As is customary, everyone wiped all twelve tombstones in the garden, swept all the fallen leaves in front of the tombs clean, poured a glass of liquor in front of the tombstones, and lit a cigarette.
Then everyone came to the old man's tombstone and knelt down to pay their respects.
"Ming Ming, pray to your grandfather to bless you to get married soon and bring me a daughter in law."
"Zhou Jie, then you should ask your grandfather to bless you to make more money."
"Fanwa kneels down, begging your ancestor to bless you with academic progress."
When people pay respects to their ancestors, they burn yellow paper at the gravesite and make simple wishes, praying for their ancestors' blessings so that their desires may come true.
One by one, the crowd stepped forward to offer their prayers.
Zhou Yan knelt down and kowtowed three times before slowly rising.
"Youngest daughter, come here." Aunt Zhao beckoned Zhou Momo over.
The little one knelt on the cushion.
"What do you want Grandpa to bless you with?" Aunt Zhao asked with a smile.
Zhou Momo clasped her hands together, her face full of piety, and said in a childish voice, "Grandpa, I wish you happiness everyday and good health."
Everyone fell silent, looking at Zhou Momo with some surprise.
The old lady also looked down at her, a doting smile on her face.
He's always wanted a daughter, and now that he has such a well-behaved granddaughter, he must be very happy, right?
Zhou Yan smiled too. The little girl, who always greeted her grandfather's portrait every time she went to the old lady's house, didn't understand anything about blessings. She was just offering her purest wishes.
Zhou Weiguo stepped forward and raised his right hand in salute.
He was wearing a military uniform today, his bare left arm, the sleeve of his uniform fluttering in the wind, resembled a flag.
Zhou Yan stared at him, lost in thought. His youngest uncle was a posthumous child, his grandfather hadn't even known of his existence when he passed away.
Yet, it was he who most resembled his grandfather.
He carried back the second plaque recognizing him as a first-class meritorious official.
But this time, he didn't let the old lady stand at the village entrance to receive the plaque, he returned alive after all.
The old woman stepped forward last, picked up the remaining liquor in the bottle, and slowly poured it in front of the tombstone, murmuring, "The liquor brewed by Zhang Laosan at the bridgehead, your favorite. I'll fill your glass, drink slowly. Weiguo went to work, he's the head of the armed forces department, still leading troops. Zhou Ming and Zhou Yan caught four carjackers two days ago, they were both good..."
The Zhou family descendants stood behind, listening to the old lady speak.
For over thirty years, this has been the routine every year, except for those who joined the army, everyone had to return to be present on this day.
This is the true family tradition of the Old Zhou family.
After all the yellow paper had burned and the cigarette butts had burned out, everyone packed up their belongings and left.
After leaving the cemetery, they slowly climbed up the back mountain towards Laoxiaoding.
Zhou Yan carried a basket filled with braised meat and braised vegetables.
Zhou Jie also carried a basket containing corn pancakes that second aunt had made that morning—one of the few culinary skills she was good at.
Zhou Hai carried the steamed buns made by the old lady.
Several children ran ahead, chattering excitedly, seemingly tireless.
Everyone else slowed down and climbed up, accompanying Zhou Weiguo, who had difficulty walking, the elderly lady, and Zhang Zhengping as they slowly made their way up, chatting along the way and enjoying the rare time together.
Zhang Zhengping, panting heavily, leaned against a tree, took a sip of water from the bottle Zhou Jie handed him, and shook his head with a smile, saying, "I can't deny I'm getting old. I'm already out of breath climbing this little hill. In the past, we used to carry the wounded up this kind of road in one go."
Zhou Weiguo also stopped, looked up at the mountain road, and a smile appeared on his lips: "In the past, when we were in the Infiltration Company[1], we could run 60 kilometers a day, more than half of which were mountain roads."
"Then you're even better than me." Zhang Zhengping looked at him, his eyes full of admiration.
The old lady looked at him and smiled, "You still need to exercise more. Look at me, I'm a few years older than you, and I climbed all this way without any trouble."
"I exercise regularly too..." Zhang Zhengping blushed.
The group climbed slowly along the winding road, occasionally seeing stone tablets hidden in the hay, which were the calligraphy and paintings left by ancient celebrities and poets.
Laoxiaoding, also known as Gaobiaoshan, is a mountain located in Jiazhou City. It is one of Jiazhou's landmarks and has been climbed by many celebrities throughout history, who have left behind poems.
