Chapter 112 - 104: Someone Delivering Money to the Doorstep Again

Chapter 112: Chapter 104: Someone Delivering Money to the Doorstep Again

Sea Salted Egg wasn’t afraid of offending anyone. After all, he was just a minor streamer.

The worst that could happen was getting his stream suspended for a few days.

As a veteran appraiser who had been mixing in the antique and collectibles industry for years, he understood exactly how deep and murky these waters truly were. Even when he sold jewelry and accessories on his stream at two or three times the cost, his audience still felt his goods were a better deal than those sold by others.

What else could be said?

There were just too many scammers out there! So many, in fact, that they had completely ruined the industry’s reputation. It was just like the tourism industry in certain provinces—the moment people heard the name of the place, their first thought was that it was a tourist trap. Who could blame them?

Let them ruin it! Let them dig their own graves! They wouldn’t be satisfied until they had completely destroyed the industry.

Moreover, there was nothing wrong with critiquing someone’s calligraphy and painting skills. That was simply an exchange of professional opinions within the industry. He only dared to speak up because he actually understood the craft. But when it came to certain high-level scams—the "heavenly traps"—he truly didn’t dare utter a word.

Those were orchestrated by people with immense power and connections. Both the masterminds and their targets operated at a level completely out of reach for ordinary people. Whenever he stumbled upon something like that, he had to stay on high alert and carefully steer clear.

He wasn’t afraid of open competition, but he was terrified of being stabbed in the back. That was the most disgusting kind of tactic.

After ending the co-stream, Liu Deqiang didn’t immediately leave the channel. Instead, he comfortably settled in as a regular viewer. The content of the stream was actually quite interesting. Whenever fellow antique enthusiasts spotted a piece they liked and the price was right, they would trade and sell among themselves.

Just then, a business associate suddenly contacted him. "Brother Liu, did you really buy those two pieces of calligraphy and painting for thirty thousand yuan?"

Fatty Liu was immediately surprised. "President Long, are you interested in them?"

This President Long’s full name was Long Zhijie. He worked in the catering industry in the provincial capital. Originally a Jiangbei native, he ran a sizable business with several chain restaurants under his name. They specialized in local signature dishes, focusing on affordable, attractive, and authentic food, earning him both great business and a stellar reputation.

His partnership with Liu Deqiang stemmed from his demand for rural free-range chickens. As everyone knew, Lingnan people had exceptionally high standards for chicken. In the restaurant industry, ordinary-quality chicken rarely attracted gourmands or repeat customers, so one had to find ways to secure superior ingredients.

Although Fatty Liu primarily dealt in woodland forage-fed chickens, he also raised high-end grass-fed and grain-fed free-range chickens. After all, he wanted to capture as much of the market as possible.

Later, introduced by a mutual friend, the two established a business partnership. For businessmen like them, the saying "an extra friend means an extra path" was no joke. Long Zhijie also enjoyed collecting antiques, so they frequently exchanged insights and traded items in private.

Faced with Fatty Liu’s inquiry, Long Zhijie replied over the internet, "I’m definitely interested. However, a gentleman doesn’t take what others cherish. I heard you mention on the stream that you asked a friend to get them for you, Brother Liu. So, I wanted to ask if you could check with your friend for me, too? Just one piece of calligraphy and one painting would be perfect. To be completely honest, part of it is that I genuinely like the work, but I also think this artist has excellent skills and would make a good investment. If their fame skyrockets in the future, I’ll make a profit."

As expected of a businessman—he could even turn this into an investment opportunity. No wonder he made so much money.

"You’re quite frank, President Long," Fatty Liu replied without refusing. "Since you put it that way, I’ll definitely help you ask. What kind of subject matter are you looking for?"

Long Zhijie said, "If possible, I’d like him to write the phrase ’Customers come like clouds’ for my restaurant, and paint a flower-and-bird piece that I can hang at my home."

"No problem, wait for my news." Fatty Liu didn’t think this would be difficult.

Long Zhijie was instantly delighted. "Thanks a lot, Brother Liu! I’ll come find you for tea when I head back to Jiangbei in a while!"

