As they left Eastsea Academy and its youthful fervor behind, Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena felt as though they were slowly waking from a deep, bittersweet dream. Still disguised as ordinary people, they drifted with the crowd through Eastsea City's bustling shopping district, as aimless as drops of water carried along by a river.
The setting sun draped the modern city in a veil of warm gold. Soul-powered neon signs flickered on along the streets, competing with the glow on the horizon. Voices, the rush of air from passing hovercars, music spilling from shops... Together, they formed a symphony of everyday city life.
Then a rich, savory aroma reached them. Familiar as an old friend yet impossible to ignore, the scent of meat carried a blend of spices and the mouthwatering richness of beef stewed for hours. It stirred a memory of taste buried deep in their souls.
At their current level of cultivation, neither needed ordinary food to survive. Yet the aroma slipped past all reason and went straight to instinct and emotion. An irresistible longing to taste it again rose within them.
They stopped at the same moment and looked toward the source.
It was an unassuming little shop with a plain wooden sign. Four bold characters were carved into it: Old Li Beef. The door stood open, and a young server in a clean apron greeted passersby with an enthusiastic smile.
"Come on in and have a look! Old Li Beef is a ten-thousand-year-old Eastsea City institution! Our secret recipe has been passed down for ten thousand years! You won't find this flavor anywhere else in the city!" Pride rang through the server's voice.
"Ten thousand years..." Tang Wulin repeated quietly, something stirring in his heart. He turned to Gu Yuena and saw the same flicker of surprise and curiosity in her dark eyes beneath her disguise.
"Come in, you two! I promise you won't regret it!" The sharp-eyed server had noticed them pause and hurried over, half inviting, half ushering them inside.
The interior was simple and old-fashioned, even a little worn. Most of the tables and chairs were bare wood, polished smooth by years of use. Old-looking black-and-white photographs and calligraphy hung on the walls. It felt less like a restaurant than a quiet teahouse from another era. Here, the beef's aroma was stronger and more tempting, as though it had seeped into every piece of wood.
An older server led them to a small table by the window and handed them a menu. "First time here? You must try our signature clay-pot beef! We use our ancestral clay pots and secret broth, then simmer it over low heat for more than twelve hours. The beef is tender and full of flavor, and the broth is rich and hearty. It's been our house specialty for ten thousand years!"
"Clay-pot beef..." Tang Wulin stared at the words on the menu, struck by a powerful sense of familiarity. Following the enticing aroma and his own craving, he said, "All right, we'll have two... No, four orders of clay-pot beef." Somehow, he felt one serving each would not be enough.
Gu Yuena gave him an amused glance but did not object. A knowing smile flashed in her eyes. He still eats that much.
They did not wait long. When the server approached with dark, old-fashioned clay pots steaming hot, the familiar aroma swelled. The lids came off, releasing thick white clouds of steam and an irresistible scent of beef. The broth gleamed deep red, and large, tender pieces of beef rested in it.
Tang Wulin eagerly picked up his spoon, scooped up a piece of beef, blew on it, and put it in his mouth.
The beef nearly melted on his tongue at the lightest bite, exquisitely tender yet retaining just the right touch of firmness. Complex spices had soaked into every fiber, giving it a deep, savory flavor with the faintest sweetness and warmth. This taste... it was so familiar! Paired with fragrant rice, it was extraordinary.
He began eating in great mouthfuls, faster and faster without realizing it, as though he were once again the boy who used to devour his meals in Eastsea Academy's cafeteria.
Gu Yuena ate more gracefully, though she was hardly slow. The familiar taste was a key that opened the floodgates of memory. As she ate, she listened to the diners talking around them.
"Hey, every time I come to Eastsea City on business, I have to eat here! The food's incredible!"
"I heard the recipe really was passed down from ten thousand years ago. Our ancestors knew what they were doing!"
"Yeah. They say even those famous people used to eat here all the time!" someone added with a laugh.
