Chương 37: Grandma Loves Me Again!

"Zhou Yan, are you closed today?"

"Haven't seen you in ages! I heard your restaurant is doing really well."

"Bringing so much stuff to see your grandma? So filial!" Villagers greeted Zhou Yan along the way. He'd reply to those he recognized, and just give a nod to those he couldn't. Soon, an old house came into view. Brown moss covered the rammed earth walls, and foxtail grass swayed on the blue-tiled roof. A persimmon tree stood by the door, laden with golden persimmons.

Under the tree was a reclining chair, where an elderly woman with gray hair, wearing a dark blue diagonally-buttoned blouse, smiled at a thin young man squatting beside her, holding an enamel basin. The young man was hunchbacked, his clothes tattered, his hair disheveled and tangled with dirt. He finished the sweet potato porridge in the basin before putting down the basin and ladle, grinning at the old woman, and getting up to leave. Zhou Yan rode by on his bicycle, and as he passed by, Zhou Yan smiled at him.

Zhou Yan recognized him; he was Mr. Tree from Zhou Village.

"Grandma!" Zhou Momo called out softly. The old lady turned around, smiled, and stood up to reply, "Oh, Momo and Zhou Yan are here." The old lady's name was Zhang Shufen, and she was seventy-five years old. She was very healthy, with a straight back, and her short, silvery-white hair was neatly combed and tucked behind her ears. She had quite a lot of hair, more than many college students. Her clothes had a few patches, but they were clean, and her smile was gentle.

Zhou Yan parked his bicycle at the door and first lifted Zhou Momo to the ground.

"Grandma!" Zhou Momo rushed to the old lady and hugged her legs.

"Good girl." The old lady reached out and patted her head, smiling, "You've grown a bit taller."

"Grandma." Zhou Yan took something off the handlebars and casually asked, "Was that Zhou Qi just now?"

"That's the brat, still so chubby, his head looks like a slumped chicken, he'd chase ants for miles if he saw them moving." The old lady nodded with a smile, "I thought he hadn't eaten, so I gave him the leftover sweet potato porridge from the pot."

"Grandma, what happened to him?" Zhou Momo asked curiously.

"He had a fever when he was two, took the wrong medicine, and became a brat. When he was four, his father died, and his mother couldn't survive with him, so she ran away. He's been scavenging for food in the village and town, working as a beggar." The old lady shook her head, a look of pity on her face, and sighed, "He's a poor child."

"Then... next time I'll give him a piece of candy." Zhou Momo didn't quite understand the meaning of suffering.

"Alright." The old lady smiled again, looking at the fish and ribs Zhou Yan was carrying.

"Why are you carrying so much stuff? Don't you two little ones have anything to eat?"

"I got you two jin of wine. I just learned how to make crucian carp with mint. I'll show off my skills today, I guarantee you'll be satisfied." Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"These past few days, the village gossips have been saying my grandson has struck it rich. Judging from today's scene, it really does seem like it." The old lady said humorously, bending down to pick up the enamel basin from the ground.

"Come on, come in and sit down." Zhou Yan carried the things inside. The main room was spotless, the square table and benches were polished to a shine. On the wall next to it hung a black and white photograph of a middle-aged man in an old military uniform. On the small table below the photograph was a long-necked wine bottle with a wild chrysanthemum in it.

"Grandpa, hello." Zhou Momo walked over, picked up a piece of candy, placed it on the table, and greeted him warmly, "Grandpa, have some White Rabbit candy."

"He doesn't like sweets, I'll eat it for him." The old lady picked up the candy, peeled it, and fed it to him, smiling, "Hmm, this White Rabbit candy is still a bit sweet."

"Then I'll bring Grandpa some cola next time." Zhou Momo looked at the old lady and said, "Coloa is so delicious."

"What's cola?" The old lady looked at Zhou Yan.

"It's a drink invented by foreigners." Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"Your grandpa crossed the Yalu River to fight the foreigners back then, and he even wrote to me saying that the foreigners' chocolate was delicious and that he wanted to bring me a box." The old lady said with a smile, "If you give him some foreigners' cola, he'll definitely be happy." Zhou Yan smiled but didn't reply, looking at the man on the wall with a serious and somewhat reserved expression.

This was his grandfather, Zhou Yi, a Sichuan soldier in the War of Resistance against Japan, who later volunteered to participate in the Korean War and never returned. His father and his five brothers were all raised by the old lady alone. The youngest, the fifth uncle, was born the year his grandfather died, and the old lady named him Zhou Weiguo. The old lady opened the cupboard and pulled out a pile of snacks, placing them on the table.

"Come on, you two little ones, have some. Take whatever you want." The fruit plate contained melon seeds, candy, dried longan, and loose biscuits—quite a variety. She also made them some tea. Zhou Momo had already climbed onto a stool and was sitting at the table, munching on biscuits.

"Where's Uncle? I haven't seen him," Zhou Yan asked, looking at the old lady after putting two crucian carp in the wooden bucket in the kitchen.