"It’s a deal!"

After ending the conversation, Fatty Liu wasted no time and directly sent a message to Li Qiguang. He was much closer with Li Qiguang, and this gave him a perfect excuse to drop by and openly mooch some good tea.

Meanwhile, after finishing his culinary knowledge class, Chen Jingle prepared to make Sichuan boiled beef for lunch.

It was a classic Sichuan dish, specifically belonging to the Xiaohebang branch of Sichuan cuisine. Xiaohebang cuisine was typically characterized by its thick, heavy, and rich flavors, placing the utmost emphasis on precise seasoning. Aside from retaining the traditional Sichuan traits of "a hundred dishes, a hundred flavors, and diverse cooking techniques," it also boasted a bold, fragrant, spicy, and stimulating profile.

In short, it was numbing, spicy, and aromatic!

Chen Jingle didn’t usually dare to eat dishes like boiled beef—which perfectly embodied the numbing, spicy, tender, fresh, fragrant, and scalding hot qualities of Sichuan food—because he was afraid of getting excessive internal heat. The moment he finished eating, pimples would immediately pop up. That wasn’t a joke. The damp-heat and dry-heat body constitutions common in the Lingnan Region were just that exaggerated!

Fortunately, it was raining today. Rain meant damp cold, making it the perfect time to eat something spicy to dispel the chill and humidity.

Many restaurants could make this dish, from dingy hole-in-the-wall eateries to state guest houses, but making it well was no easy feat. For the beef in the boiled beef to be tender and smooth, the choice of ingredient was key. The most suitable cut was the chuck, specifically the meat on both sides of the cow’s neck, which was the most tender part. When ordinary restaurants didn’t have enough chuck, their minimum standard was the inner tenderloin.

Of course, cooking it at home didn’t require such strict standards; regular lean beef would do. Chen Jingle had bought some beef tenderloin that morning, which was absolutely perfect for making boiled beef now.

He first removed as much of the fascia as possible, as it would affect the texture. Boiled beef required tenderness and smoothness. Fascia had to be chewed and wasn’t suitable for boiling; it was better suited for yesterday’s slow-simmered beef. He sliced the beef, making the pieces as thin as possible to ensure they would be tender.

Marinating the meat later would be simple. He would crack an egg, add a pinch of baking soda, followed by salt, soy sauce, yellow wine, pepper powder, and starch slurry—just making sure it wasn’t too watery. Finally, he would seal it with a layer of oil and set it aside.

Naturally, boiled beef couldn’t go without Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies. These were common household spices, so he had plenty. He first fried them in hot oil until they were fragrant and slightly charred, then minced them into a fine chili and peppercorn blend. Considering that Chen Qiyun might not be able to handle too much spice, Chen Jingle used a smaller amount—just enough to give it some flavor.

The key was the broad bean paste, along with scallions, ginger, and garlic. They needed to be stir-fried until the oils separated and became fragrant, before adding broth or boiling water. This would result in a complex, deeply flavored soup base.

As for the side vegetables, it depended entirely on personal preference. Chen Jingle preferred adding potato slices, bean sprouts, and lettuce. He blanched them briefly in the boiling soup until they were half-cooked, then scooped them out to line the bottom of the serving bowl.

Next, he dropped the marinated beef into the pot, cooking it until it was about seventy to eighty percent done, poured it over the vegetables, and sprinkled the minced chili and peppercorn blend on top.

Finally, he drizzled sizzling hot oil over everything. Instantly, a mouthwatering aroma wafted through the air! This fragrant, spicy scent was incredibly appetizing! It was no wonder that Sichuan restaurants were the most numerous across the country. As one of the Eight Great Culinary Traditions, it truly had its own unique charm.

Nowadays, Chen Qiyun didn’t go straight home after school; instead, she ran directly to Chen Jingle’s house. Before she even stepped through the door, she caught the scent of the boiled beef. She gulped wildly, furrowed her brows, and then gulped again.

"Chili?"

Chen Jingle smiled faintly. "Yeah, it’s slightly spicy. Is that okay?"

