The Game of Life

“9.7 points?!” Jiang Junlian nearly jumped up in the audience seats, her face unable to hide the wild joy, “Could little brother be advancing to the finals now!”

We can skip another physics makeup class!

Because her real mother was sitting right beside her, Jiang Junlian, with a strong will to survive, didn’t voice the latter sentence.

Jiang Junqing’s focus was completely different from Jiang Junlian’s, she stared at the empty plate on the judges’ table and murmured, “That Sweet and Sour Yam must be really delicious!”

Her words struck like a bell, startling everyone; as soon as Jiang Junqing spoke, all the Jiang Family Members were taken aback.

Indeed, if Jiang Feng’s eight-treasure porridge, which was so well-made, only scored 9.6 points, the Sweet and Sour Yam, which scored 9.7, must be exceptionally tasty.

Just how delicious could it be!

Amongst everyone, the most excited was Jiang Zaidi. He deeply felt that the hair he had lost these past few days was worth it. As a former top student, he knew all too well how difficult it was to attain such elite scores.

He and Jiang Shoucheng took the college entrance exams at the same time. He ranked fourth in the city with a score of 693, and Jiang Shoucheng was the city’s top scholar with 712 points. He studied design; Jiang Shoucheng studied medicine. He lost hair; Jiang Shoucheng also lost hair. He had been working in the industry for five years, referred by a teacher since his junior year of college, and the more orders he took, the more hair he lost. Jiang Shoucheng, on the other hand, could faintly be seen to have the composure of a chief physician by the time he was in his second year of postgraduate studies.

It could be said that if you fail to catch up in one step, you’ll fall behind every step. Jiang Shoucheng had already begun to research which hair transplant hospital was the best, while he was still considering whether to switch to hair growth tonic or continue with anti-hair loss shampoo.

Looking at Jiang Feng on stage with his thick head of hair, Jiang Zaidi’s mind was flooded with thoughts.

He really wanted to drink the eight-treasure porridge, and even more so to eat the Sweet and Sour Yam his little brother made.

He was little brother’s eldest cousin, after all, and had yet to taste even one Sweet and Sour Yam!

“Uncle,” Jiang Zaidi began, “since little brother is likely to move up a round, how about we get together for a meal tomorrow to celebrate?”

It would be best to have little brother make two pots of porridge, a few plates of Sweet and Sour Yam, uncle can make a platter of hocks, grandpa can stir-fry a couple of good dishes, and Granduncle Weiming can prepare a few tofu boxes.

To be able to enjoy such a meal would be wonderful and splendid indeed.

“Yeah, yeah, sure,” Jiang Jiankang chuckled happily, thinking that his nephew’s idea was a great one, “It deserves a proper celebration if Feng advances to the finals.”

Jiang Jiankang spoke a bit too loudly, so Wang Xiulian nudged him with her elbow to signal for him to keep it down a bit—Wu Minqi’s parents were sitting right behind them.

“Mrs. Wu, my apologies, he’s just the type who speaks without thinking,” Wang Xiulian turned around to explain, her face carrying an apologetic smile.

“It’s alright. It’s a good thing if Feng advances. It doesn’t matter which one of them moves forward; they’re both our kids,” replied Minqi’s mother with a warm smile.

“Exactly, exactly,” Wang Xiulian echoed, then turned her head and whispered to Jiang Jiankang, “See how nice Mrs. Wu is. Be more enthusiastic and smile more when we head out.”

Mrs. Wu also turned her head and said to Wu Hanxue, “Look how pleasant Jiang’s mother is; be polite to them when we go out, and smile more.”

“Oh,” from Jiang Jiankang.

“Heh,” from Wu Hanxue.

On stage, Wu Minqi’s braised pork had already started frying in the pot.

The pressure cooker was ready on the cooking station; while steaming the pork thoroughly in a regular steamer would take two full hours to be flavorful, the pressure cooker would significantly reduce the time needed.

Minqi had been practicing with a pressure cooker in the back kitchen of the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant these past few days. This was a subtle hint from the organizers; it’s easy to imagine the watchability of the show if they streamed braised pork being steamed for two hours without any presenter cracking jokes in between. Good Taste’s staff had specially gone to Shu to purchase the sprouts Minqi needed, so naturally, she had to scratch their back in return.

Soon, the braised pork and the blanched, stir-fried sprouts were placed into the pressure cooker, and all that was left was to wait.

Then Wu Minqi picked up a radish from the cooking station and began carving Peppa Pig.

“Heh, the girl can carve radishes too!” Han Guishan was surprised to see Wu Minqi starting on a radish carving and then looked at her more closely, feeling that she seemed familiar. With a slap on his thigh, he remembered.

Wasn’t this the same girl who carved radishes with Jiang Feng at Morning Wind Primary School?

And he seemed to have seen her before in the back kitchen of the Healthy Stir- fry Restaurant too!

No wonder they made a pair; they had this kind of relationship as well.

Han Guishan felt as though he had uncovered everything.

The waiting time was too boring; even the judges needed to chat about something interesting to kill time, and now there was a ready-made topic. Talkative champion Pei Shenghua was the first to open his mouth.

“Tong, what did Jiang Feng say when Wu Minqi confessed to him?” asked Pei Shenghua.

“What could be said in just those two steps?” Tong Deyan glanced at Pei Shenghua, who had the look of a matchmaker on his face, “What are you up to now?”

