Chapter 80: Three Delicacies Soup
Without Jiang Duo in the morning scenes, and with everyone united in their desire to avoid NGs and further exposure to the cold, filming went smoothly, even finishing almost an hour ahead of schedule.
If they were in Shudian, Director Pan would have dismissed them early for lunch and rest. But here at the estate, with the inconvenient location, the crew had boxed meals, and the actors either ate with them or had their assistants order takeout. Even if Director Pan dismissed them now, they would just have to wait, hungry.
With the morning scenes completed smoothly, and everyone in good condition, Director Pan, after considering the available actors, brought forward two afternoon scenes. He explicitly stated that if they finished these two scenes, there would be no more filming in the afternoon, they could go back early, a reward for their good work.
The weather was cold, and the sun’s warmth was limited. It wasn’t warm in the morning, and even if it was warm in the early afternoon, it would be freezing again by late afternoon. Since they had to wait for lunch anyway, they might as well finish early and wrap up for the day. So, everyone worked hard and finished the two extra scenes before lunch.
To finish early, the lunch break for the estate scenes was only one hour, not enough time for the actors to go out for a proper meal, but at least their assistants could order takeout, so they didn’t have to suffer the standard crew meals.
Mi Hongdou figured that Yang Lianyi, suddenly sending Bai Tang back a few days ago, must have been concerned about her situation. Otherwise, filming at the estate, without an assistant, even getting a decent meal would be difficult. But although Bai Tang was back, her skills weren’t needed for ordering lunch. There was Jiang Lingling.
This was the second day of filming at the estate. The day before, Jiang Lingling had insisted on treating Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin to lunch, not letting them order their own. So, they had a very ordinary lunch from Jiang Lingling’s restaurant. This morning, after a scene, Jiang Lingling invited them again, but this time, no one fell for it… Mi Hongdou just said that Bai Tang had already been sent to buy takeout. But Jiang Lingling was persistent, pointing at Bai Tang, who was chatting with her assistant, and saying that since she was already here, there was no need to trouble two people, she had already ordered, and Bai Tang didn’t need to go. Mi Hongdou was about to refuse again when Jiang Lingling waved at her assistant, and the assistant pulled Bai Tang away.
Such blatant hijacking, Mi Hongdou was speechless. Her earlier impression of Jiang Lingling as a reliable friend was clearly an illusion. But what finally made her give in was Jiang Lingling’s repeated assurance that the lunch wasn’t from her restaurant, which reassured Mi Hongdou. But when she asked which restaurant it was from, Jiang Lingling just smiled mysteriously and refused to answer, which was incredibly frustrating.
Anyway, after the morning scenes, as soon as Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin removed their headpieces, their makeup still not completely removed, Jiang Lingling came to drag them to lunch.
Jiang Lingling’s chauffeured car was practically a small, luxurious mobile home, even more impressive than the one Qiong Yu provided for Ji Junxin. It was fully equipped with a table, chairs, and even a bed, and looked very opulent. Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin, hurried into the car by Jiang Lingling, saw a table laden with food, which looked… better than yesterday’s.
The assistant had already brought Bai Tang to the car, and the five of them sat around the table.
Jiang Lingling enthusiastically served everyone a large lion’s head meatball. It was almost as big as the bowl itself, leaving no room for anything else.
Mi Hongdou looked at the smiling Jiang Lingling, then at the giant meatball in her bowl, feeling that their friendship was being tested…
Ji Junxin, also traumatized by yesterday’s lunch, sniffed the air and, giving Jiang Lingling face, took a bite of the meatball. Mi Hongdou closely watched her expression, ready to intervene if it wasn’t good.
To Mi Hongdou’s surprise, after two chews, Ji Junxin’s eyes lit up.
The lion’s head meatball had been deep-fried, then braised, similar to the fried meatballs in soup Mi Hongdou had made the night before. The outer layer, crispy and fragrant from frying, encased the tender meat inside. The braising sauce had seeped into the meatball, making it incredibly flavorful. One bite, and the aroma of meat exploded in her mouth, it was delicious. The only thing missing was a bowl of rice!
