Chapter 12: Yam Peach 

After her friend’s birthday, it was soon her grandmother’s birthday.

Pan Yueyi was a bit troubled. What should she give her grandmother as a birthday gift?

She was just a student and couldn’t afford anything expensive. But gifts were about the thought. She believed that even if she only wrote a card by hand, her grandmother would still smile with joy upon receiving it.

But Pan Yueyi also wanted to put some creative thought into it to make her grandmother even happier instead of giving something half-heartedly.

Clothes… items… food?

Suddenly, she had an idea.

Although her grandmother cooked light dishes, she liked sweet desserts. Pan Yueyi knew this.

So why not bring her some yam peaches to try? Peaches — longevity peaches — had a good meaning. Thinking this way, it was simply perfect.

To make sure nothing went wrong, Pan Yueyi went to Nanlai Restaurant several days in advance. When she saw that yam peaches had already been taken off the menu, she helplessly covered her head.

“Why isn’t the yam peach available? Is it no longer being sold?”

After hearing that they just didn’t buy yams today, Pan Yueyi feared it was a polite excuse for removing the dish and quickly said, “Then I want to make a reservation in advance. Could you make some for me?”

“That’s no problem.” Nan Tu jotted down a reminder for the date Pan Yueyi mentioned in case she forgot. “You love yam peaches that much?”

“No, I want to give them to my grandmother…” As soon as the words left her mouth, Pan Yueyi realized she might be misunderstood and quickly explained, “No, no! I love them too. What I meant was, exactly because I love them, I also want my grandmother to eat them on her birthday.”

Birthday… A faint smile appeared at the corner of Nan Tu’s lips but was quickly withdrawn. She was already very familiar with Pan Yueyi. She also knew that Pan Yueyi had helped the restaurant bring in many customers. She was quite good at recommending things.

“Don’t worry. Just come pick it up that day. But yam peaches are best not kept too long after being taken home. Eat them as soon as possible.”

“Okay, okay!”

———

On her grandmother’s birthday, Pan Yueyi specially asked her father to drive by the Nanlai Restaurant before heading to school.

“The hotel we booked isn’t around here, is it?”

“I’m just picking something up. Aiya, don’t look.” Pan Yueyi mysteriously hid the packed box behind her back.

After waiting for a bit in the private room at the hotel, her mother arrived with her grandparents.

Under the lighting, the table decorated with fresh flowers glowed. In the center was a beautiful birthday cake. The pre-ordered dishes were placed in a circle around it — all chosen for their auspicious names. Pan Yueyi had secretly looked at the menu. Dishes like “Prosperity Soup,” “Four Seasons Peace,” and “Auspicious Fried Rice.” Now that the names were revealed, they were actually just corn and radish pork rib soup, stir-fried green beans, and assorted fried rice.

After singing the birthday song and cutting the cake, Pan Yueyi couldn’t wait to stand up and present the birthday gift she prepared for her grandmother.

Her grandmother opened the package and saw two rows of eight small, adorable peaches inside. Her expression became a little dazed.

“Grandma, this is called…” Pan Yueyi was just about to introduce the name of the dessert when unexpectedly, both her grandfather and grandmother blurted out, “Yam peaches!”

Pan Yueyi was surprised. “You two know it? I thought this dessert wasn’t very well known. The first time I saw the name, I thought it was sweet soup made with yam paste and peach slices.”

“Of course I remember,” Grandma showed a trace of nostalgia, “there used to be an old restaurant here. The owner had amazing skills and could make this yam peach. But business was always booming, and yam peaches were complicated to make. Even when people wanted to order it, he wouldn’t make it.

He only made them once a year, on his little granddaughter’s birthday. On that day, any customer at the restaurant could get a yam peach for free. Just once a year. The greedy customers remembered his granddaughter’s birthday even better than their own!”

As she spoke, Grandma carefully divided the yam peaches among everyone. “Yueyue gave this to me. You all should try it too. These yam peaches were fried before being steamed. If they sit for too long, the outer shell softens and they won’t taste good anymore.”

“Fried?” Pan Yueyi’s mouth formed an O shape. She had eaten yam peach not long ago and hadn’t even realized it had been fried. It didn’t feel greasy at all. How could it be fried?

Grandpa chimed in, “Of course it’s fried. Mashed yam mixed with glutinous rice flour can hold its shape, but it’s still not enough. It would fall apart with a touch. Add more glutinous rice flour? That wouldn’t do. If there’s too much glutinous rice, you should call it glutinous rice peach, not yam peach. If you want a high proportion of yam, you have to find a way to keep it from falling apart.”

“The trick is in the frying step. You can’t just throw it into the oil pot. Once the oil starts boiling, the peach will lose its shape. And the heat is hard to control. You have to place it on a slotted spoon and scoop hot oil to pour over it again and again. Wait until a thin soft shell forms on the surface to hold its shape. Then you can steam it and pour sweet-scented osmanthus syrup over it.”

Wow. Pan Yueyi couldn’t help but clap lightly. So impressive. She thought it was just a delicious snack, but never expected so much effort to go into making it.

Grandma urged everyone, “Hurry and try it. Eh, what’s this bright red sauce? It used to be just sweet-scented osmanthus syrup.”

There were eight yam peaches. Half were topped with clear syrup dotted with yellow osmanthus flowers. The other half were covered in deep red cherry sauce, flowing over the smooth peach-shaped dumplings like glossy satin, wrapping each plump peach in a splendid red robe.

Pan Yueyi quickly answered, “It’s cherry sauce. Maybe the owner updated the recipe. A lot of young people nowadays don’t like the taste of osmanthus.”

