The Game of Life

Chapter 549: Chapter 547 Salted Egg Yolk Lotus Seed Paste with Rose Sauce

The dinner was quite sumptuous.

Pork, beef, lamb, fish, they had everything, and Sir even made a big pot of abalone sauce rice for everyone. But with the excellent appetizers set before, the sumptuous dinner felt somewhat tasteless in comparison.

At least Jiang Feng felt that way, and he would probably savor the taste of the small bowl of chicken bean curd pudding for three days.

It only takes a moment to develop a picky palate, but it often takes a long time to come to terms with reality.

Because it was Lantern Festival, after dinner, everyone, whether they were stuffed or just a bit full, ate half a bowl of sweet dumplings to show their respect for the holiday.

After the dumplings, everyone sat around the dining table chatting about this and that, boasting insignificant bravado, before saying goodbye to Professor Li and Chen Suhua and going their separate ways.

Wang Hao, having to work the next day, didn’t stay at Jiang Feng’s place that evening. Taking his place was Jiang Xiaoran, who had a flight back to Magic City at noon the next day.

After going back, Xiaoran took out Jiang Weiming’s medical report from his limited baggage and handed it to Jiang Feng. Jiang Feng glanced at it a few times and, realizing it was beyond his comprehension, went downstairs and handed it over to Jiang Jiandang, who could understand it—Jiang Shoucheng had to return to the hospital for work at 7 a.m. the next morning and was staying at a hostel closer to the hospital that evening.

After delivering the report, Jiang Feng returned home and found Xiaoran sitting alone on the sofa, playing with his phone. Xiaoran was still wearing a sweater, obviously not yet accustomed to the northern heating. But he would soon get used to it, Jiang Feng figured it would take about five minutes before Xiaoran would be hot enough to take the sweater off.

“Xiaoran bro, what time is your flight tomorrow noon?” Jiang Feng asked, pouring a glass of room-temperature boiled water for Xiaoran.

“It’s after one o’clock in the afternoon, I checked the map and leaving at 11 should be fine,” Xiaoran said.

Jiang Feng nodded, “Leaving at 11 sounds about right, I’ll take you to the airport, don’t worry, you won’t be late.”

Xiaoran quickly refused, “No need, no need. I just heard Uncle San say that you all will be back to business as usual tomorrow evening, and it’ll be busy. Don’t take the time to see me off.”

Jiang Feng revealed a smile, “It’s on the way, my girlfriend’s flight arrives at noon at 12. I’m going to pick her up.”

Xiaoran: ?

And just like that, Jiang Feng successfully killed the topic.

Realizing he might have hit a sore spot with Xiaoran, Jiang Feng cleared his throat and forcefully changed the subject, “Xiaoran bro, I suppose Granduncle Weiming did the cooking for your New Year’s Eve dinner this year, right?”

“Right.” Xiaoran’s attention was successfully diverted as he smiled faintly, “Grandpa cooked this year; my mom wanted to cook, but he wouldn’t let her. He didn’t make much, just three hot dishes and three cold dishes, six in total. It was enough for our small family.”

“It might sound unfilial to say this, Xiaoran bro, but I don’t have much of a connection with my grandpa.” Xiaoran didn’t know why he suddenly wanted to talk about this with Jiang Feng; he just felt like it, ever since the chicken bean curd pudding that afternoon.

“You might not be aware, but ever since I was little, my dad has had a bad relationship with my grandpa.” Xiaoran suddenly remembered the past, “Apart from New Year’s, my dad would never take me to my grandpa’s. He wouldn’t even call, except sometimes he would phone grandma. He also didn’t keep in touch with my uncle’s family; I can hardly remember what my uncle and cousin look like now.”

“This New Year, grandpa stayed at our place. When I listened to him and mom reminisce about the things I did at grandpa’s house as a child during New Year’s, I realized I didn’t remember any of it. The only thing I remember is crying after being beaten by my dad. I remember that was the last time he ever brought me back to grandpa’s for New Year’s. After that, it was always mom who took me.”

