Huang Ying's table and Duan Yuyan's table next door were eating so deliciously that the guests who were initially hesitant started ordering food one after another.
Mapo Tofu with rice – whoever came up with this way of eating is a genius!
Just looking at it makes them imagine how delicious it smells.
Orders are being delivered to the kitchen.
Eighty cents a serving—worth a try.
"Sorry, we're sold out of Mapo Tofu. We only prepared twenty servings for today. Please order again tomorrow." A short while later, Aunt Zhao took down the Mapo Tofu sign, hung it in the sold out section, and smiled as she spoke to the customers who were ordering Mapo Tofu.
"Sold out already?"
"It's only noon!"
"Aunt Zhao, could you please accept my order? I really want to eat Mapo Tofu."
The guests immediately groaned, their mouths watering as they looked at the white and red Mapo Tofu on the table next to them.
"We use Xiba tofu. We sold out today and there's nowhere to restock. We'll prepare more tomorrow." Zhao Tieying explained with a smile. "Be good and order other dishes today, and come back for Mapo Tofu tomorrow."
Hearing this, the guests had no choice but to give up.
But each of them secretly resolved to come early tomorrow and order a serving of Mapo Tofu.
Duan Yuyan doesn't usually like to eat rice, but today she ate two bowls of rice with Mapo Tofu.
She finally understood the meaning of "rice accompanying dish" today.
It was far more appetizing than twice-cooked pork, and she was stuffed.
They had almost finished eating when Yan Fei came in to eat the leftovers.
Grandma Qiu wanted to order him another dish, but he refused.
Yan Fei scooped a spoonful of Mapo Tofu onto the rice and said with a smile, "Mrs. Qiu, this is enough for me. These are all good dishes to eat with rice."
There was also a bowl of Cross-legged Beef that was almost untouched, only the beef of the soup was eaten.
Clearly, this must still be Miss Duan's doing.
It's a good thing she didn't order six bowls to eat beef hot pot today.
Yan Fei ate very quickly, devouring two bowls of rice in a flash, finishing off the remaining dishes as well, and then gulping down the soup from the Cross-legged Beef.
"Tsk, look at the capitalists' attitude. The driver doesn't even get to eat with them, he gets leftovers."
"Exactly! They have no respect for working people!"
"Come on, I was hoping to have Braised Beef, Braised Pork Ribs, Cross-legged Beef, and Mapo Tofu in one meal. Look how elegant and well-mannered they are when they eat. They even left a corner of their food untouched."
"That's right, the driver was quite satisfied with the meal, but you're not happy about it."
The other guests whispered among themselves, some indignant, others teasing.
Yan Fei put down his bowl and let out a satisfied sigh.
This Mapo Tofu is so fragrant! The braised beef is also amazing!
Finally, he finished off with a bowl of Cross-legged Beef, which warmed him up completely.
It must be said, Zhou Yan's cooking skills are truly excellent, each dish on the table has its own unique flavor, and there's not a single flaw to be found.
It's far better than what they had at Feiyan Restaurant.
He even seriously considered bringing his wife and children for a meal after Miss Duan returned to Hong Kong next month.
As for the gossip, Yan Fei didn't care at all.
If they knew he earned 850 a month, they'd probably be green with envy.
Miss Duan always ordered a whole table of food, but she and Mrs. Qiu never ate much, and they were very particular about their food, always leaving him whole, never mushy.
After he finished eating, Duan Yuyan got up to pay the bill.
Grandma Qiu and Grandpa Wang also went out the door.
"Sister Yuyan, are you leaving?" Zhou Momo ran over, having already taken off her leather jacket but still wearing her burgundy hat, and looked up at Duan Yuyan as she spoke.
"Yes, I'm full. I'm going home now." Duan Yuyan smiled and squatted down, reaching out to pinch the little one's chubby cheeks. "Do you want to come to Jiazhou with me for a couple of days? I'll bring you back later."
"Are we going by car?" Zhou Momo asked, looking at the car parked to the side.
"Yes, if you like riding in cars, I'll take you for a drive everyday." Duan Yuyan said with a smile.
The little one thought about it seriously for a moment, then shook her head: "No, Mommy said I can't just stay at other people's houses."
Duan Yuyan and Grandma Qiu both laughed upon hearing this.
"Alright, then I'll come visit you again in a couple of days." Duan Yuyan said, giving her a hug. "Quick, give me another kiss!"
"Mua!" Zhou Momo pecked her cheek. "Goodbye, Fragrant Sister."
"Goodbye, Momo baby." Duan Yuyan also kissed her, smiling sweetly.
