Chapter 283 - 169: You Don’t Understand, Xue’Er Is Different

Chapter 283: Chapter 169: You Don’t Understand, Xue’Er Is Different

"It seems Zhou Yan wasn’t just spinning tales." The old lady nodded slightly. "So, whatever you want to know, just ask. If I can remember it, I’ll tell you all about it."

"Excellent." A look of delight crossed He Zhiyuan’s face. The old lady had a wonderful personality; she was so cooperative.

’He’d met some older folks before who were as stubborn as mules. You couldn’t reason with them at all, and if you pushed them too far, they’d even grab their canes and whack him.’

’I’m just asking for a recipe, it’s not like they have to answer. Hitting someone is going too far, isn’t it?’

Li quickly took a notebook from his cloth bag, placed two fountain pens on the table, and even unscrewed the cap of an ink bottle, setting it aside.

In his experience, elderly people who willingly agreed to an interview were always very talkative. It was draining on the interviewer, the pen, and the ink.

Seeing that Li was ready, He Zhiyuan began, "Ma’am, when did you start learning to make braised dishes, and who taught you this craft?"

The old lady fell into a thoughtful silence before speaking. "I learned the art of braising from my mother. For as long as I can remember, our family has been making braised foods. Every day, my mother and father would braise a pot of pig’s head and a pot of vegetables to carry to the market to sell.

"I was the eldest child, with a younger brother and two younger sisters. From a young age, I helped peel potatoes and lotus roots. When I got a little older, I scraped the hair off the pig heads and cleaned the intestines.

"My mother said the craft was passed down to her by her father. My grandfather used to be a head chef in the home of a high-ranking official in Rongcheng. He was a renowned Grandmaster chef specializing in meat dishes in Rongcheng back then.

"Later, when times grew turbulent and survival was difficult, my grandfather went against ancestral tradition and taught my mother the secret recipe and methods for the braised foods. Our family managed to survive because of that one pot of braised food.

"Later, my mother taught the craft and the secret recipe to me as well. When I was eighteen, I was introduced to Zhou Yi, and I married into a family in Suji..."

Zhou Yan sat to one side, listening quietly. The old lady’s tone was quite relaxed, a pleasant accompaniment to the sound of Li’s pen scratching away.

A tabby cat was curled up on a nearby chair, snoring softly.

The old lady spoke of things that happened just after she arrived in Zhou Village, details Zhou Yan hadn’t seen in her memory fragments before.

"When I first married into the family, Zhou Yi’s father split the household. The rammed-earth house we were given was full of cracks, and the roof was riddled with holes. Whenever it rained, it would be pouring outside and drizzling inside. The wind blew straight through the house. Life was simply impossible.

"But Zhou Yi was hardworking. In his spare time after butchering cattle, he would patch the walls and fix the roof. He finally managed to repair the dilapidated house just before winter arrived.

"We were still poor, and life was a struggle. We didn’t even own a single winter coat, so I thought about making braised dishes. I would clean up the scraps like beef intestines and tripe, braise them in my braising liquid, and everyone said they tasted great. So, I decided to just do it.

"At first, I started selling by the Qingyi River. Because the prices were affordable and the taste was fantastic, sales were pretty good.

"After saving up some capital, I started braising pig’s heads. Every day, I would carry them on a pole to the Suji Stone Bridgehead to sell. Business got better and better. My sales of braised meat went from ten pounds a day to twenty, then to a hundred. Eventually, I couldn’t carry it all anymore, so I bought a donkey and got a donkey cart..."

The old lady told her story at an unhurried pace. A smile graced her face when she spoke of her business gradually improving, but her brow furrowed unconsciously when she mentioned her husband leaving Sichuan with the army.

Zhou Yan had seen most of the story that followed in her memories.

Decades had passed, and there were indeed some discrepancies, but overall, the old lady’s memory was still quite good. She remembered many things with perfect clarity.

She completely omitted the part about Jiazhou Restaurant buying her stock, saying only that some foodies from Jiazhou would come, drawn by her reputation.

Never backstab your partners—the old lady had remarkably high standards.

He Zhiyuan would ask a few questions from time to time, expanding on topics that interested him, but most of the time, he just listened to the old lady speak.

The storytelling session lasted a full two hours.

Li capped his fountain pen, and his hands were shaking as he screwed the lid back on the bottle of Hero-brand ink.

’Another thirteen thousand characters.’

’My life is so hard.’

He Zhiyuan’s eyes were red with emotion. Deeply moved, he said, "Ma’am, listening to the story of your family’s pot of braised food... it’s brought tears to my eyes!

"This braising liquid, passed down from your grandfather, has supported three generations and has become a part of the culinary memories of an entire generation of Suji people. Now that it’s in Zhou Yan’s hands, it’s becoming the new favorite of the next generation of Suji people.

"May I take a picture of you? If the article makes it into the magazine, it could be used as an illustration to accompany the text."

The old lady straightened her clothes and nodded. "Of course, go ahead and take it."

"You can just sit right there," He Zhiyuan said, taking out his camera and stepping back a couple of paces.

The old lady was wearing a simple blue tunic with a slanted placket. She sat in the seat of honor in the main hall, her expression calm and composed. Behind her hung two plaques identifying the ’Home of a First-Class Merit Honoree,’ and next to them was a photograph of Elder Zhou.

As He Zhiyuan pressed the shutter, his eyes welled up with hot tears.

’This isn’t just a pot of braised food,’ he thought. ’It’s the thread that binds this big family together, and that thread is held firmly in the old lady’s hands.’

Putting away his camera, He Zhiyuan looked at the old lady and said, "Ma’am, once the photos are developed, I’ll mail them to Zhou Yan to give to you. And when the magazine is published, I’ll send you a copy of that as well."

"Alright. Thank you for your trouble." The old lady nodded, sending them off with a smile.

"Chief Editor He, would you like my grandmother to braise a pot of food for you?" Zhou Yan asked on the way back.

"No need. Your grandmother said your braised meat and vegetables are every bit as good as hers. Why trouble the old lady further?" He Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile, his face full of emotion. "Zhou Yan, you have a keen eye for character. This is absolutely one of the best stories I’ve covered this year. It’s in no way inferior to the legacy of the Kong Sect."