Chapter 72 Drunken Crab Every time you drink alcohol, you act like you're being dramatic…
The end of last year was destined to be a turbulent time, with Ye Yuying returning to China, Ashera raising funds, and being caught in a wave of negative public opinion.
Ashera's internal testing of large-scale production was successful, and it was thought that everything had turned around, but then came the news of Zino's passing.
Ye Yuying always hoped that after spring, the weather would be warmer, preferably warmer than Germany last year, the warmer the better.
On warm days, it would be even better if something good happened.
Following Zino's death, a Lunar New Year film directed by a famous director became the most discussed topic due to its record-breaking box office performance.
The online world is never short of new focal points, and it is also always full of forgetfulness.
And that cold winter, which was filled with immense sorrow because of Zino's departure, seemed to have passed by earlier and more slowly with her passing.
This year, Wuhan experienced a rare, warm winter.
With the Spring Festival approaching, it should be the time of worst frost, but this year the weather has been unusually good.
The sunlight was no longer the stingy, pale light of winter, but rather carried a bright warmth akin to early spring, generously bathing the entire city.
This was the first time the Ashera team had spent the Lunar New Year in their hometown, and it happened to be a heartwarming one.
After experiencing the turbulent rollercoaster of the end of last year, the entire team is more united and more motivated than ever before.
Investment letters of intent started arriving one after another after the internal testing meeting. I don't know if there were any industry insiders pushing things, but it's definitely a good thing for Lao Wu and his group of engineers.
The hardware team worked day and night to optimize every mechanical structure of the v2.0 prototype.
Ding Chu, on the other hand, was like an energetic female warrior, carrying her technical report and prototype machine, traveling to various hospitals and suppliers, conducting round after round of cooperation negotiations.
The atmosphere in the entire office was heated and intense until the end of the year.
The day before Lunar New Year's Eve was the Ashera team's last working day before the new year.
In the afternoon, Ding Chu suddenly got up from his quiet office, clapped his hands, and gathered everyone who was still engrossed in their work.
"Alright, alright, everyone! Let's not get too carried away on the eve of the Lunar New Year!" Ding Chu said with a smile. "The New Year is almost here, and the boss said he's treating everyone to dinner tonight to have a good time! I've booked the hardest-to-book private restaurant in the south of the city. Tonight, let's drink until we drop!"
Instantly, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted in the office.
The evening gathering was less of a company team-building event and more like a warm, family-friendly reunion dinner.
The private restaurant was decorated with red lanterns. In the warmly heated private room, no one talked about work anymore. Instead, some of the newly hired young people talked about their dreams, some talked about their families and their difficult school days, and some complained about their former bosses...
They also chatted about which city they would go back to for the New Year, what gifts they would bring back to their parents, and how to deal with relatives' questions and pressure to get married.
Ye Yuying sat in the main seat. In everyday situations, she didn't talk much. Her sharp aura was replaced by a quiet gentleness. She smiled as she held her teacup and listened quietly to everyone's conversation.
She knew she wasn't the real boss, but just an ordinary pearl thread that tightly connected these lonely strangers who had gathered from all corners of the world for the same dream.
Ding Chu introduced to everyone that the drunken crab at Yuanwei Restaurant was known as one of the thirteen wonders of Jiangcheng and could be considered the pinnacle of drunken crab cuisine.
Several colleagues from out of town were eager to try it, and they ate it all up, praising it highly.
Ye Yuying smiled as she picked up her chopsticks, but she knew in her heart that this drunken crab was not that amazing. The real Jiangcheng Thirteen Delicacies were the private chefs that Cheng Mingdu's grandmother had hired for him back then.
But the moment she took a bite, she froze completely as the exact same flavor hit her.
She released her grip, examining the drunken crab in the bowl, wondering if she was confused or simply couldn't remember—
This is clearly the real Jiangcheng Thirteen Wonders!
Later, she lowered her head and savored it carefully. Every bite, every flavor, was so familiar to her that her eyes welled up with tears.
What she was thinking about was a cold winter many years ago.
She curled up in the large, sinkable sofa at Qizhi Xiaozhu, covered with a thick cashmere blanket, her face pale from menstrual cramps, and she didn't want to move at all.
Cheng Mingdu would go upstairs without saying a word and call the old house to invite the master chef who was said to be reluctant to work, just to make her a dish of drunken crab warmed with Shaoxing wine.
