Americans love their holidays, which explains why there are so many throughout the year.
The most important, of course, is Christmas, followed by New Year's, and then Halloween. While adults don't usually celebrate Halloween, children absolutely adore it. There's also Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Columbus Day—each a national holiday. After all, what's a proper holiday without a day off?
For the Chinese, however, the most important festival of the year is undoubtedly the Spring Festival. Then comes the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, followed by the Dragon Boat Festival, and finally the Mid-Autumn Festival—arguably the second most significant holiday after the Spring Festival.
Jiang Hai, being a traditional Chinese man, held the Mid-Autumn Festival in particularly high regard.
After distributing two years' worth of forage the previous day, he returned to his manor with Galina and the others. The trip had been very successful—not only had he earned $282 million, but he'd also managed to quiet the constant buzz around him. When mysteries lose their allure and everything becomes clear, most people lose interest. Of course, a few still wouldn't give up easily, but Jiang Hai didn't care.
The next morning marked the Mid-Autumn Festival. Having been away for nearly half a month, Jiang Hai's return naturally delighted Qi Jie and the others. There wasn't time for idleness, though. The moment he came home, preparations for the Mid-Autumn dinner began.
This year, his house was livelier than ever. Jiang Hai, Qi Jie, Qi Ya, Feng Yunchen, Ai Xiaoxi, Afradena, Hilda, Becky, Sheila, Oshilia, Bridget, Janice, Azarina, Galina, and Wallis were all there. He even gave Zheng Jin a two-week vacation to return to China and called back Lei Lisi, Belyaq, Valentina, and Aleer-Sara.
Of Jiang Hai's women, only Pra Walton and Selena Gomez—whose relationships with him were still uncertain—and Qi Li and Du Ning were absent. It was a rare, full gathering, and the festival truly felt like a reunion.
The recent stress from Jiang Hai's business affairs had dampened their festive spirit, but with everything finally settled, relief washed over them.
Early that morning, under Qi Ya's guidance, everyone got busy. Besides the feast, the most important part of the Mid-Autumn Festival was, of course, the mooncakes. Good mooncakes are hard to find in America, but fortunately, Qi Ya knew how to make them.
She had started preparing the night before, after learning that Jiang Hai would return in time for the festival.
Making mooncakes isn't easy. First comes the dough—made from oil, syrup, lye water, and a pinch of salt. The syrup is warmed until smooth, then flour is sifted in to form palm-sized wrappers. These are wrapped in plastic and left to rest for four hours before being filled. Jiang Hai preferred fruit fillings, so Qi Ya used fresh fruit syrup and chunks of fruit.
After wrapping the filling, the mooncakes were pressed into molds, released, and placed on trays. To bake them properly, she first sprayed them with water so the filling would cook evenly. Then they were baked for five minutes, brushed with egg yolk, and baked for another seven. From there, it was just a matter of preference—bake a bit longer for a deeper color.
By the time Jiang Hai came home, the first batch was ready. He wasn't a big fan of mooncakes, but since it was the holiday, he took a bite—and was immediately surprised.
They were delicious. Incredibly delicious. Freshly baked mooncakes were worlds apart from store-bought ones, though far more labor-intensive to make.
"Hurry up and eat! When you're done, you still need to catch some crabs," Qi Ya urged, smiling proudly as Jiang Hai enjoyed the treat.
"Alright!" Jiang Hai replied with a grin. Though he hadn't exactly suffered during his stay at Pra Walton's estate, he still missed home. With a few big bites, he finished his mooncake and got ready to work.
Even though Qi Jie and the others hadn't been in the mood to prepare beforehand, they'd still gathered most of the necessary ingredients. Edward Anderson had already delivered an eight-pound tiger grouper early that morning—a massive fish indeed.
The boss wanted fish, and that was all that mattered. It had already been cleaned and was now marinating. Tiger grouper was best steamed, though it could also be braised.
Jiang Hai had also brought back a variety of chili pepper seeds from China. He remembered watching a show about the spiciest peppers—mainly grown in four regions: Shu, Xiang, Nandao, and Nanyun. Shu and Xiang were known for Chaotian peppers, Nandao for Huanglantern, and Nanyun for Shuanshuan La.
The Huanglantern pepper was considered the spiciest in China, and Jiang Hai had collected a large batch during his last trip. They had already begun bearing fruit, and after tasting one, Jiang Hai could confirm—they were blazing hot.
In Northeast China, people love to eat chili peppers raw with dipping sauce. Just one bite is enough to make anyone feel nostalgic for home. On their own, the peppers are unbearable, but used in dishes, they're irresistibly flavorful—perfect for offal, fish, or meat.
The menu for the night was lavish. With fish, pork elbows, and ribs, they'd also planned to roast a pig. Add in some vegetarian dishes, beef, lamb, and donkey meat—it was a feast fit for a king.
Jiang Hai glanced at the spread and counted twenty dishes.
Besides the braised fish, there were braised pork ribs, tiger-skin pork elbows, sweet and sour pork, diced Kung Pao chicken, and fish-flavored shredded pork. There were also the Argentine red shrimp he'd prepared earlier—half grilled whole, half turned into garlic shrimp.
Two beef dishes—seared steak and red wine–braised sirloin—followed by two lamb courses: roasted leg and slow-simmered stew. Donkey meat was marinated and sliced as a cold dish, bringing the total to thirteen meat dishes.
For the rest, they had minced pork ready for steamed lion's head, and several vegetable dishes common to Northeastern banquets: smashed cucumber salad, stir-fried mixed vegetables known as "Three Fresh Delicacies," stir-fried broccoli with chili and tofu, shredded kohlrabi with vermicelli, and finally, the hearty "Flying Dragon Soup."
In total, Jiang Hai counted twenty-one dishes—twenty-two with the crab dish yet to come. And that didn't even include the lobster, abalone, and sea cucumber—his signature delicacies.
With so many seafood treasures nearby, Jiang Hai could have easily made hundreds of dishes if he wanted. But Qi Ya, who was overseeing the cooking, made the call—skip the lobster for once. They'd already eaten over thirty pounds of it recently and were getting tired of it. What a luxury! Abalone, however, would stay on the menu.
Jiang Hai briefly wondered if this was wasting nature's bounty—but shrugged it off. He hopped onto his four-wheeled scooter and rode down to the beach.
After greeting Edward Anderson and confirming the day's schedule, he headed to the dock, grabbed a boat, and set off toward the coral reef. Reaching open water, he donned his diving suit—skipping the oxygen tank—and plunged straight into the sea.
Underwater, Jiang Hai felt completely at home, gliding through the depths as effortlessly as a fish. Lately, he'd noticed he could move faster underwater—sometimes even faster than on land.
The coastal waters around his estate teemed with life, the water so clear that one could see the seabed thirty meters below. It didn't take long before Jiang Hai spotted a nest of crabs. Like an arrow, he shot forward through the water.
Soon, he was hovering above a colony of massive king crabs. Scientifically known as giant shore crabs, they originated from Australia—offspring of the stock Jiang Hai had once imported. Having lived and grown freely here, they had reached enormous sizes, some weighing over thirty kilograms—almost as big as lobsters.
Jiang Hai had intended to catch several, but after considering presentation, he decided large ones wouldn't look good on the dinner table. He caught one around thirty-five kilograms, floated it to the surface, and tossed it into the hold. Then he dove again, searching for smaller crabs that would be easier to serve.
The waters near the coral reef were alive with creatures—tiny crabs, abalones, sea cucumbers, and colorful fish darted everywhere.
Jiang Hai's eyes lit up. He had just found the perfect targets.