Chapter 333: Tan and Zhang's Competition

Chapter 333: Tan and Zhang's Competition

  Monday, the 24th of the ninth lunar month.

  Sui Feng Restaurant.

  Today is Deng Shirong's 50th birthday. He didn't have any grand plans to celebrate his 50th birthday. If he really wanted to celebrate his 50th birthday grandly, he would have done so last year.

  Celebrating a grand birthday usually refers to the 50th, 60th, 70th... 100th birthdays, which are milestone birthdays.

  In our country, there is a tradition that men celebrate their 50th birthday and women their 60th. If he were to celebrate a grand birthday, last year's 50th birthday would have been the most appropriate.

  Of course, in this era, a 50th birthday can be considered a grand birthday. In later times, due to the increased life expectancy of the Chinese people, grand birthdays generally refer to the 60th, 70th, 80th... 100th birthdays.

  And birthdays for those over 60 can also be referred to as grand birthdays.

  Although he didn't have grand plans to celebrate, it was still his 50th birthday, and it was very necessary to have a good meal with his family and relatives to celebrate.

  Today, Deng Shirong personally cooked. On his trip to Sichuan, he bought a lot of high-quality dried chili peppers and Sichuan peppercorns, as well as the soul of Sichuan cuisine, broad bean paste. After reaching an agreement with the descendants of the Chen family, they also gifted him some traditionally made, three-year-fermented high-quality broad bean paste.

  With such excellent seasonings, he naturally wanted to show off his skills and prepare some classic Sichuan dishes for his family and relatives to taste.

  Deng Shirong was currently making classic Sichuan-style stir-fried pork with twice-cooked pork. Twice-cooked pork is a very down-to-earth home-style dish and a classic Sichuan dish, holding a significant place in Sichuan cuisine and often considered the top Sichuan dish.

  Twice-cooked pork stir-fried with Pixian broad bean paste is incredibly fragrant and succulent, making it one of the best side dishes.

  The finished dish is as follows:

  It must be said that twice-cooked pork stir-fried with authentic Pixian broad bean paste is truly incredibly fragrant.

  As the aroma spread, not only did the chefs in the kitchen take notice, but even the family members, relatives, and other diners sitting in the restaurant began to sniff the air, captivated by the unique fragrance.

  Their faces were filled with surprise.

  An old regular couldn't help but ask, "Boss Deng, what dish is being cooked in the kitchen? It smells so good!"

  Deng Yunzhen smiled and replied, "My dad is making Sichuan dishes!"

  The old regular was curious, "Is this the smell of Sichuan dishes? It really does smell amazing!"

  Other diners also chimed in, "Yes, it smells so good! Boss Deng, are you planning to add Sichuan dishes to your menu at Sui Feng Restaurant?"

  Deng Yunzhen shook her head and smiled, "No, these are just for our own consumption. Sichuan dishes do smell good, but they are a bit too spicy for us in Bobai, and many people can't handle the spiciness."

  A diner regretfully said, "That's true. I can't handle spiciness, not even the spiciness of green peppers. I guess I won't have the chance to taste Sichuan dishes!"

  Other diners also nodded in agreement. In their generation, very few people could handle spiciness, and it was only in the next generation that more people began to enjoy spicy food, and by the time of the younger generation, almost everyone could handle it.

  Of course, being able to handle spiciness is relative. If we grade it as mild, medium, very spicy, and extremely spicy, 90% of people in Bobai can only handle mild spiciness, with only a few able to handle medium spiciness. Those who can handle very spicy food are rare, and those who can handle extremely spicy food probably haven't been born yet.

  In the kitchen, after finishing the twice-cooked pork, Deng Shirong went on to make other classic Sichuan dishes like fish-flavored shredded pork, Mapo tofu, and boiled fish.

  The other classic local dishes were prepared by the other chefs.

  Soon, after Deng Shirong finished preparing these Sichuan dishes, he had the servers bring them out, and they were ready to eat.

  For this birthday, although Deng Shirong invited relatives to join him for the meal, he only invited those who lived in the county, such as the couple Bo Dash, his sister-in-law, the couple Bo Zhongshi, and his in-laws, Chen Bangguo, Chen Bangli, Chen Bangfeng, Zhu Junjie and his parents, Zhang Guangzong, Zhang Guoan, and others.

  With so many relatives and friends, plus his own family, they couldn't all fit at one table, so they were divided into two tables.

  When it was time to eat, the authentic Sichuan dishes that Deng Shirong prepared were a huge hit. Knowing that everyone couldn't handle too much spiciness, he tried to use less chili in dishes like boiled fish.

  Zhang Guangzong tasted all the Sichuan dishes that Deng Shirong prepared and exclaimed, "Boss, these Sichuan dishes you made are truly excellent! They taste just like the Sichuan dishes I had in the past, and they might even be better. You are really talented!"

