The growth system comes at the age of 30

Chapter 258 Who wouldn't love this? (5.2K views, please vote and subscribe)

Li Qiguang's study was slightly different from the company office, but one thing was the same: a tea tray and tea set.

Therefore, Chen Jingle used it with ease.

He had previously learned some simple tea-brewing techniques, not aiming for anything fancy, but at least knowing what kind of tea to use and what kind of water to use.

Because each type of tea has a different degree of fermentation and a different processing method, the brewing techniques and water temperatures are different and not universally applicable.

For example, green tea is best brewed at 85 degrees Celsius for 2-3 minutes, preferably in a glass cup, and the first infusion should be poured out in 10-15 seconds.
For black tea, use 90-degree water and steep for 3-5 minutes. The first infusion should ideally be poured out in no more than 5 seconds, emphasizing a "quick in, quick out" approach.

Even the best tea won't taste good if it's brewed incorrectly, which will greatly affect the flavor.

Chen Jingle brewed the tea before Li Qiguang came out from behind the desk.

"Take a look at this for me."

He took out a calligraphy work, unfolded it, and said, "I got this from a friend a while ago."

Chen Jingle glanced at it twice; the quality of the handwriting...

Okay, putting aside the skill level, he didn't even recognize the signature, so he obviously wasn't a famous artist. He immediately laughed and asked, "How much did you pay?"

Seeing his expression, Li Qiguang frowned immediately: "Twenty thousand. He said it was a work by the vice president of the Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting Art Association, but I've never heard of this person. The information I found online shows that he is a national-level calligraphy master and has an official identity, which I find very dubious. I had a few drinks at the time, and he kept pushing it on me. It didn't seem too expensive, so I reluctantly bought it, thinking of it as spending money to do someone a favor."

"What's your relationship with this friend like?" Chen Jingle asked casually.

Li Qiguang's heart sank: "So-so, we've only worked together before."

Chen Jingle laughed and said, "First of all, this so-called Poetry, Calligraphy and Painting Art Association is just a shady, fake association. There are many similar fake associations, each with a more impressive-sounding name than the last, but they're all fraudulent. The official list is detailed; you can check it later. In these fake associations, titles and awards are all openly priced. Even the president and vice president positions can be filled as long as you can afford to pay. Besides being a gimmick to fool people, they serve no purpose whatsoever. As for their actual skill level..."

He paused, glanced at Li Qiguang's face, and sneered, "500 per piece is the most I can offer."

Li Qiguang's lips twitched.

unlucky!

I spent 20,000 yuan on this piece of junk!
Chen Jingle didn't directly comment on his friend's work, only saying that the calligraphy wasn't worth much. Whether it was intentional or accidental was left for Li Qiguang to decide.

The result is actually quite obvious.

Li Qiguang sighed, feeling utterly bored. He rolled up the scroll and casually tossed it onto the coffee table.

I paid 20,000 yuan for a lesson, so frustrating!
After thinking for a moment, he asked, "When will the New Year be over in your hometown?"

"What?" Chen Jingle asked, puzzled.

Li Qiguang picked up his teacup and blew on it lightly: "Waiting for you to come back to the company and start work."

Chen Jingle blinked: "What does the company starting operations have to do with me? I'm just a consultant."

It's not even Chinese New Year yet, and you're already thinking about resuming work after the holiday. Old Li, you have a really bad conscience!

Li Qiguang glanced at him sideways: "Consultants also get paid, more than two million a year. In terms of salary alone, you're in the top three in the whole company. Can't you be a little more attentive?"

"Am I not attentive enough?"

Chen Jingle spread his hands: "Normally, consultants only need to go to the company twice a month, but I go three or four times. I've visited and followed up on several construction sites, and the progress is all within the plan, and there haven't been any problems. As long as the overall direction is developing smoothly, it means there aren't many things that need to be changed. If there are to be all sorts of changes, that would be a real headache."

Li Qiguang was speechless: "So how long do you plan to take a vacation?"

"At least until after the Lantern Festival," Chen Jingle thought for a moment.

He actually wanted to say he would take a break after the first month of the lunar calendar, but he knew Old Li wouldn't agree if he said it.

"After the Lantern Festival, February will be halfway over!"

"Isn't there still half a month left?"

I didn't say I wouldn't work, I'm just lazy and I resist going to work.

Don't forget that he has many calligraphy and painting orders that he hasn't completed yet. These all take time, plus other things. Going to the company once will take at least half a day, and if he's unlucky, it could take two or even three days. This means that his plans will have to be postponed.

