I Awakened to a Farming TALENT

**Chapter 95: The Perfect New Year‘s Eve Feast (Part 3)**

After the Qionghua Restaurant crew reheated the cooled dishes, Jiang Tingyun had already finished making the hotpot broth, stir-frying beef tallow with chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and various spices.

“Come on, take everything out. And these washed vegetables, tripe, and beef rolls too.”

Dish after dish went onto the table. Add all the hotpot ingredients, and the bowls and plates piled up so high they couldn’t fit anymore.

Zhu Lili suggested, “Boss, let‘s just bring out the big round table.”

“Good idea.”

There were only five of them, but the Qionghua crew hauled out the huge circular table anyway. It was stacked with all kinds of food — the ten “Perfect in Every Way” dishes, plus a large hotpot in the middle.

Around the edges were New Year’s candies, fruits, nuts, and peanuts. The hotpot ingredients had to be relegated to a smaller side table.

When everyone sat down in a circle, Jiang Tingyun — as sect master — was about to give a little speech. But everyone had already eagerly reached their chopsticks toward the chicken, duck, and braised pork.

“Fine, fine. Let‘s eat!”

Jin Feifan immediately grabbed a piece of braised pork — stewed until soft and fully infused with flavor. He didn’t know what style this was, but it looked rich and dark, coated in a glossy sauce.

The perfect layers of fat and lean wobbled precariously on his chopsticks. One gentle press against the roof of his mouth, and the fat melted instantly — rich but not greasy. The lean part was savory and aromatic, leaving its fragrance on his lips and teeth.

“So good! Boss, your braised pork is my all-time favorite!”

Zhu Lili loved the Eight Treasure Rice the most. Each grain of glutinous rice glistened with oil. The sweet, fragrant aroma wasn‘t drowned out by the meat dishes at all — it kept drifting straight up her nose.

A big scoopful was sticky, sweet, and chewy. Inside were raisins, candied dates, and all kinds of preserved fruits — sweet and tangy, with a lingering aftertaste. She didn’t know how the rice was prepared, but it was so sticky and fragrant she couldn‘t stop eating.

Pei Jingmo — that guy knew how to eat — had already zeroed in on the sour, spicy, salty, and fresh lemon duck. He grabbed several pieces and put them in his bowl to savor slowly.

The salted lemon and pickled scallions gave it a tangy kick, while the pickled chili peppers added heat. The flavors had seeped deep into the skin, meat, and even the bones of the free-range duck. It was incredibly appetizing.

He gnawed on the duck meat with great relish, sucking on each bone for a while before finally tossing it away satisfied.

Looking at the table full of dishes, Uncle Liu felt a mixture of pride, emotion, and happiness.

“Old Sect Master Jiang, can you see this from up there? Your granddaughter is so capable! She’s led Qionghua Sect so well. And she can make all this delicious food too.”

After several big pieces of meat, Jiang Tingyun felt a bit overwhelmed.

She kept putting water celery and cabbage into her mouth, silently chanting, “Diligent and hardworking, boundless wealth arrives. Diligent and hardworking, boundless wealth arrives.”

For other families, one New Year‘s Eve feast might last for days, with leftovers eaten well into the new year.

But at Qionghua Restaurant, that was never a concern. Everyone grabbed a few pieces here and there, and soon the dishes were empty.

The Qionghua big eaters hadn’t earned their reputation for nothing.

If Jiang Tingyun hadn‘t stopped them, they would have eaten the sea bass too.

“We have to save the fish! It’s called ’Surplus Every Year.‘”

When the dishes were mostly finished, everyone worked together to clear the empty plates back to the kitchen and started cooking things in the hotpot.

“Boss, this broth is amazing!” Zhu Lili waved her chopsticks excitedly. “Ever since the lamb spine hotpot last time, I’ve been craving it!”

She dropped in a piece of tripe. The rule was: lift it out after seven seconds, then dip it back in for eight seconds — that gave it the perfect crunchy-tender texture.

“Wow! So good — crunchy, tender, and fragrant. I am the queen of tripe hotpot! Haha!”

While everyone was busy with the tripe, Jin Feifan quickly dropped in some beef slices. He‘d fish them out secretly later.

But he forgot about their foodie senior brother. Pei Jingmo had sharp eyes and quick hands — as soon as a piece was cooked, he fished it out. Jin Feifan couldn’t grab a single one. He scratched his head in frustration.

On this cold winter day, steam from the hotpot rose slowly.

Jiang Tingyun rested her chin on her hand, watching everyone laugh and chat while happily cooking their food. A quiet, peaceful feeling filled her heart.

When everyone was finally full, she spoke up.

“Everyone, your senior brother sent me the profit report. Qionghua Restaurant did really well this year. That couldn‘t have happened without everyone’s hard work. So on this last day of the year, I‘m giving out bonus red envelopes — one for each of you. Keep them safe.”

With that, she pulled out four thick red envelopes and handed one to each person.

Uncle Liu’s eyes glistened with emotion. “Boss, how can we accept this? You‘re the one who does the most work.”

Jiang Tingyun shook her head. “Keep it. That’s an order from your sect master. I have one for myself too — and mine‘s much bigger!”

Jin Feifan cleared his throat and spoke up. “Everyone, I’ve always been careless and clumsy. Thank you all for putting up with me. I sold some of my technology this year and made a little extra money, so I prepared red envelopes for everyone too.”

With that, he pulled out several red envelopes and handed them out.

“They‘re not as big as the boss’s, though. Don‘t make fun of me.”

Jiang Tingyun excitedly took her envelope. She’d been giving out red envelopes for years — this was the first time she‘d ever received one.

“Hey... why does this envelope say ’A Hundred Years of Marital Bliss‘?” [1]

Jin Feifan’s face stiffened. “Huh? I bought the wrong ones? No big deal. It‘s just a small issue!”

Zhu Lili looked a little embarrassed. “I made some extra money this year too, but I didn’t think to prepare red envelopes for everyone.”

Everyone quickly spoke up. “Don‘t worry about it! You already bought us new clothes, didn’t you?”

Pei Jingmo held his two red envelopes. His face showed no emotion.

He thought for a moment, then took a few peanuts from the table and gave one to each person at Qionghua Restaurant.

He paused, then gave Jiang Tingyun two extra.

“Huh? What does that mean? Why are you giving us peanuts?”

Everyone was confused by Pei Jingmo‘s strange gesture.

Pei Jingmo said seriously, “I don’t have much money. I can‘t give out red envelopes. This peanut represents a promise. If it’s something I can do, I will definitely fulfill it.”