THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 659: Chapter 657: Equivalent Exchange

Tao Shu busied himself with work while quietly gossiping about trivial work matters with a colleague; meanwhile, Chef Arno, thinking the dishes had just been served and completely oblivious, confidently walked towards Xu Cheng’s table.

Xu Cheng and his group had already started eating. After waiting for a minute or two and seeing no sign of Chef Arno, they just began.

By the time Chef Arno walked up to their table, brimming with confidence, Jiang Feng had already eaten half of his steak.

Chef Arno: ?

Jiang Feng and the other three: ???

All five of them just stared at each other, speechless. Those holding utensils didn’t know whether to set them down or keep holding on, and those who were still chewing meat didn’t know whether to swallow or chew a few more times.

In short, this whole scene was just not right.

But who was Chef Arno? He was the tough guy with a strong mentality, the one who could argue in front of tens of millions of American viewers on a reality show.

Chef Arno was only slightly stunned. He quickly adjusted his mindset and kept a calm face. As if nothing had happened, Chef Arno, with an accent and an even quicker pace than before, introduced all the dishes on the table to everyone.

Although Xu Cheng had been living in China for many years, he was actually of Chinese descent from Singapore, with English as his real mother tongue. He’d also had no shortage of encounters with foreign chefs over the years, so listening to Chef Arno’s introductions was no problem for him.

Peng Changping had settled abroad for many years; his writing might be poor, but listening was not an issue. As for Zhang Guanghang, there was no need to mention him. As long as the words spoken contained letters, everyone thought he could understand, even though his mother tongue was French.

Only Jiang Feng was a bit bewildered. For some reason, he felt that Chef Arno was speaking even faster this time, not so much speaking as reciting, babbling, with many words and phrases blending together.

To Jiang Feng, the introduction sounded approximately like—

Source: AllNovelFull.com, updated on ƝοѵǤ0.сօ

“@”~[…＆,#＆]”beff~＆,@Eggplant Parmigiana…”[＆￥]”…”

Among the long string of words, Jiang Feng could only catch one or two key words he understood with great difficulty, and then wildly speculate based on those words.

Perhaps because the main courses were plentiful and indeed worth introducing, even though Chef Arno spoke faster this time, the introduction took longer. As he talked about the roasted whole chicken, his pace slowed a bit, perhaps because he needed to catch his breath after speaking so quickly and unconsciously slowed down.

Jiang Feng understood the entire introduction about the roasted whole chicken.

It might be a good introduction for ordinary people, but to the professional food critics and chefs present, such an introduction seemed somewhat superfluous.

It seemed less like an introduction and more like a boast.

Chef Arno, of course, wouldn’t be foolish enough to reveal the cooking method, but he mainly focused on the preciousness of the ingredients and the difficulty of cooking. He used an excessive amount of language, almost poetic, to praise the excellence of the dishes.

To sum up his dish presentation, it would probably be: I’m awesome, clap, understand?

Even if Chef Arno was a master among the top ten in the Chefs’ Index, such self-praise seemed a bit…

Well, okay, he deserved his reputation, as after all, aside from the chicken breast, the other main courses on the table were indeed impeccable and a rare culinary delight.

Chef Arno appeared out of nowhere, and left just as mysteriously, having completed the dish introductions without saying anything else. He gave Xu Cheng a slight nod and left with a complacent air, like a rooster that had just won a fight.

Jiang Feng continued gnawing on his steak, and while doing so, he didn’t forget to quietly ask Zhang Guanghang, “Do head chefs in your country’s high-end restaurants always introduce the dishes like this? Aren’t they afraid guests won’t catch everything?”

Zhang Guanghang: …

“Normally, head chefs…” Zhang Guanghang glanced at Xu Cheng and Peng Changping opposite him, and seeing no reaction, continued, “won’t come out to introduce the dishes unless it’s a special occasion, or there are some very important guests present. It’s my first time seeing this.”

Very important guests?

Jiang Feng subconsciously looked towards the two big shots opposite him.

So Chef Arno had come out for his self-congratulatory dish presentation for someone.

Who could it be?

Xu Cheng or Peng Changping?

Enjoying exquisite food is always a time of quiet, as there’s only one mouth to use—you can’t talk and eat at the same time. Faced with a table of rare delicacies, who would waste their breath talking, feeling even drinking water or breathing would be wasteful?

As Peng Changping was older, he naturally had less of an appetite than younger people like Jiang Feng and Zhang Guanghang. While the others were battling with the roasted chicken, Peng Changping had already put down his utensils and taken out a tin of tea leaves from his bag, asking the waiter to brew a pot for him.

Typically, restaurants wouldn’t offer this type of service, but as long as the price was right and it wasn’t illegal or disorderly, theoretically any service could be provided.

While waiting for his tea, Peng Changping found the opportunity to speak.

“Jiang Xiaoyou,” Peng Changping said.

Jiang Feng nearly choked on a chicken bone in fright, almost giving the bigwigs a live demonstration of choking to death on the spot.

Jiang Feng quickly stopped talking, “Master Peng, just call me Jiang Feng like Mr. Xu does.”

Being addressed as Jiang Xiaoyou made Jiang Feng feel like he was actually holding a script for a cultivation novel.

“A couple of days ago, Lu Sheng gave me Zhang Chu’s contact information, and I’ve been thinking of how to thank you ever since. I’ve been settled overseas for many years without any news of my junior sister and her family. I didn’t have many expectations when I came back to the country this time, but you’ve helped me so much, so by all accounts, I should really thank you properly,” Peng Changping said.

