The Game of Life-Chapter 622 - 620: Setting Forth (Part Four)

Chapter 622: Chapter 620: Setting Forth (Part Four)

Jiang Weiguo went back to get his luggage and then returned to the entrance of the Jubao Building. Many rickshaw pullers had gathered at the entrance of Jubao Building, and he could hail one with a simple wave of his hand, a full sense of an era gone by.

Jiang Weiguo stopped two rickshaws, agreed on a price with them, paid upfront, and asked them to wait there for a bit until Sun Guanyun came rushing out of the Jubao Building with a package in his arms.

“Why so much stuff?” Jiang Weiguo wore an expression that suggested he didn’t want to take the package with him.

“My dad asked me to give it to you,” Sun Guanyun said with a sullen face as he got into the rickshaw.

Jiang Weiguo, too, cradling the package, boarded the rickshaw.

The space for sitting in these rickshaws was very small, fitting an adult and a child was already the limit. It wasn’t a problem for Jiang Weiguo and Sun Guanyun, each in their own rickshaw, but it was for Jiang Feng.

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He couldn’t squeeze in.

He hesitated for a long time between climbing onto the roof with great effort to continue holding onto the top, or carefully squeezing into a corner to see if he could fit, Jiang Feng chose option C.

Run there.

In his memory, Jiang Feng never felt hungry, thirsty, sleepy, or tired, and since the rickshaws didn’t travel fast, if he didn’t exercise his body in his memory, he would have even less opportunity to do so in real life.

Jiang Feng decided to be a marathon runner — and run there.

Not only could he exercise, but he could also enjoy the scenery along the way. Two birds with one stone—why not?

Jiang Feng laughed to himself.

And then, Jiang Feng ran there.

The speed of the rickshaw really wasn’t fast, probably because the big package Jiang Weiguo brought was indeed quite heavy, so the rickshaw he was riding moved markedly slower than the one Sun Guanyun was in. Since the two men were traveling together, the rickshaw puller ferrying Sun Guanyun slowed down a bit.

Perhaps because of the time, the streets were rather deserted, and Jiang Feng saw very few people from the Jubao Building all the way to the train station—only a bit of bustle at the train station entrance. The few people he did see were mostly sitting at their doorways eating and enjoying the breeze.

Throughout the journey, Jiang Weiguo seemed lost in thought, with a wooden expression, and he carelessly placed the package by his feet. Sun Guanyun also appeared to be deep in thought, looking troubled, clutching the package in his arms as if holding onto a treasure.

While running, Jiang Feng couldn’t keep track of time, and even though he didn’t feel tired, he thought he must have run for quite a while.

The rickshaw stopped at the entrance of the train station.

Sun Guanyun asked his rickshaw puller to wait a bit, as he would need to go back. The pullers were happy to wait around for a return fare, especially since Jubao Building was a good spot to pick up passengers.

“Jiang Weiguo, I’m asking you one last time, are you really not coming back?” Sun Guanyun still held his package, and Jiang Feng could vaguely make out that it seemed to be a jar.

“I’m not coming back,” Jiang Weiguo stated emphatically.

“Weren’t you always dreaming of buying back your family’s tavern in Beiping? If you stay in that rundown place of yours, when will you ever save enough to buy the tavern back? You’d be better off staying with us.”

“It’s just a matter of job and staffing, right? Our Jubao Building also has jobs and staffing. My dad is still the private manager there. If you ask my dad, he will definitely be able to allocate one for you, maybe even with a higher salary than you’re getting now.” Sun Guanyun blurted out everything he had been pondering on the rickshaw.

“My master mentioned this to me before,” Jiang Weiguo said, “If it were six years ago, I definitely would have stayed, but now…”

“Alright, alright, I get it. You have three sons now, and the youngest was just born. Your wife, raising three kids, can’t possibly let you come alone.” Sun Guanyun shoved the package into Jiang Weiguo’s arms. “My dad asked me to give this to you.”

Feeling the jar and noticing its weight, Jiang Weiguo asked, “What’s this?”

“Something good.”

Jiang Weiguo guessed, “Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall?”