Huang Bing was paying the bill with Huang Ying, watching this scene, and couldn't help but envy Zhou Momo.
His goddess, whom he couldn't even speak to, was being hugged and kissed by Zhou Momo!
It was truly enviable.
Being cute means you can do whatever you want.
"Look at his sister." Huang Bing couldn't help but mutter under his breath.
"Why don't you look at her brother? He's tall and handsome, cooks so well, speaks so sweetly, has beautiful handwriting, and is incredibly good to his sister. Pretty girls are always around him." Huang Ying rolled her eyes at him and continued:
"I have photos at home. I was just as cute as her when I was little. Even Grandma Qiu loved to hug and kiss me."
Huang Bing opened his mouth, only to find himself unable to refute.
Comparing people is so frustrating!
Before they entered, Miss Duan and Zhou Yan were indeed chatting animatedly, seemingly quite familiar with each other.
He should have known better than to say that.
Duan Yuyan looked at the two elders and suggested, "We've eaten so much! Grandma, why don't we stroll along the river to the library? I'd like to borrow a few books to take back and read, and ask Grandpa Wang for some recommendations."
Grandma Qiu nodded, "That's fine too."
Grandpa Wang naturally had no objections, and he pushed his bicycle along with Grandma Qiu, strolling slowly along the riverbank.
"Brother Fei, drive to the town library and wait for us. We'll walk there." Duan Yuyan said to Yan Fei, then followed a few steps behind the two elderly people.
Yan Fei dared not leave Miss Duan and Old Mrs. Qiu alone, especially since Miss Duan was wearing sparkling jewelry. If that blind scoundrel was to target her, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
He glanced at Huang Bing with a hint of warning, got into the car, and followed the three at a distance.
"He just glared at me again? Do I really not look like a good person?" Huang Bing pushed the bicycle out, somewhat annoyed.
"I really don't see any characteristics of a good person in you." Huang Ying nodded in deep agreement.
"It's nothing, he's just a driver." Huang Bing said nonchalantly, watching Duan Yuyan's departing figure with confidence, "I believe I'll be able to speak with Miss Duan soon. She gave me quite a few looks today!"
"Tsk, people usually go to the zoo to see two kinds of things: good-looking ones and funny-looking ones, like monkeys with red bottoms."
"You... what do you mean?" Huang Bing glared at her.
Huang Ying looked at him and said, "Do you remember what the fortune teller said to you when we went to worship Buddha at the beginning of the year?"
"I remember. The fortune teller said I would be troubled by love this year." Huang Bing said with a sigh, "See, love has come to me."
"I used to think it was love, just like how I thought you were going to be trapped by Bao Gu Xue this year." Huang Ying said earnestly, "But I only realized today that it was all just wishful thinking on your part."
"Huh?" Huang Bing paused, then, watching Huang Ying ride off on her bicycle, suddenly understood. He gritted his teeth and said, "Huang Ying! You stop right there!"
...
"Customers are very enthusiastic about ordering Mapo Tofu. I think we could sell even if we added twenty more servings." After closing at noon, Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Yan, who had taken off his apron and came out of the kitchen, and said.
"At first, everyone wants to try it out, but adding twenty servings means adding twenty jin. I don't know if Laifu and his grandmother can handle it." Zhou Yan said with a smile, also quite satisfied with the debut of Mapo Tofu.
This tofu was all made from soybean milk ground by Laifu by hand, and its production capacity depended entirely on his physical strength.
He was too thin. Even with great stamina, making tofu, dried tofu, and helping with making dried bean curd sticks was too much work, and his production capacity was ultimately limited.
If asked for the optimal solution, Zhou Yan felt they should try to buy a mule [1]and restart the big millstone in the corner of the yard.
The most tedious and physically demanding step of grinding soybeans can be done by freeing up your hands, and the speed of grinding soybeans can be greatly increased, so production capacity is expected to increase rapidly as well.
Zhou Yan estimated that they could buy a donkey that cost three hundred yuan each before the Chinese New Year.
Then, the donkey could not only pull the millstone, but also be harnessed to a cart and used to deliver tofu.
Back then, Laifu's father used to deliver tofu everywhere by donkey cart.
Zhou Yan will definitely help oversee this.
With the donkey cart, even if he moves the restaurant to Jiazhou in the future, Laifu can still deliver tofu to him everyday.
This is a core ingredient supplier.
"Whether or not they can do it is your great-aunt's business. You should make your request first, and they will naturally find a way. To put it bluntly, making tofu requires far fewer steps than making dried tofu, and the profit is the same, so they will definitely prefer to make more tofu to sell." Zhao Tieying said.
