Chapter Sixty-Two: Talking About Feelings

Holding a magnifying glass, Lei Ren stared intently at the spine of the kitchen knife, as if petrified. He neither spoke nor made a move to leave.

A moment later, Zhao Haikun grew impatient. Beads of sweat covering his forehead, he blurted out, "Have you seen enough? If you have, get lost!"

Zhao Haikun’s eviction order was extremely blunt, and Master Duan, who had been smoking gloomily, chimed in immediately, "The host is telling you to leave. Why are you still hanging around?"

Hearing Master Duan’s words, I sneered inwardly.

Right. Once Lei Ren left, nobody would be competing with you for the kitchen knife, would they?

Faced with the joint alliance and pressure from Zhao Haikun and Master Duan, Lei Ren raised his head leisurely and asked Zhao Haikun a question with a smile.

Lei Ren was about to live up to his name—stirring things up with his outrageous remarks!

Raising his head unhurriedly, Lei Ren stroked his white beard and chuckled, "Brother Kun! Let me finish examining the knife, and I'll leave immediately! But before I go, I want to ask you something. In your northern dialect... how about we have a little chat?"

"I don't have time for this!" Zhao Haikun snapped irritably.

Seizing the opportunity, I immediately chimed in, "Uncle, just let him speak. Once he's said his piece, he'll finally give up."

My words were an obvious show of support for Lei Ren.

I had to support him, of course! If Master Duan drove him away, who else would lock horns with this scoundrel and fight him for the knife?

Naturally, my remark caught both Zhao Haikun and Master Duan completely off guard, but since I had already said it, there was no taking it back.

Putting on a brave face, I smiled and said, "Uncle Lei, say what you need to say quickly. Don't anger my uncle, and don't make things difficult for everyone."

Taking advantage of the opening, Lei Ren gave me a grateful smile. Without waiting for Zhao Haikun's consent, he pressed on, "Brother Kun, I'll only ask you this! Are you still the head chef of our Five Viscera Temple? Are you still the successor of the Confucius Temple?"

Zhao Haikun immediately replied, "Naturally I am!"

Zhao Haikun's answer brought a satisfied nod from Lei Ren. While smiling, he did not forget to launch his "emotional offensive."

Stroke his white beard, Lei Ren continued down memory lane, "Ever since you injured your leg five years ago and hung up your knives, I've known about your family's hardships and your desperate need for money. But have you ever considered the consequences of selling that knife to an outsider?"

Lei Ren was extremely clever and shrewd. With just a few words, he drew himself, me, and Zhao Haikun into the same camp, reducing Master Duan to an "outsider." Every single word he uttered struck straight at my uncle Zhao Haikun's heartstrings—truly killing several birds with one stone.

Zhao Haikun could deny everything, view everything with indifference, and even sell his ancestral heirloom knife, but there were two things he could never deny: his origins at the Lunan Confucius Temple and the centuries-old legacy of the Zhao family.

Under Lei Ren’s soft and persuasive words, Zhao Haikun’s resolve gradually weakened. Master Duan wanted to interject, but since they were discussing "family" matters, he could not find a way in.

Just then, sensing the time was ripe, Lei Ren’s expression suddenly shifted, and he said to Zhao Haikun with deep emotion, "...This ancestral kitchen knife of the Zhao family is the very foundation of our Five Viscera Temple! If you sell it to an outsider, the history of the Zhao family... will truly perish!"

In a flash, clarity dawned upon me!

This sentence was Lei Ren’s ultimate trump card.

What a cunning old fox!

Earlier, Lei Ren had endlessly droned on about the origin and legacy of the kitchen knife. While it seemed like irrelevant nonsense, he was actually subtly reinforcing a particular impression in Zhao Haikun’s mind.

Namely, the immense importance and historical heritage this kitchen knife held for the Zhao family and the Confucius Temple.

After all, Zhao Haikun was not unaware of the knife’s significance, nor was he devoid of affection for it; he simply refused to face it due to his brother’s death.

