The Game of Life

The newly opened China Resources Vanguard is not large since it’s located in the university town, so it mainly sells fresh food ingredients and daily necessities, with very few household appliances being sold. Jiang Feng wandered around amidst confusion without finding where the sweet osmanthus sugar was, and ultimately had to ask a store clerk to finally locate it.

There was an entire row of sweet osmanthus sugar, including the kind of osmanthus syrup that Jiang Jiankang had bought, as well as blocks of osmanthus sugar. Brands of all sorts were present, among them some very attractive ones, with their crystalline, amber-like osmanthus syrup gleaming as if taken with a beauty camera.

Some had a deep red color, while others were light and translucent. Jiang Feng picked up one after another, taking one container from every brand, both syrup and sugar blocks. When he went to check out, he had more than twenty various-sized jars. After paying, Jiang Feng’s heart grew cold.

All the hard-earned money from a whole afternoon went straight to China Resources Vanguard.

Carrying two large bags of sweet osmanthus sugar, Jiang Feng made his way back along the same route and as soon as he entered the shop, he saw Ji Xue. “Wu Minqi has classes this afternoon and won’t be able to come until after five-thirty,” Jiang Feng explained, thinking Ji Xue was there to see Wu Minqi.

He dropped the plastic bags on the floor and began to flex his wrists. Ji Yue was still out digesting and hadn’t returned. Wang Xiulian recognized Ji Xue and confidently let her wait downstairs while she herself went upstairs to tally the accounts.

“I’m not here to see her, I’m here to see you,” said Ji Xue, looking at Jiang Feng. “I was going to send you a WeChat message, but some things are better discussed face-to-face.”

“What’s up?” asked Jiang Feng, seeing Ji Xue’s earnest expression.

“Can you hire me right now?” Ji Xue asked.

“Right now?” Jiang Feng was a bit taken aback and then realized something. “Are you in need of money?”

“Yes, I need a large sum of money immediately, thirty thousand yuan, right now. I don’t need twenty thousand a month; even eight thousand a month will do if you can provide me with an advance on my wages. I can work sixteen hours a day and can handle any type of work.” Ji Xue looked at Jiang Feng cautiously. “Can you hire me right now?”

Jiang Feng sighed, took out his phone: “What’s your Alipay, I’ll add you. The way you put it, I feel like I’m almost becoming Huang Shiren. I’ll lend you the money, and when my family’s shop officially opens, it will be deducted from your wages.”

“Congratulations, you’re hired,” Jiang Feng said with a smile.

Ji Xue took out a photocopy from the cloth bag she was carrying, which also brought out a bus ticket, and handed it to Jiang Feng: “This is a copy of my ID card, I will repay the money. My phone number is on it, if you can’t find me you can report it to the police.”

“You’re going back to Guangdong Province? You’re not competing anymore?” Jiang Feng noticed the ticket.

“No more. I’ve told the organizers about my withdrawal from the competition. My sister wants to drop out of school to work, and I need to go back and stop her,” Ji Xue glanced outside the door with envy as a couple stood in front of the milk tea shop, cuddling affectionately.

“It’s so good to study. I wish I could study too.”

Jiang Feng looked at Ji Xue.

She’s only nineteen.

The prime of life.

After Ji Xue left, Jiang Feng, carrying his newly purchased osmanthus sugar, entered the back kitchen. Jiang Jiankang was not there, probably gone upstairs to take a nap, his napping schedule was always a mystery. Opening the attribute panel to check, Jiang Feng saw that the “Turn Enemies into Friends” task had successfully progressed to (1/5).

Ji Xue is such a good kid!

Jiang Feng couldn’t help but sigh.

He placed the osmanthus sugar one by one on the cooking station, opened the hds, and smelt each one. He immediately ruled out a few jars – the fragrance was too overpowering and didn’t seem natural for osmanthus. He tasted each of the remaining ones and quickly eliminated half of them. Seeing the rejected osmanthus sugar, Jiang Feng mourned for his poor wallet.

Jiang Feng thought it was time to introduce a new drink — something with an osmanthus flavor would be nice.

The selected osmanthus sugar was used by Jiang Feng to cook Eight Treasure Porridge.

Four stoves, all fired up, and the small expert at Cooking Porridge, Jiang Feng, boldly declared that managing four pots of porridge at the same time was no ’ issue for him.

Forty minutes later, the four pots of porridge were done.

“A Pot of Delicious Eight Treasure Porridge”

“A Pot of Delicious Eight Treasure Porridge”

“A Pot of Superior Quality Eight Treasure Porridge”

“A Pot of Delicious Eight Treasure Porridge”

Jiang Feng, looking at the four prompts before him, thought that ever since the appraisal upgraded to high-level, the game’s evaluations had become more perfunctory. Before, there were long strings of adjectives that almost made his eyes go blind, now it was a few cursory words with no distinction between good and better.

Which is better, a ‘delicious flavor’ or ‘superior quality’?

Just as he was internally complaining, the next second, the descriptors of the four pots of porridge changed.

“A Pot of Delicious Flavor but Worrying Quality Lily, Slightly Stale Mung Beans, Black Rice Not Soaked Enough, Osmanthus Paste Not Matching Well with Other Ingredients Eight Treasure Porridge”

“A Pot of Near Delicious Flavor but Worrying Quality Lily, Slightly Stale Mung Beans, Black Rice Not Soaked Enough, Overuse of Additives in Osmanthus Paste, Seriously Non-matching with Other Ingredients Eight Treasure Porridge”

“A Pot…”

Jiang Feng:…

He seemed to understand what ’all the information you want’ meant in the high-level appraisal explanation. They would only tell you if you wanted to know; otherwise, they would just skimp on you!