Ji Junxin savored the meatball, looked around, and then asked Jiang Lingling shyly, “Is there any rice?”
Of course, there was rice.
Both Ji Junxin’s expression and her question told Mi Hongdou that the meatball was a hit. Mi Hongdou also took a bite. It was indeed very good, crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, the sauce flavorful, and most importantly, it didn’t contain any ginger pieces, just ginger juice, which explained why Ji Junxin liked it. But the taste was familiar… Mi Hongdou took another bite and looked at Jiang Lingling. “This tastes a lot like the meatballs from Wanzi Ji, doesn’t it?”
“Wanzi Ji? That restaurant in Shudian that specializes in meatballs?” Ji Junxin, her ears sharp, heard the familiar name. “I said I would bring some back for your mother, but we haven’t been back to Jiang City. But they only sell ready-made meatballs, not cooked dishes, why is this lion’s head meatball braised?”
Mi Hongdou was also unsure. The texture was very similar to Wanzi Ji’s, but Ji Junxin was right, Wanzi Ji had fried lion’s head meatballs, but not braised ones. “Did you have someone buy the fried meatballs from Wanzi Ji and then have someone else braise them?” she asked Jiang Lingling.
Jiang Lingling smiled. “You have such a discerning palate. But you’re only half right. I did send someone to Wanzi Ji this morning, but not to buy meatballs, I had them poach a chef. Speaking of which, can you tell the difference in the braising sauce?” Jiang Lingling pointed at a pot of braised mutton being warmed on a small alcohol stove. “Lao Yang’s, the most famous mutton restaurant in Shudian, I poached their best braised mutton chef. And I had him braise the fried lion’s head meatballs made by the Wanzi Ji chef.”
No wonder Jiang Lingling had insisted on treating them to lunch! Mi Hongdou suddenly understood. It was because she had criticized the food from her restaurant earlier, hurting her pride, so she immediately took action to redeem herself.
What a proud rich girl!
“You’re very efficient, filming in the morning, and you still had time to poach two chefs.” Mi Hongdou, remembering her earlier criticism, decided to be nice since Jiang Lingling had made such an effort. “Wanzi Ji and Lao Yang’s are both famous restaurants in Shudian, poaching two chefs in one morning is impressive.”
Jiang Lingling, appeased by the compliment, puffed up her chest. “Two chefs are nothing.” She casually pointed at the other dishes. “Big plate chicken from Yuanfang Restaurant, pickled fish from Lai Yi Tiao, boiled pork slices from Qin Jin Private Kitchen, spicy shrimp from Gan Guo Tian Xia. Time was a bit tight this morning, so I only poached these few chefs. Don’t worry, there will be more joining my restaurant. And you don’t have to ask Bai Tang to order takeout anymore, lunch is on me. Anything you want to eat around Shudian, just name it.”
Mi Hongdou looked at the dishes. They were indeed popular dishes from restaurants around Shudian. Jiang Lingling’s attempt to redeem herself was a bit… excessive.
Well, poaching chefs was still less extravagant than buying an entire restaurant. Mi Hongdou smiled wryly. She knew Jiang Lingling would be upset by her criticism, but she hadn’t expected such a drastic reaction.
Ji Junxin, listening to Jiang Lingling, tried the boiled pork slices. It was indeed the same taste as the dish they had at Qin Jin Private Kitchen.
“Except for the vegetables, all these dishes were made by the chefs you poached?” Mi Hongdou tried the stir-fried bok choy with mushrooms. The bok choy was crisp and tender, the mushrooms springy, the seasoning perfect. “Did the chefs from your restaurant make the vegetables?” she asked suspiciously.
“Of course not. These are from Wen Xiang Zhai, but I haven’t finalized the terms with their chef yet, so these vegetarian dishes are just takeout.” Jiang Lingling seemed a little embarrassed, but quickly regained her confidence. “But I think he’ll join my restaurant soon.”