"He went to weed early this morning. He'll be back for lunch. Don't worry about him," the old lady replied casually as she peeled melon seeds for Zhou Momo. The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Okay." Zhou Yan pulled out a stool and sat down, taking two oranges from the bag and handing them to the old lady.

"These are fresh red oranges, very sweet."

"I can't eat that many. You can take half back later. Your uncle doesn't eat any fruit." The old lady said, looking at the bag of oranges.

"Okay."

"How's your restaurant business?" the old lady asked gently.

"Not bad." Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Selling noodles and hot pot, I can make a hundred yuan a day."

"A hundred yuan a day, and you call that not bad?" The old lady chuckled and said, "You're like a shrimp crossing a river, still needing its antennae?"

"Then just think of it as your grandson getting rich, and I'll take you to live a good life from now on." Zhou Yan peeled an orange for Zhou Momo. The old lady said leisurely, "I'm living a very good life now. I have dried meat and wine every day, and I even play a little card game in the afternoon. I have no worries about food and clothing. My life is like that of an immortal. As long as I'm fat in life, who cares about smelling good or bad after death?"

"Good attitude." Zhou Yan sincerely praised.

"Your shop is doing well, and you're making a lot of money, but don't go around telling everyone," the old lady said, looking at him gently.

"Like a mute eating glutinous rice balls, you should keep it to yourself to avoid attracting unwanted attention."

"Yes, I'll remember," Zhou Yan nodded, feeling a warmth in his heart. So this is what it feels like to have a sensible and loving elder in your family. It's a kind of happiness. Zhou Yan chatted with the old lady; she was very talkative, her eyes shining and her face beaming as she spoke of her youth. Especially when she mentioned her grandfather, her smile became even brighter, and her tone was full of pride: "Your grandfather was a soldier in the Sichuan Army. He went out of Sichuan to fight the Japanese in 1938.

Later, he was wounded and came back to recuperate for a year before returning to his unit to continue fighting. His body was covered with scars, which he said were his badges. After the Japanese were defeated, the family was allocated land, and he wanted to come back to farm. But then the foreign devils advanced to the Yalu River. There were orders from above, and since he was a company commander, he packed his things overnight and returned to his unit to fight the foreign devils.

He even wrote me a letter while he was there, but it wasn't sent back. It was sent back with his belongings. He said he wasn't a coward; he fought seven or eight foreign devils and didn't bring shame to me and the children..." The old lady's tone was slow, like flowing water. The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com! Zhou Yan listened quietly. Zhou Momo, on the other hand, buried herself in snacks, oblivious to everything around her.

After the old lady finished speaking, Zhou Yan went to the kitchen to cook the ribs. The ribs had to be cooked until tender to taste good; the heat had to be just right.

"Zhou Qing brought over some beef intestines, beef tongue, and a pound of beef shank this morning. I braised them this morning and they're soaking in the pot. We'll cut two plates for lunch. Let's not cook too many dishes; the three of us plus the baby can't eat much." The old lady lifted the lid of the pot, and the aroma of the braising sauce immediately wafted out. The pot was filled with a bright red braising liquid, with a corner of the beef shank peeking out and braised beef intestines floating on top.

"It smells so good!" Zhou Yan couldn't help but swallow hard. This pot of old braising liquid had been kept by the old lady for over ten years. She used it to braise offal, beef tongue, beef shank, chicken feet, duck heads, and rabbit heads for holidays and festivals—everything she braised smelled delicious. The braised food was devoured as soon as it was served. The old lady treasured this pot of old braising liquid; even her great-grandson couldn't touch it.

Two years ago, Fanwa accidentally tipped over the pot, spilling a third of it. His father and grandfather beat him mercilessly with thin bamboo sticks, and it was only after the old lady intervened that the matter was settled. Later, Zhou Yan learned that his uncle and Fei-ge were afraid of being beaten by the old lady, so they struck first. Everyone in the family knew this pot of braising liquid was precious, but no one dared to touch it. [Ding! A pot of high-quality old braising liquid has been detected, triggering a side quest: Pick up this braising liquid to obtain the initial old braising liquid, and you can begin your braised food cooking journey! Quest reward: Braised Food Encyclopedia. Accept: Yes/No] Zhou Yan's eyelids twitched. This system is really a jerk! But selling braised food is a good business. It can be served as a dish in restaurants, and customers can also buy it to take home.

Once it's braised, just assign someone to cut and weigh it; it doesn't take up any space in the kitchen. Fortune favors the bold, let's go for it!

"Grandma, your old braising liquid tastes so good, can I take some back to the shop to use?" Zhou Yan asked cautiously.

"Get lost!"

"Magic Cloak!"

"You dare to covet my old braising liquid? Don't force me to slap you!" The kind old lady disappeared. The first generation of Sichuan-Chongqing Tyrannosaurus Rex cast a shadow. Zhou Yan:"Grandma, love me one more time..."