The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 484: Chapter 482: Oil-Sealed Duck

Since they still had to rush back to Taifeng Building to prepare for the New Year’s party, Jiang Feng and the others deliberately controlled their time. Seeing that all the shopping was done and that Ji Xia had nothing extra she wanted, Jiang Feng decided to first take the newly purchased big and small packages home, and then head to Taifeng Building together.

Women always display formidable strength when shopping, and Ji Xia was no exception. Jiang Feng, Wu Minqi, and Ji Xia all carried the things Ji Xia had bought along the way, while Jiang Zaidi carried the food he wanted for himself. Only He Yueru was empty-handed, mainly because she had no money. Jiang Feng thought that she had really wanted to buy something when they were at the pastry shop earlier.

“Brother De, why don’t you come back with us? It’s already past 3 PM. If you come with us, you can help wash and chop the vegetables and stuff,” Jiang Feng said, trying to recruit an extra pair of hands.

Jiang Zaidi repeatedly waved his hands, “No, no, I have to report to the office to show face and update the leader on my work progress today. Yue, I’m going the same way as you, let’s go back together and you can tell me more about how you want to change the heating pipes for your family’s shop. I’ll try to get the first plan out for you by New Year.”

“Okay,” He Yueru nodded.

“By the way, little brother, you must be going home, right? Take these roast chickens and sauce beef with you; otherwise, it’ll be hard to explain to the leader if I carry them to the office.” Jiang Zaidi handed over a roast chicken and three pounds of sauce beef to Jiang Feng, who barely managed to grab Jiang Zaidi’s items with two fingers he freed up.

Jiang Zaidi and He Yueru took the subway back, while Jiang Feng, after some thought, decided to splurge and take a taxi home. The three of them were carrying too many things, including pastries which were fragile and shouldn’t be crushed, so taking a taxi seemed more convenient.

By the time the three of them had put everything away at home and walked to Taifeng Building, most of the employees had already arrived.

The skilled waitresses had already decorated Taifeng Building nicely. Couplets were posted at the entrance and festive and exquisite red lanterns were hung inside. Delicate silk flowers were also placed in appropriate spots, presenting an overwhelming festive atmosphere.

Mrs. Wang Xiulian had specially ordered a tacky and rustic banner that looked cheap and hung it in the center of the hall. Emblazoned on the banner were the bold characters for “A New Journey, A New Leap,” and a line of smaller text below read “Warmly celebrating the 1st Annual Taifeng Building New Year’s Party.”

A treasure that appealed to both refined and popular tastes.

Since it was a New Year’s party, even though Mrs. Wang Xiulian and Fan Mei said there was no need to be too formal, it was still necessary to create the right atmosphere. Snacks like pastries, melon seeds, sour plums, and peanuts used to fuel conversation were in no short supply, along with plenty of cold and hot drinks. Although there was no alcohol, the variety of fresh juices and the hot milk tea personally brewed by Mr. Jiang Jiankang were enough to satisfy everyone.

Sang Ming stayed true to his roots, bringing mahjong to every gathering without fail. This time he improved upon last time, which was Jiang Weiming’s birthday, by bringing not two sets of mahjong but three, fully meeting everyone’s needs. Mrs. Jiang and Chen Suhua, who hadn’t played a satisfying game of mahjong in a long time, were dominating the tables, with a clear distinction between the younger and older players.

Just as Jiang Feng reached the juice stand and was wondering whether to drink soy milk, milk tea, or orange juice, he was immediately cornered by Mrs. Wang Xiulian who gave him 10 yuan to go next door to the convenience store and buy a deck of cards.

Although Sang Ming had learned his lesson this time and brought three sets of mahjong, he had forgotten to bring playing cards.

“Xiaxia, go next-door and buy a deck of playing cards,” Jiang Feng skillfully shoved the 10 yuan into Ji Xia’s hands and picked orange juice.

“Fengfeng, going to the kitchen?” Wu Minqi, already changed into her clothes, asked.

“You go first, I’ll follow after I finish my orange juice and change,” Jiang Feng nodded, “Zhang and the others should be in the kitchen, right? I didn’t see them outside.”

“Yes, Yueyue is also in the kitchen, I just saw her,” Wu Minqi said, taking the orange juice from Jiang Feng’s hand, “This orange juice is icy, drink less of it, leave the other half for me and go change.”

Jiang Feng, deprived of his right to drink orange juice, obediently went to the changing room to change into his work clothes.

Jiang Weisheng, Zhang Guanghang, Dong Shi, Dong Li, and Ji Yue were all in the kitchen. Dinner was going to be buffet-style, naturally self-service and self-sufficient. Each of the two patriarchs would prepare a specialty dish, with Jiang Weiming making Roasted Pig and Jiang Weiguo making his signature pork dish—sauerkraut stew with pork and blood sausages.

With these two dishes as the main events, everything else was just complementary. If anyone was afraid of not getting full, there was also Mr. Jiang Jiankang’s fried rice with pickled vegetables as a solid backup. Thus, for this New Year’s party, it wasn’t required for every chef to cook something specific. If they wanted to cook, they could; if not, they could just play mahjong, chat, and wait for the meal and the raffle.

