Chapter 19: Mapo Tofu

Chapter 19: Mapo Tofu

Yun Fan's storytelling wasn't in vain. When he announced the four blind box themes, Wen Zhaofu's clenched fist gradually relaxed.

For Grandma Zu, he had prepared “Glory Days”; for Cheng Yu and his family, “Global Footprints”; for the third branch, “Legends of Light and Shadow”; and for Wen Zhaofu’s branch, the largest in number, the warm “Childhood Memories.”

Just hearing these names, Wen Zhaofu knew Yun Fan had captured the hearts of this large family.

Soon, everyone gathered around Grandma Zu. Having stood for a while, the elderly lady asked for a chair.

She placed her hand on the lid of the dish and looked kindly at Yun Fan. “Any surprises?”

“Please take a look, Grandma Zu,” Yun Fan said, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Grandma Zu raised an eyebrow, lifted the lid with effort, and exclaimed, “Wow!” In the center of the plate lay a bowl of “Peace Meat Swallows.”

Instantly, Grandma Zu’s eyes reddened. She steadied herself and waved Yun Fan over. “Come here, child.”

Yun Fan hurried over, and Grandma Zu took his hand, giving it a gentle shake. In Yun Fan’s memory, Grandma Zu had always been elegant and composed, but today, a simple bowl of meat swallows seemed to touch her deeply.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had meat swallows,” Grandma Zu said, looking up at everyone. “You all know Zu Hua made excellent meat swallows. But you might not know why an outsider like him mastered this local delicacy of ours.”

“The wrapper is made from pork hind leg meat, repeatedly pounded until thin as paper, so delicate they’re almost translucent—a labor-intensive process,” Grandma Zu said with a smile. “When Zu Hua learned from my mother, he put in so much effort I thought his arms would end up different sizes.”

“After he mastered it, he often made it for me. As you know, when he first started his business, the environment was harsh, and I worried every day. Only when he returned each night to cook me this bowl of meat swallows did I feel that the day had passed peacefully.”

“Seeing them float in the bowl like little swallows put my heart at ease.”

Yun Fan handed Grandma Zu a spoon, and she took a bite. The filling, made from pork and fish paste, complemented by shrimp and water chestnuts, was fresh yet not greasy, crisp and tender.

When Grandma Zu looked up again, tears welled in her eyes. She nodded at Yun Fan. “Thank you for letting me taste ‘Peace Meat Swallows’ again.”

“I know—Zu Hua is always with me. For the Wen family, I have no other expectations but for all of you to live harmoniously, each household in peace.”

As Grandma Zu finished, Liu Erxing, standing at the edge of the crowd, began clapping. Yun Fan glanced at him, and Liu raised an eyebrow with a smile.

After the applause died down, Grandma Zu patted Yun Fan’s back. “Let the children open their blind boxes first. I need a moment to compose myself.”

Wen Zhaofu adjusted his wheelchair and moved to Grandma Zu’s side. The old and the young sat together, watching Yun Fan push the cart to the first branch of the family.

Though Wen Tingqi had been disrespectful earlier, seeing Grandma Zu’s reaction, he didn’t dare cause trouble. When Yun Fan signaled him to lift the lid, he reluctantly opened the one in the center.

“Wow!” Wen Tingqi and Yun Fan exclaimed simultaneously.

Coincidentally, these two were the ones Yun Fan most wanted them to open. Before Wen Tingqi was a scepter made from different colored chocolates.

He leaned in for a closer look and read the letters on it. “It’s the name of my school!”

“Professor Wen, why not share with us your eight-year breakthrough in optical communication technology and how you became the youngest professor in the history of your alma mater right after graduation?” Yun Fan said, watching Wen Tingqi’s eyes light up.

In the Wen family, focusing on academics was considered unusual. As the eldest son, Wen Tingqi had been expected to achieve great things, but he had no interest in business—from a young age, he was always asking why about everything.

This created tension with his parents, and he eventually went abroad alone to study, stubbornly never asking the family for money while working part-time.

Later, Wen Tingqi achieved his dreams and honors, but when he returned to share his success, he found that while everyone offered congratulations, they showed little interest in his research.

So, deep in this 76-year-old man’s heart, giving ten thousand lectures outside couldn’t compare to sharing his story with his family just once.

After decades of waiting, the opportunity finally arrived during an afternoon tea. In that moment, Wen Tingqi felt a surge of gratitude toward the young Yun Fan.

Times had changed, and the Wen family now had more scholars and more people willing to listen patiently.

This time, Wen Tingqi’s confident talking captured everyone’s attention.

“My physics teacher in middle school was Grand Uncle’s student!” Wen Haochen raised his hand. “I could understand his lessons.”

“But your physics grades were terrible,” An Liwen chimed in, making the whole room laugh.

Wen Tingqi finally softened his expression and gave Yun Fan an appreciative smile. Turning to the younger generation, he said earnestly, “There’s more to life than academics, but having the opportunity to study is precious. So, if you’re still in school, cherish it.”

After his speech, Yun Fan noticed the ten “little ancestors” of the Wen family’s fourth generation had all straightened up, looking as obedient as elementary school students.

Yun Fan glanced at Wen Zhaofu and saw even he had lowered his head, as if waiting for an academic report.

The effect of encouraging study was something Yun Fan hadn’t anticipated.

*

Before Yun Fan could turn to Wen Tingwang, the old man stepped forward and opened all the lids for his branch.

“Too much trouble—let’s just open them all,” Wen Tingwang said, smacking his lips.

The crowd gasped, but Yun Fan remained calm. Through Liu Erxing, he knew this grandfather always marched to the beat of his own drum.

