Free Web NovelChapter 53: Chapter 53: Distinguished Guest from the Capital City
To prepare for the banquet, Su Chen started by simmering the stock he would need.
After equipping the achievement badge, he began to chop pork.
Pork is a key ingredient in many Hubei Cuisine dishes. It not only elevates the flavor profile but also adds a rich complexity to the texture.
He separated the pork shoulder where the fat and lean meat met.
He diced the fat into soybean-sized cubes and finely minced the lean meat. Su Chen prepared a large batch at once, as several dishes would require these ingredients.
Following the plan he had made in the Gourmet Practice Room, Su Chen methodically processed the various ingredients. He was thankful for the practice room’s existence.
Though only a day had passed, Su Chen appeared remarkably steady with every step. This was especially true of his knife work; while not flashy, each cut was fast, firm, and precise.
Not a single wasted motion, not a single shortfall.
...
「Xia Country, the Capital City.」
"Uncle Lu, I should have been the one to visit you tonight. I had no idea you were also in the Capital City. Please, have some tea."
At the Xia Country City Construction Group, Shang Mingke respectfully refilled the tea. He picked up a pack of premium cigarettes from the table, offered one to the man across from him, but didn’t take one for himself.
"You rascal. You’ve been back for years and haven’t even come home to visit. What’s the matter? Did you move to the big city and forget all about our little village?" the old man, dressed in a casual tracksuit, teased.
Despite his words, the old man’s face was beaming with unstoppable pride. "You’re our village’s first college graduate to become so successful. Now that you’re back in the country, you should try to visit more often."
"You’re right."
Shang Mingke’s deeply respectful attitude puzzled his assistant.
At forty, in the five years since joining the Xia City Construction Group, Shang Mingke had climbed all the way from the bottom to the position of General Manager.
’This was no small company; it was the leader in Xia Country’s construction sector, a state-owned enterprise!’
’Given Shang Mingke’s current position, even the top leaders of some small, third-tier cities would have to speak to him with utmost courtesy.’
’So, seeing his boss treat some old man from who-knows-where with such deference was rather confusing. Could he be some high-ranking official from the Imperial City?’
"I just came over yesterday to help cook a couple of dishes and was planning to head back today. But then I heard you were coming back too, so you can’t get out of it this time! Come back with me. I’ll do the cooking myself tonight, and the two of us can have a few drinks!"
Shang Mingke smiled and said, "Uncle Lu, I was planning to head back to E Province today. However, I have to make a trip to Jingzhou this afternoon. It’s an obligation arranged by the higher-ups; I can’t get out of it."
"Hah!" Lu Yongliang’s eyes widened. "You’re going to Jingzhou? I’m going with you! Who knows how many days you’ll be tied up this time."
After a pause, Lu Yongliang leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Don’t worry, no one knows you’re coming home this time. We won’t have any of those riff-raff bothering us while we drink."
Shang Mingke closed his eyes with a helpless smile. "With you around, what could I possibly worry about? The trip to Jingzhou will be quick. It’s just a formality, no real work involved. But what about you? You must have been exhausted yesterday, weren’t you?"
Lu Yongliang took a deep breath and leaned back on the sofa. "As long as these old bones can keep moving, I’ll stay busy. The National Guest House inviting us shows their respect for Hubei Cuisine. Even though we only made one dish, it’s still a sign of their esteem. If I don’t keep at it, Hubei Cuisine will be squeezed out of the picture by the others."
The assistant standing by showed no change in expression, but inwardly, his mind was reeling.
’The National Guest House?’ freeweɓnovel.cøm
’If he went there to cook, doesn’t that mean this old man is...’
GASP! ’President Shang is actually from the same hometown as someone like that?’
’His village must be truly blessed to produce such extraordinary people!’
Shang Mingke just smiled.
’It’s true,’ Shang Mingke thought. ’In today’s fast-paced world, hot pot and barbecue are all the rage. Shandong, Sichuan, Cantonese, and Xiang Cuisine are fiercely popular, while Hubei Cuisine has fallen a bit out of fashion.’
