Chapter 282 - 169: You Don’t Understand, Xue’Er Is Different

Chapter 282: Chapter 169: You Don’t Understand, Xue’Er Is Different

"I once did a feature on a West Bank Tofu banquet and tried the dried tofu and tofu skin there. It left a deep impression," He Zhiyuan explained. "But back then, we sought out a locally recognized tofu Grandmaster. Today, however, I tasted your dried tofu and tofu skin, and they’re not the least bit inferior to that Grandmaster’s. Could it be that you get your supply from Xiba?"

Xiba Town is also under the jurisdiction of Jiazhou, several dozen kilometers away from Suji.

Not exactly remote, but not close either.

Zhou Yan’s dried tofu only sold for sixty cents a jin. Was it really necessary to travel all that way to Xiba for supplies?

Although dried tofu was easier to transport than regular tofu, it was still difficult to store for long periods.

The uniqueness of West Bank Tofu, besides using local small-kernel soybeans and having a slightly different production process, was also closely tied to the local cold-water wells.

There was a saying that a tofu Grandmaster from Xiba couldn’t make good West Bank Tofu once they left Xiba.

"My great-aunt married into a family in Suji from Xiba. She brought her family’s ancestral tofu-making techniques with her. Since my grandmother’s generation, we’ve been using the dried tofu and tofu skin she makes," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Her skill, even in Xiba, would be worthy of the title ’Grandmaster’."

"To be able to make tofu of this quality in Suji... the title ’Grandmaster’ is truly well-deserved!" He Zhiyuan nodded, remarking with a sigh of admiration, "Looking at it this way, your family is quite the culinary dynasty."

Zhou Yan chuckled at his words. ’To be precise,’ he thought, ’we’re more of a dynasty of cattle butchers.’

The people of Zhou Village had been slaughtering cattle for generations, but he was the one who had strayed from that path.

His grandmother was indeed excellent at making braised dishes, but if he hadn’t shown any talent for it, the craft would likely have died with her.

Comrade Zhao Tieying, in whom his grandmother had once placed great hope, had been chased out of the kitchen with a bamboo switch.

On the way, Zhou Yan gave He Zhiyuan a brief overview of his grandmother’s background, including the year she started selling braised meat from a stall at Suji Bridgehead and how she later managed to raise five children on the earnings from that single pot of braising liquid.

He kept it brief, mainly mentioning a few key dates so He Zhiyuan could ask more targeted questions.

Based on Zhou Yan’s observations of his grandmother, her memory of many events had likely grown fuzzy, but mentioning specific timelines might help her recall certain things.

He Zhiyuan nodded from time to time, while in the back seat, Li craned his neck, listening intently, afraid to miss a single word.

’If the editor-in-chief asks me about it later and I can’t answer, I’ll be screwed!’

"Slow down, this village road is a bit bumpy," Zhou Yan reminded him.

"This is nothing. You’ve never seen a truly bumpy road—the kind that makes you want to get rid of your own butt after riding on it," He Zhiyuan laughed. "I heard your village has the elegant nickname ’Slaughter Ox Zhou Village.’ Does every household here slaughter cattle?"

’That sounds more like an infamous reputation, doesn’t it? This literary man sure has a way with words.’ Zhou Yan smiled and replied, "Not every household does, but in terms of the scale of cattle slaughtering, we are currently among the top in Jiazhou."

At this hour, there weren’t many people out on the village roads. After exchanging a few greetings, Zhou Yan led He Zhiyuan to a stop in front of an old house. "This is it."

He Zhiyuan parked the car, and Zhou Yan headed into the courtyard through the unlatched gate, calling out, "Grandma!"

"Come on in," came the old lady’s voice from the main hall.

He Zhiyuan and Li followed him inside. The courtyard was very clean, with a chicken coop built in a corner. Judging by the sounds, quite a few chickens, ducks, and geese were being raised there.

As soon as they entered the main hall, they looked up and saw two red-and-gold plaques hanging on the wall: "Home of a First-Class Merit Honoree."

The expressions on both men’s faces immediately grew solemn.

Huang Chen had told him about the Zhou Family having two first-class merit honorees. At the time, he had simply thought of them as a loyal and valiant family, but seeing these two plaques in person, the overwhelming presence they commanded made the feeling entirely different.

Her husband had died on the battlefields of the Korean War, and her youngest son had returned severely wounded but highly decorated from the Sino-Vietnamese War. Their achievements were remarkable and commanded deep admiration.

For her, as a wife and a mother, the weight of those two plaques was self-evident.

A slender old woman with a ramrod-straight back emerged from the kitchen carrying a thermos. She looked at the three of them and said with a smile, "You’re here. Please, sit down. Make yourselves at home. I’ll make you all a cup of tea."

"You’re too kind," He Zhiyuan said, looking at the old woman with a newfound layer of admiration on his face.

"One is my grandfather’s, and the other is my youngest uncle’s," Zhou Yan explained to the two men.

"A family of heroes, truly deserving of the honor," He Zhiyuan said with sincere admiration.

"They always said it was their duty to protect our home and defend the nation." The old woman looked up at the two plaques and smiled. "And it truly was. Otherwise, how could we be living these good lives today?"

He Zhiyuan and Li sat down. Zhou Yan placed a pig trotter on the table and came over to help serve the tea. "Grandma, I brought you a braised pig trotter."

"Wonderful. Now I don’t have to cook dinner tonight." The old woman nodded with a smile and sat down in a nearby chair. Looking at He Zhiyuan and Li, she asked, "Are you reporters?"

"Hello, Mrs. Zhang. We’re not reporters. I’m He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine, and this is my assistant, Li," He Zhiyuan introduced himself with a smile. "We’ve come to visit you today because we’d like to interview you about your experience running Zhang’s Braised Shop and its heritage, for a special feature on the story behind this culinary tradition."

Mrs. Zhang beamed. "Zhou Yan told me only Grandmasters get featured in your magazine. Can an old country woman like me, who just braises a few dishes, really be in it?"

"We had lunch at Zhou Yan’s restaurant today. We tried the braised vegetables, braised beef, and braised pig’s head. The flavor was absolutely incredible—the best braised food I’ve ever had," He Zhiyuan said with a serious expression. "Zhou Yan’s skills were passed down from you, so you are naturally worthy of the title ’Grandmaster of Braised Cuisine.’"