THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 651: Chapter 649: Birthday Cake

When Jiang Feng returned to the barbecue restaurant carrying fruit, the two sirs and Mrs. Jiang had already arrived and were sitting around a table with Professor Li and Chen Suhua, chatting over tea.

There was no trace of a gift.

Jiang Feng surveyed the scene, noticing that the table held only snacks, drinks, fruit, and playing cards. There was no exquisitely wrapped or casually packaged item resembling a gift, just sliced apples and opened carbonated drinks.

Zhang Weiyu was pulling his leg!

Jiang Feng wanted to turn around and glare at Zhang Weiyu, who had deceived his feelings, only to discover that Zhang Weiyu had already set the fruit on the table and slipped into the crowd to watch Sang Ming and the others playing cards.

Just as Jiang Feng was about to take the fruit to the kitchen to wash them before bringing them back out, one of the sirs gestured for him to come over.

At the same time, Mrs. Jiang got up, took the fruit from Jiang Feng’s hands, and conscientiously made her way to the kitchen to wash them.

Jiang Feng approached the two sirs, and Jiang Weiming was looking at him with a smiling face. Even though all smiles looked similar, Jiang Feng read a sense of familiarity in today’s smile from Jiang Weiming.

It was as if he had seen this kind of smile somewhere before, but it was not a common occurrence.

“Feng, I heard from your mother and your aunt that you wanted to make it onto the list of famous chefs this year?” Jiang Weiming asked.

For some reason, Jiang Feng felt this scene was eerily familiar, as if he had seen it in a dream.

“I… I have considered it.” While Jiang Feng had boasted with full confidence on the Great Wall, his bravado seemed less substantial in front of the two sirs.

“Having such ambition is good,” Jiang Weiming said with a smile.

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Jiang Feng nodded, right, having ambition is…

Hey, just good?

This wasn’t how it played out in his dream.

Jiang Feng looked up in surprise, incredulously staring at Jiang Weiming.

“What? You afraid we’d scold you?” Jiang Weiming gestured for Jiang Feng to sit down. “If you had been aimless and lacked ambition for so long, your grandpa would actually scold you. Aspiring to make it onto the list of famous chefs is a good thing. We might not understand much about it, but we just discussed it with Zhang, and with your current skills, it’s only a matter of time before you make the list.”

Jiang Feng felt slightly dizzy. He had always thought of the list of famous chefs as an unreachable goal; that’s why he’d first brought it up while bragging. But now, Jiang Weiming was telling him that it was within reach if he wanted it.

“Alright, let’s talk about this some other time,” one of the sirs interjected. “Today is your birthday, and your Granduncle Weiming and I have prepared a gift for you.”

A gift!

“I was negligent before, always treating you as the little boy you used to be, thinking that inheriting your father’s skills would be your limit. I neglected my guidance, thinking that being full was enough and there was no need to eat well.”

The sir’s words left Jiang Feng puzzled; if even the Jiang Family’s meals didn’t qualify as eating well, then Wang Hao must have been barely getting by on chaff and vegetables all his life.

“Your Granduncle Weiming is right, you are talented. Your talent might even be better than mine; perhaps even better than your Granduncle Weiming’s. It’s just that your realizations came late and slowly. Although it’s a bit late, you ought to taste some truly good things,” the sir said, taking a sip of his tea. “Yesterday, your Granduncle Weiming and I made you a pot of ‘Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall.’ It’s currently being kept warm in the kitchen; eat it whenever you wish.”

Jiang Feng nearly choked on his own saliva.

Jiang Weiming shook his head with a smile: “I was just watching and helped adjust the broth for a while. The main steps were all done by your grandpa. He was busy for three or four days with the preparations for this pot of ‘Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall’ just for you.”

“I should have cooked a dish for you too. After you had the chicken tofu, logically, I should have made boiled cabbage in water for you this time. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’m in a state to make it now. These dishes are all about freshness, and it’s good for you to taste more of them,” Jiang Weiming sighed deeply.

Jiang Weiming’s loss of taste was something he never mentioned, Jiang Feng didn’t bring it up, and Jiang Weisheng was even more reluctant to speak of it. He had kept it well-hidden, leading everyone to remain unaware of it until now.

Everyone also thought it was perfectly normal that Jiang Weiming hadn’t cooked a single dish since being discharged from the hospital. A person who had just recovered from a serious illness would naturally be weak, and at his advanced age, being in the kitchen with the heavy fumes was not suitable, so not cooking made perfect sense to everyone.