"Okay, I'll go to Shangshui Village later." Zhou Yan nodded.
Zhao Tieying smiled and said, "Okay, I'll go back to the village with your father and talk to everyone about the meal."
"Mommy, I want to go back to the village to play too!" Zhou Momo leaned over, looking up with expectant eyes. "I haven't played with Huahua and Dabai in so long, they must miss me too."
"Okay, I'll take you back too." Zhao Tieying reached out and flicked her nose.
"Fourth Aunt, you three go ahead, I'll wash the rest of the dishes, so you won't be late when you get back." Zhao Hong offered.
"Alright, Zhao Hong, thank you for your trouble." Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile, then called to Zhou Miao, "Go upstairs and change your clothes. Go back early, before everyone else takes a nap or goes out."
Zhao Tieying carried Zhou Momo upstairs as well.
When the three of them came downstairs, they were all refreshed, dressed in new clothes.
Comrade Zhou was wearing a Zhongshan suit, suit trousers, and a pair of well-maintained, shiny leather shoes. He also wore a Shanghai brand watch.
Aunt Zhao was wearing a floral shirt with a red knitted cardigan over it. Her hair was tied up, revealing both ears. Her gold earrings were sparkling, and she was wearing the same leather shoes that Zhou Yan had bought for her.
Zhou Momo changed into a thin sweater underneath, and wore the brown leather jacket that Duan Yuyan had given her today. She also wore a burgundy hat. Aunt Zhao actually learned and applied the style to Zhou Momo's outfit.
"Do you think we look good dressed like this?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan.
"Yes, it looks like we've made money in town." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
"That's exactly the effect I wanted." Aunt Zhao was quite satisfied with Zhou Yan's assessment and turned to pick up the magazine standing on the wall.
"Mom, should I get you a bag?" Zhou Yan asked.
"Why take a bag? It looks more natural when you hold it in your hand." Aunt Zhao shook her head, saying seriously, "Taking it out of a bag is too deliberate. Holding it in your hand is different, everyone can see it."
See? That's the experience of the older generation of artists.
Looking at Aunt Zhao's upturned lips, Zhou Yan realized that he couldn't help but laugh just thinking about what she would do when she returned to the village.
Comrade Old Zhou drove Aunt Zhao and Zhou Momo away. Zhou Yan put some money in his pocket, packed three liang of pig's head meat and half a jin of braised vegetables, pushed his bicycle out the door, and headed towards Shangshui Village.
As soon as he turned into the alley, he smelled the aroma of soy milk.
Zhou Yan parked the bicycle outside the courtyard gate and knocked.
A moment later, the gate opened, and Laifu, standing inside, smiled and welcomed Zhou Yan inside.
"Zhou Yan, you're here." Grandma Sun was still sitting in the courtyard making dried bean curd sticks. She looked up at him and smiled.
"Great-aunt, are your eyes and legs feeling better?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile, handing the braised meat and vegetables in his hand to Laifu standing beside her. "I brought you three liang of pig's head meat and some braised vegetables for dinner."
"My eyes feel much better. After my cousin Zhengping gave me acupuncture, my legs are also much better and don't hurt as much as before. I finally got a good night's sleep last night." Grandma Sun said a little embarrassedly, "Aiya, you're always so kind to me when you come. Why do you bring me anything? Money does not fall into emptiness, and I don't have anything to give in return."
"It's good that it's better, which means it's working. I brought some of the homemade braised food for you to try." Zhou Yan said with a smile. He noticed that Grandma Sun's eyes were indeed less red and swollen than yesterday, indicating that the eye drops and anti-inflammatory medicine were quite effective.
Moreover, she probably hasn't cried anymore, which will help her eyes recover.
"Great-aunt, my Mapo Tofu sold very well today. Twenty jin of tofu weren't enough. Can you increase your tofu production?" Zhou Yan stated the purpose of his visit.
"Twenty jin isn't enough to sell?" Grandma Sun was somewhat surprised and asked directly, "How many jin do you want?"
"How about forty jin?"
"Forty jin..." Grandma Sun hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "Sure! I'll have Laifu carry it twice tomorrow, I guarantee it'll be enough for you to sell."
"He doesn't need to make two trips. Just have Laifu carry the tofu to my restaurant. My dad can pick up the dried tofu and dried bean curd sticks when he comes over." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Laifu shouldn't waste his time delivering goods. He should stay home and help you make tofu. Improving his skills is the key."