Old Li is a very cunning man; he only knows how to take advantage of him.

As a result, Chen Jingle was forced to learn a lot of management knowledge.

Li Qiguang frowned: "Work starts on the eighth day of the lunar new year. At least come back for a meeting."

Chen Jingle thought for a moment and said, "Okay." He didn't care about the opening bonus; the main thing was to give his future father-in-law face.

Li Qiguang added, "Besides the construction site, try to familiarize yourself with the operations of other departments as well."

Although he is in good health and should be able to work until he is 65 or even 70, it does not mean that he does not want to retire and is willing to work until he is in his seventies or eighties.

What's the point of that?
Retire early and stay home to help take care of your grandchildren!

Therefore, arrangements need to be made as early as possible.

Chen Jingle thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay."

Anyway, he'll just leave after the meeting.

……

The living room downstairs.

Li Beixing sat next to Jiang Zhiqin, staring intently at the corner of the stairs upstairs.

Almost ten minutes had passed since Chen Jingle was called into the study by her father, and those ten minutes were a bit agonizing for Li Beixing.

The thought of Chen Jingle possibly being severely tortured by her father makes me want to laugh.

After laughing, I felt a little worried.

I hope Comrade Li won't make things difficult for Chen Jingle.

So I asked, "Mom, what do you think they were talking about in the study?"

"How would I know!" Jiang Zhiqin said dismissively, her mind preoccupied with other things.

She had just chatted with Chen Jingle for a while, and by combining the information she got from Chen Jingle with that from her daughter, she gained a deeper understanding of her future son-in-law's family situation.

Although they are not a wealthy family, they are reliable and dependable, making them a good in-law family.

Who didn't come from poverty?
In a small place like Jiangbei, there wasn't even a landlord from the old society, let alone any aristocratic families or powerful clans; they were all nouveau riche!

Li Beixing, resting his chin on his hand, suddenly smiled broadly: "How was it? Not bad, right?"

Ok?
Jiang Zhiqin came to her senses, pondered the meaning of her daughter's words, stroked her daughter's hair, and smiled with satisfaction: "My good daughter's taste is naturally impeccable."

Li Beixing chuckled: "Of course! Isn't he more handsome than your husband?"

Jiang Zhiqin rolled her eyes in annoyance: "Don't talk about your dad like that!"

Li Beixing makes a funny face.

The saying "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" couldn't be more accurate when applied to her.

In the eyes of Teacher Li, who is obsessed with love, Chen Jingle is the best person in the world!
In fact, anyone would like Chen Jingle based on all the aspects he has shown.

However, despite her satisfaction and appreciation, Jiang Zhiqin remained cautious and decided to observe Chen Jingle for a while longer.

After all, some things can be faked, but you can't fake it forever. As long as you spend more time together, any problems will eventually be exposed.

You can't blame her. She's the only daughter in the family, and everything will belong to her eventually. It's hard to guarantee that someone won't try to sabotage her.

Be careful and you won’t make a big mistake!
……

Seeing Chen Jingle and Li Qiguang come out of the building with calm expressions, Li Beixing breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems the conversation went well, and no arguments occurred.

Then Chen Jingle went to the yard to check on the growth of the bougainvillea for Jiang Zhiqin, and to prune it appropriately. He also took care of the other flowers and plants.

"Hey, when did you secretly learn the cloisonné technique?"

Li Beixing followed him and finally found an opportunity to ask quietly.

Chen Jingle turned around and smiled, "Just a few days ago. You know, I always learn things very quickly."

The choice of gift was something he had thought about long ago, but the plan was only put into action a few days ago. After all, it was Li Beixing's idea to invite him to meet his future in-laws that came up on a whim.

The time was a bit tight, but fortunately things went smoothly in the end.

"You can make a set of cloisonné jewelry like this in just a few days?" Li Beixing found it hard to believe.

Chen Jingle smiled and said, "Strictly speaking, it's not all handmade. It's based on the lost-wax casting method, and then gold wire inlay and gemstone embellishment are done. This saves a lot of time."

Of course, only the main body is molded, because under normal circumstances, the wire in a molded form will look rather rough. If all of them were molded, they would become mass-produced products, losing the unique spirit of the wire inlay process and looking very dull. So I chose to mold the main body.

After polishing, the surface is then hand-finished with filigree, creating a double layer, which makes it look better than a regular casting. This is the most cost-effective method I can think of. Otherwise, with hand-finished filigree setting, I could only make one bracelet at most in several days, not a complete set.