Wu Minqi planned to cook boiled pork slices for the day, and because it was a New Year’s party and they wanted everyone to enjoy the food rather than just drink water, she would be very restrained and cautious with her cooking.

Jiang Feng was mainly there to assist Wu Minqi. He was going to make Sweet and Sour Yam, which was very simple, and even with the time spent handling the yams, half an hour was more than enough.

Seven people in the kitchen, two couples, one married, making Dong Shi and Dong Li appear as the odd ones out in such a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere—just like the stray 996 dog they often ran into on the way home at night.

Ji Yue was assisting Zhang Guanghang. Jiang Feng saw Ji Yue handling bay leaves and rosemary, then garlic, then pepper, and felt unfamiliar, as he had never seen Zhang Guanghang make such a dish before. Unable to contain his desire to slack off, he quietly left his work and sneaked over to Zhang Guanghang to get to the bottom of it.

“Zhang, what are you making today? I haven’t seen you make this dish before,” said Jiang Feng, his hands still covered in the fine bits of chili and Sichuan pepper he had just chopped.

“Duck Confit,” said Zhang Guanghang, focused on tearing the thyme.

“Duck Confit?” Jiang Feng felt the name of the dish sounded vaguely familiar, as though it appeared in some American TV show he had watched before. If he remembered correctly, it was the last meal eaten by a victim before their death.

“It’s a rather traditional French dish. It needs to be roasted in an oven for over four hours and should be ready by around eight o’clock in the evening for everyone to have as a snack. Ideally, it’s best after being refrigerated for over seven days, but it’s also fine to eat it right away,” Zhang Guanghang explained. “This is a traditional recipe from the south; before we had refrigerators, we used this method to preserve meat, similar to sausages and cured meat.”

Jiang Feng: …

Trust Zhang to make even a snack this complicated.

“Speaking of which, Zhang, what are your plans for the New Year? Why don’t you come to my place and celebrate with us?” Jiang Feng suggested.

Zhang Guanghang didn’t go back during Christmas, so he probably wouldn’t return for the New Year either.

Upon hearing Jiang Feng’s words, Ji Yue, who was previously struggling with the rosemary and bay leaves, suddenly looked up, glaring daggers: “Why does ‘your’ Zhang have to go to ‘your’ house for New Year’s?”

Jiang Feng: …

Yeah, why does ‘your’ Zhang have to come to my house for New Year’s?

Zhang Guanghang couldn’t help but laugh. “I do need to go back; it’s been almost a year since I last visited, and it’s about time I did. I’ve heard some rumors recently, and it’s a good opportunity for me to ask my father about them to be sure.”

“Rumors?”

Zhang Guanghang chuckled. “Just some baseless gossip and hearsay, nothing serious. Once I confirm if there’s any truth to them, I’ll call you. Otherwise, I’d end up being a rumormonger if it turns out to be false.”

“Plus, I’ve had some new ideas these past days. It will be good to go back and discuss them with my father for possible improvements.”

Jiang Feng thought that was a good idea. Although Zhang Guanghang spent most of his time in Beiping and was considered half a native there, his parents were still in France. It was only right he should visit them a few times a year, no matter how indifferent their relationship might be.

Just as Jiang Feng was about to get back to helping his dear Minqi after slacking off, Mrs. Jiang, who burst into the kitchen to draft helpers, immediately set her sights on him.

“Feng, your Granduncle Weiming is going to roast the pig in the back kitchen, and we’re one short for our mahjong game. Come and fill in for your granduncle for a bit,” Mrs. Jiang would not allow her mahjong game to be delayed for even a moment.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Feng panicked at once. Although he fancied himself a mahjong maestro, after a woeful previous experience, Jiang Feng realized that not everything online could be taken at face value. You might be an unmatched player in mobile mahjong games, but in reality, most of your opponents are likely bots, or low-skill players in real life who have lost too much at the game.

If it were the youths’ mahjong table, Jiang Feng might have the courage to battle, but the senior players had spent decades on the mahjong circuit, toughened up by years of play, rising and falling, adept enough to call out their tiles with their eyes closed.

Against them, Jiang Feng had no choice but to wave the white flag of surrender.

“Grandma, I’m busy here; I need to help Minqi. She can’t handle the cooking on her own!” Jiang Feng said hastily, trying to excuse himself.

Mrs. Jiang looked at Wu Minqi.

“Grandma, I can manage on my own. Let Jiang Feng fill in the gap for a while. Fengfeng, hurry over; don’t keep them waiting,” Wu Minqi said with a laugh, urging him on.

Jiang Feng’s smile froze on his face.

Mrs. Jiang, however, smiled with contentment: “Feng, come quick, we’re all waiting for you!”

Watching Jiang Feng’s slightly forlorn figure leaving, Wu Minqi couldn’t help but heave a deep sigh.

Her Fengfeng was so bad at mahjong. When they went back to her home in a few days and if her aunts invited Fengfeng to play, what would he do?

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