Chapter 883: Extra Story 4: Sun Family Father and Son Chapter (2) Chapter 883: Extra Story 4: Sun Family Father and Son Chapter (2) Learning Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall is a very lengthy process, even for learners with a sound foundation, exceptional culinary skills, and a stable status in the world of chefs, it’s not an easy feat.

Even Jiang Feng, who could conjure up all sorts of refined stocks with divine skillfulness, had to be scolded by Sir three times a day, as punctual as meals. Speaking of which, Sun Jikai, whose culinary skills were far behind Jiang Feng’s and who hadn’t even mastered the stocks, doesn’t even need mentioning.

While Jiang Feng was scolded three times a day, without fail, Sun Jikai had a baseline of three times daily, with extra lessons in between, including snacks, light bites, afternoon tea, and late-night munchies, a myriad of methods and a variety of means.

When it came to scolding, Sir was a professional.

Ever since Jiang Feng had made leaps and bounds in his culinary skills through the game, Sir had seldom had the chance to scream at someone in the kitchen. This time, teaching Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall had made him feel decades younger, rediscovering the joy of teaching and disciplining his sons and grandsons as he had in the past.

Of course, Sir never laid hands on anyone.

Jiang Feng only needed scolding, Sun Jikai needed a beating, but Sun Jikai wasn’t his grandson, and it didn’t seem right to hit him.

Every time he thought about this, Sir couldn’t help but sigh.

Oh, if only Sun Jikai were his grandson.

He would have certainly progressed faster with a couple of beatings, but now they were all so grown up, not children, nor even teenagers anymore, they were all adults, indeed not right to hit.

Since he couldn’t beat, he could only scold, and in the midst of Sir’s daily creative scolding sessions, Sun Jikai made visible progress.

In the initial month, Sun Jikai nearly turned into an introverted child from all the scolding.

Although Sun Guanyun was strict, it was only towards other disciples. For his favored eldest grandson, Sun Guanyun had been gentle since he was a child. Even when Sun Jikai was lazy in his culinary practice as a child, he only scolded him lightly and rarely used his hands.

The worst scolding was when Sun Jikai decided to give up culinary studies to study business at Wharton; Sun Guanyun not only scolded him but also slapped him twice, and that was the only time.

If Sun Guanyun was so, others’ attitudes towards Sun Jikai were even more lenient. Even now, Sun Maochai rarely scolded Sun Jikai, mostly giving encouragement, all being generous elders.

Until Sun Jikai met Sir.

The country’s flower, which had grown up in a greenhouse, suddenly encountered a storm, thunder, and lightning, and was immediately struck beyond recognition, covered in dust and dirt, from petals to stem.

After enduring a tough first month, Sun Jikai gradually adapted to Sir’s teaching style. His gaze and attitude towards Jiang Feng had entirely changed from before, developing a sense of comradeship akin to brothers in adversity who found solace in each other.

To this, Jiang Feng said, “Thirty years in Hedong, thirty years in Hexi, my grandpa doesn’t scold me that much anymore, OK?”

As for Sun Jikai’s increasing engagement, joy, and pleasure in learning, Jiang Feng couldn’t comprehend; maybe Sun Jikai was just a bit of a masochist.

.

August 18th is a significant day in the culinary world.

It’s not some day with a traditional significance; it’s a newly important day because it’s the day of this year’s Beiping Culinary Symposium.

Culinary symposiums vary greatly in scale. Some are held with grandeur, while others are just an excuse for a few old friends to gather for their amusement in a small circle. Terms like “exchange” and “learning” get thrown around, but it all depends on who the organizer is and who the participants are.

This time, the organizer of the culinary symposium is Ling Guangzhao.

Ling Guangzhao might not have the best reputation in the culinary circle, with mixed reviews; many veteran master chefs shake their heads at the mention of his name, fearing that Eight-treasure House would eventually be ruined in his hands.

However, Ling Guangzhao got lucky and, playing the role of a talent scout, brought in Zheng Siyuan. Zheng was stubbornly loyal to Eight-treasure House, ready to work to exhaustion and stay devoted until death. Later, to resolve a dispute in the Good Taste Sino-American Chef Showdown, he humbly made amends with Tong Deyan. No one knows how exactly they reconciled, but the fact remains that to this day, Tong Deyan is still with Eight-treasure House, and his own private restaurant has closed its doors.