“You’re too polite, it was just a coincidence, really, a trifle; I believe anyone who knew the information would have told you,” Jiang Feng said.

Peng Changping revealed a kindly smile unique to elders looking at their juniors, “It’s not the same.”

“The meaning is different, you’re too young to understand now. At my age, if there’s still a chance to meet old friends and acquaintances from years ago, it truly is worth more than gold. Zhang Chu says he will bring his grandson to Beiping around May Day, and I will cook personally at Yonghe House and set up a table—you must attend.”

Jiang Feng nodded frantically, indicating that he would crawl there even if he only had half a life left.

“I also asked Xu Cheng about your family’s shop these past few days. You may not know, but my father was acquainted with your great-grandfather and had received guidance from him, even learning a few dishes. If I’m not mistaken, the Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall I smelled the other night was made by your grandfather, right?” Peng Changping asked.

“Yes.”

“I hope you don’t mind my asking further, was your grandfather the youngest son of your great-grandfather, and how much of your great-grandfather’s culinary skills did your grandfather learn?” Peng Changping’s words were tinged with caution and probing.

In other culinary aristocracies, such a question might be considered presumptuous, but in the Jiang Family it wasn’t an issue, because Sir often used to mention how he hardly learned the true craft of Jiang Chengde.

“Two… maybe three parts,” Jiang Feng wasn’t entirely sure, “My grandfather told me that he was very young when Beiping fell, and he hardly learned any cooking from my great-grandfather, just watched from the sidelines. My grandfather’s skills were acquired later on, after moving south, where he learned from various other masters, so his learning was quite mixed.”

“What about Granduncle Weiming?” Peng Changping continued to inquire.

“I’m not very clear about that, he probably learned quite a bit, I guess, but Granduncle Weiming never mentioned it to me. However, he once told me that among his brothers, the one with the best talent and culinary skills was my second granduncle, but he passed away many years ago. He had two apprentices, one was Master Huang from Huang Ji Restaurant, and the other later stopped being a chef and went into business.”

Jiang Feng didn’t mention Zheng Siyuan, to avoid others knowing that he and Zheng Siyuan were technically of the same sect, which could complicate Zheng Siyuan’s job at the Eight-treasure House.

Xu Cheng: ?

There’s actually something I didn’t know.

How many grandfathers do you actually have?

Peng Changping nodded slightly, murmuring, “It’s still a bit short.”

“The thing is,” Peng Changping straightened his back as the server had just brought the tea. He poured himself a cup first, watched the steaming hot cup for two seconds before continuing.

“Didn’t I just say that I haven’t figured out how to properly thank you? I’ve given it some careful thought these past days, and it seems that giving you an expensive gift as a token of my thanks would be too perfunctory and meaningless. The favor you did for me has a special significance, so I should give you a gift that also holds a special significance for you.”

“Yesterday, I looked over the menu of your Taifeng Building, and I don’t know if your grandfather and Granduncle Weiming have mentioned it to you. There used to be a very famous dish at Taifeng Building, even renowned throughout Beiping, called Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup.”

Jiang Feng: !!!

Jiang Feng’s eyes couldn’t hide his shock; he knew about this dish. Not only did he know about it, but he also knew it was an S-level dish, not just your average S-level, but hellishly S-level.

Seeing the look in Jiang Feng’s eyes, Peng Changping knew he was aware of the dish, “It seems your grandfather and Granduncle Weiming have mentioned it to you, so you must know how to make it. It looks like my offer was unnecessary.”

“They never mentioned it, never mentioned it,” Jiang Feng quickly denied, “I heard about it from someone else… it was my great-uncle by marriage, named Li Mingyi, maybe you know of him? He told me before.”

“Why… would you bring up this dish?” Jiang Feng asked cautiously, watching Peng Changping.

“Back in the day, your great-grandfather sought out top chefs in Beiping to learn and exchange the essence of various culinary styles. My father was a successor of Tan Family Cuisine, and he was the first chef your great-grandfather approached for guidance.”

Speaking of his father, Peng Changping’s eyes held a hint of pride, “My father was a very open-minded person, a rare and kind-hearted good man. Back then, most people wouldn’t take on disciples other than their own kin, especially not female disciples, yet my father took on a younger brother and sister as disciples, teaching them everything he knew. I remember when my father took them as his disciples, he told me that once a teacher, always a father; that he was another father to my younger brother and sister, and I was another brother to them. He gained a pair of children, and I gained a pair of siblings.”

Realizing he had digressed, Peng Changping smiled apologetically, “Sorry, I got carried away there.”

“When your great-grandfather wanted to learn the techniques of Tan Family Cuisine from my master, he offered to exchange the skills of Jiang Family Dishes. My father agreed and taught everything he knew freely to your great-grandfather. In return, your great-grandfather generously shared several signature dishes from Taifeng Building with my father.”

“After they had mastered each other’s cuisines, both my father and your great-grandfather had the tacit understanding not to serve the dishes they learned from each other in their respective restaurants. Perhaps because they set such a good precedent, other famous chefs your great-grandfather visited later also acted similarly—quite a curious event at the time.”

“I don’t possess the same broad-mindedness as my father. Even with an equivalent exchange, I couldn’t be as selflessly generous as he was. However, I’ve always wanted to be like him.”

“I owe you a favor, and just so happen to know one of your family’s lost culinary masterpieces. Why not let me indulge a little private desire to be selfless just this once.”

“You’ve done me a great favor, so I’ll teach you Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup. An equivalent exchange, how about that?”

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!