13 Chapter 13 New Store
Translator: Larbre Studio
Editor: Larbre Studio
Jiang Feng and his family, carrying bags large and small, boarded the high-speed train. Initially, Jiang Jiankang even wanted to take his precious kitchen utensils on the high-speed train, and Mrs. Wang Xiulian could not stop him, but, fortunately, the country did.
Thinking of bringing sharp kitchen tools onto the high-speed train? Dream on!
At the new restaurant, Jiang Jiankang had partitioned off a small 20-square-meter room on the second floor to live in, and if he wanted to take a shower, he still had to go to the public bath near the school. At first, Jiang Feng suggested renting an apartment near the school or even leasing a faculty apartment on campus, but Mr. Jiang Jiankang was strongly opposed and thus they had to give up the idea.
Mr. Jiang Jiankang had a strong sense of territory and did not like living on someone else’s property, or in his words, if you’re going to live somewhere, it should be in your own house.
Jiang Feng did some calculations, and figured their family would probably have to sell their dishes at Michelin three-star prices in order to pay off their debt and buy a house outright before he graduated from university.
While on the high-speed train, Jiang Feng used WeChat to inform Wang Hao about their arrival time since they had quite a few things with them and Jiang Jiankang and Mrs. Wang Xiulian had only been to Alan City once and were unfamiliar with it, so they needed someone to pick them up. Wang Hao had been eagerly looking forward to Jiang Feng’s arrival and very promptly agreed to the task of picking them up.
Jiang Jiankang and Mrs. Wang Xiulian sat in the business class compartment, since both the first class and second class seats were too cramped and unsuitable for them.
Because of this, Mrs. Wang Xiulian had already written many letters of complaint to the railway department.
The new store had just finished renovation, and Jiang Jiandang’s pharmacy next door was completing its final touches. The pharmacy’s business license was delayed, and Jiang Jiandang was still haggling over the last bit of demolition compensation, so he couldn’t go to Alan City for a while.
During this period, Jiang Feng’s eldest uncle, fourth uncle, and fifth uncle really had a hard time. They were in charge of the renovations for both shops, and the three of them worked outside every day in the scorching heat without even getting a chance to taste any of the dishes Sir had cooked for over half a month.
How pitiful!
Jiang Feng expressed his deep sympathy for his eldest uncle, fourth uncle, and fifth uncle while he browsed through Wang Hao’s Moments.
!!..
Every day, without fail, he would promote the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant, effectively turning his own Moments into an advertising rental space. When advertising, he never forgot to mention Jiang Feng, letting everyone know that the restaurant was opened by Jiang Feng’s family, who had amassed huge debts for the sake of their dream.
What a waste that Wang Hao isn’t writing screenplays for TV dramas.
Jiang Feng’s cooking skills might not be known throughout the entire university, but at least within their dorm buildings he had a good reputation. Coupled with Wang Hao’s deceptive and emotionally-charged advertising slogans, every post on Moments was followed by a string of likes.
Under Sir’s supervision, Jiang Feng had been learning to cook for over half a month, and he began to suspect that he was cut off from the rest of the world.
At first, it was nothing but chopping vegetables and sleeping. Then, it became nothing but flipping the wok and sleeping. Even checking his status panel was something he only did occasionally when he found the time.
Using his cellphone?
That was out of the question.
By scrolling through the Moments he hadn’t checked for half the month on the high-speed train, time passed quickly.
Wang Hao had arrived early at the high-speed train station and, upon seeing Jiang Feng, he excitedly waved his hands like crazy and bounded up to Jiang Feng, showing an amazing agility that belied his weight of 170 pounds in his short dash of fifty meters.
Jiang Feng held a large travel bag in his left hand and dragged an extra-large suitcase with the right. Wang Hao promptly took the travel bag from him.
The travel bag must have weighed at least fifty pounds, and Wang Hao, not thinking much of it, nearly dropped it to the ground as he took it single-handedly.
Heh, misleadingly chunky.
Jiang Feng didn’t want to inconvenience him and took the travel bag back, “There’s a lighter, smaller bag with my mom. Can you go help my mom with it? I’m afraid she might have too many things to carry.”
Wang Hao looked back, craning his neck for a long time without spotting his targets, and then asked, “Where are my uncle and aunt?”
“Right behind me!” Jiang Feng turned around, and there were Jiang Jiankang and Mrs. Wang Xiulian, each with a suitcase, and more bags placed on top of them.
Wang Hao: …
They don’t seem to look like a family…
“Hello, uncle and aunt!” Wang Hao greeted them warmly.
“Hello, hello,” Jiang Jiankang replied with a smile.
“Feng, is that store really yours?” Ever since hearing that the newly renovated two-story store belonged to Jiang Feng’s family, Wang Hao had slowed down each time he passed by to take a good look. The more he looked, the more astonishing it was. With that location and that size, Jiang Feng’s family must have borrowed millions to buy such a large shop!
