The Game of Life-Chapter 859 - 817 Fantasy Crossover

Chapter 859: Chapter 817 Fantasy Crossover

Chapter 859 -817 Fantasy Crossover

Jiang Feng found that cooking braised shark’s fin was quicker than he had imagined, and making the stock was easier than he had anticipated.

He felt that during the final, he could probably make not only a dozen pots of porridge but also some other dishes, like pigeon swallow, sweet and sour yam, stacked duck, and two-colored shrimp.

He believed the twelve hours given for the final would be enough for him to make Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup, and then still have time to cook all the other tasty dishes on the menu that didn’t take as long to prepare and weren’t as complex.

The thought was somewhat exhilarating.

Before he knew it, it was afternoon.

The stock was ready.

After the stock was ready, he started on the yellow braised shark’s fin. In a way, the shark’s fin and Jiang’s Sea Cucumber Soup shared a certain similar technique: the key to the shark’s fin lies in the word ‘braise,’ the process of which requires no manipulation, just time. The essence of the Sea Cucumber Soup lies in the word ‘stew,’ which also does not require much handling, again just time.

While stewing, Jiang Feng had Master Xu teach him the methods for making clear soup imperial swallow and oyster sauce abalone. He wanted to learn and cook them on the spot.

Compared to oyster sauce abalone, the clear soup imperial swallow was slightly more challenging, mainly because the Tan Family Cuisine’s technique of preparing bird’s nest is different from that of the Jiang Family Dishes, even the method of soaking the bird’s nest was different.

Tan Family Cuisine’s bird’s nest needs to emphasize its crispness, while Jiang Family Dishes target its smoothness.

The Tan Family’s insistence on the quality of raw materials is almost strict; the yellow braised shark’s fin requires the best Luzon yellow to be soaked seven days in advance, and the clear soup imperial swallow needs the top-quality tribute bird’s nest from Southeast Asia, with water temperature controlled and the soaking time accurate to the minute, involving multiple steps stretched over four or five days for precise expansion.

Of course, Jiang Feng didn’t need to worry about the processing of bird’s nest; even though Master Xu and the others didn’t cook it perfectly, their handling of the raw materials was still quite good.

“Actually, the key step in making the clear soup is not that difficult; as long as the bird’s nest is properly treated, the final dish won’t be too bad. It’s just very hard to grasp those critical few minutes,” Master Xu commented.

“The soup just needs to lightly cover the bird’s nest in the bowl, then it goes into the steamer. The heat should gradually decrease, and finally, the broth is finished by braising it out and then topped with a few strips of Jinhua ham, ready to be served. But that final step of braising is really tricky; if it’s not done well, the bird’s nest won’t be crispy. I don’t know if you…” Although Master Xu trusted Jiang Feng, ranked sixth on Master Chef’s list, he became worried once Jiang Feng actually started to learn and cook on the fly.

“I understand,” Jiang Feng said.

Braising? He understood it all too well. The Tan Family Cuisine’s final step often relied on braising, and that was something he had learned from your ancestor, no less.

“And there’s a particular way to pour the soup for clear broth without imperial swallow too…”

“I understand,” Jiang Feng interrupted, recalling having seen Cao Guixiang handle it in his memories.

“Then let me also tell you about the oyster sauce abalone. When you go to thicken the sauce…”

“I know, you pour the thin sauce like a waterfall, just like when braising Big Black Sea Cucumber, right?” Jiang Feng was now jumping in before even being asked.

Master Xu: ?

Who’s the heir to the Tan Family Cuisine here—you or me? Why do I feel like you understand it even better than my own disciples?

Amid Master Xu’s confusion, Jiang Feng began his first attempt at clear soup imperial swallow.

As expected, Jiang Feng messed up.

He stumbled precisely on the step that Master Xu had said was the most difficult, ending up with bird’s nest that wasn’t crispy enough.

Seeing Jiang Feng fail, Master Xu actually sighed in relief, thinking it was finally a flop.

If Jiang Feng had nailed it on his first try, where would that leave Master Xu’s face?

It wasn’t that Master Xu was dark-minded and resented Jiang Feng’s success, but succeeding on such a difficult dish after a single explanation and attempt would be hard for anyone to accept.

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The second attempt was still a bit of a flop.

