The Game of Life Chapter 807

Chapter 807: Chapter 806 Hint (Part Two) (5000+) Chapter 807: Chapter 806 Hint (Part Two) (5000+) Jiang Weiguo was not skilled at telling stories; his tone remained flat, even at the climax of the story, low and monotonous without the necessary pauses at crucial points.

The only advantage was that these stories were real, not fabricated, and they were sometimes more fascinating than some made-up tales.

Jiang Feng and Zhao Lanhua listened intently.

Zhao Lanhua listened with particular attention, focused and utterly absorbed, without being distracted for even a moment. Jiang Weiguo might have been the only person in her eighteen years of life who told her stories, not that others lacked patience, but they lacked stories. In that era, it was exceedingly rare to find someone with experiences as rich as Jiang Weiguo's.

Zhao Lanhua neither spoke nor asked questions until the story had ended, then she began to ask about parts she did not understand.

Zhao Lanhua's questions were also very clear.

“How can crabs taste good without cooking but just raw in a jar with stuff added for preservation?” Zhao Lanhua was puzzled, “I think crabs are unappetizing, small, hard to eat, and barely have any flesh, and the most problematic part is that they're hard to catch. Only the youngest kids in our village, who neither work nor gather wood, go to the river to catch these things.”

Jiang Weiguo's reply was simple, “Next time I have a chance, I'll preserve a jar for you.”

Afterwards, Jiang Weiguo stood up to tend to the roast duck in the oven, which involved hanging the duck, after removing its innards and filling it with water and applying sauce, and frequently adjusting its position to ensure even heating.

As Jiang Weiguo tended to the duck, the savory aroma of fruitwood also wafted out.

Zhao Lanhua inhaled through her nose and exclaimed, “Wow, the roast duck smells amazing.”

“That's not the smell of the duck but of the wood.” Jiang Weiguo glanced at the hanging duck in the oven to check that it was correctly placed, then sat back down, “The wood burning right now is date and pear wood; fruitwood naturally has a fragrant aroma, burns strongly, and lasts long, giving the duck a mild fragrance of fruitwood when it's finally done.”

Zhao Lanhua didn't understand but nodded in awe anyway.

After the story about drunken crab was finished, Jiang Weiguo didn't know what else to say and remained silent; Zhao Lanhua was too busy looking at the roast duck in the oven to notice the silence.

“Weiguo, you've traveled to so many places, why did you end up here?” Zhao Lanhua asked, “You're from Beiping, have been to Magic City, to the provincial city, and even to the neighboring province's city. I think those places are pretty good, definitely better than here.”

Jiang Weiguo thought for a moment, “They were hiring here.”

The reason he ended up settling here was simple; when he arrived, a state-owned restaurant had just started recruiting. He initially wanted to find a relatively stable job to work for a few years before leaving, but ended up staying put as he worked.

“What else do you want to hear about?”

Zhao Lanhua thought for a bit, “Braised Meat.”

Jiang Feng: ?

Then Jiang Weiguo began to tell her about how he learned to make Dongpo pork.

Jiang Feng: ???

Works???

For an entire afternoon, Jiang Weiguo became a storyteller, talking to Zhao Lanhua about dishes all afternoon, moving to tend to the roast duck beside the oven after each dish. As the dishes became increasingly savory, so did the aromas of the roasting duck; roasting a duck usually only required just over half an hour.

Jiang Weiguo's skills at roasting duck were decent, his slicing skills even better, and it was Jiang Feng's first time realizing that the old man was actually a skilled duck slicer, the only downside being that this particular duck was not quite up to par.

The best ducks for roasting are robust, with thin skin and thick breasts, and the duck Jiang Weiguo chose, although large and seemingly plump, clearly did not meet the standards. The most critical issue was the breed of the duck. Duck breed is a regional matter, and it's hard in the south, where Z city is located, to find the breeds used for roasting duck in the north. Nevertheless, the slices of duck, each cut into the shape of a willow leaf that now lay before Zhao Lanhua, were definitely competent and outstanding.

“Can we eat it now?” Zhao Lanhua had already started to drool quietly at the sight of the well-sliced roast duck.

“Hold on a second.” Jiang Weiguo pulled out two warm steamed buns from the pot and handed them to Zhao Lanhua, “It's supposed to be eaten wrapped in lotus leaf pancakes, but the shop ran out of flour and won't get any until the day after tomorrow. These are yesterday's buns. There's no green onions today, so I'll go cut some cucumber strips for you. Eating it alone would be too greasy.”

Zhao Lanhua: ?

