The Game of Life

Chapter 467: Chapter 465: Recent Developments of Sun Guanyun

Not being able to taste the melon that Dong Shi never mentioned, Jiang Feng felt extremely regretful during the entire evening’s business hours, but he believed there would be more opportunities in the future.

As the Dong brothers, Dong Shi and Dong Li, gradually integrated into the melon-eating culture of Taifeng Building and let down their guard to become harmonious colleagues, Jiang Feng believed that there would no longer be any gossip in Taifeng Building that they couldn’t get hold of.

Everyone in the North had grown tired of the usual melons, and the hottest topic of late was still the outstanding White Chef from Gusu, poached by Ling Guangzhao, a topic that had yet to be fully understood. Jiang Feng had met the man several times; he was just an unremarkable ordinary man without any distinguishing features, and he spoke with a gentle and delicate voice, carrying a bit of a Southern accent.

Extraordinary culinary skills must have a source, even if one hasn’t been lucky enough to be mentored by a famous chef. It might be like Zhou Shi, who had rotated among well-known restaurants to pick up skills. But this Master White Chef was different, as if he’d popped out from the cracks in a stone. Even Pei Shenghua had only found out that his family used to run a pastry shop in Gusu, not a famous one, just a simple shop like the baozi stands you find at the entrance of a neighborhood.

Jiang Feng almost wondered if Ling Guangzhao’s ancestors had appeared in his dreams, instructing him to find such a master in Gusu to help Eight-treasure House regain its glory. Thanks to this Master White Chef, the reputation of Eight-treasure House had greatly improved recently, and its business was booming day by day, seemingly on the verge of a rebirth.

It seems Taifeng Building might not be able to wait for Eight-treasure House to close down before poaching their head staffer after all.

At this thought, Jiang Feng let out a very regretful sigh.

The evening’s business had already ended, and everyone was briskly and energetically cleaning up the kitchen, preparing to gather their belongings and head home. It was rare for the entire kitchen staff to be so excited, so Jiang Feng’s sigh stood out strikingly.

“Fengfeng, what’s wrong?” Wu Minqi asked with concern.

Jiang Feng was someone who sighed often, and for a variety of reasons. Previously, when Wang Hao was writing a novel based on him, he would frequently sigh with pity over Wang Hao’s limited days before his impending “destruction” by others. Nowadays, most of his sighs were due to television plotlines that didn’t meet his expectations, and occasionally, he sighed with regret for not having managed to get his favorite dish for dinner.

Wu Minqi carefully reviewed the events of the day. “Taste” was published, making Taifeng Building the biggest winner. The recruitment had gone very well, having hired three skilled chefs who seemed easy to get along with. The staff meal that evening was made by Jiang Weisheng, so there was no need to fight over dishes.

“Fengfeng, did you forget to do something?” Wu Minqi asked.

“I’ve just realized we might not be able to poach the head staffer from Eight-treasure House,” Jiang Feng said with a look of regret.

Wu Minqi: …

?

So… did Ji Yue offend you today?

Jiang Feng sighed deeply again, only then belatedly realizing that Wu Minqi seemed to have spoken to him a moment ago. “Qiqi, what were you just saying to me?”

It was Wu Minqi’s turn to sigh deeply. Although she had gotten used to Jiang Feng’s delayed reactions when he was lost in thought or daydreaming, she felt that after getting married, especially after having children, she might find her husband’s premature aging behavior quite bothersome.

Wu Minqi had already started looking at bridal magazines recently.

“I thought you might have forgotten something, that’s why I asked if you forgot something again,” Wu Minqi explained.

With Wu Minqi’s reminder, Jiang Feng suddenly realized he had indeed forgotten something.

He had forgotten to call Sun Jikai and inquire about the price of dishes at Jubao Building.

“Qiqi, I just remembered my mom asked me to call Sun Jikai to find out their Jubao Building’s dish prices, and I forgot to call. Dong Li and the others are staying behind for a tasting soon, so I’m going to make a call outside. Can you keep an eye on things for me?” Jiang Feng glanced at his watch, thinking it was just past 10 p.m., and Sun Jikai shouldn’t be too busy to answer a call.

Wu Minqi nodded, “Should I ask Old Zhang to stay too?”

“Ask him if he wants to; if he’s willing, he can also help with the tasting. Remember to have Xiaxia stay too, let her try more dishes and get some exposure,” said Jiang Feng before darting off towards the changing room for his phone.

The changing room and bathroom have always been sacred places where gossip spreads. With customers still dining in the restaurant, Jiang Feng felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to make a call in the main hall. So, wrapped in his down jacket and holding his phone, he headed straight outside to the roadside to make the call.

The nights in Beiping City in January were colder than other places.

Jiang Feng, bundled up in his down jacket and holding his phone, hadn’t even opened the WeChat interface before the cold wind made him shiver. Observing that there were no customers in the neighboring 24-hour convenience store, Jiang Feng decided to make the call from the warmth of the convenience store.

The convenience store owner, as usual, was absorbed in watching dramas on his tablet, living the kind of carefree life many people could only dream of, without the slightest intention of contemplating his future. Seeing Jiang Feng entering, the store owner casually waved his hand in greeting, as it was a common occurrence.

“Oh, off work already?”

“Not yet, just borrowing your place to make a call,” Jiang Feng said, confidently walking over to a high stool and sitting down.

The store owner nodded and went back to his drama.

Jiang Feng dialed Sun Jikai’s WeChat call.

The WiFi connection was still from the convenience store.

The phone rang for a while, about 20 seconds before it was answered.

“Hello?” Sun Jikai’s voice sounded somewhat weary.

