Chapter 885: Extra 2: Ji Xia Chapter (End) Chapter 885: Extra 2: Ji Xia Chapter (End) Ever since Xiaxia went to the Taste House to learn white chef skills, she rarely met with the people from Taifeng Building.

Other than Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi’s wedding, when everyone gathered, Xiaxia was always absent from the get-togethers.

Daily video calls were essential, but a video call after all is just a video call. As Xiaxia garnered more and more esteem from the white chef masters at Yonghe House, the time she spent on calls with everyone became shorter and shorter. From the initial half-hour each day, to twenty minutes, then to just over ten minutes, and finally to a mere three to five minutes. Occasionally, when there were many people on Jiang Feng’s side, there wasn’t enough time for everyone to say a few words, and they had to let Xiaxia speak before hanging up because the meal was over.

Despite this, even though for many people Xiaxia’s favorite foods or what she looked like when she first came to Taifeng Building were fading memories, they still cared very much about Xiaxia.

She was simply too dazzling.

There was no need for regular video calls, just by following the domestic white chef competitions, one could see how much Xiaxia had improved over the years.

Such a white chef prodigy, nurtured in a favorable environment with top-notch mentors, it was hard not to excel, hard not to stand out and hard not to shock the world.

Nine years after leaving Taifeng Building–
Jiang Feng had just arrived at the store when he saw a crowd gathered around a tablet watching an e-magazine and moved closer to see what they were looking at.

Seeing Jiang Feng, Zhang Xi hurriedly made room for him, “Master, your apprentice sister has won another award.”

“What award?”

“You should see for yourself,” said Ji Yue as he handed the tablet to Jiang Feng, starting to tease him, “Xiaxia entered such an important competition and you didn’t even care, some master you are.”

“Xiaxia enters so many competitions in a year, I can’t keep up with all of them. Hey, isn’t this the most prestigious white chef competition in the country? I’ve been negligent, Master Sun and the others just left the other day, I really haven’t been paying much attention to this.”

Xiaxia had been a competition maniac over the years, entering seven or eight large and small white chef competitions a year and always choosing those with high prize money.

Ji Yue could only click his tongue to show his disdain.

“Clicking what, when Xiaxia has won the gold in this competition and Old Sun has returned to reopen the Jubao Building, we’ll be counting on you and Zhang to bring some fresh news to us,” Jiang Feng decided to divert the blame.

Ji Yue became instantly vigilant, “What fresh news? What fresh news could there be between me and Zhang, unless one of us has an affair? Look at us, who has more potential to cheat? Unless I, as the proud second heir to Ji’s Pickles, bag myself a few handsome fresh meats to have an affair and cheer everyone up.”

“Oh please, the proud second heir to Ji’s Pickles… If the first heir position was offered to you, would you dare take it?” Jiang Feng lowered his head to read the magazine.

Talking of which, Ji Yue really wouldn’t dare to take the first heir position of Ji’s Pickles.

Over the years, as Ji’s Pickles succeeded in mass production, listing, and national distribution, not only do their specialty stores sell well offline, but they also do well online, Ji Yue has gone from a poor Ji Gezi to the second wealthiest woman in Taifeng Building, only next to the Sun Family.

Her mother wanted her to return and take over the family business, because her brother didn’t want to.

Who would have thought? Ji’s Pickles with an annual revenue exceeding a billion, neither of the two primary heirs wanted to go back and take over the family assets.

If Ji Yue didn’t want to, her mother couldn’t control her and would let it be. But Ji Qiran had no choice; his mother gave him an ultimatum, he had to choose between marriage and taking over the family business, or she would cut off his living expenses. So, Ji Qiran firmly decided to take over the business, went home to learn pickling with his mother and grandmother, turning from a handsome and dashing programmer with thinning hair to a pickling master working in pickle vats with thinning hair.

What does this illustrate?

It illustrates the importance of financial independence.

Nowadays, Ji Yue, as the new leader of the service industry in Taifeng Building, with a monthly salary close to six figures, can assertively say she won’t return home to take over the family business.