"So that's how it is..." Li Beixing suddenly realized.

It still sounds really impressive!

too strong!
"Looks alright, right?"

Chen Jingle asked with a smile.

Li Beixing tilted his head: "I think it looks great. Maybe I don't know much about cloisonné enamel, so I can't tell the difference between it and a purely handmade one. At least it looks high-quality. How many grams of gold did you use for this set?"

"Not much, the bracelet is 55, the pendant is 5.8, and the earrings are 4.2, totaling 65 grams, which is alright," Chen Jingle smiled.

Gold prices have rebounded from their previous decline and are approaching 630, but it doesn't feel like they've reached their target yet. After analyzing the international and domestic situation, Chen Jingle gritted his teeth and continued to increase his investment in gold, purchasing more physical gold.

Li Beixing pouted slightly: "65 grams, that's not cheap. You don't earn money easily, so you should be more careful with your spending."

She was initially a little jealous, but after hearing that it would require so much gold, she changed her mind and didn't want it anymore.

Just a while ago, Chen Jingle gave her a 50-gram gold bracelet, so how could she possibly let him spend so much money again?

She's fine with spending her own money, but when it comes to spending Chen Jingle's, she really feels bad.

Chen Jingle looked at her for two seconds, feeling a surge of warmth in her heart, and smiled, "Actually, I made more than one set."

Li Beixing was taken aback, then overjoyed.

So that's what you were waiting for!
Chen Jing chuckled and secretly grabbed Teacher Li's hand, holding it tightly in his own.

How could I only make one set for my future mother-in-law? Wouldn't that seem like I was being biased?
In fact, he made three sets, which took a lot of time and money.

……

Around 10:30, Wang Fang, also known as Aunt Wang, returned.

The dishes to be prepared today are all high-end banquet dishes, so she has to personally select the best quality ingredients.

Many ingredients need to be ordered in advance, so of course we have to be careful about their quality.

Regardless of the outcome of this meeting, we must not lose face for the host family and must provide them with proper hospitality.

Just now, Jiang Zhiqin secretly called to ask her to add two more items.

Wang Fang guessed that the boss's family must be quite satisfied with their future son-in-law, otherwise they wouldn't have made a special phone call to give him instructions.

In that case, we need to be extra careful.

As soon as Wang Fang entered the house, she saw a young man sitting on the sofa. Even just looking at his profile, she felt that he was no ordinary person.

When Li Beixing saw Aunt Wang return, his eyes lit up immediately. He pulled Chen Jingle to stand up and said, "Aunt Wang, you're back? Come, let me introduce you."

She smiled and said to Wang Fang, "This is my boyfriend, Chen Jingle."

After saying that, he smiled at Chen Jingle and said, "Look, this is Aunt Wang, whom I told you about. Our family depends on her for all three meals a day."

Aunt Wang had been cooking for them for many years, and Li Beixing treated her as an elder, but he never treated her like a servant; that's not proper.

Hello, Aunt Wang.

Chen Jingle smiled and nodded in greeting.

After Wang Fang saw Chen Jingle's appearance clearly, her first impression was that he was stunning. She immediately nodded and said, "Hello, hello!"

Is this the future son-in-law?

She's so beautiful!
This is the first time I've witnessed so vividly what it means to be handsome and dignified.

Wow, she looks completely different from ordinary people. I've never seen such a good-looking person before. She's even more beautiful than people on TV!

I couldn't help but take a second look.

Looking at Li Beixing standing together, what a perfect couple they are!

At this moment, Chen Jingle quickly picked up a bag from the coffee table: "Aunt Wang, this is a gift for you."

"Oh? I have one too? Oh, I can't accept this." Aunt Wang was flattered.

Chen Jingle smiled and stuffed the bag into her hand: "Don't be shy! Beixing told me that you are a chef and your food is super delicious. I came here today to freeload a meal and I'm hoping to try your cooking!"

The gift for Aunt Wang was a 2.5-gram cloisonné gold gourd pendant.

As a fellow cook, Chen Jingle understands very well the importance of being in charge of cooking at home.

You should know that in history, there have been three emperors who were killed by their cooks. How could you not treat your cooks well!
Aunt Wang beamed with joy at the compliment: "Cooking is all I know how to do."

……

As he watched the expensive ingredients being delivered to his door and into his kitchen, Chen Jingle realized that money really can solve a lot of problems.

He had never seen anything like this before.

