Bonds of Fate (4)
The first dish to arrive was Jingjiang shredded pork—well-stir-fried meat and vegetables, fragrant with cilantro, meant to be wrapped in thin wheat pancakes and eaten by hand. Even among the fare an inn might serve, it was a fairly refined offering. Fitting, it seemed, for guests seated on the fourth floor; the meal had begun with something far from ordinary.
“Oh? Not a bad start.”
It was a sensible opening course—something to fill an empty stomach with meat and wheat wrappers.
“Jingjiang shredded pork right from the start. Looks like our mouths are in for a treat today.”
Jo Hwan’s face went soft with bliss at the aroma teasing his nose. The waiter set the dish carefully on the table and said,
“Jingjiang shredded pork. Made with the finest ingredients—we guarantee the freshness and the flavor.”
Kang Yeon glanced at the plate and nodded.
“The ingredients really do look excellent.”
The waiter’s expression turned smug, as if to say, Where else would people like you ever taste something like this? In truth, the grade of ingredients used at Ilyeong Inn was exceptional.
“Nowhere in Hangzhou uses ingredients as fine as ours. We take real pride in the taste.”
Having served the dish, the waiter set down a bottle of wine he had prepared beside it.
“A wine chosen to pair with the food.”
Kang Yeon glanced at the bottle and nodded. It was, indeed, a perfect match—Fenjiu, a celebrated spirit distilled in Jiangxi, not far from Zhejiang where Hangzhou lay. A liquor of genuine renown.
“Fenjiu. An excellent pairing.”
The waiter looked mildly startled that Kang Yeon had named the wine without even opening the bottle. Kang Yeon smiled at him.
“I have a rather sensitive nose.”
At that, the waiter tensed a little. Anyone with a sharp sense of smell would almost certainly have a sharp palate as well. Ilyeong Inn was regularly visited by gourmets who came expressly to test its cooking.
“Ah—I see. I hope the food and wine are to your liking.”
Kang Yeon smiled gently at the slightly nervous young man.
“Well then—let’s try it.”
He took a wheat pancake and laid it across his palm, piled on a helping of the stir-fried meat, scattered the finely sliced scallions that had come with the dish over the top, folded the wrapper so nothing would spill, and swallowed it in a single bite.
A soft hum escaped him.
“Mmm~”
The cooking at Ilyeong Inn truly was superb. Judged objectively, the chef here stood several levels above Jo Hwan. With a cook of this caliber, of course the inn would thrive.
Outstanding interior, outstanding food—and famous liquor to go with it…
He glanced out the window and nodded again. The night streets of Hangzhou lay spread out below in a single sweep. Dan U-ryeong’s hand was unmistakable; even the building’s placement and orientation had been planned to perfection.
And he said he threw it up casually…
Ilyeong Inn was on a scale that made it a formidable rival—which, in a way, was something of a relief. And thanks to Dan U-ryeong’s hard work, they were at least getting to enjoy food this good.
“Uncle, how is it?”
Jo Hwan, who had been shoveling food into his mouth, jerked at the question.
“Delicious. This head cook’s skill is something else.”
“Right? This isn’t going to be easy.”
Jo Hwan’s eyes went round.
“Not going to be easy?”
The look on his face asked whether Kang Yeon was seriously treating Ilyeong Inn as competition. Kang Yeon grinned.
“We’re running an inn ourselves, aren’t we? We ought to be able to put out food of this standard.”
“Well… you’re not wrong. Ever since Ilyeong Inn opened, Hangzhou’s been in an uproar.”
Once Ilyeong Inn appeared, every other inn along the streets of Hangzhou had gone into emergency mode. It had materialized overnight and, riding a wave of enormous capital, steadily swallowed the surrounding commercial district. Not that it had resorted to dirty tricks or unfair practices. It had simply used its wealth to secure a fine building, an outstanding chef, and the very best ingredients. And for all that superiority, its prices were not especially high—which made it nothing short of a disaster for the neighboring inns and wine houses.
Kang Yeon stroked his chin at Jo Hwan’s words.
“Hmm… is that so? When did Ilyeong Inn settle in Hangzhou?”
“They started construction about a year ago. They only opened for business recently.”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“Not long at all, then.”
“Exactly. It seized control of the Hangzhou streets in the blink of an eye. I’ve heard plenty of people come to Hangzhou just to visit Ilyeong Inn.”
So the inn’s presence was one reason the streets had grown even more crowded.
“Well… that works out fine for us. Business always thrives next to a popular place. They call that the trickle-down effect.”
