The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 13

The Tian family kept thanking him at the dinner table, saying it was their good fortune to have met him at the hospital.

“It was Tian Hui who was excellent. She wrote a great piece and helped me a lot. Even without me, she would’ve made a breakthrough sooner or later,” Jiang Tingzhou said sincerely. “I should be the one thanking her.”

For Jiang Tingzhou, choosing differently than in his previous life and going to the hospital early felt like a stroke of luck. Though they hadn’t known each other long, he and the Tian family got along well.

Father Tian heard that this young man had won a chef competition and initially worried Jiang Tingzhou might look down on their cooking. But instead, he found him easygoing, good-tempered, and open to anything.

He mentioned that the meat for the dumplings was bought at the old market, hand-picked early in the morning.

Jiang Tingzhou nodded. “Tastes like it’s from Meihao Butcher Shop, right? Their stuff is really good.”

He remembered that Meihao’s meat came from freshly slaughtered lambs, not the frozen kind kept in storage too long. It was more expensive, but the taste was far superior and hard to come by.

Tian Hui looked at him in shock. “You can taste that?”

She knew Jiang Tingzhou was a brilliant cook, and it made sense that he could tell what part of the animal the filling came from—but to recognize the exact shop? That was a bit much.

“It’s not as magical as it sounds,” An Xiaoping said while chewing. “He used to do odd jobs at every butcher shop in the old market. He knows them all.”

He used to be Jiang Tingzhou’s little follower, squatting by the shop door, watching the fourteen-year-old expertly wield a cleaver. It left a lasting impression.

“Yeah,” Jiang Tingzhou said with a smile, “I used to live here too.”

Now, he could finally recall a few good things about this place.

The old market’s produce really was excellent—fresh, diverse, and even better than what many upscale supermarkets offered. Back then, Jiang Tingzhou was too busy running errands to enjoy it, but now he saw the value.

Aunt Tian nodded in agreement. “Exactly. After living here long enough, you realize it’s really a good place. A few years ago, we thought about selling the house and moving to the new city, but we couldn’t bear to leave this market. Life’s really about enjoying a good meal, isn’t it?”

Not just the dumplings—even the cold dishes on the table were delicious. The cucumbers and tomatoes were locally grown and picked just that morning. Their freshness easily rivaled the pricey “organic” vegetables served at Gongyans.

Jiang Tingzhou chatted happily with the Tian family. It had been a long time since he’d had such a relaxed meal.

An Xiaoping, who hadn’t eaten like that since slimming down, was stuffing his cheeks when his phone suddenly rang.

He yawned, pulled out his phone lazily, glanced at the screen, and froze. He checked the contact name several times before nudging Jiang Tingzhou.

Jiang Tingzhou’s phone was still off. There was only one person who would call through An Xiaoping. When he saw the name, he was a little surprised but picked up immediately.

“Mom.”

He got up and walked to the corner. “What’s wrong? I heard you’ve been unwell. You should rest more.”

There was no immediate reply—just a few coughs—and then a gentle female voice: “I should be the one asking you that, Xiaobao. Are you feeling better now? I couldn’t reach you, so I had to call your friend.”

Mother Jiang had congenital heart disease. Though her health had been poor since birth, she always treated Jiang Tingzhou well. Now she called him by his childhood nickname, “Xiaobao.”

No one else in the family paid attention to An Xiaoping. The last few years had been rocky, and even Lu Baiyu had never met him. Only Mother Jiang remembered that her son had a friend—and she’d kept An Xiaoping’s number all this time, which let her reach Jiang now.

“I’m fine, Mom,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Don’t worry. Just focus on getting better. I’m grown now—I’ll handle my own affairs.”

“How can I not worry? You always keep bad news from me,” Mother Jiang said. “It’s your family that has wronged you. I didn’t know what you suffered at the store until recently. Xiaobao, can you come home tonight? I haven’t seen you in so long. Let Aunt Wang cook your favorite dishes.”

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t respond. He was already full and didn’t want to eat more, so he remained silent for a moment before repeating softly, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Hearing that, Mother Jiang sighed. Her voice turned choked. She wanted to say more, but a loud bang came from the other end—the sound of a door being flung open.

“You’ve contacted that bastard Jiang Tingzhou, haven’t you? Hand over the phone!”

It was Jiang Yisheng, Father Jiang. His voice was as loud as ever.

Jiang Tingzhou instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear, unwilling to listen to the barking.

Mother Jiang refused to give up the phone. The two quarreled briefly, then Jiang Yisheng’s roar came through clearly:

“How dare you spoil him! Do you know how much trouble he’s caused the company this time? The Lu family found out! Lu Jiahe and Mrs. Lu will be at the board meeting tomorrow. How do you expect me to explain this?”

“This isn’t Xiaobao’s fault. He’s sick and being cyberbullied. How could the Lu family be so unreasonable?”

“What do you know? I don’t have time to argue with you.”

Then Jiang Tingzhou heard a scream and Jiang You shouting, “Dad, don’t be like this!”

The sound grew louder.

“Jiang Tingzhou, you think you’ve grown wings, don’t you!”

Before Jiang Tingzhou could respond, a barrage of accusations came:

“You can’t even manage a store properly! Come explain yourself to me tomorrow—or I’ll peel your skin off!”

“What’s there to explain? Isn’t everything out in the open?” Jiang said calmly into the phone, still held at a distance. “You’re just another useless loudmouth who can’t handle this mess. I’d actually like to see how you plan to peel my skin off.”

Jiang Yisheng couldn’t believe his ears.

People at the old store said Jiang Tingzhou changed after his fever, but he didn’t believe them. Now, hearing this, it felt like his son had reverted to that wild temper he’d had when he first came home.

