Zhou Yan came back late today, just as the factory was closing time. He'd been busy all day and hadn't had dinner yet.
The little one was really looking forward to the banquet meal, refusing any rice offered to her.
"Alright, let's see if there's any rice left when we get back." Zhou Yan said with a smile, pulling a brightly wrapped orange-flavored hard candy from his pocket. He unwrapped it and held it to Zhou Momo's lips. "Have a candy to tide you over.
"Aww!" Zhou Momo opened her mouth wide and took the candy in one bite, immediately beaming. Her eyes crinkled as she mumbled, "So sweet! Thank you, Guo Guo."
Aunt Zhao filled a lunch box with leftover rice, carried it in a mesh bag, and put it along with three pairs of shoes in the basket hanging on the back of the bicycle.
Zhou Yan slung his cloth bag over his shoulder, containing all his belongings, and pushed his bicycle out the door.
After locking the door, Aunt Zhao looked at Zhou Momo and asked, "Do you want to sit in the back basket or the front bar?"
"Sit in front! I want to chat with Guo Guo!" Zhou Momo leaned closer to Zhou Yan.
"Come on." Zhou Yan bent down, lifted her up, and placed her on the front bar.
The little one expertly grabbed the handle and happily shouted, "Let's go! Let's go!"
Zhou Yan pedaled his bicycle along the riverbank, riding towards the setting sun.
The sky was ablaze with crimson clouds, merging seamlessly with the river—a breathtaking sight.
"Look, Guo Guo! It's Sister Yaoyao's painting!" Zhou Momo pointed to the sunset and exclaimed in surprise, her big eyes sparkling.
"Yes, she probably saw it too." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
…
At that moment, a girl sitting by the window in room 302 of the Sichuan University girls' dormitory, gazing blankly at the sunset, sneezed.
"Yaoyao, are you cold? Put on a coat; it's a bit chilly after sunset." Deng Hong's concerned voice came from behind.
"No, I just suddenly sneezed." Xia Yao said with a smile, pulling her thoughts back from the horizon, her pencil scribbling a few lines on the paper.
"Has Zhou Yan not replied to your letter yet?" Deng Hong asked, leaning closer with a gossipy look.
Zhu Yuyu, who was braiding her hair, stopped and turned to look at her with concern.
"Letters don't arrive that quickly; I don't even know if he's received it." Xia Yao said with a smile. "Besides, he's so busy; he'll probably only reply when he has time."
"That's true. The mountains are high and the roads are long; even a letter would take many days to arrive." Deng Hong nodded.
"Deng Hong! Deng Hong—"
A drawn-out voice sounded from outside the window.
Deng Hong's eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed to the window to look down.
Ma Xingye was holding three thermos flasks above his head, grinning at her: "I've brought you all hot water."
"Okay! I'll come down right away!" Deng Hong replied, her face beaming. She turned to the two of them and said, "I'll go get the thermos flasks for you both."
"We'll go get them; it won't stop you both from holding hands and strolling around the field." Zhu Yuyu and Xia Yao said with giggles.
"What? We weren't holding hands…" Deng Hong blushed, shyly saying.
The girls' dormitory is a ten minutes walk from the cafeteria, and hot water isn't always available. These days, thanks to Deng Hong's newfound romance, they've saved a lot of trouble getting hot water.
Ma Xingye went from being the captain of the university basketball team to becoming a well-known warm-hearted guy in the girls' dormitory of the Academy of Fine Arts, a super warm-hearted guy who carried three thermos flasks at a time.
...
A group of middle-aged women were still sitting under the trees at the entrance of Zhou Village, chatting away.
Today, their main topic of discussion was the Zhou family, who were preparing for a large banquet. Sitting under the tree, they could see the steaming bamboo steamers at the entrance of the Zhou family's house, stacked layer upon layer, higher than a person, with four in a row, quite impressive.