Grandpa, sticking to tradition, chose the sweet-scented osmanthus version. He snorted, “That’s because they’ve never had good osmanthus syrup.”

He picked up a small spoon. When breaking the perfect peach shape, he even felt a bit reluctant. But once it entered his mouth, the rich aroma of osmanthus instantly filled his nose. Though it was just one bite, it felt like his whole being was immersed in the fragrance. It was as if golden osmanthus flowers bloomed around him, filling the air with their scent.

As he chewed a bit more, the light fragrance of yam and glutinous rice mingled with the sweetness of the syrup. The osmanthus scent softened and grew tender, no longer overwhelming but instead seeping in gently, so wonderful that he closed his eyes and nodded in satisfaction.

Mother Pan had the one topped with cherry sauce. Remembering what her father had said about the frying process, she paid special attention when cutting open the peach. Sure enough, there was a very thin crispy shell. Once that barrier was broken, the yam paste returned to its soft, sticky texture.

The cherry sauce sparkled temptingly. Drizzled over the peach, it dyed the originally pure white yam peach with a light pink hue, like a shy yet hopeful face. It echoed the sweet-and-sour taste of the cherry sauce. Combined with the delicate, smooth texture of the yam paste, the two elements intertwined and collided in her mouth, creating a delightful and never-before-experienced flavor.

“This peach even has a pit!” Mother Pan suddenly exclaimed while eating.

Before anyone could respond, she figured it out herself and smiled. “Oh~ the pit is made of date paste.”

“By the way, Mom, I’ve been meaning to ask. Why have I never eaten this yam peach before? It’s such an exquisite treat. If I had eaten it, I would definitely remember.”

Grandma gave a look that said, “You just weren’t lucky enough to have it.” “By the time his little granddaughter was born, you were already in college. You spent all those years away from home. Where would you have eaten it?” As for how the daughter’s family moved back a few years ago, but the Nanlai Restaurant had already… sigh, better not talk about it.

Come to think of it, this yam peach was about eighty percent similar to the one they ate years ago.

“Yueyue, where did you buy this?” Grandma asked. Even if the original Nanlai Restaurant had closed, if there was now a small restaurant making yam peaches almost the same as before, it would let them relive the past through food, wouldn’t it?

So many years have passed in the blink of an eye.

“It’s a small restaurant called Nanlai Restaurant. Grandpa, Grandma, you can go eat there too. It’s near…”

Nanlai Restaurant! Grandpa and Grandma quickly exchanged shocked glances. How was that possible? Old Nan wasn’t…

“The Nanlai Restaurant you’re talking about, who’s the owner?” Grandpa quickly asked.

Pan Yueyi instinctively defended Nan Tu, “The owner is really young and very pretty! She looks like she just graduated from college. But her cooking is amazing. All the classmates I brought there said her food was better than chefs who’ve been running restaurants for over ten years.”

Grandpa and Grandma each caught the key points. “Pretty… it’s a girl?” “College graduate… sounds like the right age.”

Could it be… Old Nan’s granddaughter?!

At this point, Mother Pan also remembered. “No wonder the name Nanlai Restaurant sounded familiar to me the other day. When I was little, wasn’t there a Nanlai Restaurant near our house? Later it was either demolished or something. Could they be related?”

Pan Yueyi remembered she had once taken a photo of the restaurant’s signboard to show her classmates and quickly pulled it out to show Grandpa and Grandma.

Although the location and décor were different, the two of them immediately recognized the familiar sign. It was definitely the original Nanlai Restaurant’s signboard!

————

After dinner, the elderly couple returned home from the hotel and opened their old neighborhood group chat. They leaned close to the phone mic and said with full energy, “Old Nan’s granddaughter Nan Tu is back and has opened a restaurant! It’s still called Nanlai Restaurant. The location is… We all watched her grow up. If you have time, go show her some support!”

In the past, some neighbors had moved away due to demolition, others went to live with their children. Only a few, like Pan Yueyi’s grandparents, still lived in the old neighborhood. After being scattered, they naturally lost touch. The last time someone spoke in the group was two weeks ago.

Not long after this message was sent, new voice messages started popping up one after another.

“Is it true? Isn’t Xiao Nan Tu attending university now? Is it really her running the restaurant, or is it a different one with the same name?”

Pan Yueyi’s grandmother confirmed, “I specifically asked my daughter to check at the restaurant just now. It’s really Nan Tu!”

“She should have finished university by now, but Old Nan was reluctant to let her take over the restaurant, wasn’t he?”

“What’s the point of discussing that now? The restaurant’s already open! Who’s going to show up to support? These past years without Nan Tu’s restaurant, we’ve missed so many delicious dishes. What’s the point of living if not for a good meal? Nan Tu’s cooking back then was already almost as good as Old Nan’s, so it’s probably still just as good now.”

A concerned aunt spoke up, “I’ll go too, but should we have some reason to go? We can’t just show up suddenly with a whole group.”

A loud voice from an uncle rang out, “What reason do we need? People need to eat, it’s only natural!”

As soon as he finished speaking, a strange voice followed up with, “Eat, eat, it’s only natural!”

Everyone knew without looking at the group chat names or avatars that it was Uncle Qiao, the one who loved raising parrots.

“Let’s just go! If anyone talks too much, don’t let them nag Nan Tu with the same old stories. She’s busy running a restaurant, she doesn’t have time to listen to all your rambling.”

After discussing a few details, they agreed that several neighbors would go to Nanlai Restaurant together tomorrow afternoon. As for the others, they said they’d find a time to visit soon.