Chapter 196 - 138: Zhang Shufen’s Memory Fragment
"After the nation was founded, your grandfather even helped him write a couple of letters to appeal for his rehabilitation. When your grandfather was conscripted to fight in Korea, I was the one who saw him off. I have no idea what happened to him after that.
So tragic..."
The old woman sighed, her thoughts turning to the Wang Family.
Zhou Yan felt a pang of pity for the fourth young master of the Wang Family.
The older generation had lived through turbulent times. A few simple words from them described raging tempests the younger generation could never truly comprehend. Yet, coming from his grandmother, the stories sounded strangely understated.
Many of her memories had grown fuzzy with time, but she still remembered that beautiful Blue and White Porcelain Bowl with the peony on it.
His grandmother had always been an optimist.
How else could she have raised five children all on her own?
She was only twenty-eight in 1937.
His grandfather had left Sichuan, only returning home once every few years. Eventually, he left and never came back at all.
Zhou Yan finished his tea and stood up with a smile. "Grandma, you go on and play your cards. I’m going to head back."
"I wasn’t much help, was I?" His grandmother rose with him, gently tapping her head. "I’m getting old. It’s hard to remember things. I’ll think on it over the next few days. If I remember anything, I’ll tell you."
"It’s alright, Grandma. Just go have fun. This stuff isn’t important," Zhou Yan said quickly. He didn’t want his grandmother to worry about it.
Zhou Yan’s own memories from just ten years ago were a blur; he’d be hard-pressed to name even three of his elementary school classmates.
Asking his grandmother to recall something from forty or fifty years ago—about someone who was likely just another customer—was a tall order.
After returning to the restaurant from Zhou Village, Zhou Yan spent the entire day thinking about it.
That night, after finishing the accounts, Zhou Yan lay in bed with his eyes closed, mulling over his next move. ’If I’m free tomorrow afternoon, I’ll take a trip to Jiazhou and investigate Mrs. Qiu’s family background.’
[Ding! You have sold over 500 portions of braised delicacies and successfully reawakened the delicious memories of Suji’s gourmands. Under the name of Zhou Yan Restaurant, you have made Zhang’s Braised Shop famous in Suji once more! The legacy mission for Zhang’s Braised Shop is complete!]
[Reward: Perfect Braised Beef Recipe +1]
[Your conversation with Zhang Shufen has triggered a special reward: Zhang Shufen’s Memory Fragment.]
[Note: Single-use consumable.]
Zhou Yan’s eyes shot open. He stared at the reward notification that had popped up, his gaze skipping past the braised beef recipe to fixate on the memory fragment.
’What the hell?’
’A memory fragment?’
’Grandma said she’d try her best to remember, but what if...’
’...I just take a look myself?’
He got up, locked the door from the inside, and lay back down on the bed. With a thought, he activated [Zhang Shufen’s Memory Fragment].
He expected some kind of video player to pop up.
Instead, his vision went black, and he lost consciousness in an instant.
...
"Rat poison! Getcher rat poison! One bite and they ain’t gettin’ away..."
"Knives to grind! Scissors to grind! Getcher kitchen knives sharpened!"
"Eyes a bit crooked? Save a few bucks!"
A cacophony of vendors’ cries rang in his ears, an endless din of shouting prices and haggling.
Zhou Yan tried to blink and found he didn’t seem to have eyelids. Nevertheless, his vision slowly began to clear.
He saw the Suji Stone Bridgehead, both familiar and strange. It was teeming with small vendors in coarse, short-sleeved tunics, some sitting on the ground with their wares spread out, others wandering the street and hawking their goods.
There were also men in long robes and women in qipao dresses, who cut much more respectable figures.
The busiest stall by far was one selling braised meat. A line of more than a dozen people stood waiting. Next to the stall was a hand-written sign: Zhang’s Braised Meats.
Behind the stall stood a pretty woman of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. She had an ear-length bob and wore a tidy indigo floral blouse with frog buttons over a pair of black trousers. An apron was tied around her waist, and she smiled, looking crisp and capable as she took money and made change.
Zhou Yan had seen photos of his grandmother in her youth, but they didn’t do her justice. She was truly beautiful, with a clean, sharp kind of loveliness.
’No,’ he corrected himself. ’I should call her Zhang Shufen!’
On a small table nearby was a thick, round wooden chopping block. A tall, sturdy young man with a crew cut was expertly slicing pig ears with a cleaver. CHOP-CHOP-CHOP. It was his grandfather, Zhou Yi!
He looked to be about thirty and bore a strong resemblance to Zhou Yan’s youngest uncle, though he was more powerfully built. There was a simple, honest smile on his face, none of the chilling intensity he saw in later photographs.
"Zhang, a pound of the braised beef, please. And arrange it nicely, will you? I can’t give it as a gift if it looks like a mess."
A voice drew Zhou Yan’s attention. Standing at the front of the line was a tall, slender young man dressed in a suit vest, trousers, and a pair of leather shoes polished to a brilliant shine.
He was a handsome man, with bold brows and large eyes. His hair was slicked back and parted to the side, perhaps with a bit too much pomade—it was so glossy that a fly would slip if it tried to land there.
In his right hand, he held a birdcage containing a brightly colored parrot. With his left, he handed over a Blue and White Porcelain Bowl. A blooming peony was painted at the bottom, its glaze stunningly beautiful.
Zhou Yan’s eyes widened in astonishment.
"G... Grandmaster?!"