Abnormal Gourmet Chronicle-Chapter 1183 - 567: The Best Scene

Xu Chenggang took out a painting tube from a locked cabinet, and placed a completed painting from the tube onto the table, slowly unfolding it. The people from Qin Huai, who had never seen the world, gathered to watch.

Hmm... a good painting.

Really a good painting.

Not sure exactly why it’s good, but it’s definitely a good painting.

An Youyou’s eyes almost popped out, not able to tell how much the painting was worth. After staring at it for a good 5 minutes, she asked, "Is this painting meant to be kept rolled up in this thing or can it be hung on the wall?"

Xu Chenggang: "...Of course, the painting can be hung on the wall."

An Youyou understood, nodded in satisfaction, and decided to go back and hang the painting behind the Three legged Golden Toad, using it as a backdrop.

Hehe, what a display.

Gong Liang couldn’t help but say, "Back then, I only heard Xu Nuo secretly did some small business, didn’t expect the business to be so big, exchanging for a Zhang Daqian painting."

"Little Nuo also came across it by chance. None of us understand painting, at first we didn’t know if this painting was genuine or not. It’s because this painting was a relic left by Little Nuo, so for many years even though we moved houses a few times, we couldn’t bear to throw it away. Years ago in Shanghai, one time I sent the painting for dust removal, the maintenance person said it seemed like an original and suggested an appraisal. After getting an appraisal, we confirmed it was genuine."

"I’m not sure exactly how much it’s worth. Previously, someone offered over three million to buy it, but I, an old man, don’t need money, so I didn’t sell it. Whether it’s increased or decreased now, I don’t know either."

An Youyou, who originally wanted to touch the painting, instantly withdrew her hand, watching as Xu Chenggang carefully rolled up and put the painting away.

"Little... Little An." Xu Chenggang poured a cup of tea for An Youyou, "How has Little Seven been all these years?"

It was expected that Xu Chenggang would inquire about Lin Qi’s situation, the people from Qin Huai didn’t need to fabricate or ad-lib this part, just omit An Youyou once sending Lin Qi a letter with 10 yuan, and disclose everything else.

An Youyou started talking non-stop, hardly taking a break. During this, she drank almost half a pot of tea, Xu Chenggang brewed another pot before she finished.

Upon hearing Lin Qi has Alzheimer’s but otherwise healthy, not living too well but not too bad, and his children are quite filial, Xu Chenggang showed a contented smile.

"Little... Grandpa Xu, how have you been all these years?" An Youyou almost instinctively called Xu Chenggang Little Ninth.

"I..." Xu Chenggang leisurely took a sip of tea, "Neither good nor bad, I suppose."

Then Xu Chenggang began talking about his experiences over the years.

The information An Youyou gathered wasn’t entirely accurate, but this isn’t her fault as she was deceived during her first life.

Her younger brothers all worked hard.

Xu Chenggang only worked at the steel factory for less than two years, not because he didn’t work hard, but because the factory closed down. According to Xu Chenggang, the factory had great profits, yet it went bankrupt anyway. He learned some skill and improved literacy during those two years at the steel factory.

After the steel factory closed, unable to find a better job, Xu Chenggang made a decision against the boss’s will - secretly joined the army.

Back then, An Youyou strictly prohibited her little brothers from joining the army. In An Youyou’s view, sending little brothers to the army was akin to selling brothers who were just about to support her and send regular money for less than two silver coins each.

It was a one-way kind of sale, a one-time deal.

Of course, when telling the story, Xu Chenggang discreetly omitted that this was a decision against the boss’s wishes. He only said he knew the boss lacked money and desperately wanted to save money to return to Shanghai. After the steel factory closed, without finding a job that allowed saving money, the best option was joining the army.

When An Youyou passed away, there was no war anymore. Xu Chenggang originally planned, like Lin Qi, to go farming in the rural areas near Shanghai. But after An Youyou’s death, he inherited some money. On Chen Shun’s suggestion, he opened a shop in Gusu.

Later, he became a volunteer soldier, closed the shop before leaving, and sent all his money to Chen Shun, embracing a life-or-death mindset when enlisting.

After retiring, Xu Chenggang was assigned to a cotton factory as a leader and worked his way up to being the factory director.

As for Xu Chenggang becoming a factory director, the rumor of marrying into the family was actually false. He indeed married into the family, but he could have become a director even without marrying into the family. He married in because he was an absolute orphan without any relatives, treating his wife’s parents as his own.

Furthermore, his wife has the same last name as him, both their sons call their maternal grandparents grandparents, Xu Chenggang didn’t mind, he addressed his in-laws as mom and dad himself. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

While narrating, Xu Chenggang also informed the four people from Qin Huai about Chen Shun’s death. Chen Shun died when Xu Chenggang’s eldest son was a little over two years old, by then, Xu Chenggang had long lost contact with Chen Shun. Xu Chenggang settled in Gusu with a stable job, while Chen Shun remained homeless, sometimes in the south and sometimes in the north.

Chen Shun died in Shu, allegedly during a mudslide in a rainstorm, his body was never found. Since Chen Shun never established a family, his inheritance was divided into four parts: two parts left to his surviving siblings, one part to Jiang Weiguo, and one part to Xu Chenggang.

As for why Lin Qi wasn’t included, mainly because Lin Qi was farming in the countryside at that time, Chen Shun wasn’t familiar with Lin Qi, and the two had long been completely cut off.

Regarding the exact amount of Chen Shun’s inheritance...

Xu Chenggang received 12 pieces of Yellow Fish.