She looked somewhat puzzled at the steaming dish of roast duck slices, gleaming with oil and appearing incredibly savory.

Greasy?

How could it possibly be greasy?

The dish of roast duck before her looked very appetizing, with the duck skin roasted to a jujube red, the white meat emitting an enticing fragrance; the coloring was done with sugar syrup, blending sweetness with the aroma of fruitwood. Zhao Lanhua thought that this very savory roast duck seemed even more delicious than the Braised Meat they got to eat at home during New Year's.

When they had meat during New Year's at home, she always felt that two pieces were not enough, but unfortunately, there was no more to eat. Now, an entire duck was hers, how could she possibly find it greasy?

Of course, Zhao Lanhua didn't say anything. She just picked a piece of duck skin that looked the thickest and most oily, without any meat, and stuffed it into her mouth all at once.

She chewed.

Jiang Feng, standing beside her, could feel the crispy duck skin explode in the mouth. It was warm, slightly sweet, and the rich flavor of roasted duck filled her mouth with substantial juices as they met the tongue.

Jiang Feng knew this feeling all too well.

It was the sensation that astounded you at first and second bites but felt slightly off by the third, and by the fourth and fifth bites, you were too sick of it to want any more.

Zhao Lanhua clearly didn't have this problem.

She loved this feeling too much, this delicious, fragrant taste with just a hint of sweetness, but most importantly, the ample oiliness.

It gave a tremendous sense of satisfaction, both physically and mentally.

Zhao Lanhua ate three pieces in a row, each a chunk of fatty duck skin. By the time Jiang Weiguo returned with the sweet bean sauce, granulated sugar, and sliced cucumbers, Zhao Lanhua hadn't touched the bread in her hand, but the roast duck on the plate was already missing seven or eight slices.

Jiang Weiguo: ?

“Aren't you getting sick of it?” Jiang Weiguo was amazed.

If this had been their first meeting, such a question would have mortified Zhao Lanhua, making her wish she could shrink into a crack in the ground. But now, after dating Jiang Weiguo for half a year, she was entirely herself, and she had gained quite a bit of weight.

“How could something so delicious be tiresome!” said Zhao Lanhua in admiration, finally taking a bite of the bread in her hand, “I have never eaten anything as delicious as this, even better than the pig's trotters with yellow beans you served me last time.”

Hearing her say this, Jiang Weiguo showed a hint of a smile, “Then eat more, I'll make a soup with the left-over duck bones for you.”

Zhao Lanhua nodded vigorously, took another aggressive bite of bread, chewed twice and suddenly remembered something. She hurriedly swallowed the bread, almost choking on it.

“This roast duck is so big, shouldn't we save some for Master Huang and the others?”

“No need,” Jiang Weiguo decisively refused. “Hurry up and finish the duck before they come back. If the leaders see it, they'll definitely want me to make it.”

Jiang Weiguo's face clearly expressed his reluctance to make roast duck every day.

Zhao Lanhua nodded repeatedly, and stuffed another two bites of duck meat into her mouth.

Though there were no lotus leaf buns, Zhao Lanhua's way of eating roast duck was quite rough. Jiang Weiguo passed her the cucumber strips and sauce, “Try dipping it in the sauce, adding some cucumber strips with it will make it taste even better.”

Zhao Lanhua, who had never eaten sweet bean sauce or even seen it, hesitated upon seeing the dark sauce in the small bowl, afraid it might spoil the wonderful taste of the roast duck. After hesitating, she dipped a little with her chopsticks and took a sip.

Zhao Lanhua's eyes lit up at once.

Sweet!

For Zhao Lanhua, who still had a sweet tooth and considered brown sugar water one of the ultimate delicacies, the sweet bean sauce, with its mix of wonderful flavors, was an entirely new and deliciously sweet treat.

“Is this sauce specifically for dipping roast duck?” Zhao Lanhua licked her lips, cleaning off the residual bean sauce.

“Not specifically, but it's generally used with roast duck.”

“It's so tasty,” Zhao Lanhua lamented with her limited vocabulary, unable to produce a more cultured exclamation, “even tastier than brown sugar water.”

Jiang Weiguo smiled, pointing to the granulated sugar, “Dip the duck skin in the granulated sugar, let the sugar melt a small bit before you eat it; it will taste even better.”

Zhao Lanhua did as instructed, and once she started, she couldn't stop, eating three to four more pieces of pure duck skin until she had eaten all the fattier pieces on the plate before putting down her chopsticks.

