The Game of Life - Chapter 14

14 Chapter 14: The Straw Raincoat and the Cucumber
Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
The decor and format of the brand new retailer far exceeded Jiang Jiankang’s creativeness, and he immediately grew to become stuffed with preventing spirit. He left his son behind and dragged Mrs. Wang Xiulian to the close by farmers’ market to scout the state of affairs.

For a retailer this large, selecting the best provide of elements was essential.

Jiang Feng, who was used to being left behind by his mother and father, returned to the dorm with Wang Hao first.

“Feng, I simply noticed a dish referred to as ‘Clear Soup with Willow Leaf Swallow Vegetable’ on the menu downstairs. What’s that?” Wang Hao requested curiously.

“That’s simply considered one of my dad’s show-off dishes; he can’t truly make it,” Jiang Feng mentioned, and seeing Wang Hao trying puzzled, he defined, “That dish is meant to make use of white hen’s nest as the principle ingredient. My dad solely talks the speak, he’s by no means truly made it; solely my grandfather, who was as soon as a chef in a state-owned restaurant, ever did.”

Wang Hao all of a sudden realized, “No marvel your cooking expertise are so good; it’s a household legacy.”

After they received to the grocery store subsequent to the varsity, Jiang Feng all of a sudden stopped in his tracks.

“Do you need to attempt cucumber in ‘straw raincoat’?”

He had dried chili and chili oil in his bag.

Wang Hao, identified for his love of consuming, would absolutely present loads of expertise factors if cooked for. If Jiang Feng waited till after Wang Hao had tried Mr. Jiang Jiankang’s cooking tonight, he won’t be really easy to impress as earlier than.

In fact, Wang Hao knew what cucumber in ‘straw raincoat’ was. “Feng, you even know methods to make that? Let’s go, they’ve cucumbers within the grocery store. I’ll submit it on social media to make these guys subsequent door jealous after you make it.”

Jiang Feng’s eyes lit up, “They’re all on the college?”

!!..

“All of them got here early for the freshman welcoming. Each single a kind of beasts is right here. We’ve received to maintain our door shut tight, Feng. Final time, they caught wind of the spare rib rice and didn’t go away a single chew for me,” Wang Hao mentioned, chuckling.

“No worries, I’ll minimize a number of extra, and also you go ask if they need some,” Jiang Feng was welcoming to all comers. To him, these guys have been nothing however pure expertise factors!

Since Jiang Feng had mentioned so, Wang Hao took out his telephone and requested everybody within the WeChat group. As anticipated, the boys who had returned to high school early responded with nice enthusiasm.

Jiang Feng purchased ten cucumbers.

The cucumbers on the college grocery store weren’t very recent; they regarded like that they had been compelled to ripen. The standard wasn’t good, so he didn’t trouble choosing and simply took about ten satisfactory cucumbers, weighed them, and went to the checkout counter to pay.

Seeing that he purchased ten cucumbers, the cashier girl gave him an additional few glances.

“Don’t purchase greens on the college. They’re stuffed with hormones.” Maybe as a result of Jiang Feng was handsome, the woman couldn’t assist however give a bit of recommendation, “Behind the wholesale market, there’s a small vegetable market the place lots of them develop their very own produce, no pesticides, actually recent.”

“Thanks, Auntie,” Jiang Feng sweetly thanked her, then took out his telephone to relay the information to Mr. Jiang Jiankang.

Wang Hao waited for Jiang Feng on the entrance of the grocery store, and seeing him come out with an enormous bag of cucumbers, he was startled and requested, “Feng, I recall we don’t have a kitchen knife in our dorm, will we?”

There was solely a pointy fruit knife within the dorm; this was additionally why Jiang Feng was normally reluctant to prepare dinner within the dorm. Chopping meat with a fruit knife took eternally and was a problem.

“A fruit knife will do,” Jiang Feng mentioned.

Cucumber in ‘straw raincoat’ relied on knifework; the elements have been secondary. Each household had its personal style, however it might usually not be too unhealthy.

As for knifework.

Such fundamental knifework, Jiang Feng had been capable of minimize a whole cucumber in ‘straw raincoat’ because the fifth grade of elementary college.

The dorm was on the fifth flooring, and by the point Jiang Feng, carrying a bag of seasonings and holding a bag of cucumbers, received to the fifth flooring, he virtually thought he had gone to the mistaken constructing.

From the steps and round to room 501, a crowd had gathered, ranging in peak and dimension. At a fast look, there have been simply a dozen or extra.

Those that didn’t know may suppose it was a bunch able to ambush and begin a brawl.

“Rattling, I simply talked about it, and also you all truly got here,” Wang Hao couldn’t assist however curse on the sight.

There have been Jiang Feng’s classmates, colleagues from his division, and regulars from Wang Hao’s small retailer who usually hung round room 501.

“We’re right here to assist the grand opening of Feng’s household’s new retailer!” Li Jian from the identical class joked.

“Our retailer opens the day after tomorrow, be sure you all come and present assist,” Jiang Feng mentioned with a smile, as Wang Hao opened the door to the dorm.

The fruit knife was on Jiang Feng’s desk. He went to the balcony to clean the cucumbers and the fruit knife, whereas Wang Hao rapidly began to wipe the desk clear. The plastic chopping board had been damaged since final semester and hadn’t been changed, so that they needed to minimize the cucumbers on the desk.

