When Zhou Yan left the library, his notebook was filled with three pages of notes.
Whether it was a love letter or not wasn't important; what mattered was his love of learning and the feeling of knowledge entering his mind.
Besides, there was a copy of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" in his bicycle basket. The old man was clearly a fan of the Three Kingdoms, enthusiastically recommending it to him and casually advising him against reading "Water Margin".
As Zhou Yan rode away, the old man called out behind him, 'A true man's ambition should be like the Yangtze River flowing eastward to the sea; why should he yearn for a gentle, loving home?'
A thunderous revelation!
Deafeningly loud!
Wait a minute.
If the old man had such lofty ambitions, how could he be so skilled at writing letters?
Something's not right, something's very wrong.
Zhou Yan rode his bicycle to the bridge and bought two jin of baijiu (Chinese liquor). After thinking for a moment, he bought another two jin, returned to the library, put the bottle on the table, and said with a smile, "Old man, I bought you some liquor."
The old man unscrewed the bottle cap, smelled it, and nodded with satisfaction. "Did you get this from Old Zhang at the bridge? You're quite savvy, kid. I'll teach you something real next time."
"Alright, see you later, Master." Zhou Yan said with a smile, getting on his bicycle and heading towards Zhou Village.
It was a busy time; the villagers were either selling beef or working in the fields. He didn't see many people along the way.
When Zhou Yan returned to the old house, he saw Zhou Qi squatting under the persimmon tree by the door, drinking sweet potato porridge from an enamel basin.
Seeing Zhou Yan park his bicycle at the door, he looked up and grinned at him.
His face was dirty, but his smile was exceptionally honest and simple, his eyes clear.
"Eat slowly." Zhou Yan said with a smile. Today's sweet potato porridge also contained a lot of braised beef offal; it was clearly the old lady's handiwork.
The Zhou family could only enjoy the old lady's braised dishes during festivals and holidays; he, on the other hand, was quite fortunate.
Zhou Yan entered carrying liquor. The old lady was feeding the chickens, with a large white goose following behind her, its head held high, its crimson comb bright red, its long neck taut like a silver spear, its wings slightly spread, and its snow-white feathers gleaming coldly, like a goose general accompanying the emperor on an inspection tour.
A tabby cat dozed off on the courtyard wall, its white paws tucked into its chest, basking in the warm autumn sun.
This was the tabby the old lady had hired at the end of the village earlier this year using two carp.
This tabby didn't look very big, but it was a master at catching mice and often caught sparrows for a treat.
The old lady's previous cat had lasted eighteen years. Little Zhou loved to run into the old lady's yard as a child just to pet the cat.
Now it was Zhou Momo's turn. Besides the goose and the cat, there were all sorts of snacks to eat.
There were many mice in the countryside, so the old lady liked to raise chickens, ducks, and goose. With so many grandchildren in the family, she didn't use rat poison, so she always kept a cat.
"Grandma." Zhou Yan called out.
The old woman turned to look at him and asked with a smile, "What brings you here so early in the morning?"
The goose also fixed its gaze on him, its head forward, wings slightly spread, assuming an attack posture.
"Just came to see you." Zhou Yan casually picked up a small stick leaning against the wall and held it defensively in front of him—it was muscle memory now.
This was the guard goose, impossible to tame.
It only recognized the old lady and Zhou Momo, keeping its distance from his uncle, but it was quite rude to him.
There was a reason the stick was so conveniently placed there.
If it couldn't be tamed, couldn't it be cooked?
Zhou Yan strongly suggested that the old lady stew it for the New Year this year—a big goose stew in an iron pot.
The old lady herded the goose back to its pen, turned around, looked at the liquor in Zhou Yan's hand, and sighed: "I haven't even finished the last one, why bring more? You have to be able to save money, otherwise it's like a hen clutching chaff—all for nothing."
"The liquor won't spoil, drink it slowly, I can still afford two jin of liquor." Zhou Yan carried the liquor into the main room and placed it on the table.
The old lady washed her hands and came in with a big, bright orange persimmon in her hand. She handed it to Zhou Yan and said with a smile, "Eat this. It was just picked this morning. It's ripe on the tree. It's very sweet."
A thin persimmon peel encased ripe, soft flesh. Zhou Yan received it with both hands; it trembled as if filled with water, and a gentle squeeze left a fingerprint.
Images flashed through Zhou Yan's mind: before Zhou Momo was born, he was the youngest of the grandchildren and loved to play in the old lady's yard. She would always give him snacks and treats, until he grew older and came less often.
