Chapter 40: The Childhood of a Foodie

“No, that’s not it!” Song Xilan said with great confidence. “Last night, my mom dreamt that my grandmother said she missed me and asked me to go back and see them.”

If Jiang Chengxiao hadn’t told her the day before that he was going to Yang Songkeng, she might have believed her.

But such a coincidence was still quite delightful.

“Do you often visit your grandmother’s house? Is Yang Songkeng fun?” Jiang Chengxiao sparked the conversation.

“It’s fun! I used to go there a lot when I was little, every summer and winter vacation I’d stay for a few days. But later, I went less, only going back during the New Year. Summer is the best, we can catch fish in the mountain stream. The fish are as thick as a little finger, deep-fried they taste the best, and the soup is also delicious. There are also these tiny shrimp, they can be grilled, and there are tons of wild fruits on the mountain. In winter, we have sea hawthorn fruits for making candied hawthorn, super tasty. I even brought a jar of sugar, I’ll make some for you to try later.”

Sure enough, a foodie’s focus is different from others.

While talking about the delicious food at her grandmother’s, Song Xilan pulled two oranges from her bag and handed one to Jiang Chengxiao.

Just as Jiang Chengxiao was about to refuse, he saw her pinch a few crosses on the orange peel with her nails. “Here, take it, put it under your nose. Once the smell fades, pinch it again. How does it feel? Doesn’t it seem less unpleasant?”

The bus was a bit old, with the cheap leather scent of the seats, the metal smell of the vehicle, mixed with years of accumulated sweat, body odor, and gasoline, blending into the distinct, unpleasant odor of a long-distance bus.

Jiang Chengxiao followed Song Xilan’s example, holding the orange under his nose, and indeed, it felt much better.

It was still early, and as the bus left the station, the sky hadn’t fully brightened. The two of them chatted in a half-hearted way, mostly with Song Xilan recounting her various food-stealing feats from her childhood at her grandmother’s house.

For example, climbing to the top of a tree to steal bird eggs and then frying them to eat, sneaking out to the fields at night to catch frogs, skinning them and roasting them, or secretly digging sweet potatoes from someone else’s field and roasting them in a fire.

It made it sound like her family had been starving her and never fed her enough.

These were childhood experiences Jiang Chengxiao had never had, as he grew up in the city.

Song Xilan then asked what he used to do as a child.

Jiang Chengxiao thought for a moment, and it seemed that all he did back then was fight.

Fighting with the children in the compound, fighting with the children in the alley, and fighting at the Shichahai Ice Skating Rink in the winter…

Song Xilan burst out laughing, “You were fighting all the time, your parents must have been so mad at you!”

“Of course, they’d love to beat me up three times a day. But luckily, they had my older brother. My brother was a well-known good boy in the compound, well-rounded in morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. He was skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and he could speak three foreign languages. He was recommended for university and now works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after graduation.”

“Wow, your brother is amazing! If I had such a brother, I could walk around like a boss.”

Jiang Chengxiao smiled faintly, “Yeah, my brother really is impressive.” He used to be proud to have such a great brother, but when did that pride change?

“Having an amazing sibling isn’t always a good thing, though. When I was little, my cousin’s grades were always excellent. Every time we met, my mom would praise her and tell me to learn from her. One time, I was so happy because I got 90 on my math exam, which was a high score for me, but my cousin scored 98, and my mom scolded me again.” Song Xilan said indignantly.

So Jiang Chengxiao also remembered the first exam he took in elementary school. He scored 99 points, first in his class, and excitedly held the test paper as he went home.

However, his mother only glanced at it before disdainfully tossing it aside: “Only 99 points? How embarrassing. Look at your brother, when has he ever scored less than 100?”

“And then?” Jiang Chengxiao asked.

“Then I threw a tantrum, cried and made a scene, and told my mom that since she liked my cousin so much, she should let my cousin be her daughter, and I would go be Uncle Wang’s daughter. Then I really ran away, went to Uncle Wang’s house, hugged his leg and cried, saying that my mom didn’t want me anymore, and asked Uncle Wang to take me in and let me be his daughter!”

“Uncle Wang?”

“Yeah, the head chef in the cafeteria at our work unit. He makes the best meat buns.”

“Pfft!” Jiang Chengxiao couldn’t help but laugh. “So what happened after that? Did Uncle Wang really take you in?”

“No, my mom came and dragged me back, then apologized to me, saying she’d never say my cousin was better than me again. No matter what score I got, I would always be their most beloved daughter. But the aftermath of that incident was, from then on, whenever someone in our compound made something delicious, they’d always say when they saw me, ‘We made this and that, go be our daughter!’”

How nice, Jiang Chengxiao thought. If he ever had such a cute little daughter, he would definitely tell her that she was the best and deserved everything good in the world.

The journey was long, and since they had set off early, Song Xilan began to yawn as she spoke. With the rhythmic “clang clang” of the car window shaking beside her, she closed her eyes and fell asleep.

Her head gradually tilted toward the window.

Seeing this, Jiang Chengxiao sighed, stretching his arm around the back of her neck and pressing it against the window.

Sure enough, not long after, her head bumped “thud” into his hand. Luckily, it hit the back of his hand.

An aunt sitting nearby looked at them enviously. “This young man really knows how to pamper his wife.”

Jiang Chengxiao felt a little pleased inside.

Sitting upright, looking straight ahead without glancing around, his arm, when no one was watching, slowly and carefully went around her shoulder, quietly pulling her closer until he finally steadied her head, placing it gently on his shoulder.

Then, he quietly sighed in relief.

For the first time in his life, he hoped the journey would be as long as possible, never reaching its end.

But unfortunately, this trip was unusually smooth. By 11 a.m., they had arrived at the county bus station.

Jiang Chengxiao had already inquired that Yang Songkeng was a small village located below the county town. It was called a “pit” because it was surrounded by mountains, and the village was situated in a valley. From above, it looked like it was in a pit.

Yang Songkeng was still about 20 kilometers away from the county town, and there was no direct transportation. One could either catch a nearby village’s ox cart or walk on foot.

Jiang Chengxiao had planned to walk there himself, as marching for tens of kilometers with heavy loads was no problem for them. But now, with the delicate Song Xilan by his side, he couldn’t bear to let her walk such a long distance