The Reviled God of Cooking Tries to Slack Off - Chapter 19

Jiang Tingzhou was naturally happy to sell for more money, but he still felt that Li Xu didn’t really care about such a small amount.

“Tingzhou, we didn’t know each other until we fought. Back then, I lost my temper at the Gongyan Restaurant, and the manager didn’t even dare to come out. You stepped in to handle it. You were splashed with wine right in front of me and still had to put up with my anger. At that moment, I thought—you’re someone rare in this business,” Li Xu said. “Alright, just take it.”

Jiang Tingzhou had no reason to refuse—he really needed the money now.

Li Xu didn’t let go of the bowl. He took it out of the protective box and held it up, carefully examining the fine patterns and glaze. Then he chatted, “This can be considered your family heirloom. Tsk, even when the Jiang family was struggling the most, they didn’t sell it. And I have to say, you seem different today.” He gave Jiang Tingzhou a once-over. “You’re acting strange. After selling this thing, you won’t regret it, right? I’m not giving it back.”

“The Jiang family’s true heirloom is its craftsmanship. No one can take that away. Since I’ve won, this bowl is mine to deal with as I please.”

The transaction was complete. Jiang Tingzhou lowered his head to eat and told the truth. “I don’t have Li Xu’s taste. I don’t understand antiques. I’m just a vulgar person. To me, a bowl is just a bowl. Even if the emperor used it, it’s still just for eating and drinking.”

Li Xu laughed. “You’re right!”

He looked at the bowl for three minutes, then put it down, rinsed it with the water on the table, and without hesitation, poured the white rice in front of him into the five-million-yuan bowl. He scooped a spoonful of the dish and poured it on top, grumbling, “What’s the name—Hawaiian Sunset? Isn’t this just fried eggs with tomatoes?”

Then he mixed it up, took a bite, snorted, and said, “The taste is just average. If I were the emperor and this were served to me, I’d off myself.”

Jiang Tingzhou wasn’t surprised.

For someone like Li Xu, there wasn’t much difference between five million and five hundred yuan. He owned too many good things. He was happy when he got them but didn’t always cherish them.

“By the way,” Li Xu asked as he ate, “when will your restaurant open? I see you’ve recovered and can cook again. I haven’t thought about it for a while, but now I’m craving the soup you made. Oh, it smells so good…”

He smacked his lips. The food in this restaurant was mediocre. Even served in the emperor’s bowl, it still wasn’t good. The contrast made him miss Jiang Tingzhou’s cooking even more.

Jiang Tingzhou lowered his head and put down his chopsticks. “The old store might open in a couple of days, but I’ve already resigned.”

Li Xu paused mid-bite, surprised. “Ah?”

“I don’t want to do it anymore,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “To be honest, I’m using the money to buy a house for retirement.”

“A house for just five million? How small is that place? Can you even stretch your legs?” Li Xu shook his head. “If you don’t want to work with the Jiang family, come work for me. I’ll pay you double—or triple—what you earned before.”

Jiang Tingzhou chuckled. “You want me to be your private chef?”

“Yes, a private chef. Name your price,” Li continued. “Tingzhou, I’ve always thought you’re capable. Your dishes are delicious. You can’t just disappear. Don’t give up on yourself because of a little setback.”

Jiang Tingzhou smiled. “Thank you, but I’m not giving up. I’ve just figured things out. The house isn’t as small as you think. I bought it at the foot of Guanyin Mountain, out in the countryside, where the air is fresh. I’m going to rest there.”

As soon as he mentioned Guanyin Mountain, Li Xu jumped in. “Guanyin Mountain? That’s the old city area, right? You think you can rest there? They’re planning to redevelop the whole area. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. This time it’s a hundred-billion-yuan project—Yongqing’s biggest! Don’t you have a good relationship with Lu Baiyu? Lu Group’s about to build a logistics hub and transport center there. You just bought a house? It’s going to be demolished sooner or later. You plan to retire without even nine figures? What are you going to live on—air?”

He really couldn’t understand why Jiang Tingzhou would leave now. Even someone like Li Xu, who barely knew him, saw this as the prime opportunity.

Jiang Tingzhou, who had been reborn, was of course aware that the area around Yongqing Old Market was going to be renovated. But he was even more aware that the demolition and renovation project would fail before it reached the foot of Guanyin Mountain, which lay a little farther away.

In recent years, old urban area renovations had been popular, claiming old cities could emit new vitality and eliminate some backward production capacity. There were many successful cases in various places, so Yongqing was preparing to do it. This was no secret; even ordinary people had heard about it.