“This jar of Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall has been stewing at my place for two days. My dad, my brother, and I took turns keeping watch over it. I had thought it was being made for someone else,” Sun Guanyun said with a disgusted look. “My dad said you learned for eight years but haven’t tasted a single bite. Now that you have learned the skill, you should taste what the most authentic Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall is like.”

“This jar was specially ordered by my dad from a master craftsman in Jingde Town, intended for cooking Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall. A lot were ordered then, both big and small. Now only this small one is left. My dad said now that you’ve completed your apprenticeship, you naturally need a suitable jar. It’s probably impossible to order another one now; this jar is my dad’s parting gift to you,” Sun Guanyun said with reluctance.

“Be careful with it, don’t let your three sons break it when you get back. If this jar breaks, there will be no more, and we won’t have any left either!”

“Help me thank Master for me.”

“If you want to thank him, come over in person next time and thank him yourself.”

“Oh.” Jiang Weiguo picked up his bag, “You should head back.”

Jiang Feng observed Sun Guanyun’s expression, feeling that at that moment, the latter only wanted to snatch back the jar and smash it on Jiang Weiguo’s head.

“Wait, I’ve got something else for you.” Sun Guanyun grabbed hold of Jiang Weiguo and pulled out a small square box from his pocket.

The box seemed to be covered in English.

“What’s this?” Jiang Weiguo took the box and looked it over, front and back, only to realize he couldn’t understand a single word.

“Didn’t you say you learned English when you were young?”

“That was years ago, I’ve long forgotten.”

“It’s chocolate, so sweet my nephew really loves it, we only have this box at home.” Sun Guanyun said, “Didn’t you say that little San was just born? This thing isn’t hard; you could break off a small piece and he could eat it.”

“The older ones can have some too.” Sun Guanyun added.

“They do eat quite a lot.”

“Thanks.” Jiang Weiguo accepted the chocolate, “It’s about time, I need to go in.”

“Remember to write.” After saying this, Sun Guanyun hopped onto a rickshaw.

Carrying the jug and holding the chocolate between his fingers, Jiang Weiguo, with his bag, walked into the train station.

The station was crowded, and many people were carrying large and small bags. Compared to the group dragging two or three sacks each, the amount Jiang Weiguo was carrying was very modest.

After boarding the train, Jiang Weiguo placed his bag at his feet, taking up some space, but the people around him didn’t say anything; they were clearly used to it.

While the train was still idle and relatively stable, Jiang Weiguo opened his package, took out the tightly sealed jar that was still a bit warm, and set it on the small table.

The person sitting opposite him saw Jiang Weiguo carrying a small jar onto the train and, driven by curiosity, asked, “Comrade, what have you got in that jar?”

“Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall.”

“Wow.” The person across widened his eyes, looking at the jar with newfound awe, “Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall is something expensive. Have you eaten at Jubao Building? I’ve heard their Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall is so fragrant that the scent spreads for miles once you lift the lid. I passed by Jubao Building once and even caught the scent from the entrance.”

That was an exaggeration; Jiang Feng had stood outside Jubao Building before and he definitely hadn’t caught a whiff of any scent.

“Oh.” Jiang Weiguo noncommittally hummed in agreement, then lifted the lid to practically show the person across what ‘scent spreading for miles’ truly meant.

The comrade across was left speechless as an adjacent child looked on, nearly crying with envy.

The whole carriage of people began to breathe deeply, too urgent to ask any questions and just wanting to savor the aroma while they could.

Without a spoon or chopsticks, Jiang Weiguo simply lifted the jar and took a small sip of the soup.

Although Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall was made with a rich stock, there wasn’t much soup in the finished dish—the scant broth naturally became the most exquisite part of it.

Jiang Weiguo put the jar down and covered it again.

His vision began to blur, Jiang Feng started to lose sight of Sir and the suddenly dazzling jar on the small table.

Before leaving his memory behind, Jiang Feng heard the last two sentences exchanged between Sir and the person across.

“Comrade, did your sweetheart make this Buddhas Jumping Over the Wall for you?”

“No, it’s from Jubao Building.”