He would personally use that set of exquisite silver crab-eating tools to carefully and meticulously remove the warm, stomach-friendly crab meat, piece by piece, until it was completely clean, and place it in the small, blue-and-white painted dish in front of her.
Then, in his unusually gentle tone, he said to her:
"Eat up, this isn't cold."
The time they spent together in that secluded little retreat is still so vivid in my mind.
Those small, warm moments of daily life that he took care of are still so vivid in my mind.
But she kept telling herself... she had long forgotten all of that.
Ding Chu asked her if it wasn't to her liking, and she could only make excuses, saying that the alcohol was too strong and her eyes were getting hot.
But truly top-quality drunken crab has a rich aroma of wine and a sweet aftertaste; it's not pungent at all.
Amidst the joyful laughter and chatter of the audience, who seemed to belong to the future, she was unexpectedly brought to tears by a gentle wisp of fireworks from the past, a fireworks display that belonged only to her and another person.
Later, the head chef appeared and interacted with the guests. Ye Yuying was filled with anticipation the moment the door opened.
But a young man came in, not the old master craftsman from back then.
Her spirits sank, but then someone introduced her as Master Liu's second-generation successor. Today, Master Liu himself was in charge, and this drunken crab dish was the result of Master Liu and his second-generation disciple's efforts...
Ye Yuying suddenly looked up and, through the lingering, warm aroma of the dishes, caught sight of a pair of aged yet incredibly familiar eyes.
Mr. Liu was dressed in a clean white chef's uniform. His hair was already gray, and his face was etched with the lines of time. He looked much older than she remembered.
However, his eyes were not cloudy at all; they remained clear and bright. He stood up straight, full of energy, and possessed the unique demeanor of an older generation of craftsmen.
The restaurant manager was respectfully introducing the chef, who rarely came out of retirement, to the guests.
Mr. Liu's gaze suddenly stopped in the crowd.
His old eyes held a hint of confusion and inquiry as he stared intently at Ye Yuying without blinking.
He seemed to be trying hard to connect the slender, yet powerful and aloof young CEO Ye in front of him with the quiet little girl who always stood behind Cheng Mingdu in the depths of his memory.
After a long pause, he tentatively spoke, in an uncertain tone with a heavy Jiangcheng accent:
"...Is it...that young lady from the Cheng family?"
The moment those words were spoken, the entire private room fell silent.
Ding Chu and Lao Wu looked back and forth between Ye Yuying and the legendary culinary master with extremely surprised eyes.
When Ye Yuying heard that long-lost term of address that belonged only to that family, she felt her heart, which had been hardened by reality, melt a little.
Her hand holding the chopsticks tightened unconsciously.
She abruptly put down her chopsticks, stood up, and gave Mr. Liu a touching smile, her eyes welling up with tears. "Uncle Liu, it's been so long..."
But Mr. Liu seemed to see through all her questions, and slowly said in a smiling, slightly smug tone:
"This 'Jade Plate Drunken Crab' dish wasn't made by my apprentice. Can you tell?"
Ye Yuying's throat tightened, and ignoring the surprised looks of the crowd, she nodded vigorously, "I could taste it as soon as I put it in my mouth."
"You're still just as greedy as you were when you were a kid."
He remarked with emotion, his tone like that of an ordinary neighbor who had watched his juniors grow up.
"Today's crab dish uses 'Daughter Red' aged Shaoxing wine that has been stored in the cellar for twelve years, which is mellow and smooth."
"Add two slices of old mountain ginger to ward off the cold, and a preserved plum to enhance the flavor and cut through the richness, then place the carefully selected crab meat into a warm Longquan celadon bowl..."
He looked at Ye Yuying, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and revealed the final key secret:
"...Then, steam it slowly over a low flame in a water bath. Let the aroma of the wine rise just enough to become a warm fragrance, not a bit more, not a bit less, and completely seep into the coldness of the crab meat."
"Only by warming it this way can the drunken crab retain its essence while removing its coldness. It's warm to the stomach and won't harm the body." He concluded, his gaze seemingly piercing through time to see the pale-faced little girl from many years ago.
Ding Chu and his group were completely bewildered, but they were even more impressed by the master chef's superb understanding of the art of making drunken crab.
"Boss? You guys..." Ding Chu was about to speak.