“I don’t even have a clear memory of what my grandpa used to be like, but this afternoon, while eating the chicken bean curd pudding, I think I remembered a little bit.” Xiaoran looked at Jiang Feng, as if coming to a resolution.

“I feel like grandpa has gotten younger.”

“Huh?” Jiang Feng was startled by this abrupt shift, “Younger?”

“My only impression of my grandpa was that he was old, very aged – anyway, much older than my grandad,” Xiaoran struggled to find the words, “I didn’t remember before, but today, when grandpa served the chicken bean curd pudding with a smile and told us to eat, it all rushed back to me.”

“Even though grandpa used to smile and tell me to eat during New Year’s when I was little, that smile was different from now. It wasn’t a genuinely happy smile.”

Jiang Feng quietly sipped his water and listened; he felt that what Xiaoran truly wanted to talk about wasn’t just this.

Xiaoran continued with his limited vocabulary, somewhat incoherently describing the memories of Jiang Weiming from that afternoon – the Jiang Weiming who although always had a smile, never truly felt joy.

“Jiang Feng, my cousin, do you think Beiping is a nice place?” Xiaoran suddenly asked.

“Of course, it’s a nice place,” Jiang Feng said.

“How does it compare to Magic City?”

Jiang Feng hesitated, “I’m not sure about that. I haven’t lived in Magic City, but I guess they’re both quite nice, though Beiping has central heating.”

“Xiaoran bro, why are you suddenly asking this?” Jiang Feng inquired.

“Last night, my dad said he’s considering moving to Beiping and asked if I’d be willing,” Xiaoran revealed, “Originally, he wanted to leave grandpa in Magic City, but we could all tell that grandpa would prefer to live in Beiping.”

Jiang Feng nearly choked on his drink. He hadn’t seen that coming. Jiang Yong always seemed to handle matters steadily and was even the editor-in-chief of Taste magazine. Yet when it came to real action, he was surprisingly bold.

Talking about moving as if it were as simple as a business trip.

“Are you willing?” Jiang Feng asked curiously.

“Of course not. I’ve lived in Magic City since I was young, even went to university there,” Xiaoran said, “And this isn’t just about moving; my mom, my dad, and I all have our jobs in Magic City. It’s not something you can just decide or resolve by talking about it.”

“But today, after chatting with my cousins Zaide and Shoucheng, I suddenly realized that I am an unfilial grandson.”

Jiang Feng: …

The requirements of being a filial grandson are quite high here; you don’t need to hold yourself to such high standards and make it difficult for yourself.

“I’m almost 30, with a stable job and savings, but I’ve never taken care of my grandpa.”

“I knew he was living alone in the countryside, yet I never thought to visit him, look for him, call him, and I never considered bringing him to live with us.”

“I completely forgot about him, I forgot I had a grandfather.”

Jiang Feng was stunned.

“But you’re different, you’ve never met my grandfather, you didn’t even know he existed. Just because you saw a photo and made a guess, you traveled miles to find him.”

“He’s my grandfather, but it’s all of you who fulfilled the filial duties.”

“I…” Jiang Xiaoran was somewhat at a loss for words.

“Thank you.”

Jiang Feng silently watched him.

He had no right to judge this matter, even though he knew even more clearly than Jiang Xiaoran the whole story behind it. Everyone was at fault in this matter, including Jiang Weiming himself. Ironically, Jiang Xiaoran was the most innocent one of all.

Yet now, the most innocent one was feeling guilty, while those who should feel guilty remained indifferent.

The two of them remained silent.

Suddenly, a knock at the door sounded at the perfect moment, giving Jiang Feng an excuse to get up and go to the door.

It was Ji Yue, holding two jars, though it was unclear when she had returned.

“When did you get back?” Jiang Feng asked.

