The week at the Jiangsu Cuisine Restaurant flew by.
That week, business was booming. As soon as the restaurant opened each day, the queueing numbers would be snatched up by eager diners.
They all ca for Jiang Feng’s culinary skills.
It was a win as long as they got to eat.
After a week of cooking, Jiang Feng finally got so downti, so he headed straight back to Eastern Shandong, to his villa.
It had been a long ti since he’d stayed in his large villa.
Little Black was extrely happy to be ho, itching to go out and play every day.
He had several good friends in the neighborhood.
When Jiang Feng took him for a walk, Little Black would run to the base of a particular building and bark a few tis toward the upper floors.
Soon after, a Golden Retriever would appear at a window looking down. Upon spotting Little Black, it would happily wag its tail.
A little while later, the Golden Retriever’s female owner would co down with her dog.
"Little Black is back, huh!" the woman greeted, smiling upon seeing Little Black.
"Yeah, he wants to go out as soon as he’s ho," Jiang Feng answered with a smile as well.
They were all neighbors in the community, and those who walked their dogs knew each other.
"He’s grown a bit bigger; his coat looks really good," the woman remarked, admiring Little Black’s shiny, black fur.
"He eats well," Jiang Feng replied cheerfully.
The woman knew Jiang Feng’s identity and chuckled.
While the two humans greeted each other, Little Black and the Golden Retriever communicated with low rumbles.
At first, both dogs seed excited, but as their conversation continued, Little Black suddenly beca unhappy. He barked twice, tugging at Jiang Feng to run in a different direction.
"What’s the matter?" Jiang Feng followed curiously.
It was precisely 6:00 PM, the perfect ti for walking dogs, and many residents chose this ti for their walks.
The Golden Retriever followed, wearing a smile as if enjoying the show.
Before long, Little Black led Jiang Feng deeper into the neighborhood. There, Jiang Feng noticed two dogs walking side by side in the distance.
One was a small Poranian, and the other a Labrador.
Jiang Feng then realized: the small Poranian used to get along well with Little Black. Little Black had been quite fond of it; it seed the Poranian was Little Black’s girlfriend.
But now, the Poranian was clearly getting along better with the Labrador.
He’d gone for a trip, and his ho got robbed, Jiang Feng thought. The Golden Retriever had probably told him about this, which was why Little Black beca so anxious. Quite interesting.
Little Black hurried over, and the Poranian also noticed him.
For a mont, all three dogs seed a bit awkward.
The owner of the Poranian and Labrador greeted Jiang Feng.
"Boss Jiang, you’re back!"
"Yes, taking a break at ho for a while."
"Little Black has grown; he’s looking more spirited."
"Yes, I feed him delicious food every day. He’s definitely gotten much stronger."
The humans exchanged friendly chatter, but the dogs were enacting a lodrama.
Little Black approached to greet the Poranian, but it backed away half a step, moving closer to the Labrador.
Are you serious with that half-step back? Such a small move, yet the hurt it caused was so imnse.
The Poranian had obviously had a change of heart.
Little Black whimpered, but the Poranian remained indifferent.
Then, it turned around with the Labrador and left. Their owners also led them away.
Little Black stood there, dumbfounded.
"It’s okay. The next one will be better; the next one will be more obedient," Jiang Feng consoled, patting Little Black’s head with a smile as he saw his dejected look.
"Finding a girlfriend isn’t difficult. I’ll take you to the ranch in a couple of days. There are lots of dogs there; you can pick anyone you want."
Little Black still seed a bit down.
Jiang Feng sighed.
Poor Little Black, played by a little Poranian, he thought. Actually, it wasn’t all that bad.
Because Little Black was quite the rover; he had caused trouble for many female dogs when he was out and about.
Then, Jiang Feng returned ho with Little Black.
Kitten sensed that Little Black was out of sorts. It ran over, curiously staring at him and owing a couple of tis as if in solace.
"It’s alright. I’ll make you Four-Happiness atballs today. Eat the atballs, and everything will be fine," Jiang Feng continued to comfort them both.
Life back ho was pretty interesting; even dog walking ca with surprises.
「Two days later.」
Jiang Feng was invited to Zhang Dashan’s Happy Ranch, bringing both Kitten and Little Black along.
This place was a resort village with nurous local dogs and sheepdogs on the ranch. As soon as Little Black arrived, he ran off to play.
As for the incident with the little Poranian from two days ago, it was already cast from his mind.
What should be let go must be let go; that’s the right approach.
"Boss Jiang, you’re finally back!" Zhang Dashan greeted him with a broad smile. "I’ve missed your cooking so much while you were off in the south!"
"Yeah, the restaurant is up and running, so I can rest a bit now," Jiang Feng replied.
"Today, we’re preparing roasted whole lamb. I had soone start it early; rest assured, it’ll be perfect," Zhang Dashan said. "Today you’re my guest. Just eat and drink well; that’s all you need to do."
"I should still make a couple of dishes," Jiang Feng offered. "I’ll stew a pot of ribs and stir-fry so quick-fried pork slices. It’ll add so variety and make the al even more delicious."