“You might have got it wrong. I see that next to the two-story shop there is a smaller single-level shop also being renovated. Isn’t that one actually your family’s?” Wang Hao whispered.
“That’s my second uncle’s place; he used it to open a pharmacy,” Jiang Feng explained.
Wang Hao was startled and asked in a mysterious tone, “Feng, tell me the truth, are you actually an heir of some huge wealth who’s incognito to experience life with us?”
Jiang Feng: …
Such talent is wasted not writing TV drama scripts.
“My second uncle originally ran a small clinic. After it was demolished, he got a large sum of demolition compensation – that’s the money he lent to our family,” Jiang Feng said. Anyway, Wang Hao liked to let his imagination run wild, and Jiang Feng believed he would concoct a complete version on his own.
Sure enough, Wang Hao nodded his head in sudden realization.
As for whether his thoughts were true, that was none of Jiang Feng’s concern.
The trip from UAL University to the train station took nearly two hours. Wang Hao was a local from Alan City and was good at socializing. He introduced all sorts of news, delicacies, and attractions of Alan City to Jiang Feng’s parents along the way, to the point where Mr. Jiang Jiankang began to feel a bit disheartened.
This Alan City… was the competition in the catering industry so fierce?
With a heart full of bumps, Mr. Jiang Jiankang finally arrived at the store.
Under the full supervision of Jiang Jianguo, the work on Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant had been completed a week earlier, with only the sign yet to be hung. The interior design, done by Jiang Feng’s cousin Jiang Zaidi (the son of his eldest uncle), suited Mr. Jiang Jiankang’s simple and unadorned taste perfectly.
All the tables on the first floor were small square ones, mainly for four and six people, with a row of two-person tables by the windows. The colors of the tables and chairs were uniformly grey and white, neatly arranged. The walls were painted green, and several pots of spider plants were placed on the window sills. Wooden menus were hung on the wall, forming a long line that nearly filled half of the wall.
“The second floor has large round tables and private rooms,” Jiang Jianguo said cheerfully. “I told Zaide to design it well, not to come up with any of those deceptive schemes to fool customers. Third brother, how is it? Everything’s done according to your requirements.”
How could it be anything but great? This restaurant was ten times, a hundred times better than the state-run restaurant where Mr. Jiang Jiankang had been working!
Unable to stop himself, Mr. Jiang Jiankang nodded continuously: “Tonight, let’s call over the eldest sister-in-law, Zaide, and the fourth and fifth brothers’ families. I’ll cook a feast to celebrate! Feng, you come too, Uncle will cook some signature dishes for you.”
“I see, my third sister-in-law’s figure has improved lately. Third brother, your cooking has improved as well?” Jiang Jianguo asked.
Mrs. Wang Xiulian, under the pretext of helping to wash vegetables, had been at the forefront of sneaking tastes recently and had gained at least ten more pounds.
“His cooking’s the same old, same old. It’s Dad’s cooking that has improved – those Four Joyful Meatballs, that roasted chicken, tsk tsk.” Speaking of which, Xiulian couldn’t help but swallow her saliva.
“Dad?” Jiang Jianguo’s smile froze.
“Yes, Dad stayed at our house for half a month teaching Feng how to cook, and fattened up both me and my second brother’s whole family,” Mr. Jiang Jiankang said nostalgically. “Dad’s cooking has improved a lot since last Chinese New Year.”
Jiang Jianguo stood there as if struck by a heavy blow, and tears fell down his face in an instant.
“I’m so unfilial, not even thinking of going back to see Dad,” Jiang Jianguo said, wiping away tears.
Sir had been cooking for more than half a month, and he hadn’t tasted even a single bite.
“Feng… Feng is so fortunate!” Jiang Jianguo was speechless for a long time, thinking about his own son who had no talent for cooking and was working as a designer. “That disappointing kid of ours, sigh!”
“Big brother, it’s okay, there will be plenty of opportunities to see Dad. Going to the countryside is inconvenient for you; Dad said he would come teach Feng how to cook every winter and summer vacation, just like before,” Mr. Jiang Jiankang said.
“Feng!” Jiang Jianguo walked over to Jiang Feng, lifted his hefty palm, and patted his shoulder heavily, “Learn cooking well from your grandpa!”
Jiang Feng: …
Wang Hao: ???
Jiang Jianguo took Mr. Jiang Jiankang and Mrs. Wang Xiulian to look at the decorations upstairs, and Wang Hao took the opportunity to stealthily ask Jiang Feng, “What’s up with your eldest uncle?”
Laughing one moment, crying the next, shedding tears on a whim, it’s an Oscar-worthy performance.
Jiang Feng looked helplessly skyward.
“If you had tasted my grandpa’s cooking, you’d cry too.”