“Just now, old Zhang came to pick me up. These are two new… two new… two new sauces my mom tried over the New Year. I was afraid I’d forget if I started tidying up later, so I brought them over first. Is Qiqi back yet?” Ji Yue peeked inside, “Mr. Jiang, can I come in? It’s really cold outside!”

Jiang Feng hastily stepped aside to let Ji Yue in, meanwhile introducing Jiang Xiaoran to her, “This is my cousin, Granduncle Weiming’s youngest grandson.”

“Hello, my name is Ji Yue, I’m the head waitress at Taifeng Building, live upstairs,” said Ji Yue.

“Hello, my name is Jiang Xiaoran,” Jiang Xiaoran nodded to Ji Yue.

Ji Yue looked around the place, “Has Qiqi not come back yet?”

“She arrives tomorrow at noon,” Jiang Feng said.

Ji Yue looked envious, “The kitchen team is so lucky to report back at noon tomorrow, unlike us in the lobby who have to start cleaning and tidying up early in the morning.”

As she spoke, Ji Yue let out a deep sigh, her face expressing ‘I don’t want to go to work.’

“I don’t have any other business here, I thought Qiqi was back and was going to borrow her curling iron.” Ji Yue handed the two jars of sauce to Jiang Feng, “This is egg yolk lotus seed paste rose sauce my mom made, it’s delicious straight up, with noodles or on bread!”

Jiang Feng: ?

Say that again, what sauce?

“Egg yolk lotus seed paste rose sauce? Aren’t egg yolk and lotus seed paste for mooncakes?” Jiang Feng’s worldview was significantly rocked.

“Actually, to tell you the truth, it does vaguely taste a bit like mooncake. I’m not clear on the exact ingredients, all I know is that’s what my mom calls it. She made the sauce and she named it, I can’t do anything about it,” Ji Yue shrugged, “Don’t be scared off by its name, it’s really tasty.”

“I’m going back to clean now, Xue and Xiaxia won’t be back until around four or five in the morning. I can’t understand, it’s only been half a month since we were last here, how is there so much dust? We closed all the doors and windows before we left.” Ji Yue muttered as she left.

Jiang Feng looked at the jar in his hand, an ordinary, common jar you could find in any supermarket that you’d expect to contain olive vegetables.

Who would have thought it actually contained egg yolk lotus seed paste rose sauce?

Jiang Feng lifted the jar, offering Jiang Xiaoran, “Do you want to try it with me?”

Jiang Xiaoran: “Let’s have a taste.”

A minute later, Jiang Feng and Jiang Xiaoran sat at the dining table, each with a small iron spoon used for stirring coffee, merrily dipping into the jar of egg yolk lotus seed paste rose sauce.

Ji Yue was right, this mysterious sauce with unclear ingredients really tasted reminiscent of an egg yolk lotus seed paste mooncake.

The wonderful feeling is something you’d only know by tasting.

“So, Xiaoran, what’s your plan now?” Jiang Feng casually asked, the mood very pleasant.

Many questions that would seem awkward to ask under normal circumstances came out smoothly while eating.

That must be the charm of food.

Or perhaps it’s the magic of egg yolk lotus seed paste rose sauce.

“Moving to Beiping doesn’t seem practical, but if there’s a chance to come here on a long business trip or to transfer here for a while, I think I can accept that,” Jiang Xiaoran said. “Actually, my dad’s magazine has quite a lot of work in this area of Beiping, I think he could come here for a few months if he wanted.”

“I’ll apply with my boss back home, maybe I can work here for a few months, too.”

Understanding the hint, Jiang Feng said, “We’ve got some fully furnished rental units in this neighborhood. If you guys decide to come, I can help you contact a real estate agent to rent a place.”

“Let’s not tell Granduncle Weiming first. If it’s confirmed, then I’ll inform him, to avoid getting his hopes up only to disappoint him,” Jiang Xiaoran smiled.

“Alright.”