The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 14

Jiang Yisheng was stunned. “What do you mean? Don’t cause trouble at a time like this!”

“I have shares in Jiang Group. Attending the board meeting is perfectly reasonable. Protecting my son is also perfectly reasonable,” Mother Jiang said calmly. “Xiaobao doesn’t want to come home anymore. If this hadn’t blown up, I’d still be at home like a blind and deaf person. I have to go tomorrow.”

She hadn’t been to the company in years—not even Jiang You could dissuade her this time.

Tomorrow’s board meeting was destined to be anything but peaceful.

Even An Xiaoping, who only caught fragments of the phone conversation, sensed the tension.

Worried, he told Jiang Tingzhou, “If your father tries to push you around tomorrow, just protect yourself first. You’re still recovering—you can’t afford to…”

The two of them had already said their goodbyes to the Tian family and were on the way to An Xiaoping’s house. Jiang Tingzhou was still carrying the bag of mini bread the Tians insisted on giving him—because he seemed to like it, they packed a whole bag full. An Xiaoping had been chattering about it the entire way, until Jiang Tingzhou finally, helplessly, stuffed a bun into his mouth to shut him up.

“Alright,” he said, “I know my limits. I won’t suffer any losses.”

They walked together and soon arrived at An Xiaoping’s home.

His house sat at the foot of the mountain—more secluded than Tian Hui’s and older, too. Many homes in Yongqing’s old city were self-built on privately owned land. An Xiaoping’s house was like that, but it sat on an irregularly shaped plot and was much larger than Tian Hui’s.

Jiang Tingzhou remembered the place as a cramped house with a messy yard filled with chickens, ducks, geese, and vegetable plots. As soon as you entered, there was the smell of poultry.

After Grandma An passed away, the yard grew quiet, but this time, he noticed it felt different.

It looked older now, as if no one had lived there in a long time. Over half the partition wall in the yard had collapsed, leaving the place a mess. Since the wall was shared with the neighbors, he could clearly see into their yard too.

“Don’t worry. It was during a heavy rainstorm a few months back,” An Xiaoping explained as they entered. “Water rushed down from the mountain and knocked the old wall over. It wasn’t sturdy to begin with. No one was hurt, and I had to go to college, so I didn’t have time to fix it. But the house itself is fine—it doesn’t affect us much.”

Jiang Tingzhou looked next door. That place was rundown now too.

He remembered an old couple who used to live there—kind people. Their yard, although smaller, had been neatly maintained, with flowers and plants on one side, fruit trees and vegetables on the other. It had looked like something out of a fairy tale.

Now, weeds overran the yard. The old persimmon tree in the center was still thriving, its past glory faintly visible, but it was clear no one had lived there in a while.

“What about the grandparents next door?” he asked.

“Grandpa Hu got sick and was taken abroad by his daughter for treatment. He’ll be recovering overseas and probably won’t return,” An Xiaoping said. “There’s a ‘for sale’ flyer on the gate. I saw a real estate agent bring some people to look at the place recently. It’s listed at around four million. Someone’s interested but trying to haggle—it hasn’t sold yet.”

Jiang Tingzhou glanced around the yard.

Given the average price of 20,000 yuan per square meter in Yongqing’s old city, four million for a 200-square-meter lot was reasonable.

These old houses came with the land and had state-issued land-use certificates, so they could be sold. But the area was remote and dated. Demolition was unlikely. Cars couldn’t drive in, only electric scooters. Buyers had to pay a transfer fee and bear the renovation costs, yet they weren’t allowed to rebuild or expand under current policies. It was a lot of hassle, and living conditions might still be poor.

With that kind of money, one could buy a spacious, modern apartment in the new city center, with top-tier property management and school district access. The real estate market might have been heating up, but this was still a significant investment. No one had bought the place yet, and the yard had grown wild. The real estate agent didn’t bother maintaining it, so it looked desolate.

But Jiang Tingzhou remembered how beautiful it once was and couldn’t help feeling a little sad.

