An hour later, Han Qiwu had four different-colored pancakes in front of him.
Pure sorghum flour pancakes, pure cornmeal pancakes, pure wheat flour (white flour) pancakes, and buckwheat flour pancakes.
Five pancakes of each variety, not too many, all made for Grandpa Chen to sample the flavors.
Han Qiwu turned off the griddle, packed up the pancakes, and set out on his bike straight for the noodle shop.
But when he arrived, he was met with a locked door.
"Family celebration. Closed today."
Han Qiwu considered it while sitting on his bike. Since the elderly man is quite advanced in years and might visit the clinic regularly, he decided to ask Hu Qi for directions.
Inside the town clinic, Hu Qi was counting medicine stocks. She looked up as she heard footsteps.
"Still haven't recovered from your cold? Or is it some new injury?" Hu Qi's greeting was tinged with professional humor.
"Neither—I'm feeling great. Sister Hu, I wanted to ask you something. Do we have an elderly man here, around eighty years old? Named Chen Dashan, fond of wearing green camouflage?" Han Qiwu smiled as he asked.
Hu Qi's face darkened. "What did you just call me?"
"Huh? Hu Qi, Hu Qi—I called you Hu Qi," Han Qiwu quickly corrected himself, silently cursing his slip-up for causing unnecessary trouble. How could he just call someone 'Sister' casually?
Has her goodwill toward me dropped again?
At least reward me for the goodwill points before reducing them!
"That's better. Yes, we do have such an elderly man. Do you need something from him?" Hu Qi's expression eased somewhat.
Han Qiwu took out the pancakes from his bike. "Yesterday, at the noodle shop, I overheard him asking about pancakes. I happened to make some today, so I thought I'd check in on him."
Hu Qi glanced at Han Qiwu, surprised. "Didn't expect it—you're quite the warm-hearted guy. Got an extra one for me to try?"
"Sure." Han Qiwu, feeling validated as a 'kind-hearted person,' pulled out a buckwheat pancake and handed it over.
Hu Qi washed her hands, took the pancake, and bit off a small piece.
The pancake softened slightly and had a delightful chewiness. A single bite was bursting with aroma, and the flavor intensified with each chew, making it hard to swallow. The earthy taste of buckwheat was rich and irresistible.
"This is delicious! Are you from Qilu?" Hu Qi asked joyfully.
"No, I just happened to learn how to make it. By the way, do you know what Chen Dashan's situation is like? And where does he live?" Han Qiwu hadn't forgotten his main task.
The mission comes first!
"Chen Dashan lives near No. 14 Xiaoqing Street. You can look for him there. That's all I remember. He's had some tough breaks—his wife passed away from illness many years ago, his son works far away and rarely comes home, and he never sees his grandson. He's not lacking money but lacking companionship." Hu Qi shared what little she knew, having not been in town for long herself.
"I see. I'll go check it out." Han Qiwu turned and prepared to leave.
"Wait a sec! You ate raspberries at my place yesterday, let me repay you with some dates today. Have a few when you've got time—they're good for replenishing blood." Hu Qi pulled out a bag of red dates from beneath the counter and handed them to Han Qiwu.
[Hu Qi's goodwill reward]
[You received a bag of red dates]
[A bag of red dates (16 pieces)]
[Stamina +5 (per piece)]
[Health +10 (per piece)]
[Note: Dates with goji berries—can keep you going for miles.]
"Thanks," Han Qiwu's mood brightened. This bag of red dates could provide 80 stamina points, and they'd probably taste great and be convenient to eat.
Boosting goodwill is definitely the right path!
Leaving the clinic, Han Qiwu wandered along the streets. As he approached Xiaoqing Street, he spotted Grandpa Chen basking in the sun in his courtyard. From a distance, the house looked pitch black inside. Even though Lunar New Year had passed and the holidays weren't over yet, there wasn't even a single pair of couplets at the door—giving off an air of desolation.
Under the banyan tree, Grandpa Chen took a sip of tea from his pot, reminiscing. He looked up and saw a handsome young man walking toward him.
"Hello, Grandpa Chen. I'm Han Qiwu. Yesterday at the noodle shop, I heard you wondering about Qilu-style pancakes?" Han Qiwu entered the courtyard with the pancakes.
"Yes! You have no idea how much I've been craving pancakes. Do you happen to know any Qilu folks?" Grandpa Chen sat up from his wicker chair, his tone tinged with urgency.
"I don't know any Qilu folks—I just arrived in town myself." Hearing this, Grandpa Chen leaned back in disappointment, muttering, "That's alright… Thanks anyhow for coming by to chat with this old man. Here, have some tea."
"Actually, I made a few varieties. Try them to see if they're close to the flavor you're missing," Han Qiwu quickly added, realizing the importance of prioritizing the topic when speaking with seniors.
"Alright, alright, let me see," Grandpa Chen clapped his hands enthusiastically, anticipation glimmering in his eyes.
Han Qiwu handed over the four varieties of pancakes. The accompanying bag also carried some wild scallions, and he had even bought sauce for them.
Grandpa Chen picked up a sorghum pancake, wrapped it around a stalk of wild scallion, dipped it briefly in sauce, and folded it into a palm-sized portion before taking a bite.
The more he chewed, the more satisfied Grandpa Chen's expression became.
One bite of the pancake took him two minutes to chew and swallow. He followed it with a sip of tea to wash it down, letting out a long exhale. "Thank you—you've worked hard. This pancake is wonderful, and the scallions are fragrant. How much is it?"
"No charge! As long as you find it tasty, that's all that matters. I made it myself, so it didn't cost anything," Han Qiwu replied with a smile.
The feeling of fulfilling an old soldier's wish through his own effort was truly gratifying!
"No, no—payment is necessary. Don't worry, I've got money." Grandpa Chen tried to shove a hundred-yuan note into Han Qiwu's hand, reluctant to owe anyone anything.
"No charge, Grandpa Chen! If you insist, I won't dare to come again. How about this instead—you tell me a story. Why are you craving pancakes?" Han Qiwu deftly switched the topic.
Besides, Han Qiwu knew that the flavor he produced couldn't truly match the authentic taste of Yimeng pancakes, which was why the task was incomplete.
But why wouldn't Grandpa Chen mention this?
Could there be another reason?
Han Qiwu decided to chat and get more information.
"You're willing to listen to this old man ramble on? It might take a while. Go in and change out the water pot—I'll tell you slowly," Chen Dashan said with a chuckle.
"Sure thing." Han Qiwu took the kettle and stepped inside the house. As he poured water, he glanced outside and unexpectedly saw Grandpa Chen quietly wiping away tears.
Han Qiwu slowed his movements, intentionally retracing his steps before leaving the house to give the elderly man time to regain composure.
Back outside, Grandpa Chen was back to normal, smiling as he asked Han Qiwu, "Guess—where do you think I first tasted pancakes?"
Based on the mission clues, Han Qiwu hesitated briefly and answered, "Judging by your age, was it in Yimeng?"
"That's true. But back then, I didn't know the name of the place. The troop had just arrived at the edge of a Qilu village, completely out of food, and night had already fallen. I was so dizzy with hunger—there wasn't even any water left." Grandpa Chen sighed and shook his head. "People say food is fuel for the body, but we hadn't eaten in over two days by then."