“What do you mean ‘can’t make it’? Brother, I’ll help you with the broth next time. After you rest and recuperate for a while, you’ll definitely be able to make it. Have there ever been dishes that you could make before but can’t make now? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” the sir said, clearly disliking this kind of talk.

“It’s different now; I’m truly old,” Jiang Weiming said with a bitter smile, his bitterness understood only by Jiang Feng and himself.

“`

“Okay, I won’t hold you up any longer, go on with what you need to do.”

Jiang Feng was about to feel out the Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall made by Sir himself in the kitchen when he was called out by Ji Yue.

“Jiang Feng, come over here and help string these,” Ji Yue waved at Jiang Feng with a bamboo skewer in hand.

Jiang Feng walked over and found out that what he thought was a group of people playing cards around the table was actually them assembling skewers for grilling. The variety of skewers was quite rich, including common ones like chicken wings, tenderloin, and pork ribs, as well as a range of cleaned and cut vegetables such as green beans, cabbage, potatoes, and garlic. The beef, mutton, and pork were all marinated, and Wu Minqi was cutting them into small pieces.

“We’re really having BBQ today,” Jiang Feng hadn’t expected everyone to be so professional about it. Wang Xiulian had made arrangements at a barbecue restaurant, and he thought today’s gathering would be barbecue in name only.

He had been prepared to bring back his signature dish, spicy stir-fried rice cakes.

“Of course, all these sauces are mixed by Zhang. I’m telling you, they’re super delicious!” Ji Yue said, as she dipped freshly skewered combinations of vegetables and meat into the sauce and took them out again.

Jiang Feng joined the skewering team, assembling a skewer with one piece of beef, one piece of mutton, one piece of pork, two pieces of green pepper, and one piece of onion, creating hodgepodges reminiscent of Turkish barbecue.

“By the way, who will do the grilling? We don’t have a barbecue chef in our place,” Jiang Feng asked.

“Zhang can grill. He learned Turkish barbecue from a Turkish chef a few years back. And Master Wang can also barbecue,” Ji Yue pointed at the always head-down skewering Master Wang, who was a professional and unassuming Beiping local.

Jiang Feng: …

Just how many masters had Zhang Guanghang apprenticed with?

“Professor Li and Master Wang have already checked everything; they said the equipment is fine and the charcoal will do,” Ji Yue said, “Mrs. Wang has arranged for four grilling stations. The remaining two are for anyone who wants to grill; just make sure to finish what’s cooked. There are a few self-service barbecue stations left over there, and if you want to cook something from the fridge, feel free.”

It sounded great, but Jiang Feng spotted something amiss: “Aren’t there any hot dishes? My granddad can eat this stuff, but Granduncle Weiming can’t handle too much greasy and rich food now.”

Ji Yue started to string vegetables: “Didn’t you talk to Master Jiang and the others just now? Didn’t they tell you? They are not dining here; they have booked a table at Yonghe House across the street and are going to eat there today.”

Jiang Feng: ???

I want to eat at Yonghe House too.

Why didn’t we just book the team-building meal at Yonghe House from the start?

“Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you in advance, so you’re prepared,” Ji Yue said, setting down the skewer with a somewhat sheepish smile.

The others also stopped what they were doing and collectively turned to Jiang Feng, who had a similarly sheepish smile.

Jiang Feng: ?

Why did he have a bad feeling about this?

“What’s up?”

“Well, it’s your birthday today, right? I’ve prepared a birthday gift for you. As you know, I’m not very good at picking out gifts, I usually just go with the flow. After much thought, and considering my tight budget recently, I ordered a cake for you; it should be delivered around 5 pm.”

Jiang Feng thought this was pretty good and couldn’t understand why Ji Yue looked so troubled, saying, “A cake is great, what’s wrong?”

“The problem is we didn’t consult each other. I didn’t know what to get either, so I also ordered a cake for you,” Ji Xue interjected. “It should arrive around 6 pm.”

“Master, I ordered a cake for you too! A chocolate cake!” Ji Xia eagerly raised her hand. “Elder sister ordered a mousse cake, Ji Yue ordered an ice cream cake, Master Wang ordered a fruit cake, Tang sister ordered a Black Forest cake, Dong Shi and Dong Li brothers ordered…”

Jiang Feng: ???

“That’s what happened,” Ji Yue’s smile grew more complicated. “It’s really just a coincidence since everyone’s first reaction was to order a cake as a birthday gift after Mrs. Wang said she didn’t need to order one.”

“An incomplete count estimates that about eleven people got you birthday cakes.”

“`

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