The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 440: Chapter 438: The Sour and Sweet Taste is Just Good

Jiang Feng went out to the balcony and picked out a very active hairy crab.

Among its peers just quietly lying in the pool awaiting their fate, this one, desperately trying to escape as though it were breaking out of prison, with 5 of its legs already outside the pool, it stood out from the rest.

Jiang Feng was instantly drawn to this energetic hairy crab, ready to send it on its final journey tonight.

As Jiang Feng walked through the living room holding the hairy crab, he saw Wu Minqi sitting on the sofa with a glass of orange juice, her dignified demeanor resembling a villainous mother-in-law from a family drama instructing her daughter-in-law, and he couldn’t help but look twice.

In the kitchen, Ji Xia, who had been trying hard to control her eating speed, was now scraping the bottom of her first crab-stuffed orange with a spoon, aiming to enjoy it a little slower.

“Did your sis Wu do anything unusual while watching TV just now?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Unusual? No, Wu was just watching TV there, and she even asked me to eat some plum candy with her while we watched,” Ji Xia replied.

Even though Ji Xia said this, Jiang Feng still felt that Wu Minqi was acting strangely tonight. She was perfectly normal before, but now there was an indefinable disharmony about her.

Unable to figure it out, Jiang Feng decided to set the issue aside for now. The most important thing at the moment was to make Crab Stuffed Oranges. Throughout the years, whether in cooking or studying, Jiang Feng had always believed that when the feeling was right, it was crucial to strike while the iron was hot.

He didn’t know what exactly clicked during the afternoon, but as long as he followed through with that momentum, that was all that mattered.

Jiang Feng cleaned the crab and steamed it, then stood by the stove and began to work on the oranges, with Ji Xia watching him eagerly while eating.

“Xiaxia, what are the key points I told you about handling oranges?” Jiang Feng suddenly asked.

“Ah, the key points, there are… there are…” Ji Xia was like a student called upon suddenly during class, at a loss for what to do.

“When cutting the fibrous strands, the force should be strong, the speed fast, and the cuts decisive,” Ji Xia remembered one point.

Jiang Feng nodded, taking a pair of small scissors and snipping through the membrane cleanly.

“When scooping out the orange flesh, take care not to let the orange juice flow out.”

Jiang Feng nodded again, scooping out a spoonful of orange flesh smoothly and steadily.

“When scraping the orange flesh, the movement should be gentle, so as not to damage the orange peel.”

Jiang Feng, holding a special knife, carefully started to scrape the orange peel, his movements soft and gentle, like cutting tofu on silk.

“The overall speed must be quick, it’s best to finish within…”

What was just an ordinary production of Crab Stuffed Oranges turned into a pop quiz for Ji Xia, who concentrated intensely on every movement of Jiang Feng’s hands, forgetting to eat her own orange.

Until the new batch of Crab Stuffed Oranges was ready, the other two laid untouched on the culinary table.

Lift the lid.

[Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level]

Jiang Feng felt bewildered.

By all means, he should have been happy. No matter when, producing an A Level dish verified by the game should be cause for celebration, not to mention that his current main quest was to make 10 A Level dishes, which should have doubled the joy.

But this unexpected A Level left him puzzled.

Where was the difference?

What was the difference between the B just before and the A now?

“Master?” Seeing Jiang Feng’s complex expression staring at the Crab Stuffed Oranges in the pot, Ji Xia thought there was some problem with them and asked, “Is… there something wrong with the Crab Stuffed Oranges?”

Jiang Feng snapped back to reality, saying, “No problem, go ahead and eat. I’m going to call your sis Wu over to join us.”

As he turned, his eyes once again fell on the two B Level Crab Stuffed Oranges on the culinary table that no one had touched.

They were most likely cold by now.

You can’t eat crab dishes the next day; once cold, the Crab Stuffed Oranges, because of the crab meat and roe inside, would develop a heavy fishy taste that was hard to stomach. Holding a Crab Stuffed Orange in hand, Jiang Feng was ready to throw them away.

Ji Xia stopped Jiang Feng, “Master, I can take these two Crab Stuffed Oranges to eat later!”