There were many old places worth renovating in the old urban area. New roads and a high-speed railway station had been built, and many new plots were to be developed next to them. It looked like a thriving and promising project.

But Yongqing’s plan to “empty the cage and replace the bird” was not as smooth as imagined.

First, the renovation of some places didn’t go as expected, followed by demolition. Some residents were dissatisfied with compensation. Several developers caused trouble and delayed construction by one or two years.

When construction finally started, it coincided with an economic downturn. Several real estate companies involved in the project were hit by the bursting housing bubble and faced funding shortages. The whole transformation was too big, and many expected effects were not achieved.

Under many negative influences, the distribution effect of the old market not only failed to expand but was torn apart. The overall urban construction improved, but there were fewer people.

Everyone grew tired of the construction everywhere in the old city. Some familiar old places were demolished but no new ones built. Some were built but looked the same and lifeless. Companies that planned to invest became even more reluctant to come.

Jiang Tingzhou understood this well.

The old city area was once a hub for food manufacturing, a national leader with global reach. When he inherited the Jiang Family business, he considered setting up a factory there, hoping to take advantage of the location. But after a site visit, he realized it was no longer viable and changed plans.

When he died in a car accident, this tricky place still hadn’t changed. Some unfinished buildings looked embarrassing. Only the old market, demolished but with a small part left, still held some residual atmosphere. The newly built enterprises did not rise, and the once-famous food industry moved away one after another, leaving things worse than before.

The logistics city invested in by Lu Group was built, but it too was impacted. The originally planned smart distribution hub had to be relocated—a quick decision to cut losses.

In the next few years, Yongqing planned a new development zone in its place, which went much smoother. The transformation of the old city was extinguished and no longer mentioned.

It was said that Guanyin Mountain would be demolished and turned into a mid-mountain villa area, but the developer gave up before the project started.

Clearly, this was not a successful redevelopment plan.

The original intention of the old city renovation was good. Under Lu Group’s leadership, it attracted many investors. But when the Lu family sensed trouble, they had the means to cut ties. Others weren’t so lucky.

Sometimes the time and place seemed right, but unexpected things always happened. Jiang Tingzhou saw all the final results.

Just like himself—he worked so hard, and it all came to nothing.

Jiang Tingzhou knew what would happen in the future, so he didn’t take Li Xu’s words to heart and asked, “You invested in the renovation project over there, right?”

“Not much,” Li Xu waved his hand. “Just 200 to 300 million, and no specific project yet. It can’t be compared with the Lu family’s big brother.”

“Li Xu, I think you should be cautious about investing,” Jiang Tingzhou said. “The Lu family’s decisions aren’t always right.”

Li Xu had a good personality and a decent reputation in the business world. He wasn’t as deep-pocketed as the Lu family. Jiang Tingzhou meant well with his advice, but Li Xu clearly didn’t take it in. Instead, he smiled and said, “Alright, but this isn’t the time for caution. My offer stands—any time you change your mind, just let me know.”

Jiang Tingzhou declined again, and Li Xu didn’t press him.

When dinner ended, Li Xu sent him out and said with a smile, “Tingzhou, you and I are actually the same type of person. That’s why I’ve always held you in high regard. We’re the type who can’t sit still.”

Jiang Tingzhou didn’t take this sentence to heart.

He checked the balance on his bank card, then politely said goodbye to the other party and went straight to the door of the real estate agency. Before the doorman could greet the salesperson, he showed the photo of the neighboring yard that he had taken on his phone and said bluntly, “I want to buy this house. Four million, no bargaining. The only requirement is to finalize the deal as soon as possible.”

The agency had full authorization from the seller and seemed reliable. Jiang Tingzhou had already negotiated and signed the contract that very afternoon.

The homeowner was very easy to talk to. While on the phone, Grandpa Hu next door recognized him and explained the situation of the house in detail. He even let Jiang Tingzhou move in first. The furniture and belongings left in the house were all complete, with some scattered daily necessities—all left for him.

The deal was actually simple and straightforward. The real estate agent worried that he might regret it, so they specially arranged for someone to clean the room before he moved in.

Jiang Tingzhou bought some new daily necessities, carried his suitcase in, and stayed there that night.

After a busy day, he finally had time to carefully look around his new home.

This was the only place he owned in this life.

In his previous life, he lived with Lu Baiyu. Not long after gaining the upper hand, he defeated Jiang You and took over the Jiang family. He lived with his mother in Jiang’s villa, so he never felt the need to buy a house.