Wen Xiang Zhai was the most famous vegetarian restaurant in Shudian. Many actors were very conscious about their weight, unlike Ji Junxin. So, there were many vegetarian restaurants around Shudian, but few were truly good. Wen Xiang Zhai was one of the best.
Mi Hongdou agreed with Jiang Lingling’s assessment. After all, with Jiang Lingling’s way of throwing money around, few could resist such a generous offer.
All these delicacies from around Shudian gathered on one table, it was a truly blissful lunch for Ji Junxin. But after listening to Mi Hongdou and Jiang Lingling’s conversation, she couldn’t help but ask, “You poached so many chefs, what about the original chefs in your restaurant? Are you firing them?” She still remembered the carrot bunny carved by the thin chef, although not as good as Mi Hongdou’s, it was the thought that counted.
“Those chefs…” Jiang Lingling smiled and exchanged a meaningful look with Mi Hongdou. “Of course, I’ll keep them. Although their cooking isn’t very good, they’re still useful.”
Mi Hongdou looked away, feeling like she was an accomplice to some evil deed.
Jiang Lingling’s poaching strategy was quite successful. Today’s lunch was far superior to yesterday’s. She had intended to gather all the best chefs from around Shudian and treat Mi Hongdou and Ji Junxin to lunch. After a few polite refusals, they were no match for Jiang Lingling’s forceful generosity. Fortunately, Mi Hongdou could repay the favor with her cooking.
Ji Junxin, however, couldn’t offer anything Jiang Lingling needed. Giving her money was out of the question, she knew Jiang Lingling would just throw it back. She could only keep this favor in mind, hoping to repay it later.
Being friends with the capricious, arrogant, and rich Jiang Lingling did come with some strange pressure. But it had to be said that when Jiang Lingling was kind to someone, it was unconditional. Although there was pressure, her sincerity was evident. And despite her extravagance, Jiang Lingling wasn’t an unpleasant person. After a few interactions, Ji Junxin had also warmed up to her, the earlier awkwardness from the food-snatching incident forgotten.
This showed how well Lu Gaoshi understood Ji Junxin. Using food to win her over was indeed an effective strategy. Mi Hongdou had succeeded, and so had Jiang Lingling…
But there were successes and failures in life.
When Jiang Duo arrived at the set with carefully packaged, warm three delicacies soup, at the usual lunch time, she saw that everyone was already eating. Not only that, but from the director to the crew members and the actors, almost everyone had a small bowl of three delicacies soup, similar to what she had brought. She was stunned.
Jiang Duo didn’t have any scenes in the morning, she only needed to arrive in the afternoon for makeup and costumes. But after thinking about it for a day, she had decided to try and get closer to Ji Junxin. So, she went to Wanzi Ji, the restaurant Ji Junxin liked, bought some meatballs, and then asked a chef from another restaurant to make three delicacies soup with bamboo shoots, mushrooms, and vegetables. Considering Mi Hongdou, Jiang Lingling, and the others who were always with Ji Junxin, she even prepared extra portions, hoping to build relationships with those around Ji Junxin.
But after all her efforts, arriving at the set with the soup, she found… everyone already had a bowl of three delicacies soup. What a coincidence. Jiang Duo wasn’t stupid, if everyone had it, then Ji Junxin must have it too, so she was no longer in a hurry. She hesitated for a moment, then approached a friendly-looking crew member, hoping to start a conversation.
Jiang Duo hadn’t expected the seemingly friendly older woman to be so dismissive, just giving her a few perfunctory responses. But getting closer, Jiang Duo could see that the older woman’s soup, besides the meatballs, bamboo shoots, vegetables, and mushrooms, also had shrimp, sea cucumber, and even a small abalone!
If at first, Jiang Duo had thought the soup was a crew perk, now she was certain that such extravagance wasn’t from the production’s budget.
