The Game Of Life

As one of the most famous schools in A City, more than 30 people could be seen working in the kitchen of Zephyr Primary School most of the time. But on the volunteer event day, only three people were working in it. Other than Jiang Feng, Wu Qimin, and Liu Qian, Ms. Chen barely provided any help. As for the other three teachers and dozen kids, they were just idling by the side.

The most tiring process of all was handling the ingredients.

They had to serve more than 100 students, 50 old people, a dozen teachers, and more than 30 university students. The troubling part was that each group had a different preference for their meals. The children all had foods they disliked, the old people preferred lighter foods, as for the teachers and university students, they should be able to eat anything as long as it was edible.

"I noticed that the old people didn"t drink the milk we gave them," Liu Qian said as she hummed a self-made tune while peeling potatoes.

"I think most of them are lactose intolerant," Wu Qimin said as she shredded the peeled potatoes. "I"ll soak some soybean and make Pork Rib and Soybean Soup later. I saw some fresh ribs in the refrigerator just now."

"I don"t like soybeans!" one of the kids that were watching the university students preparing meals protested. "I want Seaweed and Egg Soup!"

"Tomato and Egg Soup is better," a different kid challenged.

"No! Kelp and Pork Rib Soup is the best!" another kid shouted.

"… I want some Steamed Egg Custard…" one of the quieter kids said.

Soon, all the kids in the kitchen were arguing as to what was the best soup. Just as a thousand readers could come up with a thousand ways of understanding Hamlet, more than one hundred different types of soups were suggested by the children.

"Wh… what should we do?" Liu Qian asked.

"Let"s just make them all," Jiang Feng said, not paying any mind to it. "There are nine stoves here. We can use seven of them to stew soups and the other two to make the other dishes."

"So, we"ll have to at least make three variations of the Pork Rib Soup, the Crucian and Tofu Soup…" Wu Qimin began to list out the soups they have to make.

"Then… I want the Pork Rib and Chinese Yam Soup," Liu Qian said without even blinking twice.

"Also, the Meatball and Egg Soup, the White Pepper Soup, the Seaweed and Egg Soup, and lastly the Tomato and Egg Soup," Jiang Feng added as he recalled the White Pepper Soup he saw Jiang Weiguo make in his memory.

"Since the kids love sweet and sour things, we should make Sweet and Sour Pork with Pineapple Chunks and Yuxiang(1) Shredded Pork. I"ll also make some Poached Fish Slices with Chili Oil and Stir-fried Chicken with Green Peppers," Wu Qimin noted.

"As for the old people, they will need something lighter," Jiang Feng added. "We can make some Fried Shrimp with Scrambled Eggs, Stir-fried Seasonal Greens, Shredded Potato with Vinegar Sauce, and Stir-fried Shredded Pork Loin with Carrot and Napa Cabbage. I can also make them 60 Cornmeal Dumplings with Stuffed Vegetables too. You know, to remind them of their bittersweet past."

"Nine soups and nine dishes?" Ms. Chen voiced her concern. "Isn"t that a little too much? Can we even finish them in time?"

"No problem!" Jiang Feng and Wu Qimin replied in sync.

For Jiang Feng and Wu Qimin, the common trait they had in their cooking skills was their speed.

Stir-fried dishes were the main selling point of the Healthy Restaurant, which meant they had to serve their customers with foods as fast as they could. Jiang Feng had been helping out in the kitchen since he was still a kid and had mastered how to be efficient in a kitchen. Wu Qimin was not much different either. She has been helping out since she was a little girl. She would get a scolding from her grandfather and her father even when she was only one step slower than them.

"Ms. Chen, are there any fresh vegetables here?" Jiang Feng asked as he couldn"t find any fresh greens in the storeroom.

"Yes," Ms. Chen replied. "How about some sweet potato leaves? We always grow things that aren"t in season in the greenhouse."

(°Д°≡°Д°)

That was Jiang Feng"s facial expression when he heard Ms. Chen mention they were growing sweet potatoes on the campus during the cold December.

He began to wonder how much it would actually cost the Zephyr Primary School to host the event.

"Ms. Zhou, can you get some students to help bring us some sweet potato leaves?" Ms. Chen requested.

The two Ms. Zhous quickly took out a set of stickers and proved their worth as the management team.

"All right, students, gather up!" one of the Ms. Zhous called out. "We"ll be having another game. You"ll have to pluck some sweet potato leaves and clean them. Once they are cleaned, stick one sticker on the roots of each bundle. Whoever has the most stickers wins!"

Since the roots would be cut away anyway, sticking the sticker onto the root was fine.

Upon hearing that they would have a game, the kids got excited and followed their teachers out.

When they got back, the teachers instructed a few of the kids on how to clean the chives, kelp, and seaweed, while the other children were in charge of soaking the soybeans and beating eggs. The children and teachers helped make Jiang Feng and Wu Qimin"s job easier.

The most important part was that the kids were having fun as they competed with each other.

Wu Qimin was proficient in Sichuan Cuisine, while Jiang Feng was good at home dishes. Teaming up only made things go even faster. In just a few hours, aromas from different dishes surrounded the kitchen, with the aroma of Poached Fish Slices being the strongest. Wu Qimin did not hold back with the spices, to the point where she was seasoning the dishes with her intuition as a chef.

Technically, Wu Qimin would be the protagonist of a cooking drama. She was young, pretty, talented, and hard-working. She even came from a well-known family.

That was what Jiang Feng was thinking as he sighed, hoping that the game would get him a rich girlfriend.

Trays that were filled with food were already arranged on the serving deck that had boiling water underneath to warm the foods. The only dishes that weren"t done yet were the Poached Fish Slices with Chili Oil and the Cornmeal Dumpling with Stuffed Vegetables.

It was at that moment that a man in a business suit ran in.

"Ms. Chen! Ms. Chen! We have a problem!" the man shouted as he was stunned by the foods that were already on the deck. "Some of the parents are here because they were worried. We… we might have to serve them food too."

"Mr. Jiang, there"s no way we can do that," Ms. Chen frowned. "We"ve only made enough for everyone here. There are only 20 minutes left before lunchtime."

"I know, but Mr. Han of the school board is here too! We have to prepare something for them," Mr. Jiang replied as sweat made his bald head shine.

"… We"ll have to see if any restaurants around here can deliver us food," Ms. Chen sighed as she took her phone out. "How many of them are here?"

"60."

"60?" Jiang Feng raised his head, unable to believe the coincidence. "Ms. Chen, we can serve them the 60 Cornmeal Dumplings I made. I can also make 60 servings of Cuc.u.mber Salad in time. I believe the parents would also have to be reminded of their bittersweet past, right?"

Jiang Feng raised his cleaver as the light reflected off it.

It has been quite some time since I last crushed some cuc.u.mbers!

"But… Will that be filling enough?" Mr. Jiang asked since most of the parents that have come were fathers.

"Of course! I even went to the hospital for stomach pumping a few days ago just because I ate four of those," Liu Qian said.

Mr. Jiang turned to look at Liu Qian, thinking that he"d seen her somewhere before.

"Yes, I"m the one that got famous because of overeating," Liu Qian nodded.

"…" Jiang Feng turned to look at Liu Qian.

Why does it seem like you"re used to explaining that?

(1) Yuxiang (鱼香) is a well-known seasoning mixture that is thought to have originated from the Sichuan Cuisine. Even though it literally means "fish fragrance," the seasoning did not contain any seafood products.