He didn’t expect that he would eventually live here—a simple, secluded, and somewhat old courtyard.

The foundation of the entire house was raised relative to the courtyard, with several steps leading up to an entrance balcony. The house covered 50 square meters, had two and a half floors, and a total area of more than 100 square meters. The first floor contained the living room, dining room, kitchen, and bathroom. The second floor had two rooms, one large and one small. The third floor had only a small storage room, with the rest being a drying yard.

It was clear the previous owner had taken good care of it. The house was renovated and reinforced inside and out a few years ago. The exterior looked old but felt warm inside. When the lights were on, the living room glowed with a warm yellow light. The sofa cushions were an old-fashioned hand-woven style, not cold to sit on in this weather.

Opening the window of the large room upstairs, he saw a persimmon tree in front. It hadn’t started bearing fruit yet. The green leaves rustled in the wind. Looking to the side was An Xiaoping’s home.

The terrain at the foot of Guanyin Mountain was higher than the old market. Looking out from the second floor, he could see distant lights glowing. It looked lively far away, but very quiet here.

Jiang Tingzhou stood at the window, took a deep breath, and felt at peace.

He quickly shared the news of his successful retirement and house purchase with two friends on WeChat—one was An Xiaoping and the other Tian Hui.

Tian Hui, a social butterfly, immediately expressed envy. She was busy with work and family and really had no time to visit.

Although An Xiaoping was surprised, he was also very happy. He naturally gave up on selling his own house, as he still had classes and couldn’t return immediately. But he sent Jiang Tingzhou a flurry of messages, including where to find the house keys.

“We’re finally living together! Brother, you should rest well from now on. You were sick because you were overworked before. In the future, the two of us will be a family. I’m sure I can earn money to support you. You can do whatever you want!”

Jiang Tingzhou was very happy. In the past two days, he found a quick and efficient cleaning team. They cleaned and tidied the houses on both sides, repaired the collapsed wall, installed a push-open fence gate, and bought some daily necessities. What had been an unused place was now clean and tidy.

The quilt was new. After washing, he hung it on the top floor to dry. It smelled like sunshine, helping him sleep well all night.

Yet the next morning, he woke up naturally and checked the time: 5:30 a.m. Exactly on the dot.

It was strange, but this was still his old work-rest schedule from when he was President Jiang.

He woke around the same time the previous two days, but those mornings he immediately started cleaning. Today, however, there was nothing urgent to do.

According to the plan, he should sleep in.

Jiang Tingzhou opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a while, trying to take a nap like before, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He looked at the clock—only three minutes had passed.

Not only did he fail to nap, but he became even more awake. He couldn’t fall asleep or force himself to do so, so he got up, dressed, and washed up.

Five-thirty wasn’t far from the six o’clock he planned to get up, but Jiang Tingzhou had been busy last night and went to bed near midnight. In such a short time, he still couldn’t change his biological clock of sleeping only five or six hours a day.

After washing up, he went out for breakfast.

He strolled through the morning market and ate freshly steamed soup dumplings.

It was still early, and there weren’t many people around. The dumplings had just been steamed—the skin was soft and the meat juicy. One bite, and the rich meat juices burst in his mouth with a strong, savory aroma.

Jiang Tingzhou ate slowly, and by the time he finished breakfast, it was only half past six. The sky was still dim during this season, and many people hadn’t gotten up yet.

After breakfast, he walked to the vegetable market and luckily found some good beef and fresh bell peppers for lunch. Then he returned home.

He put down his purchases and made some tea as planned but didn’t sip it leisurely. He didn’t know how to appreciate tea and had no interest in it. He drank it in a few sips.

It was okay—quite thirst-quenching.

With nothing else to do, Jiang Tingzhou turned on the TV and watched for a while. He didn’t have much on his mind. He didn’t like using his phone. There were books in the house, but after flipping through a few pages, he lost interest.

Today wasn’t completely free of work. He had invited a yard cleaning worker to come. This was the last cleaning task, but the worker wouldn’t arrive until 8:30.

Jiang Tingzhou went out and sat on the doorstep steps. He looked at the clouds for a while and saw stars twinkling before his eyes. He thought time must have passed a long while, but when he checked, it was only 7:30.

7:30!

He couldn’t figure out why time seemed to pass so slowly. Logically, if he was resting, time should fly.

Jiang Tingzhou always felt time passed quickly before. After a meeting, he would read some documents, and the day would pass in no time.

He stood up and walked around the yard a few times. Like an animal trapped in repetitive movements, questions swirled in his mind.

—I’m resting, yes, but… what am I supposed to do?