The Game of Life

Jiang Feng was abruptly ejected from his memory.

Yes, ejected-with no warning at all, not even a hint of mist. Jiang Feng didn’t even realize what had happened before he found himself back in the dormitory.

The last bite of that dog food was utterly unexpected. Without any sign, just after stuffing Jiang Feng with it, he was ejected from the memory. He opened the game panel, wanting to see if the recipe he gained this time was a counterfeit version of Cao Guixiang’s General Tso’s Chicken.

One more recipe was highlighted in the recipe column.

Cao Guixiang (1/9)

III

(1/9)??!

Jiang Feng simply couldn’t believe his eyes. What divine being was Zhang Zhiyuan’s grandmother to have 9 dishes to her name, especially considering Jiang Weiming only had (1/5)-

He opened the recipe.

[Zhang Zhiyuan Chicken A-grade]

Creator: Cao Guixiang

Dish Details: A brilliant original dish created accidentally, featuring precise fire control and excellent seasoning that adds a lot to the dish. As a master chef of Tan Family Cuisine who created this dish for her grandson and named it after him, it wouldn’t be considered Cao Guixiang’s best among all the dishes she made in her lifetime. Nevertheless, due to the love for her grandson encapsulated within, it became a sweet and sour delicious memory from Zhang Zhiyuan’s childhood. Consuming it can recall affectionate moments spent with family within 5 minutes.

Number of times it can be made per day (0/6)

Friendly Reminder: The difficulty of this dish far exceeds the current culinary level of the player, and there’s a 100% chance of failure when making it.

Jiang Feng: –¹

– S’n’)-‘

What the hell, a 100% chance of failure? Who are you looking down upon!

Angered, Jiang Feng closed the attribute panel, lay down, turned off his computer, and went to sleep.

Ha, I’ll cook this dish tomorrow and show this crappy game what real skill is!

The next day, 8 AM, Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant—

Jiang Feng stared at the Zhang Zhiyuan Chicken in front of him, questioning his life choices.

Why, even though it looked so simple, was it full of pitfalls when he actually made it?

Why could Cao Guixiang casually whip up an A-grade original dish for her grandson, and yet he, with all his efforts and dedication, had such a disastrous attempt?

Tears fell before he had the chance to speak.

After finishing breakfast and a post-meal snack, Jiang Jiankang walked into the kitchen and saw the botched dish on the table.

“Yo, son, trying out a new dish!” Seeing that the dish was still warm, Jiang Jiankang went outside to grab a pair of chopsticks, came back, and picked up the biggest piece. He took a bite.

• ‘Son, this lychee pork you made tastes off- hmm, but it’s alright, a bit on the sweet side, your mother likes sweet things. I’ll take it out for her to try.” Jiang Jiankang took the plate outside, “Wife, our son made a new dish, it’s sweet and sour, have a taste.”

Seven minutes later, Jiang Jiankang returned with an empty plate, a hint of red sauce still on it.

“Son, hie, the way you made this lychee pork is wrong. Hie, even if you don’t have water chestnuts, you can’t just use chicken meat. Although it tastes fine, hie, you shouldn’t misuse ingredients, hie-” Jiang Jiankang kept hiccupping, unclear how much of the large plate he had eaten.

“I didn’t make lychee pork, I just made whatever.” Jiang Feng felt like crying when he thought about the evaluation the game had given him.

[Zhang Zhiyuan Chicken (Failed) C-grade]

Jiang Feng decided to just go practice making Eight-treasure Chestnut Aromatic Chicken honestly. After all, the competition was more important-it was about a hidden task.

And so Jiang Feng spent his time in the back kitchen, chopping and stirring, steaming and thickening sauces. He butchered several tender hens and after two days of research with two elderly gentlemen, he finally figured out a pretty good stuffing proportion. He then called the organizers within the deadline to notify them of the ingredients he needed.

March 5th, ready for action.

Today was the day for the 16 to 8 rounds of the competition. At noon, under the personal guidance of Mrs. Wang Xiulian, Jiang Feng used her newly purchased skincare products for a full facial treatment, leaving his skin glowing as he took the subway to the provincial station.

Jiang Feng even saw advertisements for the Good Taste Cooking Contest at the subway station.

After arriving at the provincial station, Jiang Feng confidently went backstage; this time, he didn’t need to swipe a card-a facial scan was enough. He had just found a chair to sit on when a staff member escorted him to check the prepared ingredients.