“Crab Stuffed Oranges won’t taste good once cold,” Jiang Feng reminded her kindly.

“They’re delicious,” Ji Xia would not waste a single orange or crab.

Jiang Feng had no choice but to put the Crab Stuffed Oranges back on the culinary table, reminding her, “Crab dishes can’t be kept overnight. If you don’t eat them today, throw them away.”

Ji Xia nodded, burying her head in her Crab Stuffed Oranges, each bite bringing a satisfied expression, proving by her actions what it means to say, although I can’t describe it, I can taste the difference between A Level and B Level dishes.

Jiang Feng headed to the living room to invite Wu Minqi to have the Crab Stuffed Oranges. Lady Wu nodded in a ladylike manner, stood up gracefully, and slowly sat down at the table in the same fashion.

Jiang Feng: …

Had his Qiqi been possessed?

“I’m going to take one to the great-aunt now; she shouldn’t be asleep yet. Qiqi, Xiaxia, you two start without me,” Jiang Feng said, since completing the task was always the priority.

Lady Wu nodded in her ladylike manner.

Jiang Feng: …

Ji Xia sneakily ate her Crab Stuffed Oranges in a corner of the kitchen, looking as if she was stealing food.

Although Mid-Autumn Festival had long passed, and receiving a recipe for Suzhou-style mooncakes seemed a bit late, when a game recipe falls from the sky, you don’t turn it down. Who knows, the buff from this Suzhou mooncake recipe might be magical, making one fall in love with eating mooncakes or desire two for one, lusting for two more after eating just one.

Jiang Style, two for one.

The A Level Crab Stuffed Oranges would surely satisfy great-aunt!

With full confidence, Jiang Feng went downstairs with the Crab Stuffed Oranges, while Lady Wu elegantly took a spoon, gracefully uncovering the top of the Crab Stuffed Orange, and daintily scooped a small spoonful.

A just-right spoonful, evenly mixed with orange flesh and crab meat with a bit of crab roe nestled inside. The loose orange flesh still seeping a few drops of orange juice into the crabmeat.

Snow-white offset by orange-yellow, the tangerine hue of the crab roe veiled yet conspicuous like a veiled woman stepping through the snow in search of plum blossoms.

Lady Wu took a bite with refined elegance.

I’m out of the game.

Wu Minqi had tasted plenty of fine foods; she had experienced too many luxurious foods throughout her life. As a girl who had been groomed to inherit the family restaurant since her childhood due to her sensitive taste buds and exceptional culinary talent, Wu Hanxue and Sir Wu had always paid great attention to the quality of food that entered her mouth when she was young.

Taste is innate, but it also requires nurturing in addition to nature’s gift.

As a child, Jiang Jianguo would be hung up and beaten by Sir for fussing over wanting to eat plain boiled cabbage, whereas Wu Minqi treated plain boiled cabbage as just ordinary stir-fried cabbage.

It was precisely because she had tasted so many exquisite foods that Wu Minqi could understand more deeply than others just how difficult and arduous a journey it is to reach the pinnacle of culinary excellence, to ascend to the peak of the pyramid.

She also understood quite clearly the vast chasm that existed between tasty, delicious, and stunning—three different adjectives that described the insurmountable gaps in quality when it came to a dish.

Most mediocre chefs might master a single dish in their lifetime, or perhaps not even one.

Jiang Feng would not be the first to surprise her in this way, nor would he be the last.

Wu Minqi sighed.

If it had been someone else, she might have been jealous, but the man who possessed such an exceptional and almost frightening intuition for cooking was her boyfriend, which just made her feel helpless.

It seemed like she had already been left far behind by Jiang Feng.

The feeling of being less skilled was truly unpleasant.

…

Jiang Feng knocked on the door of the Jiang family home.

From his experiences delivering [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] during this time, he expected that his aunt should be lying on the yoga mat in the living room, engaging in some mysterious activity that looked less like yoga and more like sleeping in a contorted pose.

Sure enough, it was Jiang Jianguo who opened the door, and his aunt was indeed lying on the yoga mat with her eyes closed.

“Jianguo, is it Feng?” His aunt proved she wasn’t asleep after all, as she was indeed practicing yoga.