The mountain wasn't high, but it was especially rare in the city.
After walking and stopping frequently, it took an hour to reach the summit.
The Taoist temple on the mountain is unmanaged and exudes a dilapidated atmosphere, yet one can still vaguely see glimpses of its former glory.
It's Sunday today, and there are quite a few people visiting.
Zhang Zhengping found a long stone to sit on, let out a long sigh, and laughed, "Little Gaobiaoshan, taken down."
Zhou Yan walked to the platform and looked out over the entire city of Jiazhou.
He had climbed Laoxiaoding before.
However, by then, the surrounding area was already filled with tall buildings, making Laoxiaoding appear small and difficult to match as the number one building in Southwest China.
But nowadays, Jiazhou City is full of blue-tiled houses, giving it a grayish-white feel. When he climbed to a high place and looked into the distance, he felt that his vision had suddenly broadened.
"Look, that's the direction of the Jiazhou Giant Buddha!" Zhou Jie pointed.
Zhou Yan looked in the direction he was pointing. Boats crisscrossed the Minjiang River, and the Giant Buddha, though not clearly visible in the distance, seemed even more majestic.
There is a large ginkgo tree in front of the temple, with golden leaves scattered all over the ground. When the wind blows, they flutter and dance in the air. A group of children pick up the ginkgo leaves as if they were collecting treasures.
"Look, Guo Guo! These are the leaves from Sister Yaoyao's drawing!" Zhou Momo held up a handful of ginkgo leaves to Zhou Yan, her eyes full of joy. "They're so pretty! Can I take them home?"
"Okay, then take it back and I'll make it into a specimen for you, so it can last a long time." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
Who doesn't love golden ginkgo leaves? He used to love putting ginkgo leaves in his books when he was little.
It was as if by keeping this leaf, he could hold onto autumn.
After playing for a while, the children started to complain of being hungry.
Several baskets filled with food were placed on a long stone bench: a bowl of chopped pig's head meat, a bowl of mixed braised vegetables, a basket of corn pancakes, and a basket of steamed buns made with old dough.
"Would you like me to heat up the pancakes? I brought a small iron pan with me." Zhou Jie took a flat-bottomed iron pan out of his basket. "I've tried it, heating them up makes them much more fragrant."
"Great job, Brother Jie! You've thought of everything!" Zhou Ming laughed, pointing to the side, "We can build a stove, gather some firewood, and start a fire to heat up the pancakes."
"I'll move the stones!"
"I'll gather some branches!"
The brothers immediately responded, and in no time they had built a makeshift stove.
It was called a stove, but it was really just a three-sided wall made of stones and broken bricks, large enough to hold a flat-bottomed pan.
Zhou Lihui led a few children to collect some dead branches.
"Alright, no need to pick anymore. How much wood do you need to heat up the pancakes?" Zhou Yan laughed, calling the children to a stop. Looking at the corn pancakes, braised meat, and braised vegetables, an idea came to him. "I'll make you all some braised meat corn pancakes."
"Okay, you go ahead." Zhou Jie immediately moved aside, took out a match, and started to light it.
In those days, forest fire prevention wasn't so strict. As long as you didn't go into the mountains to start fires, no one cared much about cooking or barbecuing in the open. In the countryside, people were burning straw everywhere, and the sky was still a clear blue.
The fire was quickly ignited. Zhou Yan picked out a few larger pieces of wood and stuffed them into the makeshift stove. After the fire stabilized, he washed his hands, took a corn pancake from the basket, and put it into the pan.
The pancakes were spread very thinly, golden in color, clearly made using this frying pan. They were the perfect size, and once heated, the aroma of corn quickly filled the air.
With a flick of his wrist, the corn pancake flew up and flipped over in the pan. The bottom was already slightly browned. Zhou Yan picked up his chopsticks and placed a piece of braised pig's head meat and braised vegetables on the corn pancake. The surface of the braised meat quickly became slightly oily, sizzling and releasing the aroma of the braised meat. The aroma of the meat immediately filled the air above Laoxiaoding.
"It smells so good!"
"Zhou Yan really has ideas! No wonder he's a chef."
The eyes of everyone in the Old Zhou family immediately lit up.
Other tourists, drawn by the aroma, also turned to look, all swallowing hard.
It was nearing noon, and in this era where people ate three meals a day regularly, the smell immediately made them hungry.
The cold, hard to eat rations and steamed buns in their hands suddenly lost their appeal.