Therefore, what Lei Ren wanted was to ignite those deeply buried emotions within him, making him reluctant to sell the knife—or at least, if he had to sell it, to sell it to someone within the "family" who truly understood its value.

Hearing Lei Ren’s words, Zhao Haikun’s expression changed drastically. I knew those words had struck a chord deep within my uncle's heart.

Pressing his advantage, Lei Ren struck while the iron was hot, "Haifeng! Think about it. If you sell it to an antique dealer, in their eyes, it's just a kitchen knife bestowed by Emperor Jiajing—nothing more than scrap iron! But if it stays within the 'Five Viscera Temple,' the stories and legacy attached to it will all remain intact!"

These words completely won over my uncle Zhao Haikun!

Zhao Huo, Zhao Qingshan, Zhao Deguang, Zhao Haipeng... these vivid names had crystallized into the legend of this knife, and into the final "sarira" of the Zhao family.

Indeed! Antique dealers might love this treasure and treat it well, but no matter how well they treated it, stripped of the Zhao family's history, it would remain nothing more than an aged antique with some years to its name. The spiritual aura attached to it, the stories handed down through it, and the cultural lineage it inherited would all vanish.

In the parlance of our Five Viscera Temple, that meant "the spirit of the blade has dissipated, and its foundation is completely gone."

This was something none of us chefs could bear to witness. On this issue, Lei Ren and I were in complete agreement; this was a matter of fundamental principle.

Immediately nodding in agreement, I chimed in, "Uncle, Elder Lei is right! The foundation of our Confucius Temple must not be ruined by a fraud!"

My words finally provoked Master Duan to the limit of his rage!

His face flushed red with fury, Master Duan violently flung his cigarette butt toward my feet and snarled viciously, "Zhao Haikun and I made a deal beforehand! Cash on delivery, goods in hand! Right, Zhao Haikun?!"

My uncle Zhao Haikun was an honest man, utterly inept at verbal sparring. Seeing Master Duan bring up their prior agreement, he stammered and nodded.

Receiving a definitive confirmation, Master Duan smiled and said, "See that? We had already settled it... Look, Brother Zhao, I'll add another two thousand to make it seven thousand total. I'll take this knife right now..."

Before Master Duan could finish, Lei Ren abruptly interrupted, "I'll offer ten thousand! Ten thousand, and I'm buying this knife!"

His words stunned everyone present! Leaping from five thousand straight to ten thousand—what an imposing and wealthy declaration.

As he spoke, Lei Ren’s nephew, Lei Wangcai, coordinated with him by instantly pulling a stack of cash from his chest and slapping it down in front of everyone with a loud *thwack*.

The impact of this move on Zhao Haikun and his wife was immense!

Faced with the smiling faces of the banknotes, Gui Yuxiu’s eyes immediately lit up. Trembling with chins wobbling, she trotted over to start counting the money while waving dismissively at Master Duan, "Off you go! There's nothing for you here anymore!"

"What?!" Master Duan’s eyes bulged in disbelief. "Wait... we had an agreement!"

Stepping in, Lei Ren countered with a mocking smile, "You slick little whelp! What agreement? A contract? Or a deposit? You've got nothing, yet you claim there's an agreement. The law doesn't recognize that!"

Hearing the word "law," Little Asi also chimed in with a sweet smile, "Exactly! Go home and study 'contract law' before coming back!"

Attacked from all sides, battered by winds from every direction, and completely cornered, Master Duan was utterly dumbfounded.

The cooked duck had flown right out of his hands; how could he not be stunned?

In sheer desperation, Master Duan pointed a trembling finger at Lei Ren’s nose, then at me and Little Asi, spat a glob of saliva in disgust, and stormed off without looking back.

Watching Master Duan leave in utter humiliation and defeat, I smiled from the bottom of my heart. However, in such a "solemn" setting, fearing I might lose my composure, I lowered my head and tried my best to suppress my grin.

Yet, the moment I lowered my head, the smile froze on my face.

Because on the ground, I saw something.