The Game Of Life

 Jiang Feng guessed that he had been asked to make Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes and Cured Meat with Green Peppers.

11-year-old Jiang Weiguo"s culinary skills were not as good as Jiang Feng"s.

He had good knife skills that would"ve been sharpened through his daily life helping Jiang Chengde, but his control of heat and seasoning were much worse. Even Jiang Feng could see that he had salted the spicy potato shreds too much, and the potatoes were not very fresh to begin with. The taste must not have been very good.

The Cured Meat with Green Peppers was even worse. The cured meat had not been salted very well. The green peppers were wrinkly and dehydrated. The seeds in them had all dried up. The taste could be imagined.

These two dishes were typical home-made ones, so it was not difficult to make them. Steward w.a.n.g had requested at least three dishes and one soup. Jiang Weiguo thought for a moment and took out the only cabbage in the cabinet.

The leaves on the outside of the cabbage had all withered. Jiang Weiguo had to peel away several layers before the leaves that had retained a little water were exposed. Although it was not fresh, it was edible.

He peeled off several pieces of vegetable leaves, cut them into sections and stir-fried them.

The visually unappealing stir-fried cabbage was ready to be served.

Jiang Feng felt that if it wasn"t because Sir Huang in the first cabin didn"t eat fish, his food would not be so simple and plain. Fish were aplenty in the river. Jiang Feng saw that there were at least two buckets of fresh fish in the corner. They were still splashing around.

The soup was made with Pepper, flour, agaric, kelp, and cured meat, as well as the dehydrated peeled cabbage leaves, were all chopped and thrown into the pot. In addition salt, chili powder, sesame oil, and soy sauce were added, Jiang Feng also saw Jiang Weiguo add a small handful of spices, it was a pot of thrown together stew, he almost couldn"t see what the ingredients inside were, it was full of fragrance though and was by far the best dish among the others.

The soup was thick and steaming. Jiang Weiguo went out to look for Steward w.a.n.g. He found no one outside. He thought of what he had said, to go to the room beside his if he needed help. So he turned around and went to the next room to find someone.

The next room was also a kitchen. It was bigger than the one Jiang Weiguo was in. Maybe it was because there were two big pots in there. One pot was full of mushy gruel, and the other pot was filled with congee that had more water in it than rice. The three meals for the people in the lower sections must come from these pots.

There were two people in there, a slightly chubby middle-aged woman with a girl who looked similar to her who looked like her daughter.

Upon seeing Jiang Weiguo walk in, the middle-aged woman was shocked, but she quickly responded and asked with a smile, "Are you the new cook Steward w.a.n.g found? Wait for a little while. I haven"t finished cooking the gruel yet. I"ll help you later if you need help. "

For the first time since his escape, Jiang Weiguo had met a friendly stranger for the first time, and his tone went soft and relaxed: "No, Auntie, I just want to ask where Steward w.a.n.g is? My dishes are ready. "

Hearing that she didn"t have to help him, the chubby middle-aged woman smiled more warmly, "Wait a minute, I"ll go to find Steward w.a.n.g for you."

After a while, the chubby middle-aged woman came back with Steward w.a.n.g, there were two people following behind her as well.

When she pa.s.sed by the little kitchen, the chubby middle-aged woman peeked inside. She rushed to Jiang Weiguo and asked, "Xiao Jiang, what did you make, it smells so fragrant?"

"Auntie Li, don"t ask what you shouldn"t ask." The governor w.a.n.g snapped a warning at her, Auntie Li was obviously not afraid of him. She rolled her eyes at him and went on cooking the gruel.

It was a big pot of gruel, but it hadn"t been stirred for 10 minutes, Jiang Feng guessed that the bottom of the pot was probably burnt.

The two people who came with Steward w.a.n.g went to the small kitchen to pick up the dishes. They went to Auntie Li"s kitchen to pick up the rice. Steward w.a.n.g asked Jiang Weiguo to follow him, for fear of Sir Huang"s anger being at him if Jiang Weiguo really lacked any skill.

The first-cla.s.s cabins were on the third floor, and there were people standing guard by the door. Steward w.a.n.g asked Jiang Weiguo to wait at the door. He and the two serving people went in. Jiang Feng was curious so he went in behind Steward w.a.n.g.

The first-cla.s.s cabin was very large, and the standard was akin to the presidential suite of later generations. The servants and family members of Sir Huang were all in there. He was sitting on the sofa reading a book, while his wife sewed b.u.t.tons beside him.

