THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 694: Chapter 693: Obtained S-grade Stock, ✓

Jiang Feng stayed in the hospital for two days and was discharged on July 15, the day Wang Hao received his paycheck.

In just two days, Jiang Feng gained 3 kilograms.

Regarding how he gained those 3 kilograms, Jiang Feng could only say that no meal was innocent.

He was admitted to the hospital on July 13 and discharged on July 15. In just under three days, the patients, their families, and the nurses and doctors of his ward deeply remembered the name Taifeng Building.

The guy in the bed next to Jiang Feng, who was also the most hurt in these two days, said he wanted to eat so badly, that even if he ran out of money after being discharged, he would consider borrowing some from Jack Ma just to eat.

After his discharge, Jiang Feng’s skill proficiency soared.

He didn’t eat braised pork anymore. When Jiang Feng practiced without the buff, he wasn’t as constantly focused and dedicated as before. He would wander off sometimes, occasionally slack off, and even listen to the gossip from the youngest brother at Yonghe House. He would even go out to eat lunch with Lu Sheng instead of staying in the shop to save time.

The quality of his practice time decreased, but his efficiency greatly increased.

It might sound paradoxical, but it was true.

The seasoning proficiency that had been progressing slowly before and made Jiang Feng doubt it was stuck finally started to rise visibly. It was as if all the previous issues were just bugs caused by the braised pork buff, and now that Jiang Feng had fixed the bug, the system began to run again at a faster and more efficient pace.

Jiang Feng originally thought he would reach Grandmaster Level in seasoning by early August, but the actual speed was much faster than he expected. After clearing all mental and physical obstacles, Jiang Feng’s proficiency in seasoning could be described as rapidly improving by leaps and bounds.

July 24 was destined to be a memorable day.

Jiang Feng’s seasoning reached the Grandmaster Level.

Source: .com, updated on ονǤο.сօ

He didn’t look at his attribute panel, but he was clear that his seasoning had reached the Grandmaster Level.

Because he saw the stock that had just come off the stove.

[Stock S-grade]

He had made S-grade stock.

He had made a qualified stock.

Jiang Feng did not taste the stock in front of him first. Nearly three months, including two that he didn’t want to recall, of exhausting practice in cooking, and he finally made S-grade stock, breaking through the thin barrier between A-grade and S-grade.

He felt like crying.

Jiang Feng considered himself not prone to sentimentality. It’s fair to say that since he was young, besides being moved by pure meat wontons, Li Hongzhang hodgepodge, and the slaps from Wang Xiulian, Jiang Jiankang, and Sir, not much else could bring him to tears.

Feeling so moved he wanted to cry, this might have been a first for him.

“Feng… Feng, what are you spacing out for? Is this stock ready? If it is, I’ll take it over. My master needs stock,” the youngest brother at Yonghe House darted over to Jiang Feng’s side, attempting to handle the S-grade stock.

“Don’t touch it yet!” Jiang Feng came to his senses and intercepted him. “This stock can’t be moved. Watch it and make sure no one else takes it. I’m going to call Master Peng.”

The youngest brother: ?

Wasn’t Feng really his great uncle in terms of seniority?

Why did it feel so natural for Feng to order him around?

Jiang Feng went to call Peng Changping. Although Peng Changping spent every day in Yonghe House, he didn’t always stay in the kitchen. As a chef who had spent most of his life in the kitchen, Peng Changping wasn’t so passionate about the kitchen itself. His usual method of teaching disciples was by giving brief pointers and letting them figure out the rest on their own. It was only when guiding Jiang Feng that he would spend more time and thought—perhaps this was why even after so many clarifications, people still believed Jiang Feng was Peng Changping’s closed-door disciple.

Peng Changping was accustomed to staying in the lobby and on the second floor, especially during business hours. He would find a corner to sit, holding a thermos cup, and occasionally a waiter would come over to ask if he needed more hot water, just like an ordinary diner.

When Jiang Feng went to find him on the second floor, Peng Changping was sitting in the corner drinking tea, as usual.

“Master Peng,” Jiang Feng called out to Peng Changping.

“Hm?” Peng Changping turned his head to look at Jiang Feng. “Is there an issue in the kitchen?”

“I’d like you to taste the stock I just finished,” Jiang Feng said.

Peng Changping didn’t ask why and simply nodded, replying softly with an okay, and followed Jiang Feng into the kitchen.

“Your recent state has improved a lot compared to before,” Peng Changping said with a smile. “Have you figured it out?”

“Yes,” Jiang Feng nodded and handed him a small spoon to taste the stock.

