Jiang Weiguo

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Jiang Weiguo (江卫国)
Alias(es)	Old Master Jiang; Grandpa Jiang; Old Comrade Jiang
Species/Race	Human
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Jiang family; Jiang Family Cuisine; Tai Feng Lou
Occupation/Role	Retired state-run restaurant head chef; chef; pig farmer; culinary instructor 1 12 20
Status	Alive 47
First Appearance	Mentioned in Chapter 1 1

Background / History

Jiang Weiguo was born into a family of chefs. His father, Jiang Chengde, brought Jiang Family Cuisine to prominence at Tai Feng Lou in Beiping, while Weiguo's six elder brothers were all accomplished cooks. During the war, Weiguo fled south with Jiang Chengde and several brothers; his father and brothers died along the way before he could finish learning the family cuisine. 9 30 47

At approximately eleven years old, Weiguo used his experience as a Tai Feng Lou sous chef to secure work cooking for a first-class passenger aboard a refugee ship. Though his dishes were simple and imperfect, Lord Huang found his shredded potatoes satisfactory and rewarded him, allowing Weiguo to eat and remain in the ship's kitchen during the day. 49 50

He later became a head chef at a state-run restaurant before retiring. After retirement, he settled in the countryside, where he raised prize-winning pigs and personally prepared their feed. 1 12 20

Appearance

Despite being over seventy, Jiang Weiguo is plump, sturdy, and notably healthier-looking than the frail rural elder customers initially imagine him to be. He arrives in A City wearing a cotton-padded Valentino jacket and carrying a worn snakeskin sack. 9 43

• Strong, stocky build typical of the Jiang family. 1 43
• Keeps the hands and scars of a lifelong chef; even as a child, knife scars marked his fingers. 49
• Owns an extensive collection of specialized kitchen knives. 16

Personality

Jiang Weiguo is blunt, demanding, and uncompromising about cooking. He regularly scolds Jiang Feng's mistakes in heat control, ingredient handling, and basic technique, dismissing poor food as “pig feed.” 10 11 44

His harshness stems from his conviction that Jiang Family Cuisine must survive. He considers his five sons and most grandchildren unable to inherit the craft, then places his hopes on Jiang Feng after noticing the latter's improvement and obsession with culinary research. 9 10 42

He is also deeply practical and caring. He prioritizes fresh, natural ingredients, worries over the condition of his pigs, sends meat and wild ingredients to support Jiang Feng, and personally travels to A City when Jiang Feng needs guidance. 11 12 42 43

Abilities & Skills

Jiang Family Cuisine

Jiang Weiguo is the Jiang family's foremost living chef and the principal inheritor of its culinary tradition. His cooking is regarded as superior even to Jiang Jiankang's, and family meals he prepares are treated as exceptional occasions. 7 9 10

• Prepared an eight-dish-and-one-soup banquet including Four Happiness Meatballs, Nine-Turn Large Intestine, Guo Bao Rou, Quick-Fried Double Crisps, and West Lake Beef Soup. 10
• Cooked elaborate pork-centered banquet dishes such as Lion's Head Meatballs, Braised Pork Belly, Scallion Stir-fried Pork, and Radish Stewed Pork Ribs. 45
• Took over Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant's kitchen, making it the most popular restaurant near A University. 46
• His name is recognized by Li Mingyi, who remembers him from his youth. 24

Culinary Instruction

Jiang Weiguo trains Jiang Feng through strict hands-on practice, emphasizing foundational techniques before advanced dishes. 10 11

• Corrected Jiang Feng's barley congee by adjusting the heat and stirring technique. 10
• Assigned knife-skill drills using rolling-cut potatoes and sliced radishes. 11
• Insists that chefs understand ingredient quality and use fresh, untreated produce. 10 11
• Guided Jiang Feng toward a nearly flawless shiitake mushroom soup by instructing him to keep the preparation simple. 44

Pig Raising and Ingredient Selection

Jiang Weiguo raises pigs in the countryside and is highly protective of their care, diet, and meat quality. 12 42

