The Game of Life-Chapter 687 - 685: Day Off

Chapter 687: Chapter 685: Day Off

Chef Arno left content, leaving behind a sea of question marks, and Jiang Feng and his companions alone in their confusion.

After that interlude, Peng Changping lost all interest in shopping for fish at the stalls, leading Jiang Feng and Lu Sheng to head back. While Lu Sheng was off fetching the car from the parking lot, Peng Changping looked at Jiang Feng and asked:

“Have you offended Chef Arno before?”

Jiang Feng: …

I knew it, neither you nor Lu Sheng believed what I said just now!

“Master Peng, really, I haven’t, I’ve never even spoken to him.” Just earlier, Jiang Feng hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak before Chef Arno dropped his words and walked off, completely self-absorbed, without giving Jiang Feng a chance to react.

...

“Really not?” Peng Changping was still somewhat incredulous.

“Really not, I’ve been in China all these years and haven’t even left the country, and I’ve been at Yonghe Residence all this time which you can see for yourself. I always eat lunch at Yonghe Residence and don’t go out. Every day after leaving Yonghe Residence, I go straight home. I’ve never even seen Chef Arno’s face, so how could I have had the chance to offend him?” Jiang Feng wanted to imprint the word ‘wronged’ on his forehead.

Peng Changping finally believed Jiang Feng completely and became even more puzzled, “That’s strange then. It’s common for him not to like me, and now he’s started to target you too. It seems you must have unwittingly offended him in some other way.”

“Chef Arno, you see, is truly a fine cook, but also truly an odd person. You can’t say he’s terrible, but you can’t say he’s a good guy either, it’s just…” Peng Changping thought for a moment, “He’s talented and arrogant, never considering anyone else in his eyes.”

Peng Changping’s evaluation was quite fair, and even a bit understated.

“Did you ever offend him before?” asked Jiang Feng.

“No.”

“Then why doesn’t he like you either?” Jiang Feng pressed on.

“Because my ranking on the Famous Chef’s List is higher than his,” Peng Changping said, “A lot of people know this; Arno dislikes anyone who is ranked higher than him on the list. After the last ranking event, he’s been clamoring about how it’s not fair, claiming that Xu Cheng discriminates against him due to his age, that with his talents he should be ranked second.”

Jiang Feng: ?

Not fighting for first but for second?

True to Chef Arno, truly a mystery of a man.

“I found it odd when Lu Sheng told me earlier that Arno seemed to have a grudge against Taifeng Building for no reason…” Peng Changping hadn’t finished speaking when Lu Sheng brought the car around, parking it by the roadside to honk twice at Jiang Feng and the others.

Jiang Feng and Peng Changping hurried into the car, and due to the abundance of vegetables, Jiang Feng put all the tofu in the trunk. Anyone unaware would have thought the owner of Yonghe House was stocking up from the market.

“That man, he holds a grudge and doesn’t like to play nice. Although I’ve had little contact with him, I’ve heard plenty of external opinions about him. If there’s been some sort of misunderstanding that’s made him hostile toward you, perhaps I can arrange to meet with him face-to-face next time to clear it up,” Peng Changping suggested.

“This isn’t about a misunderstanding.” Lu Sheng, although he hadn’t heard their earlier conversation, didn’t hesitate to join in, “The top-tier restaurants set their sights on just two targets initially, either Taifeng Building or Eight-treasure House, and whichever they target first is our enemy. Now that they are flourishing, by contrast, our business is sure to suffer. Once they’re firmly established, other restaurants will follow suit and compete with us for the market.”

“I see,” said Peng Changping, finally understanding.

“Didn’t you face this problem when you first opened a restaurant? I remember the location wasn’t great initially and there was a lot of competition from surrounding eateries,” Lu Sheng pondered, “Actually, the situation of your restaurant back then wasn’t much different from the current top-tier restaurants. Plus, you were starting a Chinese restaurant, which outside of Chinatown in America must have been quite challenging to survive. You must have faced many difficulties when you first started, right?”

Jiang Feng perked up his ears, ready to hear how Peng Changping had carved out a niche for himself in the Western dining market back then.

“Not at all,” Peng Changping said, “My restaurant always ran smoothly without any problems. It was indeed in a bad location at first, as I didn’t have enough funds to rent a better place, and the restaurant was tucked away in a corner with limited space. Later, when the eatery next door closed down, I took over that space, and it’s been smooth sailing ever since.”

