Look at that, what a sharp mind!
"I see his business is doing very well. We're in the same industry, so I wanted to see how his braised meat tastes. That way, if I go to Jiazhou in the future, I'll have some idea of what to expect." Zhou Yan said without batting an eye, "Miss Duan is right, it really is not tasty. His business is good because of the location, not the taste."
"You want to resolve the old lady's worries and take her to Hong Kong to enjoy her retirement. I want to buy the Qiu family's old house and move my whole family to the city. We have the same goal; we're friends."
Duan Yuyan seemed thoughtful. Zhou Yan's words were quite frank.
"Miss Duan came to my door today, and I didn't expect it to be such a coincidence. But since you've been so direct, I'll be frank with you as well." Zhou Yan looked at her and said, "If Miss Duan can give me a definite answer, and I help you get the old lady to agree to go to Hong Kong, you can decide to sell the Qiu family's old house to me at a fair price. I will definitely do my best to help you."
"You really have a way?" Duan Yuyan looked at him.
"Jiazhou isn't that big. Miss Duan may not be able to understand some things because of the language barrier. But I am a native of Jiazhou and I have a thick skin. With my help, I think things will be much simpler." Zhou Yan said confidently, "Besides, you came here for Zhang Ji's braised beef, and I happen to be the inheritor of Zhang Ji Braised Food. Perhaps I can get some useful information from my grandmother."
Duan Yuyan pondered for a moment, then nodded: "It's a deal. If you can truly resolve my grandmother's worries, I'll sell you the Qiu family's old house for ten thousand yuan."
Her father had already discussed this with her before he returned to Hong Kong. If the old lady resolved her worries went to Hong Kong, she could stay at the Duan family's old house when she returned to Jiazhou for a short stay. The Qiu family's old house would be sold directly to avoid it collapsing due to disrepair and causing trouble.
If the old lady didn't return, they might not return to Jiazhou for another ten years.
Although the area around the Qiu family's old house was somewhat noisy, it was indeed a good location for business.
Zhou Yan most likely wanted to buy the house and move his restaurant there in the future.
Duan Yuyan was no stranger to exchanging benefits, and she preferred this method, where everyone openly and honestly discussed the terms.
A win-win cooperation, each getting what they needed.
She disliked owing favors easily; debts of gratitude were too difficult to repay. It was better to discuss terms directly.
"Pleasant to cooperate." Zhou Yan smiled and extended his hand to her. Ten thousand yuan was exactly what he had expected.
"Pleasant to cooperate." Duan Yuyan reached out and gently shook his hand.
At the restaurant entrance, Yan Fei's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze fixed on Zhou Yan like a cheetah.
Why did this guy shake hands?!
Looks like he needs to be wary not only of the blond guy, but also of the crew-cut guy.
Zhou Yan asked Duan Yuyan for detailed information about Old Mrs. Qiu.
Duan Yuyan's grandmother, Old Mrs. Qiu, is named Qiu Qi, and is seventy years old this year. Her grandfather, Duan Xingbang, was a missile engineer before retirement; his specific job is classified and cannot be disclosed.
Her father's generation consisted of two brothers and a sister who went to Hong Kong in the 1950s and only returned this year to reunite with their family.
The information provided was quite comprehensive, but Zhou Yan felt a chill after hearing it.
The social circle was too high-end. He felt that the old lady, who sold braised food, probably couldn't possibly have connections in such circles.
However, it didn't matter!
He would take on the project first, and figure out the rest later.
If he didn't seize this opportunity, where would he get to know a capitalist's daughter like Duan Yuyan?
He could acquire the Qiu family's old house for 10,000, then slowly save up to demolish and rebuild it. Facing Jiazhou Port and benefiting from the tourist resources of the Jiazhou Giant Buddha, opening a restaurant in the city center would be just around the corner.
"If you have any news, you can come to the Qiu family's old house to find me anytime. I usually don't get up before 10 o'clock. If I'm not at home in the afternoon, I usually read books and sunbathe at the riverside teahouse about 500 meters downstream of Jiazhou Port." Duan Yuyan said to Zhou Yan.
"Okay, goodbye." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, adding, "Your make up is beautiful today."