After washing the cucumbers, Jiang Feng picked up the knife and deftly made diagonal and straight cuts, his expert actions portray the image of not simply wielding a fruit knife however one of many unimaginable blades from the ‘Little Chef’ exhibits.

These standing on the door watching couldn’t assist however stare in awe.

Jiang Feng’s culinary expertise have been spectacular, however that was relative to the scholars at UAL College.

In Alan Metropolis, in case you stepped right into a barely bigger restaurant, you can simply discover a chef with higher expertise than Jiang Feng.

These have been all individuals who had a very good relationship with Jiang Feng; that they had seen Wang Hao’s social media posts and thought that Feng’s household was so indebted from opening the brand new retailer that they have been struggling. They got here to assist him.

They’d agreed amongst themselves to every eat a number of bites of cucumber, after which excuse it as cost for the dish, every individual contributing 5 or ten bucks in order that Jiang Feng wouldn’t have monetary problem initially of the varsity 12 months. The cucumber in ‘straw raincoat’ actually wasn’t the purpose; displaying assist was.

However now, the individuals on the door couldn’t assist however fixate on the fruit knife in Jiang Feng’s hand.

Swish, swish, swish, swish.

The actions have been as fast as one thing out of a TV drama.

As a result of 501 usually had sizzling pot within the winter, that they had a whole set of dipping sauce dishes. Jiang Feng took out two plates and organized the sliced cucumbers right into a circle, including salt, sesame oil, sugar, then took out vinegar personally brewed by Sir, sun-dried chili peppers, and home made chili oil from his bag.

Sir had realized vinegar brewing from a Shanxi grasp in his early years, and in his view, most vinegars bought available on the market these days have been soulless.

As quickly because the jars containing chili oil and vinegar have been opened, the perfume was launched.

“Do you guys want bitter or spicy?” Jiang Feng requested the few on the door first.

“Spicy, spicy!”

“Bitter, bitter is nice!”

“Both is okay, both is okay.”

4 individuals gave three completely different solutions, at this level they couldn’t keep in mind they have been right here to indicate assist, their eyes have been fixated on the 2 plates of cucumbers.

Jiang Feng added a bit extra dried chili to 1 plate, and stored the opposite at a traditional ratio.

There appeared to be quite a bit with ten cucumbers, however divided amongst over a dozen individuals, there wasn’t a lot left.

Wang Hao, having the benefit of proximity, tried to monopolize one cucumber however was strictly denounced by everybody, and three quarters of it was taken away.

Sir’s chili oil packed a punch, and a number of other college students who couldn’t deal with spicy meals virtually cried from the warmth however nonetheless bravely fought within the entrance strains for meals.

The doorway of house 501 was crammed with the scent of bitter and spicy.

Some had supposed to casually praise the style of the cucumbers, however anybody with that concept solely discovered a number of plates with dried chili floating in vinegar.

A scholar who got here down from the sixth flooring to take out the trash noticed so many individuals round on the fifth flooring and the scrumptious bitter and spicy aroma within the air, and curiously requested, “What are you all consuming right here?”

“Nothing, nothing, we’re simply serving to to scrub up spilled vinegar,” everybody responded in unison, fearing one other mouth to feed can be an excessive amount of to deal with.

The ten plates of cucumber slices have been devoured by the ravenous crowd very quickly.

In the meantime, Jiang Feng heard “Ding, gained 111 expertise factors.”

“Ding, gained 167 expertise factors.”

“Ding, gained 109 expertise factors.”

His temper was merely pleasant.

After the meals was gone, everybody began to enthusiastically battle over who would wash the plates.

“Oh no!” a junior from Jiang Feng’s division all of a sudden slapped his thigh in an epiphany, “Feng, I virtually forgot to pay for the cucumber salad. I’ll simply switch the cash to Mr. Hao by scanning his QR code on his bedside; Mr. Hao, be sure you cross it on to Feng!”

“Oh no, how may I overlook!”

“Ah, have a look at my reminiscence, Hao, I’m additionally transferring the cash to you.”

Everybody appeared to have a second of realization, however their performing was so poor that Jiang Feng felt embarrassed to reveal them.

What was much more telling was that everybody left in a rush after paying, which was too deliberate.

Wang Hao was considerably baffled by the string of notifications for receiving cash on his telephone.

“Since when did they begin paying for meals they mooched?”

Jiang Feng chuckled and started to tidy up the seasonings. “Isn’t it since you’ve been posting pretend ads in your social media daily? They most likely suppose I’m so poor I can’t afford to eat.”

Wang Hao: …

“So what ought to we do with this cash?”

“Hold it for now; we’ll give them reductions after they come to eat at my household’s restaurant,” Jiang Feng mentioned.

After tidying up a bit, Jiang Feng rigorously picked out the seasonings and packed them in a bag to take to his store that night.

After reminiscing concerning the cucumber salad they’d simply eaten, Wang Hao requested, “Feng, how does your dad’s cooking examine to that cucumber salad?”

After considering for a second, Jiang Feng replied critically, “The cucumber salad was scrumptious as a result of it was made with vinegar and chili oil brewed by my grandpa; it’s roughly the usual of my dad’s on a regular basis cooking.”

“My dad is definitely making ready his signature dishes tonight. His cooking expertise are positively greater than that cucumber salad.”

“Gulp.”

Wang Hao couldn’t assist however swallow saliva.