"I don't know. It might be a long time." Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head.
Xia Yao was a college student at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. If she returned to the mountain city, there was no telling when she would return to their small town.
After the terrifying experience of falling into the water, she probably didn't have a very good impression of the town, and she might never come back.
"How long is a long time?" Zhou Momo looked confused.
Zhou Yan smiled but didn't answer, because he didn't have an answer.
"Zhou Yan, two bowls of noodles." Zhao Tieying's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Okay!" Zhou Yan replied, turning and heading to the kitchen.
…
"Xia Yao, we go to Suji tomorrow. Is there anything fun to do in town?"
"Yaoyao, didn't you fall into the water there before? Are you scared to go back?"
In a makeshift dormitory converted from a residential building, two girls chattered as they watched Xia Yao sitting at a table drawing.
Teacher Liu, their group leader, had just announced at noon that everyone would be visiting and studying at the Jiazhou Textile Factory tomorrow.
Xia Yao had just been to Suji, so the two girls wanted to get some information from her first.
"No scared. It was just an accident. The Jiazhou Textile Factory is huge, and Suji is beautiful. There are so many delicious foods and local specialties." Xia Yao put down her pen and smiled as she told her two roommates, "And the best braised pork rib noodles in the world."
"Is this handsome guy also a Suji specialty?" the girl pointed at Xia Yao's sketchbook with a gossipy look on her face.
"I've seen you sketching him in your free time these past few days. Could he be your crush?" another girl asked with a smile.
The tall, thin girl was named Zhu Yuyu, and the shorter, more curvaceous girl was named Deng Hong.
They were roommates at school. After more than three years together, they had a close and friendly relationship, sharing almost everything.
"His name is Zhou Yan, my savior. If it wasn't him, I'd be dead. He makes delicious noodles." Xia Yao said gracefully, turning the sketchbook to the back. "This is his sister, Momo."
"So cute!" Their eyes lit up.
"He's handsome, and a brave hero. Yaoyao, are you even a little moved?" Deng Hong asked with a smile.
"Yes, yes, are you?" Zhu Yuyu followed suit.
"Go away, our friendship is pure revolutionary friendship." Xia Yao waved her hand solemnly, her ears flushing. "I'll take you both out for noodles tomorrow!"
"Okay, okay!"
"Can you also take us to meet your saviors? Let's see if he's as handsome as you draw him."
"Get lost!"
...
Just as Zhou Yan had expected, the one hundred servings of Cross-legged Beef weren't sold out, leaving thirty one portions.
But this far exceeded his expectations this morning.
Zhou Yan sent twelve of the remaining portions to the security department of the factory next door, and all the staff on duty received one.
Security Chief Luo Weidong was on duty today. Seeing Zhou Yan enter with a tray, he waved his hands repeatedly and said, "Little Zhou, this is embarrassing. Why don't you keep it and sell it for money?"
The aroma of the steaming hot Cross-legged Beef wafted across the air, and the guards' eyes lit up.
"Captain Luo, it's getting dark soon. If we don't sell all the food, we won't be able to finish it ourselves. Everyone's worked the night shift, so a bowl of Cross-legged Beef will make you feel better." Zhou Yan smiled and put down the tray. "We don't sell leftovers. It's a waste. This is our new Cross-legged Beef, let everyone try it. With you all here, I feel at ease keeping my shop open."
Luo Weidong didn't refuse anymore and nodded. "Okay, we'll accept your offer. I'll have them bring the bowl back to you after we're done."
"Okay, you guys go ahead and get busy." Zhou Yan responded with a smile.
"Little Zhou, if you run into any trouble in the future, just contact the Security Department. Your shop is rented from the textile factory, so we can handle any problems." Luo Weidong said.
"Okay." Zhou Yan's smile widened, and he turned to leave.
"Little Zhou is a good comrade, a hero who bravely stood up for justice. You guys should take care of his restaurant from now on." Luo Weidong said to the other guards, picking up a bowl of Cross-legged Beef.
"Okay."
"Smells so good!"
"So fresh!"
"So tender!"
The security department erupted in exclamations of admiration.
Zhou Yan gave eleven more portions to the workers who were coming in for the night shift. They all greeted Zhao Tieying politely when they passed by the restaurant, proving they were regular customers.
Of the remaining eight portions, half were given to Zhao Hong to take home for dinner, while the other half were kept for themselves.
"I can't bear to carry so much meat back with me." Zhao Hong said, waving her hands repeatedly as she looked at the lunch box Zhao Tieying handed her.
"Take it home and share it with the two kids. You don't need to cook and if throw it away, which would be a waste." Zhao Tieying shoved the lunch box into Zhou Yan's hands. "Put it on your brother's bicycle."
"Sure." Zhou Yan replied, carrying the lunch box out.
