The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 426: Chapter 424 Substitute

Mr. Zhou and Mr. Ouyang both began to eat the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon in silence, no longer talking.

With something on his mind, Mr. Ouyang was not eating as slowly as before; instead, he suddenly began to swallow big bites rapidly and urgently, causing Mr. Zhou to frequently look up at him.

Though his mood had changed, his taste buds remained honest.

“Ding, you have gained 999 experience points.”

“Ding, you have gained 999 experience points.”

“Ding…”

That day, Jiang Feng was reminded of the previous fear he had felt when his screen was flooded with 999 experience points.

Despite the surge of elation inside him, Jiang Feng kept a calm expression, his hands moved without hesitation, and his eyes carefully watched as he thickened the sauce on the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon.

After he had finished thickening the sauce on the three Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeons in front of him, Jiang Feng turned to call Ji Xia, “Xiaxia, could you go outside and ask to which private room the first two Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeons were delivered?”

“What’s the matter?” Wu Minqi turned around to fetch a plate of eggplants from the cooking station.

“It’s nothing, I just suddenly realized that the timing for thickening the sauce on the first two pigeons may not have been quite right. I’m sending Xiaxia to ask, so if the guests have any complaints we can address them promptly,” Jiang Feng explained.

According to his deduction, the customer who gained 999 experience points from a single bite must have been from the first batch of two Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeons that were served.

“Are you too tired? You have been busy all morning, perhaps you need a break?” Wu Minqi asked with concern.

“I’m not tired, I just might have been a bit out of it when I was thickening the sauce just now, but I’m okay now.” Jiang Feng’s ability to fabricate lies had now caught up with the mainstream level of the Jiang Family.

“That’s good,” Wu Minqi nodded and continued cooking.

A short while later, Ji Xia came running back.

Whenever Taifeng Building’s kitchen got busy, Ji Xia would be out of a job, transitioning from a vegetable cutter to a messenger, seeing but not touching.

“Master, I’ve just checked, the first two Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeons were ordered by VIP clients in Private Room 888. There are only two guests in that room, both with the last name Zhou… Zhou… Zhou…”

“Master, hold on, I’ll go and ask again,” Ji Xia began to run back.

Jiang Feng: …

Really, his silly apprentice was beyond help.

“Xiaxia’s memory…” Jiang Feng didn’t quite know what to say for a moment, “It really doesn’t match her age.”

“Xiaxia told me before that she hadn’t memorized ‘The Departure to War,'” Wu Minqi said. “The last time I quizzed her, she could only recite up to, ‘The Emperor began his undertaking but halfway the path was cut,'” and then she couldn’t continue, not a word more.”

“What comes after that?” Jiang Feng asked, equally puzzled.

Wu Minqi: …

Another while passed, and Ji Xia came back with a sticky note.

“Master, the names of those two customers are as follows, both are senior VIP clients of our restaurant. Mr. Zhou’s name was too hard, so I’ve copied it down for you,” Ji Xia stretched out her hand to show the sticky note to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng was busy thickening sauce and had no time to look: “Hang on, I’ll look in a bit.”

With nothing to do, Ji Xia held up the sticky note beside Jiang Feng, like a eunuch attending to the Emperor.

It didn’t take long to finish thickening the sauce for the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon, and in just a couple of minutes, Jiang Feng had completed the task for all the remaining pigeons. He then turned his head and finally saw the names on the paper.

Ouyang Yang.

Zhou… Zhou… What Zhou?

What is this character?

Jiang Feng was also stunned.

Seeing Jiang Feng staring at the note with the expression of a student struggling in math class, Wu Minqi leaned over for a look and said, “Zhou Chang.”

“So it’s Mr. Zhou and Mr. Ouyang,” Wu Minqi added.

“Do you know these two customers, Qiqi?” Jiang Feng’s interest was piqued, and he stopped preparing the Sweet and Sour Yam, opting to goof off instead. The pure pork wontons were already in the pot; boiling them a little longer wouldn’t matter, as the core of this dish was to be hard to eat anyway, all the more beneficial for those art students seeking inspiration, fearless of death.

Everything for the sake of the customers!

“These two customers are quite famous, especially Mr. Ouyang; he is a loyal fan of Jubao Building, the type who gets mad if anyone says half a bad word about it,” Wu Minqi said, and went back to work.

With no juicy gossip to satisfy his curiosity, Jiang Feng could only continue making the Sweet and Sour Yam earnestly.

Engrossed in the strenuous work, he could push even the juiciest gossip to the back of his mind.

In another part of the building, Zhou Chang and Ouyang Yang, having paid their bill and chatted for a while, were getting ready to leave.

The waiter at the private room’s entrance opened the door for them, signaling that it was time for the staff outside to come in and clear the table.

“Old Zhou, do you know who reserved the clay pot beggar’s chicken here?” Ouyang Yang had just finished the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon and had set his sights on the clay pot beggar’s chicken.