Though Ling Guangzhao had a tarnished reputation, he had extensive connections. This year, Eight-treasure House got lucky again and was awarded a Michelin star. All the restaurants in Beiping that were evaluated in the same batch honored him by sending their head chefs to the symposium. Taifeng Building went even further by directly sending Jiang Feng and Sun Maochai, two titans of the culinary world, to support the event.

Ranked as the sixth and ninth among prestigious chefs respectively, Ling Guangzhao, as a shrewd businessman, would, of course, seize this opportunity for extensive promotion. Quickly, this private symposium bearing the name of the Beiping Culinary Symposium became a national event of massive scale. Chefs from well-known restaurants nationwide sought to participate and learn something new. Owners from related industries such as hospitality and food sectors also flocked to join the buzz.

What the symposium would ultimately turn into was anybody’s guess, but one thing was certain: Ling Guangzhao was bound to make a killing.

Those who went to the symposium from Taifeng Building were not just limited to Jiang Feng and Sun Maochai; Sun Jikai and Sun Changping also went.

Sun Changping’s attendance was due to his extensive experience with culinary symposiums. Back when he was the manager at Jubao Building, whenever Sun Guanyun attended a symposium, he always took Sun Changping with him. Symposiums were excellent networking opportunities, and as a key figure in Eight-treasure House’s service industry, Sun Changping naturally needed to go.

As for Sun Jikai’s participation, it was solely because if Jiang Feng left for the symposium, Sun Jikai would be left alone in the kitchen to face Sir’s wrath. Jiang Feng, unable to bear this thought, decided to bring old Sun along to make their escape.

For a culinary symposium, formal attire was required.

Ling Guangzhao loved organizing flamboyant and extravagant events; he booked a very large venue where no cooking took place and only discussions were held. He even invited Pei Shenghua to give a featured lecture, and it was rumored that Zheng Siyuan would also speak for half an hour.

Initially, Ling Guangzhao wanted to invite Jiang Feng to give a special lecture, but Jiang Feng declined. Public speaking wasn’t his forte; chefs like him demonstrated their prowess through their skills, not their words. Moreover, the red envelopes he had snapped up in WeChat groups from Ling Guangzhao were of no consequence compared to the support he was to provide at Ling’s event–a lecture would hardly suffice.

What Jiang Feng didn’t expect was that Chef Arno would also attend.

Theoretically, spotting someone in a symposium hall crowded with hundreds of people should be very challenging, yet Chef Arno was an exception.

He was taller, stronger, more bearded, and more ferocious-looking than others. Most importantly, he was known to have a foul temper which kept people at bay, creating a vacuum around him.

“Why is Chef Arno here?” Jiang Feng wondered in surprise.

Sun Jikai was also somewhat surprised but did not show it, instead giving Jiang Feng a look: “Symposiums always have a list of attendees and their affiliated establishments. It’s impossible that Ling Guangzhao didn’t provide you with one. Didn’t you check?”

Jiang Feng appeared clueless: “There’s such a thing? Is it that strict?”

Sun Jikai: …
He forgot that this was Jiang Feng’s first symposium.

To prevent their leader from looking like a student who was in over his head on his first exam day, Sun Jikai had no choice but to give him a crash course: “Of course, there’s a list. Regardless of size, symposiums require an invitation for entry.”

“This symposium could be considered the largest and most influential one in recent years. Not just restaurants from Beiping and nearby provinces, but also those from the south, the central regions, and even star-rated establishments from Hong Kong City have sent chefs. With such a scale, the guest list undergoes thorough vetting; there’s definitely a list.”

Jiang Feng realized that he had oversimplified the seminar in his mind, mainly because he had never attended one. He thought that the large turnout today was simply because anyone interested could attend.

“Isn’t this a bit too exaggerated? It’s just a seminar, not some sort of culinary exhibition or competition.”

“A typical seminar definitely wouldn’t be this large–having seventy to eighty people would already be considered a lot.” Sun Jikai scanned the crowd of attendees and said, “The reason this seminar is so big is entirely because both you and Master Sun are here. One from the sixth rank and another from the ninth on the famous chefs’ list, you two are the only active domestic chefs who have made it into the top ten since the list was created.”