"You uncles and cousins have taken such good care of him." Grandma Sun said, her voice choked with emotion.
"Great-aunt, this is half the money for the goods Laifu delivered this morning. Please keep it safe." Zhou Yan took out seven yuan and twenty cents from his pocket and handed it to Grandma Sun.
"I told you it was for reimbursement." Grandma Sun didn't reach out.
"It was my oversight. Even if this is used to pay off the debt, I still need to give you the capital to buy beans and leave some money for living expenses." Zhou Yan smiled and stuffed the money into her hand. "I need a lot of tofu and other right now, and you only do business with me. I'll leave you half the money to buy beans and cover your living expenses. That way, you can pay off the debt in about a month. It's a good deal."
"Zhou Yan, do you need the money urgently? It's so much money." Grandma Sun held the money, somewhat embarrassed.
"Don't worry, Great-aunt, I don't need the money urgently." Zhou Yan shook his head. She was also someone who felt particularly anxious when she owed money, just like him.
Grandma Sun asked, "Will you need tofu for tonight's business? We just made two pots of tofu. If you want some, I'll have Laifu make two slabs and deliver them to the restaurant."
Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. "That's fine too."
Two slabs of tofu weigh twenty jin (approximately 10 kg), which is twenty servings of Mapo Tofu. He could earn more than eight yuan that way.
...
Under the big tree at the entrance of Zhou Village.
The women, having just finished lunch, are now sitting and chatting.
Lately, Grandma Zhang's family has provided the most conversation.
"Weiguo is now the Minister of the Armed Forces Department, he's so powerful! Yesterday I went to town on business and passed by the Armed Forces Department, and I saw him instructing the militia in training. Standing there, those militiamen looked like chicks in front of him."
"Weiguo has made something of himself now. I heard that several matchmakers have come to Grandma Zhang's house to ask her to marry him. Before, they looked down on Weiguo because he was disabled and unemployed, but now they see all his good points."
"If a woman marries him, she will become an official's wife. So what if he has a disability? Weiguo used to be a handsome young man in the surrounding villages, not inferior to Zhou Yan now."
"I heard that Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai sell soup pot at the dock, and their business is booming. They sell it for sixty cents a bowl, and they can sell a hundred bowls a day. I wonder how much money they make!"
"They don't call it soup pot, they call it 'Cross-legged Beef,' saying they learned the recipe from Zhou Yan. Everyone who eats it says it's good, and customers are willing to pay extra for their food."
"That family is really doing well thanks to Zhou Yan. I heard his restaurant is doing incredibly well too, with long queues forming outside everyday for his braised meat."
The women gossiped, their faces filled with undisguised envy.
"Tch, I think it's mostly bragging." Gao Cuihua curled her lip. "If Zhou Yan is really that good at making money, why hasn't he come back to repair his house after it collapsed? It's been more than half a month, and no one has even fixed the foundation. It's just lying there in a mess."
"Exactly, there are so many brothers, and none of them have offered to contribute money or labor to rebuild the house. If they can't afford a brick house, they could at least dig up the foundation and rebuild the mud walls." a plump auntie chimed in.
Just then, a bicycle appeared on the village road, slowly making its way up.
"Isn't that Laosi and Tieying?" someone with sharp eyes recognized them immediately.
Everyone craned their necks to look. They had only just started talking about their family when the main character arrived.
"Laosi is wearing a new outfit, and he looks quite presentable."
"What is Momo wearing? It's shiny and reflects light, is it a leather jacket?"
"Look at Tieying's ears, they're truly glittering gold! Could she be wearing a gold earring?"
The crowd whispered among themselves.
Hearing the sound, Gao Cuihua also craned her neck and lifted her bottom off the stone bench. When she saw the golden earrings on Zhao Tieying's ears, she plopped back down on the stone bench, feeling a little uncomfortable.
"Sister Tieying's back!" Li Hongyan, the neighbor's sister in law, greeted her.
Zhou Miao slammed on the brakes, and the bicycle stopped under the big tree.
"Are you all full and just chatting here?" Zhao Tieying sat in the back seat, smiling as she brushed non-existent hair behind her ear, her earrings swaying slightly, glittering with gold.
"You're even wearing such huge gold earrings! You must have struck it rich!" Li Hongyan exclaimed.
"Aiya, Laosi said I don't have any jewelry. Last time we went to the department store, he insisted on buying me a pair of gold earrings, from the Lao Feng Xiang brand." Zhao Tieying said with a smile.
"Laosi is so good to you!"
"Laosi still knows how to cherish his wife, unlike my deadbeat husband who only knows how to gamble all day!"