On the third try, even before the clear soup imperial swallow was out of the steamer, Jiang Feng was already getting ready to cook the oyster sauce abalone.

“Master Xu, could you tell me again about anything I should look out for when making oyster sauce abalone?” Jiang Feng asked without even lifting the cover to check the bird’s nest, immediately getting ready for the next dish.

Of course, he had a reason for not looking; just from the game’s evaluation of the dish, he knew this time the clear soup imperial swallow hadn’t flopped. The third attempt took a bit more time, and Jiang Feng had to hurry with the oyster sauce abalone, otherwise the timing for serving the dishes might be pushed back.

But to Master Xu, Jiang Feng’s decision not to even take a look seemed like the swagger of a pro.

Master Xu carefully lifted the lid, only to find that the clear soup imperial swallow was flawless, at least as far as he could tell.

Master Xu was taken aback, thinking to himself, could this be the prowess of someone ranked sixth on the Master Chef’s list?

Too scary. So this is what a true expert looks like.

Turns out, the master had been holding back all this time, worried about showing his true skills and frightening his former mediocre disciple.

“Master Xu, could you tell me about the oyster sauce abalone again?” Jiang Feng asked, noticing that Master Xu was still fixated on the bird’s nest and hadn’t responded.

“Yes, yes, of course, the thing about oyster sauce abalone is…” Master Xu’s attitude became all the more respectful.

The difficulty of oyster sauce abalone lies in the final thickening and control of the heat. No need to mention the thickening; that was currently Jiang Feng’s most impressive skill. If thickening was in hand, Jiang Feng felt he had the world under his control.

Although he wasn’t particularly skilled in controlling the heat, his current abilities were more than sufficient for making oyster sauce abalone. The first attempt experienced a minor setback since it was his first time cooking it and, despite knowing the theory and having the skills, combining them still led to a slight mistake.

The second attempt turned out to be quite OK.

It ended sooner than expected.

The yellow braised shark’s fin needed about twenty more minutes, and the latest batch of clear soup imperial swallow was already steaming.

Jiang Feng had already begun to ponder what to eat for dinner.

He had planned to serve the dishes around 8:30 PM, but now it was just 7 PM. If all went well, he could certainly serve the three dishes he was responsible for before 8 PM.

After finishing, he could go visit Professor Li at the Li Mansion, and maybe even pet Da Hua. It would also be a good opportunity to ask Professor Li and Chen Suhua in person if they were interested in attending his final next Saturday.

At 7:51 p.m., Jiang Feng finished his dish presentation and went home.

The service of a Swallow-wing Feast is quite meticulous, emphasizing the smooth flow of dishes, with intervals between each dish not exceeding a certain number of minutes. Although Jiang Feng had finished all three of his dishes, the first dish, Braised Shark’s Fin, might not have even been served yet as it was still being arranged. Service couldn’t be rushed; earlier dishes would have to wait for the later ones.

“Master Xu, I’ll be leaving first. It just so happens that I have friends who live nearby—I’m going to visit them,” Jiang Feng said, ready to leave with his cleaver in hand.

Master Xu looked at him with complex emotions and kindly reminded, “Do you want me to find a piece of cloth to wrap the cleaver in, and get a bag for you to carry it?”

Walking up to someone’s door with a cleaver hardly looks like you’re going to visit friends.

It looks more like you’re seeing them off… for good.

“Ah, oh, that would be great; thank you,” Jiang Feng handed the cleaver to Master Xu.

“By the way, Master Xu, how are you going to eat later? Are you all eating here or…” Jiang Feng asked casually.

“We’ll clean up and go back to eat, my treat. It’s a tradition at Yonghe House, chefs need to reward the others after an external banquet since it’s so exhausting,” Master Xu said, “Do you want to join us?”

“No, thanks,” Jiang Feng smiled and declined, ready to leave with his bag.

Meanwhile, the first dish, the Braised Shark’s Fin, was finally served in the dining room.

Mr. Lu wanted a Swallow-wing Feast, of course it was impossible for him to eat a whole banquet by himself. Even if he wanted to, he wouldn’t have the stomach for it. A feast naturally required a crowd for it to be lively.

Mr. Lu invited many friends who didn’t have much interaction previously but all shared a love for fine dining.