“Alright, don’t worry about someone else’s home,” An Xiaoping nudged him. “Go rest. We both have to get up early tomorrow. Stay here tonight.”

He was worried that Jiang Tingzhou wouldn’t be used to staying in a place so different from the upscale Brilliant Star.

The two of them tidied up and prepared the master bedroom for him, but Jiang Tingzhou refused, and in the end, they shared the big bed in the master bedroom.

It wasn’t the first time. Back when his adoptive father came home drunk late at night, Jiang Tingzhou stayed at An Xiaoping’s place a few times.

Jiang Tingzhou got ready and lay down early, but he stared at the ceiling, unable to sleep.

He had too much on his mind.

An Xiaoping was still awake, playing with his phone. When he looked over and saw Jiang Tingzhou lost in thought, he poked him and asked, “Are you worried about tomorrow’s board meeting?”

“I’ve thought it through,” Jiang Tingzhou replied. “I know what I need to do. Don’t worry.”

An Xiaoping curled his lips. “Don’t try to comfort me. Those Jiang people never side with you. Even if you win, they’ll probably mess with the numbers and declare you lost.”

He usually wasn’t the sharpest, but on this issue, he was spot-on. That was exactly what happened in their past life.

Jiang Tingzhou treated that seemingly fair contest as a do-or-die opportunity. But he didn’t realize the real battle wasn’t between him and Jiang You over business skills—it was about whether the Jiang family or the Lu family held more sway.

In recent years, Jiang Tingzhou’s culinary talent couldn’t be hidden. His achievements at the company proved he wasn’t some spoiled child. Jiang Yisheng’s tactic of playing the pity card didn’t work anymore. Meanwhile, Jiang You was growing independent, and the Lu family’s compensation over the years had likely run its course. They couldn’t squeeze more out of the Lu family using the same old tricks.

At this point, Jiang Yisheng needed to establish a new, more secure connection.

Fortunately, the children of the two families had always gotten along well. Jiang You and Lu Jiahe, the youngest son of the Lu family, had been close since childhood, and their bond had only grown deeper—maybe even romantic.

Although Jiang Tingzhou left home, Jiang Yisheng knew he was being looked after by Lu Baiyu. He didn’t know the full extent of their relationship, didn’t realize the two were secretly in love. But even just being “friends” made Jiang Tingzhou important in his eyes.

Both of the Lu family sons had begun managing Lu Group and held real influence.

In the previous life’s board meeting, Jiang You and Lu Jiahe were inseparable. Lu Jiahe even showed up in person to support him, which said a lot about their relationship.

In contrast, Jiang Tingzhou, afraid of exposing their relationship and affecting Lu Baiyu’s reputation, distanced himself. He acted as if they barely had contact, bearing the weight of everything alone.

So at that meeting, Jiang Yisheng calculated his options and publicly announced that Jiang You had won.

He successfully became vice president, won the prize he always wanted, and hugged Lu Jiahe in celebration, overjoyed.

Jiang Tingzhou was very disappointed at the time, but he never once doubted the turnover data. It wasn’t until he later took over the company and looked through the historical records that he discovered the truth—he actually won.

In the first quarter, the turnover of the old Gongyan store exceeded that of Xiangyun Peninsula by more than 8,000 yuan. He should have won.

At that moment, Jiang Tingzhou understood everything.

The result could only mean one thing: in Jiang Yisheng’s eyes, there was never a fair competition—only calculations, only figuring out how to extract the most benefit in the most palatable way.

Now, Jiang Tingzhou was fighting desperately to prove himself, but the opportunity he had was not the result of his own efforts. It was because of Lu Baiyu—his victory or defeat had never truly been in his hands, but in the hands of the Lu family.

He already saw through what would happen at tomorrow’s board meeting, so when he said not to worry, he meant it. His mind was no longer on that issue.

But An Xiaoping didn’t believe him.

“Don’t worry,” An Xiaoping said. “I’m an adult now. You used to protect me. Now, you can rely on me.”