"My husband is the same. As soon as it gets dark, he drinks three liang of liquor, falls asleep immediately, and doesn't say a word."
The women looked on with envy, and then, through gritted teeth, they harshly criticized their husbands.
"Isn't Laosi wearing a new Shanghai watch? It must cost over a hundred yuan!" Li Hongyan, with her sharp eyes, made another discovery.
All eyes turned to Zhou Miao's wrist.
It really was a shiny new watch, a Shanghai brand.
"It's less than a hundred, the price has dropped, only seventy yuan now." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, "Zhou Yan bought it for his dad, saying that he likes fishing but doesn't know the time, so a watch would be more convenient."
"Even fishing requires a watch? Zhou Yan is both rich and filial." Li Hongyan remarked.
The others nodded in agreement, silently criticizing their sons in their minds.
A seventy yuan watch, bought for fishing!
"Is that a leather jacket Momo is wearing? It looks so stylish." Li Hongyan's gaze shifted to Zhou Momo.
"Hello, Aunt Li." Zhou Momo greeted her politely.
"Yes, Zhou Yan's friend bought it for her from Hong Kong. She said it was some kind of brand, but I don't know. It's genuine leather, and it feels so comfortable to the touch, quite different from a cotton coat." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, "This hat was a gift from his friend too, it's called something like a duckbill cap."
"Brought back from Hong Kong!"
Everyone's eyes widened upon hearing this.
Li Hongyan even leaned in and touched it, exclaiming, "The leather is so soft! It's even softer than the leather jacket I saw at the department store last time that cost over a hundred yuan!"
"It was a gift from Sister Yuyan. She's so pretty." Zhou Momo said.
"How does Zhou Yan know such a beautiful girl from Hong Kong? And why did she bring such a nice leather jacket for Momo?" someone asked curiously.
"Our Zhou Yan is a great cook, handsome, and very capable in both speech and action. Many customers who have eaten his food want to be his friends." Zhao Tieying proudly handed over the magazine in her hand and said with a smile, "Look, his dish is even on the cover of the magazine, and there's an interview inside. I heard that only top level or even master chefs can be featured in this magazine."
"In a magazine?"
"An interview?!"
Everyone stared in disbelief, their eyes fixed on the magazine cover in Zhao Tieying's hand. A bowl of beef soup sat in a blue and white porcelain bowl.
"Isn't this our Zhou Village soup pot?" Li Hongyan exclaimed in surprise.
"It's Zhou Yan's Cross-legged Beef." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, flipping to Zhou Yan's interview. "Look, they even took photo."
Everyone looked closely.
"It really is Zhou Yan!"
"He looks incredibly handsome in the photo!"
"This kid's got potential! He's in a magazine! People who get published are all important figures."
"Tieying, you're so lucky! Your husband loves you, and your son is so successful. You're just so blessed."
"That's right, my lazy son, all he does is lie in bed and sleep all day. He's so lazy, I have to tell him what to do before he'll do anything."
The women under the tree were truly envious this time.
No matter how generous a husband is, it's all the family's money he spends.
But a son who is both capable and filial is what every mother dreams of her whole life.
And look…
Zhao Tieying's dream has come true!
No, sister?
How did you end up living like this?
My own mediocrity is terrible, but my sister's success is even more unsettling.
Gao Cuihua, sitting to the side, had a contorted expression of jealousy.
Zhao Tieying took in everyone's expressions, and couldn't suppress the urge to smile.
"That's enough, we have some things to do back home. Come visit me in town sometime!" Zhao Tieying said with a smile, putting away the magazine.
Zhou Miao immediately pedaled his bicycle back to the village, leaving behind a group of women who were incredibly envious.
"She's so smug! Others got into university, and none of them were as smug as her with their acceptance letters. People who don't know better would think her Zhou Yan got the top score in the imperial examination!" Gao Cuihua spat, her sourness overflowing.
"Zhou Yan's dish made it onto the cover of a magazine, alongside a bunch of top level chefs and master chefs. If someone is good at studying, they're called a literary champion, so he can be considered a culinary champion too!" Li Hongyan laughed.
"Exactly! If my son had that kind of ability, I'd cut two holes in a magazine, stick it on my face everyday, and walk around the village twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening."
"They're all from the Old Zhou family. Their ancestral graves are emitting auspicious smoke, why haven't we benefited?"
The crowd buzzed with discussion, the word "envy" used to describe it to death.
Gao Cuihua clenched and unclenched her fists, then went home through gritted teeth.
[1] It is a hybrid of a horse and a donkey.