The Game of Life-Chapter 786 - 785 Roast Whole Lamb

Chapter 786: Chapter 785 Roast Whole Lamb

Chapter 786 -785 Roast Whole Lamb

Regarding Jiang Feng’s action of borrowing the key to Fen Garden for roasting a whole lamb, Zhang Guanghang didn’t have much to say. He just quietly stuffed the key into Jiang Feng’s hand and looked at him strangely twice. Perhaps in his eyes, Jiang Feng must be because the recent competition results at Taifeng Building were really unsatisfactory, and it had affected his mental state.

Even stranger than Jiang Feng’s behavior was the cameraman.

On Jiang Feng’s rare day off, he slept in and didn’t arrive at Taifeng Building to borrow the key to Fen Garden from Zhang Guanghang until two o’clock in the afternoon, which was the rest time. The scene of the key handover was captured by no less than three photographers from different angles.

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If you knew what was going on with the key borrowing, you’d understand, but if not, you might think it was some sort of important handover ceremony.

“Have you ordered the lamb?” Zhang Guanghang casually asked.

“Yes, I called the supplier last night to place the order and asked them to deliver it to Fen Garden this afternoon. They called me this morning and said it would be delivered around three o’clock, so I should head over now,” Jiang Feng said, checking the time.

Zhang Guanghang looked at the three cameramen and then at Jiang Feng, feeling that in this odd atmosphere, he should probably say something, even if it was just a couple of words on fire safety awareness.

After thinking for a bit, Zhang Guanghang said, “If you’re going to roast a whole lamb, I suggest you do it at the kitchen entrance. That area has a flat road, and you won’t burn the grass and flowers nearby. As for the wood, there should be some in the warehouse. After you organized it last time, I had Mrs. Chen tidy it up, but we only managed to clear out one warehouse, the other one is still full.”

Once he finished speaking, Zhang Guanghang noticed that two of the cameramen were still filming him. He opened his mouth but realized he didn’t know what else to say.

“Be careful on the road, and pay attention to safety,” Zhang Guanghang patted Jiang Feng on the shoulder and left.

Jiang Feng: ?

He couldn’t help feeling that last remark was quite odd.

The activity of roasting a whole lamb in Fen Garden only involved Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi. Sun Maochai, being a middle-aged person who needed reading glasses to look at his phone, had no interest in such a sophisticated and unusual activity as courtyard BBQ roasting of a whole lamb. His interests lay in tea houses and parks, and reportedly he didn’t sleep in but got up early to pack for a picnic in the park.

As for Sun Jikai, he had been stir-frying beef ho fun almost every day of the week and was close to developing a psychological aversion to it, so he slept until noon and purportedly went back to bed at one in the afternoon without even eating.

When Jiang Feng arrived, Wu Minqi was already there, along with two dedicated cameramen who, upon reaching Fen Garden, started shooting fervently, feeling as though they had transitioned from impoverished gourmet competition show photographers to wealthy travel show photographers.

Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi entered and picked out some firewood from the warehouse, setting up a temporary fire according to the spot Zhang Guanghang had suggested. In fact, that spot was where Xia Mushi had previously roasted apples and pancakes – it was indeed suitable for BBQ.

Everything was ready, except for the lamb. In order to meet the recipe’s requirements, Jiang Feng had placed a special order for a younger lamb, specifically stating he wanted a goat.

Actually, the most suitable lamb for roasting is a sheep, since goats have a much stronger gamey taste compared to sheep. The reason for choosing a young goat not only had to do with the tenderness of the meat but also because the gamey taste is milder in younger animals. Despite the supplier’s reminder that sheep are best for roasting whole, Jiang Feng insisted on having a goat, so the supplier had no choice but to comply.

Wu Minqi was still a bit worried when setting up the fire rack. She thought that camping BBQ inside a courtyard was odd enough, and even odder that they were roasting a whole lamb instead of the usual skewers. She didn’t know how to roast a whole lamb, had never even eaten one, and was unclear whether Jiang Feng knew how either.

“Fengfeng, do you know how to roast a whole lamb?” Wu Minqi asked, still not reassured.

“Of course, Qiqi, you just relax and wait to eat,” Jiang Feng replied confidently. The Xia Mushi version of roasting a whole lamb was just too easy for him.

“Are you sure we don’t need to prepare any seasonings or sauces? Are you sure we have everything we need in Fen Garden’s kitchen?” Wu Minqi was still not at ease.

“I’ve got it covered,” Jiang Feng said as he took out a small bag of cornel leaves that he had purchased earlier.

Wu Minqi: ?

Just as Wu Minqi was about to ask what cornel leaves had to do with roasting a whole lamb, the delivery person arrived. Jiang Feng answered the call and immediately went to the gate to receive the lamb, leaving Wu Minqi’s question unasked.

The lamb supplier had already slaughtered and cleaned the lamb ahead of time, which spared Jiang Feng a lot of trouble.

