My hometown is far away in Moscow.

Chapter 211 Deep in Memory

"Hey! You can't call me brother, that would be inappropriate!" Hu Yi hurriedly waved his hand, then carefully examined the old man, vaguely sensing a familiar face. But his voice sounded unfamiliar, so he was definitely not an acquaintance; perhaps they had met before at some unknown occasion.

Thinking of this, the old man Hu Yichong chuckled and said, "By the way, do you have a spice shop outside Huanglou? I sometimes buy vegetables from the Vietnamese stall there. We've probably met before, but we've never really dealt with each other."

"Yes, I'd say it's about 80% true." The wariness in the old man's eyes gradually disappeared, replaced by warmth and gratitude: "Thanks so much for today, young man. I really don't know how to thank you enough. If there's anything we can do for you in the future, just let us know, and my son and I will do our best!"

"You flatter me, it's nothing, not worth mentioning at all." Hu Yi saw the two to the market entrance, waved goodbye to them, then called out to Da Liu, "Brother Liu, aren't you short of money at home? Can you borrow some from me first?"

"No, no, my mother and I still have some money, and besides, we have income every day, so making a living isn't a problem." Da Liu bowed respectfully to Hu Yiwei: "I will remember Brother Hu's kindness and will definitely find an opportunity to repay him in the future."

"Alright. It's just a little money, it'd be vulgar to talk about it anymore." Hu Yi smiled slightly, "Let's go home with the old man!"

Hu Yi wasn't trying to impress Liu; five thousand rubles really wasn't a lot for him right now. A month later, just when he had almost forgotten about it, Liu found Fu Jia Hui's suitcase.

"Brother Hu, this is the money I borrowed from you last time." Da Liu handed over several neatly arranged banknotes with both hands: "I'm really sorry for the delay. It's a total of five thousand five hundred rubles, please count it."

"It's alright. No need to order... Hmm?" Hu Yi was taken aback: "Five thousand five? What, does it come with interest?"

"No, no, I wouldn't dare offer you interest." Da Liu waved his hand solemnly: "We should cover your taxi fare that night."

"Isn't this unnecessary? Isn't this overly meticulous?"

"Of course, of course." Da Liu's expression was very sincere. "Also, our whole family is very grateful for Brother Hu's help. My parents insisted on cooking a meal for you to express their gratitude."

"Let's skip the meal!" Hu Yi said with a smile, "You're being so polite, it makes me feel a little embarrassed."

"Absolutely! My parents specifically instructed that we must invite you. Please don't be shy." Da Liu seemed a little embarrassed. "However, our place... well, you know, the environment is a bit lacking. Especially the smell... it's really awful, and I'm worried it might spoil your appetite. How about this, we pick out a nice restaurant in the market, what do you think?"

"I don't think it's very good. What decent restaurants are there in this market? They're all worse than the last." Hu Yi was a man who cared about his image and was happy to give face to others. He did indeed find the hygiene conditions in Huanglou disgusting, but since Da Liu had said it to his face, he felt rather bad, so he casually replied, "Since Uncle and Aunt think so highly of me, then I'll go and bother you!"

"Great! That's wonderful!" Big Liu beamed. "Knowing you're busy tonight, how about we meet tomorrow at noon?"

"Okay!" Hu Yi took out five hundred rubles from the bills and handed them back to him: "Having tasted your aunt and uncle's cooking, this will cover your travel expenses for that day. You can take this money back."

The next day at noon, Hu Yi arrived at the Liu family's house in the Yellow Building as agreed. Da Liu had tidied up the house considerably and sprayed air freshener haphazardly, which finally temporarily masked the unpleasant smell in the corridor.

A small square table that was originally placed against the wall was moved to the middle of the room, with several dishes of cold and hot dishes on it. The cold dishes included sausage, pig's trotter jelly, ginger-flavored preserved eggs, and tofu skin with scallions, most of which were dishes that were rarely available in the school dormitory.

The two hot dishes that were already on the table were braised chicken with mushrooms and braised pork ribs. Although the ingredients were nothing special, the aroma they emitted still made Hu Yi's mouth water.