"Thank you." Duan Yuyan nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips as she turned away.
He even knows about make up?
However, communicating with Zhou Yan was quite pleasant. His Mandarin was very standard, and he was very straightforward.
She didn't have much patience to waste time arguing with others over trivial matters.
For example, some distant relatives from the Duan and Qiu families would come to the door find her under various pretexts for the first few months, making small talk, but their purpose was simple: to ask for money.
They didn't ask for much, just a few dozen or a hundred yuan.
At first, she tried to give them money to get rid of them, but her grandmother stopped her, refusing to give them a single penny.
When her father returned at the beginning of the year, he had already given each relative a 500 yuan red envelope, equivalent to a factory worker's annual salary.
The old lady said: "A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. If you give more money, all relatives will become enemies."
Later, the old lady called the family elders for a family meeting. Her attitude was very clear: those truly in need should come to her; those who went to younger generations would be thrown out with a stick.
Only then did Duan Yuyan get some peace and quiet.
Don't be fooled by the old lady's elegant and dignified demeanor; those relatives were all afraid of her.
Although she didn't manage to buy any braised beef, the trip wasn't entirely fruitless; at least she gained a partner.
Yan Fei quickly caught up, keeping a two steps distance, without asking a single question.
...
"What were you chatting about?" Aunt Zhao couldn't help but gossip as Zhou Yan returned.
This girl looks quite elegant, and her accent sounds a bit strange. She's not a local, and she's a female college student?
How did Zhou Yan meet her?
"We chatted for a bit about the inheritance of Sichuan cuisine cooking techniques. Mom, I have to go back to the village for something." Zhou Yan casually replied, went into the kitchen to cut a pig's ear and wrap a pig's trotter, then pushed his bicycle out the door.
He bought a pot of liquor at the bridge and headed straight for the old house in Zhou Village.
When Zhou Yan arrived the old house, the old lady was locking the door.
"Grandma, where are you going?" Zhou Yan stopped his bicycle and asked with a smile.
The old lady turned around, looking at Zhou Yan with some surprise: "I was about to go next door to play cards, what brings you here?"
"I got you some liquor, and brought a pig's trotter and a pig's ear. I have something I want to ask you." Zhou Yan took the things out of the bicycle basket and said with a smile, "I won't take up too much of your time."
"You're here, bringing so much stuff. Come in, playing cards is just a way to kill time anyway, it doesn't matter whether I play or not." The old lady reopened the door and walked into the yard.
Zhou Yan followed her in, carrying his things. On the yard wall, the tabby cat stretched, glanced at Zhou Yan, then turned its head back and continued sleeping.
The old lady took a bowl, poured the braised pig's trotter Zhou Yan had brought into it, and then covered it with a plate to seal it.
Pig's trotters were her favorite; she'd add a spoonful of braising liquid, heat it up, and eat it later—no need to cook anything else.
Zhou Yan placed the liquor on the cabinet beside her, then, looking at the black and white photograph hanging on the wall, he greeted her like Zhou Momo, "Hello, Grandpa."
Looking at the photo, the old lady smiled and said, "Next month is the anniversary of his death. If you have time then, let's go to the Martyrs' Cemetery at Lao Xiao Ding to sweep his grave together."
"Okay, I'll close the restaurant on weekdays to go." Zhou Yan nodded, looking at the middle-aged man in military uniform in the photo frame, his face resolute. His eyes revealed a fierce and ruthless aura, and the black and white photo still looked very dignified.
When he was a child, his grandmother told him about his grandfather's anti-Japanese war deeds. In recent years, she has talked about these things less and less with the younger generation, as if she has gradually sealed these memories away.
"Tell me, what secrets do you want to ask that require bringing braised pig's trotter and liquor?" The old lady poured him a cup of tea from a thermos and asked with a smile.
"Today we have a guest who came back from Hong Kong looking for relatives. She said her grandmother…" Zhou Yan sat down at the table and told the old lady about Duan Yuyan and Old Mrs. Qiu's situation, without deleting or changing any information.
The old lady is an organized person; haphazard processing will only affect her judgment.