Mr. Liu seemed to see through the somewhat subtle and awkward atmosphere in the private room, and he also understood all the emotions that Ye Yuying couldn't hide in her reddened eyes.
He smiled and waved his hand.
"Alright, old people like to reminisce about the past." With this, he considerately defused Ye Yuying's predicament. "I won't disturb you young people's meal any longer. Please enjoy your meal."
Ye Yuying wanted to go forward to see it off, but after glancing at the cane in the corner of her eye, she decided against it and said solemnly, "I'll visit you another day..."
He smiled, his wrinkles deepening, a smile both kind and meaningful. He turned around, and with his apprentice and the restaurant manager, left the private room.
The door to the private room was closed again.
But the ripples of the past that were stirred up in the air could never be calmed down.
She had been drinking tea instead of alcohol all day because alcohol would reduce the effectiveness of the painkillers.
But at this moment, faced with that immense, indescribable emotion that was almost overwhelming her, she desperately needed a little bit of alcohol to numb her.
She downed the slightly sweet, rice-scented wine in one gulp.
After two or three cups, the mild aftereffects finally began to rise slowly. Her limbs and bones began to feel lightheaded.
People always say she has a low alcohol tolerance and is very frugal with her drinks. What takes others half a bottle to achieve a slight buzz, she only needs a couple of glasses.
But her thoughts, catalyzed by alcohol, became unusually clear yet chaotic. In the latter half of the dinner, everyone started playing board games, and the atmosphere in the private room became even more lively than before.
Ye Yuying, however, felt that the scalding air, mixed with the aroma of heating and food, made it hard for her to breathe. Her cheeks, flushed red from the alcohol, also needed some cool air to cool them down.
Ye Yuying's cheeks were flushed from the heat of the heater, so she got up and went out to the corridor for some fresh air.
The soundproofing of the private room door was excellent, and the corridor was quiet and much cooler than the private room.
Ye Yuying leaned against the carved wooden window at the end of the corridor. The evening breeze blew in through the cracks in the window, making her feverish head a little clearer.
Looking out the window at the cold, clear moon hanging in the deep blue velvet night sky, she felt a mix of emotions as she thought about how tomorrow was New Year's Eve, a day for family reunions.
Just then, not far from her, the door of a "top-tier" room at the end of the corridor was gently pushed open.
A man in a dark brown suit walked out. Ye Yuying, who was originally examining the floor tiles, raised her eyes slightly upon seeing him, but her attention was drawn to a discreet silver cufflink on the man's body.
His shoulders were sharp and straight, and the slightly tapered waistline cleverly accentuated his strong and powerful physique.
He seemed to have come out for some fresh air or to the restroom.
The moment that figure appeared in the dim, warm light of the corridor, Cheng Mingdu turned his head, and a corner of the handkerchief in the inner pocket of his suit jacket peeked out. Ye Yuying's eyes met his.
Could there be any more coincidences in the world?
In the semi-open private room, Mr. Liu was enjoying dessert.
Cheng Mingdu was about to go downstairs, but instead walked towards her.
"You have plans for tonight?" he asked casually.
As he approached, Ye Yuying's gaze was drawn back to the handkerchief on his chest, which carried a hidden meaning. She always felt that his custom-made suit had a certain significance, and the cufflinks gleamed with a cool and subtle luster under the warm yellow light.
She was probably initially attracted to him by his unique sense of mystery.
She quickly came to her senses and realized that she had probably been completely numb.
“No,” she answered softly, her voice sounding a little muffled. “It was a dinner with company people.”
Cheng Mingdu's gaze shifted slightly, landing on her flushed cheeks, a barely perceptible tenderness flickering in his eyes.
"Have you been drinking?"
“Hmm,” she avoided his gaze, lowered her eyelashes, and said softly, “just a little bit.”
She shook her head, as if trying to clear her mind.
The faint fragrance emanating from Cheng Mingdu wafted into her nostrils, and combined with the aroma of alcohol, it caused a series of disjointed images to flash through her mind.
They used to occasionally have a drink together, and after each time they got slightly tipsy, they would go back to their room together. They would spend half the night in a blissful state, with those sweet, intimate sounds continuing into the latter half of the night.
At dawn he would whisper in her ear, "Every time you drink, you act like you've cheated..."
-----------------------
Author's Note: 50~ [Cat emoji]
I wanted to add some plot details, so I changed early spring to before the new year. Sorry! [doge emoji]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com