Zhao Lanhua then gnawed on half a piece of bread and ate almost half a cucumber, feeling somewhat full at last.

Normally, her appetite was not so modest. At home, drinking porridge, Zhao Lanhua could easily consume five or six bowls and still eat two cakes without feeling full, using the large bowls typical of the countryside. Of course, typically she wouldn't have the chance to eat so much food, usually being in a state of semi-hunger. Only during festivals or someone's celebratory occasion would she get to eat her fill, and it would always be an oil-rich bellyful.

Ever since her arranged meeting with Jiang Weiguo, every visit Zhao Lanhua made was from half-full to bursting with hiccups by the departure, often taking some leftovers back with her. Sometimes Zhao Lanhua felt she wasn't there to form a relationship but to freeload meals in the city, unable to finish her food and always wrapping it up to take home.

She had seen others in relationships going shopping, watching movies, or visiting lakes and parks. But for her, it was always about meeting in the restaurant, entering the kitchen, eating, and then eating some more. It was always all about eating, and she had gained quite a bit of weight. Lately at home, the most common thing Zhao Lanhua heard was how she had gained weight, looked more prosperous, and seemed different after dating a city man.

Zhao Lanhua felt quite satisfied with this; she thought this way of eating and listening to stories as a method of dating was far more substantial than watching movies or anything alike.

“What's the use of watching a movie when there's no meat to eat?”

Zhao Lanhua suddenly remembered what Mrs. Hehua had told her before.

Her mother had said the same things at home; she had been with Jiang Weiguo for eight months now, whereas her older sister had married her brother-in-law after just four months. Yet, she had been with Jiang Weiguo for eight months and they were still just dating, without any extra news.

Her mother had urged her several times to bring Jiang Weiguo home, the Jiang Family had no elders, not even relatives. All she needed to do was bring Jiang Weiguo home to meet the elders in her family, have a meal together, and things would basically be settled.

But how could she bring it up?

Zhao Lanhua became distraught, no longer able to even enjoy the roasted duck she had planned to eat more of.

Jiang Feng and Jiang Weiguo didn't notice the inner turmoil within Zhao Lanhua; perhaps her dramatic internal emotions were not adequately conveyed by her facial expressions. From Jiang Feng's perspective, Zhao Lanhua started to frown and look distressed while eating; from Jiang Weiguo's view, she was finally fed up with the roast duck.

It was about time!

Jiang Weiguo walked over to check the duck soup that was cooking, which was almost ready–it would do, and duck frames cooked into soup were the perfect remedy for someone sick of roast duck.

“The soup is almost ready, do you want some?” he asked.

“Yes,” Zhao Lanhua responded mechanically.

Jiang Weiguo served Zhao Lanhua a bowl of soup, which was still steaming hot, hot enough to scald her hands through the bowl. Zhao Lanhua had a callous layer on her hands so she didn't feel the heat. Holding the bowl, she stared into the soup and started to daydream again.

Zhao Lanhua felt her life was just too hard.

In her village, other girls her age were already married and mothers, while she was still just dating.

The other village girls married men from their own or nearby villages; her boyfriend was from the city.

In the city, people who had been dating for eight months had already met the parents, with everything set and preparations for the wedding underway, while she was still just dating after eight months.

Despite her boyfriend being so great, why was her dating process different from everyone else's?

Zhao Lanhua felt that Mrs. Hehua was right; it was indeed time to drop a hint.

But how should she drop the hint?

Should she directly say, “We've been dating for eight months, is it time to meet the parents and get married?”

Wouldn't that seem too eager, potentially ruining the relationship they had built over these eight months?

Miss Zhao Lanhua's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, so much so that even the face-reading expert Jiang Feng couldn't decode her expressions, let alone Jiang Weiguo who struggled with this.

He thought she was uncomfortable because the soup was too hot and because she had overeaten the roast duck, feeling nauseated, which made her look perplexed and distressed.

“Do you want me to peel half a cucumber for you?” Jiang Weiguo suggested.

“Oh, no need, no need, I really can't eat any more,” Zhao Lanhua repeatedly declined, continuing her mental explorations.

Jiang Weiguo finally realized that Zhao Lanhua's expression might actually not be due to the roast duck but because of something else that he didn't know.

“What's wrong?” Jiang Weiguo asked.

“Ah?”

“You have something on your mind you want to say, but are afraid to tell me,” Jiang Weiguo said quite straightforwardly.

“Well, I, actually…” Zhao Lanhua felt like she was being pushed up onto a high perch. She still hadn't figured out how to subtly hint and was afraid of being too forthright and scaring him off, “Just, we've, been, dating, for, eight, months.”