“It’s good that you’ve figured it out. Learning a craft is a very pure thing that requires undivided attention, but very few people can achieve that. There’s nothing in this world that can’t be overcome; many things become clearer once you understand them,” Peng Changping said. “Restaurant management is just a few tasks; if you have time next time, I will share some of my experiences from when I first ran a restaurant.”

Jiang Feng: …

I think your experience might not be of any use.

Peng Changping used a small spoon to scoop up some of the still-steaming broth and took a sip.

Peng Changping was stunned.

“Have you tasted it?” Peng Changping asked.

Jiang Feng shook his head, “No, I just felt that this pot was different from the others, and I forgot to taste it before I called you.”

Peng Changping laughed, a broad laugh with the corners of his mouth turned up, his already small eyes squinting into slits, and even the sparse white eyebrows conveyed satisfaction and joy.

“You previously told me you felt the broth wasn’t good enough, and I thought you’d got stuck in a rut due to distractions. Over the past days, I’ve seen you seem less troubled by distractions, but still practicing the broth, I even discussed with Qin yesterday about how to advise you, thinking you hadn’t left that rut, but now it seems I was the one who was short-sighted.”

“I didn’t expect you to set such high standards for yourself, nor did I expect you to do so well.”

“Initially, I just thought you were talented and would definitely shine in the future, so I planned to gild the lily by teaching you Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup and giving you some pointers. Now, it looks like not only can you revive the glory of the past, but you might even surpass your great-grandfather. I sort of regret not having taken you as a disciple—if I had a disciple like you, it would be something to brag about in the future,” Peng Changping said with a smile. “That is if I live a few more years.”

Jiang Feng was taken aback; he also thought making an S-level broth was awesome, but Peng Changping’s flattery seemed a bit over the top.

It was embarrassingly flattering, and he even wanted to hear more.

“Taste it yourself,” Peng Changping said.

Jiang Feng picked up a small spoon and imitated Peng Changping by taking a light taste.

Jiang Feng was stunned.

He couldn’t believe that the broth came from his hands.

The rich aroma of chicken soup, the salty savory taste of the ham, the essence of various ingredients all converged in this broth—the taste of the mountains, the taste of the sea, the raw deliciousness of food, the memory of deliciousness in humans could all be summarized with the broth before him.

If the broth Jiang Xiaoran had tasted in his memory was this flavorful, Jiang Feng could only say that getting beaten up ten times for this soup would be worth it.

Clear soup and broth are somewhat different; clear soup’s pursuit of a clear-as-water color is destined to sacrifice some flavor, but broth doesn’t have this concern. The existence of broth is for umami—it’s the best interpretation of the character for “fresh” in ancient Chinese cuisine from those times of scarce ingredients, and the best weapon to battle MSG in this highly industrialized age.

A thousand words, all in the soup.

“Master Peng, I think I’ll take a break,” Jiang Feng said.

“Hmm?” Peng Changping looked at him.

“I want to wait a little longer before continuing to learn Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup from you. From tomorrow, I’ll start helping out at Taifeng Building first. The business hasn’t been great recently, and I think I should go back and help,” Jiang Feng whispered.

“Go ahead,” Peng Changping had no objections, “do what you want to do. You’ve worked hard today, so head back early and get some good rest. Take this pot of soup with you too, let your two grandfathers taste it as well; they will be proud of you.”

“Thank you, Master Peng.” Jiang Feng went to look for a container.

Peng Changping looked at the chicken soup in front of him, smacked his lips, and for some reason, he felt particularly hungry, reminiscing about how flavorful the broth tasted just now.

It had been a long time since he had this feeling.

Peng Changping tasted some more broth.

It was indeed full of flavor, the salt level was perfect, especially savory, giving him a feeling that his sense of taste had become a bit more sensitive.

To think his taste perception had also severely degenerated for a while, although he had become accustomed to it over the years. In order to maintain a healthy diet he couldn’t eat food that was too oily or salty, and he had gotten used to eating good-tasting dishes that somehow felt flavorless.

“Little…” Peng Changping looked at the young man next to him—at this lowly member of his own lineage whom he had never taught—and for a moment, he couldn’t recall his name.

“Grandmaster, my surname is Chu!” The young man with the lowest rank finally had a surname.

“Prepare some food for me, just some simple dishes, and let me taste your cooking,” Peng Changping said with a smile, in an exceptionally good mood.

Chu: !!!

Although he didn’t know why, his instincts told him he should thank his teacher… Feng.

Thank you, Feng!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!