The Game of Life TGOL

Chapter 489: Chapter 487: Going Home

“But Feng, do you know what I regret the most over these years?” Jiang Weiming asked.

“What?” Jiang Feng didn’t understand.

“I regret that when I was young, I was always running away.”

“The mountains in Shu make travel difficult, hard to get in and hard to get out. For a long time after the war ended, I was hesitant; I kept wondering whether I should leave Shu and whether I should give up the stable life to go back to Beiping and have a look. I was even ready to set off, packing my luggage every night and then putting it all back in place the next morning.”

“I was afraid that when I returned to Beiping, I would find myself still alone. I was even more afraid that when I got back to Beiping, I would find that Taifeng Building had changed owners or become a pile of ruins. I didn’t dare go by myself, I could only keep asking others to inquire for news. Thinking back, if back then I had gone out to look for people myself instead of asking others to inquire, things might not have turned out this way.”

“Granduncle Weiming.” Jiang Feng looked at Jiang Weiming, not knowing how to comfort him.

“Alright, let’s not talk about that anymore. When you’re old, you like to talk about the past, and doing so just makes me feel sentimental again. Even if I speak out, I can’t change anything, it just adds to the sorrow.” Jiang Weiming returned to his usual smiling demeanor, “Feng, you specifically asked about the wine lees buns earlier, have you discovered something?”

Jiang Feng nodded, “Do you remember last time when Dong Shi and Dong Li came to visit you, they mentioned they had an elder apprentice brother working at Eight-treasure House?”

“I remember, he had the surname Zheng, right? The one who made mooncakes before at Eight-treasure House.” After being reminded by Jiang Feng, Jiang Weiming immediately recalled.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“I had lunch at Eight-treasure House yesterday, they rolled out a few new pastries, among them were wine lees buns. I ordered them and the taste was almost identical to what you and grandpa used to make, they must be taught by a master from the same lineage,” Jiang Feng said.

Jiang Weiming straightened his back nervously, “So Feng, you mean to say…”

“I’m sure of it, just now you said it yourself, granduncle’s Red Chef and White Chef are both excellent. We’ve tasted Zheng Siyuan’s White Chef pastries, and they’re definitely taught by a master; the culinary skills of Dong Shi and Dong Li in Red Chef are also very clear to us. They come from the same master, I believe there’s absolutely no coincidence; their great master… must be granduncle!” Jiang Feng stated decisively.

“But,” Jiang Feng changed his tone, “I hope you won’t tell grandpa this good news for the time being.”

“Why?” Jiang Weiming didn’t understand.

“Dong Li told me that their great master had passed away many years ago, and he and Dong Shi even hadn’t seen him. I think Zheng Siyuan must have not seen him either. I believe so, but after all, it’s just my speculation. If their great master really was granduncle, then the only people who have seen granduncle would be Zheng Siyuan’s father and Master Huang.”

“Grandpa is impatient by nature, and if he knew about granduncle’s news he would definitely want to confirm it right away. With the New Year approaching, transportation is inconvenient. Granduncle hasn’t had any news for so many years, he might have changed his name just like you did back then. With such a long time passed, even if we believe it in our hearts it’s not necessarily true; for all we know, this person might not be granduncle but might be great-granduncle or someone else. So, I want you to keep this good news in your heart first and have a happy New Year. Dong Shi and Dong Li are not from Gusu, but they will definitely visit Master Huang for New Year’s greetings. I’m thinking of getting in touch with them first to have them make a preliminary confirmation for me. After the New Year, I’ll find some time to go to Gusu or bring Master Huang to Beiping to confirm this matter before telling grandpa,” Jiang Feng said.

Jiang Weiming thought about it and agreed, “Okay, let’s do as you say, Feng. Your granduncle Weiming will keep this good news in my heart. After this New Year’s, I’ll go with your grandpa to Gusu to visit your granduncle’s grave. We’re already so many years late, a day or two more won’t make a difference.”

“Thank you, Granduncle,” Jiang Feng said with a smile, “We still have more than an hour to go; please tell me about your old days. After you went to Shu, who did you learn Sichuan cuisine from, and how did you become a chef at the state-owned restaurant?”

“What’s there to talk about such a muddled past? I’ve spent my whole life holed up in Shu. Unlike your grandpa who traveled far and wide across the entire South, my story is certainly not as exciting as his. If you really want to hear stories, just let your grandpa tell you once we get back; my story is quite boring and not worth mentioning.” Jiang Weiming said, as he looked out the window.

The scenery outside the window was very monotonous, nothing to admire, even more desolate because it was winter, hardly any green plants to be seen.

He rarely took the train these years; whenever he did, it was always for an ill-fated reason, usually because of Jiang Yanlu.

Jiang Yanlu made him come over for the New Year, Jiang Yanlu made him come over to cook, and later on, Jiang Yanlu made him, his father, be relegated to the basement for the sake of his son.

Every time he took a train, his mood was foul—whether the train was fast or slow, his feelings were the same. Because every time it came to traveling by train, it was never for anything good.

But this curse of train travel always bringing bad luck was broken by Jiang Feng.

He took a train to the provincial capital and acknowledged kinship with Jiang Feng.

He took a train to Z city and was reunited with his younger brother.

He took a train to Alan City and had a reunion with his aunt’s family.

He took a train to Beiping, and Taifeng Building reopened.

Now, with a bumpy and uneasy heart, he was taking a train to Magic City for the first time, to visit his youngest son’s home, which he had never set foot in, and he received news about his second brother on the train.

What was crucial is that before, he was always alone when taking the train, but now, no matter the situation, there was always someone by his side.

Jiang Weiming looked at the scenery outside the window and felt that even the utility poles had become pleasant to look at.

It seems I will have to take more train rides in the future, Jiang Weiming thought to himself.

“Granduncle Weiming, Granduncle Weiming, what are you looking at?” Jiang Feng asked, unable to hold back when he saw Jiang Weiming staring out the window, lost in thought and smiling.

“Nothing much, just suddenly felt like I haven’t taken enough train rides, I should do it more often in the future,” Jiang Weiming said with a laugh.

Jiang Feng: ???

Take more train rides?

What kind of plan is that?

.

The flow of people at Magic City train station was on par with that of Beiping. When exiting the station, Jiang Feng, pushing two large suitcases and a big bag, relied on Jiang Weiming who clearly looked like an elderly man to avoid getting squeezed to the edges by the crowd and separated from his luggage.

Pushing two suitcases and looking around, Jiang Feng finally found Jiang Yong in the crowd, who was holding up an A4 paper to pick someone up.

“Second Uncle, Second Uncle, over here!” Jiang Feng jumped up and down waving his hands, worried that in the process of hopping about, he might kick his suitcase aside.

Jiang Yong noticed Jiang Feng and hurried over, shocked by the array of luggage they had brought—three suitcases plus two bags.

Jiang Yong took a suitcase from Jiang Feng’s hands and a backpack from Jiang Weiming.

“Dad, let’s go home. Ran and Juanzi are waiting at home for you to come back for dinner. Juanzi has prepared a big table of dishes especially for you to taste and give your comments,” Jiang Yong said with a smile.

“Alright, let’s go home.”