This was just an ordinary game in the 81 regular season games.

For the Suns... and for the Magic... it could have been extraordinary, but the Magic failed to hold onto their lead after the first three quarters.

After the game, Francis and Hill went to the away locker room together.

These two aren't here to cause trouble...

They accepted their defeat wholeheartedly and came over to invite their former teammates Wei Guo, Cummings, and former head coach Gentry to dinner.

Francis politely invited the other Suns players, whom he wasn't very familiar with... They all declined Francis's offer, citing that they were tired from the game and wanted to go back to the hotel to rest early.

......

It was already mid-November, and heavy snow was falling outside.

A distinctive restaurant in Toronto, with its stove burning brightly.

The restaurant was empty except for the chubby owner. Business was slow on this snowy night, so he sent the waiters home early and sat alone in the restaurant drinking tea. He was not only the owner but also the chef. Although he was Canadian, he had studied under a master in China in his early years and could cook a few decent dishes.

He even served as a judge in several culinary competitions in China.

If it weren't for that time... a contestant's braised pork intestines retained some of the original flavor of the intestines, ensuring the freshness of the ingredients. The fat boss, as a judge, knew the contestant was doing it on purpose, but still took a bite... This unforgettable taste led him to eventually leave China and return to Canada to open a specialty restaurant.

"Squeak..."

Eight or nine burly men pushed open the door and entered the restaurant.

“wele…”

The portly shopkeeper put down his teacup, quickly stood up, and said, "Are you Wei Guo? Welcome to my shop!"

"Does the boss speak Chinese?"

Wei asked in surprise.

The chubby boss was very enthusiastic and gave Wei Guo a hug as soon as he came up, but the height difference made it look like a big chubby boy was hugging Wei Guo and acting cute. "I have lived in China for many years. There are my best memories and my worst memories there."

"Um?!"

Wei Guo didn't pick up on the fat boss's topic, but asked, "Has the chef finished get off work? We just finished a match and want to grab a drink."

The portly boss said proudly, "I am the chef. Please sit for a moment, and I will cook a few of my signature dishes... You can help me taste them in a while."

Canada is slightly more stable than the US, but there aren't many restaurants still open at 10 p.m. Francis had made a reservation at a restaurant, and on their way there, Wei Guo happened to see that this restaurant was still lit up. Moreover, the restaurant had a Chinese name, with the English name placed below the Chinese one.

Wei Guo was curious and decided on a whim to try this place.

Unexpectedly...

Although the owner is Canadian, he has lived in China and can speak fluent Chinese.

This made Wei Guo even more excited about the restaurant.

Quite a few people came along; four players from the Suns were there: Weiguo, Cummings, Gentry, Nash... Nash originally wanted to go back to the hotel to rest, but because he was Canadian and the host, Gentry insisted on dragging him along.

Francis, knowing he couldn't hold his liquor as well as Wei Guo, brought two teammates, Howard and Nelson, along with Magic head coach Johnny.

Johnny was once a professional player, known for his hard work on the court. However, as a head coach, Johnny is a newcomer. He has mostly been an assistant coach and has little experience as a head coach.

He came to Gentry to learn from his experience...

After all, Gentry has won the Coach of the Year award for two consecutive years, placing him among the top ten coaches.

Nine people sat around a round table.

Nelson was somewhat perceptive and offered to serve tea and water. Francis rubbed his hands together and said, "I wonder how the food is here."

Gentry smiled and said, "Just based on the boss's fluent Chinese, he must be pretty good."

A dozen minutes later, the owner brought over four plates of cold dishes: cucumber salad with shrimp chips, green pepper salad with dried bean curd strips, sesame sauce tofu, and peanut salad with dried radish.

The color combination is very beautiful...

The liquor was brought by Francis; it was a bottle of Moutai that he had been treasuring for several months, and the production date was 2004. Nelson poured the liquor, and Francis asked, "Brother Wei, shall we have a drink first?"

It's a very small wine cup, and when filled to the brim, it only holds about three qian (a unit of weight).

It's very convenient to drink, one sip at a time, but it's hard work for the person pouring the drinks. There's only one owner in this restaurant, so Nelson has to become a waiter and doesn't even have the chance to sit at the table, just going around pouring drinks.

"Come on, cheers!"

Wei Guo joked, "For tonight's great game."

The Magic players and coaches smiled knowingly, knowing that Wei Guo was teasing them but unable to refute him; the first drink was a little bitter.

Hill said, "Brother Wei, let's eat first..."

Howard and Johnny couldn't use chopsticks, so they had to use knives, forks, and spoons to pick up the food. Wei Guo tasted a cucumber salad with shrimp chips and nodded in satisfaction, "This owner is also a Shandong cuisine chef. These cold dishes are all pretty good."

"Thank you... thank you..."

The portly boss stood behind Wei Guo, carrying the dishes. "To be honest, I'm quite confident in my cooking skills. I even served as a judge on a food program back in China."

"Then I'm even more looking forward to your cooking."

"Today was a bit rushed..."

The portly owner explained, "Many dishes need to be prepared in advance. I can only cook a few simple dishes for you. Next time you come to Toronto, let me know in advance and I will prepare some main dishes for you."

The chubby boss even knows how to make hearty dishes, that's pretty good!

Just as the fat boss said, Wei Guo and his group arrived at the restaurant suddenly, and time was very short. You can't cook without rice, and no matter how hard the fat boss tried, he could only put together four cold dishes and six hot dishes for Wei Guo and his group.

Hot dishes were served one after another.

The first dish was scrambled eggs with tomatoes, the second was shredded pork with eggs and mushrooms, the third was braised prawns, and the fourth was sweet and sour pork... Fortunately, the portions were generous and the taste was authentic. It was late at night, so Wei Guo and his friends couldn't eat much; they just drank and chatted.

The owner mysteriously mentioned that there were two more dishes, which made everyone very excited.

The fifth dish was sweet and sour carp...

The best sweet and sour carp is made with wild Yellow River carp. A simple way to make this dish is to make a slit in the fish, coat it with starch paste, fry it in oil until cooked, and finally drizzle it with vinaigrette. This way, the outside is crispy, the fish is tender, and the soup is sweet and sour.

The same dish can taste very different depending on the chef, but sweet and sour carp has always been popular with diners in China.

Of course, there are no Yellow River carp here, but there are plenty of wild carp in the freshwater rivers of the United States. As long as you are willing, you can still get fresh ingredients. This dish, which made Wei Guo's mouth water, has left the whole table of people in a dilemma.