Of course, all this is beside the point, but since we’ve already gone off-topic let’s digress a bit more.

In recent years, with the rise of China’s catering industry, whether it is the envy from others seeing Taifeng’s year-over-year increased turnover or possibly the jealousy of the peers towards the siheyuan where the Jiang Family now lives near the Li Family, numerous capitals have poured into the Chinese cuisine market, giving rise to many new culinary competitions with hefty cash prizes.

With such a trend, not only has the red chef circuit flourished, but even the traditionally niche white chef category, which was only stubbornly supported by the Taste House, has seen a resurgence.

Gu Li eventually followed the old path he had previously mentioned, constantly restoring long-lost white chef desserts from ancient books. However, his journey proved to be much smoother than others had imagined, and he met with great success.

Xu Cheng had once been skeptical of Gu Li because he felt that Gu Li was always following the path of others, even if restoring desserts from ancient books was the old path of his master.

No one expected that Gu Li would actually forge his own path in the course of restoration.

He restored desserts from ancient texts that were nearly identical to what was described, then he innovated upon those methods by incorporating different ingredients, and developed new flavors or more palatable delicacies without changing their fundamental themes.

A great success.

Four years ago, Gu Li ranked 57th on the Famous Chef List, an ordinary placement, which was already quite good among white chefs. Throughout these four years, Gu Li didn’t halt his restoration and innovation efforts; his influence gradually expanded, with legions of loyal dessert fans in countries like Japan, Korea, and other Southeast Asian nations.

Everyone speculated that this year Gu Li would definitely break into the top thirty, or even possibly the top twenty of the Famous Chef List, setting a new highest record for a white chef’s ranking on a national scale.

To this day, when someone brings up that culinary competition from years ago–in which Gu Li came first, Jiang Feng second, Zhang Guanghang third, and Wu Minqi fourth–no one speaks ill of Gu Li behind his back, questioning why he was able to defeat Jiang Feng or if his victory was deserved.

Those who once spoke ill of Gu Li, except for those like Sun Jikai who experienced setbacks and depression but eventually persevered and found success, have all faded into obscurity, their names forgotten by others.

Zhao Shan and his ilk have long been forgotten.

Nowadays, does anyone even remember who Zhao Shan is? Ling Guangzhao might have a slight recollection, as he was once his employee, but he was fired a long time ago.

Eight-treasure House is now one of Beiping City’s distinguished restaurants, which demands high quality from its chefs.

“Who would have thought Xiaxia is already capable of winning such a competition?” Although Jiang Feng was an amateur in white chef desserts, it didn’t mean he wasn’t knowledgeable about domestic culinary competitions.

The Good Taste Culinary Competition took place year after year, and he always gave Mr. Han face by acting as a judge annually, while Xu Cheng generously used a Taste exclusive interview as a lure for the champion, making the Good Taste Culinary Competition the undisputed top-tier culinary competition in the country.

Of course, this competition favored red chefs.

There were competitions solely for white chefs as well, such as the one Xiaxia had just won, which was newly established and had just reached its fourth year.

Its history wasn’t rich, but its influence was considerable since it offered the highest prize money for a pure white chef contest, attracting many cash-strapped Master White Chefs to join in for the fun.

Not every chef was as wealthy as those from Taifeng Building; there were many like Rolan, who, for some reason, was in deep debt and miserably worked for seven years in a top-floor restaurant before clearing his debt and leaving with a slap on the butt to return to his old employer as a head chef.

“That’s right, our Xiaxia is a genius, such a competition is a small case for her!” Ji Yue said with pride, and anyone who didn’t know better might think that Xiaxia was his disciple.

Jiang Feng was still reading the magazine when Ji Yue gave him spoilers.

“Guess what dessert Xiaxia made to win the championship?”

“What?” Jiang Feng asked orally, but his eyes had already spotted it, “Fresh Meat Mooncakes. Not surprising, the Fresh Meat Mooncake is common, but it actually requires considerable skill and effort to make it outstanding. It’s quite normal to win the championship with such a dish. What’s the issue?”