Zhou Yan used chopsticks to pick up the edge of the corn pancake and rolled it up, turning the braised meat and braised vegetables into a braised meat roll. He took out a piece of oil paper, wrapped it up, and handed it to the old lady, smiling as he said, "Grandma, try it and see how it tastes."
"Okay, I'll try it." The old lady took it, blew on it, and took a bite.
The heated corn pancake was soft and chewy, one bite revealed a generous filling of braised pig's head meat and dried bean curd sticks.
The fatty yet not greasy pig head meat becomes tender after heating, paired with soft but not mushy, and fragrant braised dried bean curd sticks. One bite is full of meaty flavor, which is so satisfying.
The satisfaction of enjoying a hot braised meat roll in the wild is unparalleled.
The old lady nodded repeatedly and said, "It's delicious. Braised pig's head meat, dried bean curd sticks, and corn pancake go so well together. They taste even better after being heated up. Zhou Yan is really skilled, he knows how to combine them. Haiyan's corn pancakes are also very good. The moisture is just right, and the texture is both chewy and soft."
After listening, Second Aunt Wu Haiyan rubbed her hands together, a bright smile on her face.
A group of children huddled around the pan, swallowing hard, their eyes fixed on Zhou Yan making pancakes.
Zhou Yan quickly fried another pancake, rolled it up, and handed it to his granduncle Zhang Zhengping.
"It smells so good." Zhang Zhengping took the pancake, took a bite, and his eyes lit up. After swallowing, he looked at Zhou Yan and exclaimed, "Delicious! You're really good at this! This braised pig's head meat and corn pancake are a perfect match! It's fragrant, soft, and has a hint of corn sweetness. It's absolutely delicious!"
The old lady and his granduncle's praise really whetted everyone's appetite.
The aroma of the braised meat wafted further and further, making the tourists on Laoxiaoding restless and frequently glancing in their direction.
"Dad, what are they eating? It smells so good!"
"Mom! I want some too!"
One child was even crying from the craving, begging for a pancake.
"Alright, let's give some to the kids first, look how much they're drooling." First Uncle Zhou Qing said with a smile.
The others smiled and nodded, telling the old lady and Zhang Zhengping to eat first.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan handed the freshly rolled pancake to Zhou Momo.
Zhou Momo is the oldest among the children in seniority, but the youngest in age.
Although the children were envious, but this was their most beloved youngest aunt, and none of them thought it was unreasonable.
"Wow, Guo Guo, is this egg baked pancake?" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up as she reached out and took it, carefully holding it in both hands, and asked curiously.
"This isn't an egg baked pancake. If we really want to give it a name, we could call it a braised meat roll." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, his hands still busy.
Zhou Momo blew on it, opened her mouth wide and took a bite. Her big eyes immediately lit up, and she even shook her head involuntarily.
Soft! Sweet! And with a meaty filling inside!
So fragrant!
She didn't know how to describe it. It tasted different from sweet egg baked pancakes.
But it was just as delicious.
"Gulp~"
The children passing by all swallowed hard, and the crying child cried even louder.
The parents, worn down by their child's persistence, approached with a forced smile and asked, "Hello, do you sell these pancakes? My child is crying because he's craving them, and I really can't do anything about it. I'll pay for them."
"I'm sorry, this is our lunch, we really can't sell it." Zhou Yan said with a smile, politely declining. There were probably only about twenty pancakes, and he couldn't even guarantee that each family member could have one.
Besides, so many children are watching, if this opening is made, there will be a chorus of wailing and crying.
He hasn't decided yet to set up a stall selling braised meat rolls on Laoxiaoding.
"Alright, sorry to bother you." The man nodded, turned around, picked up the crying child, and left. "Come on, my little one, I'll take you down the mountain to eat some Bo Bo Chicken!"
"With this skill, you'll never go hungry, no matter where you are." Zhang Zhengping said with a smile.
The old lady nodded with a smile as well: "Being a chef is a hardworking profession. As long as you're diligent enough, you'll always have food to eat."
Zhou Yan worked quickly, rolling up one pancake after another. Soon, everyone in the Old Zhou family had one and started eating, their praises ringing out.
The old lady took a piece of oil paper, folded it into a bag, filled it with lotus root slices and potatoes, and distributed them to the eagerly waiting children, who were overjoyed.
The second aunt had clearly counted the number of people, there were exactly twenty six corn pancakes, not one more and not one less.
The last one was for Zhou Yan himself, with double the amount of braised meat, plus dried bean curd sticks and potatoes.