Seeing the older woman’s dismissive attitude, Jiang Duo skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point: “I arrived a little late, the crew meals are quite good today, such a hearty soup.”
The older woman, who had been giving Jiang Duo perfunctory responses with a deadpan expression, suddenly smiled, as if suddenly realizing something, her gaze towards Jiang Duo now tinged with disdain. “This soup isn’t from the crew, it’s from Jiang Lingling, several large pots of it. She sent a bowl to everyone and said there’s more if we want it, all-you-can-eat.” She pointed towards a row of canopies in the distance. “If you go now, there might still be some left.”
The sudden mockery in the older woman’s eyes annoyed Jiang Duo. Did she think she was after this soup? Who would be so shallow! Jiang Duo was furious, but she knew her current standing in the crew and couldn’t afford to cause trouble, so she just forced a smile and left.
Hmph, the crew hates filming your scenes, everyone knows you came here after hearing about the good soup, not because you had afternoon scenes, the older woman thought, not caring whether Jiang Duo went to the soup station or not.
The colder the weather, the stronger their dislike for Jiang Duo.
Jiang Duo naturally didn’t go to the soup station, she had her own soup. And it was all Jiang Lingling’s fault, sending soup today, upstaging her with more expensive ingredients, how annoying, that nouveau riche!
Jiang Duo had planned to bring the soup, share a meal with Ji Junxin, and build a relationship. But she hadn’t expected Jiang Lingling’s unpredictable actions. So, she could only return to her car and eat with her assistant.
But when she reached the car, she saw her assistant eating from a bowl that looked just like the older woman’s soup bowl earlier.
“Miss Jiang…” The assistant, startled by Jiang Duo’s sudden return, froze, a piece of sea cucumber on her spoon. Seeing Jiang Duo staring at her bowl, she thought Jiang Duo was blaming her for eating alone and quickly explained, “I went for a walk earlier and someone at the canopy gave me a bowl of soup. It’s really good, with sea cucumber and abalone, Miss Jiang… should I get you a bowl?”
Jiang Duo had prepared the soup herself, not wanting her assistant to know too much. She hadn’t expected to be slapped in the face like this… Hearing her assistant’s words, Jiang Duo’s face turned green. Did she look like someone who needed a bowl of soup? She was so angry that she walked away…
The assistant ate the sea cucumber, speechless. This Miss Jiang was so moody and difficult to please. After this film, she would have to see if there were any openings at Dajin, hopefully, a new artist to work with.
Jiang Duo had no idea about her assistant’s thoughts. She was filled with resentment towards Jiang Lingling. All her efforts this morning had been ruined by Jiang Lingling, and she had even been humiliated twice. She was furious.
The first scene in the afternoon was the reshoot of the “besieging the empress” scene, which had been postponed because everyone was too full from the porridge yesterday. Jiang Duo, fuming, changed into her costume, finished her makeup, and reread the script, her anger intensifying.
The previous scene was about the young empress and Miao Qianye leaving after eating the porridge, and the remaining concubines, having no one to vent their frustrations on, but also hungry, reluctantly eating their porridge.
This scene followed directly from the previous one. Although they had eaten the porridge, the taste was unbearable for these pampered women. Their stomachs full, their rebellious spirits returned. They went to the empress and Miao Qianye’s courtyard, demanding that the empress ask the guards for rice, oil, meat, anything edible, even complaining about the dilapidated estate and demanding better accommodation. Jiang Duo’s character, Concubine Zhu, naturally led the charge.
If that was all, Jiang Duo could at least use the scene to vent her anger.
But of course, it wasn’t just that.
As they were besieging the empress, Jiang Lingling’s character arrived, smoothly resolving the situation and even humiliating Concubine Zhu.
How could Jiang Duo not be even more furious reading this scene?
Unlike Jiang Duo, who was so angry that she couldn’t even eat the meatball soup she brought and had to film on an empty stomach, Jiang Lingling, full and satisfied, was eagerly anticipating this scene.
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