"In any case, I’ve been craving your cooking. During my first few years abroad, I could barely stomach the food there. Now that I’m finally back, there’s not a single decent Hubei Cuisine restaurant in the entire Capital City. Don’t you worry, I’ll make sure to come back tonight no matter what. You had a long day yesterday, so I’ll book you a first-class seat on a flight this afternoon so you can go home and rest."
Shang Mingke spoke to Lu Yongliang in the exact tone one would use to coax a child.
He remembered it clearly. When he was a child, Lu Yongliang was the head chef at the state-run restaurant in their county town, and every evening he would bring home tasty leftovers. Back then, all the neighbors were close.
Lu Yongliang would always share some of what he brought back with Shang Mingke’s family, and he did so for over a decade.
Back then, Lu Yongliang had even insisted on taking Shang Mingke as his apprentice.
Later, when the state-run restaurants were reformed and many private ones appeared, Lu Yongliang left his post. He started receiving invitations to culinary competitions abroad and contributed numerous Hubei Cuisine recipes to the national Culinary Association.
A few years ago, Lu Yongliang became a professor of hotel management at a university in E Province. While teaching and mentoring students, he did his best to pass on his craft.
In Shang Mingke’s eyes, Lu Yongliang was a figure as great as his own father.
"No way, no way!" Lu Yongliang shook his head like a child. "Absolutely not. You said the same thing last time."
Seeing the old man’s insistence, Shang Mingke pressed a hand to his forehead in resignation.
He knew the old man’s temperament. Once his mind was made up, ten bulls couldn’t drag him back.
He couldn’t skip the Jingzhou trip; it was an obligation to his superiors. Since that was the case, Shang Mingke stopped arguing.
"Xiaozhang, add a first-class ticket to our booking. Inform our contacts there that we only have half an hour. And book two tickets back to E Province for three o’clock this afternoon."
"Yes, President Shang."
Shang Mingke looked at the old man with a grin. "Uncle Lu, is that acceptable?"
"That’s more like it!" Lu Yongliang said triumphantly, looking exactly like a child whose scheme had succeeded.
"Shall we get ready to leave, then? We’ll skip lunch for now and just grab a bite on the plane this afternoon. Then tonight, I’ll have a proper drink with you!"
"You’re still such a thoughtful kid, haha!" Lu Yongliang looked at Shang Mingke with satisfaction.
’He’d always liked this kid, ever since he was little. He had a real flair for getting things done. If he hadn’t been the first kid from the village to get into college, Lu Yongliang would have made him inherit his legacy no matter what. Every time he thought about it, his heart ached!’
The City Construction Group’s company car took the two of them to the airport.
"Your line of work seems pretty tough. I see you’re flying all the time," Lu Yongliang commented idly in the car.
Shang Mingke shook his head. "If the boss of this company didn’t have some pull in the Capital City, we wouldn’t have to make this special trip to Jingzhou. When it comes to design, once you reach a certain level, they’re all more or less the same. It doesn’t really matter whose you choose."
"Oh? Now that you put it that way, I understand. It’s just like with my cooking. It doesn’t matter what kind of decorative flourish I carve; what matters is what flourish the distinguished guest wants to see, haha!"
The two chatted casually as they embarked on this ’not-so-important-but-had-to-go’ journey.
...
In Jingzhou, Ling Shuyu had already arrived at the airport an hour early.
As she waited outside the arrivals gate, she periodically picked up a water bottle and took a small sip.
This was the highest-status client she had ever been assigned to in her entire career, and it was also the most important design project the company had ever undertaken.
The contract was only for three million, but if they could land it, Xinghui would be able to establish a relationship with Xia City Construction. However, the executive she was meeting was rumored to be exceptionally demanding.
Ling Shuyu took out the proposal she had prepared and began reviewing it again. ’I absolutely cannot afford to make a single mistake!’
