Translated by Pure

Edited by Alkonost

Chapter 51.3 The Market For These Sauces Might Not Be Any Smaller Than My Television Sets. 

Their wonderful life of cohabitation started just like that– without warning or reason.

Deng Mai, who bumped into Lin Jingzhe getting out of Xiao Chi's car at the entrance of the company, was quite puzzled. "Brother Lin, why did you come to the company with Mr. Xiao today?"

Lin Jingzhe’s heart pounded at his inadvertent interrogation, but he still maintained a serious face, "Oh, we were discussing some matters."

Deng Mai had no reason to doubt Lin Jingzhe, so he believed it immediately. After his curiosity was satisfied, he spread the manila folder he was holding on Lin Jingzhe's desk. "By the way, Brother Lin, this was delivered by Mr. Hu personally this morning. It’s the Triangular Plot’s Mixed-Use Building Plan developed as a joint venture between Flux Realty and our company."

Lin Jingzhe flipped through it, only to find that this was also a supplementary contract. Party A and Party B were earnestly used, corresponding to the names of Xiao Chi and Lin Jingzhe. In a rigid but professional manner, this contract addressed the interests and cooperation between the two parties. 

While reading, Lin Jingzhe couldn't help but recall their intense love session yesterday; it took him a while to concentrate on the content of the text——

The application for the demolition of Flux Realty’s building  next to the triangular plot had been approved. Once the two sides held a few more meetings around the development details of the Mix-Use Building, the project could officially commence.

Flux Realty already had their construction team on standby. They would get right to work as soon as someone gave the word; their efficiency was impeccable. It was undoubtedly a very worry-free thing to cooperate with such a company; both parties had yet to have any unpleasant disputes from the beginning to the present.

Lin Jingzhe couldn’t help looking fondly at the name of ‘Party A’ in the contract, but after reading the document, he still asked, "Have you invited Lawyer Zhang to analyze this contract?"

Deng Mai nodded immediately. "Lawyer Zhang has read it. Apart from it being very professional and precise, he said this contract will not put our company at any disadvantage."

"That's good." Lin Jingzhe nodded with relief. "Go and get our company seal."

Deng Mai took away the signed and stamped contract, and when he was about to leave, he suddenly thought of something. He stopped himself from leaving the office, turned around, and said to Lin Jingzhe: "Brother Lin, I almost forgot. Do you still remember Wang Quan? When we went to Changqing City with Mr. Dai and the others, he was the one who reserved a private room for our group that night."

Lin Jingzhe nodded. "Yes, what about him?"

"He contacted me in the morning. He said that he was in Yan City now and would like to treat you to a meal. I told him I wasn’t sure since you had been busy recently." Deng Mai asked, "Do you want to meet him?" 

Lin Jingzhe frowned slightly. He still remembered Wang Quan, who was in the manufacturing industry. That man also seemed to know Qi Qing.

What was this man’s intention in inviting him for a meal? Lin Jingzhe actually had a pretty good impression of him. Wang Quan knew how to advance and retreat, and was very insightful. What's more rare was that he knew how to conduct himself. There was no harm in building a good relationship with such a man.

He thought for a while and asked Deng Mai, "What time is it?"

Deng Mai glanced at his watch. "Twelve o'clock."

"Call Mr. Wang and ask him if he has eaten." Lin Jingzhe said. "If not, ask him to have lunch together with me."

Deng Mai nodded, "Which restaurant? Yan City Lodge?"

Lin Jingzhe shook his head. 

He wanted to get closer to a manufacturing industrialist like Wang Quan. There was no need to go to those luxury restaurants, they were flashy but would, in turn, decrease their affinity. After thinking about it, he simply stated, "I haven't been to Aunt Zhou’s shop in a long time, let’s make an appointment on Sun Street.”

******

Standing at the door of the most popular snack bar on Sun Street, Wang Quan couldn't help but look at the simple front and the frantically queuing crowd in a daze.

He had already eaten but Wang Quan insisted he was still hungry since he had important matters to discuss with Lin Jingzhe. He thought that people like Lin Jingzhe would definitely find a luxurious restaurant when meeting someone, but unexpectedly, his car stopped at the door of such a humble shop.