“So, they haven’t made it official yet. You know how thin-skinned young people are these days. We need to give them a little push from behind. Otherwise, wouldn’t it be a pity if it didn’t work out?” Pei Shenghua revealed his match-making smile.

He hasn’t even opened for business this year, and Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi’s visit could be considered a kickstart to a good start.

“Can’t you tell by Jiang Feng’s cooking? Do I really need to give it a push?” Tong Deyan didn’t want to deal with Pei Shenghua and gave him an eye-roll.

“That’s where you’re wrong, old Tong. It’s precisely these situations, clear as day yet unspoken, that need people like us on the outside to give them a little shove,” Pei Shenghua was already contemplating how he would play matchmaker later.

“That’s old Pei for you. If he wants to give it a shove, let him. If these two really become a couple in a few years, he’ll probably go around boasting about how it’s all because of his matchmaking,” Zhu Chang said with a laugh.

Pei Shenghua had actually done this kind of thing before, creating matches out of thin air, and it was deadly effective.

“Brother, why do you keep looking at Sister Wu?” Jiang Junlian asked perceptively.

“Who else would I look at if not her? Aren’t you looking at her too?” Jiang Zaidi yawned, exuding the aura of a single dog.

“Dede, did you stay up late again last night?” the aunt asked with concern.

“It’s okay, mom, I just stayed up all night. I’ll definitely go to sleep early today,” Jiang Zaidi said, his spirits lifted by the thought of a brighter future.

About an hour later, Wu Minqi’s pickled vegetable pork belly was finally ready.

It was a dish of normal caliber, nearly identical to what she had cooked in the back kitchen of Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant a few days ago. Had it not been for Jiang Feng’s exceptional performance today, along with the boost from the “First Love Buff,” Wu Minqi would have been the one advancing.

The scores were quickly announced: 8.7 points.

The judges rated swiftly, as the result had almost been decided the moment Jiang Feng’s score had been revealed. Now, more than the competition, everyone was eager to indulge in some juicy gossip.

Zhu Chang picked up the microphone, gave Pei Shenghua a look that said, “keep your act together,” and slowly began, “I have to say, Jiang Feng really is a contestant full of surprises.”

“We were already wowed by his eight-treasure porridge last time, but today, he has given us an even greater surprise. I can say that this is the most perfect and excellent sweet and sour yam I have ever eaten in my life. The sugar coating, the stretchiness of the strands, the crispiness, and the flavor are all exceptional, and you can also taste something else. As witnesses, we are very honored,” Zhu Chang’s face revealed the matchmaker’s grin akin to Pei Shenghua’s, “Of course, contestant Wu Minqi’s pickled vegetable pork belly was also excellent. There were some minor issues, but this is an undoubtedly good dish. I am delighted to have seen such remarkable dishes from these talented chefs, and I look forward to the surprises Jiang Feng and Gu Li will bring us in the finals.”

Then Zhu Chang passed the microphone directly to Tong Deyan. Tong glanced at Pei Shenghua, whose expression clearly showed he was still brewing something, and said, “This is a day worth commemorating with a dish that’s unforgettable. I believe we will all remember this day.”

Zang Mu took the microphone and blurted out, “I wish you happiness.”

The audience: ???

Xu Cheng took the mic and spoke slowly, “It has been many years since I’ve tasted a dish that resonated with me like this. A chef’s state of mind greatly influences the flavor of an outstanding dish, and I feel honored to have had such a dish. I hope this is not the only time but just a beginning.”

The audience was mostly baffled—they suspected they were not on the same wavelength as the judges and were not watching the same competition. Why was it that apart from Zhu Chang’s comments, they couldn’t understand anything the other judges said?

Jiang Jiankang sat in the audience, looking perplexed, while Wang Xiulian, with a woman’s intuition, sensed something unusual in the air.

“Wife…”

“Quiet!” Wang Xiulian was carefully observing Jiang Feng; she felt something was very off with her son.

After brewing for a while, the fully prepared Pei Shenghua stood up, took the microphone, faced the audience, and smilingly said, “I believe many in the audience didn’t quite understand what the other judges meant just now. It’s not that we are being intentionally enigmatic, but today, the sweet and sour yam made by contestant Jiang Feng is very intriguing, allowing us to taste some unusual flavors and special emotions. It’s a very beautiful, very pure emotion, quite fitting for the occasion and matching the flavor of the dish. However, some things should not be said by outsiders like us, so I’d like to hear from contestant Jiang Feng about the mood with which you made this sweet and sour yam today.”

His smile deepened.

Jiang Feng:…

What kind of show is this? Isn’t this a cooking competition? Why does he feel like every judge’s face is written with “I’m here for If You Are the One.”

Jiang Feng looked toward Wu Minqi, who was also looking at him.

Staff had already handed him the microphone.

With the arrow on the string, he had to let it fly.

The director, next to the camera operator, roared madly, “Switch the shot, switch the shot, get a close-up, his close-up!”

He had a hunch that whether he could get a promotion, a raise, and a ratings spike all depended on Jiang Feng’s next sentence.

“I…” Suddenly becoming the center of attention, Jiang Feng found it hard to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Feng spoke again, “Today is indeed a somewhat special day, not only is it my birthday, but also, also…”

“And I discovered that I’ve fallen for someone.”

“Wu Minqi, I like you. Will you be my girlfriend?”