Courtyard House: Purchasing Agents' Comeback from the Great Famine

"Dinner's ready."

Wu Yun and Qin Jingru each carried out two large bowls of food, instantly filling the courtyard with their delicious aroma.

Qin Jingru made stir-fried mutton with scallions for lunch today. Her master made spicy diced chicken, shiitake mushroom and chicken, braised pork, five-spice beef, and hot and sour cabbage, a total of five main dishes and one vegetarian dish.

Wang Feng tidied the table. Instead of taking out the ginseng and tiger bone wine, he opened a bottle of Fenjiu, poured a glass for Wu Jing, and then poured one for himself, smiling as he said:

"Uncle Wu, let me toast you. I'll drink this first as a sign of respect."

With that, Wang Feng downed the drink in one gulp.

Wu Jing laughed heartily and said generously, "Alright, alright, I'll do it."

After downing a glass of wine, Wu Jing revealed a satisfied smile.

"Jingru, Wang Feng is a capable kid. You won't regret following him. But if Wang Feng ever bullies you, come to your master. Your master will definitely stand up for you."

When Wu Jing went to the kitchen, he saw that there was not only a rooster, but also pork, mutton, and even beef. Just based on this, it was enough to show that Wang Feng was quite capable, especially the beef, which was not something that money could buy.

Even if he wanted to get these ingredients, he would have to go through a lot of favors.

Qin Jingru felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing her master's words. She smiled sweetly and said:

"Thank you, Master. Brother Wang Feng is so good to me. You can rest assured, Master and Mistress."

Zhang Jing glared at Wu Jing: "You're so nosy! The young couple is doing great, do you need to tell me? Hurry up and try Jingru's cooking."

"Yes, yes, eat vegetables."

Wu Jing laughed heartily, picked up a piece of stir-fried mutton with scallions, and put it in his mouth.

Soon, his eyes widened, and he looked at Qin Jingru with an expression of disbelief.

It was absolutely delicious, spicy and savory, cooked to perfection. The heat was just right – not too much, not too little. It was a masterpiece of knife skills, heat control, and stir-frying techniques, something even he himself couldn't match.

"This...this! Jingru, your progress these past few days has been incredible! Even...even your master can't compare to you!"

boom.

This statement came out.

Zhang Jing and Wu Yun stared wide-eyed at Qin Jingru, their faces filled with shock and disbelief, as if they had seen a ghost.

Who is Wu Jing? He is a master chef of state banquets, and a top-notch master chef of state banquets in Beijing. How could they not be shocked when he said this?

Qin Jingru chuckled. She loved being looked at like that. She proudly raised her snow-white neck, about to boast a little, but remembering Wang Feng's constant advice to keep a low profile, she smiled and shook her head, saying:

"Master, please don't praise me. How can I compare to you? I've only been learning from you for a few months. I'll be happy as long as you don't think I'm slow."

Wu Jing glared at Qin Jingru: "Jingru, I, Wu Jing, have been cooking all my life. If it's delicious, it's delicious; if it's not delicious, it's not delicious. If I say your stir-fried mutton with scallions is better than mine, then there's absolutely no mistake. Are you trying to act tough with your master? Don't I know what kind of person you are?"

He knew very well that Qin Jingru liked to show off whenever she made progress in her cooking lessons at Fengzeyuan.

After a pause, Wu Jing said speechlessly, "You absolutely have to cook something for me and your master's wife today. Aren't you just trying to show off in front of your master and his wife?"

Qin Jingru chuckled: "Master, I was wrong."

Wu Jing sighed, "I never imagined that I, Wu Jing, would one day be surpassed by an apprentice who has only studied with me for a few months?"

"Jingru, your culinary talent is the strongest I have ever seen. With your current culinary skills, you are enough to rank in the top five in the entire city of Beijing. Your master has no hope. You must continue to work hard and strive to get the first place for your master, or even the first place in the country, or even the first place in the world. That way, your master will have something to be proud of when he talks about it."

Zhang Jing stared at Wu Jing, speechless, until she also took a bite of the stir-fried mutton with scallions, and then asked blankly:

"Old Wu, is Jingru's cooking really among the top five in Beijing?"

Wu Jing nodded solemnly: "A minimum of top five, or even top three."

"Okay, okay."

Zhang Jing said "good" three times in a row, grasped Qin Jingru's small hand, and said excitedly:

"Jingru, your master comes from a family of chefs. If you can become the best chef in Beijing in the future, it will be a way of fulfilling your master's unfulfilled wish."

When Wu Yun saw that the group had gotten into talking about how they were number one in Beijing and number one in the country, she rolled her eyes speechlessly, picked up a piece of stir-fried mutton with scallions, and put it in her mouth.

Soon, her chopsticks were constantly moving, and pieces of mutton were going into her mouth.

She wouldn't be that stupid. What's the point of being first or second if you're not full?

Wang Feng was similar to Wu Yun; he ate with a mouthful of wine and a mouthful of meat, his mouth greasy with oil.

Qin Jingru was shocked by her master and mistress's words. They wanted her to become the number one chef in Beijing? The number one in the country? Or even the number one in the world?

She wasn't a professional chef. The reason she went to learn cooking was because Wang Feng asked her to. She wanted Wang Feng to be able to eat delicious meals every day, and also to get a city residency permit by working at the steel mill. As for what she wanted to be number one, well, forget about that.

Her family is neither short of money nor food; they take out hundreds of kilograms of gold from their house. They even have a company in Hong Kong. And most importantly, she knows that Brother Wang Feng doesn't like her cooking for others.

She's the eldest daughter of the Wang family; if it weren't for the restrictions here, she would have been living the life of a wealthy lady long ago.

However, she didn't offend her master and mistress, and smiled as she invited them to eat. Anyway, she definitely wouldn't go and compete in cooking with a group of grown men.

The meal was finished amidst Wu Jing and his companions' shock and bewilderment.

Wu Jing never expected that in just over a year, his apprentice's culinary skills would surpass his own, a top-tier state banquet chef who had spent his entire life cooking. Could this really be explained by mere talent?

Recalling the scene when Wang Feng brought Qin Jingru to him to become his apprentice, Wu Jing still felt it was somewhat unreal. He had known for a long time that Jingru had a talent for cooking, but now Jingru's cooking skills had surpassed his, her master's, which made him both somewhat unacceptable and very gratified.

After the meal, under Qin Jingru's warm hospitality, Wu Jing and the others drank a pot of tea before leaving, despite Wang Feng and Qin Jingru's attempts to persuade them to stay.