  Liang Yunfei also praised, "I've heard that Sichuan dishes are delicious, but I never had the chance to try them. Now that I've finally tasted them, they are indeed as good as the reputation suggests!"

  Deng Shirong said, "Sichuan cuisine does have its unique characteristics. Among the many provinces and autonomous regions in our country, only the dishes from four provinces are listed as the four major cuisines in the 'Chinese Culinary Encyclopedia,' and Sichuan cuisine is one of them, which shows how remarkable it is."

  The concept and popularity of 'cuisine' in our country roughly emerged and became widespread during the 1950s to 1970s.

In the 1970s, when the Ministry of Commerce organized the compilation of the "Chinese Culinary Encyclopedia," it mentioned the "Four Great Cuisines," which were Shandong cuisine, Sichuan cuisine, Huaiyang cuisine, and Cantonese cuisine.

Later, the concepts of "Four Great," "Five Great," and "Ten Great" cuisines gradually became popular.

By 1980, the "Finance and Trade Front" newspaper published an article titled "The Eight Great Cuisines of China," which listed Shandong, Sichuan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian, and Anhui as the eight great cuisines. This was the earliest reference to the "Eight Great Cuisines."

Although the concept of the "Eight Great Cuisines" now exists, it is not as widely known as it is in later times. Those who do not follow relevant newspapers might not be aware of the "Four Great Cuisines" or the "Eight Great Cuisines."

Clearly, the people present were not aware of this. When Deng Shirong mentioned the "Four Great Cuisines," Zhu Junjie couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Deng, apart from Sichuan cuisine, what are the other three cuisines in the Four Great Cuisines?"

The others also looked at Deng Shirong curiously upon hearing this.

Deng Shirong gave them a brief overview, explaining the Four Great Cuisines and even the Eight Great Cuisines. He concluded by saying, "Guangxi also has many unique dishes, but they lack a systematic classification. Different regions have different dietary habits, such as the southeastern part of Guangxi leaning towards Cantonese cuisine, the northern part towards Hunan cuisine, and the northwestern part towards the cuisine of Yunnan and Guizhou."

Liang Yunfei admired, "Cousin, you truly have a wealth of knowledge about food!"

Deng Shirong smiled, "I just pay more attention to this area, and I've traveled quite a bit, so I naturally know more."

Granny Zhu said with regret, "You make Sichuan cuisine sound so delicious, but I can't handle spicy food. I really don't have the luck to taste it!"

Deng Shirong replied, "The other dishes might be a bit spicy, but the twice-cooked pork shouldn't be too spicy. Auntie, you can try it."

Granny Zhu wanted to try it but, seeing the chili peppers and the color of the twice-cooked pork, she shook her head, "No, I won't try it. I don't want to waste such a good dish if I can't handle it."

Deng Shirong said, "There's no waste. It's not like a few years ago when we could hardly eat meat once a month."

Deng Yunzhen directly placed a piece of twice-cooked pork in her future mother-in-law's bowl, saying, "Auntie, try it. If you can't handle it, just spit it out. It's fine."

Seeing this, Granny Zhu didn't refuse anymore. She picked up the twice-cooked pork from her bowl, put it in her mouth, and followed it with a mouthful of rice, chewing them together. The spiciness was manageable, and the dish became more fragrant the more she chewed, making it very appetizing. It was completely different from the local, milder dishes.

After swallowing the food, Granny Zhu praised, "Sichuan cuisine is indeed delicious!"

Seeing this, the other relatives, regardless of whether they could handle spiciness, all reached for the twice-cooked pork. They wanted to taste the dish that had been praised so much.

After tasting it, none of them disliked it.

Sichuan cuisine, indeed, is the most popular cuisine in the country.

Apart from Sichuan cuisine, the other dishes on the table were also carefully prepared by the master chefs and were classic local delicacies.

This meal left everyone very satisfied.

Deng Shirong's 50th birthday was celebrated with the blessings of his family and relatives.

...

After celebrating his 50th birthday, time quickly moved to the tenth lunar month, and the countdown to his eldest daughter's wedding had begun.

The second floor of the Ye Deng residential complex had already been fully renovated and thoroughly cleaned.

The decor was in a European style, which was very fashionable and beautiful for this era. The bed was not a traditional frame bed but a famous mattress of the time, and the sofa was a high-end leather sofa. All other furniture was of the highest quality for this era.

The house had nine rooms, three of which were master bedrooms with attached bathrooms, and there were also three shared bathrooms, a kitchen larger than 30 square meters, and a dining hall of 50 to 60 square meters.

As for the living room, it was truly enormous.

The overall renovation was very high-end, and even Deng Shirong, who had seen the prosperity of later times, found it satisfactory. One can imagine how luxurious it must have seemed to people of this era.