A bicycle was parked at the entrance. A burly man in a vest squatted beside it, watching Zhou Momo fiddling with a wicker grasshopper in her hand. Her face, thick with flesh, narrowed into a smile.
"Brother Fei." Zhou Yan greeted with a smile, hanging the lunch box on the handlebars. The rope-woven lunch box pocket was quite convenient.
"Hey, Zhou Yan." The man looked up at Zhou Yan and stood up with a smile.
"Guo Guo, look! This is the grasshopper Fei Guo made for me! So cute!" Zhou Momo held up the grasshopper in her hand and proudly showed it off to Zhou Yan. "There's only one! You don't have one."
Zhou Fei's smile widened even more.
"Your brother Fei spent all night weaving this, and this is the best. He didn't even give it to Fanwa." Zhao Hong followed him out, smiling, "He was hiding it to give to Momo."
Zhou Momo turned around and hugged Zhou Fei's thighs. "Fei Guo, you're so kind!"
"Next time, Fei Guo will make you a sparrow." Zhou Fei said with a smile.
"Fei Guo, you're my best big brother!" Zhou Momo jumped up with joy.
Zhou Fei looked at her and laughed foolishly, his joy written all over his face.
Zhou Yan couldn't help but smile too. Zhou Momo was the darling of the Zhou family.
The two brothers Zhou Fei and Zhou Hai are both straightforward and simple-minded. However, although Zhou Fei is tall and strong, he has a pair of dexterous hands. He learned straw weaving from his mother and can weave various insects with rattan and straw, which are very lifelike.
"Why don't you have a daughter? See how much Zhou Fei loves little girl." Zhao Tieying teased Zhao Hong.
"Fourth Miss, we can't afford for two sons anymore, and the policy doesn't allow it." Zhao Hong shook her head repeatedly. "If we have another child, we'll be dead. The odds of the Zhou family having a son are simply too high! Who could possibly stand it?"
Zhou Fei drove Zhao Hong home, while Zhou Yan and his family had dinner in the restaurant.
"The textile factory is closed the day after tomorrow, so our restaurant should be closed too. From now on, we'll have one day off each week." Zhou Yan said, looking at his mother.
"Rest?" Zhao Tieying paused, chopping off her chopsticks. "No one's coming to eat on Sunday?"
"Ninety percent of our restaurant customers are factory workers. If the factory is closed and the workers aren't working, there's no business. It's hard to prepare food for just three or five customers. Too many will be a waste, and too few will be frowned upon." Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head. "Besides, we need to rest too. We work so hard everyday, getting up early and going to bed late. One day off isn't too much."
"Yes, we should have a balance between work and rest." Zhou Miao picked up a piece of beef for Zhao Tieying. "Don't overwork yourself."
"By the way, if the restaurant is closed the day after tomorrow, take Momo to see your grandmother. I ran into fifth brother yesterday, and he said she missed you two siblings so much. Go make her a meal." Zhou Miao said, looking at Zhou Yan.
"Remember to bring something. Your grandmother loves you two so much." Zhao Tieying added.
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded and ate, a vision of a white-haired old lady looming in his mind.
Two drinks a day, two taels of wine with two taels of meat each time, plus two bowls of rice.
Raised five sons by herself, and tamed four daughters in law to obedience.
Sichuan-Chongqing Tyrannosaurus Rex: First Generation
Zhou Momo, sitting beside, buried her head in her food, oblivious to the world outside, completely absorbed in her plate of food, her hands and face slick with grease.
Watching her eat was such a delight.
"Next time, when the weather's nice, let Momo eat breakfast and lunch right outside. Just the way she eats, who wouldn't want to come in and try what the food?" Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"I think it'll work. Those girls really like her. She's sweet-talking and good at chatting. She's even better at attracting customers than I am." Zhao Tieying smiled fondly at Zhou Momo.
"By the way, today we sold 100 servings of noodles, 69 servings of Cross-legged Beef, and 52 bowls of rice, bringing our sales to 106.60 yuan. We've successfully broken the 100 mark." Zhou Yan said.
"One hundred!" Zhao Tieying was a bit stunned.
Over a hundred!
Over a hundred yuan!
Their restaurant was really doing well.
This hundred yuan was more than half of the profit. After three months of operation, they could finally see a return on their earnings.
"This is just the beginning! From now on, we won't just make a hundred yuan! We'll make a thousand! Ten thousand!" Zhou Yan smiled, holding up the soup bowl. "Here, a bowl of Cross-legged Beef jerky for our successful opening!"
"Cheers!" Zhao Tieying's eyes sparkled, her face beaming with energy.
"Cheer." Zhou Miao raised his bowl.
"Cheers!" Zhou Momo raised her bowl with both hands.
The four bowls clinked gently.
Everyone's face was filled with smiles.