Qin Huai and Qin Luo caught a ride with a warm-hearted big brother from the neighboring village whom Qin Huai didn’t know. The big brother lives in the city and runs a rice noodle shop.
Originally, the big brother planned to return to the city for business on the fifth or sixth day of the Lunar New Year. However, because the Qin Family’s Four Happiness glutinous rice ball giveaway was too tempting and the neighboring village was so close, it only took an 8-minute walk. The big brother insisted on staying in the village for the New Year just to have the chance to drive Qin Huai and Qin Luo to the city on the morning of the sixteenth.
The competition for this was very intense.
For some reason, many people from Qin Family Village and nearby villages inexplicably needed to drive to the city in the morning.
"Master Qin, is it okay to drop you off here?" The big brother parked the car in front of a well-known tea shop in the city.
"Yes, thank you, Brother Liu. Let’s add each other on WeChat. I’ll let you know when I’m back in the village. You can come over for some snacks if you have time." Qin Huai said with a smile, exchanging WeChat contacts with Brother Liu and walking into the tea shop with Luoluo.
Qin Luo was confused and stupidly asked, "Brother, so Grandma Cao’s family runs a tea shop?"
"What tea shop? We can’t go to eat empty-handed; we need to bring something."
"Why not bring fruit? We have plenty of fruit at home, and Grandpa and Grandma can’t finish it all." Qin Luo asked again.
"Bringing fruit doesn’t show sincerity. Going to Master Cao’s house for a meal requires bringing tea leaves." After saying that, Qin Huai started browsing in the store.
A middle-aged woman was sitting behind the counter. When she saw Qin Huai and Qin Luo, two young people entering, she didn’t even bat an eyelid and kept playing on her phone.
Qin Huai walked around and realized that, although he had drunk a lot of tea in Huang’s Kitchen, he didn’t understand tea at all and couldn’t make sense of the tea leaves.
What he really knew best was hand-shaken lemon tea.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. Without any hesitation, Qin Huai dialed Tan Wei’an on a video call.
The video call connected almost instantly. At that moment, Tan Wei’an was walking on his way to work at Zhiwei Restaurant, and when he saw Qin Huai seeking help, he asked about the general requirements and remotely helped Qin Huai pick out two cans of tea, incidentally helping him bargain for a better price.
He finally told Qin Huai that if he ever needed to buy tea, he could get in touch with him. He had many resources, from a few yuan per tael to tens of thousands per tael, even auction-level tea available, with ample supply and guaranteed quality.
Qin Huai was overjoyed and promised that he would contact Tan Wei’an first if he ever needed such things. He also asked Tan Wei’an to purchase two boxes of the tea that the people at Zhiwei Restaurant often brewed for him at Huang’s.
Every sip of tea Qin Huai drank during the New Year didn’t taste right, always feeling strange.
After buying the tea, Qin Huai took Qin Luo to the residential area where Cao Guixiang lived.
Cao Guixiang lived in an old neighborhood without shopping malls around it. The location was not bustling, but it was a school district with convenient schooling for kids, a park, and a vegetable market nearby, offering a strong sense of living.
The gate of the residential area was mostly unchecked, and the pedestrian entry was left wide open. The security guard sat inside the booth playing on his phone, enjoying a leisurely work pace that was enviable.
Guided by the address, Qin Huai found Cao Guixiang’s home. The unit door was open as well, either intentionally during the day or maybe it was just broken. Qin Huai and Qin Luo walked up to Cao Guixiang’s door, and Qin Huai raised his hand to knock.
Before knocking, Qin Huai asked Qin Luo, "Luoluo, do you know what to do after entering?"
"I know, first greet Grandma Cao, and then Grandpa Zhang. I must greet Grandma Cao louder than Grandpa Zhang to show importance and respect for her."
Qin Huai nodded in satisfaction and knocked on the door.
The person who answered was Zhang Chu.
"Little Qin is here! This must be Luoluo, the girl who quarreled with Zhang Zhiyun on the sixth day. I remember her. Zhang Zhiyun hasn’t finished school yet; his dad went to pick him up. He’s been excited to hear you’re coming, pestering his grandma since yesterday to make a few of her best dishes." Zhang Chu said with a wide smile.
"Hello, Grandpa Zhang." Qin Luo greeted loudly and politely. It would’ve been more courteous if she had a smile on her face instead of a bewildered and excited look, but it’s not entirely her fault.
The aroma was too irresistible!
From the moment Qin Huai and Qin Luo entered the door, a captivating, indescribable aroma that pierced their souls climbed into their noses, striking their brains.
Even Qin Luo couldn’t describe it, and Qin Huai found it difficult to put into words as well.
This was an unfamiliar scent, yet it was clearly the smell of food. To Qin Huai, it seemed somewhat like the aroma of rich broth, a blend of authentic chicken broth and pork lard soup fragrances.
Qin Huai had encountered a lot of broth while in Huang’s Kitchen.
But it was never this rich.
Qin Huai and Qin Luo almost simultaneously gulped.
After taking several deep breaths, Qin Huai finally came to his senses and started to take in the decor of Cao Guixiang’s home.
The decor was simple and homely, with most of the furniture being wooden. The leather sofa seemed to have been there for years, showing signs of wear and fading. The television was small and appeared to be purchased years ago, currently displaying the news.
On the sofa lay a few plush toys that were evidently retrieved from a claw machine. Beneath the coffee table were several elementary school winter vacation workbooks, and on the TV cabinet were some CDs and DVDs that had been there for an unknown number of years.
A large family portrait hung on the wall, judging by Zhang Zhiyun’s age in the photo, it had been taken about three or four years ago. Zhang Zhiyun and Cao Guixiang’s granddaughter, Chang Qingqing, were in the center position, laughing so cheerfully that their gums showed, looking silly and joyful.