The Game of Life

Chapter 544: Chapter 542: Beyond the Syllabus Questions

Jiang Weiming brought a lot of luggage with him. Jiang Yong had bought him quite a few things while in Magic City, and the luggage that everyone was carrying was basically all his. Jiang Xiaoran brought only a set of clothes to change into and basic toiletries, even his socks—he brought just one pair. He had initially planned to stay in Beiping for only two days and leave on the second day.

The four of them, now empty-handed, headed towards the Li Mansion, with only Jiang Feng holding a bag with a thermos inside. He had looked inside the thermos; due to the lighting and the angle, the clear soup inside appeared as transparent and clear as water. The soup was cold and had little smell, so he could only vaguely sense that it seemed to be chicken soup, yet not quite the same.

On the way to the Li Mansion, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but ask Jiang Weiming one more time what the clear broth in the thermos was for. Jiang Weiming, still with a smile, said it was for a delicious dish and said nothing more.

As for Jiang Xiaoran, he knew even less. He didn’t even know when Jiang Weiming made the clear broth. To get leave for these two days, he’d been working overtime in the previous days, his hair visibly thinning.

In less than an hour, the four of them arrived at the Li Mansion.

The festive air of the New Year had yet to fade from the Li Mansion, with new couplets pasted at the door and the character for fortune upside down, making the red lanterns hanging above seem less out of place. Jiang Feng guessed that the red lanterns at the entrance must be Chen Suhua’s handiwork; at the New Year’s party, she had even asked Wang Xiulian where the red lanterns at Taifeng Building were purchased.

The door wasn’t locked, so Jiang Feng pushed it open and led the three others through the courtyard and into the living room.

The only ones in the living room were Jiang Zaidi and Jiang Shoucheng, making the most of their last day off by sprawling on the couch watching TV, joined by Da Hua lying lazily on the floor, looking quite a bit fatter.

The saying that one gains weight during festive times not only applies to people but to pigs as well.

Da Hua seemed chubbier compared to before the holiday, and the whole pig looked as if it had puffed up, its belly fat trembling while lying on the floor, reminding everyone of its previous robustness when it was called Erhua.

“Ah, Feng is here.” Chen Suhua came out with a kettle just in time to see Jiang Feng enter, and with a smile, she nodded at Jiang Weiming, “Granduncle Weiming, was the trip smooth?”

Although Jiang Weiming was quite a bit older than Chen Suhua, they were indeed of the same generation.

“Very smooth, Ran drove me here, and Feng and Wang came to the train station to pick us up,” replied Jiang Weiming.

“Hello, Mrs. Jiang,” greeted Jiang Xiaoran, who roughly guessed who Chen Suhua was and politely stepped forward to greet her.

“You must be Xiaoran. What a good child. Would you like some fruit? Do you want some tea or a beverage? We have milk in the rooms, juice, and I think even Coke. Mrs. Jiang will go get it for you,” said Chen Suhua, about to go into the room to bring out all the New Year’s leftovers for Jiang Xiaoran to choose from.

“No need, no need, just plain water for me,” Jiang Xiaoran said, a bit sheepishly.

Wang Hao, who had been standing behind Jiang Xiaoran and half-blocked from view, cautiously took a step forward and said, “Hello, Mrs. Li…”

Despite being there to freeload a meal, Wang Hao hadn’t started writing his graduation thesis and couldn’t help feeling guilty upon coming to Professor Li’s house.

Chen Suhua wasn’t very familiar with Wang Hao, but she recognized him, “Wang, right? Don’t just stand there; come, sit down, and I’ll pour you some water to drink.”

Jiang Zaidi and Jiang Shoucheng, who had been lounging on the couch, had already gotten up to make space for Jiang Weiming to sit as soon as he entered.

Jiang Weiming waved them off, taking the plastic bag with the thermos from Jiang Feng’s hands, “You guys catch up for a bit. I’ll go and prepare a nice dish for you.”

Saying this, he walked out of the living room toward the kitchen.

Jiang Zaidi and Jiang Shoucheng looked at Jiang Xiaoran, and Jiang Xiaoran also looked back at them.

Just by looking at their hair, Jiang Xiaoran felt an inexplicable kinship with these two cousins he had never met before.

With Zhang Guanghang’s words still on his mind, Jiang Feng left Wang Hao there to warm up the atmosphere and went to find Mrs. Wang Xiulian in the dining room.

As soon as Jiang Feng entered the dining room, he saw Wang Xiulian searching all over for a cloth.

“Mom, let me tell you, just now…”

“Son, have you seen the rag?” Wang Xiulian didn’t lift her head.

“Xiulian, stop looking. Mom found it,” called the voice of the eldest aunt from inside the room.

“Mom, what are you all doing?” Jiang Feng asked.

“We’re cleaning up,” Wang Xiulian finally looked up. “Did you pick up Granduncle Weiming?”

“I did, Granduncle Weiming has gone to the kitchen. By the way, where are my dad and the others? I didn’t see them in the living room just now,” Jiang Feng inquired.

“They’ve all gone to the kitchen to help out. Without you here, your grandfather can’t manage alone,” Wang Xiulian replied.

Jiang Feng was surprised; he hadn’t realized he was that important.

“What were you about to say just now?” Wang Xiulian asked.

Jiang Feng hastily relayed the news from Zhang Guanghang to Wang Xiulian without any change, except for a tiny bit of exaggeration.

Wang Xiulian fell silent.

Wang Xiulian lapsed into thought.

She was just an ordinary businesswoman who owed money, and this business dilemma was something beyond her expertise.

“Zhang’s dad’s apprentice, how good is his cooking?” Wang Xiulian asked the most crucial question.

“I’m not sure, but according to what Zhang Guanghang said, he should be pretty good, as well as versatile, knowing how to combine Chinese and Western styles,” Jiang Feng said.

Wang Xiulian stroked her chin, clearly also unsure of what to do.

An external monk can chant the scriptures well; Mrs. Wang Xiulian, having been a proprietor for so many years, understood this concept all too well.

Those who could only recite the Bible were difficult enough to deal with, let alone an opponent who could recite not just the Bible but also the Great Compassionate Mantra, and perhaps even the Heart Sutra.

“How about we ask your eldest aunt for advice?” Mrs. Wang Xiulian suggested.

Jiang Feng agreed.

10 minutes later, the eldest aunt fell into thought.

She was just an ordinary former proprietress whose main business was a tailor shop, not a restaurant; for her, this problem wasn’t just out of her field of knowledge, it was completely beyond her comprehension.

After a long deliberation, the eldest aunt suggested to Wang Xiulian, “I think we should discuss this with Grandma.”

10 minutes later, Mrs. Jiang fell into thought.

She was just an ordinary old lady who couldn’t recognize a few characters; she couldn’t even understand the question at hand.

While Jiang Feng and the three influential women of the Jiang family were deep in thought, Zhang Guanghang finally arrived, fashionably late.

His hair was a bit disheveled by the wind, which couldn’t hide his handsomeness. Dressed in a trench coat and leather boots, striding with enviable long legs, he appeared as a dazzling savior.

One minute later, the savior joined them in their contemplation.