In the past, Jiang Tingzhou would fall in line after being punished a few times. But now, something had shifted. It was as if he’d gone back to square one overnight.

“How dare you talk to your father like that!” Jiang Yisheng roared, furious. “Jiang Tingzhou, you—”

Jiang Tingzhou cut him off before he could finish.

“I’m only reminding you out of respect for you as my father: don’t get worked up over useless things. It’s bad for your health. High blood pressure and rage lead to strokes, you know. I heard doctors say negative emotions are the enemy of the body. Consider this a kind reminder.”

In his previous life, Jiang Yisheng did suffer a stroke—a few years from now. He had hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and high blood sugar, but ignored it. After drinking too much one night, he had a stroke and ended up paralyzed. In the hospital, he only got worse. He couldn’t speak clearly anymore, drooled constantly, and looked half-dead.

Jiang Tingzhou always felt that the Jiang family’s genes were cursed. Everyone had some kind of illness. Even the older generations died suddenly from illness, with no time to be rushed to the hospital.

What a ridiculous fate.

Jiang Yisheng, always chasing profit, calculated and schemed his whole life, only to spend his final years in a hospital bed. Jiang Tingzhou worked himself to death. Yet Jiang You—who shared no blood with them, had no ailments, and no hardships—survived it all and came out on top.

Of course, Jiang Yisheng didn’t take the warning seriously. He cursed back furiously.

When Mother Jiang heard him, she got emotional and started crying, her voice sharp and trembling, scolding him for treating Xiaobao like that. A chaotic argument broke out, and the call abruptly ended.

As soon as the call disconnected, the world around him quieted again.

Just nearby, the three members of the Tian family were tidying up after dinner, laughing and chatting.

While washing dishes, Tian Hui leaned close to Aunt Tian, saying she’d gotten a raise this month and wanted to buy her a present. Aunt Tian scolded her lightly, saying, “Don’t waste money,” but she couldn’t stop smiling.

Simple and happy.

Jiang Tingzhou stood quietly for a moment, watching them. The contrast between people really was greater than that between people and ghosts.

Then, he turned and handed the phone back to An Xiaoping.

Even though he went to a corner to take the call, the yard was small. An Xiaoping had heard enough to get the gist and asked anxiously, “Is Aunt okay? Do you want to go back and check on her?”

“She’s fine,” Jiang Tingzhou replied. “Even if he had eight hundred guts, he wouldn’t dare do anything to her.”

No one understood the Jiang family better than he did. Jiang Yisheng had a nasty temper, but ultimately, he was just a son-in-law.

His own family was dirt poor. He was lucky to become an apprentice under Master Jiang, a master chef with royal lineage. Though he didn’t learn much in terms of skills, he relied on good looks and cleverness to marry the Jiang family’s only daughter and even changed his surname after the wedding.

From beginning to end, it was Mother Jiang—Jiang Moli—who was the rightful heir of the Jiang family. She held 48% of Jiang Group’s shares. Before the Lu family invested, she owned over 80%, and it was all her premarital property.

Though her health had always been poor, she never truly lost control. Jiang Yisheng was currently managing the company, using that power to sneak in his own relatives—Manager Yang was one of them, which was why Jiang You called him “Uncle Yang.”

But he would never dare to actually lay a hand on Jiang Moli. He rarely even raised his voice in front of her.

Jiang Moli might be gentle, but she wasn’t stupid. She had long since made a will: if she passed away, her shares would be split equally between the two children. Jiang Yisheng wouldn’t get a single cent.

He was probably the one most desperate to keep her alive.

“It’s actually better if I don’t go back now,” Jiang Tingzhou said calmly. “Things will settle faster that way. If I went home, they’d just argue in front of her and make it worse.”

An Xiaoping frowned. “But what about tomorrow? You’ll see him at the board meeting.”

“There’ll be people from the Lu family there. He’ll have to act like a gentleman. He wouldn’t dare throw his weight around in front of them,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “Don’t be scared. That’s just how he is—barks loud, but there’s no bite.”

He looked tall and strong, like a tiger. But inside, he was a parasite.

In some ways, Jiang You was more human than Jiang Yisheng.

At least Jiang You truly cared about his mother. Raised by Jiang Moli as her own, he’d been pampered and loved. Even when he started to go head-to-head with Jiang Tingzhou, a lot of it came from jealousy—feeling that Jiang Tingzhou had stolen his mother’s affection.

Back at the Jiang household, the chaos finally quieted. Jiang You was helping his mother take her medicine and comforting her. When he saw her condition, even Jiang Yisheng panicked. He leaned over to check on her, relieved when she seemed okay.

But Jiang Moli, pale and weak, looked him straight in the eye and said, “You can’t talk to my son like that.”

Jiang Yisheng didn’t dare explode. He lowered his voice but still refused to yield. “He’s the one who caused this mess. What’s wrong with me scolding him a little? If he were as obedient as Xiaoyou, would I be this angry?”

Jiang Moli waved him off. Though still choking back emotion, her voice was firm. “Jiang Yisheng, don’t think I don’t know. Yang Jinhao came to me and told me everything. Xiaoyou and Xiaobao are both good children. It’s you—you—who ruined this family. You’re the culprit!”

Jiang You flinched when he heard Manager Yang’s name but calmed again at the sound of his mother defending him.

He’d always known she would never blame him too harshly.

But then, Jiang Moli—having caught her breath—said something that made Jiang You’s heart sink.

“I will attend tomorrow’s board meeting as well. I’m bringing people to audit what you’ve been doing at the company,” she said, her face pale but voice resolute. “Jiang Yisheng, don’t think you can keep covering the sky with one hand.”