Chapter 183 - 134: Elegance is Carved into the Bones
He had heard that Mrs. Qiu’s son had reconnected with her and wanted to take her to Hong Kong to live out her golden years. He was also eyeing the prime location of the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion, but he had no idea what was truly troubling the old woman, or how to resolve it.
As for the rumored price of ten thousand yuan, he was willing to pay it, as long as she was willing to sell.
Mrs. Qiu’s granddaughter, Duan Yu Yan, was a true Xiangjiang socialite in her early twenties. He couldn’t even recognize the brands of the clothes and jewelry she wore; he had only ever seen similar things on celebrities on television, and they were undoubtedly expensive.
Although she was quite beautiful, she still couldn’t compare to Mrs. Qiu in her youth.
Money can give someone an air of nobility, but true elegance comes from within.
Huang He had grown up in the Feiyan Restaurant and had met most of Jiazhou’s high society. Among them were many elegant gentlemen and ladies.
Mrs. Qiu and Mr. Duan were among the finest.
"Boss Huang, are there any private rooms available on the second floor?" Mrs. Qiu asked.
"Yes, the Xiao Xue room you always use is free. Please, right this way upstairs, you two," Huang He replied quickly.
Mrs. Qiu gave a slight nod and made her way upstairs at a leisurely pace with her granddaughter.
Huang He hurried after them, took a menu from a second-floor server, and decided to wait on them personally.
Mrs. Qiu casually flipped through a few pages of the menu and, without rushing, ordered several of her usual dishes.
Just as she was about to close the menu, Huang He spoke up. "Mrs. Qiu, we’ve brought back a few of our braised meat dishes today. Would you care to try some? I remember you and Mr. Duan used to be quite fond of them."
At his words, Mrs. Qiu’s hand trembled slightly. She looked up at Huang He. "Braised meat?"
"Yes, right on this page." Huang He flipped the menu forward two pages. A new "Braised Meats" section had been added, featuring three new dishes: Braised Pork Head, Braised Pork Ear, and Braised Pork Snout.
"What’s so special about braised meat?" Duan Yu Yan muttered, her delicate brows furrowing. She didn’t like cured or braised foods.
Mrs. Qiu studied the menu for a moment before looking up at Huang He. "Why isn’t there any braised beef?"
It was as if a floodgate in Huang He’s memory had been opened, and suddenly, old memories came rushing back.
Back then, Mrs. Qiu and Mr. Duan used to frequent the restaurant, always sitting in this very room.
Mr. Duan would often alternate between ordering the Braised Pork Head and the Braised Pork Ear, while Mrs. Qiu, without fail, would order the braised beef every single time.
This had been the case from his earliest memories up until the day the braised meats disappeared from the Feiyan Restaurant’s menu.
For a while after the dishes were removed from the menu, Mrs. Qiu would still ask about them, but eventually, she stopped mentioning them altogether.
There was a period of over ten years when he didn’t see Mrs. Qiu at all. Rumor had it that Mr. Duan’s work was confidential, and she had followed him to the Capital; others said they had gone to Northwest China.
A few years ago, Mrs. Qiu and Mr. Duan had returned to Jiazhou, and they would come to the Feiyan Restaurant for a meal once or twice a month.
After Mr. Duan passed away in 1981, Mrs. Qiu started coming to the Feiyan Restaurant once a month. She would order a single dish, sit for two hours, and then leave, the food often left completely untouched.
That was until six months ago, when her son and granddaughter came to reconnect with her. After that, Mrs. Qiu began bringing them to the Feiyan Restaurant much more frequently, and she gradually started ordering more dishes.
She still didn’t eat much herself, but the young lady wanted to try a little bit of everything.
"We haven’t quite perfected the braised beef recipe yet, so it’ll be a little while longer before we add it to the menu," Huang He explained with a smile.
Mrs. Qiu seemed lost in thought for a moment, then said, "In that case, add an order of the Braised Pork Head."
"Of course. If you two will wait just a moment, I’ll have them start on your food right away." Huang He took the menu and exited the private room with a smile.
"Grandma, braised pork head is so fatty. I thought you never eat fatty meat?" Duan Yu Yan asked, looking at her in confusion.
"When your grandfather was alive, his favorite thing to eat was the braised pork head from this restaurant." Mrs. Qiu gave a faint smile. "I just wonder if it will still taste the same as it did back then."