Since Li Baoqing and Lao Wei left the Ayutthaya University, Hu Yi hasn't had a decent Chinese meal in Moscow for a long time. Usually, he and Xia Yan only cook a few dishes occasionally in the dormitory, and their skills are just so-so.

Although the two dishes in front of me didn't look as appealing and didn't seem as fragrant and tempting as Lao Wei's, they were authentic home-style dishes.

"Wow! It smells so good, it feels like coming home." Hu Yi exclaimed, looking at the plates on the table. He then turned and asked, "Hey? Where are Uncle and Auntie?"

"They're cooking outside, it'll be ready soon." Da Liu said warmly as he set out the bowls and chopsticks, "These sausages are especially good, they were made by the locals at the market, you should try them."

"That's not a good idea," Hu Yi swallowed, "Let's eat together when Uncle and Auntie arrive."

"You're all home now, no need to be so polite!" Da Liu picked up a few slices and put them in a small bowl: "Here, have something to eat first, I'll get you a few more to take back after you finish eating."

"Hehe, since you're taking some and eating... then I won't stand on ceremony." Hu Yi picked up a piece, popped it into his mouth, chewed it carefully, and closed his eyes contentedly: "Delicious! This tastes authentic!"

"Right!" Da Liu chuckled, struggling to squat down by the headboard, and pulled out a box of novels from under the bed. "I recently got a few new books. Take your pick and read whatever you like."

"Alright." Hu Yi pulled over a small stool, sat down beside the box, and had just rummaged through it a few times when he heard an elderly woman's voice from outside: "Where's Brother Hu? When will you be here?"

"He's here." Da Liu limped forward a few steps and took a steaming plate from the old woman's hands: "Mom, this is Brother Hu, his real name is Hu Yi, but people in the market call him Andong."

A petite old woman followed Da Liu slowly into the house. Hu Yi quickly got up and placed the small bowl he was holding on the table. Looking up, he saw that the old woman had a full head of silver hair and a gentle smile. Although she looked old and her clothes were somewhat worn, one could still vaguely tell that she had once been an elegant and dignified woman.

Da Liu placed the plate on the table, picked up a towel and wiped his hands: "Brother Hu, let me introduce you, this is my mother."

"Hello, Auntie, I'm Hu... Yi..." Hu Yi paused, suddenly realizing that the old woman's features seemed familiar. If he had only met Liu's father outside the Yellow Building, Liu's mother left a deeper impression on him, and even her voice sounded somewhat familiar.

Liu's mother clearly shared the same sentiment, looking at him with a half-smile: "Brother Hu... shouldn't we...?"

"Have I seen this somewhere before?" Hu Yi tilted his head back, deep in thought. "Where...?"

"Hey, don't worry about it. My dad saw him the other day and said he looked familiar." Da Liu smiled dismissively. "Brother Hu often goes downstairs to buy groceries, maybe you two have crossed paths before."

"It shouldn't be!" Liu's mother and Hu Yi said in unison, "It seems like we met a long time ago."

"Really? No way..." Da Liu was stunned, and shut his mouth with a curious look on his face.

As the three men were filled with their own doubts, Liu's father pushed open the door and entered the house carrying two bottles of wine. He bowed and waved, saying with a smile, "Oh, Brother Hu, you've arrived! What are you standing for? Come on, sit down!"

"Hello, sir," Hu Yi greeted nervously. When he saw the two elderly people standing side-by-side, his heart tightened, his body swayed slightly, and his face changed expression five or six times in quick succession: "So it's...the two of you?!"

"Who? Who are they?" Da Liu looked at Hu Yi, bewildered. "Do you really... know my parents?"

"Me...the two of us? What's wrong?" Da Liu's parents' expressions changed slightly, and they involuntarily took a small step back. "Brother Xiao Hu, what...what do you mean?"

"Yes, it's the two of you." Hu Yi took a deep breath. "If I remember correctly, you two came to Moscow a few years ago with a tour group, right?"

(End of this chapter)