"Bin, I’m so sorry I couldn’t make it to your grand opening." Director Kong’s cheerful voice came through the phone. "Are you at the shop right now? I just landed at Yunzhong City Airport, and I’m planning to drop by."
"Why didn’t you give me a heads-up? I could have picked you up from the airport." Director Kong had been very good to Hah’Er during the promotional video shoot, never put on airs around Shen Yibin, and had even given Sun Qian a leg up. For these reasons, Shen Yibin had a very high opinion of him and welcomed him warmly. "By the time you get here, it’ll be lunchtime. I’ll make you a few of Yunzhong City’s local specialties."
"Great, I’m on my way then!" Director Kong didn’t stand on ceremony. After hanging up, Shen Yibin took Hah’Er and Maphario out to buy groceries. On the way, he pondered the reason for Director Kong’s visit. The promotional video was a thing of the past, and there was no other business connecting the director to Yunzhong City for the time being. ’He must be here to convince me to let Hah’Er star in his new movie.’
’Judging from our last collaboration, there’s nothing to worry about when it comes to Hah’Er being on set. My only concerns are the script and the filming locations. I don’t want Hah’Er running all over the world—it would wear him out. Besides, it wouldn’t be right to leave Maphario’s Happy Farm unattended for too long.’
’I’ll just wait until he gets here to discuss it. I’ve mentioned these concerns to him before, so Director Kong has probably prepared for them.’ For now, Shen Yibin pushed those thoughts aside and focused on picking out ingredients.
After making his selections, he returned to the shop. He had just finished stir-frying a few dishes when Director Kong walked in. The moment he stepped inside, Director Kong was astonished. ’Wow, this place has really changed a lot since the last time I was here!’
"Here, Hah’Er, I brought you some bamboo shoot and fresh shrimp dumplings from Ming Pavilion. They’re still hot! Come on, give them a try and see if you like them. If you do, I’ll invite Ming Pavilion’s head chef to come make them for you personally!" Director Kong opened an insulated container and held it out to Hah’Er. Inside was a bamboo steamer.
After seeing Shen Yibin nod, Hah’Er lifted the lid. Steam billowed out, revealing the dumplings inside. Four plump, round, and enticing dumplings appeared before them, with a tiny one sitting adorably in the center.
"Coming all this way and you still brought these... Director Kong, you really went to a lot of trouble." Ming Pavilion was a famous Michelin-starred restaurant in Xiangjiang. Though Director Kong’s gift was small, the sentiment behind it was immense, and Shen Yibin was quite touched.
"Nn!" Hah’Er reached out a paw, picked up the smallest dumpling in the middle, but didn’t eat it himself. Instead, he presented it to Maphario. Maphario took it with both paws, sniffed it curiously, and then started gobbling it down. Although he usually preferred nuts, he couldn’t resist opening his mouth for such a delicacy.
Seeing Maphario eat so happily, Hah’Er let out a silly chuckle. Only then did he pick one up for himself and begin to savor it. The Michelin chef’s skill was truly extraordinary. The dumplings were filled with the bamboo shoots Hah’Er loved, and he devoured all four in one go. Afterward, he looked at Shen Yibin and scratched his head sheepishly, having been so engrossed in eating that he’d forgotten all about him.
"Haha, it’s alright, there are two more baskets underneath!" Director Kong was also amused by Hah’Er’s antics. He quickly took out the steamers from below and passed them over. "Bin, you should try some too. I’ll call Chef Ah Qing later and invite him to visit Yunzhong City for fun. While he’s here, he can teach you the recipe for these dumplings. With your talent, Bin, you’ll learn it in no time."
"I couldn’t possibly accept. This is his signature recipe," Shen Yibin said, trying to refuse. At the same time, he called the girls in the shop over. "Come on, you guys try some too!"
The group polished off the two baskets of dumplings. Xia Shixuan even pestered Director Kong for an autograph. As he signed, the director said, "It’s no problem. Ah Qing and I are old friends. Besides, after seeing the film, he’s been very keen to visit Yunzhong City. If you feel bad about it, Bin, you can just show him how to make a few Yunzhong dishes when the time comes. Think of it as a mutual exchange!"
"In that case, it would be rude to refuse. Director Kong, please go upstairs and have a seat for a bit. The rest of the dishes will be ready soon." After showing Director Kong to the second-floor terrace and leaving Hah’Er to keep him company with some tea, Shen Yibin returned to the kitchen to get back to work.
When he came out with the rest of the food, Director Kong was full of praise for the place. "Bin, this place you have now is really something special. Sipping tea while enjoying a beautiful view, with a panda by your side... It seems I’ll have to start coming here more often!"
"You’re always welcome! In a little while, I’m planning to take over a few of the neighboring storefronts to build an indoor pool for Hah’Er, so he can play in the water and catch fish." ’This place is still a bit too small,’ he thought.
During the meal, Shen Yibin noticed that Director Kong seemed to be very interested in Maphario as well. He kept picking out the pine nuts from a dish of corn with pine nuts and offering them to the hamster. He even went so far as to ask, "Bin, this hamster is really adorable. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to part with him and sell him to me?"
If this had been right after he first brought Maphario home, Shen Yibin might have considered it after checking the director’s affinity rating. But now, he couldn’t bear to give him away to anyone. "Hah’Er treats him like an adopted son now. I don’t think they could stand to be separated."
"Ah, it seems it wasn’t meant to be. But if you get any other suitable pets next time, you have to consider me!" Director Kong said with a sigh, shaking his head. However, he had a good attitude and didn’t press the issue, continuing to meticulously select plump nuts for Maphario.
After the meal, Hah’Er took Maphario downstairs to water the Happy Farm. Shen Yibin brewed another pot of tea and sat on the terrace chatting with Director Kong. Once Xia Shixuan and the others had cleared the table and gone back to work, Director Kong’s assistant also excused himself to go admire the bamboo grove, leaving just the two of them upstairs.
"Bin, the script has been revised. Take a look." Director Kong got down to business, handing a stack of papers to Shen Yibin.
"Alright, I’ll take a look now," Shen Yibin said, about to open the manuscript.
"There’s no rush. You can read it later at your leisure. This sort of thing is best read alone, when it’s quiet. Let me first tell you about the main changes I’ve made this time," Director Kong said, not in a hurry.
Seeing Shen Yibin adopt a posture of attentive listening, Director Kong couldn’t help but shake his head and sigh. "Ai, now it seems I’ve revised this script too soon." He pointed at Maphario, who was busy in the Happy Farm. "I should have written this little guy into it as well."
’Huh? Maphario, are you about to become a big star too? It’s a shame Director Kong doesn’t seem to have met Egg, Cheeky, or Shi Gaofei before. Otherwise, this movie could have been a grand reunion for all of them!’