THE GAME OF LIFE

Chapter 725: Chapter 724 Focus

Silence fell.

At the Taifeng Building, areas A, B, and C on the first floor were separated by vases and screens used as direct decorations. With the added spacing, Area C, requiring large tables and thus more space, could be considered an isolated block.

After preparing the Chicken Bean Flower dish, Jiang Feng was genuinely worried. He carried a short stool over by himself, sat at the serving window, and craned his neck so much that he looked rather foolish from the outside. People couldn’t help but wonder if there was something wrong with him, as he strained to see the reactions of the customers in Area C.

Everyone else was busy with their work. The three chef masters were cooking since their dishes were about to be served—no one paid attention to Jiang Feng, not even Wu Minqi noticed.

Ji Yue did notice, though, because she was coming to the serving window to expedite the dishes.

The speed of serving dishes for a banquet was very important—it couldn’t be too fast or too slow. The Chicken Bean Flower dish was not large, a small bowl that could be finished in a few bites if one ate it as they would normally eat bean curd. Seeing that some of the faster-eating guests only had a little bit left at the bottom of their bowls, scraping with spoons to eat what remained, like Han Guishan who dared to lick his spoon in front of national audiences while reviewing convenient foods, Ji Yue hurried over to the serving window to urge Sun Maochai whether the Ding Lake Superior Dish was ready for plating. Once plated, they could prepare to serve it.

Then, Ji Yue saw Jiang Feng with his neck craned.

Ji Yue: ?

“How is it, what’s the reaction of the guests?” Jiang Feng asked eagerly as soon as he saw a living person.

Even though he tried hard, due to his vision not being great for long distances, he couldn’t clearly see everyone’s expressions; he could only see everyone was eating, and it seemed there were no excessive actions.

“Pretty good I guess, it’s very quiet, just…” Ji Yue thought for a moment, “like when we ate it before, just eating without talking.”

“Is that good or bad?” Jiang Feng felt uncertain.

Ji Yue recalled how she had felt like hugging Jiang Feng’s leg and calling him daddy, pleading for Jiang Feng to serve her, a daughter older than himself, a bowl of Chicken Bean Flower every few days. She restrained herself and said, “It means it’s delicious, so good that they don’t want to talk.”

“It’s the kind of delicious that even Zhang wouldn’t want to talk standing right next to you,” Ji Yue added.

Jiang Feng suddenly understood; it must be very delicious indeed.

“You go ask if Chef Sun’s Ding Lake Superior Dish is ready. We can get ready to serve on our side,” Ji Yue said.

Jiang Feng checked for her: “It’s ready, they’re plating it now. Call your people over.”

Ji Yue quickly gestured for the young, beautiful waitresses to come over and carry the dishes.

What Jiang Feng didn’t know was that the inner feelings of most diners were even more exaggerated than what Ji Yue had expressed.

Having started in the industry early, Ji Yue could say she began working as a waitress at Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant when it first opened, out of utter poverty. Despite being poor, she never missed out on eating. She had tasted plenty of the dishes cooked by the old master when she was in Alan City, even Sun Guanyun’s Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon. Besides, the employee meals were also cooked by Jiang Jiankang, and when she had money, she also got to taste many truly good things. Therefore, her palate had become much more discerning than that of the average food enthusiast.

Ji Yue lived right above the Jiang Family’s residence, and she got to taste anything anyone made during their time off. Furthermore, during the times when Zhang Guanghang couldn’t find judges for his Taste contest at Fen Garden, he liked to ask Ji Yue for her opinion. Unbeknownst to herself, Ji Yue was actually quite experienced, having weathered many gastronomic storms as a restaurant supervisor.

The first time she tasted the Chicken Bean Flower made by Jiang Feng, she found it delicious to the point of being speechless. Not to mention these diners who were probably even less experienced than she was.

It was more than speechlessness; after tasting it, they were at a loss for words to praise the dish. Many diners had never regretted their lack of culture so much before, unable to find proper words to compliment the dish, feeling that any phrases they usually used would amount to an insult to it.

Many guests experienced an unprecedented sensation every second for a brief few minutes.

Due to the special “buff” of the Chicken Bean Flower, the more they ate, the more it triggered. Once triggered, their taste sensitivity heightened and their tongues could discern even more delightful flavors, eagerly sending these wondrous tastes to their brains. Among the diners, both young and old, the young with normal taste were fine, but for the older ones whose taste had begun to decline to some extent, this exquisite experience was definitely a deep and memorable impact.

An impact on their taste sensations.

What does it feel like to have a dish that gets tastier with each bite?

It probably feels just like this.

Even with the first taste, it was already very delicious, but as you become more acquainted with it, you discover it’s even more delicious than what you had a second ago. Each second is more delicious than the last; every touch of the tongue brings a new sensation.

What kind of feeling is that?

Heaven itself could hardly be better.

In this world, apart from Chicken Bean Flower, there would be no other dish that could provide diners with such an experience.

Xu Cheng even spoke up.

This world-renowned and most authoritative food critic, who could express his appreciation for dishes even while enjoying the Swallow-wing Feast made personally by Peng Changping, was now unable to do so after tasting the Chicken Bean Flower.

As is well known, Xu Cheng possesses a good tongue.

