The Game of Life

Chapter 480: Chapter 478: De invites guests

A few chunks of donkey meat and two gulps of hot soup went down, and the conversation naturally opened up. Jiang Zaidi took off his hat, scarf, gloves, and earmuffs, and slurped down a bowl of donkey meat soup.

Ji Xia happily chewed on the donkey meat, while Jiang Feng ate absentmindedly, and even Wu Minqi couldn’t help but pick up a small piece of donkey meat with her chopsticks and chew it carefully.

“Little brother, how did you guys know about this place?” Jiang Zaidi asked.

“Master Wang told Xiaxia about it. Xiaxia originally wanted to come to this alley to buy donkey rolls. Didn’t I tell you before? Today, Minqi and I are accompanying Xiaxia to shop for her grandmother,” Jiang Feng explained.

“But De, you have work today, right? How come you’re here eating donkey meat during work hours?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Uncle, why did you dress like that? I almost didn’t recognize you when you walked over,” Ji Xia inquired immediately following.

“The heating at our company broke down. I wouldn’t survive not dressed like this,” Jiang Zaidi sighed deeply and began to answer Jiang Feng’s question, “Of course I came here for work, and just incidentally to eat donkey meat. This restaurant is planning renovations after the new year, and I’m in charge of the design.”

“Originally, I didn’t want to take on such a small project, but then I heard that their donkey meat is particularly delicious, so I accepted it. Anyway, I didn’t have any other projects at hand, and with the new year approaching, I had free time. While discussing the specific plan, I could also enjoy the food,” Jiang Zaidi grabbed another piece of donkey meat, “Perfect, I’ll tag along with you guys later. I know a shop that makes excellent candied fruit. They are considered a century-old brand in Beiping.”

“Don’t you still have to discuss the design plan?” Jiang Feng asked.

“No rush. They won’t start until after the new year. I haven’t settled on anything yet. I just wanted an excuse to slip out of the office to grab something to eat,” Jiang Zaidi confidently justified his act of slacking off at work, putting Jiang Feng in genuine awe.

If he hadn’t been the boss himself, he would have liked to do the same.

“Hey, Minqi, why aren’t you eating? Their donkey meat is really authentic, made from old Taihang donkeys, so the soup is especially fragrant. The meat is not tender, but it’s chewy. They only sell one donkey a day; last time I came in the afternoon, and it was almost sold out,” Jiang Zaidi wasn’t skilled in cooking, but he was very knowledgeable in theory. He could certainly impress others at the dinner table with his tall tales.

“Their donkey meat is stewed in a big pot with an old broth and secret spices, without adding saltpeter. If they did, it wouldn’t taste the same. Their bread is Baofu bread, where they smear oil on the dough, shape it into small round balls like buns, then press it flat with a wooden roller and bake it.”

“Since their donkey meat is part of Baofu’s range of baked goods, the donkey meat is marinated, and when stuffed into the bread, it’s piping hot and juicy…” Jiang Zaidi was still speaking when he was interrupted by a round-faced girl carrying the bread.

“Jiang, you’re really knowledgeable—no wonder you said you studied cooking before. Your skills must be impressive,” the round-faced girl praised.

This girl was not only round-faced but her figure was also rounded, not the kind puffed up by a down jacket but genuinely chubby and plump.

“It’s alright, just at the level of a regular restaurant chef, very mediocre,” Jiang Zaidi started to brag with his eyes wide open.

Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi shared a smile, not exposing her lies.

Everyone was an adult, and in the ways of the world, who hadn’t exaggerated a tale or two to someone unaware of their background?

It was normal; the unspoken agreement was simply not to call it out.

“Oh, this is my younger cousin, Jiang Feng, this is his girlfriend, Wu Minqi, and this is his apprentice, Ji Xia. My little brother is a chef by trade; they just happened to be at your family’s shop eating donkey burgers when they came in,” Jiang Zaidi began introducing each side to the other, “And this is He Yueru, the daughter of the shop’s owner.”

He Yueru smiled at Jiang Feng and the other two, revealing a single tiger tooth, “You guys go ahead and eat, and once you’re done, Jiang, we can talk about the design proposal.”