“Just keep reading, the post-competition interview section.”

Continuing to read, the first thing we see is a photo of Xiaxia’s championship victory.

A face possessing elegance and aloofness no less than Wu Minqi’s, looking somewhat stern either from nervousness or something else in front of the camera, without a smile. There was an overwhelming aura of a dignitary.

Compared to Wu Minqi’s domineering executive presence, Xiaxia seemed more like the proud beauty from the top of a lofty mountain, due to her appearance.

Even though he had long realized that his eldest apprentice was no longer the naive and always smiling Ji Xia kid from before, Jiang Feng couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim about the magic of time.

Time had turned his eldest disciple into almost a paragon of white chef desserts.

Jiang Feng read Xiaxia’s interview after winning the competition.

“`
It was a video.

Electronic magazines indeed offer a variety of content.

Reporter: “Master Ji, may I ask why you chose fresh meat mooncakes as your entry for the final competition? You’ve never chosen fresh meat mooncakes as a competition dish before. Is there any special meaning behind selecting this dish just before the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Ji Xia: “Because this is a dish taught to me by my master.”

Reporter: “Oh, I see. May I ask which master from Yonghe House?”

Ji Xia shook her head: “Not a master from Yonghe House, but the only master I’ve ever acknowledged, Master Jiang Feng from Taifeng Building.”

Jiang Feng was stunned, and so was the reporter in the video.

“Master Jiang Feng from Taifeng Building? Is this… a recent apprenticeship? But we haven’t heard about Master Jiang taking on new disciples recently, and it seems he isn’t particularly skilled in white chef cuisine. Master Ji, could you perhaps shed some light on the situation?” The reporter quickly recovered, realizing this was major news.

Those in the culinary circle who had known Jiang Feng for a longer time were well aware that Ji Xia was his disciple, having spent recent years learning from Yonghe House without formally acknowledging a master. But outsiders were unaware.

Jiang Feng and Ji Xia never spoke of this matter publicly, mainly because there was never an opportunity to do so. Jiang Feng’s lack of skill in white chef cuisine was well-known, which meant no one would associate him with Ji Xia.

If Xiaxia had become famous a few years earlier, some diligent reporters might have delved into her past. However, she only became well-known in the last two years, not even making an appearance in the famous chef listings. Her captivating looks and impressive competition track record ignited her fame in the culinary world, some of which even transcended the industry.

For the time being, reporters were only digging into things like Xiaxia’s love life, bordering on tabloid news. Some unscrupulous reporters, noticing the tension in Xiaxia’s relationship with her parents, wanted to exploit it for a story, but Jiang Family Members, who were closely monitoring such developments, clamped down on them.

News reporting was permissible, as was tabloid journalism, but the focus had to be positive, even the tabloid news was expected to praise Xiaxia’s beauty and charm. Otherwise, Jiang Family Members, Xu Cheng, and Mr. Han would be the first to object.

Over the years, Xu Cheng had acquired a number of magazines related to gastronomy and travel, dominating the food-oriented print media, although nowadays most editions were electronic.

“No, I was accepted as a disciple by my master eleven years ago.” Video footage showed Ji Xia with an expressionless face, but Jiang Feng could tell she was nervous, causing her facial expressions to seem cold and detached.

Suddenly, Jiang Feng remembered what Xiaxia had said to him during a New Year’s visit.

“I want to be as excellent as you all, to be worthy of being your disciple, to be a sister worthy of my junior sister.”

So, was Xiaxia feeling that she had achieved this?

“So you mean to say, Master Ji, that the fresh meat mooncakes you presented were taught to you by Master Jiang Feng eleven years ago, not by the masters at Yonghe House?” The reporter seized the critical point of discussion.

“That’s right.” Ji Xia nodded, suddenly looking towards the camera, “I have been practicing fresh meat mooncakes for years, practicing every day without skipping a single day.”

