northernbook Chapter 100 When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.
Chapter 100 When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it.
Chen Feng gripped the steering wheel, and the black sedan drove smoothly along the road leading to the suburban market.
Zhang Qiang went to the construction site early in the morning, and now only the four of them are left.
Su Chen sat in the passenger seat, his hands clasped together, his eyes fixed on the receding asphalt road ahead.
I don't know what they're worried about.
"Brother Su Chen, your hands are shaking."
Sitting in the back row, Mengmeng reached out her little hand and gently poked Su Chen's shoulder.
Su Chen snapped out of her daze and forced a smile: "No, brother, it's just... it was a bit chilly this morning."
Xingruo sat to the side, glancing at Su Chen with some concern, then turning to look at Chen Feng, who was driving.
Chen Feng noticed the slightly heavy atmosphere in the carriage and spoke in his usual tone.
"Still not awake?"
"Brother Chen..." Su Chen hesitated, his mind filled with the look Su Ang had given him when he left that morning.
Who is Su Ang? He is the most ruthless hunter among the younger generation of the Su family.
In Su Chen's mind, if someone did not obey his will, there was only one way out: death.
Su Chen knew the size of the Su family all too well; it was a massive, deeply entrenched entity. If Su Ang were to lift a finger, this little restaurant in the old street might not even see the sun rise tomorrow.
And what about Brother Chen? Su Chen turned his head and looked at Chen Feng's overly calm profile.
In his eyes, although Brother Chen was a master chef with a strong presence, he was ultimately just a cook guarding his small plot of land in this old street.
Without a background or powerful connections, how can they possibly compete with a financial behemoth like the Su family?
Su Chen opened his mouth, but in the end, he let out a helpless sigh and turned his head back to stare out the window.
Meanwhile, on the top floor of the towering Su Building in the city center.
Su Ang stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the traffic flowing below.
He held the metal lighter in his hand, clicking it open and closing it.
He seemed to have forgotten the humiliation he had suffered that morning, and his face was now replaced by an almost indifferent calm.
To him, Su Chen's rebellion was nothing more than a child throwing a tantrum, while Chen Feng didn't even have the right to make him angry.
"Knock knock".
The office door was pushed open, and a capable-looking secretary walked in and stood respectfully behind Su Ang.
"President Su, the overseas video conference this morning is ready."
Su Ang didn't turn around, but casually tossed the lighter onto the table, making a crisp sound.
"Have you found out which store Su Chen works at?"
"We've found out. The owner of 'Human Fireworks' is named Chen Feng. He doesn't have any special background. I think he used to be a chef in Beijing, and he took over this restaurant after returning." The secretary reported in a low voice.
"That's all there is to him." Su Ang loosened his tie, his tone full of disdain. "A clown with a rebellious kid in his teens, not worth my time."
He walked behind his desk, sat down, opened a merger and acquisition contract worth hundreds of millions, and without looking up, gave the instructions:
"Call the third brother and ask him to handle it."
I don't want the second young master of the Su family to become a laughingstock by washing dishes in a place like that. I want that shop closed by tomorrow.
"Understood." The secretary nodded and backed out of the office.
In Su Ang's view, this was just a trivial matter.
Half an hour later, Chen Feng's bread truck stopped at the entrance of a large food wholesale market on the outskirts of the city.
This place remains as rugged and vibrant as ever.
Chen Feng got out of the car, skillfully picked up several huge woven bags from the trunk, and waved to the group.
"Come on, I'll take you to pick out some really good stuff today."
Xingruo held Mengmeng's hand and followed closely behind Chen Feng.
Su Chen, on the other hand, was like a puppet who had lost his soul, and almost bumped into the vegetable carts on the roadside several times.
Chen Feng stopped in front of a very large pork stall.
The stall owner was a burly man with a thick waist. As soon as he saw Chen Feng, he slammed the boning knife in his hand onto the cutting board and greeted him with a smile.
"Boss Chen, you're here again today? Which piece would you like?"
"I want two whole pieces of pork belly today, the 'seven-layer' kind." Chen Feng reached out and gently pressed down on a row of red and white pieces of meat on the cutting board.
He turned his head, pulled Mengmeng and Xingruo over, and pointed to the piece of meat in front of them, beginning to explain:
"You see, to make good braised pork, you can't just look at the fat and lean parts."