"Qiu Qi and Duan Xingbang from Jiazhou City? Or missile engineer?" The old lady thought seriously for a long time, then shook her head: "I don't remember having such two guests. Apart from the first year when I went to Jiazhou City to sell braised meat and got to know some restaurant owners, they all came to pick up the meat themselves after that.
When I go to Jiazhou, it's mostly for fun and shopping. The only people I know are restaurant owners and butchers. I definitely don't know Qiu Qi or the missile engineer. They probably ate braised meat at Feiyan Restaurant and wouldn't make a special trip to Suji to buy it.
Suji doesn't seem to have any prominent families with those two surnames. I'm not familiar with the families in Jiazhou City, but I can remember the names of most of the prominent families around Yang Wharf."
Zhou Yan felt like the sky had fallen after hearing this.
He had come full of confidence, thinking he could hear a touching love story from the old lady, but...
He hadn't gotten a single useful piece of information!
Luckily, he hadn't brought Duan Yuyan with him, otherwise this partnership would have collapsed immediately.
"She knows I sell braised beef, may be someone brought it to her before, but she usually eats at Feiyan Restaurant." The old lady speculated: "There were many wealthy people in Jiazhou City back then, including silk merchants, salt traders, landlords, and dockworkers involved in shipping… Feiyan Restaurant was very successful, and all the customers were wealthy people."
Zhou Yan nodded. It seemed he would have to go to Jiazhou to conduct his investigation when he had time. The simplest way was to find the elders of Old Mrs. Qiu's family; he could probably pry out some secrets.
Of course, this action might also lead to him being arrested and beaten by the Qiu family on charges of ill intentions, so there was a certain risk involved.
"By the way, do you know an old man named Wang Ran? Tall and thin, he should be around seventy years old now, and he works as a librarian in the town library." Zhou Yan then asked, "He said he used to come here often to buy braised meat from you, and he also asked me when I would make braised beef."
"Wang Ran?" The old lady thought for a moment and shook her head. "I've never heard of that name before. Besides, in those days, people who were tall were generally tall and thin. Only wealthy men were usually chubby. The young masters of those wealthy families all wore modern suits and had their hair styled with hair wax so thick that even a fly would slip on it.
The Wang family is a prominent family in the town, with several wealthy members. The largest courtyard house near Yang Wharf belonged to Master Wang Zhenyu. Back then, the largest silk factory in Suji was owned by the Wang family, and many silkworm farmers in Jiazhou relied on the Wang family for their livelihood.
What I remember most vividly is Wang Yu, the fourth son in their family. Everyday, he would go out carrying a birdcage containing a talking parrot.
Every week, he would come to buy a serving of braised beef. He wouldn't take my oil paper packaging; instead, he would bring his own beautiful little blue and white porcelain container, with a blooming peony flower at the bottom. It would be filled with about a jin of beef, and he even had a custom made wooden lid that fit perfectly. He said he was sending it to his fiancee in Jiazhou City, who loved my braised beef.
Later, when the Japanese invaded, your grandfather was to leave Sichuan to fight them. This Wang Yu, instead of being a proper young master, insisted on sneaking out of his house to join your grandfather in the army.
Later, his fiancee remarried. Some people said he became a traitor, while others said he joined the Kuomintang. During the turbulent times, the Wang family was targeted by warlords because of their wealth. They were persecuted and their family was destroyed. Old Master Wang, his three older brothers, and the younger generation were all burned to death in a fire.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, your grandfather even wrote two letters to exonerate him. Your grandfather was conscripted to go to North Korea at the time, and I was the one who delivered them. I don't know what happened to him afterward.
So tragic..."
The old lady sighed a few times as she spoke of the Wang family.
Zhou Yan, after listening, also expressed pity for the fourth young master of the Wang family's plight.
The older generation experienced turbulent times; even a few words about them could not fathom the tumultuous storms that the younger generation could not comprehend. Yet, coming from the old lady's mouth, it sounded almost serene.
Many memories had become blurred, but she still remembered the beautiful blue and white porcelain container with a peony flower on it.
The old lady's attitude had always been so optimistic.
Otherwise, how could she have raised five children alone?
In 1937, she was only twenty eight years old.
Grandpa went to Sichuan, only returning home every few years, and later never came back.