Lin Jingzhe led him in as if nothing had happened. Mother Zhou, who was busy by the stove, was pleasantly surprised by his arrival. She hurriedly called Father Gao into the store to lead him in.

The small shop was obviously very prosperous. When the curtain was lifted, the cool air inside gushed out. The generous Mother Zhou had already installed a portable air conditioner in the shop.

Wang Quan followed Lin Jingzhe into the store in a daze and was taken to the attic. After he sat down, he still couldn’t withdraw his surprised expression. "I didn't expect...Mr. Lin, you would also come to such a place."

From Lin Jingzhe's appearance, Wang Quan assumed he was a son of a noble family in Yan City. Children who were born into wealth these days were more spoiled than the next, and even Wang Quan's own child wouldn’t eat unless it was freshly made and served on a delicate platter. They would never enter such a ‘tattered’ small shop.

Lin Jingzhe took out a pair of chopsticks and handed them to him. He smiled, "This shop was opened by my close childhood friend’s family. I think the taste is better than the food served in those luxury restaurants."

Wang Quan took the chopsticks and couldn't help showing an approving smile on his face when he heard Lin Jingzhe’s words. Touché.

Wang Quan came from a poor background and only lived a good life for a few years after he made a fortune, so he deeply agreed with Lin Jingzhe's opinion. What good food can there be in a big restaurant? Weren’t they all there to drink? After they drink till they’re drunk, they are forced to drink some more. In his opinion, those ‘expensive delicacies’ were not as good as the big piece of fatty meat that he occasionally ate when he was a hardworking youth.

Therefore, when there were no social gatherings, he often liked to invite a few close friends to meet in some small regular shops in Changqing. The similarly cramped environment now made him feel closer to Lin Jingzhe.

The store opened by a close childhood friend's family sounded like the kind of place where one would only bring their good friends to.

He smiled apologetically. "But it's not a good place to drink here. I wanted to offer Mr. Lin a few drinks to acknowledge and amend my faults. I heard about what Qi Qing and his wife did some time ago while I was still back in Changqing... That couple had really acted outrageously. I had even tried to persuade them to rethink when they were about to leave Changqing..."

It's just that Qi Qing and his wife, who thought they had found some big backer, didn't listen to his reasoning at all.

The recruitment dispute of Qiqing Real Estate offended almost the entire real estate industry in Yan City. Due to this, they have frequently stumbled in their recent business endeavors, making it almost impossible for them to move forward. With the ‘backer’ they had found now acting like a deadman, Qi Qing and Jiang Qiaqia finally realized the situation was completely out of their control. In desperation, they had no choice but to turn to Wang Quan, who could be regarded as a distant relative, for help.

Wang Quan didn't care to help them. He didn’t have time for that!

But no matter what, he and Qi Qing were still related through kin and everyone knew this. It was inevitable that he would be implicated, so to people like Lin Jingzhe, who had an open dispute with Qi Qing, the least Wang Quan could do was to apologize in person.

He opened his mouth with difficulty, but before Wang Quan finished speaking, Lin Jingzhe interrupted him by lifting his hand.

"What do you have to apologize for?" Lin Jingzhe chuckled and looked at him seriously. "You and Mr.Qi are, at most, distant relatives; he’s not your son. Moreover, you didn't do anything for him. A debt should be only paid by the debtor. We are all reasonable people."

As soon as Lin Jingzhe said this, Wang Quan's suspended heart finally relaxed.

Wang Quan sighed, "Thank you very much, Mr. Lin. I heard that Mr. Dai was very angry and when I tried to contact him, they declined all of my offers. Mr. Lin, you are also a member of the Real Estate Alliance. If there is a chance... I also hope that you can help mediate for me."

Lin Jingzhe smiled and replied, "Of course."

It was as if he had been finally given a cup of water after being refused countless times in Yan City, Wang Quan only wished that there was alcohol here for him to toast Lin Jingzhe with. Suddenly there was a shout from the stairs, Wang Quan turned his head and saw the middle-aged man that had been busy in the store just now come up with a big tray.

Lin Jingzhe greeted him with a smile, "Uncle Gao."

Father Gao answered, put the tray on the table, and took out several plates and bowls. "Eat to your heart's content! Your Aunt and Uncle Zhou just went to the market this morning for these beef tendon, beef shank, and lamb marrow bone. They are all very fresh."

