Chapter 741 - 467: Invitation

Chapter 741: Chapter 467: Invitation

When he heard that his last disciple hadn’t come, the smile on Old Zhang’s face instantly vanished, replaced by sheer disappointment.

All the cheerful energy he’d had when he first appeared was gone.

"Old Zhang, what’s this about reindeer jerky? Let me have a taste." Old Li, holding his tray, craned his neck and stared eagerly toward the kitchen.

Old Zhang shot him an irritated glare. "What reindeer jerky? All I have is pork rind. Want a couple pounds of that? Just you wait!"

With that, he turned and stomped huffily into the kitchen.

Feng Shan couldn’t help but smile at the scene.

He then took his tray, found an empty table in the cafeteria, and started to eat.

He picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth, his eyes immediately lighting up.

He had to admit, Old Zhang truly lived up to his reputation as a former head chef from a state-owned restaurant.

This braised pork was absolutely incredible, perfect in color, aroma, and taste.

The fatty part was so tender it melted in his mouth, while the lean meat wasn’t the least bit tough. Soaked in a rich, savory-sweet sauce, it was perfectly balanced and full of flavor.

No wonder even a foreigner like Sam had gone so far as to learn the Henan dialect just for a taste of this braised pork.

"By the way, where are Elder Liu and Elder Zhao?"

Feng Shan asked Old Li in between bites of the delicious braised pork.

Two of the four old stalwarts of the Crown Territory had already appeared.

He couldn’t help but be curious about the two who hadn’t shown up yet.

Hearing the question about his old comrades, a touch of sadness appeared on Old Li’s face. He sighed softly and said,

"Those two old coots went back to China. Their kids are fighting over the family inheritance. *Sigh*... Even at our age, if you’re not meant to have peace, you won’t get it. What’s the point of having so many kids? In the end, they still cause trouble. We’re almost in the grave, and there’s still no peace."

Hearing it was a family matter,

Feng Shan didn’t feel it was right to ask for more details. He just nodded silently and focused on the food in front of him.

In the cafeteria,

aside from the occasional clatter of utensils and the low murmur of workers’ conversations, the air was filled with the aroma of food and a faint, smoky warmth.

CLANG!

A stainless steel bowl was dropped onto the table with a sharp sound.

The bowl held thin, dark-red slices of meat that gave off the faint, sweet scent of wine.

Old Zhang stood by the table and said irritably, "Here. Freshly made reindeer jerky. Eat it and get lost."

Old Li’s eyes lit up.

Ignoring Old Zhang’s arrogant attitude, he eagerly picked up a slice of jerky and began to chew it carefully.

A moment later, a look of dissatisfaction crossed his old face, and he complained to Old Zhang,

"You old coot, I’m the one who had someone take you to hunt this reindeer, and you fob me off with this little bit? Where’s the deer blood, the Deer Antler, the deer kidneys? Where did you hide them all?"

Old Zhang sneered, a look of utter disdain on his face. "Even if I prepared it for you, would you dare eat it?" he taunted. "With your rickety old body? Believe it or not, one of those foreign ladies would snap you in half. You dirty old man."

"Hah! Find me a foreign lady and I’ll show you who’s got a rickety old body."

Not to be outdone, Old Li retorted, his eyes wide with defiance.

The two of them, with a combined age of nearly 150, started bickering back and forth like children.

Their squabbling drew glances from the other workers eating nearby.

Many of them were trying to hide their smiles.

The once-quiet cafeteria became a little more lively because of it.

Listening to the two old men bickering endlessly like children, Feng Shan shook his head.

’There’s a saying, ’The older you get, the more like a child you become.’ It’s really true. Four old men with a combined age of nearly 300. They start bickering the moment they meet, and then miss each other as soon as they’re apart.’

"I’m done eating," Feng Shan said softly, putting down his tray and getting up to leave.

Seeing this, Nash quickly followed behind him.

As the two of them walked out of the cafeteria, they were hit by a bone-chilling wind mixed with pellets of snow.

He looked at the bustling, noisy construction site before him.

Feng Shan couldn’t help but start to miss the peaceful and serene atmosphere of the Crown Territory.

’By now, back in the Crown Territory, Jenny must have found out that I tricked the Prince and Princess into running away from home.’

Just thinking about it gave him a headache.

Just then, his phone started to ring.

He pulled it out and saw the name on the screen: Chief Welta.

Feng Shan quickly answered. Before he could even speak, he heard the Elder Chief’s familiar, urgent voice. "Feng, where are you right now?"

"I’m in Sagewang, checking on the road construction. What’s up?" Feng Shan shouted back, cupping his hand over the phone because of the loud noise from the construction site.

On the other end of the line, the Elder Chief’s tone was serious. "Get to the capital, Juno, as soon as you can. There’s a very important meeting you need to attend. Everyone is waiting for you."

Juno!

The capital of Alaska.

To be honest, Feng Shan had been in Alaska for nearly half a year, but he had never been to Juno.

However, the distance from Sagewang to Juno was over a thousand kilometers. If he were to just fly the Carnation straight there, including time for refueling, it would take at least ten hours.

The mere thought of sitting on a plane for that long was enough to give him a headache.

"Do I absolutely have to be there?" Feng Shan really didn’t want to go through the trouble. Flying for ten hours was enough to drive anyone crazy.

The Elder Chief’s heart skipped a beat on the other end of the line.

Everyone had been preparing for this meeting for a long time, pulling a lot of strings just to give Feng Shan a special surprise.

The stage was set; if the main character didn’t show up, it would all be for nothing.

Chief Welta quickly tried to persuade him. "Feng, this is a gift everyone has prepared for you. You have to come. Trust me. This meeting is very important for you. You’ll understand when you get here."