“It’s Feng, Feng has brought you the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level],” Jiang Jianguo said.

Immediately, his aunt’s eyes snapped open; she sprang up swiftly, like a carp flipping over, and greeted Jiang Feng with a warm and affectionate smile that one elder might give to a younger, “You’re so thoughtful to bring the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] over so late, Feng.”

Jiang Jianguo went to the kitchen to fetch a spoon for his aunt.

He had eaten his fair share of [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] these days and had long lost interest in this dish. He did not like oranges, and the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] had too little meat for his liking; to him, crab meat hardly had any taste at all, which did not align with his usual aesthetic for gourmet food.

“Uncle, would you like to try some too?” Jiang Feng asked.

Jiang Jianguo waved his hand and only took one spoon, “Why should I try it? I won’t compete with your aunt for it, she loves it.”

Upon hearing this, his aunt immediately became displeased and gave Jiang Jianguo a stern look, “Jiang Jianguo, what do you mean by that? What do you mean by not competing with me? Are you implying that I usually fight over food with you? Feng is just being kind. You know how much trouble it is to make this dish, and he specifically made it to bring it here as a gesture of respect to us, the elders, and you’re not even appreciative. Just taste it, what’s with all this hesitating!”

Jiang Feng: …

He was beginning to understand where Mrs. Wang Xiulian’s ability to argue came from.

Having been swiftly metaphorically nailed to the pillar of shame by his aunt, Jiang Jianguo quickly attempted to redeem himself, “Feng, your uncle didn’t mean it that way, it’s just that I ate too much for dinner.”

To prove that he was indeed a good uncle, Jiang Jianguo immediately removed the cover of the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level], scooped up half a spoonful, and tucked it into his mouth.

Jiang Jianguo was taken aback.

Hey, why doesn’t it taste like before? How come today’s [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] is actually quite tasty?

Sour and sweet, surprisingly pleasant.

Jiang Jianguo chewed reflexively on the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] that required no chewing at all.

The flavor spread throughout his mouth.

It’s really good!

Seeing Jiang Jianguo standing still as if he had been stunned by her earlier rebuke, his aunt shook her head, fetched another spoon from the kitchen herself, and explained to Jiang Feng, “Your uncle has been like this in the last couple of years, getting older, a little slower in his reactions.”

His aunt picked up the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level], scooped a spoonful, and tasted it.

She closed her eyes in contentment.

Observing his aunt’s expression, it seemed that squinting was the highest praise for a dish.

After swallowing the [Crab Stuffed Oranges, A Level] in his mouth, Jiang Jianguo finally snapped back to reality. Seeing the dish now in his aunt’s hands and realizing the situation was beyond salvage, he still shamelessly moved closer with a smile.

“Ah, darling, I’ve realized I actually quite like this dish. Let me have another bite.”

His aunt turned away to dodge Jiang Jianguo’s oncoming spoon, “What now? You were so reluctant just now, and now you come over here? Do you think Feng owes you something? It’s like we have to serve you just for trying a dish, no way!”

The final two words were spoken with conviction, and Jiang Feng could almost hear the sound of clashing armor in them.

“Ding, hidden mission [Heavenly Surprise] completed, reward acquired: Recipe: [Suzhou Mooncake].”

The mission alert sound echoed in Jiang Feng’s mind.

Jiang Feng wore a victorious smile.

“Uncle, auntie, it’s getting late; I’ll be on my way. I’ll come by again tomorrow to bring you some dishes,” Jiang Feng said, looking every bit the commendable nephew of the Jiang family.

“Wait, Feng,” his aunt called out to him, turning to Jiang Jianguo, “Jianguo, didn’t my father send a spotted lobster over a few days ago? Go give it to Feng to take with him. You don’t know how to handle a lobster; don’t let it go to waste in our house. Let Feng practice with it.”

Jiang Feng: …

Actually, I don’t know how either.

.

PS:

Also, going hiking was a mistake; I feel like I’ve climbed all the mountains I was supposed to climb in my life in these past two days. The most frequent sentences I’ve said these past two days have been “Wait a moment” and “Shall we take a short break?”

This chapter upload first at NovelBin.Com