“Popular place? Trickle-down effect?”
Jo Hwan tilted his head. Kang Yeon explained,
“A popular place—a restaurant everyone talks about. And the trickle-down effect means if you’re standing under the waterfall, something’s bound to splash your way.”
“Ah, I see. Well, Ilyeong Inn is fairly close to ours.”
“And there’s only so many customers Ilyeong Inn can serve in a day.”
Kang Yeon and Jo Hwan exchanged a grin.
“Trickle-down effect.”
“Niche strategy.”
Kang Yeon lifted the wine bottle and pulled the stopper. A rich bouquet rolled out at once—true to its reputation as a famous spirit. Jo Hwan’s eyes trembled violently. He glanced sideways at Kang Yeon and fidgeted. Kang Yeon looked at him.
“You’ll have a cup, won’t you?”
Jo Hwan’s face lit up on the spot.
“I—I can?”
Kang Yeon looked pleased with the reaction.
“Of course. A simple cup or two is fine—so long as you don’t drink yourself senseless the way you used to.”
“Hey! That was ages ago. I’ve been cutting back for years.”
Jo Hwan was, without exaggeration, a terminal drinker. Once he started, he saw it through to the end. More than once he had collapsed dead drunk and left the business hanging. Kang Yeon had thoroughly broken him of the habit years ago—and now, after a long absence, he was testing whether the cure had held.
Glug.
Kang Yeon filled Jo Hwan’s cup, then his own. He raised his cup toward Jo Hwan.
“Cheers.”
“Cheers? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Kang Yeon lightly tapped his cup against Jo Hwan’s.
“It means let’s toast.”
He drained his cup in one go.
“Ahh~”
The clean fragrance and taste unique to Fenjiu washed over his tongue, rinsing away the slight richness the shredded pork had left behind. He glanced sideways. Jo Hwan had closed both eyes, savoring the liquor with a look of pure rapture.
“Well?”
Jo Hwan opened his eyes.
“The pairing is art. Perfect.”
“Fine ingredients and fine wine together—it really is something else.”
Kang Yeon wrapped another bite of Jingjiang shredded pork and ate it. The flavor was so fine his head nodded of its own accord. Between the two of them they polished off several more wraps, and the bowl was empty.
Just the right amount for a light tasting…
The portion had been measured precisely for two grown men to sample. On the top floor, food and wine arrived without the need to order—which meant Jingjiang shredded pork would not be the last course. Other dishes would keep coming.
It was, in form, almost like a modern tasting menu.
Of course, when a banquet was held in the Central Plains, the custom was to pile the tables high with every dish imaginable. Better too much than too little, when entertaining guests of consequence. The top floor received the most important visitors of all, so an overflowing spread would not have been surprising.
Hmm… so someone in this era already thought of doing it this way?
Kang Yeon found himself curious about whoever had founded Ilyeong Inn. Enormous care had gone into the building’s exterior and interior décor, and each floor ran on a completely different model of business.
Before long the waiter returned with another dish.
“This is Dongpo pork—one of our inn’s proudest specialties.”
Naturally. Speak of Hangzhou and you spoke of Dongpo pork; leaving it off the table would have been unthinkable. Kang Yeon checked the plate set before him. Once again, the portion was measured to be just enough.
He asked the waiter,
“How many more courses will there be?”
The young man answered as if he had been waiting for the question.
“As long as the guests keep wishing for more, we will keep bringing dishes. If you find yourselves full, simply let us know.”
Kang Yeon nodded.
“I see.”
He picked up a piece of Dongpo pork and let out a soft exclamation. The tender meat, soaked through with deep, rich seasoning, was extraordinary.
“Haha… that is truly delicious.”
Beside him, Jo Hwan took a bite as well and made the same sound of astonished delight. The cooking at Ilyeong Inn was, without exaggeration, untouchable.
“Let’s try it with the wine.”
Jo Hwan refilled his cup in a hurry and drained it at once.
“Ahh~ magnificent. This place is paradise.”
Kang Yeon snorted a quiet laugh at him.
“Eat as much as you like.”
“Oh, I intend to. Today I plan to eat and drink until I can’t take another bite.”
At that very moment, a man appeared in the entrance to the top floor. The waiter spotted him and nearly jumped out of his skin as he hurried over.
“M—Master! What brings you here?”
The newcomer appeared to be the owner of Ilyeong Inn. Kang Yeon finished his cup, set it down, and let his gaze drift naturally toward the man.
Then his eyes went wide.
“Huh? What are you doing here?”