Chapter Sixty: Onion Juice and the Mission

"I’m Jiang Yun. Who am I speaking to?"
"Hello, Jiang Yun, my name is Shen Luo."
"Oh—" Jiang Yun suddenly realized. "So it's Brother Shen Luo!"
"Haha!" Shen Luo chuckled on the other end of the line.
With a laugh, Shen Luo asked, "I heard there’s a dish-ordering segment. Can I order something?"
"Yes, there is. What would you like?" Jiang Yun asked.
"I’d like a glass of onion juice!" Shen Luo said.
"What? Onion? Or juice?!" Jiang Yun was baffled.
"That’s right," Shen Luo replied. "Don’t look down on this dish! It really exists. I was surprised myself when I first heard about it."
"Well, I’ve learned something new today!" Jiang Yun exclaimed in amazement.
"Alright, let’s leave it at that."
After hanging up, Jiang Yun began practicing his punches in the room.
"Boom!"
He threw a powerful punch, slicing through the air.
Jiang Yun’s punches were fierce and his movements agile as he performed a set of Bajiquan. Then, changing his approach, he opened his palms and switched to a set of Taiji.
"Whoosh—"
He exhaled a long breath, lowered his hands to his sides, and stood with humility, eyes closed, quietly holding a pose.
About an hour passed.
Huang Kang and He Ling returned.
"Jiang Yun, you’re here?"
Jiang Yun opened his eyes, a gleam flashing within them, exuding a transcendent aura as his eyelids lifted.
He greeted them, "Teacher He, Teacher Huang, you’re back!"
"Jiang Yun, were you practicing standing meditation just now?" Huang Kang asked.
"Well, well, Old Huang, who’d have thought you were so knowledgeable!" He Ling teased.
"Of course!" Huang Kang replied smugly.
"No matter how much you know, or how learned you are, you’re still just a cook," He Ling jabbed at Huang Kang.
Huang Kang looked as if he’d been dealt a blow.
"Go on, get dinner started!" He Ling said.
"Alright, then."
Huang Kang headed into the kitchen, calling loudly, "Jiang Yun, what dishes have they ordered?"
"I only got one call: onion juice!" Jiang Yun replied.
"Onion juice, onion juice..." Huang Kang muttered the words to himself.
He Ling entered the kitchen. "Well? Do you know how to make it? Is it even doable?"
"Don’t interrupt my train of thought. Let me think!"
Jiang Yun stepped into the kitchen. "Why not just look it up online?"
In the end, all three pulled out their phones, opened Shidu, and searched for the recipe for onion juice.
"Well, would you look at that! Onion juice really is a thing!" Huang Kang said.
Jiang Yun rolled his eyes inwardly. So you weren’t even sure it existed.
"Ring ring ring!"
"I’ll get the phone!"
Jiang Yun stepped out of the kitchen and walked over to the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello." A woman’s voice came from the other end. "Are you Gang Yun?"
Gang Yun? Who’s that? Jiang Yun wondered, confused. The woman spoke with a strong Hong Kong accent, her Mandarin barely intelligible.
Bracing himself, Jiang Yun replied, "I’m Jiang Yun!"
"Great! I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, but never had the opportunity before," the woman said excitedly.
Opportunity, not 'machine shame', Jiang Yun thought.
"Hello, now’s not really the time to chat. What dish would you like to order?"
"Oh, Gang Yun, my name is Cai Duofen. I’d like a portion of curry fish balls."
"Alright, I’ll let Teacher Huang know now!"
They hung up.
"Teacher Huang, one order of curry fish balls!"
"Got it!"
"Ring ring ring!"
Jiang Yun picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello." Another woman’s voice. "Is this Jiang Yun?"
"I am," Jiang Yun replied. Why does everyone ask me that?
"This is Zheng Ling!"
"Oh—" Jiang Yun remembered who she was—a fairly well-known comedian. "I know you, Sister Zheng Ling."
"Jiang Yun, you’re quite the sweet talker!"
"Heh." Jiang Yun smiled politely.
"Sister Zheng Ling, what would you like to order?"
"I’ll have fish balls in original broth."
"Alright, I’ll tell Teacher Huang Kang now."
"Jiang Yun, I’ve got a surprise for you later."
"A surprise? What kind?"
"I can’t say right now!"
They hung up.
While Huang Kang cooked in the kitchen, Jiang Yun went to help.
"Jiang Yun, I’ll leave the curry fish balls to you!"
"Sure!"
Under the camera, Jiang Yun and Huang Kang busied themselves in the kitchen.
Jiang Yun diced carrots and potatoes, then heated oil in a wok, added the diced vegetables, tossed in the freshly made fish balls, and finally stirred in curry and seasoning. The curry fish balls were ready.
"Jiang Yun, are the curry fish balls done?"
"All set!"
Jiang Yun plated the curry fish balls and brought them to the dining table.
Three unfamiliar faces now sat at the table—two women and one man.
The man was Shen Luo, around forty, dressed in a black suit, looking as if he were attending a wedding.
The two women—one slender and almost boneless, the other plump and broad-waisted.
The slender one was Cai Duofen; the plump one, Zheng Ling.
"Let me see if my curry fish balls are ready!" Cai Duofen said, picking one up eagerly with her chopsticks.
"Mmm—delicious! And they’re hand-made, not frozen!" Cai Duofen exclaimed in delight.
Huang Kang brought in a tray with two more dishes.
"Here’s your onion juice, and your fish balls in broth!"
Shen Luo couldn’t wait to take a sip of the onion juice. His expression changed instantly, as if he’d just bitten into a lemon.
"You have to finish your onion juice!" someone insisted.
"That’s right, no wasting food!" He Ling chimed in.
Shen Luo lifted the glass, and just as it touched his nose, he looked like he was about to gag.
"Ha-ha-ha," Zheng Ling laughed, sounding like a goose. "You’re always up to something! Lemon juice would be a hundred times better than onion juice!"
"Drink up. The five of us are watching—you have to finish it," Huang Kang said, arms folded.
"Ugh!" Shen Luo grimaced, the glass still at his nose.
"Ew, Shen Cuo, you’re being disgusting!" someone teased.
"If you don’t drink it, we’ll pry your mouth open with toothbrushes and pour it in," Huang Kang threatened, arms crossed.
"No, no, I’ll drink it, I’ll drink it!" Shen Luo said, almost in tears.
So, Shen Luo steeled himself and chugged the onion juice down.
"Ugh!" He patted his chest, trying to suppress the urge to vomit.
Shen Luo’s eyes were red, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Whew—" Shen Luo looked utterly defeated. "This must be what they mean by suffering the consequences of your own actions."
"Heh."
"Ha-ha-ha!"
All five burst out in raucous laughter.
He Ling was surprised. "Hey? The director’s team just issued a task!"
A crew member hurried over with a card in hand.
"Jiang Yun, take a look at the task!"
"Alright!"
Jiang Yun took the card and opened it: "No one is allowed to sleep before midnight!"
"The task says, no sleeping before midnight!"
"Oh—" The five of them feigned surprise. "So that’s how it is…"
Jiang Yun felt something was off. Why didn’t they seem all that shocked? Was there something he didn’t know?
What could it be…