"County Magistrate Huang, the former cook on the ship, died from an illness. We have changed to a new cook today. I wonder if the dishes are to your taste." Steward w.a.n.g said respectfully.

Jiang Feng couldn"t help but look at this Sir. At first, he had thought that Steward w.a.n.g addressing him as Sir was but an honorific t.i.tle. Unexpectedly, he was indeed a Sir. He had even abandoned the official position of a county magistrate to escape to Shanghai. One could only imagine how serious the disaster was in the north.

County Magistrate Huang looked to be in his fifties. His figure clearly belonged to a member of the upper cla.s.ses and he had a long beard. He spared a meager glance at Steward w.a.n.g when he heard his words, "So be it. His dishes were not delicious anyway. Useless."

"You are absolutely right." Steward w.a.n.g smiled apologetically and retreated to the corner.

The servant girl beside the lady began to set up dishes, regardless of the poor environment, the fact that there were only three dishes and one bowl of soup, and only a single servant girl, the gestures were quite grand. Outsiders would"ve thought that some n.o.blility had arrived.

Sir Huang took a bite of the stir-fried cabbage first, he didn"t speak, but his expression expressed his dissatisfaction. Then he tasted the shredded potatoes.

"Not bad, better than the one before." Sir Huang said.

Sir Huang was obviously more satisfied with the potato shreds, while his wife"s taste was lighter. After eating only a few mouthfuls of cabbages and rice, she expressed that she was full and no longer wished to eat anymore.

Maybe it was because of the potato shreds, or maybe because he originally had a huge appet.i.te. Sir Huang stopped only after eating three full bowls of rice and motioned for the servant girl to ladle soup for him.

The servant girl was smart. She scooped out half a small bowl of soup for him and placed it steadily in front of him.

Sir Huang took a sip.

"Where did you find this cook?" Sir Huang put down the bowl and asked.

"He was an a.s.sistant chef in Taifeng Restaurant." The steward replied.

"What a joke, as if you could hire the a.s.sistant chef of Taifeng Restaurant here to cook for you." Sir Huang smiled, his expression changing for the first time.

Seeing Sir Huang smile, Steward w.a.n.g laughed even more exaggeratedly, but his voice was softer than his as he said, "Sir has a good eye for detail indeed, he is just a child of 11 years, he probably just helped out for a few days in Taifeng Restaurant and called himself the a.s.sistant chef of Taifeng Restaurant, I wonder if Sir Huang is satisfied with him?"

"How many days left before we reach Shanghai?" Sir Huang asked.

"Five days, five days at most."

"He shall do, he has good culinary skills, reward him." Sir Huang raised his hand, and the servant girl handed two silver ingots to Steward w.a.n.g.

This was definitely a huge sum of money.

Steward w.a.n.g was elated and all smiles as he showered them with praises, "You are too kind and generous, Sir Huang. I shall thank that boy for you. How many blessings must that kid have had in his previous life to have the opportunity to cook this meal for you today? It"s his honor to cook for you, and he has even been rewarded by you. His ancestors are really looking out for him. "

Sir Huang felt that Steward w.a.n.g was too noisy and asked him to leave.

Steward w.a.n.g stuffed the silver ingots into his own clothes.

Jiang Weiguo was still standing at the door. It was like autumn now. He was wearing a single thin garment, he felt numb after standing in the river wind for half an hour. When he saw Steward w.a.n.g coming out, he went up to him.

"Your food is good. This is what Sir Huang has rewarded you." The steward threw him three copper coins.

Jiang Weiguo rushed to accept them.

After keeping the two silver ingots that were meant for Jiang Weiguo for himself, Steward w.a.n.g was in a good mood. He looked at Jiang Weiguo a lot more favorably now: "You can go to Auntie Li"s kitchen to eat as much gruel as you want. I"ll add another steamed bun for you, four in total. You can stay in the kitchen during the day. You don"t need to worry if you go back at night. I"ll help you if your items have been s.n.a.t.c.hed."

"Thank you, Steward w.a.n.g." Jian Weiguo thanked him profusely. To be honest, with his figure, the skinny and weak chickens in the cabin might not be able to s.n.a.t.c.h anything from him.

Seeing that he was witty and knew his place, Steward w.a.n.g nodded his head in satisfaction and left.

Jiang Weiguo walked quickly to the kitchen.