Chapter 74

First, Wang Dongliang and the others were served the appetizer (Sakizuke): The appetizer is generally served as an aperitif, made with the freshest seasonal ingredients. However, the principle of ingredient selection is "subtle luxury," with only one or two rare ingredients used to highlight the overall kaiseki cuisine's "hidden treasure in a rough exterior" feel.

The appetizer included mugwort tofu: tofu made from mugwort, sesame, and kudzu, served with Shanghai bile, shepherd's purse, and wasabi, drizzled with a broth. There were also small plates of octopus jelly, burdock beef rolls, and other appetizers, with very small portions but exquisite presentation.

Then, the dishes were served intermittently.

The first course (Mukouzuke): thinly sliced Akashi sea bream: The migratory sea bream caught in the turbulent Akashi Strait is known as "Akashi sea bream" and is one of the most prestigious bream species in Japan. The accompaniments include Tosa soy sauce made from dried bonito and broth, and young shiso leaves. (When the first course is served, it is usually accompanied by rice and the main soup. The rice should be placed to the left of the diner, the soup to the right, and the first course at the farthest point. As the first dish, sashimi is often served.)

The main soup (Shiru): white miso soup with simmered gluten and young taro: The fresh gluten from Shonai is considered to have the highest quality in Japan. A small amount of wasabi is added to the soup to enhance the flavor.

The simmered dish (Nimono): black fish with grilled matsutake mushrooms: The black fish is coated in starch, blanched in clear water, and placed in cold broth. It is served with grilled matsutake mushrooms, angelica, and seasoned with yuzu peel.

The grilled dish (Yakimono): grilled dried sea bass: The thick-fleshed grilled dried sea bass is seasoned with dried shiso flakes.

The mixed dish (Takiawase): Kichiten's mixed dish includes small taro, pumpkin, steamed octopus, shrimp, lotus root, and okra, seasoned with yuzu powder.

The eight-inch dish (Hasson): Kichiten's eggs, which are cooked to be tender on the outside and soft on the inside, charcoal-grilled marinated mackerel sushi, grilled梭鱼 wrapped in marinated fish roe powder, rock pear, deep-fried river shrimp, marinated ginger sprouts, and seasoned with lime. (It must be said that the various delicacies in the Hasson dish serve as the highlight of the entire kaiseki cuisine, embodying the "hidden treasure in a rough exterior" concept. The rock pear is a native Japanese plant that grows on steep cliffs. Its fruit ripens in summer, is the size of a mung bean, and has a pear-like aroma, making it very expensive. If an unknowing diner were to encounter it, they might mistake it for a piece of ginger and eat it whole.)

The last dish, the vinegar-marinated dish (Sunomono): vinegar-marinated fresh scallops and abalone, seasoned with cucumber, ginger, and salted plum meat, and drizzled with a vinegar sauce made from rice vinegar, sugar, and soy sauce.

All the tableware used here is designed by famous ceramic artists and is handcrafted. Experienced diners will flip the tableware before the meal to check the engravings on the bottom to see if they are made by renowned artists.

The tableware is mainly ceramic, matching the texture and color of the ingredients. The shape and color of the tableware vary according to the seasonal ingredients. The color of the tableware is light in spring and summer to emphasize a cool feeling, and dark in autumn and winter to create a warm atmosphere. The height of the tableware is also considered; if several dishes are served simultaneously, they are arranged from low to high from right to left to facilitate the diners' use of chopsticks.

As Wang Dongliang and Yang Siqi tasted the food and listened to Sakai Mai introduce the history and culture of kaiseki cuisine, as well as the preparation methods and ingredients used, Wang Dongliang experienced for the first time what it means to truly savor food. Street snacks, home-cooked meals, and regular restaurant feasts could only be called "eating," far from the experience of savoring.

True savoring is not just about satisfying the palate but also about spiritual insight and cultural experience.

When Wang Dongliang and Yang Siqi left with the escort of several managers from the Chang'an Club, Wang Dongliang felt a sense of elevation. He had thought that success in life meant owning a luxury home, driving a fancy car, and dating a beautiful woman, but now he realized how far the lives of the truly top-tier wealthy were from his own.

When sending Yang Siqi back to the film academy, Yang Siqi had become very affectionate towards Wang Dongliang, with a look that suggested she would be willing to be his girlfriend if he asked.

However, Wang Dongliang remained calm. He knew that all of this was an illusion for him, a result of borrowing Cheng Xiaoyu's aura. After seeing Yang Siqi off, Wang Dongliang began to feel dejected. He lacked the courage to ask her out again. Watching her slender figure walk away, he yearned for the first time to possess all of this.

