Chapter 434: Useless? No, It’s Very Useful

Chapter 434 -224: Useless? No, It’s Very Useful

But if it were abroad, well, that would be a completely different matter!

As Su Chen came downstairs, he thought about the phone call he’d received last night. It was from the manager of his massive, nearly 5,000-acre ranch by Lake Baikal in Siberia.

The matter was quite simple: placer gold had been discovered in a river on the ranch’s property. It was suspected that there was a gold mine nearby, and the deposits could be substantial.

The manager only found out because some of his men, while searching for lost cattle and sheep, discovered someone secretly panning in the river. The person was immediately apprehended by a patrol team.

After getting the full story, the manager knew he couldn’t keep this under wraps and immediately made the call to Su Chen.

Siberia was a paradise for wildlife, especially around Lake Baikal. Plus, it was the perfect season for hunting. The thought of himself hunting brown bears, a loyal hound at his side and a sharp-eyed falcon on his arm, made Su Chen crack a smile.

Just then, Chen Fei and Jiang Hui, who were carrying in breakfast, heard Su Chen’s chuckle. They paused and exchanged a look. Chen Fei whispered, “Steward Jiang, what do you think the Sir is fantasizing about?”

“How should I know? His smile is a bit… odd. But I doubt it’s about a woman.”

Hearing this, Chen Fei nodded in firm agreement. He had a good read on what kind of person his boss was.

“What are you two whispering about by the door?” Su Chen’s voice suddenly cut in, making both of them jump.

Su Chen walked over to the sofa with a cat in his arms and sat down, shooting them a glare. He didn’t know what they were saying, but he could tell from their expressions that they had been discussing him.

“Ahem! Sir, we were just talking about Yuanbao—how he’s getting fatter and fatter. Right, Xiaofei?” True to the saying, wisdom comes with age; Jiang Hui’s mind worked at lightning speed.

“Yes, yes, that’s right! Steward Jiang and I were just talking about that!” Chen Fei nodded his head so fast it looked like he was pounding garlic.

Su Chen rolled his eyes at them. ‘Do they really take me for an idiot?’ He didn’t press the matter, though, since it wasn’t a big deal.

“What are you two still standing there for? Are you planning to starve me to death?”

The two gave an awkward laugh and hurriedly placed the breakfast trays they were holding onto the table in front of Su Chen.

“Hmm? The Imperial Capital’s signature fried sauce noodles. Did Aunt Tang make this from scratch?” Su Chen asked curiously, looking at the noodles, sauce, and ten-odd side dishes laid out on the table.

“Made from scratch, Sir. All the ingredients were bought fresh this morning,” Steward Jiang replied respectfully.

Su Chen gave a slight nod. “I appreciate the effort.”

Although fried sauce noodles looked simple, they were a hassle to prepare, especially from scratch. Just stir-frying the sauce required considerable effort, to say nothing of having to go out before dawn to buy the freshest ingredients.

As a seasoned gourmand, Su Chen naturally knew the proper ritual for eating traditional Imperial Capital fried sauce noodles.

First, he poured the oil from the sauce into the bowl of noodles and tossed them a bit, coating them until they were glossy and bright, before adding the sauce itself.

As for the side dishes, Su Chen only began to select them after the sauce was thoroughly mixed in. Although he was a foodie, there were still some things he didn’t like.

Cilantro and celery, for example. The mere smell was enough to make him feel sick.

He picked out a few side dishes he liked, mixed them in, and began to eat.

With the first bite, Su Chen’s eyes lit up. This authentic, old-school Imperial Capital fried sauce noodle dish was truly delicious.

Just as Su Chen was enthusiastically digging in, a musical ringtone sounded from upstairs. Su Chen’s hands froze, and upon seeing this, Chen Fei immediately ran upstairs.

“Sir! It’s a call from Elder Xiao!” Chen Fei said, holding the phone as he reached Su Chen’s side in a few quick strides.

Su Chen took the phone and pressed the answer key. Chen Fei and Steward Jiang, taking the hint, discreetly exited the room.

“Hoo… Elder Xiao, what’s up?” SLURP. He sucked a mouthful of noodles right into his mouth.

Hearing this on the other end of the line, Elder Xiao could practically feel a vein throbbing in his forehead.

“Come over after you finish eating. I have something to tell you!” With that, he hung up, not giving Su Chen a chance to say another word.

Su Chen stared at the disconnected call for a moment, stunned. He couldn’t help but mutter to himself, ‘Looks like there’s been a breakthrough on that matter.’

With that thought, he began to eat his noodles even faster!