Chapter 27: Reclaiming Old Portraits

Chapter 27: Reclaiming Old Portraits

"A monk? Aren’t monks supposed to be vegetarians? How does this relate to Baiyun Braised Pig’s Trotters?" Jiang Chengxiao asked with great interest.

"Legend has it that a monk, craving meat, secretly got hold of a pig’s trotter. After a lot of effort, he finally cooked it up in the mountains. Just as he was about to eat it, someone suddenly approached. In a panic, the monk threw the trotter into a stream, where it got stuck between rocks. The cold mountain spring water washed over it for a day and night. Not only did it not spoil, but the skin turned as white as jade, the meat became tender and crisp, and it had a uniquely delicious flavor."

"What’s the story behind this roast duck?"

"The roast goose is actually connected to the northern roast duck. In the late Southern Song Dynasty..."

Song Xilan was beaming with excitement. Since childhood, she had loved food and would often visit the library to find books on food anecdotes and legends. When she talked about these things, she lit up, her eyes shining.

Jiang Chengxiao watched her with a smile, occasionally chiming in with a word or two to encourage her to continue.

He really liked this side of her. Right now, she was radiant.

After talking for a while, Song Xilan suddenly realized that her mother had once told her that she tended to get carried away when talking about things she loved, without considering whether others were getting bored.

"Sorry, I’ve been rambling. You must be bored, right?"

Jiang Chengxiao shook his head. "Not at all. I find it very interesting. Listening to you is more enlightening than ten years of reading."

Song Xilan’s eyes lit up again. "You really like it? The city library has some books on these subjects. They’re quite interesting. I can give you the titles if you’re interested in borrowing them."

Jiang Chengxiao smiled wryly. "I’m the type who gets sleepy just looking at books. I think listening to you is much more interesting. You should tell me more in the future."

Hearing this, Song Xilan chuckled. Coincidentally, she didn’t care much for reading or studying either, except when it came to food books. When it came to serious academic books, she’d doze off the moment she opened them.

She used to think she was into scholarly, bookish types. After falling for Yang Jingyu, and hearing he liked women who could write poetry, she even bought poetry books and forced herself to memorize them before meeting him.

God knows how hard it was for her.

Now, hearing Jiang Chengxiao say he didn’t like reading either, she felt relieved. With him, she didn’t have to act ladylike, be refined, or nibble on a dumpling. Best of all, he didn’t seem to mind her love for food and splurging.

The meal was very enjoyable. Song Xilan didn’t fight Jiang Chengxiao over the bill, but she used her restroom break to buy two boxes of water chestnut cakes from the pastry section.

One box was for Jiang Chengxiao as a thank-you for the meal. "Thanks for the meal today. Their water chestnut cakes are really special. Take this back to try. I got a box for my parents too."

The other box was for her parents. It was a family tradition to bring back something tasty to share whenever someone went out for a good meal.

Jiang Chengxiao smiled, took it, and offered to walk her home. She didn’t refuse this time.

But Jiang Chengxiao was considerate, stopping at the intersection near the food factory dormitory.

"Well... I’m heading back now. Goodbye," Song Xilan said softly, looking down as she turned to walk inside.

"Wait a moment," Jiang Chengxiao suddenly stepped forward and said in a low voice, "I can tell."

Song Xilan was startled. "What?"

"What you said earlier, about someone changing inside. I can tell. No matter how you change, I won’t mistake you."

Song Xilan’s heart raced. "Oh, okay. I’m leaving now." She quickly walked away, unable to resist covering her face with her hands. Ah, it’s so embarrassing.

Jiang Chengxiao stood silently outside the gate, watching her enter before turning to leave.

"Ta-da!" Before Song Xilan even entered the house, the water chestnut cakes in her hand made their way in. "Look what I brought back for you!"

Tan Aizhi: "Did you take him to Luming Restaurant for dinner?"

"Yes, he let me choose."

"You silly girl, even if he let you choose, you shouldn't have picked such an expensive place right away. Didn't you say he's still staying at the guesthouse waiting for job assignment? How could you spend what could be a week’s worth of his food budget on one meal?"

Song Xilan: "I don't think so. He looked well-off and didn’t seem to be strapped for cash. He paid the bill generously without any difficulty."

After a pause, she added, "I think we’re on the same page when it comes to food."

Tan Aizhi laughed at her: "Where are you two at? You've only had one meal together, and you can already get along well? How do you know he's not just pretending to please you?"

Song Xilan thought for a moment: "That's true."

"Take it easy for now. Don’t jump in headfirst. Find a chance later for your parents to meet him."

The couple wanted to meet the young man to assess his character, but not in a formal home visit—it's not the right time yet!

Hearing he's from out of town, unlike locals whose family backgrounds can be easily inquired about, they need to be even more cautious.

After discussing Song Xilan's dinner with Jiang Chengxiao, Tan Aizhi brought up some gossip from the compound.

"Today, someone suddenly came by, wanting to collect old portraits of the great leader from everyone's homes. The older, the better, preferably ones that have been around for a while. They didn’t want new ones. Aunt Wang next door took down the portrait that had been hanging in their house for over ten years and sold it for three yuan! The person also said that if it came with a frame, it would be even more valuable."

Song Xilan was puzzled: "What use could collecting these have?"

Nowadays, who doesn't have a portrait of the great leader hanging in their home? Even if you buy a brand new one from Xinhua Bookstore, it only costs one yuan, and they're mass-produced prints, not like antiques that get more valuable with age. Who’d go out of their way to collect those?

Tan Aizhi: "Who knows? Anyway, selling it for three yuan and spending one yuan on a new one to hang up, you still pocket two yuan for oil and salt! I was thinking of digging up the old one we replaced last time, to exchange it for two yuan, but your dad flat-out stopped me."

Song Xilan looked at her father.

Song Baili said: "Do you remember what happened to the Zhao family back in the 60s?"

Song Xilan was too young then to remember what happened, but Tan Aizhi remembered it clearly and couldn't help but pat her chest in fear: "Right, right, we can’t mess with stuff like that, or it could land us in serious trouble."

Noticing her daughter’s confusion, Tan Aizhi explained and educated her to be cautious, saying that when the Zhao family was preparing to marry a new daughter-in-law and renovating their house, they tore down an old portrait of the great leader that had been hanging for many years. They didn’t think twice about it and just tossed it out.

But someone with an axe to grind found out and reported it, and then their family got into serious trouble.