There was another thing Sun Jikai didn’t mention: Jiang Feng had previously defeated Chef Arno, and even though Arno had conceded voluntarily, in many people’s hearts Jiang Feng was already the uncrowned king.

“If everyone is here for Master Sun and me, then why is everyone only talking to Master Sun and no one is looking for me?” Jiang Feng looked from afar at Sun Maochai, who was surrounded by a group of people.

Sun Jikai: …

“Isn’t it because we’ve been acting like thieves since we came in, running off to hide in a corner? You should try walking over to the crowd; just let someone recognize you and see if you can still make it out.”

Jiang Feng chuckled awkwardly: “No, thanks.”

He was not as adept as Sun Maochai; he didn’t have many friends in the culinary circle except for Ling Guangzhao, whom he had a relatively good relationship with.

Ah, it was his own choice to be low-profile.

Jiang Feng and Sun Jikai continued to shrink back in their corner like turtles, silently enjoying the spectacle and not saying a word.

A culinary seminar was actually also a gossip exchange meeting, where friends from all over gathered to share stories. Lately, which restaurant had the latest gossip; family conflicts; mentor and apprentice disagreements; ruthless poaching that led to two restaurants tearing each other apart; mutual sabotage; all listened with rapt attention, internally exclaiming at the excitement.

This made Jiang Feng feel ashamed. He considered himself the successor to the gossip king Pei Shenghua, yet seldom got firsthand scoops and had to content himself with secondhand, watered-down gossip.

With nothing better to do, Jiang Feng sent a WeChat message to Ling Guangzhao asking for the list of seminar participants to see if there was anyone he knew, so he could contact them and exchange pleasantries.

Jiang Feng mainly wanted to find the masters from Taste House to chat and ask about Xiaxia’s recent situation.

Although he video-called Xiaxia every day, it was important to understand the situation from various aspects and not just take Xiaxia’s word for it. What if his poor apprentice was suffering in silence, enduring hardship, and forcing a smile?

The thought made Jiang Feng’s heart clench.

His poor eldest apprentice.

Ling Guangzhao was actually mingling in the crowd, being the busiest as the organizer of the seminar. Still, he promptly sent the list to Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng forwarded the list to Sun Jikai, suggesting he check for any acquaintances he could chat with.

To their surprise, the list was quite extensive, with people from all sorts of professions.

Magazine editors, journalists, people from the wine industry, representatives from major restaurants, both professional chefs and businessmen, Jiang Feng quickly perused the list. Before he saw anyone from Taste House, a name made his heart skip a beat.

Eight-treasure House.

Sun Channing.

Jiang Feng instinctively looked at Sun Jikai and breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing he wasn’t looking at the list on his phone. But before he could exhale completely, he choked.

Because he caught sight of Sun Channing.

Sun Channing had also spotted them, or to be precise, he had spotted Sun Jikai.

He was walking toward Sun Jikai.

It was over.

That was Jiang Feng’s first reaction.

This was the end.

Should he call the police?

Calling the police seemed too slow, what about calling security?

Calling security seemed a bit exaggerated, and it would be bad to cause a commotion, maybe he should just pull Sun Jikai away.

No, that’s not right, Sun Jikai and Sun Channing had already seen each other and it was too late to pull anyone away. What to do? What to do? If they started fighting, should he break it up? Could he even hold them back?

As Jiang Feng’s thoughts were in turmoil, Sun Channing had already approached Sun Jikai.

“Jikai.”

Jiang Feng was already prepared to break up a fight.

But Sun Jikai’s reaction was unexpected.

“Uncle,” Sun Jikai nodded at Sun Channing, as casually as if he were greeting a familiar relative.

“Master Jiang,” Sun Channing recognized Jiang Feng.

“Hello,” Jiang Feng found that in this situation, he was the only one who felt awkward.

Are all of you scions of wealthy families so composed?

“Jikai, let’s go over there and have a chat,” suggested Sun Channing.

“Okay,” Sun Jikai nodded and went off with Sun Channing to another corner where there were fewer people.