"How did I do just now?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile, her arm around Zhou Miao's waist.
Zhou Miao nodded with a smile: "Gao Cuihua's teeth are almost ground to powder. I reckon she'll have to beat up her son and husband when she gets back to vent her anger."
"That's awesome!" Zhao Tieying's smile grew even brighter. "My good son, you've made your mother proud!"
She and Gao Cuihua had been at odds since they were young. When Zhou Yan was fired from the factory canteen and started his own restaurant, Gao Cuihua often spoke ill of her behind her back.
She's a real scoundrel, all smiles and laughter to your face, but gossiping behind your back.
If Gao Cuihua hadn't been here today, she wouldn't have bothered letting Zhou Miao stop that kick.
A woman's revenge lasts from morning till night.
Let her suffer this time!
Upon entering the village, the three got out of the bicycle and went from house to house, informing each family about the Sunday evening gathering and returning the emergency money they had given them last time.
"Fourth brother, Tieying, it's not too late to pay back the money after the Chinese New Year. You've just moved to town, and you still have a lot of expenses to cover." Zhou Ze said to the two of them.
"That's right, we're not in a hurry to use it." said Yang Qiuju, the second sister in law, holding the money in her hand.
"When we went to town, Zhou Yan bought everything and didn't let us spend any money." Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "The money is useless to us, so we might as well pay you back as soon as possible. That's just how I am, I can't sleep soundly at night if I owe money."
Zhou Ze and Yang Qiuju both laughed upon hearing this.
"Second Brother, Zhou Yan's cross-legged beef is on the cover of a magazine, and there's even an interview with him." Zhou Miao said, handing over the magazine.
"Really?!" Zhou Ze's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands on his clothes before carefully taking the magazine. Looking at the bowl of beef soup on the cover, he smiled and said, "It's from our mother's blue and white porcelain bowl! It really is the same Cross-legged Beef that Zhou Yan made, just like the one he taught Zhou Hai and the others to make."
"Zhou Yan is amazing! He's on the cover of a magazine!" Yang Qiuju exclaimed, her face beaming with joy as she leaned over to look.
"Look, there's even an interview." Zhou Miao said, flipping through the magazine.
"This young man! He looks really energetic in the photo!" Zhou Ze grinned as he looked at Zhou Yan's picture.
"He's really handsome." Qiuju nodded.
"Great news! Fantastic news! This is the third person in our family, besides our father and Weiguo, to be featured in a newspaper or magazine!" Zhou Ze nodded repeatedly, smiling as he said, "I'll keep this magazine as a souvenir."
"No way, we only have one copy." Zhou Miao immediately snatched the magazine back from his second brother's hand. "Our eldest and third brothers haven't read it yet, this one is meant to be the restaurant's prized possession."
"You're such a stickler for details." Zhou Ze clicked his tongue.
"When we go to Jiazhou later, we'll buy a few more copies and give one to each family." Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "As for Zhou Jie and Zhou Hao's wife, you two can be responsible for notifying them, okay?"
"Okay." Zhou Ze and Yang Qiuju nodded with smiles.
"Bye bye, Second Uncle, Second Aunt." Zhou Momo waved her little hand at them.
"Good girl, wait a minute." Zhou Ze quickly called out to her, turned around and went inside, then came out again and stuffed a handful of candy into her hand. "Your second aunt brought these back from the city a couple of days ago. Here, have some."
"Thank you, Second Uncle!" Zhou Momo held the candy in her two little hands, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "I wish you good health and happiness everyday."
"Good girl, sure, come again next time, your second uncle will steal your nephew's candy and save it for you." Zhou Ze laughed so hard his eyes disappeared.
This is how they spoiled their only little sister, a few words were enough to make her uncle act like a grandson.
They visited each house, smiles beaming on everyone's faces.
By the time they finished, Zhou Momo's two pockets were full.
Finally, they arrived at the Old Zhou family's old house.
Zhou Momo skipped and hopped through the slightly ajar courtyard gate, calling out, "Grandma! Dabai! Huahua~~"
"This girl." Zhao Tieying shook her head with a smile, picked up a bottle of liquor from the basket and followed her in. She saw Zhou Momo standing head to head with a tabby cat on a stool, while a big white goose spread its wings and gently rubbed its neck against her leg behind her.