While Jiang Feng went to pick up the lamb, Wu Minqi went back into the kitchen to grab various seasonings and spices she thought might be necessary. By the time Jiang Feng came back with the lamb and hoisted it on a wooden stick, making the appropriate cuts, she finally spoke up.

“Fengfeng, do you think these seasonings I’ve grabbed are enough?”

Jiang Feng didn’t even look up as he took out a packet of the same kind of leaves as Xia Mushi’s from his pocket. These leaves were not easy to find these days, much harder to find than cornelian cherry leaves. In order to get these leaves in a short time, Jiang Feng had specifically sent a WeChat message to Han Guishan for help, and it was Han’s assistant who had bought them.

“That’s enough.” He crushed the cornelian cherry leaves and other leaves together, smeared them on the surface of the lamb, lit the fire, and began roasting.

Wu Minqi: ?

Seeing Jiang Feng wrapping things up so casually and starting to roast the whole lamb, Wu Minqi was somewhat baffled and after a pause, she asked in a daze, “Don’t you need cumin for roasting whole lamb?”

“No need,” Jiang Feng affirmed firmly.

“No sauce?”

“No!”

“You don’t want any other spices either?”

“No.”

“You must need salt, right? I didn’t bring any, I’ll go to the kitchen to get some for you.”

“There’s no need for salt when roasting a whole lamb!” Jiang Feng said with full confidence.

D-grade roasted whole lamb doesn’t need any of these ostentatious rubbish.

Wu Minqi: ???

Wu Minqi began to wonder if her Fengfeng was mentally deranged due to excessive pressure from the competition.

That’s how Jiang Feng did it, adding nothing but the leaves, and slowly roasted the whole lamb.

As he roasted, the scent of the lamb gradually wafted out, together with the meat’s own distinctive smell.

It was quite wonderful, to be honest.

When Jiang Feng had seen Xia Mushi roasting whole lamb in his memory, he had felt this scent was mysteriously magical: a scent that made you think the roasted lamb had failed, but within that failure, there was a subtle hint of success, an aroma that you knew signified a raw, wild lamb, unprocessed and fully emphasizing the natural flavor of the meat.

Now that he was making it himself, that marvelous feeling was even more intense.

It was a curious sensation, knowing the whole lamb should probably taste terrible, but still wanting to take a bite.

The two cameramen had also sensed something amiss.

As seasoned food program cameramen, they had seen a lot of delicacies over the years. Some looked beautiful but tasted terrible, some didn’t look good but were delicious, and then there were those that looked and tasted amazing, but they had never seen food like this.

A dish that looked like a failure, one you could tell was indeed a failure without even tasting it.

It just didn’t seem fit for human consumption.

It didn’t even have salt.

The two cameramen exchanged a knowing glance, as if the time had come for their skillset to reach new peaks. One zoomed in to film the disastrously failed whole lamb from every angle with no dead ends. The other zoomed in on Jiang Feng, capturing the chef who had created this suffocatingly bad roast lamb from every possible angle.

Occasionally, the lens would also catch Wu Minqi in her bemusement tinged with despair, which in turn revealed panic, and within that panic lingered a slight worry.

No matter what the others thought, Jiang Feng was wholly focused on roasting the whole lamb.

Although this roast lamb had no seasoning added and the fragrance was not very satisfying, the fire control was very precise.

This was a roasted whole lamb prepared by three master chefs who gave their utmost care and effort.

The “Battle Royale” of roasted whole lambs.

Finally, as the sky gradually darkened and the bonfire’s flames shone brighter, Jiang Feng’s face, under the combined light of the fire and the surroundings, looked exceptionally dark, exceptionally rough—clearly the angle of a man who doesn’t even use facial cleanser on regular days—the roasted whole lamb was ready.

[Roasted Whole Lamb Level D]

A roasted whole lamb that could change the fate of Taifeng Building was ready.

Jiang Feng pressed down on the lamb with his left hand and sliced off two pieces from the leg with his right, pieces he felt were roasted to just the right degree of fire control, likely to have a good texture, and probably quite a suffocating flavor. He handed one of the slices to Wu Minqi.

“Qiqi, hurry up and try it while it’s hot.”

It would taste even worse when cold.

Wu Minqi took the slice of lamb, and for some reason, her hands seemed to tremble a bit.

“Are you sure you don’t want to add some seasoning? I remember that lamb can be dipped into sauces,” Wu Minqi suggested, thinking that the lamb in her hands could be salvaged somewhat.

“No need, Qiqi, let me tell you, roasted whole lamb is all about experiencing its authentic flavor, that’s what makes it delicious,” Jiang Feng started with his blatant lies.

Wu Minqi: ?

Wu Minqi looked at the lamb in her hands, emanating a sheepish odor, then glanced at her boyfriend and hesitated a bit before still taking a bite.

She took a whole mouthful.