Since the renovation was completed, Deng Yunzhen had visited the house countless times, and each time she saw it, she was still amazed by its beauty. It was truly stunning!

Sitting on the sofa in the living room, Deng Shirong asked, "Azhen, do you see anything missing in this house?"

Deng Yunzhen shook her head, "Dad, there's nothing missing. You've already provided all the furniture and appliances."

Deng Shirong smiled, "Since there's nothing missing, choose a master bedroom. You have less than three months until your wedding, and it's time to start setting up your bridal room."

Deng Yunzhen was taken aback, "But the renovation is already done. How else can we set it up?"

Deng Shirong explained, "Renovation and setting up don't conflict. You're getting married, so we need to put up the double happiness character, window decorations, and hang lanterns. In short, it needs to be festive to create the wedding atmosphere."

Deng Yunzhen replied, "Dad, the window decorations and lanterns aren't necessary. At most, we can put up the double happiness character and change the bedding, sheets, and pillows to red. That should be enough."

Deng Shirong said, "What's so troublesome about it? Just prepare in advance and set things up gradually. A wedding happens only once in a lifetime. When your big brother and big sister got married, the family's conditions weren't that good, so we didn't decorate much, focusing mainly on the food.

"Now that you're getting married, the family's conditions are much better, so we should certainly make a good effort to decorate."

Hearing this, Deng Yunzhen was deeply moved. To be honest, very few fathers in this world would go to such lengths for their daughters, and in Bobai, Deng Shirong was truly one of a kind. Compared to other girls, she was really very fortunate!

Deng Yunzhen returned to the original topic and said, "Dad, you pick the master bedroom first, and then I'll pick one."

Deng Shirong laughed and said, "This house is for you, so you should choose the master bedroom you like the most. Don't worry about me; I can stay in any bedroom, and once the other floors are renovated, I'll have plenty of options!"

Deng Yunzhen knew this was true, so she didn't insist and chose a master bedroom she liked. She then asked, "Dad, should we have a fire ceremony for the new house?"

Deng Shirong replied, "There's no need to have a fire ceremony right away. Since we'll be eating at the restaurant, there's no need to start a fire here. According to custom, if we have a fire ceremony, we should stay here for the New Year. Since you're just getting married, it's best to go back to your husband's hometown for the first year to avoid any gossip."

In Bobai, there are no specific rules about when you can move into a new house, but if you want to start a fire for cooking, you need to choose a good day and hold a ceremony, known as the "fire ceremony."

Deng Yunzhen nodded and said, "Okay, we'll wait until next year to have the fire ceremony."

...

Later that afternoon.

After dinner, Deng Shirong, as usual, held his water pipe and went to the restaurant entrance to smoke.

After smoking two pipes, he heard familiar music coming from the front:

"If fate has already decided we should part,

No need to pretend to hold me back.

If love is eternal and true,

Why would we part..."

Deng Shirong instantly recognized this as a song by Principal Tan. Although he had passed the age of being a fan in his previous life, music truly transcends age and is loved by everyone. Those who don't enjoy music are very few.

Deng Shirong didn't have a talent for singing, but he listened to as much music as anyone else. He had also followed some of his favorite singers and never missed an episode of the popular music shows during their heyday.

"Love in the Deep Autumn" is one of Principal Tan's classic songs, and Deng Shirong could easily recognize it. He looked in the direction of the music and saw a trendy young man in bellbellpants and large sunglasses, carrying a cassette player, playing Principal Tan's song and humming along.

Coincidentally, at that moment, another similar trendy young man emerged from the opposite alley, also carrying a cassette player, which was playing a song Deng Shirong found very familiar:

"I advise you to return early,

But you say you don't want to.

Just ask me to hold you.

The gentle sea breeze blows,

Cooling the wild fire..."

This was "Big Brother's" hit song, "The Wind Continues to Blow." As a music lover, Deng Shirong immediately recognized it.

The two trendy young men met by chance and stopped simultaneously, looking at each other.

If there were special effects, their gazes would be shooting sparks and lightning. The young man from the alley immediately turned up the volume on his cassette player, trying to drown out the other.

The other young man was not to be outdone and also turned up the volume to the maximum.

At the same time, they began to taunt each other:

"What garbage are you playing? It's polluting my ears, and you have the nerve to play it so loud?"

"The garbage you're playing is even worse. It sounds like a fly buzzing, making me sick."

"Who sounds sick? What garbage? How dare you compete with my Principal Tan? You're just asking for it!"

"Heh, getting upset, are you? What kind of Principal? In front of my Big Brother, he's just a nobody!"

"..."

Seeing this, everyone else was confused.

They knew the two were arguing, but the content of their argument was hard to understand. It seemed to be about whose song was better.

Are these two just arguing for fun?

What are they even fighting about?

Probably only Deng Shirong understood what was happening.

