THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 743: Chapter 742: Farewell (Part Two)

Jiang Chengde’s busyness had lasted for quite some time.

Jiang Feng had been going back and forth between Jiang Chengde and the queue of people at the back door. He watched as the queue gradually diminished, saw each boy who fetched the dishes sprint in the cold wind, and saw Jiang Chengde tirelessly move from one dish to the next as if he were a robot.

By the time he reached the last dish, it was already very late.

Jiang Feng couldn’t tell the time, but judging from the moonlight outside, the gradually quieting air, and the increasingly empty and quiet kitchen, along with the helpers and crowd leaving, he could tell that it was indeed no early hour.

Now, only seven people remained in the kitchen.

Even Master Chen had finished his work and gone home, leaving only Jiang Chengde working among the head chefs.

He was at work on that very same dish Jiang Feng had seen him start with, the dumplings coated in egg batter.

This dish seemed to be very popular. The most frequent dish Jiang Chengde made was this one, having to cook it every two or three dishes, and sometimes even having to make several in a row.

The dish was finished.

“Weize, Weijin, Weiming, start cleaning up the kitchen, we’re getting ready to go home,” Jiang Chengde said as he took the dish out from the pot…

Jiang Weiming, who had been tending the fire at the back, stirred. The young man who was responsible for cutting ingredients for Jiang Chengde, and the other lad who chopped the meat, began to move as well. Only then did Jiang Feng notice the two of them indeed looked alike. They were real brothers, but it was hard to tell which one was older. He did not know which one was the eldest and which was the second.

Jiang Chengde, as the head chef, and quite a prestigious one at that, naturally did not have to do menial tasks like cleaning the kitchen himself, and after cooking for so long, he was indeed tired. After he stopped, he took the hot tea handed to him by his son, sipped it, and let the boy responsible for massaging him do his work.

“Master Jiang, you have worked hard. You should head home early, I guess your sister and your other sons must be waiting at home for the New Year’s Eve dinner,” Sir Hu said as he came in and saw Jiang Chengde drinking tea and relaxing. He quickly smiled and spoke.

“What time is it now?” Jiang Chengde asked.

“I can’t say exactly what time it is, but it’s definitely past 9 o’clock in the evening,” Sir Hu replied.

Jiang Chengde frowned; it was indeed getting late.

“You should go now. Let Weize, Weijin, and Weiming head back as well. Leave the cleaning to Liuzi,” Sir Hu said. “If I remember correctly, Huiqin is getting married in about ten days, right? Today is the last New Year’s Eve meal you’ll have together before she marries into the Li Family. You should hurry back and spend time together. Once Huiqin becomes a young mistress at the Li Family, it’ll be difficult for her to come back here for a meal. The Li Family matriarch is strict, and I fear Huiqin won’t be able to pop into the kitchen like she used to.”

Jiang Chengde was persuaded, and a slight smile spread across his brow: “It’s fine if she doesn’t come. It’s not good for a young girl to always be running to a smoky and burning place; it’ll damage her face and skin.”

“I didn’t expect you to understand such things,” Sir Hu said with a chuckle.

“I’ll be leaving then, I leave everything here to you,” Jiang Chengde signaled with his eyes that his three sons could stop working and go home for dinner.

“Dad, you haven’t taken the dish out of the stove yet!” Jiang Weiming reminded him.

“Oh, right, I was too busy tonight and forgot,” Jiang Chengde suddenly realized, and quickly went to the stove to lift the lid. Inside was indeed a dish of clear broth and willow leaf swan dishes, but its appearance had suffered, obviously due to being kept warm in the stove for too long.

Looking at the clear broth and willow leaf swan dish, which had clearly changed shape, a hint of annoyance flashed across Jiang Chengde’s face: “It’s all my fault, I forgot.”

Sir Hu stepped up for a look and recognized it as clear broth and willow leaf swan dish, laughed and said, “Master Jiang, I suppose you made this dish in the afternoon and wanted to take it home for dinner tonight. Next time if you want to prepare a dish in advance, don’t stew it on the stove. Just tell me, and I will arrange something special for you to keep it warm for a long time without changing its appearance.”

Jiang Weiming swiftly picked up the clear broth and willow leaf swan dish from the pot, put it in a food box, and, carrying the food box, got ready to leave the kitchen with Jiang Chengde.

They hadn’t reached the door when they ran headlong into Mr. Lu, who came in smiling broadly, also carrying a large food box.

Compared to the previous memory of him looking like a shrewd businessman with a normal physique, Mr. Lu had clearly put on weight in middle age, appearing quite prosperous and beaming with kindness, resembling a Maitreya Buddha.

Mr. Lu was wrapped up snugly in a mink jacket, a jade pendant of exceptional clarity hung at his waist, and he also wore gloves stitched from an unknown material. His entire outfit looked expensive, revealing that he had undoubtedly made a fair amount of money over the years.

A closer look revealed that this large food box was a valuable item as well. Not only was it beautiful and heavy, it featured finely carved decorations, looking more like an artistic exhibit that belonged in a museum than a mere food container.

“Mr. Lu,” Jiang Chengde nodded slightly to Mr. Lu.

“Chengde, you’ve finished up,” Mr. Lu said cheerfully and warmly as if he were a genial elder of the family.

“You really worked hard today. It’s the New Year, and you couldn’t get home to your family early as you were busy cooking in the kitchen.”

“It’s my duty. I’m a chef, after all; this is my job,” Jiang Chengde replied.

