The Game of Life

“Not at all, auntie, it’s just a small effort on my part. It’s getting late, so let me take you to the hotel first. The hotel is right next to the subway station, which is extremely convenient, and it’s also very close to my restaurant. After putting away your things, we can go there to eat. I’ ve reserved a private room for you, so we can talk while we eat, and I can take the opportunity to introduce you to some of the sights in Beiping,” Jiang Feng said.

“Yes, yes, let’s settle in first, and we can discuss anything while eating,” Zhang Chiyuan walked up to Jiang Feng and added, “I wonder how I should address Yunyun’s senior?”

“Uncle, my name is Jiang Feng. You can just call me Jiang,” Jiang Feng said.

“It’s been quite a bother for Mr. Jiang. I didn’t expect it to be so hot in Beiping; it feels even hotter than where we’re from,” Zhang Chiyuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and turned to call out to Zhang Chu, “Dad, over here, hurry up!”

“Beiping has only been hot these past couple of days; the temperature wasn’t this high a few days ago,” said Jiang Feng, looking towards Zhang Chu.

Compared to the Zhang Chu of his memories, the Zhang Chu before him was visibly older, his hair gray and thinning, his back much more hunched, although he was in high spirits, cheerily trailing behind.

“Every day, that old Zhao nags about wanting to come to Beiping to see Tiananmen and climb the Great Wall. He’s been saying it for years, yet I haven’t seen his son take a break to bring him here for fun. Wait, let me take a photo to post in the group chat for him to see. Where’s the sign at this airport? I need to take a picture with it!” Zhang Chu was excited as he took out his phone.

“Dad, really… Yunyun’s senior is still waiting for us, stop taking photos. We can take pictures at Tiananmen tomorrow,” Zhang Chiyuan said, torn between laughter and frustration.

“We’re going to Tiananmen tomorrow, and the Great Wall the day after?” Zhang Chu asked.

“The day after we go to Prince Gong’s Mansion. Dad, you’re not young anymore; still thinking about climbing the Great Wall? Be careful not to hurt your back. We’ll just stroll around the base of the Great Wall, not climb it,” said Zhang Chiyuan.

“Strolling around is good, strolling around is good. Just to walk around the base of the Great Wall and take a photo to send to old Zhao, we don’t need to climb it. That would be too exhausting. I used to climb it all the time when I was young and got tired of it,” Zhang Chu replied contentedly.

“Sir Zhang, did you live in Beiping when you were young?” Jiang Feng asked.

“He…” Zhang Chu, who was leisurely strolling behind, hadn’t heard Jiang Feng’s introduction.

“Grandpa, he is my senior, Mr. Jiang,” said Zhang Zhiyuan.

“Mr. Jiang, I’ve been living in Beiping City since I was a kid, an old Beiping resident. It was later, during the ‘Up to the Mountains and Down to the Countryside’ movement, that I went to Guangdong Province and settled there,” Zhang Chu explained.

Jiang Feng led them toward the subway station, chatting with Zhang Chu, “I had no idea you were an old Beiping resident, Sir Zhang.”

“Well, of course, I was quite handsome when I was young, had countless girls secretly in love with me,” Zhang Chu started boasting without preamble.

“Alright, dad, keep boasting,” Zhang Chiyuan chuckled.

“I’m talking to Mr. Jiang, don’t interrupt. Your grandpa Zhang used to be a carpenter, and Yunyun’s grandma was a cook. She actually had a position and wasn’t required to go to the countryside, but she quit her job to accompany me to Guangdong Province. You have no idea, when I boarded the train, all those young girls were crying their hearts out,” Zhang Chu continued to brag to Jiang, excluding his own son from the conversation.

Jiang Feng was very cooperative, playing along, “You must have been very handsome when you were young. Yunyun has told me, his grandmother’s cooking skills are exceptional.”

“Yeah, Yunyun’s grandmother did indeed have great culinary skills. When he was young, she spoiled his taste; he would go out to eat and complain about the restaurant chefs’ cooking not being up to par. If it weren’t for her impulsive decision to join me in going to the countryside, she would have been a head chef at Yonghe House by now,” Zhang Chu said with a look of regret.

“Yonghe House?”

“That’s right, Yonghe House, an old restaurant in Beiping. I don’t know if it’s still there now, but Yunyun’s grandmother was the prized disciple of Yonghe House’s head chef,” explained Zhang Chu.

“Yonghe House is still running; it’s now considered an old and established brand in Beiping. If you’re interested, you can dine there tomorrow. I can help you make a reservation,” offered Jiang Feng.

“Well, that would be a bit of a bother, but oh, it really would be a hassle for you,” said Zhang Chu, surprised and somewhat moved that Yonghe House was still in business, “Mr. Jiang, what’s the name of your family’s restaurant? I’ll promote it on my friends’ circle. I have some old friends planning to visit Beiping soon, and I’ll tell them all to dine at your restaurant!”

“Taifeng Building, thanks so much, Sir Zhang,” Jiang Feng responded with a smile.

“Taifeng Building?” Zhang Chu felt the name sounded familiar, but couldn’t quite remember where he had heard it before.

“Right here, we get off and transfer to Line 2,” Jiang Feng’s words interrupted Zhang Chu’s train of thought. Zhang Chu, fanning himself with a large palm-leaf fan, took Zhang Zhiyuan by the hand and followed closely behind Jiang Feng, fearing getting separated by the crowd.

