The Game of Life

Chapter 605: 603 Chapter Help

“`

“Thank you, I’ll contact you if I need to,” Sun Jikai said after a moment’s pause, nodded towards Sun Maochai, and hurried off.

It was somewhat of a hasty retreat.

With some time left before the funeral began, the seated guests were mostly chatting with people they knew. Though Jiang Feng was sitting in a corner, there were people around him, and all he had to do was perk up his ears to catch plenty of gossip.

Such as Sun Jikai’s mother and his uncle tearing into each other, Sun Jikai’s parents doing the same, and the squabbles between Sun Jikai’s father and his uncle.

Of course, the discussions of others were a mix of truth and falsehood, and Jiang Feng listened without taking them seriously. But even watered-down gossip was quite entertaining to eavesdrop on.

Just as Jiang Feng was getting into the swing of gossip, Sun Maochai, who had been looking down at his phone with squinted eyes, finally spoke up.

“Jiang, don’t you think that Sun Jikai’s personality is much better compared to his grandfather?” Sun Maochai said.

The old man was originally not fond of gossip, but with nothing else to do, he replied, “It’s not just a little better, Master Sun Guanyun was asking for a beating at his age.”

“Young people, you know, they have some youthful vigor, being a bit hot-headed and quick-tempered is normal,” Sun Maochai said.

“You never were,” the old man replied. “I remember you always had a good temper, never fought back when hit, never retorted when cursed, and never clashed with anyone.”

Sun Maochai smiled, “Aren’t you the same? Although with a bad temper, you were always composed.”

“I was in my 30s by then, with two sons already. How old were you? Not even 10.”

“I’m different,” Sun Maochai said. “I was picked up by our master, without parents, naturally not the same as you elder disciples.”

“Jiang, do you know what impressed me the most about you?”

The old man looked at Sun Maochai.

“You beat up Zhang Kun (Master Sun Guanyun’s elder disciple) nine times in a mask, making him think that Sun hired thugs to get back at him and to beat him to death. He was so scared that he sold his assets and moved his family up north,” Sun Maochai said with a laugh.

The old man coughed twice, “Who said it was me? The police never found the assailant back then, right? Maybe somebody couldn’t stand the bad things he did and took matters into their own hands.”

Jiang Feng: …

That’s the old man for you.

Sun Maochai laughed without saying a word.

Finding himself at a loss in the midst of Sun Maochai’s public revelation, Jiang Weiguo quickly changed the subject, “Do you really want to move back from Hong Kong City?”

“I should’ve moved back a long time ago.”

The two then made idle small talk with the kind of non-nutritious pleasantries that relatives exchange during the holidays, such as: Are you married yet? How old are the kids now? Which school are they attending? The kind of inevitable questions relatives ask until the funeral began.

Even though the Sun Family’s internal strife was intense, the funeral of Sun Guanyun was still held with considerable dignity. The process, although cumbersome, was sufficiently solemn and did not betray any signs of being rushed.

By the time all the ceremonies were over, it was nearly dinner time.

Sun Jikai’s uncle had specially arranged for vehicles to take guests to Jubao Building, and some declined the dinner invitation and left on their own.

Jiang Feng didn’t feel much returning to Jubao Building for the second time; he just felt that the lights were brighter than the previous night. Perhaps because the owners were all present, this time the waiters were much more enthusiastic and had great attitudes.

It is worth mentioning that the young waitress from last night seemed to remember Jiang Feng and the three people with Sun Maochai. She appeared slightly startled when she saw the four of them entering together.

There were quite a few people dining, and Jiang Feng guessed that aside from those who came for the funeral, there were also staff who organized the funeral and other employees of the Sun Family. Jiang Feng counted a total of 12 tables, but none were fully seated; their table only had the four of them, making it the least occupied.

Having a table full of dishes to themselves seemed particularly extravagant and also highlighted their particularly poor social connections.

From the moment they were seated, Sun Maochai occasionally glanced in the direction where the kitchen door was.

