The Game of Life

While smacking the cucumbers, Jiang Feng experienced an indescribable joy.

If he had to explain it, it might simply be about staying true to his original aspiration.

His first experience point was contributed by Chen Xiuxiu when she ate the smashed cucumbers, and many of the subsequent experience points came from her eating the same dish. Although it seemed like experience points weren’t useful at the moment, Jiang Feng was afraid of game updates when leveling up, and considered leveling up skills to be a waste of emotions.

Previously, on a whim, Jiang Feng tried adding two thousand experience points to his Fire Control to see if his cooking skills would make a qualitative leap. The game then prompted him that since Fire Control is a major skill, it requires time to convert proficiency; a hundred proficiency can be converted each day, and no additional proficiency would be gained during practice periods.

If business was good, Jiang Feng could easily earn more than a hundred points in Fire Control proficiency in a single day!

After being tricked by the game once, Jiang Feng no longer easily spent his experience points.

"You’ve added too much vinegar,” Wu Minqi kindly advised.

Jiang Feng quickly gathered his wits. He used to smash cucumbers for Chen Xiuxiu, and this time he had subconsciously prepared it according to her taste.

Speaking of Chen Xiuxiu, among those who had tried Jiang Feng’s cooking, only she remained true to her original appreciation.

Ever since Wang Hao and the others tasted Sir Jiang’s cooking, they complimented his own cooking profusely, but the minimal experience points they gave with each bite told Jiang Feng they were actually somewhat disdainful. Except for Liu Qian, the pure foodie, only Chen Xiuxiu could still gift two or three experience points per bite after mooching off his meals for over a month during the summer holiday.

"Ah,” Jiang Feng couldn’t help but sigh.

"Ding, the game has received player feedback and will soon undergo an update and maintenance.”

"Game update in progress, current progress: o%.”

Jiang Feng: ???

What feedback, what player feedback?

He’d cursed the damn game many times before without any response, so why did it suddenly start updating now, when he had only grumbled to himself a little?

The all too familiar o% update speed made Jiang Feng rather desperate.

Jiang Feng’s expression went through confusion, shock, anger, pain, desperation, and loss before settling into calm. Witnessing all this, Wu Minqi quietly stepped back and whispered,

“1 was just reminding you… wasn’t it a bit too much?”

"No, it’s just that something else crossed my mind.” Jiang Feng’s hand trembled, and he added too much vinegar again.

The decor of the Morning Wind Cafeteria was very simple and elegant, more like a coffee shop than a primary school cafeteria. Jiang Feng hadn’t noticed the full view at breakfast, but now he saw that the decor was even more exquisite and upscale than the Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant.

The tables were all set for four, covered with tablecloths, and the chairs had cushions. Each table was equipped with a little yellow trash bin. Even the walls were adorned with light green wallpaper, and the windowsills were decorated with hanging spider plants. There even was an aquarium with several fish of unidentifiable breeds swimming inside. The lid on top of the aquarium was sealed shut, obviously the school’s precaution to prevent the kids from sharing their lunches with the fish.

If there was anything unsatisfactory, it was that the tables and chairs were made to size for primary school students, leaving Jiang Feng with no place to put his legs when he sat down.

Liu Qian and Wu Minqi had no such trouble, as their one-meter-fifty southern standard height made it easy for them to fit in the seats.

Morning Wind Primary School operated on an a la carte system, and even had paid ordering, which made the UAL University students who scrambled daily for the cafeteria envious and tearfully happy. Meal serving was handled by dedicated cafeteria ladies, as they are more professional.

Jiang Feng chose crucian carp tofu soup, spicy chicken cubes, and fish-flavored shredded pork, while Wu Minqi chose hot and spicy soup, scrambled eggs with shrimp, and stir-fried vegetables; both of them unspokenly chose each other’s dishes.

As for Liu Qian, she surreptitiously saved plenty of food and happily enjoyed it in the kitchen.

Compared with the students’ rich menu, the parents’ pickled vegetables, steamed buns, and smashed cucumbers were quite a bittersweet reminder of the past.

Deputy Principal Huang even regretted sitting next to Director Han.

After all, Director Han’s identity this time was that of a parent.

The students of Morning Wind Primary School were either rich or noble. Though in recent years everyone advocated a healthier diet, reducing the amount of meat and fish on the table, a meal so elegantly sparse and almost oil-free was something the parents had not experienced for a long while.

Director Han was a middle-aged man in his fifties who started from scratch. He had endured many hardships when he was young, scarcely eating anything better than coarse grains and vegetable leaves. His only child, also the apple of his old age, was the little creature who had expressed a desire to eat steamed egg custard back in the kitchen. His visit to the school was to taste the meals personally prepared by his son.

The parents here, apart from the few who had time to pop over to check on things or who were genuinely worried about their kids, were mostly there hoping to taste the dish their kids were making for the first time, having been drafted to help in the kitchen.

They even started guessing what role their kids had played in preparing the cucumber and pickled vegetable dumplings.

Did they wash the cucumbers, or did they play with the flour?

Was it my kid who poured this vinegar?

Did my family member knead this dumpling?

Some parents with active imaginations had already begun to envision their kids with faces covered in flour while kneading the dough.

Consequently, even the oil-free, firm pickled vegetable dumplings in front of them started looking plump, cute, and shiny.

If these dumplings really were kneaded by my child, should I save them? A certain Li-surnamed parent was already considering which container to use for storing the dumplings but then quickly began complaining about the school.

Why not mark each dumpling, making it easier to identify who made them, preferably including the creator’s name? The same Li-surnamed parent didn’t want to keep a dumpling made by someone else’s child.

The Li-surnamed parent expressed some discontent.

"Principal Wang, the volunteers won’t just serve our kids this, right? My child has a weak stomach and can’t digest such indigestible food!” While the cafeteria ladies were still serving, the parents thought everyone was just going to eat that.

"Exactly, remembering hardship to appreciate the sweet isn’t supposed to work like this!”

"My child is already picky with food; how will he handle not eating for a whole day?”

"Remembering hardship can be on a spiritual level, wouldn’t you agree, Mr.

Han?”

"Principal Wang, say something, will you?”

What could Deputy Principal Wang say? He had rushed over after hearing that Director Han was there and knew nothing about the kitchen. He could only chuckle awkwardly,

“This, the specifics of this matter are Mr. Jiang’s responsibility, if the parents have any concerns, you can discuss with…” The fragrance of food interrupted Deputy Principal Wang’s speech.

The cafeteria ladies came out with the serving trolley, and as the parents were on the second floor, the rich aroma of the dishes wafted upwards with the breeze.

"Boiled fish…”

"Spicy chicken…”

"Pork rib soup…”

"That’s… hot and spicy soup…”

The parents guessed the dishes by their smell.

"I heard Mr. Jiang say these dumplings were originally intended for the kids to taste, to remember the bitterness and appreciate the sweetness, a really thoughtful idea! Sweet first, then bitter, it’s more impactful that way,” Director Han praised.

"As it should be, as it should be,” Deputy Principal Wang, who was oblivious, could only nod repeatedly.

"I heard that most of these dishes were prepared by two volunteer students from UAL University?” Director Han knew more than Deputy Principal Wang,

“It looks like we’ll have to give them our sincere thanks in a bit.”

Many parents nodded in agreement.

As Director Han spoke, he reached out and picked up a pickled vegetable dumpling.

He took a bite.

He was taken aback.

This flavor.

Unexpectedly good!