Zhou Yan finished his tea, smiled, and stood up: "Grandma, why don't you go play cards? I'll head back now."
"Did I not tell you anything useful?" The old lady stood up, gently patting her head. "I'm getting old, I can't remember many things. I'll think about it slowly these next two days. If I remember, I'll tell you."
"It's alright, just have fun. None of this is important." Zhou Yan quickly said, not wanting the old lady to worry about this.
Zhou Yan's memories from ten years ago were hazy; he couldn't even recall three names of his elementary school classmates.
Asking the old lady to recall things from forty or fifty years ago, especially things that might just be customers who bought braised meat, was truly difficult.
Back at the restaurant from Zhou Village, Zhou Yan thought about this all day.
After finishing his accounting that evening, Zhou Yan lay on the bed with his eyes closed, pondering solutions. If he had nothing to do the next afternoon, he would go to Jiazhou to investigate Old Mrs. Qiu's family background.
[Ding! Over 500 servings of braised food have been sold, successfully reviving the delicious memories of Suji diners. Under the name of Zhou Erwa Restaurant, Zhang Ji Braised Food has once again become famous in Suji! The mission of passing on Zhang Ji Braised Food has been completed!]
[Reward: Perfect Braised Beef Recipe +1]
[Conversation with Zhang Shufen triggers a special reward: Zhang Shufen's memory fragments]
[Note: One time consumable item]
Zhou Yan suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the pop up reward. He skipped the braised beef recipe and stared at the memory fragments.
What is that?
Memory fragments?
The old lady said she would help him think about it slowly, so why not...
Take a look himself?
He got up, locked the door, lay back on the bed, and used his mind to open [Zhang Shufen's memory fragments].
He thought a video playback interface would pop up.
But the next second, everything went black, and he instantly lost consciousness.
...
"Rat poison~ Rat poison~ The rat can't escape after eating it…"
"Sharpening knives~ Sharpening scissors~ Sharpening kitchen knives~"
"By turning your eyes around, you can save tens of yuan..."
A cacophony of hawkers' cries filled the air, with shouts of price and haggling echoing everywhere.
Zhou Yan tried blinking, realizing he seemed to have no eyelids, but his vision gradually cleared.
The familiar yet unfamiliar Suji stone bridgehead is filled with small vendors setting up stalls everywhere, wearing coarse cloth short jackets, sitting on the ground, or hawking their wares along the street.
There were also men wearing long gowns and women wearing cheongsams, who looked much more presentable.
The busiest stall was a braised meat stand with a long queue of more than a dozen people. Next to the stall was a handwritten sign: Zhang Ji Braised Food.
Standing behind the stall was a woman who looked to be about twenty seven or twenty eight years old. She was pretty, with short hair that reached her ears. She was wearing an indigo blue floral top with Chinese knot buttons, black pants, and an apron around her waist. She looked neat and efficient and was smiling as she collected money and gave change.
Zhou Yan had seen photos of the old lady when she was young, but they weren't as pretty as she looked in real life. His grandmother was truly beautiful when she was young, with a clean and sharp look.
No, she should be called Zhang Shufen!
On a small table nearby was a thick, round wooden chopping board. A tall, muscular young man with a buzz cut was slicing pig ears with a cleaver. Wasn't that his grandfather, Zhou Yi?!
He looked to be about thirty years old, resembling his youngest uncle by seven or eight points, but more robust. He had a smile on his face and a somewhat honest and simple air about him, lacking the naturally sharp and menacing aura in the later photos.
"Sister Zhang, please pack me a jin of braised beef and arrange it nicely. If it's too messy, I won't be able to give it to anyone."
A voice caught Zhou Yan's attention. At the front of the braised meat stall was a tall, thin young man wearing a suit jacket, trousers, and shiny leather shoes.
He was handsome, with thick eyebrows and big eyes. His hair was parted in the middle and combed upwards. He had applied too much hair gel, making it shiny and oily. Even a fly would slip on it.
He carried a birdcage in his right hand, containing a brightly colored parrot, and handed over a blue and white porcelain container in his left hand. A blooming peony adorned the bottom of the container, the glaze was exquisite.
Zhou Yan's eyes widened in surprise:
"Ma...Master?!"
—