The tabby cat closed its eyes, purring softly.
"Huahua, be good." Zhou Momo cuddled with it for a while, then pulled it into her arms and hugged it tightly. She then reached out and stroked the goose's head. "Dabai, you be good too."
Zhou Miao followed them in, and seeing this scene, a smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.
"This goose is only this well-behaved in front of her and our mother." Zhao Tieying chuckled.
"It'll probably avoid you if it sees you." Zhou Miao replied with a laugh.
Zhao Tieying glanced at him sideways: "Are you trying to say that I'm scarier?"
"No no, it's because it knows who's the master of this house." Zhou Miao quickly said.
"That makes sense." Zhao Tieying nodded slightly.
"You've arrived." The old lady came out of the main room carrying a bucket of pig feed.
"Mom, let me do it!" Zhou Miao quickly stepped forward, took the bucket from the old lady, and walked towards the pigpen.
"Grandma!" Zhou Momo looked up at the old lady and called out in her childish voice, rummaging in her pocket and pulling out a handful of candies, handing them over. "Have some candy!"
"One is enough for Grandma." the old lady said with a smile, picking a hard fruit candy from her hand and looking down at her. "Oh dear, our Momo's even wearing her little leather jacket, so stylish!"
"Zhou Yan's friend brought it back for her from Hong Kong." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, glancing around. "Where's Uncle? Isn't he home?"
"After lunch, he went next door to play chess. It was rare to run into someone as bad at chess as him, and he could play against him fairly evenly." The old lady laughed. "Zhou Yan has never been to Rongcheng, yet he knows friends in Hong Kong? Is that person surnamed Duan?"
"Yes." Zhao Tieying nodded, somewhat surprised. "Mom, you know her too?"
"Zhou Yan mentioned her to me last time." the old lady said casually, reaching out to brush the cat hair off Zhou Momo's clothes. "The leather is so soft, it must have been expensive. It just fits too well, she probably won't be able to wear it next year."
"Rich people probably don't need to think about these things." Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "Mom, Zhou Miao and I are planning to invite everyone to our restaurant for dinner this Sunday night. It's like we're moving into our new house and we'd like to celebrate. You and Weiguo and Uncle can come too."
"Sunday evening?" The old lady paused. "I was planning to tell you tomorrow that we're going to Lao Xiao Ding to sweep Zhou Yi's grave on Sunday. That way, we can have dinner together right afterward."
"Okay." Zhao Tieying nodded, and the matter was settled.
...
"Dad! Guess who we ran into at lunch today?" Huang Ying rushed to the front desk of Feiyan Restaurant and asked Huang He.
"Did you run into your uncle?" Huang He asked casually as he was organizing the money in the cabinet.
"No, it's Grandma Qiu." Huang Ying said.
"Which one?" Huang He paused, looking up at Huang Ying somewhat nervously. "You mean Old Mrs. Qiu?"
"Yes." Huang Ying nodded.
Huang Bing added, "It's that old lady who came to eat in the Crown last time, her granddaughter is very pretty."
"Why would they go to Suji to eat?" Huang He lowered his voice. "Did they order any braised dishes?"
"Yes, they did. They ordered braised beef." Huang Ying nodded.
"Oh no..." Huang He put his hand to his forehead, his heart sinking.
If it were any other customer, he would let it go, but he would insist that the braised beef was made by his family and that it just tasted similar.
But Old Mrs. Qiu has been eating braised beef at their Feiyan Restaurant for decades, starting with his father's generation. She orders it almost every time she comes.
He couldn't even imagine how disappointed she would be with Feiyan Restaurant when she tasted the exact same braised beef.
Huang Ying leaned closer and whispered, "Dad, didn't you say you wanted to buy the Qiu family's old house? Today at lunch, we saw Grandma Qiu, Miss Duan, and an old man eating together. From their conversation, it seemed like he was Grandma Qiu's friend. Do you think Grandma Qiu's reluctance to go to Hong Kong might be related to that old man?"
"Is that so?" Huang He perked up immediately upon hearing this.
He was indeed quite interested in the Qiu family's old house, the location was excellent. He had even asked around before, only hearing that Miss Duan had announced her intention to sell, but ultimately, Old Mrs. Qiu had to agree.
