimed, surprised.

Ji Yue: …

Just as the two were about to engage in a heated discussion on whether Dongpo’s braised pork knuckle was indeed a Sichuan dish or not, Dong Shi’s final dish, honey-glazed ham, was served.

The freshly cooked honey-glazed ham was piping hot, and the large slices of ham looked tantalizing. Even for the tasting, Dong Shi had done some simple plating. On both sides of the ham were diamond-cut carrots arranged nicely in clusters, with a circle of lotus seeds on the outer edge. It looked like the central ham was being celebrated by a ring of stars.

Jiang Feng leaned in to sniff it and caught a strong scent of honey sweetness, suggesting that the clear sauce drizzled over the ham, carrots, and lotus seeds was made with a mix of honey and braised sauce.

Before anyone else spoke, Ji Yue’s eyes lit up as she took the lead, “Honey-glazed ham!”

“Zhang, this dish is done well, it’s very delicious. It’s made by frying it in cooked lard and then pouring honey and candied osmanthus over it. There are also pine nuts buried under the ham, and even the lotus seeds were soaked in sugar water, amazing! I’ve exceeded my calorie intake for the day; you eat a piece for me.”

Jiang Feng: ???

So there’s this approach.

Wu Minqi, who initially reached for her chopsticks, quietly retracted her hand upon hearing Ji Yue’s words and leaned closer to whisper, “Is this dish high in calories?”

“Off the charts,” Ji Yue whispered back.

“Fengfeng, I really can’t eat anymore, you try it,” Wu Minqi gave Jiang Feng a smile.

Jiang Feng: …

It’s just a piece of ham, how much weight could it possibly add? Women truly are an unfathomable species.

Shaking his head, Jiang Feng picked up a piece of honey-glazed ham.

Most of the hams used in Taifeng Building were southern hams, also known as Jinhua Ham, which varied in quality. Since there were very few dishes that used ham regularly, it was rarely utilized.

The cut that Dong Shi had chosen was very fatty, with about half of the slice consisting of fat. The ham was incredibly tender, likely steamed to reach this texture, which must have taken at least two or three hours.

“How long did you steam it for?” asked Jiang Feng.

“I took advantage of some downtime when the shop wasn’t too busy to start steaming the ham. All in all, it was steamed in two stages, totaling over three hours,” Dong Shi replied. Though he was talkative, he became quite serious when discussing culinary matters, like an apprentice being tested by his master.

“This dish can be prepared and steamed in advance, and the final preparation is very quick. From the moment the customer orders it to when it’s served, it takes no more than ten minutes,” Dong Shi added.

Jiang Feng nodded with satisfaction, then tasted the honey-glazed ham.

Sweet.

His first impression of the dish was its sweetness. While the main ingredient was ham, it wasn’t an overstatement to consider it a sweet dish. The sweetness of the candied osmanthus and that of the honey created a complex flavor profile, which, combined with the natural taste of the ham, blended surprisingly well in his mouth. The sweet-salty combination was not at all jarring, but pleasantly unique, and the ham’s umami was well represented.

Although it wasn’t something to be eaten in large portions, for a group of diners to each have a few bites, it would undoubtedly be a dish that would leave a lasting impression and be endlessly savored.

Jiang Feng looked towards Zhang Guanghang, who had also tried the honey-glazed ham, and noted his appreciative expression.

Setting down his chopsticks, Jiang Feng addressed the three chefs who were preparing to clean up: “Although I was delayed and only got to try the last dish, I believe the other dishes are also of a high standard. Since the others have already tasted them, I’ll go ahead and tentatively approve some dishes for inclusion on the menu.”

“Master Wang’s ‘casserole tofu’ and ‘oil-braised prawns’ are good, Dong Li’s ‘crab meat tofu’, ‘sweet and sour ribs’, and ‘lotus leaf steamed meat’ are also well done. Dong Shi’s honey-glazed ham is definitely up to snuff. As for the other dishes, since the head chef isn’t here, it’s difficult for us to make decisions without him. We’ll have to trouble you all to make them again once the head chef returns. Considering that we need to think about pricing and you all need to adjust and harmonize with the existing kitchen staff, you probably won’t be able to truly take charge of the cooking before the seven-day trial period is over. I hope you all understand.”

“Of course, if any of you have any other issues, feel free to contact me. If it’s something I can help with, I will do my best to assist,” Jiang Feng concluded with a perfunctory courtesy common among capitalists.

Since it was too late, the remaining dishes that hadn’t been finished had to be dumped into the slop bucket. Jiang Feng and the others helped clean up the kitchen, then headed to the changing room to get dressed and go home.

“Young boss.” Jiang Feng was just leaving Taifeng Building when he was stopped by Dong Shi.

With his talkative nature and a vivacity that defied his age, Dong Shi had managed to strike up conversations with every kitchen staff member, including those at the cold dishes counter, during the short evening service. He learned everyone’s name and nickname as if he were a seasoned veteran of Taifeng Building.

“Hmm?” Jiang Feng turned around and saw Dong Shi walking towards him alone while Dong Li stood still, looking at his phone.

“I wanted to ask you something,” Dong Shi said, approaching Jiang Feng with an apologetic smile. “My brother and I wanted to ask if you know any reliable real estate agents? We’d like to secure a place to live before the New Year.”

“Short-term or long-term?” Jiang Feng inquired.

“Long-term.”

“I have contact information for some real estate agents on hand. Let’s add each other on WeChat, and I’ll send you their details later. If you need to take time off to go house-hunting, that’s fine. We can extend the internship period if necessary,” Jiang Feng replied.

“It won’t take a lot of time for my brother and me to find a place. My brother said that since neither of us has a girlfriend and we don’t need to consider settling down or save much money, we’ll settle for something appropriate,” Dong Shi explained.

Jiang Feng: …

You can talk about something so sad with such a cheerful tone.

That’s quite a skill.

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