• Raised the prize pig Big Flower and sent its pork to A City for Jiang Feng. 42 43
• Supplied wild pheasant, rabbit, muntjac meat, cured wild boar leg, tea tree mushrooms, and wild shiitake mushrooms. 44
• Views properly raised, natural ingredients as essential to good cooking. 10 11

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Specialized knife rack — Uses different knives for meat, vegetables, and ingredients with conflicting flavors. 16
• New set of knives — Purchased before returning to the countryside. 12
• Big Flower — His prize pig, slaughtered and sent to Jiang Feng's family as pork. 42 43
• Snakeskin ingredient sack — Carried to A City with wild game and mushrooms. 43 44

Relationships

• Jiang Feng — Grandson and chosen culinary successor. Jiang Weiguo criticizes him relentlessly but personally trains and supports his development. 10 11 42 44
• Jiang Jiankang — Third son. Jiang Weiguo considers him a capable but limited chef and frequently directs or scolds him in the kitchen. 10 11 43
• Jiang Jianguo — Eldest son. Although Jiang Jianguo showed the greatest talent among the brothers, he abandoned cooking for tailoring after learning pastry-making to court his wife. 27
• Jiang Chengde — Father and former head chef of Tai Feng Lou. Jiang Chengde's death during the war left Jiang Family Cuisine incompletely inherited by Weiguo. 9 30 47
• Old Madam Jiang — Wife. She shares his concern that Jiang Feng is too thin and supports sending Big Flower to A City. 42
• Li Mingyi — Distant relative and an acquaintance from Weiguo's youth; the two reconnect after more than half a century. 24 30
• Professor Li — Li Mingyi's son, who facilitates the return of Tai Feng Lou to the Jiang family. 47

Story Role / Major Arcs

Selecting Jiang Feng as Successor

Jiang Weiguo arrives unexpectedly after dreaming that Jiang Chengde rebuked him for allowing Jiang Family Cuisine's inheritance to fade. He identifies Jiang Feng as the only younger family member with sufficient potential and orders him to train during school breaks and after graduation. 10

He remains with the family long enough to supervise Jiang Feng's knife skills and basic cooking, then returns to the countryside early because he fears his pigs will lose weight without his feed. 11 12

Reconnection with the Li Family

When Professor Li seeks someone capable of making Clear Soup with Bird's Nest Slices, Jiang Weiguo agrees to come to A City. His arrival helps reconnect the Jiang family with Li Mingyi, who recognizes Weiguo from his childhood. 24 29 30

Guiding Jiang Feng's Soup Research

Learning that Jiang Feng has become obsessed with improving his soup base, Jiang Weiguo sees the obsession as proof that the Jiang family finally has a successor. He has Big Flower slaughtered, sends ingredients to A City, and later teaches Jiang Feng the value of a simple shiitake mushroom soup. 42 44

Jiang Feng's resulting progress allows him to complete his improvement of Clear Soup with Bird's Nest Slices (Imitation) to D-rank. 44

Tai Feng Lou Transfer

Professor Li offers to transfer Tai Feng Lou back to the Jiang family. Jiang Weiguo initially refuses to accept such valuable property for free, remembering Jiang Chengde's final wish that the family return to Beiping with honor and buy the restaurant back through its own efforts. 47

He ultimately agrees to accept the transfer arrangement, reviving his lifelong dream of returning to Beiping and restoring Tai Feng Lou. 47

Notable Quotes

“Xiao Feng has made something of himself! My Jiang family has a successor!” 42

“Your cooking has improved a lot since you were worse than a pig.” 10

Trivia

• Jiang Weiguo believes Jiang Feng should gain at least forty jin to look more like a member of the Jiang family and become strong enough to toss a wok. 42
• Customers mistake his arrival at Healthy Stir-fry Restaurant for a rural elder seeking help from relatives, unaware that his unremarkable-looking padded jacket is Valentino. 43
• His family considers him the unquestioned top of the Jiang family culinary hierarchy. 9