Choose meat from near the ribs, with alternating layers of fat and lean. The more distinct the layers, the more chewy and firm the meat will be after braising, preventing it from falling apart.
Chen Feng pinched the pigskin with his fingernail and continued, "The skin should be thin and elastic. Xingruo, feel it."
Xingruo obediently stretched out her finger to try it, and nodded seriously: "I remember, Master."
Mengmeng joined in the fun, stretching out her little hand and patting the cool pork, giggling, "Like bouncing a ball!"
Chen Feng smiled and was about to invite Su Chen to come and take a look when he turned around and found Su Chen staring blankly at a black car in the distance with his back to the stall, his eyes full of anxiety and unease.
"Su Chen," Chen Feng called out.
Su Chen did not react.
"Su Chen!" Chen Feng emphasized, reaching out to pat Su Chen on the shoulder.
"Huh? Ah! Brother Chen, what's wrong?" Su Chen shuddered and almost jumped up.
He stared at the piece of meat Chen Feng handed him, his eyes unfocused, unable to register what was happening for a long time.
Chen Feng suppressed his smile, took the meat from the stall owner, stuffed it into a woven bag, and pulled Su Chen to a relatively quiet open space nearby.
Xingruo also pulled Mengmeng along, and everyone noticed that something was wrong with Su Chen.
"From the moment you left home until now, your mind hasn't been on shopping at all." Chen Feng stared into Su Chen's eyes, his tone calm yet forceful.
Su Chen rubbed his face vigorously and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Brother Chen... I still can't be as calm as you."
You have no idea how much influence the Su family has in this area. When Su Ang said he was going to raze that shop to the ground, he wasn't joking.
"With just one phone call from him, we might not be able to buy meat or get water tomorrow, and even the entrances and exits to the old town could be blocked."
Su Chen looked at Chen Feng, his eyes filled with an almost desperate helplessness:
"I was thinking, if things really escalate to that point... Brother Chen, you don't need to ruin this shop for my sake."
I...I can go back and beg him."
After listening, Chen Feng glanced at Su Chen sideways.
"Su Chen, in your eyes, all I, as your older brother, do is hide in the kitchen and braise meat?"
Su Chen was stunned.
"What did I say to Zhang Qiang the night before last when he was worried about not having enough manpower?" Chen Feng changed his posture, crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking unusually relaxed.
The image instantly flashed into Su Chen's mind.
That night, under the dim light, Chen Feng remained calm and composed, saying to the anxious Zhang Qiang, "Qiangzi, don't worry. I have a way to handle the manpower issue."
Then, Su Chen saw how Chen Feng led him, a newcomer, to complete that almost impossible task flawlessly.
"When soldiers come, generals will block them; when water comes, earth will dam it."
Chen Feng patted the two heavy pieces of pork belly in the woven bag, making a solid, muffled sound.
"We'll just have to deal with whatever comes our way."
But before that, we need to make today's braised pork.
If we can't do it, then we've truly lost.
Su Chen looked at Chen Feng.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the wholesale market's roof, falling obliquely onto Chen Feng's shoulders.
Looking at Chen Feng's confident demeanor, as if he had everything under control.
Su Chen's previously anxious heart settled back into its stomach.
"Brother Chen, am I pretty useless?" Su Chen lowered his head somewhat embarrassedly and kicked at the pebbles on the ground with his toe.
"A useless person can't carve such beautiful leaves."
Chen Feng picked up the woven bag from the ground again and walked forward without looking back.
"Xingruo, Mengmeng, follow me! Let's go check out that rock sugar shop over there. If the sugar isn't caramelized properly when making braised pork, it'll all be for nothing."
"Okay! Daddy, wait for me!"
Mengmeng took off chasing after him.
Xingruo gave Su Chen an encouraging smile and quickly followed.
Su Chen stood still, watching the three figures weaving through the crowd ahead.
He took a deep breath, patted his cheeks hard, and his eyes regained their sparkle.
"Su Ang... since Brother Chen isn't afraid of you, then what do I have to be afraid of?"
Su Chen suddenly took a step forward and shouted, "Brother Chen! Wait for me! I'll carry the bags!"
He rushed forward and snatched a woven bag from Chen Feng's hand.