The potatoes crumbled so easily they were used as mashed potatoes.
Finally, a few strips of pickled radish were added and wrapped inside the pancake.
A line of assessment popped up in the corner of his eye:
[A corn pancake that's hard to describe]
This description amused Zhou Yan. He glanced at his watch and realized, wow, it had been frying for almost an hour.
The steaming hot corn pancake is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, filled with plenty of braised pig head meat. With one bite, the smooth mashed potatoes, soft but not mushy dried bean curd sticks and crisp pickled radishes create a multi-sensory flavor experience.
The fat from the braised pig's head meat is fully absorbed by the corn pancake, infusing it with a savory aroma that becomes increasingly fragrant with each chew, while the pickled radish serves to cut through the richness and provide a refreshing touch.
Compared to the thin, crispy, and varied texture of Jianbing Guozi (Chinese crepe), which can be rolled with anything, it's definitely lacking and a bit hard to describe.
But being able to enjoy a hot, braised meat roll like this in the wild mountains is incredibly satisfying.
Those who weren't full ate steamed buns with braised pig's head meat and braised vegetables, and they ate with great relish.
"Comrade, your braised food looks delicious! My grandson loves it. Did you make it yourself, or did you buy it from somewhere?" an old man asked Zhou Yan with a smile.
Many people looked over at Zhou Yan upon hearing this.
The whole family was eating so heartily, for those who were still hungry or had only brought steamed buns and biscuits, it was pure torture.
But they couldn't deny that the braised pig's head meat smelled incredibly delicious.
The children also ate the braised vegetables with great relish, praising them repeatedly.
Children don't lie when it comes to food, they would never force themselves to eat something unpalatable.
Therefore, they were equally curious about which family made the braised meat.
Later, after they went down the mountain, they could go and buy some to take home for dinner.
"Old man, I made this myself. I sell braised meat." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "My restaurant is in Suji, the first one at the entrance of Jiazhou Textile Factory. Zhou Erwa Restaurant is mine. If you want to eat, you can come and try it sometime when you have time."
"Suji? Okay, I'll definitely come and try it sometime. My brother in law is from Suji." The old man nodded with a smile.
The others also secretly kept this in mind.
Suji wasn't too far away, they could go visit sometime when they had time.
After lunch and a short rest, everyone packed up their things and leisurely descended the mountain.
"Guo Guo, my legs are so sore! I want a carry!" Zhou Momo tugged at Zhou Yan's clothes, pouting and whining in a sweet, childish voice.
"I'll carry you!"
"Momo, let Brother Jie carry you!"
"Brother Ming Ming can carry you too!"
Before Zhou Yan could even speak, a group of his cousins had already surrounded them, and even Zhou Ming, whose hand was still wrapped in bandages, was all over them with eagerness.
"Come on, I'll carry her!" Zhou Yan laughed as he picked up the little one, and said to his cousins with a smug smile, "You guys walk carefully, I can carry."
"Tell me if you get tired of carrying her, and I'll take over." Zhou Jie told him before starting to walk down.
Fanwa looked at Zhou Momo, who was already sitting on Zhou Yan's shoulders, and a hint of envy appeared in his eyes. He then looked at Zhou Fei and said, "Dad, my legs are sore too, I want to..."
"Don't even think about it. You're already in elementary school. Why are you still thinking about all sorts of things? Are you trying to exhaust someone?" Zhao Hong interrupted the spellcasting and pinched his ear. "A man of the Zhou family shouldn't complain about being tired after walking just a few steps."
Fanwa blushed and nodded, saying, "Oh! I'm not tired anymore!"
"Go chase after your brother, he walks faster than anyone else!" Zhao Hong laughed.
Fanwa grinned and happily ran down the mountain path to chase after Zhou Lihui.
Zhou Momo sat on Zhou Yan's shoulders, initially chattering incessantly, but her words gradually dwindled until she fell asleep on his head.
The little one ran around for a while and is a bit tired.
Fearing that she wouldn't sleep well, Zhou Yan asked Zhou Jie to help lift her off his shoulder and hold her in his arms.
She was tiny, sleeping soundly in his arms, her long eyelashes trembling slightly, like a little gummy candy.
"I'll carry her on the bicycle." When they reached the foot of the mountain, Zhao Tieying took Zhou Momo from Zhou Yan's arms and got into Comrade Old Zhou's bicycle.
"Zhou Yan, can you give me a ride somewhere?" Zhou Ming walked over carrying a paper bag.
