34: Chapter 34: The Inquiry into the "Preservation Secret"

In the Old neighborhood, the shadows of the locust trees swayed on the ground like scattered gold, and the enticing aroma of soy sauce wafted from Wang Lei's braised food stall.

Chen Jie squatted behind the stall, his wrench struggling with the loose chain of the tricycle. With a "click," he tightened the screw and heard Auntie Zhang's loud voice pierce through the crowd: "Old Wang, what's up with your braised pig ears? I bought some the day before yesterday and put them in the fridge, but when I took them out today, they were just like they were freshly braised—the texture is still so chewy and satisfying!"

Wang Lei's hand, clutching the knife, paused, the back of the blade clicking lightly against the chopping board: "Don't worry, Auntie Zhang. This is an old recipe, slowly smoked over pine wood, so it naturally stays fresh longer."

The smile lines at the corners of his eyes crinkled high, but his gaze couldn't help but drift toward Chen Jie's feet—the canvas backpack was leaning against the bamboo basket of braised food, the outline of the dark green jade stone faintly visible beneath the fabric.

"I don't believe it." Zhao Kai, chewing on a popsicle, leaned in and deliberately nudged the backpack with the toe of his shoe. "A while back, your freezer was leaking refrigerant and the food would get sticky after just half a day. How come you've suddenly become so capable now? Jie-zi, tell me, is someone hiding some kind of treasure?"

Chen Jie applied some machine oil to the chain, and when he looked up, he met Zhao Kai's gaze: "Stop talking nonsense. Wang Lei just changed his spice packet the day before yesterday; he used more star anise, so naturally, it doesn't spoil easily."

Although he said this, his fingertips quietly pressed against the backpack—the cool sensation of the jade stone seeped through the canvas, as if responding to his words.

"Star anise can do that?" Brother Li, who was buying braised beef, suddenly interjected, shaking the plastic bag in his hand. "The vacuum-packed stuff my daughter buys at the supermarket gets tough after two days, yet yours, sitting out in an open basket, stays so fresh."

He peered behind Wang Lei's chopping board, "Did you add some high-tech preservative?"

Wang Lei's face flushed instantly, and he chopped the knife against the board with a "thud-thud" sound: "Brother Li, what kind of talk is that! I, Wang Lei, have been running this stall for three years—when have I ever used any Evil Path tricks? If you don't believe me, ask Jie-zi. He's here every day helping me fix things; has he ever seen me add anything else to the braising spices?"

Chen Jie straightened up and brushed the dust off his hands: "Don't worry, Brother Li. I've seen Wang Lei's spices; it's just regular Sichuan peppercorns and cinnamon, at most... he added a handful of wild peppercorns picked from the mountains."

He recalled that at Old Zhou's place, the white stone could perform Water purification and the green stone could repel dampness; perhaps the "freshness" of this jade stone was also related to the Spiritual Qi from the mountains, but he couldn't bring himself to say it out loud.

Zhao Kai suddenly laughed out loud: "Wild peppercorns? How come I've never seen you pick any? Jie-zi, don't cover for him—the day before yesterday, I saw with my own eyes that he placed the leftover braised food next to your backpack, and the next day it was like new."

Once these words were out, the surrounding neighbors went quiet. Auntie Zhang craned her neck to peer at the backpack: "Little Jie-zi, what are you hiding in that bag? It wouldn't happen to be a freezer, would it?"

Chen Jie threw the backpack over his shoulder and zipped it shut with a "zip" sound: "It's just some tools for fixing things. Wang Lei, I'm heading back now. The tricycle chain is tightened, so ride slowly."

"Hey, hey, wait a second!" Wang Lei hurriedly pulled a piece of pork knuckle from the basket and stuffed it into his hand: "Take this! Thanks for helping me fix the tricycle."

As he leaned in, he lowered his voice: "Jie-zi, that stone... do you really not need to drape it in a piece of red cloth or something?"

Chen Jie smiled but didn't reply. Zhao Kai followed behind, pressing him: "Are you really planning to keep hiding it? If this jade stone could be mass-produced, wouldn't we two brothers make a fortune?"

"Make a fortune, my foot." As Chen Jie turned into the hallway, he looked back and saw Wang Lei bowing toward the direction of the backpack, drawing a burst of laughter from the neighbors.

He touched the pork knuckle in his arms; it was still warm, and his heart suddenly felt clear—the "freshness" of this jade stone perhaps wasn't some earth-shattering ability. It was just like life in the Old neighborhood: it seemed plain, yet it always hid warmth in the subtle details, like the soy sauce aroma slowly seeping into the braised food; you have to savor it slowly to know its true taste.