"When Zhou Laoer (Zhou Yan's Second Uncle) is welcoming his daughter in law, this is quite a show! I heard that the original village chef, Liu Lao Ba, broke his hand, so he went and hired two more chefs, one is the head chef of the textile factory, and the other is the head chef of Rongcheng Restaurant."
"Their connections are definitely extraordinary. They managed to hire such top notch chefs at the last minute! I heard that the head chef was hired by Zhou Yan, supposedly his mentor."
"Zhou Yan still owes a huge debt. Everyone says his restaurant is doing well, but I haven't seen him pay it off yet. I think he's just bragging."
"Gao Cuihua, don't talk nonsense. I just went to fetch water, and my cousin sister in law told me that Zhou Yan just paid off everyone's debts today. He's completely debt-free now. You just need to worry about your Zhou Liangliang."
A hush fell over the area under the tree, and the expressions of the older women became quite interesting.
"He paid off everything? Didn't he say it was only eight or nine hundred?"
"Exactly! Didn't they say his restaurant business was bad, and it only started to get better in the last two weeks?"
"Running a restaurant is that easy to earn money? Zhou Yan is really capable!"
Gao Cuihua's face darkened upon hearing this. She and Zhao Tieying had always been at odds, arguing countless times when they were younger, but she never won an argument, nor could she beat her in a fight; she was always the one in control.
She was overjoyed when she heard that Zhou Yan had lost money opening a restaurant. She found her son agreeable no matter how she looked at him, at least he hadn't swindled her retirement money.
As it turned out, Zhou Liangliang had been bewitched a few days ago and insisted on setting up a noodle and soup stall outside the textile factory. This ordeal cost him over a hundred yuan, and he even asked her for eighty yuan back, which broke her heart.
Now, hearing that Zhou Yan had made money and paid off all his debts, and thinking of Zhao Tieying's smug look, it was worse than death for her.
Zhou Yan rode his bicycle back to the village entrance. Zhao Tieying glanced at the crowd under the tree, spotted Gao Cuihua, and quickly tugged at Zhou Yan's clothes, whispering, "Ride slower."
"Huh?" Zhou Yan turned his head and saw Aunt Zhao pull two pairs of leather shoes from basket and hold them to her arms. He immediately understood and slowed down.
"Zhou Yan's back! It's been so long since I've seen you."
Someone greeted Zhou Yan.
A sharp-eyed person noticed Zhao Tieying carrying two oil paper bags and casually asked, "What treasures is Tieying carrying?"
Zhao Tieying sighed and said, "Zhou Yan bought a pair of leather shoes for me and my husband. They're a Shanghai brand, soft and breathable, very comfortable. This kid isn't frugal at all; he spends every penny he earns."
As she spoke, Aunt Zhao took the women's shoes out of the bag and waved them around. The gleaming gold buckles were still eye-catching even in the evening.
The old women under the tree had their eyes light up. Leather shoes! Gold buckles! The style is really beautiful!
There wasn't a trace of disdain, just pure boasting.
Gao Cuihua, sitting to the side, was so angry her nose was crooked, and she turned her face away, refusing to look.
Zhao Tieying took in everyone's reactions, her smile almost reaching her ears, and tugged at Zhou Yan's clothes again.
"Aunties, we'll head back now, we still need to help out at my second uncle's place." Zhou Yan said with a smile, hopping on his bicycle and riding away.
"Goodbye, aunties!" Zhou Momo waved her little hand at them.
After the bicycle had ridden away, Zhao Tieying put her shoes back in oil paper bag, laughing heartily.
Today was truly a day to hold her head high!
So satisfying!
Especially seeing Gao Cuihua's dark face, her nose practically twisted with anger, made her feel even more refreshed.
All the pent up frustration from the past few days was released in one go!
Zhou Yan also smiled; making Aunt Zhao happy made him happy too.
"Mommy, what are you laughing at?" Zhou Momo asked curiously.