The price was around ten thousand yuan.
It wasn't cheap, but considering the location and size, it wasn't too expensive.
"Yingying, why do you think it's related to that old man?" Huang He asked.
"A woman's intuition." Huang Ying said confidently. "That old man's gaze doesn't lie. He looked at Grandma Qiu with such doting affection. It felt like they'd known each other for a long time, but not in a clingy way."
"Really?" Huang Bing looked confused. "I didn't see that."
"You were only looking at her granddaughter. What could you possibly see?" Huang Ying rolled her eyes at him.
"Well… she is indeed beautiful." Huang Bing scratched his head, a little embarrassed.
"Stop your inappropriate thoughts! You're not worthy of Miss Duan at all." Huang He glared at him. "She always has bodyguards when she goes out, just to keep an eye on slobs like you."
"Dad, what's wrong with me?" Huang Bing asked innocently.
Huang He ignored him, looking at Huang Ying with admiration. "Yingying, you have a keen eye. I'll talk to Miss Duan later and see if we can find a breakthrough to buy the Qiu family's old house. If we succeed, I'll give you whatever reward you want."
"She'll definitely want chocolate or a new doll again." Huang Bing said.
Huang Ying said earnestly, "Dad, I want to work at the restaurant so I can take over after you and Mom retire."
"Huh?" Huang He looked at her in surprise, then nodded after thinking for a moment. "Okay, come on over, you can learn by doing."
"No, Huang Ying, you're taking over the restaurant?" Huang Bing was completely bewildered. If he wanted to work hard in the future, what was he supposed to inherit?
Huang Ying looked at him, a slight, disdainful smile on her face.
My foolish brother.
The struggle for the throne has always been like this.
...
Laifu lined the basket on the back of Zhou Yan's bicycle with thick straw, then carefully put the two slabs of freshly made tofu, along with the wooden frame, inside, and lined the sides with straw as well.
"This looks like it has good shock absorption." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
His great-aunt originally wanted Laifu to carry it to the restaurant for him, but Zhou Yan figured if a donkey cart could do it, he could do it on his bicycle too, saving Laifu the trouble of making a round trip that would take another hour.
He's taking twenty jin of tofu now, Laifu'll probably have to work overtime tonight.
"Zhou Yan, even with straw underneath, it's not foolproof. Be careful riding slowly on bumpy roads, if it breaks, you won't be able to cook properly." Grandma Sun's voice came from the courtyard.
"Okay, I'll get off and push the bicycle on the bumpy road." Zhou Yan replied. "Great-aunt, I'll head back now."
"Alright, take your time." Grandma Sun replied.
The path was full of gravel and potholes as Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle forward.
Laifu followed beside him, and only turned back after Zhou Yan had reached the main road and ridden away.
Zhou Yan rode carefully, highly focused, avoiding all potholes, big and small. When he encountered an unavoidable pothole, he dismounted and pushed the bicycle.
Great-aunt was right. Broken tofu makes it difficult to make Mapo Tofu. It's such a waste to waste such good tofu.
Zhou Yan, who usually takes ten minutes to cycle, now wobbled and rode for twenty minutes.
After pushing the bicycle into the restaurant, Zhou Yan immediately took out a slab of tofu from the basket. He lifted the gauze and saw that it was perfectly intact, without a single crack.
"You brought the tofu back yourself?" Comrade Old Zhou and the others had just returned and were somewhat surprised to see a slab of tofu in the basket.
"Where there are many potholes, I get off and push it, when the road is in good condition, I ride it. I half push and half ride, and it didn't break at all." Zhou Yan said with a smile, carrying two slabs of tofu into the kitchen. When he came out, he took the Mapo Tofu sign off the sold out section and hung it back in its original place.
Zhou Miao reached into the thick straw in the basket. "Don't throw this straw away. I'll bring the tofu back with it tomorrow, so Laifu doesn't have to carry it all."
"Okay, forty jin of tofu tomorrow." Zhou Yan replied, agreeing that it was a good idea.
Zhou Yan mentioned buying a donkey to Grandma Sun while waiting for the tofu, and the old lady strongly agreed. She planned to save money to buy another donkey once they paid off his debts.