His phone was still glowing, lighting up his bright eyes.

“I’m not joking,” he said. “I saw the house next door listed for four million. I asked the agent last time—our house could probably fetch a similar price. I know the Jiang family is hard to deal with. Even if you can’t win tomorrow, it doesn’t matter. Don’t fight with them anymore. Come back to me. We can use the money to open your own restaurant, and live your own life.”

He seemed to have thought it all through and finally made up his mind.

It was the first time Jiang Tingzhou heard of An Xiaoping’s plan.

He opened his mouth in shock. “You… should be thinking about yourself. This isn’t right. How could I take your money?”

“I am thinking about myself,” An Xiaoping replied seriously. “I make a little money as an internet celebrity now. It’s enough to support myself. My only wish is for you to leave the Jiang family and live freely and happily. You should be thinking about yourself, too. Besides, with your skills, investing in you would be profitable for me. There are probably plenty of people who want to invest in you and don’t even get the chance, right?”

An Xiaoping always thought simply.

The Jiang family wasn’t a good place—so leave.

Since his grandmother passed away, Jiang Tingzhou had become the most important person in his life. If Jiang Tingzhou hadn’t taken the knife meant for him, that gangster’s blade would’ve stabbed him in the forehead instead.

He always felt that if not for the scar on Jiang Tingzhou’s face, he might have suffered less ridicule and exclusion upon returning home, might not have been laughed at or bullied by those in the elite school.

“So, big bro, relax,” An Xiaoping patted him on the shoulder and said, “If you win, take what’s rightfully yours. If they try to bully you, flip the table and leave. Don’t let them get to you. I’ll be your backup.”

He laughed as he said this.

Jiang Tingzhou had never known about any of An Xiaoping’s plans or worries.

At this moment, he realized how little he always understood about his friend. Even with a second life, he was only able to see part of the picture clearly.

In his previous life, he moved too fast—always in a rush, never stopping to take a real look around him.

After speaking, An Xiaoping fell asleep peacefully. He had truly decided to sell the house, and Jiang Tingzhou didn’t try to stop him.

But deep down, he knew this wasn’t a wise decision—much less a good deal.

This kind of tradable land certificate could be used to build a house. The value didn’t fluctuate like ordinary commercial properties—it was always solid. More importantly, this was the only asset the An family had left for An Xiaoping. How could it be sold for him?

An Xiaoping was stubborn. Words wouldn’t change his mind.

Jiang Tingzhou lay awake, tossing and turning all night.

It was very quiet here. In the stillness of the night, the chirping of insects and birds made the silence even more profound. Jiang Tingzhou could even hear his own heartbeat. At dawn, he finally dozed off—but woke up before sunrise.

He glanced at the wall clock. It was only five. He got out of bed quietly. The alarm hadn’t gone off. An Xiaoping was still sleeping.

He brushed his teeth. The small window by the faucet faced the persimmon tree in the yard next door.

The tree was very old—the tallest in the whole courtyard. Jiang Tingzhou had eaten its fruit before, and it was incredibly sweet. Every year, when the tree bore fruit, it was so full that you couldn’t eat it all.

They said persimmon trees were resilient, and it was true. The yard next door was now abandoned, the weeds wildly competing for nutrients, but even without care, the tree was still thriving—lush, relaxed, and full of life.

Jiang Tingzhou stood there for a long time, staring at it.

When he used to come to An Xiaoping’s house as a child, he always envied the neighbors next door. Their family looked so peaceful and happy. They grew their own vegetables and fruit, picked whatever they wanted from the yard. It was warm and harmonious.

Unlike him and his adoptive father, who lived in a dirty, cramped rental, always struggling for the next meal.

He once thought, If I could live in a place like that when I grow up, I could die happy. But once he actually grew up, he forgot that dream.

Jiang Tingzhou had chased one grand ambition after another, most of which he achieved. But right now, all he did was pull on a coat, step out into the morning fog, and with a little cash in his pocket, head out to buy breakfast.