Wild grouper, a high-end ingredient in the eyes of ordinary people, is not even considered here. Chen Jingle saw a large yellow croaker weighing about four or five pounds, which looked wild.

Hiss~ Ha!
Wouldn't that cost tens of thousands of yuan per piece?!

He was itching to try it himself, but then thought better of it and decided against it, not wanting to steal the show.

Chen Jingle suddenly remembered that the handmade pastries she brought were still unopened, so she quietly told Li Beixing.

Li Beixing smiled and took it out, then helped open it.

Li Qiguang and Jiang Zhiqin both turned their gazes over, and were immediately surprised after seeing what was in the box.

Because of the unique shape of these pastries, which resemble adorable pandas.

Huh?
"What is this?" Jiang Zhiqin asked curiously.

"Panda Pastry." Chen Jingle smiled slightly: "It's a classic creation by Master Wang, a national treasure-level pastry master. I think the panda holding bamboo is a great shape and very cute, so I learned to make it."

He had previously made jujube pastries and apple pastries, and this time he tried making panda pastries shaped like animals.

Each panda pastry is made by adding fillings such as lotus seed paste or red bean paste, shaping the dough into a rough form, attaching black sesame seeds to the black part, and then baking it in a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes.

The panda-shaped pastries are now ready.

The term "crispy" refers to the rapid evaporation of moisture from the surface of ingredients at high temperatures, resulting in a crispy texture.

For these types of flaky pastries, the key is the layered texture of the pastry. It must not be damaged during the shaping process, otherwise it will change drastically during baking, affecting both appearance and taste.

That's where the phrase "so crumbly it crumbles" comes from.

Li Beixing's eyes lit up, and he couldn't wait to pick one up, examine it carefully, and then put it in his mouth.

Li Qiguang and Jiang Zhiqin: "..."

Look how greedy this little glutton is!

Despite having eaten Chen Jingle's dishes, snacks, and desserts many times, Li Beixing was still amazed every time.

Including this time.

"Mom and Dad, you want to try some of the snacks Chen Jingle made?"

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Li Beixing smiled and said...

Li Qiguang and his companion were quite confident in Chen Jingle's culinary skills. Whether it was noodles or beef sauce, his skills proved to be on par with Aunt Wang's.

How bad could his pastries be?
So each of them took one and ate a little panda in one bite!

Hmm, you know what, this taste is really something special.

I thought it was just pretty, but I was surprised to find that the taste and texture were also very good. What's amazing is that the flavors are very natural and harmonious.

Eating food made by Chen Jingle always gives me this feeling.

"Very good!" Jiang Zhiqin nodded, giving it high praise.

She had become somewhat numb to Chen Jingle's talents, feeling that nothing else he could do would be surprising.

Li Qiguang then said, "Take it and let your Aunt Wang try it too."

He ate one and then stopped. It wasn't that it didn't taste good; it's just that he's getting older and has less interest in these kinds of foods, and it's the same with all sugary foods.

Jiang Zhiqin was the same.

Li Beixing nodded and carried the box into the kitchen.

"Aunt Wang, these are pastries made by Jingle. Why don't you try one?"

Aunt Wang, who was preparing various ingredients, was quite surprised when she saw it: "These are panda pastries?!"

As a former head chef, she has that kind of discernment.

Li Beixing replied with a smile, "Yes!"

"Mr. Chen can do this too?" Aunt Wang asked in surprise.

Li Beixing chuckled, "Actually, he's a pretty good cook too."

Aunt Wang had no idea that the jade fish and beef sauce she couldn't perfectly replicate before were Chen Jingle's masterpiece.

"Okay, I'll try one."

Wang Fang washed her hands, picked up a panda pastry, and just by looking at the surface, she could tell that the pastry was cooked perfectly, without any mistakes. It was definitely made by an experienced baker.

I just don’t know how it tastes.

Put it in your mouth and take a bite—

"Fragrant, sweet, and crispy, the crust ratio is perfect, and the taste is fantastic!"

Aunt Wang was surprised, but also somewhat doubtful and cautious.

Clearly, Chen Jingle's skill level is far beyond that of an ordinary food enthusiast.

He immediately wondered to himself: Could it be that he was apprenticed to some master pastry chef?
(Last day of April, please vote with monthly tickets! Also, the editor said there's a big recommendation in May, and we're aiming for a top ranking, so I'm pre-ordering a May monthly ticket. If you could also pre-order a June monthly ticket, that would be even better, with the same exchange terms as April. Thank you for your support, I'm extremely grateful!)
(End of this chapter)