He had just come out of Sun Guanyun’s hospital room, and had answered far too many calls today—calls from classmates, friends, colleagues, his father, his mother—so numerous that he had thought about turning off his cell phone and pretending he didn’t exist. If the call wasn’t from Jiang Feng, Sun Jikai felt he might have impulsively hung up in irritation.

He had just seen Sun Guanyun’s test results.

The outlook was not promising.

“Well, although it’s been a long time since we’ve been in touch, I saw Grandpa Sun’s new dish featured in ‘Taste’ today, so I wanted to call and congratulate you,” Jiang Feng said, uttering words he found incredibly awkward himself.

Upon hearing Jiang Feng’s words, Sun Jikai couldn’t help but reveal a somewhat chuuni cold laugh. He had been receiving insincere phone calls all day, mostly starting with that same line. He hadn’t expected that even Jiang Feng couldn’t escape the cliche.

Ever since ‘Taste’ became an annual publication, the articles written by Xu Cheng himself had become extremely precious. Since winter began, Sun Guanyun’s health had been deteriorating. Winter was tough for the seriously ill elderly, and Sun Guanyun had been hospitalized since last week, unable to hold on any longer. Since then, probing inquiries, both overt and covert, had been ceaseless.

While Sun Jikai was worried about Guanyun’s illness and busy managing Jubao Building, he also had to guard against his second uncle’s recent aggressive moves and watch out for his own mother, who had been consistently pulling him back like a hindering teammate.

Now, even his treasured friendship seemed to be starting to deteriorate.

Overtaken by various annoyances, which triggered his chuuni demeanor, Sun Jikai said indifferently, “It’s okay, can’t compare to the publicity Taifeng Building gets.”

Jiang Feng was taken aback on the other end of the phone; Sun Jikai’s tone seemed to indicate he was not in a good mood. But since he had already made the call, no matter how foolish, the question had to be asked.

“Not bad, not bad. The publicity Taifeng Building gets is all thanks to the cooking competition. It’s no match for Grandpa Sun’s new dishes,” Jiang Feng said with a laugh, making polite conversation.

On the other end of the phone, Sun Jikai let out a cold laugh. Sure enough, after not seeing each other for a few months, Jiang Feng had become like those other competitors, starting to probe.

Tainted with the smell of money and the foul stench of cunning and deceit.

“Well… you know, our restaurant is new and we’re inexperienced, especially in setting menu prices. We’re not as savvy as Jubao Building. My mom wanted me to call and ask you, how does Jubao Building set its prices? Could you send something over for me to reference? We plan to raise our prices after the New Year, and we want to see how an established business like yours that has been featured in ‘Taste’ sets its prices.”

Sun Jikai: ???

For some reason, this abrupt change in the conversation and the nonsensical dialogue felt oddly endearing to him, causing even his voice to become friendly and gentle.

“That’s no problem. I’ll send it to you in a bit,” Sun Jikai said, feeling incredibly relaxed and happy.

“Thank you so much. You’ve really helped us out a great deal; you know we’ve always struggled with setting the right prices for our menu,” Jiang Feng said, genuinely from the bottom of his heart.

Sun Jikai thought, since the moment you priced Ji Xue’s stir-fried beef noodles 8 yuan higher than mine, I could tell you really weren’t good at pricing.

“It’s the least I can do. If you have any questions in this regard, don’t hesitate to call,” Sun Jikai said obligingly.

Jiang Feng felt that since Sun Jikai had been so polite, he should reciprocate. But not knowing what to say, he decided to express concern for the other party’s elder.

“Thank you for that. Oh, and with the cold weather, the elderly are prone to catching a chill. My Granduncle Weiming went to the hospital today because he caught a cold last night. I hope Grandpa Sun is doing alright?” Jiang Feng said and then immediately regretted it, realizing that the South was not like Beiping—Sun Jikai’s place was much warmer than Beiping.

Sun Jikai could tell Jiang Feng was only asking out of politeness. He just needed to respond formally that everything was fine, no major issues, and they could end the call.

But the words stopped at his lips.

All these days, he had been telling people related or unrelated that Sun Guanyun was fine and only hospitalized as a precaution against the changing weather since he was advanced in age.

After telling the lie a hundred times, he nearly believed it himself. If not for just having seen the medical results, he might truly think that Grandpa Sun would be out of the hospital in a couple of days after catching a cold.

But in reality, considering Sun Guanyun’s current health, it might be difficult for him to be discharged again.

He kept the truth from everyone, not daring to be honest with anyone, not even his own parents.

Yet, he desperately wanted to tell someone trustworthy the truth, to also remind himself that Sun Guanyun didn’t have much time left.

“Not very good,” Sun Jikai said.

“Huh?” Jiang Feng was stunned.

“My grandpa’s condition is quite bad. I just saw the hospital’s test results. It doesn’t look promising,” Sun Jikai said.

Jiang Feng didn’t know what to say for a moment, and after some thought, he replied, “Maybe it’s not as serious as you think. My second cousin studies medicine, and many conditions that seem severe to us are not a big deal to doctors. With Grandpa Sun’s strong spirit, I’m sure he won’t have any major problems.”

“I hope you’re right,” Sun Jikai said with a bitter smile.

Both fell silent for a while before Sun Jikai spoke up first, “I’ve got some things to take care of, so I’m going to hang up now.”

“Alright,” Jiang Feng replied.

Looking at the disconnected WeChat call, Jiang Feng remembered how Sun Guanyun had been coughing frequently the last time he saw him, and he suddenly felt uneasy.

Grandpa Sun might really not be in good shape.

Thinking this, Jiang Feng felt a tightness in his chest, recalling the period right after Li Mingyi’s death, and he felt a heavy sense of constriction.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death, the impermanence of life.

Inescapable, unavoidable.