While everyone else was dressed formally, Wen Tingwang wore a brightly colored shirt and pants. In Wen Zhaofu’s words, it was “multicolored,” but to Yun Fan, it was just gaudy.

With all the lids unceremoniously opened, Liu Erxing walked over to Yun Fan and gave him a reassuring smile. Yun Fan smiled back and nodded.

Wen Zhaofu, who had relaxed his fist, clenched it again, watching Wen Tingwang’s expression while staying put.

“Oh no, is Third Grandfather going to give Yun Fan a hard time? Bro…” Wen Haochen whispered to Wen Zhaofu.

Wen Zhaofu straightened slightly and said calmly, “It’s a minor situation. Xiao Yun can handle it.”

Sure enough, Yun Fan faced Wen Tingwang composedly. He sensed that this impatient grandfather wasn’t annoyed by the delay but simply didn’t want to follow the pattern of opening one lid and telling one story.

Wen Tingwang had lived a fiery, fast-paced life—unmarried, childless, with only a dry grandson by his side in his old age. While others had long retired from the family business, he remained active on the front lines.

He had plenty of stories to tell, but he kept them to himself.

“Wow, is this a movie theme?” Wen Tingwang exclaimed, looking at the plates. “Haha, this little airplane must be for Xingxing.”

Yun Fan explained with a smile, “Yes, these are all from movies you’ve worked on over the past fifty years. You’ve achieved so much.”

“Not at all, compared to everyone here, I’m just a small potato,” Wen Tingwang said thoughtfully, examining the variously shaped desserts. “Xingxing, come here. Don’t you think these could be great IP development directions?”

“Quick, take pictures and send them to the company. Such great ideas!” Wen Tingwang rubbed his hands together. “This is what young people are into these days—a great opportunity!”

Yun Fan’s eyes lit up. Having always dealt with money, he hadn’t considered his potential in cultural creativity.

Though Wen Tingwang’s actions seemed disruptive, his words awakened the business leaders in the room. It would be foolish to pass up such profitable projects.

Wen Zhaofu watched as his second uncle, paternal aunt, maternal aunt, and paternal cousin all pulled out their phones. His biological father and wife were covering their mouths, laughing at something.

The second branch, with eleven members, were chirping and chattering as childhood memories flooded back.

Others joined in, opening their plates one by one, marveling at a bowl of ginger juice curdled milk or a pineapple bun, then falling into momentary reflection before recalling a story full of historical significance.

The Wen family hadn’t been this lively in a long time. Grandma Zu couldn't stop smiling, praising Yun Fan for preparing the event so well.

Wen Zhaofu and Wen Haochen each opened the one related to the other. They immediately exchanged without hesitation.

"Playing soccer is my favorite thing!" Wen Haochen looked at Yun Fan, raising the football-shaped glutinous rice cake in his hand. "Even though I get injured every time, it's so thrilling."

Wen Zhaofu smiled in agreement. "I used to watch Hao Chen and the others play soccer, and I was always so envious. Now I still think, being young is great."

"You're not that old yourself." The surroundings were too noisy, so Yun Fan simply crouched down, leaning close to Wen Zhaofu to speak. "Try it, is your abacus-themed steamed bun tasty?"

This steamed bun designed like an abacus truly surprised Wen Zhaofu. Not only had he never imagined steamed buns could be made this way, he never expected Yun Fan to notice his skill with the abacus.

"I saw a photo of you holding an abacus, looking really happy," Yun Fan said with a smile. "Grandma said you're really good at using the abacus."

Wen Zhaofu tilted his head slightly to hear Yun Fan's words more clearly. Not wanting him to strain, Yun Fan leaned closer, holding onto the wheelchair armrest. When Cheng Yu walked over, he saw the two speaking intimately.

"Ahem." Cheng Yu cleared his throat loudly, catching Yun Fan and Wen Zhaofu's attention.

"Oh, Young Master Cheng, how are you finding today's event?" Yun Fan tried to stand up, but his legs were a bit numb.

Wen Zhaofu grabbed Yun Fan's wrist. Yun Fan smiled at him and, using the support to stand, felt someone steadying his back. He turned to see Liu Erxing.

Cheng Yu blinked, then turned to bring a glass of juice for Yun Fan. "You've been working hard all afternoon, have some vitamin C."

"Yun Fan, can we continue doing these mystery boxes in the future? I really love this activity!" Wen Haochen said excitedly, his eyes shining. "This creative idea is something I can use at school too, yay!"

"How's your thesis preparation going?" Cheng Yu asked coldly, immediately deflating Wen Haochen's enthusiasm.

Wen Zhaofu seized the moment to help Yun Fan: "Let Xiao Yun rest now. He's put so much thought and effort into this and needs to recover."

*

The commotion eventually died down. After working non-stop for a while, Yun Fan, finally free of all responsibilities, felt utterly exhausted.

He took a shower, changed into loose athletic wear, and sat in the courtyard gazing at the flowers lost in thought.

When Uncle Man passed by, he saw Yun Fan hugging his arms, head bowed, looking somewhat sad.

Wen Zhaofu was inside going through documents when he was surprised to see Uncle Man at the door on the screen. He quickly wheeled over to open the door, meeting Uncle Man's anxious eyes.

"Young Master... I saw Butler Yun, he... he..."

Wen Zhaofu instinctively frowned, staring intently at Uncle Man. Uncle Man swallowed hard: "He was crying quietly to himself!"

"Why?" Wen Zhaofu had specifically asked for feedback from various families; everyone seemed very satisfied with the event.

"He says he wants to eat Mapo Tofu!"

Author's Note:

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Next chapter coming Monday - don't miss it!