Before they had a donkey, the three of them could make a maximum of over two hundred jin of tofu a day, which they sold all the way to Jiazhou.
Just as life was getting better and better, a sudden tragedy took her son and daughter in law away, shattering their family.
Fortunately, Laifu was hardworking and eager to learn. With Zhou Yan's help, they got back on track.
Now, Grandma Sun is full of energy, she's even come up with a plan to save up for Laifu's betrothal gifts.
To live, one must have something to strive for.
"Your grandma said the date for your grandpa's grave sweeping has been set for Sunday. We'll go sweep the grave first, and then everyone can come back and have dinner here with us, which will be just right." Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan.
"Sunday, sure." Zhou Yan nodded. It seemed that the guests who planned to have meal together on Sunday were going to be in for another round of groans.
Compared to earning an extra meal on Sunday, going to sweep his grandfather's grave is definitely more important.
For the Old Zhou family, this was arguably the most important event of the year.
Everyone except those who couldn't return from military service was required to attend.
Zhou Yan glanced at the time, then turned and went into the kitchen to begin preparing the dishes.
Now that Duan Yuyan has confirmed that the Qiu family's old house can be sold to him, the transaction can proceed immediately once he saves up the ten thousand yuan.
There's no need to hesitate anymore, he just needs to work hard to earn and save money.
As for the task of expanding his customer base, he still needs to carefully consider how to do it. In Suji Town, besides the textile factory employees, his only potential customers are the post office workers, government employees, and teachers.
"Daddy, I want to eat lotus root, potatoes, and dried tofu~~" Zhou Momo went up to Comrade Old Zhou, who was setting out braised vegetables, and tugged at his clothes, pleading in a childish voice.
"Okay, shall I get you a plate to serve it?" Comrade Old Zhou couldn't resist such an adorable offensive.
Zhou Momo shook her head: "I don't want a plate, I want to eat it with my hands. The older brothers and sisters will be out of school soon, and I want to go play on the seesaw."
This is the time she can sneak in to play everyday when kindergarten and primary school let out, and she's very proactive about it.
"Okay, I'll pack it for you." Comrade Old Zhou took five or six pieces of lotus root, potato, and dried tofu from the bowl, cut them into cubes, put them in an oil paper bag, and handed them to her with a bamboo skewer.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Zhou Momo, holding the oil paper bag, ran happily towards the factory-run kindergarten and primary school.
Comrade Old Zhou took a few steps outside, watching her run all the way to the kindergarten gate, greet the security guard, and enter the gate before finally turning his gaze away with relief.
The little one has a sweet tongue and goes to kindergarten everyday. She's already become quite familiar with the old man at the security office. Although she doesn't attend school yet, but he lets her in to play on the seesaw for a while.
The textile factory is about to close for the day, and the ingredients are almost ready.
[New Customer +1]
[New Customer +1]
…
Just then, a small note popped up in Zhou Yan's eyes.
"Hmm?" Zhou Yan was a little surprised and came out of the kitchen to take a look.
A group of little kids were gathered around the braised food stall by the door, chattering away:
"Boss, we want forty cents' worth of braised vegetables!"
"Lotus root!"
"Potatoes!"
"Dried tofu!"
"Cut it into small pieces too."
The little ones were talking all at once.
Zhou Momo stood to the side, grinning, "Yes, the dried tofu is delicious, but the lotus root is even better!"
Comrade Old Zhou took the money, smiling as he served them lotus root, potatoes, and dried tofu, cutting them into small cubes just like Zhou Momo's.
His hand today was clearly a bit inaccurate, the weight was at least two liang more than the usual forty cents. He packed it into a big bag and even gave them a handful of bamboo skewers.
"Thank you, boss!" The big sister in charge took the food and waved her hand, saying, "Let's go eat over there!"
The seven little ones immediately followed.
Zhou Yan stared in disbelief, the progress bar displaying [8/200].
Zhou Yan: ?
Is this even possible?
"Momo, did you bring these older brothers and sisters back?" Zhou Yan couldn't help but ask Zhou Momo.
Zhou Momo nodded obediently: "I let the older brothers and sisters try some, and they all thought it was delicious. They asked me where I bought it, so I brought them here to buy it. Guo Guo, isn't that a good thing?"
