Landlord in the Arctic

Chapter 327 - 261: Taking a Master

Grumbling aside, while the old men had started out by nitpicking and criticizing every aspect of the camp, the advice they offered was actually quite insightful. It truly gave Feng Mountain some brand-new ideas and a new sense of direction.

Afterward, Feng Mountain, feeling as if he’d struck gold, began to wander around the camp with the four consultants.

The group ambled along like idlers on a street corner, stopping and starting as they pleased. The moment they found something worth talking about, they’d stand right there and launch into a discussion.

They discussed everything, from the camp’s layout and planning to potential future tourism projects and how to best utilize the surrounding natural resources.

Before they knew it, it was noon.

So they decided to head over to Su Ziweng’s Chinese restaurant for lunch.

When the chef from China saw Old Zhang in his rabbit-ear hat, he was overcome with excitement, acting as if he were greeting a long-lost relative.

This was a clear sign of Old Zhang’s considerable influence in the culinary world; otherwise, a fellow chef wouldn’t have been so thrilled to see him.

"See? What did I tell you? Old Zhang is the real deal. If your restaurant could master even half of his skills, you’d be considered top-tier even back in China."

Old Liu added smugly, giving a thumbs-up and wiggling it for emphasis.

Feng Mountain quickly called a waiter over and asked him to fetch Jenny.

「A short while later.」

Jenny hurried into the Chinese restaurant and found Feng Mountain.

"Khilla."

"Come here. Let me introduce you to a very famous chef from China," Feng Mountain said, pointing at Old Zhang.

Jenny followed his gesture and saw an old man in a rabbit-ear hat sitting there.

"Xiaofeng, is this your wife?" Old Liu’s brow furrowed slightly when he saw the scar on Jenny’s face, but his expression otherwise remained neutral. He was just asking casually.

The other three old men also saw the scar on Jenny’s face. Although they said nothing, a barely perceptible flicker of surprise flashed in their eyes.

After all, these were seasoned old-timers who had seen all walks of life. They quickly composed themselves, their faces still holding kind smiles, not wanting to make Jenny feel uncomfortable over something so trivial.

"Gentlemen, she’s not my wife. It’s, well..." Feng Mountain explained quickly. So as not to embarrass Jenny, he lowered his voice and added, "She was homeless when I took her in back in Fairbanks. The employees you’ve seen, they were all homeless before. The scar on Jenny’s face is from domestic violence. Her husband got drunk and cut her with a knife."

Hearing Feng Mountain’s words, the four men’s expressions instantly turned grim, their eyes filled with indignation.

"That’s just despicable. How could a man be so cruel to his own partner?"

"If I ever saw that son of a bitch, I’d beat him to death."

"Xiaofeng, you did a good thing. That shows real character."

Jenny watched with a smile as Feng Mountain and the four men conversed in Chinese. Though she was curious about what they were discussing, she could guess it probably had to do with the scar on her face.

But after some time to heal, she no longer cared about it.

The pain was in the past. Now, she just wanted to live happily, pour her heart into running the Chinese restaurant, and not let Feng Mountain down.

Although they had all met at the restaurant a few days prior, this was the first time Feng Mountain was formally introducing them, which gave the meeting a different significance.

Jenny immediately and confidently greeted the four men.

"Hello, I’m your daddy!"

The four men dropped their cavalier attitudes and nodded back at Jenny, their eyes full of warmth and friendliness.

And knowing of Jenny’s unfortunate past, they paid no mind to her mangled greeting.

"Have a seat. Today you’ll try some authentic Chinese food, not the Americanized stuff," Feng Mountain said with a smile, pulling out the chair beside him and gesturing for Jenny to sit.

Of the old men, only Lao Liu could speak English. Between him and Feng Mountain helping to translate, Jenny’s conversation with the others went smoothly enough.

As they chatted back and forth, the atmosphere grew increasingly relaxed and pleasant.

「Soon.」

The Chinese restaurant’s chef brought out several platters of authentic Chinese dishes.

Crispy fried pork, double-cooked beef, braised beef, Sichuan boiled meat slices, and spicy diced chicken.

Back in the Crown Territory, Feng Mountain had been the only one who could cook Chinese food. But as the camp got busier, he couldn’t find the time to be in the kitchen, and eventually, he just started eating at the restaurant.

Jenny’s cooking, on the other hand, was more of a Chinese-Western fusion. While it couldn’t compare to authentic Chinese cuisine, it tasted decent enough.

As the platters of Chinese dishes—perfect in color, aroma, and flavor—were set on the table, the mere scent made Feng Mountain’s mouth water and his stomach growl with anticipation.

"Elder Zhang, my skills are limited, but please, have a taste," the chef said, looking anxious as he wiped his hands on his apron.

"Mm."

Old Zhang picked up his chopsticks, selected a piece of diced chicken, and placed it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, deliberately, as if meticulously tasting every single spice and analyzing every nuance of the texture.

After swallowing, he gave a slight nod, his face showing a look of approval.

"Your control of the heat is good, and the flavor is right. It’s a shame about the chicken, but you can’t find authentic free-range chicken in the United States anyway."

The chef immediately nodded in agreement. "Exactly! All they sell in Alaska are grain-fed chickens. The meat is tender to the point of being mushy, with no real bite to it. No matter what dish you make, the flavor is never quite authentic."

"A while back, I went through a lot of trouble to import a batch of authentic free-range chickens from China. But when the foreigners tried it, they actually said the meat was too tough and didn’t taste good!"

"Casting pearls before swine! What do they know about real food!"

Old Zhang snorted, his tone dripping with disdain.