But every time he came, the old lady would magically produce food, stuff it into his hands, and smile, saying, "Eat."
"Okay." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, tearing a small piece from the stem and taking a sip.
The cool, sweet juice, containing a few crisp seeds, melted on his tongue like nectar, sweet and refreshing.
He took a few sips, peeled back the thin skin, and the flesh trembled slightly in his palm. One bite revealed a tender texture with a touch of crispness, sweet but not cloying—a unique and delightful experience.
In no time, Zhou Yan had devoured the entire persimmon.
Tree-ripened persimmons are indeed delicious.
So sweet! Sweet to the heart.
This was the first time in his life he'd been a son, and also the first time he'd been a grandson.
This feeling of being pampered by the old lady was rather special.
After finishing his meal, Zhou Yan's hands were sticky with fruit juice. He went to the kitchen to wash them and returned to find the old lady pouring him water. He asked, "Grandma, my uncle came to my restaurant for noodles this morning. He said he was going to work today, but I didn't have a chance to ask what position the organization arranged for him."
"The notice was delivered to our home yesterday. It says he's a committee member, in charge of the Suji Armed Forces Department. He's quite satisfied with it, saying it's similar to leading troops." The old lady handed him the water glass, smiling. "I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. He got up early this morning and exercised in the yard for an hour before going out, full of energy."
Zhou Yan could tell that the old lady was also very happy, and she was quite pleased.
The head of the armed forces department—that should be a member of the town's Party committee, a deputy section chief level position, pretty good.
Zhou Weiguo is stubborn, but exceptionally capable. He has a box in his bedroom filled with various certificates of honor.
With his status as a first-class meritorious official, his promotion prospects are definitely not small.
Of course, he wouldn't care.
"Grandma, I had a bricklayer build a new stove yesterday, and I also bought such a big aluminum pot. I'm planning to start making brine tomorrow. Can I come pick you up and take you to the shop to give me some guidance?" Zhou Yan gestured as he spoke.
"Sure." The old lady nodded, pointing towards the kitchen. "There's a jar in the corner of the kitchen wall. Try to take it back."
"What jar?" Zhou Yan got up and walked towards the kitchen. There was a large earthenware jar in the corner, just like the sauerkraut jar at home. He couldn't help but laugh, "I have sauerkraut in my shop, I don't need yours."
"Open it and take a look." the old lady said with a smile as she followed him into the kitchen.
Zhou Yan carefully lifted the small bowl covering the jar, and a fragrant aroma of brine wafted out. Looking into the jar by the dim light, he saw not pickled vegetables, but a jar of bright red brine.
"Old brine?" Zhou Yan turned around in disbelief.
Wasn't this the old lady's prized possession? Why was it suddenly given to him?
"The things you sell to customers in the restaurant must taste amazing, so that they remember it after just one bite." the old lady said, looking at him. "New brine needs to be simmered for a while to develop its flavor until that time the customers already leave."
"This jar contains half of my old brine. Take it back and boil it again tonight, pour it back into the jar, and leave it in a cool, dark place. Tomorrow, come pick me up and take me to the shop; I'll teach you how to make and maintain brine."
"Grandma, I…" Zhou Yan suddenly felt a tightness in his nose, and a fire seemed to burn in his heart.
The old lady's love was warm and burning.
"I still have to pass on this skill to others." The old lady looked at him with a smile. "Your mother has told me a few times that people in town still talk about my braised dishes. It's just that your aunties and sisters in law are all bad at it. I'm afraid people will talk behind my back if I pass it on to them."
"If you learn diligently, I think you can succeed."
Zhou Yan sniffed and nodded solemnly, "Grandma, I will definitely learn hard and not let you down."
"Then call someone to come and carry it. I'm going to play mahjong next door. They called me earlier, and I said I'd go after feeding the chickens; they're short one player and really need to. Lock the door when you leave; I've put the key in my pocket." The old lady waved her hand, turned, and left, as if she had made up her mind.
"Oh, Grandma..." Zhou Yan's emotions abruptly stopped, a mixture of helplessness and amusement.
This, perhaps, is the spirit of people from Sichuan and Chongqing.
His gaze fell on the earthenware jar, and it burned with desire again.
This was the old brine he had been dreaming of!
Zhou Yan picked up the old brine and walked towards the main room; this jar weighed at least twenty jin.
[Ding! Collect half a pot of high quality braising liquid to obtain initial old braising liquid and begin your braising cooking journey!]
[The other half of the braising liquid is unobtainable. Quest complete, progress calculated.]
[Quest Reward: Braised Food Guidance (Fragment)]