All the contestants’ ingredients were placed together. Jiang Feng glanced over them, noticing only a few live chickens; most were already processed chicken meat.

Jiang Feng paid close attention to his chicken—it was of the right age and clearly free-range. It was a much higher quality than the chickens Mrs. Wang Xiulian purchased. The quality of the other ingredients was also very good. After looking around, he found no issues and was very satisfied.

“Pretty good,” Jiang Feng said.

■■As long as you’re satisfied, that’s good. There are still a few hours before the competition starts. I’ll take you back to the rest area to rest,” the staff member said with a smile.

When Jiang Feng returned to the rest area, the competitors who had already arrived were chatting in small groups; they all seemed very familiar with each other.

No one paid any attention to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng:

He felt as though he was being isolated. You’re all forming little cliques and not including me!

After scanning the room, Wu Minqi wasn’t there, neither was Zhang Xi. The only two people he knew were absent, and Jiang Feng didn’t want to strike up awkward conversations with strangers, so he silently moved a chair to the corner to play with his phone.

In the corner, he spotted Ji Xue, who was also hiding away.

Remembering the hint from the side mission, a thought flashed through Jiang Feng’s mind, and he approached her for a chat.

“Hi!” An awkward opener.

Ji Xue glanced at Jiang Feng and nodded in acknowledgment, “Hello.

Silence.

“So, the day I was recording my VCR, I was right behind you. I heard you’re looking for a job,” Jiang Feng got straight to the point.

Ji Xue’s eyes lit up as she asked, “You want to refer me for a job?”

“Yeah, I, no, I mean…” Jiang Feng nearly got tangled by Ji Xue’s direct approach and organized his words, “Here’s the thing, my family owns a restaurant in Helping, but it’s not open yet. However, it will be soon, and we’re hiring chefs.

You…”

“Does it include board and lodging?” Ji Xue asked directly, “Living in Beiping is too expensive; it must include board and lodging. The salary can’t be less than twenty thousand per month. I can work overtime and do any kind of job­assistant work, miscellaneous tasks, prep work, even cooking. I’m qualified for all that.”

“That’s….”

■Tve studied cooking for eight years, specializing in Cantonese and Fujian cuisines. I know a bit of Western cuisine and local Shanghai dishes too. By the way, I’m very good at handling seafood, cooking porridge, and making soups. What kind of chefs are you hiring? If you need a Western cuisine chef, I can start as an apprentice. I can also do front desk work, carry plates, clean, and other miscellaneous tasks. When can I interview?” Ji Xue didn’t care that Jiang Feng was one of her competitors in the contest; she laid all her cards on the table.

Jiang Feng didn’t even get a chance to interrupt, thinking to himself no wonder the mission hint said Ji Xue was a good choice; this girl is really desperate for a job!

But for someone who’s just 19 and just started college why is she in such a hurry to find work?

“You… are you really short on money?” Jiang Feng asked.

“I’m very short on money,” Ji Xue responded frankly. “It’s not gambling debts; it’s medical expenses. I won’t cause any trouble for the restaurant. I need money, very desperately. If your restaurant is about to open, please contact me. Oh, and let’s add each other on WeChat.”

Ji Xue took out her phone, which was an old knockoff domestic brand, likely quite old, and spent a good two or three minutes just opening WeChat due to its slow response.

“This phone is a second-hand one I bought, so it’s a bit slow. Sorry for the inconvenience, please wait a moment.” Ji Xue was used to the delay. It took her another minute just to get to her contact card before Jiang Feng could scan it to add her as a friend.

It took another two minutes for the friend request to be accepted. “Also, what was said in the forum is true.” Ji Xue suddenly said.

“What forum?” Jiang Feng didn’t catch on immediately.

“I don’t know, but I overheard them talking about me just now. I was indeed expelled from the previous restaurant for stealing, the owner called the police, and it was recorded in my file. That’s why I’ve not been able to find a job,” Ji Xue explained.

Jiang Feng:”… What did you steal?

“A rotten yellow croaker.”

Jiang Feng didn’t know what to say and could only reply, “When the restaurant is ready to open, I’ll contact you.”

“Will you really contact me?”

“I will.”

“Thank you.”

Ji Xue sat back down and quietly stared into space in the corner.

A cheap second-hand knockoff phone, clothes purchased from street stalls, bleach-washed inexpensive jeans, an un-moisturized face, and slightly yellowed hair.

A life far from being inexpensive..