Their words fitted together like pieces of a puzzle, filling in blanks in Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena's past. This shop and this taste had long been part of their memories of youth. The sadness stirred by Teacher Wu's statue seemed to ease under the warmth of this comforting meal, leaving them feeling fuller and more grounded.
At some point, Gu Yuena finished her serving. She set down her utensils and, without rushing him, propped her cheek on one hand and watched Tang Wulin continue eating with a smile.
As she watched his intent, contented profile and the way his eyes narrowed slightly in pleasure, her thoughts drifted back. Beneath her disguise, her face softened with tenderness. She remembered seeing him ten thousand years ago in Eastsea Academy's cafeteria. He had sat alone in a corner, eating his free Class C meal with such relish that it might have been the finest feast in the world. For reasons she had not understood herself, she had placed a meat bun from her tray on his table. He had looked up at her, his mouth still full and his eyes shining, and said with clumsy sincerity, "You're a really good person."
That awkward, endearing boy overlapped with the man before her, who still loved good food. The years had passed and the world had changed, but something at his core never had. Affection flowed through her eyes like spring water, almost spilling over.
Tang Wulin seemed to sense her gaze. He looked up and met her eyes, so full of tenderness and memories. He froze, then blushed slightly. Embarrassed by such open affection, he looked away and pretended to concentrate on his meal.
Just then, a fragment of memory burst into his mind, as clear as if it had happened yesterday—
The girl before him was not Gu Yuena in disguise, but Gu Yue, with black hair and dark eyes, cool in manner yet touched by stubbornness. She stepped out of an understated but luxurious soul-powered car. Several exquisite dishes sat on the back seat, filling the air with their aroma. With a faint smile, she took them out one by one and said calmly, "Here. I made these for you. Try them."
The flavor he remembered was nothing like the richness of the clay-pot beef. It was simpler and fresher, the taste of home, yet it had touched his soul just as deeply. Ten thousand years later, he finally understood the weight of what it had meant for her to make that meal herself.
Before he knew it, he had raised his head. He looked intently at Gu Yuena, who was still watching him with such tenderness, and blurted out:
"Gu Yue." Memory lent his voice a slight hoarseness and an earnestness she had never heard before.
"I want to eat your cooking again."
In an instant, a vivid blush spread across Gu Yuena's disguised face, right to her ears. She had never expected him to ask that, least of all here. Memories of cooking for him ten thousand years ago rose alongside her shyness. Flustered, she avoided his heated gaze and turned toward the window, struggling to sound composed as she replied with a touch of haughty affection:
"Hmph! In your dreams! I'll... I'll see how you behave first!"
She so clearly cared, yet insisted on pretending she did not. The woman before him seemed to overlap perfectly with the girl from ten thousand years ago, calm and faintly smiling.
Seeing her like this, Tang Wulin felt warmth fill his heart, both from the returning memory and from the woman beside him. Far from disappointed, he laughed softly. He stood, took a napkin from the table, and wiped his mouth. Then he went to her side and gently stroked the smooth black hair of her disguise.
"All right. I'll be on my best behavior," he said, his voice warm with laughter and promise.
Gu Yuena gave her head a token shake in "protest," but made no move to avoid his hand. Instead, she rubbed against his palm ever so slightly, like a cat enjoying a good petting.
As they paid and left, the enthusiastic server was still calling out by the door. "Enjoyed your meal? Come back anytime! The flavor at our ten-thousand-year-old shop never changes!" Yes, it never did.
Tang Wulin and Gu Yuena smiled at each other without answering. They both understood. Some things truly had never changed.
Outside, the setting sun had painted half the sky brilliant orange-red and violet-pink. Their hands found each other naturally, fingers tightly intertwined. Like any ordinary couple, with no need to hide or pretend, they walked close together through the dusk-shrouded streets of Eastsea City.
The sunset stretched their shadows long and joined them as they walked deeper into the city, toward the next warm memory they would uncover together.
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