If he remembered correctly, starting from this year and lasting until 1989, the Hong Kong music scene would witness an unprecedented rivalry between Tan and Zhang.

The all-out competition between these two music giants would ultimately end in a lose-lose situation, with one announcing he would no longer accept competitive music awards and the other retiring from the music industry. There were no winners in this competition.

In his previous life, when these two giants were in full competition, Deng Shirong was still living in the countryside, where information was limited, and he had no idea about this. It wasn't until the internet became widespread that he learned the full story of this rivalry.

After understanding the situation, Deng Shirong felt a bit melancholic. Originally, neither of them might have wanted such a competition, but many things were beyond the control of the idols themselves. The irrational fans took matters into their own hands.

The brother's car was scratched, and his mailbox was filled with curses and threats, causing him great distress.

Similarly, Principal Tan did not have an easy time either. After the award ceremony on May 18, 1987, Principal Tan was almost always mocked for "buying awards" whenever he won.

Newspapers like the Ming Pao, led by Jin Yong, were more than happy to stir up the drama. After all, bigger stories meant better sales. These newspapers directly revealed so-called "insider stories," using plenty of "allegedly" and "rumors" to write one article after another about "Principal Tan buying awards."

Initially, Principal Tan and the brother had a decent relationship, but under the pressure of irrational fans, they had no choice but to compete. At the height of their competition, fans from both sides even came to physical blows.

Although this was just the beginning of the Tan Zhang rivalry, it was normal for these two fans to argue when they met.

In his previous life, Principal Tan, unable to bear the harassment, announced in 1987 that he would no longer accept competitive awards.

After Principal Tan's announcement, the brother was mocked every time he won an award with comments like, "It's only because Principal Tan doesn't want it that you get it."

As a result, the brother officially announced his retirement from the music industry in 1989, bringing the highly publicized "Tan Zhang rivalry" to an end.

Thinking about the Tan Zhang rivalry, Deng Shirong couldn't help but recall the Four Heavenly Kings, who dominated the Hong Kong music scene in the 1990s. Their influence was unmatched, representing the peak of fan culture. They monopolized the "Most Popular Male Singer" award throughout the 1990s, collectively held over 1,600 solo concerts, and sold over 100 million records, truly impressive.

Thinking about these things, Deng Shirong considered a business related to these music giants: opening a music and video store to sell music cassettes and video tapes. He was sure it would be highly profitable.

While Deng Shirong was contemplating his business idea, the two trendy young men didn't come to blows. After a few minutes of mutual insults, they each walked away with their cassette players, leaving the audience thoroughly confused, completely unaware of what they were arguing about.

Who are these Principal and Brother? They couldn't understand a thing.

Even eating a melon turned out to be a confusing and frustrating experience!

...

Time passed quickly, and soon it was the tenth lunar month. Zhu Junjie's position was also confirmed, and he officially became the head of the County Public Security Bureau.

Being promoted before his wedding was a very happy event for Zhu Junjie.

Based on his personal conditions, Zhu Junjie was a perfect match for Deng Yunzhen. Normally, he wouldn't feel anxious, but his wife's family was so powerful, and the dowry they provided was so generous that it put a considerable amount of pressure on him.

Now, becoming the head of the County Public Security Bureau, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

For such a promotion, one should be low-key. Zhu Junjie didn't want to publicize it. He just asked his mother to buy more food, and they had a sumptuous dinner, inviting his wife, Deng Yunzhen, to join them as a celebration.

Hearing that their son had been promoted, the old Mr. and Mrs. Zhu were very pleased.

The head of the County Public Security Bureau was a significant achievement for their family.

Deng Yunzhen was also very happy. After all, this was her husband, and she would be with him for the rest of her life. A capable husband would also bring her honor as a wife.

After dinner, when Deng Yunzhen returned, Mrs. Zhu said, "Ajie, there's only a little over a month left before your wedding with Ayun. We should send the bride price to her father soon. How much do you think is appropriate?"

According to the wedding customs in Bobai, the bride price should be sent to the bride's family before the registration.

If the couple didn't register and directly held a wedding banquet, the bride price should be sent before the banquet.

It was quite rare for a couple like Zhu Junjie and Deng Yunzhen, who had been registered for so long, to not have sent the bride price yet.

Zhu Junjie said, "They don't need the money. We can just give a lucky number."

Mrs. Zhu said, "They don't need the money, but we can't be too casual. We should give as much as we can afford, a reasonable amount."

Zhu Junjie said, "Mom, you decide. I have no objections."

Mrs. Zhu pondered and said, "How about 1,399? It's a wish for a long and lasting life together."

Zhu Junjie nodded and said, "That's fine. It's a good number."

Mrs. Zhu looked at Mr. Zhu and asked, "Old man, what do you think?"

Mr. Zhu nodded and said, "You decide. I have no objections."

Mrs. Zhu made the final decision, "It's settled then!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end