"Mommy is happy, life is so good, getting better everyday." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, tilting her head back and holding back the tears welling up in her eyes.
She's supposed to be an iron lady, why is she so easily moved to tears today? How embarrassing!
"Tieying is so lucky! She's even wearing leather shoes!"
"I saw them at the department store, a pair costs over twenty yuan! He buy two pairs at a time!"
"Zhou Yan is such a filial son, willing to spend money on his parents. Tieying and Laosi wouldn't dare buy leather shoes for themselves."
Under the tree, the crowd started chatting again, their words filled with envy for Zhao Tieying and praise for Zhou Yan.
"A pair of leather shoes, what's so special about that?" Gao Cuihua scoffed, getting up and walking home, already planning to call her son and daughter in law over that evening for a lecture, telling them to buy her a pair of leather shoes too!
"Like a pickle jar farting—the sour smell fills the air!" an aunt commented sharply after she was a distance away.
A burst of laughter erupted under the tree, the atmosphere becoming harmonious and cheerful again.
The 28-inch bicycle stopped in front of Second Uncle's house door.
The people who came to help today filled four tables and were having dinner when they saw Zhou Yan and his group arrive. A whole bunch of them stood up abruptly.
Zhou Yan first lifted Zhou Momo and put her on the ground.
Zhou Momo looked at the group, who were already halfway through their meal, pouted, and said a little aggrievedly, "You all...didn't you all wait for me? I haven't even eaten yet."
"Oh, Momo, we didn't know you were coming so late! I saved you a bowl of meat-filled glutinous rice balls."
"Come, come, First Uncle has some candy here, specially saved for you."
"Guo Guo has some oranges here, very sweet."
"Momo is so cute, your little braids are so pretty today."
"Your chubby cheeks, they look like perfectly risen steamed buns when pinch them."
Uncle, aunt, brother, and sisters in law swarmed around, some offering candy, others oranges.
Zhou Momo's pockets were full. She pulled up her clothes with her little hands, revealing pockets overflowing with wedding candy, sunflower seeds, and oranges. In her sweet, childish voice, she cried, "Enough! Enough! It's full!"
Zhou Yan smiled beside her. Was this the charm of being the darling of the family?
Zhou Momo was truly blessed.
Zhou Momo, carrying a full pocket of snacks and candies, smiled so broadly her eyes almost disappeared. She politely nodded to everyone, "Thank you everyone, and congratulations on your marriage! May you all have a baby soon!"
Everyone laughed after hearing that.
"You should say that to your brother Hao; he's the groom." Zhao Tieying said with a helpless smile. She'd spent the whole afternoon teaching her how to say auspicious words to the bride and groom tomorrow, and now she was eager to use them tonight.
Zhou Yan greeted everyone and then went to his master's table.
Zheng Qiang and Xiao Lei sat together, having drunk some alcohol. He was clearly a little tipsy. Zheng Qiang pulled Xiao Lei aside and started chatting: "Brother Xiao, your cooking skills are truly amazing! You're so thorough and organized; I need to learn from you. But my master is also incredibly skilled, a national first level chef. I think you're a bit like him, which is why I hit it off with you at first sight..."
"Come on, Master Zheng, let's have a toast to our instant connection at first sight." Xiao Lei smiled and raised his glass to clink with his.
"Cheers...cheers." Zheng Qiang picked up his glass, tilted his head back, and downed the alcohol in it. He swayed slightly and then slumped onto the table.
Zhou Yan had just arrived when he saw Zheng Qiang drunk and slumped on the table, his expression a bit strange. He whispered, "Master, did you get Master Zheng drunk? Isn't he supposed to get up early to work tomorrow?"
"What make him drunk! He poured himself one liang of liquor, drank it, and then collapsed here. That's called 'faking it'." Xiao Lei said with a smile, shaking his head. "Just ask your brother to get him to sleep. With this little bit of alcohol, he can wake up at whatever time he needs tomorrow morning, no problem."