Chapter 182 Can you accompany me to Kashiwa City?
She closed the door tightly before continuing her story.
"Several generations of our Li family have been imperial chefs in the palace. The reason we've been able to stay in the imperial kitchen for hundreds of years is because we have a secret cooking book handed down from our ancestors called 'Li's Imperial Cuisine'."
"The contents of 'Li's Imperial Cuisine' were all recorded bit by bit after countless attempts and improvements by my ancestors. It contains recipes for 188 dishes and methods for 16 secret seasonings."
"By the time my father came along, the profession of imperial chef was completely useless, so he brought my family and me to open a restaurant in the capital. Because the dishes were delicious, the business grew bigger and bigger."
"Unfortunately, he and my mother only had me as their daughter, so they could only train me as the successor to the Li's Imperial Cuisine. I also learned cooking from my father since I was young, hoping that our Li's Imperial Cuisine would flourish in my hands."
"Who would have thought that after my parents passed away, I only ran the Li's Imperial Cuisine business for a few years. Seeing that the situation was not right, I gradually closed all the shops to avoid the spotlight."
"Later, all my property was confiscated during the turbulent period. You should have heard about it. That's how I got this bad reputation."
"Back then, in order to preserve the 'Li's Imperial Cuisine' that our ancestors had spent so much effort compiling, I discussed with your father and asked him to take the secret manual away and create a false impression that he and your mother had been beaten to death outside..."
At this point, Shang Ruoting had a better understanding of the situation. She asked tentatively, "Grandma, did my parents go to Bai City?"
At the mention of Bai City, Mrs. Shang burst into tears again: "It's all my fault... In order to protect the secret manual, they abandoned you and hid in Bai City... If anything really happened to them, I would never rest in peace..."
Shang Ruoting also knew that this matter was of no trivial importance.
"Grandma, tell me their address in Kashiwa City, and I'll go find them right away."
Old Mrs. Shang walked towards the room with a trembling body, lifted a brick on the ground, and took out an envelope from it.
"This is the only letter your father wrote to me. This is your great-aunt's home, in Kashiwa City..."
Shang Ruoting took the envelope and silently memorized the address on it.
"Grandma, don't worry. I'll go find Tan Chen and discuss going to Bai City."
Before she could leave the yard, Tan Chen came back from the chicken coop.
He noticed something strange about Shang Ruoting and Old Lady Shang at a glance.
"Wife, grandma, what's wrong with you?"
Shang Ruoting pulled his arm: "Tan Chen, can you accompany me to Bai City?"
Tan Chen hadn't heard the news on the radio and didn't know about the earthquake in Bai City. He asked, "Ruoting, what are you doing in Bai City?"
Shang Ruoting briefly explained the situation: "There was a 7.8 magnitude earthquake in Bai City. Grandma said my parents are still there. I want to go find them."
This news was also shocking to Tan Chen. Everyone in the village knew that Shang Ruoting's parents died when she was a child. Now he suddenly heard that they were still alive, and he had many questions to ask.
But he also knew that this was not the time to ask these questions.
"Wife, grandma, don't worry, we'll pack up and go to Kashiwa City."
In fact, Old Lady Shang wanted to go find her son in person, but she was also aware of her own situation. With her status, it would be difficult for her to even get a letter of introduction. Therefore, she could only place her hopes on Shang Ruoting and Tan Chen.
"Tingting, Tan Chen, your great aunt's son works at the steel mill. His name is Zhang Wenfu, and your great aunt's name is Shang Xiulan. The address on the letter is from more than ten years ago. I don't know if they still live there. This is all I can provide."
Shang Ruoting quickly helped Old Lady Shang sit down: "Grandma, don't worry! They will be fine. Tan Chen and I will get ready and go to Bai City right away."
"I'll tell Yangmei at home and ask her to help take care of him."
Old Lady Shang wiped the tears from her eyes and said, "Amitabha, I hope they will be fine."
She was reciting Buddhist scriptures and stood up and walked towards the kitchen.
Shang Ruoting and Tan Chen also went back to their room to pack two sets of clothes and prepare to leave.
Old Mrs. Shang cooked more than twenty eggs in the kitchen and gave them to the two of them to eat on the road.
In this way, Tan Chen carried a small package on his back and Shang Ruoting held boiled eggs in her hand, ready to set off for Bai City.
The two went to the production team first. Tan Chen went to the team leader to get a letter of introduction, and Shang Ruoting went to Yang Mei and asked her to help take care of Old Mrs. Shang.
The production team's office was particularly lively today. Many people working in the team went there to chat, and the topic was all about the earthquake in Bai City.
Tan Chen did not tell Zhao Fa the real purpose of him and Shang Ruoting going to Bai City. Instead, he asked the team for a letter of introduction under the pretext of participating in disaster relief.
Zhao Fa also strongly supports this and claims that if he were able to leave, he would also like to contribute.
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