Jiang Feng smiled as he watched the tablet.

He handed the tablet back to Ji Yue.

“Ding, congratulations to the player for completing the advancement of [Su Style Mooncakes (Fresh Meat) B class] to [Su Style Mooncakes (Fresh Meat) S class]. Please check the corresponding tutorial in the recipe column.”

The sudden sound of the game prompt startled Jiang Feng, causing him to shudder.

Frankly speaking, over the years, the game had become more like a tool for Jiang Feng to check finished products. Even if buff dishes were good, his other dishes were not inferior. Apart from the appraisal skill, which was very useful, everything else in the game had become intensely competitive for him.

And ever since the finale dubbed the “match of the century,” Jiang Feng had stopped receiving any game-assigned tasks, whether main, side, or hidden.

The only remaining task in his quest log now was [Da Hua’s Wish], even having completed the tasks related to the most challenging thirty-seven letters last year.

He had also viewed the remaining memories. His current strength was such that there were no recipes obtained from memories that could impress or challenge him anymore, not even those of Jiang Chengde.

As of today, Jiang Feng could proudly and unpretentiously say that he would surpass Jiang Chengde one day, perhaps he already had, or perhaps it would happen in the future, but it was certain to happen.

“`
“Why are you making such a fuss?” Ji Yue was startled by Jiang Feng’s sudden shake.

“Nothing, I need to use the bathroom. You guys watch,” Jiang Feng slipped away.

Ji Yue: ?

If she remembered correctly, it had been quite a few years since Jiang Feng had rushed to the bathroom in such a hurry.

Should she remind Qiqi to take Jiang Feng to the hospital for a check-up? She feared something might be wrong with him now that he was over thirty.

Jiang Feng slipped into the bathroom and, after a long absence, opened the attribute panel. Only after seeing the prompts related to advanced dishes did he realize what was going on.

There were two recipes for Su-style mooncakes, one with fresh meat and one with salt and pepper. In recent years, the most Jiang Feng had done with white chef skills was noodle pulling for Zhajiangmian and egg noodles. He never tackled challenging dishes like fresh meat mooncakes, and had even forgotten that these two recipes could be upgraded.

There were two conditions for upgrading: making the dish over ten thousand times and producing an A-class product more than a hundred times.

The number of times an apprentice made a dish could be shared with the master. Jiang Feng hadn’t made any fresh meat mooncakes in years, making less than ten since he got the recipe.

This meant that Xiaxia had made more than nine thousand nine hundred and ninety fresh meat mooncakes in the past nine years.

That’s over a thousand times a year, three times a day.

Adding basic practice and normal business, that was a terrifying number.

And Xiaxia kept up this relentless daily practice of fresh meat mooncakes simply because it was a dish taught by Jiang Feng.

Jiang Feng quietly closed the attribute panel, feeling a twinge in his nose and as if something was blurring his vision.

Jiang Feng took out his phone and called Xiaxia.

It wasn’t their scheduled time to talk, but he didn’t care about that anymore.

“Hello, Master.” Xiaxia answered the phone instantly.

“Xiaxia, where are you now?”

“I’m on the high-speed rail. I just finished the competition yesterday and I’m taking the high-speed rail back to work today,” Xiaxia said.

“I saw the news about your competition today. Congratulations on winning the championship; our Xiaxia really is extraordinary now and even has a bit of master’s style,” Jiang Feng said with a laugh.

“Of course, the last time my junior sister made it into the top eighty of the famous chefs list, and you, Master, are now number one on that list. I obviously can’t let you and my junior sister down,” Xiaxia said cheerfully. “I’ll definitely make it onto the famous chefs list this year and get into the top sixty!”

“I also saw your post-match interview.”

There was suddenly silence on Xiaxia’s end.

“We all really want to taste your fresh meat mooncakes, to know what a gold medal mooncake tastes like.”

Xiaxia still didn’t speak.

“You’ve done very well, Xiaxia. Come back.”

“Okay.”

The voice on the other end was choked up, still the same as when she was younger.