“Huiqin is getting married in a few days, isn’t she? As an elder, I don’t have much to offer, but a while ago I acquired a pair of jade bangles with excellent water. I’ll give them to Huiqin as part of her dowry. Oh, and I’ve heard that the Li Family’s young master is considering going to university and even studying abroad, right? He must like Western stuff, then. I recently got some rarely seen Western novelties. I’ll have them sent to your home in a few days. Don’t let the Li Family look down on us.”

Upon hearing Mr. Lu say this, Jiang Chengde’s stern expression softened somewhat: “Thank you, Mr. Lu. The dowry I’ve prepared for Huiqin should be quite substantial. I’m sure it won’t be looked down upon by the Li Family.”

“By the way, the matter I discussed with you last time…” Mr. Lu’s expression changed slightly.

“Don’t worry, I know what you’re concerned about. Over the years, you’ve helped our family a lot. Even though my father has passed away, I could never fully repay the debt I owe you. I won’t go to Prince Mansion, nor to Yonghe House or Shunhe Building. I am a chef from Taifeng Building, and I’m not going anywhere else.”

“That’s good, that’s very good.” Mr. Lu’s smile suddenly became much brighter. Glancing at the food box in his hand as if he remembered something, he hurriedly lifted it towards Jiang Chengde, “Your family has many children, and you must have been too busy all night to prepare your own New Year’s Eve dinner. It’s 9 o’clock in the evening now; if you go back to cook now, it will be too late. I’ve asked someone to specially pack for you steamed fish with yellow sauce, two-colored shrimp, and Ten Thousand Fortune Meat from Yonghe House. Master Tan, knowing it was for you, personally cooked it. It should still be warm, so take it and let Huiqin heat it up. Go back early, so you don’t miss New Year’s Eve dinner.”

Jiang Chengde took the food box, revealing a smile towards Mr. Lu: “You are thoughtful, happy New Year.”

Mr. Lu showed an extremely sincere smile: “Happy New Year!”

Jiang Chengde, carrying the food box, walked out, and his three sons hurriedly followed. As soon as they stepped outside, one of them, Jiang Feng—it was unclear whether it was Jiang Weize or Jiang Weijin—smoothly took the food box from Jiang Chengde’s hands.

Not only did he take the food box, but he also casually asked a question.

“Dad, why don’t you switch to another restaurant? Didn’t they say at Prince Mansion that they would offer you triple the salary to poach you?”

Jiang Chengde glanced at his son: “We are chefs, not private chefs kept by Prince Mansion.”

“Then why don’t you go to Yonghe House? I remember you have a good relationship with Master Tan, and the salary at Yonghe House is also higher.”

“Weize.” Jiang Chengde suddenly stopped walking, turned his head, and pointed to the sign above the entrance of Taifeng Building. It was then that Jiang Feng noticed that they had unwittingly made their way from the back door to the front.

But now it was too dark, Jiang Feng had to get close to see the sign clearly, let alone Jiang Weize, who probably couldn’t see anything.

“Do you see that sign?” Jiang Chengde said.

“No.” The response came from an honest child.

Jiang Chengde: …

“It’s okay if you didn’t see it, but you must remember that this sign is ours, and one day it must return to our family. Other restaurants may offer a higher salary, but once we leave, this sign will never come back.”

“Weijin, Weiming, you both must remember too, one day, we must bring this sign back.”

The three young lads all looked up together, staring at the sign they couldn’t see, not knowing what to look for, and remained silent.

Jiang Feng was also looking up.

Although he knew his words would inevitably go unheard by Jiang Chengde, he still said them.

“It’s already back.”

“Let’s go, don’t keep your Aunt Huiqin waiting at home. It’s getting late, and if we go back any later, I might even get a scolding from her,” Jiang Chengde said with a hint of laughter in his voice, quickly walking towards the dark path ahead.

The three who were still looking up, trying to find the sign, quickly snapped back to reality and hurried after him.

Jiang Feng lagged just a couple of steps behind, and the figures of the three gradually disappeared into the darkness, like the ending of an old movie, fading into the distance.

As Jiang Feng hurriedly walked forward in the dark, trying to find the vague silhouettes of the three, he heard the cheerful voice of Jiang Weiming.

“Big brother, do you think Aunt Huiqin has already finished making the dumplings? I’m so tired from tending the fire all day; I don’t want to make dumplings when I get back.”

“What are you thinking? I’ve been chopping vegetables all day without complaining, and you’re tired from just tending the fire for a day and already want to avoid making dumplings? On New Year’s Eve, if not you, then who will make them? You want Weiguo to do it instead?”

“That definitely won’t do.” Jiang Weiming’s voice immediately rose, “Weiguo likes to eat with his hands; we might end up having his saliva all over the dumplings instead of the filling—I certainly wouldn’t eat the dumplings he makes.”

“And you dare disparage Weiguo for eating with his hands? When you were little, not only did you eat with your hands, but you also had a runny nose. Do you know how many times I wiped it for you?” laughed Jiang Weijin.

“Second brother, you’re talking nonsense. You’re only a year older than me. If I had a runny nose, you probably did too. If anyone wiped it, it was big brother, not you,” said an annoyed Jiang Weiming, raising his voice.

“Right, right, right, it was me who wiped your nose when we were kids,” Jiang Weize said, unable to suppress his laughter.

“Dad, big brother and second brother are picking on me again!” Jiang Weiming complained when he couldn’t win the argument.

“Alright, it’s the New Year; let’s not talk about runny noses and such—you’re still carrying food,” said Jiang Chengde, also laughing, “But you did drool quite a bit when you were little, Weiming. Every breakfast, your mother had to wipe your mouth twice for every spoonful of porridge she fed you.”

“Dad!”

Laughter filled the air.

These sounds of laughter were like a series of bright and warm lanterns, illuminating the dark and quiet road ahead.

Source: .com, updated on N𝘰vgo.co

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