It was this very tongue that allowed him to detect and savor the nuanced, delightful flavors hiding behind many exquisite dishes, earning him the respect, admiration, and even reverence of chefs around the world—an affection and respect not merely acquired with money and a love for food.

Han Guishan also loved food and was now very rich. Following the Good Taste culinary competition, he took advantage of the momentum to significantly expand his market. In just one year, Good Taste’s soy sauce had conquered half of the domestic soy sauce market, with the rest of the seasonings also flourishing. Even in Beiping City, anyone involved in related industries would call him Mr. Han.

Yet he was notorious for his peculiar tastes and was not considered a discerning eater.

The small bowl in front of Xu Cheng was already empty.

He glanced at Han Guishan, who was sitting very restrainedly at his side but had actually just finished licking his spoon. For the first time, Xu Cheng felt envious of his friend’s habitual image, which allowed such casual behavior as spoon-licking, while he himself could not do such a thing.

Xu Cheng actually felt like licking his spoon.

He had never felt this way before.

As a distinguished gourmet critic, he knew that dishes had layers.

Excellent chefs could create dishes with rich layers, sometimes even with top, middle, and base notes like perfume, giving the dishes an aftertaste. But today’s “chicken bean curd” surpassed his previous understanding of similar dishes.

Firstly, he didn’t know that chicken bean curd could be layered.

Secondly, the layers in the chicken bean curd he ate today were completely different from those he had eaten before.

In his understanding, the layers of a dish were like a mango mille-feuille, where the layers are visible; the layering occurs because of the different cooking methods and placements of various ingredients. Those layers are visible, predictable, and he could analyze after eating why there were such layers and which ingredients contributed to it.

He could not, and did not want to, analyze this chicken bean curd.

Xu Cheng felt that this chicken bean curd was like a rosebud waiting to bloom. When he first tasted it, it was just a bud. Then the bud slowly blossomed on his tongue, unfolding delicately, beautifully, and fully.

And his tongue was the witness.

“Ah,” Xu Cheng let out an involuntary sigh, a sigh of relief.

“What are you sighing for?” Han Guishan was completely puzzled by Xu Cheng’s sigh. All he knew was that the chicken bean curd was really delicious and that he had to send a WeChat message to Jiang Feng to make a reservation after the meal.

Tomorrow, he, Han Guishan would taste this chicken bean curd!

“It’s nothing, I just feel lucky,” Xu Cheng exclaimed.

“Eh?” Han Guishan looked even more confused.

“I actually have Jiang Feng’s WeChat. I’m afraid it won’t be so easy to add him in the future,” Xu Cheng whispered.

Han Guishan: ? ? ?

I have Jiang Feng’s WeChat too, and I added him a year before you did.

While Xu Cheng was speaking, Peng Changping put down his spoon.

He had finished eating too.

Xu Cheng looked at him and asked, “Master Peng, what do you think?”

Peng Changping smiled as he too had just experienced a dining experience as wonderful as Xu Cheng’s, perhaps even more so, “Youth is to be feared.”

“I remember Jiang Feng was learning from you some time ago, wasn’t he?” Xu Cheng asked.

Peng Changping nodded, “Yes, he practiced making stock for several months. At that time, I even advised him not to practice anymore since he was already very good. Now I see it’s good he didn’t listen to me; otherwise, we probably wouldn’t have this dish today.”

Xu Cheng didn’t expect there to be such a twist: “How do you feel now?”

“Now I regret not taking him as my closed-door disciple,” Peng Changping joked.

“You could still accept him as one now,” Xu Cheng laughed.

Peng Changping shook his head, “Now if I were to say that, I’d be relying too much on seniority. To be his master, I am not yet qualified.”

Xu Cheng was stunned.

The two spoke in hushed tones. The surrounding area had become lively again, and except for a few people close to Peng Changping, no one heard their conversation. Those who did overhear didn’t speak out but were internally marveling at who this elder was, as he seemed to be someone with great standing.

The second dish, “Ding Lake Vegetarian Delight,” was soon served.

This time, the waiter introduced the dish, emphasizing that it was prepared by Sun Maochai.

Normally, everyone’s attention would definitely have been captured by this dish. “Ding Lake Vegetarian Delight” is a premium vegetarian dish, signifying high-class cuisine within Cantonese dishes. It’s a steamed dish using seasonal vegetables and presented beautifully. As a dish made by Sun Maochai, it would usually be the center of attention no matter where it was served.

It was just unfortunate that this time, the presence of “Ding Lake Vegetarian Delight” was somewhat overshadowed.

Everyone was asking the waiter.

“Who made that chicken bean curd dish from before?”

Everyone was asking.

“Who is Jiang Feng?”

“Why haven’t I heard much about this chef before?”

“Who did he apprentice under?”

Those who had some memory of Jiang Feng would tell those around them that Jiang Feng should be the chef who made the “Sweet and Sour Yam,” and would praise the yam dish he made. Those who knew even more would also give accolades to his appearance on “Taste.”

One of the lucky diners drawn from the lottery was an art academy student. He joined in enthusiastically praising Jiang Feng’s pure meat dumplings. The other diners echoed in agreement, saying they would definitely try it if they had the chance.

Whether they were asking questions or providing answers, everyone was talking about Jiang Feng.

Everyone was discussing Jiang Feng, the undeniable center of attention.

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