Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Pork belly, preserved vegetables, red bean paste, onions, garlic, ginger, star anise, fennel, ribs, glutinous rice....”
Although Grandma had a strong Jiameng accent, Madam Du was able to understand her. That morning, while Ye Tianxin was at her interview, they had whiled away the time chatting in the bookshop.
Madam Du increasingly realized that Ye Tianxin’s grandmother was a remarkable woman. Despite the complete radio silence from her own daughter for more than a decade, Grandma had raised her granddaughter on her own. She was a wonderful woman who should be respected and lauded for her unconditional love.
“Grandma, anything else?”
Ye Tianxin again repeated the list of items that her grandmother had asked her to buy.
Grandma listened intently before adding one more item: “Chilli bean paste.”
“Oh, that’s right. That’s the most important ingredient. I’d almost forgotten about it.”
Chilli bean paste was a key ingredient in Jiameng delicacy. Omitting it was the same as leaving out the soul of a Jiameng delight.
“Right, then. I’ll head out now.”
Ye Tianxin gathered up the take-out boxes and put them in a bag, planning to dispose of them in the trash bin on her way out.
Ye Tianxin’s grandmother, worried that Ye Tianxin might not have enough money on her, held onto Ye Tainxin’s hand while she pulled out a little cloth pouch from her pocket.
She called it a cloth pouch, but it was actually a handkerchief that she’d used to wrap some money in. Grandma shoved the pouch of cash directly into Ye Tianxin’s hand.
“When you’re on the road, don’t rush or panic. Be careful and don’t get hurt. If you see any dresses that you like, just buy yourself a few....” she went on.
Clutching the pouch, Ye Tianxin just kept nodding, holding back tears. It wasn’t until she had boarded the bus that she allowed her tears to stream down her face.
Like a child, she buried her head into her folded arms and cried out all the pain she had suppressed in her heart.
“Young lady, what happened? Are you hurt. Feeling unwell?”
A kind elderly man seated next to Ye Tianxin handed her a tissue. Ye Tianxin raised her head and looked at the elderly man, her face streaked with tears. “Sir, I’m not hurt or unwell. Thank you.”
But if she had to tell him exactly where she was hurting, she would probably tell him that it was her heart that hurt her.
The premature and unexpected appearance of Gu Yancheng and Lu Qinxin had disturbed her tranquil state of mind like a rock thrown into a lake, creating wave after wave of ripples.
Looking out of the window of the bus, she saw a forest of high-rise buildings.
In this world, everyone was in a hurry. Every person worked hard, running around to make a life for themselves.
All except her, who was making every effort to get her grandmother to live longer, even if just for one more day.
Ye Tianxin’s first stop was the hospital, where she inquired about the process for registration and other related matters. Then, using her grandmother’s ID card, she made an appointment for a consultation. That done, she took the bus to a nearby market, where she bought the ingredients that her grandmother had asked for and some new clothes for her grandmother before taking the bus back to the bookshop.
After she arrived at the bookshop this time, Ye Tianxin stood at the entrance and looked up. She saw a wooden signboard on which a super-sized version of the character “Du” had been written with an ink brush.
Madam Du’s surname was Du.
But “Madam” definitely wasn’t her real name.
Perhaps she had a real name.
And if so, what was her real name?
“Are you Du Juan’s daughter?”
Just as she was about to push open the door to the bookshop, Ye Tianxin heard a man’s voice. Turning around, she saw a man standing at the bottom of the steps, a startled expression on his handsome face.
It was him.
He was the grandmaster of the movie world.
Every single actress that he had supported and worked with had gone on to become international movie queens.
Any actress who had starred in his movies would, in addition to their given names, be given another name: “Golden Girl.”