"Come on up, Brother Ming, where are you going?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"No. 8 Dongfeng Lane, head out of the city towards Suji, just before leave the city, there's a Jiang Ji Clay Pot Rice Noodles shop, turn in there." Zhou Ming said, climbing onto his bicycle.
"Okay." Zhou Yan greeted Comrade Old Zhou, got on his bicycle, and rode off with Zhou Ming on the back.
"I'm going to pay a visit to Master Song Changhe. This old martial arts master's spear skills are superb. He studied at Emei Mountain back then, and his spear skills are quite exquisite. His combat ability is also exceptional. However, I've been there twice before, but I didn't even get to see him. I wonder if I'll be able to meet him this time." Zhou Ming said from the back seat.
"Liu Bei only asked Zhuge Liang three times. If it's really that hard to get an audience with Master Song, then forget it." Zhou Yan laughed.
"You don't understand. Song Changhe is different." Zhou Ming said with a smile. "He's a veteran of the War of Resistance Against Japan. He really killed Japanese soldiers with his spear. His real killing skills are not the performance routines of today's martial arts teams. Now that the older generation of martial arts masters are getting old, many skills may really disappear if they are not collected."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan was filled with respect, "Then you should go more often."
Riding out of the city, they saw a clay pot rice noodle shop and then turned into a small alley. Number 8 was at the end of the alley, an unremarkable little courtyard with its gate closed.
Zhou Ming jumped off the bicycle, straightened his clothes, and knocked on the door.
After a while, a young woman's voice came from inside: "Who is it?"
"I am Zhou Ming, a teacher at Emei Martial Arts School. I have come to pay my respects to Mr. Song Changhe. Please inform him of my presence." Zhou Ming replied loudly.
The sound of a latch being pulled came from inside the courtyard. The gate opened, revealing a young woman dressed in a plain shirt and a gray midi skirt. She was not tall, but had an excellent figure. Her black hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she had deep set features and a rather heroic appearance. She wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on her nose and held a book in her hand, which added to her scholarly air.
She glanced at Zhou Ming and Zhou Yan, who was holding the bicycle behind him, adjusted her glasses, and said, "My grandfather doesn't accept apprentices, please go back."
"Young lady, you've misunderstood. I'm not here to become an apprentice. I'm from the Emei Martial Arts Protection and Inheritance Office. We're currently collecting Emei martial arts materials for protection, hoping to preserve more martial arts in written form." Zhou Ming quickly explained, "I… I hope to meet Mr. Song Changhe. He is one of the representative figures of Emei spear. He doesn't have any disciples now. It's a real pity that such spear techniques are not being passed down."
"How do you know it hasn't been passed down?" The girl looked up at Zhou Ming, her gaze sharpening.
"Hmm?" Zhou Ming paused, took a step back, and solemnly cupped his hands, saying, "My apologies for my rudeness. So you are the inheritor of the Song family spear technique."
The girl smiled and looked at Zhou Ming with a beaming smile, saying, "My name is Song Wanqing, and I'm a Chinese teacher at No. 1 Middle School. Mr. Zhou, I'm not some inheritor of the Song family spear technique. Actually, I'm your junior from No. 1 Middle School, a year younger than you. If I remember correctly, Mr. Zhou, you were invited to Jiazhou No. 1 Middle School to train the martial arts team, right?"
"Huh?" Zhou Ming scratched his head awkwardly. "I thought you were a martial artist too."
Zhou Yan, watching from behind, thought to himself, "Brother Ming is really being played like a puppet by this girl."
Junior Sister is nice.
Back in the day, Brother Ming was probably a popular figure at school. He was tall and handsome, and he won city and provincial martial arts championships all the time. Countless female students secretly admired him.
Look at this junior sister, Song. Not only did she immediately recognize Zhou Ming as her senior, but she also knew that he would be returning to No. 1 Middle School for training next week.
At least she was paying attention.
"Miss Song, could you please inform him so I can meet with Mr. Song?" Zhou Ming said, looking at Song Wanqing.
"No, my grandfather is very stubborn, I can't make the decision." Song Wanqing shook her head, looked at Zhou Ming whose expression had darkened, and said, "I'll try to persuade him later. What you've done is indeed a good thing to protect the inheritance of Emei martial arts."
[1] In a military context, "infiltration company" usually refers to a unit that is tasked with penetrating deep behind enemy lines, inserting itself into gaps in the enemy's defenses, and cutting off enemy communications.