Looking at the questionable quality lilies and the slightly unfresh green beans in the basin beside him, Jiang Feng could only sigh.

Alas, Mrs. Wang Xiulian had gone hunting for bargains again.

After cooking three more pots of Eight Treasure Porridge, he still hadn’t seen the nearly perfect result he hoped for.

It was indeed a problem with the osmanthus jam.

Jiang Feng could only hope that the organizers would be able to find the same osmanthus jam.

He tipped the seven failed pots into a large iron cauldron reserved for discount porridge and pulled out the two largest, extra-large clay pots from the kitchen to prepare the staple meal for the Jiang family tonight. It was after 4 pm, the black rice could soak a while longer and he could start cooking the porridge at 5 pm. Today’s portion of Dezhou Braised Chicken had sold out, and its dedicated stove became available—perfect for simmering the porridge. Since he was hosting relatives and it was the Jiang Family’s first time hosting a dinner in the form of a porridge gathering, marking a historically significant meal, Jiang Feng didn’t need to cook the porridge with the frantic pace of a competition.

From 5 pm to 8 pm, there were full three hours, he planned to simmer the porridge with medium and low heat interchangeably for three hours. With Jiang Feng’s cooking porridge skills, even the questionable quality lilies and slightly unfresh green beans would dissolve into delicious lilies and tasty green beans. ‘ ^b

While the black rice was still soaking, Jiang Jiankang, rubbing his eyes, came downstairs to prepare for the evening’s business.

At five-forty, Wu Minqi walked into the kitchen.

“I got a call from the organizers during class telling me that Ji Xue had withdrawn, and I moved on by default,” Wu Minqi said, deftly tying her apron and instantly throwing herself into work mode.

“I know, she just came to ask for an advance on her wages,” Jiang Feng said. “She’s gone back to Guangdong Province. It seems something happened with her family.”

Wu Minqi paused in her actions, asking indifferently, “Wages?”

“We have a restaurant in Beiping, looking to hire chefs,” Jiang Feng said vaguely.

“Is it big?”

“Quite big. We’re probably going to need to contact headhunters to hire more people when we open,” Jiang Feng said.

At eight in the evening, Jiang Jianguo and his father Jiang Zaidi led the charge, with nine strapping, hefty guys bursting into Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant with a ravenous aura. The few scattered customers who were still eating hurried to speed up their meals, gobbling down their food before scurrying off, with faint murmurs overhead.

“Did they offend someone?”

“Are they the mafia?”

“Scary!”

Jiang Junlian and Jiang Junqing, the two sisters, slipped into the kitchen directly. Wang Hao missed out on the feast tonight for a date with his goddess at a seafood restaurant. Meanwhile, Wu Minqi was asked by Jiang Feng to stay for dinner, and she remained in the kitchen with him. The porridge was nearly ready, Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi each held a large iron ladle, slowly stirring the Eight Treasure Porridge in front of them, judging the fire control by the thickness of the porridge.

“Brother!” Jiang Junqing rushed in excitedly and gave Jiang Feng a bear hug. “You’re amazing, we skipped math remedial class again today!”

“You still have math remedial?” Jiang Feng had nearly been strangled by Jiang Junqing’s bear hug just now.

“De arranged the teacher, from the city’s No. 1 middle school, totally bald,” Jiang Junlian added, excitedly asking, “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“Dad made Kung Pao chicken cubes, and there’s one braised pork knuckle, but I think it’s a bit salty; grandfather cooked braised prawns, earth three fresh, sweet and sour pork and salt and pepper ribs. Granduncle Weiming made tofu box, your Sister Wu made yu xiang pork shreds, spicy boiled fish, and mapo tofu, with very little chili and Sichuan pepper added,” Jiang Feng said, starting to usher them away, “The dishes are all on the table, the biggest round table on the second floor. Everyone gets their own tofu box, no snacking, the porridge will be ready soon so go on up.”

“Thanks Sister Wu, I love boiled fish the most!” Jiang Junqing said sweetly. “Thanks Sister Wu, I really like yu xiang pork shreds,” Jiang Junlian followed suit.

Their chubby, smiling faces appeared especially adorable.

Then the two sisters ran upstairs.

The main reason why Jiang Feng’s two cousins hadn’t been beaten to death for being such bruisers was their sweet talk-it had absolutely nothing to do with their size, weight, or strength.

“Your two cousins are really cute,” Wu Minqi remarked.

Cute?

Jiang Feng could hardly believe his ears.

In an instant, many thoughts came to mind.

The indignance of tutoring them over the New Year, wishing they would perish together but being unable to win the fight, the suffocation from that bear hug just now, how the sisters used to team up and bully their weak, pitiful, helpless cousin, and deceive an innocent young Jiang Feng into buying them snacks with his painstakingly saved pocket money. With one meal, they would undo an entire year of his efforts. He was overwhelmed with the impulses he had once felt to throttle his own cousins.

Yeah, quite adorable,” Jiang Feng forced a laugh.

This pot is ready,” Wu Minqi announced.

Jiang Feng stirred his own pot and said, “Mine’s about ready too. Can you handle it? If not, go on up and I’ll carry it.”

Wu Minqi donned her gloves and effortlessly lifted the large clay pot of Eight Treasure Porridge in front of her.

“Let’s go.” She was boyfriend material to the max.