“Old Lu, your connections are truly something. It seems like Yonghe House has only hosted an external banquet once at the beginning of the year. Someone celebrated their eightieth birthday a couple of months ago, and despite their wishes, Yonghe House didn’t attend,” someone remarked.

“Yes, yes. How else could we say Old Lu has a lot of clout? Lately, Yonghe House has been so busy it’s unbelievable. Yet, they still closed for a day to cater an external banquet especially for Old Lu,” another chimed in.

Complimenting the host’s influence was more genuine than any other praise when gathering for a meal.

“Enough, enough, stop with the pleasantries. I know you’re all waiting to eat. Hey, I think I can smell it. If I’m not mistaken, the first dish of the Swallow-wing Feast should be the Braised Shark’s Fin, right?” Mr. Lu said with a laugh, turning his head to see that the first dish was indeed being served.

“Braised Shark’s Fin? That can’t be right, I remember a few years ago it was Shark’s Fin with Crab Meat,” a guest who had experienced a cut-corner version of the Swallow-wing Feast exclaimed in a tone betraying their lack of worldly experience.

“Shark’s Fin with Crab Meat?” Mr. Lu, who hadn’t returned to the country in many years and was out of touch with the current situation, found it odd to hear this, “The signature dish for Tan Family Cuisine’s shark fin is the Braised Shark’s Fin. What’s so good about shark fin with crab meat? You must be misremembering. The shark fin in a Swallow-wing Feast has to be braised, or what kind of Swallow-wing Feast would it be?”

Mr. Lu was absolutely certain of what he said, making the guest doubt themselves, wondering if age had taken a toll on their memory and they couldn’t even recall what dish they had previously enjoyed.

While they were talking, the Braised Shark’s Fin was served.

Upon lifting the lid, a vision of golden glory was revealed.

It’s no exaggeration to say that half the guests at the table felt as if a beam of golden light burst forth from the dish the moment the lid was lifted.

If one had to describe the sensation, it was as if they were seeing special effects in action.

Although Mr. Lu’s friends were all well-off, with some possessing considerable financial strength, Yonghe House had indeed offered few Swallow-wing Feasts over the years, mainly due to apprehension about doing so. Usually, they catered only to very old customers, so not many had experienced a cut-corner version of the feast.

Half the guests at this table had never tasted a Swallow-wing Feast before.

The other half that had, would need to trace back a decade to recall.

Everyone was stunned, or more accurately, subdued by the first dish, the Braised Shark’s Fin.

A Braised Shark’s Fin with an intoxicating buff, of S rank quality.

Mr. Lu, as the host, took the first bite.

Mr. Lu was astonished.

He had tasted the Swallow-wing Feast personally prepared by Peng Changping decades ago, even though his skills were far from their peak back then. And even though that was when Mr. Lu was still young, that feast left an indelible mark on him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been so obsessed after returning to his country, to the point of delaying his trip just to have Yonghe House prepare another banquet for him.

Even after several decades, Mr. Lu was confident that the Swallow-wing Feast back then wasn’t as delicious as it was now.

At least the Braised Shark’s Fin wasn’t as delicious then as it was now.

He had never tasted such delicious food before.

It was so delicious it allowed him to immerse himself deeply, forgetting everything else.

After consuming a bowl of Braised Shark’s Fin, Mr. Lu silently took out his phone and sent a WeChat message to Lu Sheng: Please book me a front-row ticket, thanks.

He wanted to attend the competition.

He had a premonition that this young Master Jiang would surpass the much-revered Master Jiang of Beiping that his grandfather once spoke of, becoming even more impressive and spectacular.

At the same time, a game notification sounded in Jiang Feng’s mind.

“Ding, congratulations to the player for completing the side quest [Lu Sheng’s Wish], you have obtained the rewards: [Yonghe House’s Memory Fragment][Yonghe House’s Memory Fragment].”

[Yonghe House’s Memory Fragment] was repeated twice, causing Jiang Feng to think the game notification was stuck at first, but after opening the inventory in the attributes panel, he realized he received two memory fragments.

It is indeed an odd world this year, where houses are spirited away in groups: first Jiang’s Old House gained sentience, then Yonghe House did, almost like some kind of dream collaboration.

What, look down upon Taifeng Building? Not deigning to enlighten it with spirit?

While lost in his whimsical thoughts, Jiang Feng knocked on the door of the Li Mansion.