Wang Dongliang called Cheng Xiaoyu, saying he would wait for him at the school gate.

Cheng Xiaoyu sat in a milk tea shop across from the school gate, watching Wang Dongliang lean against a Lamborghini and smoke. After receiving the call, he did not rush out, thinking that Wang Dongliang needed time to digest everything.

After about ten minutes, several girls had already approached Wang Dongliang, and only then did Cheng Xiaoyu walk over.

Because Wang Dongliang considered Cheng Xiaoyu a friend through thick and thin, and under the pressure of Cheng Xiaoyu's seemingly immeasurable background, he never thought of Cheng Xiaoyu as a 17-year-old teenager. He did not know that Cheng Xiaoyu was still in high school and naturally treated him as a peer. Cheng Xiaoyu always presented himself as a mature adult.

Wang Dongliang stubbed out his cigarette, got into the car, and asked with a bitter smile, "Young Master Yu, what's the point of all this? Whatever you ask, as long as I can do it, I will do it without hesitation."

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and looked at Wang Dongliang with deep eyes, saying, "It's not about what I want you to do, but what you want to pursue."

Wang Dongliang noticed for the first time how beautiful Cheng Xiaoyu's eyes were, with prominent double eyelids, deep-set eyes behind his nose, large and bright, like glowing blue gems. Hearing Cheng Xiaoyu's question, he did not understand its meaning, but his intuition told him that something significant was about to happen. He asked in confusion, "Young Master Yu, what do you mean?"

Cheng Xiaoyu asked lightly, "How much do you earn per month?"

Wang Dongliang paused and said, "After tax, 16,000 yuan." His salary was considered high in his company, but Miao Pu was not a major website, and it was struggling to make a profit.

Cheng Xiaoyu smiled and asked, "Do you plan to buy a house?"

Wang Dongliang had only recently graduated, and the money he had saved over the years was spent on a Volkswagen Polo. If it weren't for the 200,000 yuan Cheng Xiaoyu had given him recently, he would have no savings. With the high cost of living in Beijing and the rising housing prices, he could not afford to buy a house. Hearing Cheng Xiaoyu's question, he felt another stab of pain and said, "How can I afford it now?"

Cheng Xiaoyu patted Wang Dongliang's shoulder and said, "Wolves seek freedom, maintaining their independence and free will, running on the vast grasslands, hunting cattle and sheep at will, enjoying all the delicious food nature provides. After eating, they lie on the grass, doing nothing, basking in the sun and the free air. They are the masters of the grasslands, with noble dignity. However, when the severe cold comes, they must learn to resist the cold of the blizzard, to find prey under the thick snow, often enduring hunger and the constant fear of freezing to death. The life of a wolf is half sea and half fire. The life of a dog is the opposite. Dogs usually eat the leftovers from their owners, are ordered around, have no freedom or dignity, and can only beg for mercy. The life of a dog is secure, though they never taste delicious food, they do not worry about hunger or cold in winter, protected by their owners. Dogs are grateful and vow to serve their owners in the next life, even if their owners beat and scold them, they dare not make a sound, as obedience and docility are the marks of a dog. Compromise and submission are the labels of a dog, for a stable job and a fixed income in old age, they accept everything! If we compare the lives of people in reality, most people live like dogs, stable and comfortable, but never fully satisfied, wanting to leave the doghouse but lacking the courage to do so."

Cheng Xiaoyu paused and said, "So, the question is, do you want to be a noble wolf or a comfortable dog?"

Wang Dongliang replied without hesitation, "Who wants to be a dog? Everyone wants to be a wolf! But is it that easy to be a wolf?"

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Wang Dongliang and said, "Do you still have the courage to dream? If you continue to go with the flow, do you think you will have the chance to achieve the success you desire?"

Wang Dongliang smiled bitterly and said, "I once thought I was capable, but reality has given me a harsh lesson. Young Master Yu, I am not you; I do not have a prestigious background. I came to Beijing from a small county, and in my hometown, that already counts as success. I never dared to dream of achieving what I have today."

Cheng Xiaoyu turned to look out the car window at the deep smog and the towering buildings, and said to Wang Dongliang with great determination, "I will give you the opportunity to witness a miracle together. Do you still have the courage?"

Years later, as the CEO of Xi Yu Company, the third-largest company by market value globally, with a personal net worth ranking in the top fifty globally, Wang Dongliang would often recall this moment. He told a Time magazine reporter with a smile, "Young Master Yu might have thought his actions and speeches were deeply moving and inspiring. In reality, everything he did and said was in vain. I had already decided that if he asked me to join him, I would quit my job and follow him. I saw from the first day that he was not an ordinary person."