“What’s up?” the old man noticed Sun Maochai’s unusual behavior and asked.

After the uneventful chatter, the old man and Sun Maochai had grown slightly closer, feeling a bit like long-lost acquaintances reuniting.

“Nothing much, I just remembered the kitchen door wasn’t originally here,” Sun Maochai explained.

Glancing at the kitchen door, the old man had no recollection, “Maybe, you remember things from so many years ago.”

“`

Sun Maochai chuckled, “Maybe it’s because I have a good memory.”

Wu Minqi had been practically invisible since the funeral began, staying silent from start to finish. It was mainly because she really had nothing to say, being there only on behalf of her grandfather, and it didn’t seem appropriate to make small talk with Jiang Feng in such a solemn setting.

Moreover, not knowing many others there, she simply chose to remain mute, even at the dining table where she just played with her phone, casually listening in on gossip.

Jiang Feng was doing the same, absorbed in his phone, so focused that when Sun Jikai came up to call him, he nearly threw the phone in fright.

“What’s up?” Jiang Feng gripped his phone tightly and asked.

“I need a favor from you,” whispered Sun Jikai.

“Ding, a side quest option has been discovered,” the system notification sounded right on cue.

Jiang Feng: !@@novelbin@@

“Okay, I’ll help you!” Jiang Feng agreed on the spot.

Sun Jikai: ?

Had their relationship reached a point where Jiang Feng would agree to help without even asking what it was?

“Follow me to the kitchen,” Sun Jikai led Jiang Feng towards the kitchen.

“Don’t I need to change clothes?” Jiang Feng asked as they walked.

“Not now,” said Sun Jikai.

Pushing the door open.

The kitchen was a world away from the main hall, a fact discernible just from the temperature. As a cook, Jiang Feng naturally felt more at home and adept in the kitchen, despite the chaos and heat, for it was his battlefield.

Only this time, he was stepping into someone else’s battlefield.

There were still many staff in the kitchen of Jubao Building, each busy with their tasks, in an orderly fashion. Everyone was bustling with energy, and nothing in their current diligent work hinted at the awful dishes that had somehow come from their hands the day before.

“Young boss,” kitchen staff greeted Sun Jikai, and Jiang Feng almost thought they were calling out to him.

“Master Wei, how’s the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon coming along?” Sun Jikai inquired.

“Almost ready, in a few minutes it will be time to thicken the sauce. It’s just that, tonight’s guest count differs from the number Sun Sir told us before, so we ended up preparing quite a few extra,” Master Wei replied.

Sun Jikai nodded, “Don’t worry about the extras, if any customers want a second serving, we can serve it then. Leave the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon to me, I’ll handle the sauce thickening.”

With Sun Jikai saying so, Master Wei had nothing to object to. He glanced at Jiang Feng, obviously curious about this unexpected guest, but since Sun Jikai had brought him in, Master Wei didn’t ask.

Once Master Wei was a bit distant, busy with other tasks, Jiang Feng whispered, “Are you wanting me to help you with the sauce thickening for the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon?”

Sun Jikai nodded.

“A lot of old patrons of Jubao Building are here today, many of whom hadn’t frequented Jubao Building for a while. Today is an opportunity,” Sun Jikai explained.

Jiang Feng understood Sun Jikai’s intentions; for the regular customers of Jubao Building, the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was likely the dish that could evoke their fond memories of the place.

Successfully pulling this off would mean Sun Jikai could properly reform Jubao Building in the following times, and the business should pick up soon.

“I see, leave the sauce to me, no problem at all,” Jiang Feng said confidently.

When it came to thickening the sauce for the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon, he was a skilled hand.

“By the way, where’s the bathroom?”

With a few minutes to go before the Eight Treasures Chestnut Fragrant Pigeon was ready, it was the perfect time to take a quick bathroom break to check out the side quest.

Sun Jikai: ?

“Second floor, opposite direction to Taifeng Building, you turn right then left then… never mind, I’ll take you. We’re not serving any other customers tonight, so there probably aren’t many attendants on the second floor.”