The 'Two Spring Rolls' from the Old Stall at the Alley Entrance

At the spring roll stall in a corner of the old street, 82-year-old Grandpa Xu sets up shop every day. The first spring roll he makes is always specially prepared with double the amount of peanut powder and cilantro. He then carefully places it in the most conspicuous wooden box at the stall, but never sells it. Customers all assumed it was Grandpa Xu's personal snack. It wasn't until Grandpa Xu passed away peacefully, and his family was organizing his belongings, that the deeply affectionate truth behind this box of spring rolls was revealed. Years ago, Grandpa Xu fell in love with a girl named Ah Xiu from the neighboring house. Ah Xiu loved the spring rolls Grandpa Xu made with his own hands the most, always asking him to add plenty of her favorite sweet peanut powder. The two were originally set to marry, but due to a sudden turn of events, Ah Xiu moved overseas with her family, and they were forced to lose contact. On the eve of their separation, Ah Xiu tearfully told him, "When I come back, you must still make spring rolls for me, and be sure to add extra peanut powder." To keep this promise, Grandpa Xu set up his stall on the old street for decades. He rejected countless blind dates and remained unmarried his entire life, simply so that if Ah Xiu ever returned to this place, the familiar stall and her favorite flavor would be the first things she saw. Decades passed, and Grandpa Xu had actually learned in his later years that Ah Xiu had lived a happy old age in a foreign land. Yet, he still prepared that first spring roll every day, quietly guarding the old street—it was his only connection to his youth and his one true love.