As soon as she finished speaking, He Yueru ran back to the entrance of the shop and called out to her mother, “Mom, make me three burgers!”

“One is enough to fill me up, and you want three? You’re not afraid of bursting! Eat less, you’re only allowed two. If you want to eat, make them yourself. Such a grown girl and still so plump, aren’t you worried about not being able to marry off? Don’t you think about dieting? We gave you such a refined name, yet you don’t act refined at all. Which girl is like you, eating and drinking her way through university, not even managing to date, not during university, and even less so after graduating, always cooped up at home or in the shop without going out, waiting for the state to assign you a husband? Do you think boyfriends fall from the sky, or will they come knocking on your door on their own?” The proprietress became talkative all at once, her voice quite loud, so much so that Jiang Feng could hear every word clearly from inside.

“Mom, keep your voice down, there are still customers in the shop. Do you want the whole world to know your daughter hasn’t dated in over 20 years?” He Yueru was suddenly anxious.

“Alright, alright, we’ll talk about this at home. Come help me slice the donkey meat; my hand is getting sore from cutting.”

By the time Jiang Zaidi had finished his burger, it was almost 10 o’clock. Jiang Feng initially thought that taking Wu Minqi and Ji Xia shopping would be sufficient. After all, He Yueru had already arrived, and it wouldn’t be nice to stand her up for shopping with them. Who knew that upon hearing Ji Xia wanted to buy some Beiping specialties to take back to Guangdong Province, He Yueru volunteered herself to join them.

He Yueru, a Beiping native, knew all the ins and outs of the city from childhood to her university years; which shop has tasty food, which one offers authentic dishes, and which one is good value for money, she knew it all.

As soon as Ji Xia mentioned she wanted to buy rolling donkeys from a shop nearby, He Yueru told her that the treats from that shop weren’t authentic, while a less famous old shop made truly authentic rolling donkeys.

Jiang Feng and the others immediately changed course, preparing to take the subway to that less famous old shop He Yueru had mentioned.

He Yueru led them down a main road for about 10 minutes until they reached the subway station. Compared with He Yueru’s directions, the route suggested by the map navigation app was a major detour, which frustrated Jiang Feng so much that he uninstalled the app on the spot, deciding to reinstall it later that night.

“Yue, do you know which shop sells the best fried cakes? I haven’t had a chance to try them since I came to Beiping. I asked Master Wang in the shop yesterday, and he told me the good old fried cake shops are closed at this time,” Ji Xia asked on the subway.

“Fried cakes? If it were over a decade ago, Eight-treasure House’s fried cakes were definitely the best, but they don’t sell them anymore. Most of the old shops have closed down. There are still a few decent ones, but they might have closed for the day by now. I know a shop where the fried cakes are average, but if you want to try something new, it’s at least better than what those tourists’ spots offer,” He Yueru said.

“Eight-treasure House?” Jiang Feng was quite surprised.

“Yeah, you wouldn’t expect that, right? Back in the day, Eight-treasure House was famed for these snacks. When I was little, Eight-treasure House even had a separate little window to sell them. Fried cakes, ‘toad spit honey’, ‘pea yellow’, ‘lupin roll’, ‘minced meat pancake’ and the like; back then, Eight-treasure House used to sell snacks on the first floor and the restaurant was on the second,” He Yueru explained, “It’s just that it’s been many years since Eight-treasure House stopped selling these items. I heard recently they started selling pastries again, but they’re too expensive, and I’ve never felt like splurging.”

“How about we go there for lunch today? Consider it my thanks for showing us around to these old shops. De will treat us,” Jiang Feng said with a smile.

Jiang Zaidi: ???

“Yesterday, Ling Guangzhao said in the chefs’ group that their shop introduced two new pastries, available only for dine-in and not for delivery,” Jiang Feng whispered in Jiang Zaidi’s ear, “They seem to be a limited offer for the New Year, and after the holidays, they won’t be available.”

“Let’s go, I’ll treat,” Jiang Zaidi said decisively.