"Great! That's fantastic!" Zhou Yan laughed and lifted her high in the air. "You're an absolute sales genius!"
"It's so much fun!" the little one giggled. "I want to be lifted up high again!"
Zhou Yan played with her for a while before putting her down.
"The eight children chipped in forty cents." Zhou Miao said with a smile.
"We can sell it to them for twenty or thirty cents, just consider it as buying some snacks. You can pack more for them." Zhou Yan said. It doesn't matter if they earn less pocket money from the kids.
Building a reputation might speed up the process of completing the breakthrough plan quest.
Zhou Yan had been troubled by this quest, but Zhou Momo had unexpectedly found a solution for him.
"Okay." Comrade Old Zhou nodded.
The textile factory's closing bell rang, and a stream of bicycles quickly poured out of the gate.
"Mom, the new braised vegetables that Momo's Guo Guo made two days ago were so delicious!"
"The braised dried bean curd sticks smells so good, and the braised lotus root is yummy too. Let's order some today, I want some!"
Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen, one on each side, led Meng Anhe by the hand towards the restaurant, already starting to recommend and plead with her.
Meng Anhe wore a tight black wool sweater and a gray long skirt today, looking as capable and stylish as ever.
She had just returned from Rongcheng at noon, greeted Lin Zhiqiang at the factory, then picked up her two children from school and headed straight to Zhou Erwa Restaurant for dinner.
Lately, she'd been eating at Zhou Yan's restaurant frequently, and her palate had become a bit picky, she always felt the cafeteria food was lacking.
The cafeteria at the architecture institute is famous for its delicious food. The head chef is a second level chef and is especially good at stir-fried dishes.
The saying "It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality" probably means the same thing.
"Let's order some later. I also want to try Zhou Yan's braised vegetarian dishes and see how delicious they are, something you two can't forget." Meng Anhe said with a smile.
"Anhe!" Lin Zhiqiang pushed his bicycle out of the factory gate and waved to the three of them.
"You three go in first and grab a seat. See if they still have Mapo Tofu. If they do, order one serving. I heard Zhou Yan's new Mapo Tofu is really delicious!" Lin Zhiqiang said to Meng Anhe. "I'll go park the bicycle first."
"He can even make Mapo Tofu?" Meng Anhe was a little surprised to hear this. She led the two children into the restaurant.
"Anhe's back." Zhao Tieying greeted Meng Anhe familiarly when she saw her.
"Yes, I came back at noon today." Meng Anhe nodded with a smile, her gaze falling on the menu wall beside her. "Sister Zhao, I'd like a Mapo Tofu, a Braised Pork Ribs, and a Mixed Braised Vegetable Platter…"
"Okay, please have a seat." Zhao Tieying took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote it down.
"Sister Momo! Look what I brought you—a marble!"
"Brother brought you a chocolate."
The Lin brothers, Jingxing and Bingwen, had already run off to play with Zhou Momo, calling her "little sister" so enthusiastically.
"Do they still have Mapo Tofu?" Lin Zhiqiang asked with a smile as he sat down next to Meng Anhe.
"I ordered it." Meng Anhe nodded, smiling at him. "I also ordered you a serving of cross-legged beef."
"To be honest, even if I don't eat cross-legged beef, I'm perfectly fine now." Lin Zhiqiang said confidently as he approached her.
"Then I'll ask Sister Zhao to cancel it for us." Meng Anhe turned around.
Lin Zhiqiang raised his hand and said, "Never mind, you've already ordered it, I'll just have to eat one bowl. The two kids can have some soup too.
Meng Anhe's lips curled up slightly, this man in his thirties was known for his stubbornness.
"Why is there a magazine?" Lin Zhiqiang changed the subject, his gaze falling on the magazine standing on the menu wall.
Zhao Tieying turned around at the sound of his voice and replied with a smile, "Zhou Yan's Cross-legged Beef was on the cover of the magazine, along with an interview. I'm just keeping it here as a memento."
"Zhou Yan was in a magazine?"
Both of them were somewhat surprised to hear this.
"Zhou Yan is that amazing? Let me see!" Lin Zhiqiang got up and picked up the magazine, laughing as he said, "This cover really is 'Cross-legged Beef,' just in a different bowl, I couldn't even tell at a glance."