Tasteless, with nothing but lamb flavor.

But it wasn’t as inedible as she imagined.

Wu Minqi thought that if Jiang Feng had marinated the lamb before roasting it to cover up its overly rich mutton smell, even without adding salt or any spices, it would probably be quite decent, with a unique flavor of its own.

This was a roasted whole lamb full of wildness.

It was just a bit too wild, overly so.

At the same time, Jiang Feng also finished the piece of meat in his hand and didn’t want to take a second bite either.

How to put it, a Level D dish actually wasn’t that inedible. It was palatable, at least better than plain meat dumplings, but what normal person would eat such a thing out of the blue?

“Qiqi, I bet Sun Jikai and Master Sun haven’t had their dinner yet. Let’s take the roasted whole lamb back for them to eat,” Jiang Feng suggested.

“Sure, let’s head back now. Better to eat it now before it gets cold. You take care of the lamb, and I’ll clean up the wood,” Wu Minqi agreed.

The two once again collaborated efficiently: one slicing lamb, the other clearing up. In less than five minutes, Fen Garden was back to its original state, except for the lingering mutton smell in the courtyard, reluctant to fade away.

It was uncertain whether Zhang Guanghang would have the opportunity to smell this unique aroma when he returned home from work in the evening.

If he could smell it, he probably would never lend Fen Garden to Jiang Feng again.

After packing up, Jiang Feng and Wu Minqi took a cab home. Because they had a camera operator with them, they took separate cabs. The driver, seeing the camera operator following Jiang Feng, curiously asked if he was filming a variety show.

Jiang Feng informed the driver that he was making a documentary.

The driver: …

“A food documentary, right? Your restaurant’s choice is pretty lousy, though. How can you eat this whole lamb with such a sheepish smell?”

Jiang Feng: …

The camera operator diligently recorded this scene.

After getting home, Jiang Feng divided up the lamb. Wu Minqi went to deliver it to Sun Maochai, while he would deliver it to Sun Jikai. Before delivering the lamb, Jiang Feng repeatedly insisted that Wu Minqi must watch Sun Maochai eat it, just one bite would suffice.

Wu Minqi suspected that Sun Maochai had offended Jiang Feng somehow during this period, and now Jiang Feng was purposefully seeking revenge.

Of course, Jiang Feng had no idea what Wu Minqi was thinking, and cheerfully carried a plate of roasted whole lamb to Sun Jikai’s place.

When he exited the elevator, all that could be smelled was the sheepish odor.

When Sun Jikai opened the door, he was still in his pajamas, looking quite refreshed. Clearly, he hadn’t gone out today and had slept soundly all day.

“Have you eaten?” Jiang Feng entered.

“No,” Sun Jikai eyed the dish in Jiang Feng’s hands, “I just ordered takeout. What’s that in your dish, roasted lamb?”

“Roasted whole lamb. Didn’t I tell you last night? This afternoon, Qiqi and I went to Fen Garden to roast a whole lamb. You said you wanted to sleep, so you didn’t come. But that’s okay, I brought some for you. It’s still a bit warm, hurry up and eat it while it’s hot,” Jiang Feng said enthusiastically.

Sun Jikai had never had roasted whole lamb and hadn’t seen the whole process of Jiang Feng roasting the lamb; he just felt that the serving of lamb in front of him seemed quite bad, with an overwhelming odor.

“Did you use a bad quality lamb or something? The mutton smell is too strong,” Sun Jikai hadn’t eaten all day and didn’t want to eat something that looked so suffocating.

“No, roasted whole lambs are all about the natural flavor. It’s delicious when it’s fresh. Try it quick, before it cools down,” Jiang Feng replied with sincere-looking innocence.

Sun Jikai was skeptical. He wiped his hands and picked up a slab of lamb ribs, biting into it.

He was momentarily stunned.

If it weren’t for the fact that Jiang Feng was his boss, he might have spit out the meat right then.

Sun Jikai swallowed the lamb with difficulty, with an unhideable sadness on his face: “Did you roast this?”

“Yeah, today was my first attempt at roasting a whole lamb. How is it?” Jiang Feng’s expression was akin to that of every boss who sincerely asks his employees how fun and exciting it is to work overtime—the damned, black-hearted employer.

Sun Jikai: …

“For a first attempt, it’s pretty good,” Sun Jikai said, “It would have been better with some seasoning.”

Sun Jikai sighed inwardly.

Ah, being a corporate drone is tough.

Wait a minute, isn’t he a second-generation rich kid? By assets, he’s richer than Jiang Feng, so why is he acting as Jiang Feng’s corporate drone?

Sun Jikai fell into contemplation.

Jiang Feng thought Sun Jikai was hurt by the awful bite of lamb he’d just had and tactfully said, “Old Sun, if you don’t like eating lamb, just throw it out. Get some good rest, and we’ll head to the snack street early tomorrow morning.”

“Oh.”