Chapter 359 - 191: Linjiang Shanshi?

Chapter 359: Chapter 191: Linjiang Shanshi?

"Hello, Uncle Lin~" Zhou Momo was sitting by the door, drawing in the sand with a small stick. She looked up at the two men and greeted Qian Siyuan as well, "Hello, Mister~"

Lin Zhiqiang and Qian Siyuan both smiled.

"Hello, Momo." Lin Zhiqiang smiled and introduced her to Qian Siyuan, "This is Zhou Yan’s little sister, Zhou Momo. She’s only three and a half, but the little one is quite the talker."

"Yes, she’s very cute. She was born the same year as my granddaughter, and they both have big eyes." Qian Siyuan’s gaze was full of warmth as he looked at Zhou Momo. He took a step forward, looked at the drawing on the ground, and asked with a smile, "Little one, what are you drawing?"

Zhou Momo pointed at the sky and said, "I’m drawing the sky today. Look, the clouds are so pretty today! That one looks like a fish, that one looks like a steamed bun, and that one looks like a shumai..."

Qian Siyuan and Lin Zhiqiang looked up. After the little girl’s description, the once ordinary-looking clouds suddenly seemed vibrant and varied, and even... a little delicious.

Qian Siyuan’s gaze shifted to the ground. He carefully examined Zhou Momo’s drawing and said with some surprise, "Hmm, this is really good. You’ve even managed to make it look quite decent in the sand. Maybe you’ll be a painter when you grow up."

Zhou Momo looked at him, shook her head, and said with a serious expression, "I don’t want to be a painter. I want to be a policewoman."

"A policewoman?" Qian Siyuan looked puzzled.

Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen, untied his apron, and hung it on a nail behind the counter. Hearing their conversation, he walked over and explained with a smile, "She wants to be a police officer when she grows up. Since she’s a girl, she can’t be a ’policeman uncle,’ so she has to be a ’policewoman auntie.’"

Qian Siyuan laughed at that and gave Zhou Momo a thumbs-up. "That’s very ambitious!"

After speaking, he looked up at Zhou Yan.

The young man was tall, over 1.8 meters, and wore a white chef’s uniform, just like in the magazine photo. He was young and handsome, with short hair that made him look sharp. His smile was warm and approachable.

"Zhou, this is Mr. Qian, an overseas Chinese gentleman who has returned from the United States. He has a few questions for you," Lin Zhiqiang introduced, giving Zhou Yan a wink.

"Hello, Mr. Qian. I’m Zhou Yan, the owner and Chef of this restaurant." Zhou Yan smiled and extended his hand.

"Hello, Zhou Yan. I’m Qian Siyuan." Qian Siyuan shook his hand and smiled. "Your cooking is absolutely delicious. Every dish is of an incredibly high standard. The Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork in particular... you are the most impressive Chef I’ve met since coming to China."

"You flatter me, Mr. Qian," Zhou Yan said with a smile, not being overly modest. ’Americans don’t go for that sort of thing.’ "Please, come in and have a seat. We’re already closed for lunch."

"Okay." Qian Siyuan nodded. He and Lin Zhiqiang entered the restaurant. His secretary, Wang, had already taken out a notebook, ready to take notes.

Zhou Yan brewed a pot of tea, poured a cup for the three of them, and then sat down unhurriedly. "Mr. Qian, what did you want to ask?"

"Mr. Zhou, are you a Suji native? And the Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork you made today, is that the local Suji style?" Qian Siyuan’s gaze was intense as he looked at Zhou Yan. He paused, then added, "I came back to China this time to find my mother’s hometown, but all I have are some memories of taste. The Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork you made today is almost identical to my mother’s, the way I remember it. I need your help."

[Ding! Side Quest triggered: Qian Siyuan’s Journey of Flavor and Roots! The overseas Chinese Qian Siyuan has come to Jiazhou in search of his mother’s hometown. However, he doesn’t know its exact location, possessing only memories of his mother’s cooking. Please help him find his mother’s hometown and fulfill his dream of reconnecting with his family!]

[Quest Reward: Unknown! Accept: Yes/No]

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. ’I can’t believe this damn system actually triggered a Side Quest.’

’A Journey of Flavor and Roots... this quest is pretty novel.’

As he was thinking, he could feel an even more intense gaze from Lin beside him.

’Fine. It looks like this big client is very important to Lin.’

’I’ll just accept the quest for now. Whether I can actually help him find the place is another story.’

’This isn’t the future; there’s no DNA testing to prove kinship.’

’Trying to find one person in a sea of faces is harder than finding a needle in a haystack.’

’He’s a second-generation overseas Chinese, but his Mandarin is surprisingly fluent. That’s already a bit of a surprise.’

’I remember Lin saying his ancestral home was in Hangzhou. It’s pretty unusual for him to come all the way to Sichuan to look for his mother’s hometown.’

’It suggests that he and his mother must have shared a very deep bond, or maybe... there was some regret?’

"Yu-Shiang Shredded Pork is a traditional Sichuan Cuisine dish with a long history. It’s widespread and influential, not just in the Sichuan region but across the entire country. It’s a common homestyle dish, much like Twice-Cooked Pork," Zhou Yan said, shaking his head at Qian Siyuan. "It’s impossible to accurately determine your mother’s hometown based on this one dish alone. The key to the ’yu-shiang’ flavor profile is pickled chili—specifically, pickled Erjingtiao peppers. As long as the pickled Erjingtiao peppers are authentic and the seasoning is right, any Chef in Sichuan could make a version like this."

Qian Siyuan was stunned for a moment after hearing this, unable to hide the disappointment on his face.

Just moments before, he had been full of hope, thinking he would get his answer from Zhou Yan.

He never expected such a result—that any Chef in Sichuan could make it. It was the same as knowing nothing at all.

Lin Zhiqiang opened his mouth, then closed it again. He knew Zhou Yan was right.

The Fish-Flavored Eggplant at Rongyuan Garden tasted similar to Zhou Yan’s, but that was a restaurant in Rongcheng, and who knew where their Chef was from.

The last time he was on a business trip, he’d had a pretty good Fish-Flavored Eggplant in Weihai, too.