The explosive aroma rushed towards their faces as Uncle Gao lifted the lid; the small attic room allowed the dense fragrance to cover every corner. Wang Quan's eyes were fixed on the enamel pot full of stewed lamb marrow bones mixed with a lot of coriander, minced garlic, chopped green onion, and chili oil. His sanity was almost pulled away by this intoxicating smell. He had eaten quite a big meal for lunch, but his stomach rumbled and it sounded as if he had been starving for three days.

Father Gao opened one of the jars on the table. He took out a small spoonful of bean paste, poured it on the vermilion red braised beef shank, and said with a smile, "You should try this too. Your Aunt just marinated this soy paste. As soon as we put this out, it was finished immediately. Now we just store the remaining bit in the attic.”

Lin Jingzhe thanked him and sent him off. Before leaving, Father Gao did not forget to remind them, "If it's not enough, just let us know! The mutton soup is delicious, try it with some noodles!"

Lin Jingzhe nodded but didn’t take it too seriously. He drank porridge before going out in the morning and Wang Quan smelled of alcohol; he obviously ate before he came here. It would be stranger if the two of them could finish what’s already on the table now.

But looking back, he immediately froze.

Wang Quan looked a little impatient, his lips pursed, and his eyes lowered from time to time to look at the dishes on the table. He asked hesitantly, "Mr. Lin... shall we?"

"Oh!" Lin Jingzhe quickly waved his hands. "Uh, of course! Eat more while it's hot!"

Wang Quan quickly clipped a lamb bone and put it into his bowl. He was an experienced foodie, so Wang Quan sucked the marrow first before trying the meat on the bone. The rich bone marrow was still steaming hot, mixed with the thick soup, it was quickly sucked into the mouth. The marrow bits almost melted on his tongue, the flavors penetrated into every taste bud. The use of spices was perfect, not the least bit overwhelming. The taste of the spice and the slight mutton smell was a match made in heaven.

Wang Quan’s whole body savored this unexpected symphony and wasn’t able to react after swallowing the bone marrow.

"This tastes amazing..." He no longer bothered keeping his image and directly tore off a piece of soft mutton with his teeth. The tendons and lean meat had been strewed to the point that a single touch would allow it to fall off the bone. The rich soup permeated every bite while the coriander and raw garlic added another level of complexity to the flavor. Wang Quan now fully understood why there were so many people who would line up under the scorching sun at the entrance of this store.

He devoured half of the bone marrows and didn't even bother to talk. Afterwards, he then spared his energy to try another dish.

He opened his mouth and stuffed a few pieces of the braised beef shank. Each piece had been sliced evenly and seasoned to perfection. Wang Quan chewed a few mouthfuls, and his eyes immediately widened.

He immediately opened the jar, scooped out a spoonful of bean paste onto a piece of beef shank, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"Om-nom–"

While chewing, he nodded with shining eyes. Wang Quan then turned and asked Lin Jingzhe, "Mr. Lin, would you like some rice?"

The visual stimuli also caused Lin Jingzhe to become somewhat hungry, so he simply nodded. Seeing this, Wang Quan immediately ran down to get two bowls of rice.

Then he dug a small hole in the center of his rice bowl, poured several spoonfuls of bean paste into it, and mixed everything together.

"This bean paste is so delicious!" He opened his mouth wide, and constantly delivered the rice mixture into his mouth with his chopsticks. Soon, one-third of the bowl of rice disappeared. 

While chewing, Wang Quan asked Father Gao who was watching him in amazement, "Uncle, is this bean paste for sale? I want to buy some and bring it back to Changqing. I can eat five bowls of rice with just this!"

Father Gao quickly shook his head. Mother Zhou would only make a jar at a time. The supply of these things was as limited as her pickles, so it was impossible for them to sell them.

Wang Quan couldn't help but look disappointed at his negative response.

Watching Father Gao's back leave, Wang Quan said to Lin Jingzhe in a regretful tone, "It would be great if the boss of this shop was willing to mass produce. The market for these sauces and pickles might not be any smaller than my television set."

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Stewed lamb marrow bones

Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!

Braised beef shank

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