“Look at you, Ouyang, got addicted to freeloading, huh? Last time you freeloaded my clay pot beggar’s chicken and that’s still not enough, now you’re eyeing other people’s plates,” Zhou Chang said helplessly, “Forget about it, it’s tough to reserve clay pot beggar’s chicken now. Those who do manage to reserve don’t post on social media until after they’ve devoured it to show off.”

“It’s just a dish, what’s the big deal?” Ouyang Yang said.

“What’s the big deal? Didn’t you come all the way back from Australia just for a dish? Is your flight tonight or tomorrow?” Zhou Chang asked.

“Tonight’s,” Ouyang Yang said, “This place makes a good Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon, but it still falls short of Master Sun’s.”

“Master Sun hasn’t made that dish in so many years, can you still remember the taste of his Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon?” Zhou Chang was amazed by Ouyang Yang’s die-hard fan level for Jubao Building.

Ouyang Yang didn’t answer.

Of course, he remembered. Jubao Building wasn’t just a restaurant to him; it was his childhood and his youth, filled with moments spent with his family and memories of fooling around with good buddies. He vividly remembered every flavor tinged with those memories.

This restaurant’s Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was indeed done well, even better than the ones made by Master Sun’s disciples, but it still wasn’t enough.

Not good enough.

“Let’s go, what shall we eat for dinner?” Ouyang Yang said.

Unfortunately, he might never again taste the best flavor.

During the chat before the meal with Zhou Chang, Ouyang Yang hadn’t mentioned the most crucial thing: He had heard a terrifying piece of news, a secret that couldn’t be shared with anyone.

Guanyun was not doing well.

Jubao Building was not doing well, either.

“Ding, found an optional side quest,” the system notification suddenly rang out in Jiang Feng’s mind.

Jiang Feng’s hand, which was salting the food, trembled, nearly causing him to over-salt it.

“Xiaxia, go see how many dishes I’ve got left,” Jiang Feng felt he was only a few stir-fry dishes away from sudden death.

“I just checked, Master. You have two braised lion’s head meatballs and one sweet and sour spare ribs left,” Ji Xia reported accurately by Jiang Feng’s side.

“Dad, I’m going to the bathroom, can you cook the last two braised lion’s head and the sweet and sour spare ribs for me?” Jiang Feng shouted, preparing to sneak away under the pretense of a break.

Jiang Jiankang pretended not to hear.

“Xiaxia, your Shifu might not have heard you, go over there and repeat what I just said to him,” Jiang Feng played his trump card.

Receiving the order, Ji Xia ran to Jiang Jiankang. Before she could speak, Jiang Jiankang went from pretending not to hear to pretending to react slowly: “Alright, son, go ahead, and come back quickly.”

“Ah, I’m getting old, everything’s slow,” Jiang Jiankang mumbled to himself, thoroughly playing his part.

Jiang Feng put down his spatula and bolted.

The main hall was still full of customers. It was only the first day of National Day, and Taifeng Building had reached its highest turnover rate in history. It was nearly two o’clock and there were still guests arriving, while the kitchen’s ordering system kept beeping intermittently. Jiang Feng even suspected that the kitchen staff wouldn’t last until he could distribute their bonuses before they all dropped dead.

Only now did Jiang Feng realize how essential Sun Jikai truly was.

Such a great labor force!

Gone just like that, left without a word.

The time had come for Taifeng to poach a couple of chefs from elsewhere, like Ling Guangzhao did. Just yesterday, Jiang Feng specially checked Zhou Shi’s loyalty level—it was a very stable 19, the kind that was always ready to jump ship.

Once Zhou Shi left, the kitchen would be short of another source of cheap labor, and it would really be impossible to cope during the holidays.

With a heavy heart, Jiang Feng entered the second-floor men’s restroom and went into his private stall to check on the task, opening his attribute panel and accepting the mission.

[Substitute]: In Ouyang Yang’s heart, Jubao Building is irreplaceable as the number one restaurant, even though it has been facing multiple adversities recently and seems to be on the brink of decline, its place in Ouyang Yang’s heart remains untouched. For Ouyang Yang, the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon made by chef Jiang Feng is satisfactory, but not the best; the player is tasked with creating an Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon that will astonish Ouyang Yang and substitute for it.

Quest Hint: Players are encouraged to work hard on improving their fire control and seasoning skills.

Quest Reward: A piece of Ouyang Yang’s memory.

Jiang Feng: …

Jubao Building facing multiple adversities?

Could it be that Jubao Building is going to close down?

Ling Guangzhao’s Eight-treasure House hasn’t closed down yet, and now Sun Jikai’s Jubao Building is about to close down?

PS:

Do you want my spin-off? If you do, I can give it to you, go find it! I’ve put everything there—on the public account! (Start thump thump thump thump thump)