Zhao Lanhua, nervous, spoke in bursts of words.

Jiang Weiguo looked confused.

“My parents haven't met you yet, I just thought we could find a time, no no, when you're free, for you to come with me and let them see what you look like,” Zhao Lanhua said in the most roundabout way she could think of in the short time.

“I'm off next Sunday,” Jiang Weiguo responded, not grasping the real meaning behind her words.

“It's not just a usual meeting, it's that kind of meeting.” Zhao LanHua's hands were shaking with nervousness.

“What kind of meeting?” Jiang Weiguo was a bit confused.

“The kind where… both parents… well, there aren't really parents, we aren't, I mean, it's like a meeting of both parents.” Zhao LanHua's tongue was virtually tied, and Jiang Weiguo still didn't understand.

His face was filled with confusion.

Zhao LanHua only regretted why she hadn't gone to school, which now left her struggling to express herself clearly.

She gritted her teeth, determination steeled, the warm duck soup seemingly giving her strength, Zhao LanHua summoned the courage and spirit she had when she first met him, ready to take a plunge, and took a deep breath.

“It's just that my parents want to meet you, then talk about when we might get married.”

The courage vanished, and now Zhao LanHua just wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

Jiang Weiguo was stunned.

Zhao LanHua tried to backtrack: “I didn't really mean that, I think we're doing quite well now, it's mainly my parents, well not exactly my parents, I don't even know who, but it's like that.”

“Not now.”

Zhao LanHua looked down, thinking it was over, indeed, just as she feared, she might have just talked her relationship away.

“I haven't bought a radio yet.” Jiang Weiguo said.

“What?” Zhao LanHua suddenly looked up, never having imagined that the lack of progression in their eight-month relationship was all because of a radio.

What does a radio have to do with anything!

That's what Zhao LanHua thought, and also what she asked.

“Isn't marriage supposed to have the four major gifts?” Jiang Weiguo countered Zhao LanHua, “A bicycle, sewing machine, radio, and a watch. I've already got someone to buy a sewing machine, bought a used bicycle because I couldn't gather enough factory coupons, and got a watch when I went to Fujian two months ago. Now I'm just short of a radio. If we're to marry, we'll have to wait at least another three months until I've collected enough factory coupons.”

Zhao LanHua was dumbfounded.

“Who, who told you that you need these four things to get married?” Zhao LanHua asked weakly.

Jiang Weiguo frowned: “Isn't it enough? It's what Sun Guanyun told me about these four items.”

Not only was Zhao LanHua flabbergasted, but so was Jiang Feng.

Three turns and a sound; even in the sixties or seventies, that would be top-notch. Sir and Mrs. Jiang got married back in the fifties, and this kind of expectation practically raised the whole bridal market in Magic City single-handedly.

“No need, who needs these kinds of things for marriage, our whole commune owns just one bicycle.” Zhao LanHua felt her fundamental values were hugely challenged.

“We don't?” Jiang Weiguo was also getting married for the first time, and since coming to Magic City, he hadn't attended other people's weddings nor did his family elders inform him about these norms; his only references for weddings were Jiang Huiqin's and his elder brother's weddings.

Speaking of Jiang Huiqin's wedding, it was a simple registry affair. His big brother's wedding, being the first among the Jiang family's younger generation and being the eldest son, Jiang Chengde had indeed spent a lot to make it grand. In Jiang Weiguo's view, needing a bicycle, radio, watch, and sewing machine for marriage seemed normal as they were all valuable and practical items.

“No need!” Zhao LanHua exclaimed loudly, feeling the absurdity yet couldn't help being amused, “Actually, it's just about having a meal with family and friends. My elder sister's wedding was just like that. You've proposed such a hefty bride price, I can't match that with an equivalent dowry.”

“For my elder sister's wedding, our family just contributed two quilts and a set of new clothes,” Zhao LanHua's voice became fainter, “plus twenty pounds of sweet potatoes and two liang of brown sugar.”

Zhao LanHua's head drooped lower and lower, almost into the soup bowl. She simply held the bowl and started sipping the duck soup.

As she sipped, her smiles almost stretched to her ears.

Jiang Weiguo was still in a haze about what exactly was needed for the marriage: “So, do we need these things or not?”

“Do I need to visit your family next Sunday?”

The fog thickened, and slowly Jiang Feng began to lose visibility of everything around him.

“Yes,” Zhao LanHua murmured, “I'll ask my mom to make you some braised meat.”

Jiang Feng: …

Chapter end

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