The subway system in Beiping was great, except for the inconvenient transfers.

After another subway transfer, Jiang Feng led Zhang Zhiyuan’s family to their pre-booked hotel.

The hotel was in an ideal location, just 300 meters from the subway entrance and only a three-stop subway ride plus a five-minute walk from Taifeng Building.

Zhang Zhiyuan and Zhang Chiyuan quickly moved their luggage into their rooms, and then Jiang Feng led them to Taifeng Building.

By the time the group arrived at Taifeng Building, it was nearly 1 p.m. The restaurant still hosted the last batch of customers, and the peak of the lunch hour had passed, with the waitstaff beginning to eat in shifts.

Near the entrance, only one table was occupied by a man and a woman, presumably in their 40s, who looked somewhat alike, more like siblings than a couple.

The sister was very attentive to her brother, constantly putting food on his plate and peeling shrimp for him.

Today, Jiang Weiming was in a good mood after activating the backend system for order taking. This brother and sister duo looked like they were willing to spend money—the three dishes on the table were all prepared by Jiang Weiming.

You should know that Jiang Weiming is currently the highest-valued chef at Taifeng Building, and his dishes are also priced the highest, probably worth more than double of what Jiang Feng could offer.

Qi Rou and another stunningly beautiful waitress were greeting guests at the entrance. As soon as Qi Rou saw Jiang Feng, she approached him.

“Feng, did you bring the guests at that table?” Qi Rou asked softly.

“Yes, they are my classmate and his family. I’ve reserved a private room for them on the third floor. I’ll take them up, you stay here,” Jiang Feng replied.

“Okay.” Qi Rou obediently returned to her position.

“Feng, your restaurant is so big!” Zhang Zhiyuan exclaimed as he sized up the first floor of Taifeng Building, “The decoration is particularly impressive too.”

“It’s been passed down from my ancestors, I can’t really claim it as mine,” Jiang Feng said modestly.

“Mr. Jiang, just wait a second, okay? I want to take a photo first. Come on, Yunyun, take a full-body shot of me, make it pretty, and remember to use that beauty camera,” Zhang Chu handed his phone to Zhang Zhiyuan, then positioned himself next to a decorative screen, waiting for a photo to be taken.

“Mr. Jiang, I’m really sorry, my dad has this habit; he loves taking photos to show off. It won’t disrupt the normal business of your restaurant, will it?” Zhang Chiyuan said apologetically.

“Not at all, not at all, people take photos here all the time; just think of it as free publicity,” Jiang Feng reassured.

However, people like Zhang Chu, who wanted to take a photo with just a screen, were quite rare; usually, everyone takes pictures of the food.

One shot of the whole dish, another with a piece picked up, and another after taking a bite.

“Ah, he, ya, ya!” The brother at the table, who had been quietly eating all along, suddenly became excited, pointing at Zhang Chu who was standing in front of the screen, yelling.

He gesticulated wildly, very agitated, but couldn’t speak.

Because of the commotion at their table, everyone couldn’t help but look over. The object of the pointing, Zhang Chu, was baffled since he didn’t know the siblings at all.

“Excuse me, sir, do you need something?” Qi Rou quickly stepped forward, speaking gently in an attempt to calm him down.

“Him, him, him!” The brother just pointed at Zhang Chu, incessantly repeating the word “him.”

“Shaoheng, do you know him? If you do, nod your head, just nod to your sister, okay?” The sister asked, putting down the shrimp she was peeling for her brother.

The brother nodded furiously while still pointing at Zhang Chu. Seeing that no one could understand him, he became even more frantic. In one swift movement, he stood up and flipped over all the bowls and plates in front of him, which shattered on the ground with a crash.

Pieces lay scattered all over the floor.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry, my brother got a little excited, I will compensate for the bowls and plates at their full price,” the sister kept apologizing to Qi Rou.

“Shaoheng, don’t rush, take it easy. Slow down and tell your sister, she knows you recognize him. Do you want your sister to take you over to talk to that uncle?”

The brother became even more agitated and finally blurted out a few words: “Large Dendrobium, Large Dendrobium, Large Dendrobium!”

“What about Large Dendrobium?” the sister inquired.

“Large Dendrobium, Large Dendrobium, Large Dendrobium!” Seeing that his sister still didn’t understand, the brother grew so frustrated he started hopping in place, pulling her towards Zhang Chu.

“Please, sir, you mustn’t…” Jiang Feng tried to intervene, because his current state seemed overly agitated, and it appeared he was having difficulty expressing himself.

He had just grasped the boy’s shoulder when he heard a system notification sound.

“Ding, you’ve obtained [A segment of Xue Shaoheng’s memory].”

Jiang Feng: ???

His gaze immediately changed as he looked at Xue Shaoheng. What sort of incredible bigwig was this, to give memories with just a touch?

Could two touches yield two memories?

No time like the present, Jiang Feng gave another touch.

Alas, nothing.

“I’m sorry, really sorry, my brother didn’t mean any harm. He might have just seen you before, he’s a normal person but sometimes gets anxious when he can’t express himself clearly,” the sister hurriedly explained to Jiang Feng.

“May I please go over there to ask the elderly gentleman if he recognizes my brother?” The sister looked at Jiang Feng with a pleading face.