"Of course! I have a very high spice tolerance!" Chen Qiyun tilted her chin up high, looking incredibly proud. She could eat a whole bag of Weilong spicy strips in one sitting, and she was never afraid to add the entire seasoning packet to her spicy beef instant noodles.

Chen Jingle simply replied with an "Oh," and announced that it was time to eat.

And then... he witnessed exactly what it meant to be terrible at something but insist on playing anyway.

Chen Qiyun clearly couldn’t handle spice, yet she ate with immense enthusiasm. Even though she purposely picked out the slices of meat without chili flakes on them, she started panting and drawing in sharp breaths, going HISS, HAAH after just two bites. She looked like she didn’t dare to make eye contact with Chen Jingle, yet kept stealing glances at him.

Of course, Chen Jingle wasn’t faring much better. After swallowing just a few slices of meat, fine beads of sweat immediately broke out on his forehead and the tip of his nose, though he remained relatively calm. He felt his spice tolerance was still somewhat decent.

"Oh, I just remembered. There are two bottles of milk in the fridge." Chen Jingle blinked.

Chen Qiyun darted over with a WHOOSH. "I’ll get them! I’ll get them!"

After gulping down some milk, she felt the burning sensation subside significantly. Without hesitation, she went back to eating.

Setting the spiciness aside, boiled beef was indeed a dish that paired perfectly with rice. Given Chen Jingle’s skill level, he had managed to make the meat slices tender, smooth, and full of fresh, aromatic, numbing, and spicy flavors, all while serving it piping hot. Coated in oil and rich broth, every bite of the meat was incredibly succulent!

Chen Qiyun enjoyed the meal so much that she wolfed down three whole bowls of rice. The last time she had eaten this comfortably was yesterday.

Of course, the price was that after she finished, her face and lips were flushed a deep red, making it obvious that the spice had taken its toll on her. She felt like even her breaths smelled of chili, and finishing an entire bottle of milk wasn’t enough to mask it.

Chen Jingle clicked his tongue, TSK TSK, and shook his head. He had purposely reduced the amount of Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies—using only a tiny pinch just to give it a hint of spicy aroma. Chen Qiyun really was weak!

At that thought, he smiled and tossed the tissue he used to wipe his runny nose into the trash can. "Do you dare eat this again next time?"

"Of course!" Chen Qiyun was incredibly stubborn. After a brief pause, she added, "You could use less chili in the summer, otherwise it’s too easy to sweat. It won’t matter in the winter, though."

"Alright, I’ll use less next time," Chen Jingle agreed. "But let’s hold off on eating this for dinner tonight. Eating too much spice can easily cause internal heat. We’ll have something light for dinner."

"Mhm!" Chen Qiyun nodded hastily. She genuinely believed it wasn’t that she couldn’t handle the spice; she was just afraid of getting internal heat, bad breath, and pimples.

Chen Jingle pulled out his phone and noticed a new message on WeChat. "Li Beixing? What does she want this time?"

When Li Beixing received the message from her dad, she was somewhat surprised. She wondered why Uncle Liu wanted to buy more calligraphy and paintings from her friend.

Li Qiguang replied, "Yes, he said he’s buying them on behalf of a friend. After seeing the works he showed off, the friend really liked them and is highly optimistic about your friend’s future development. He wants to collect two pieces early on as an investment."

An investment, huh... Li Beixing didn’t quite understand how these people’s minds worked. However, since they were essentially here to hand Chen Jingle money, she figured he wouldn’t refuse. She just wondered if he would be too busy to handle it. After all, artistic creators relied heavily on inspiration. Without it, it was like a clever housewife trying to cook a meal without rice.

Li Beixing replied to her dad, "I’ll ask him first. Once I have an answer, I’ll let Uncle Liu know."

"Alright," Li Qiguang responded, showing he understood.

This kind of thing usually wasn’t difficult; it was just a matter of time, provided it wasn’t urgent. Then again, "slow work yields fine products" was a consensus in the art world. If a piece was created too quickly, people might suspect it was rushed and sloppy.

There was a massive difference between a meticulously crafted masterpiece and a mass-produced, assembly-line product. Everyone hoped they were buying the former.