Chapter 299: Chapter 298: Life Not Long For This World (Seeking Monthly Pass!)
After receiving praise from Sun Guanyun, Sun Jikai seemed a bit nervous.
He was well aware that comparisons are often made between people.
For instance, during the middle school exams, he scored a perfect 120 in math, and others didn’t consider it anything special. But once compared to the city average of 56, people would exclaim, “Wow, you’re so good at math!” Similarly, in the culinary field, his stir-fried beef ho fun could sell for 48 yuan, while Ji Xue’s would go for 56 yuan. With that comparison, one could tell…
Pah, that comparison just shows there’s a problem with the pricing set by the boss.
In summary, people are known through comparison, especially by the elders who always like to compare their own children with others’, otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many annoying ‘other people’s children.’
The difference in pricing for the stir-fried beef ho fun, but the disparity in
Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was absolutely a matter of culinary skills.
Sun Jikai knew clearly that during the top 16 of the cooking competition, his and Jiang Feng’s culinary skills were almost equal; his skills were even slightly better than Jiang Feng’s.
But since the semi-finals when Jiang Feng made Sweet and Sour Yam, it seemed as if he had a breakthrough. His culinary prowess advanced by leaps and bounds. It was hard to say about fire control and seasoning, but his knifework was already superior to Jikai’s.
Sun Jikai understood in his heart that his Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was not as good as Jiang Feng’s.
He was worried that Sun Guanyun, after tasting the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon made by Jiang Feng, or his own dish, would be disappointed. The exact same steps.
Simmering the pigeon soup.
Thickening with starch.
Adding chicken oil.
Switching from high to low heat.
Turning off the heat.
Plating.
But at the moment of plating, Sun Jikai knew his dish of Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was inferior to Jiang Feng’s.
Sun Guanyun didn’t make a sound, watching Sun Jikai’s step-by-step thickening of the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon. As it was plated, he, just as before, cut open the pigeon’s belly with a small knife.
He scooped up a spoonful of the vegetable filling and tasted it quietly.
“I never taught you guys this thickening method. Who did you learn it from?” Sun Guanyun asked.
“It was Jiang Feng’s idea.”
“It was Sun Jikai who proposed it.”
Both of them spoke of the other simultaneously.
Sun Jikai said, “I remember when you made it the sauce for Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was thick, but when you poured it, it flowed like water.”
“But I no longer remember what the sauce was like. I only remember you telling me temperature was key,” Jiang Feng said.
Continuing, Sun Jikai said, “I remember the consistency of the sauce, and he remembers its temperature, but the critical idea was Jiang Feng’s; I didn’t help at all.”
As he spoke, Sun Jikai lowered his head in a bit of shame, for he was the one who held the key to success, yet it was Jiang Feng who ended up unlocking the door.
Sun Guanyun, however, seemed quite pleased, “So, this dish was a collaborative effort between you two.”
“And Wu Minqi, Zhang Guanghang also helped,” Sun Jikai said. He had always been like this, claiming what was his without ever taking undue credit.
“Good, good,” Sun Guanyun said, repeating the word twice, “All of you are good kids.”
Jiang Feng seemed to faintly understand why Sun Guanyun was satisfied with the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon he just made.
What pleased him was not the taste, but rather the spirit and persistence of continuous exploration and research behind this dish.
The objects of his satisfaction were not Jiang Feng, but Sun Jikai.
He was pleased that Sun Jikai was willing to spend time and put in the effort to collaborate with others to perfect a dish.
He was pleased that Sun Jikai finally picked up the kitchen knife, settled his mind, and quietly concentrated on what a chef should do.
He was pleased that his eldest grandson was not a schemer just plotting for the family wealth, but a chef who truly loved the culinary arts.
Sun Guanyun came to pick up Sun Jikai and take him home.
Sun Jikai hadn’t completely mastered the art of caramelizing sugar in oil, and the time Jiang Weiming had promised had not yet passed, but none of this mattered.
All of that was less important than Sun Guanyun’s willingness to acknowledge him and take him home.
Sun Guanyun’s assistant had been waiting at the door, standing by the black sedan.
Although Sun Guanyun’s assistant was not as versatile as those from Good Taste Company, and sometimes even left much to be desired, he was the person Sun Guanyun trusted the most, for he had been by Sun Guanyun’s side the longest.
He had been Sun Guanyun’s assistant for 26 years; he had even personally managed the funeral of Sun Guanyun’s wife over a decade ago. Many things that even Sun Changping and Sun Jikai didn’t know, he was aware of.
He was not only the most trusted person by Sun Guanyun but also the one who understood him the best.
Therefore, he was very much aware that his boss’s time was running short. Even Sun Changping and Sun Guanyun’s second uncle, Sun Chang’an, did not know why Sun Guanyun had suddenly changed his temperament and driven Sun Jikai out of the house, but Sun Guanyun’s assistant knew.
He stood outside Taifeng Building, feeling somewhat anxious.
As Sun Guanyun’s assistant and Sun Jikai’s elder, he had watched Sun Jikai grow up, watched Sun Guanyun place high hopes on him.
He had also watched Sun Jikai being led further astray by his mother, heading down the wrong path, wasting his culinary talents, and getting involved in meaningless family struggles.
Sun Guanyun’s assistant felt his feet were a bit numb.
How long had he been standing outside? 20 minutes? 30 minutes? 40 minutes? Or even longer?
He just stood still outside, standing until his feet grew numb, without seeing Sun Guanyun and Sun Jikai.
Could something have gone wrong between the grandfather and grandson?
Sun Guanyun’s assistant started to worry.
Should he go in and check?
Yet, if there had indeed been some dispute, he was just an assistant; he would not be able to offer much in critical moments like these. Moreover, this was a family matter between them, and as an outsider, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to interfere.
It wasn’t easy for President Sun to decide to come to Beiping and take Sun Jikai back; it would be a shame if something unexpected happened right now. Should he go in?
Sun Guanyun’s assistant was even more hesitant.
He took a slight step forward with his left foot, and his right foot followed. After thinking it over, his right foot took a step back, and his left foot followed. By the way, his surname was Wang, commonly referred to as Assistant Wang. The driver, sitting in the car, watched Assistant Wang and started to wonder if Assistant Wang had been standing so long that his legs were cramping. Indeed, standing motionless for over 40 minutes would likely cause one’s legs to cramp.
Incidentally, the driver worked for Good Taste Company, and the vehicle also belonged to Good Taste. Both the driver and the car had been borrowed by Assistant Wang through contacting Han Guishan’s assistant.
Thanks to the Good Taste Culinary Competition, the company’s fame had been rising day by day, and over the past few months, Han Guishan had been expanding the market in preparation to move the headquarters to Beiping City soon.
When Jiang Feng had left the beginner’s village and arrived at Beiping City in the Cosmic Center, Han Guishan couldn’t afford to fall behind.
The driver was contemplating one thing, Assistant Wang was considering another, and as their thoughts drifted further and further, almost reaching the Siberian plains, Sun Guanyun emerged with Sun Jikai.
Assistant Wang heaved a sigh of relief, opened the doors for the two of them, and then got into the car himself.
“To the hospital,” Sun Guanyun said.
“The hospital? Grandfather, are you not feeling well?” asked Sun Jikai.
Sun Guanyun looked at him and said, “Jikai, your grandfather is going to die.” His voice sounded more aged than ever before.
Sun Jikai was stunned.