Jiang Feng was already very familiar with Happy Ranch.
Today was a gathering of friends, and Jiang Feng knew several of the people there.
They didn’t do much except eat, drink, gaze at the Grassland, watch the sika deer, and ride horses if they felt like it.
A stove was set up in an open area, supporting a large black pot. The table next to it was filled with seasonings and two large, fresh racks of ribs.
Jiang Feng had cooked for large rural feasts before, so stewing a pot of ribs was very simple for him; he was well-practiced.
Zhang Xinya ca over to help. She was quite pretty and got along well with Jiang Feng.
After bustling about for a while, they finally had the ribs stewing in the pot.
Jiang Feng took the opportunity to gaze into the distance at the open Grassland.
It was the season when the grass was lush and beautiful. The entire Grassland was a verdant green, with grass reaching ankle height. Viewing such a scene made one feel expansively content.
"Having a ranch like this wouldn’t be too bad," Jiang Feng mused with so yearning. "Just herd sheep and cattle every day."
"It’s not that simple," Zhang Xinya replied. "There’s a lot of work to be done, and the prices of cattle and sheep are unstable. Sotis the market crashes, and you don’t make much money. It’s a good thing our family has inco from the tourist side of the ranch. That’s pure profit with no risk; otherwise, it would be difficult."
"Actually, I quite fancy having a piece of Grassland myself. Riding around on a horse would feel great," Jiang Feng said.
"You could rent so grassland in Mongolia or even buy a ranch. For a big boss like you, buying grassland should be a piece of cake," Zhang Xinya suggested.
"Well, that’s not really necessary. I don’t have the ti to manage it," Jiang Feng replied.
The two chatted idly.
This kind of small gathering felt very pleasant.
On the nearby open ground, ranch employees turned a spit, roasting a whole sheep. The high temperature scorched its surface, gradually turning it golden. Occasionally, oil would sizzle out, run down the at, and drip onto the charcoal, making a TCHSSSSS sound.
The aroma of the roast lamb was incredibly appetizing.
The lamb raised on the ranch was especially good. Having grown up grazing, it had very little gay taste, and the at was tender and delicious.
Eating lamb on the Grassland was truly a delight.
The pot of pork ribs was also stewing in broth.
As the high temperature worked its magic, the ribs turned a rich, glossy brown. The aroma seeped from the edges of the pot lid, making mouths water in anticipation.
Zhang Dashan couldn’t resist any longer. He approached the pot, saying, "Boss Jiang, these ribs look about done. Let taste a piece to see if they’re cooked."
He lifted the pot lid and fished out a rib. Then, after blowing on it lightly, he put it to his mouth and took a bite.
The at had been stewed until it was fall-off-the-bone tender, deeply flavorful and delicious.
With just a gentle tug, the at slid off the bone.
The rich, savory sensation spread in his mouth. The steam from the piping hot at seed to soften his very tongue.
It was so delicious he was lost for words. Eating it made one feel utterly refreshed.
This was the feeling, this sensation of pure deliciousness.
As a main dish at village feasts, iron pot stewed ribs were definitely one of the most popular. And it was very suitable for this kind of outdoor cooking.
Today’s gathering felt different, all because of this pot of ribs.
"Are they cooked?" Jiang Feng asked with a smile.
"Cooked! They’re cooked! And really tasty!" Zhang Dashan exclaid. "We can eat now! Let’s get ready and have a drink first." He quickly called the others over.
Soon, the group sat down at the table.
The table was laid with several cold dishes and preserved ats. There were also a few bottles of Maotai.
The roast lamb was almost ready. Ranch employees brought a large platter and used a long knife to carve the at from the lamb’s four legs.
The legs cook first and are also the tastiest part of the lamb. This roast lamb, marinated overnight and then barbecued for over four hours, tasted like a revelation.
The ribs, served in two large basins, were brought to the table.
This al was a carnivore’s delight.
Everyone raised their glasses. After a toast, they started devouring large chunks of at.
While the others went straight for the ribs, Jiang Feng took a few slices of the roast lamb.
The at felt slightly dry at first bite. But after just a few chews, its rich flavor was released.
The ranch employees had done an excellent job roasting it; the at’s flavor was very good. After all, practice makes perfect.
"Mmm, not bad," Jiang Feng said, very satisfied with the taste of the roast lamb.
The others were even more pleased, savoring the ribs Jiang Feng had prepared.
These ribs were so flavorful; the taste had penetrated deep into every part of the at. And Jiang Feng had mastered the cooking ti perfectly.
The at was incredibly tender and perfectly cooked, not over-stewed at all.
Eating heartily, everyone was thoroughly enjoying themselves. Everyone was happy.
Jiang Feng enjoyed himself too.
Little Black was playing with the other dogs.
Kitten stayed by Jiang Feng’s feet, lying down quietly and not wandering off.
After ending his life as a street vendor, things had beco more relaxed.
The Grassland breeze felt very comfortable.
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