Lu Sheng: …

Jiang Feng: …

He knew it, those words from Peng Changping about losing sleep over minor business issues were just comforting lies for a rookie like him.

Peng Changping successfully talked everyone to death, and Jiang Feng and Lu Sheng didn’t say another word until they got out of the car.

After getting out, Jiang Feng took the produce from the trunk and delivered it all to the kitchen, where many people were already busy at work. A chef near the entrance saw how many soy products Jiang Feng had brought and asked where they had all come from.

“Lu, Mr. Lu, and I just went to the market with Master Peng. He bought all these things; Mr. Lu had quite a few dry goods; I reckon they went straight to the warehouse,” Jiang Feng explained.

The others, hearing that these soy products were purchased by Peng Changping, suddenly became interested. They examined the tofu and bean curd skins, curious about what made these ordinary products special enough for Peng Changping to bring them back.

Then everyone realized that these tofu and dried bean curd were just ordinary products, the kind you could buy at any market.

Even though they were ordinary, they were bought by Peng Changping and had to be handled with care. Peng Changping’s direct disciple instructed his disciple to properly store the soy products, who then instructed his disciple, and so on down the line until the task of placing the soy products fell on the young man who always called Jiang Feng “Master Uncle” and couldn’t change the habit.

“Master Uncle… Feng, what do we do with this tofu? We can put aside the dried bean curd and skins for now, but this soft tofu can’t be kept for long, right?” The young man was troubled.

“Just use them to make dishes. Master Peng wouldn’t mind. If we bought them, we should use them,” Jiang Feng said, preparing to continue his practice with the broth.

He was now an unfeeling broth-cooking machine; the chefs at Yonghe House no longer made broth, as Jiang Feng had taken over all the broth making for the restaurant.

“These tofu are all pretty good. Why don’t you, Feng, take some to Taifeng Building? I bought quite a lot of soft tofu; it would be a shame if they spoiled because they were left out too long,” Peng Changping said, having come into the kitchen at some point. “Once you go there, don’t bother coming back. Consider it a day off. It’s my oversight; you haven’t had a break since Labor Day. Today, go home early and spend some time with friends, have a meal together.”

Jiang Feng actually wanted to stay and continue practicing with the broth; the buff from his red braised pork hadn’t worn off, and he still had infinite passion for work. But the boss had given him leave, and Peng Changping meant well, so Jiang Feng certainly couldn’t refuse.

“Then I’ll take these two bags of tofu with me,” Jiang Feng said.

“Take some bean curd skins too. Their bean curd skins are pretty good,” Peng Changping said with a smile. “How are you feeling now anyway, is it better to get out and about than before?”

“It’s much better than before,” Jiang Feng replied.

“That’s great. You young people should go out more. Staying in one place all the time can make one depressed. Actually, when it comes to it, I am far from your great-grandfather’s achievements. He took only two months to make Taifeng Building renowned throughout Beiping and on par with other old shops. Your talent may not be less than your great-grandfather’s; you are willing to endure hardships and are focused. Just don’t rush too much; given time, you will surpass both Master Peng and even your great-grandfather.”

Jiang Feng took Peng Changping’s words as reassurance, telling him not to worry too much. When Wang Hao had once gotten dumped by his girlfriend and was drowning his sorrows in alcohol, Jiang Feng had comforted Wang Hao too, saying Wang Hao was considerate, good-looking, humorous, and understanding: virtually a perfect modern man. It was the ex-girlfriend’s loss for not seeing his worth.

When consoling someone, one could say all sorts of nonsense.

Thinking this way, Jiang Feng realized that he hadn’t been in contact with Wang Hao for a long time.

Not only had they not met up, but there was also no communication on WeChat.

Jiang Feng took out his phone and sent Wang Hao a message.

Jiang Feng: Mouse, are you free? Let’s go out for barbecue tonight.

Wang Hao replied immediately.

Wang Hao: Feng, the boss just assigned me more work, afraid I won’t make it tonight, let’s do it another time.

Jiang Feng checked the time. Wang Hao got paid on the 15th and had to pay his Huabei on the 9th; today was the 12th, which was usually when he was financially strapped and skimping on meals.

Jiang Feng: I’m treating.

Wang Hao: Don’t worry, Feng. Just name the place; I’ll be there on time!

Jiang Feng called a rideshare service, Didi, took the tofu, and prepared to return to Taifeng Building to reconnect with his old colleagues.

For some reason, Jiang Feng suddenly felt like he had just finished a business trip and was finally returning to the office for work.

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It was a rather pleasant feeling.