1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 104 Yao Yao, Did Zhou Yan Confess His Feelings to You? (Second Update!)
Zhou Yan's calligraphy is vigorous and powerful, reflecting his personality.

The three pages, flowing smoothly, start with the persimmons at Grandma's house and go on to interesting stories at the restaurant. The writing is witty and humorous, without being pretentious or pedantic, and flows smoothly and comfortably, giving the feeling of a friend telling a story in a gentle and engaging way.

The last page discusses the confusion and distress she briefly mentioned in her previous letter. Instead of offering empty comfort, he expands on the topic, sharing his understanding of designers and his visions for the future.

His ideas were wildly imaginative and bold, yet seemingly based on some clues.

He said that in the future, advertisements will not only appear on signs and newspapers, but also on television sets, outdoor billboards, trains, and even satellites.

Every product that wants to sell better needs advertising; they will appear everywhere people can see.

How interesting! Satellites can advertise? How did he even come up with this idea?
He also said that advertising will not only be used to promote products in the future, but also to shape brand image. By creating a high-end brand, one can obtain excess profits.

She had heard similar things from Teacher Su, but most factories still don't have much understanding of brand building.

Zhou Yan really understands it, and has even applied it to the promotion of Qiaojiao Beef, which has been praised by Teacher Su.

The students talked about it on the bus back to school. Some students thought that Zhou Yan's cleverness was that of a commoner, which was worth learning but not something to be admired.

Xia Yao disagreed with their statement and argued with them for a few minutes.

This letter today is enough to prove that Zhou Yan is not just clever; he understands advertising design and brand building far better than these soon-to-be-graduated college students.

Xia Yao read the text word by word, carefully pondering the information contained within. It corroborated the knowledge she had acquired over the years and the philosophy of her teachers. The fog that had surrounded her began to dissipate, and the direction she was heading seemed to be becoming clearer.

Zhou Yan's perspective was incredibly insightful, and his answer addressed her concerns, like a ray of light guiding her.

Since advertising is so important, it's definitely the right thing for her to stick to advertising design.

Brand building is still a relatively vague concept. If she can gain a first-mover advantage, she may be able to seize some opportunities of the times.

As Zhou Yan said, televisions are expensive, but they are rapidly becoming more widespread, and the production capacity of brands such as Changhong and Panda is constantly expanding.

A television program's audience is often not limited to just one household, and television advertising has begun to emerge.

Xia Yao felt a surge of excitement, as if a magnificent golden age was unfolding before her.

Upon seeing the last line of small print, a look of surprise appeared on her face, and she turned to the next page.

The drawing paper, cut from a calendar, had a charcoal drawing on the back side. It was folded several times and went through many twists and turns on its way to being mailed, so only a rough outline could be seen.

A small courtyard, a little girl, a cat, and a big goose.

Xia Yao stared intently at the lamp for a long time, and finally, relying on her imagination, she completed the painting in her mind.

Momo is so cute!

She could even picture herself holding a piece of charcoal and drawing on paper.

It's quite talented that a three-and-a-half-year-old girl can create such a drawing with charcoal.

Xia Yao took a pencil from the pen holder and filled in the drawing by following the outline.

In the vibrant rural courtyard, even the geese appear majestic in the little girl's eyes, and the cat looks like a little tiger.

Xia Yao stared at it for a while, then smiled and tucked the painting into a sketchbook, so that even if all the charcoal powder fell off, the painting wouldn't disappear.

She read the letter again, carefully folded it, put it back in the envelope, and solemnly placed it in the innermost part of the drawer.

The two heads had been hanging over the edge of the bed for quite a while, and finally couldn't help but speak:
"Yaoyao, is this the letter Zhou Yan wrote to you?"

"What did you write? Did you confess your feelings?"

Xia Yao glanced back at them and said with a smile, "Don't talk nonsense, our friendship is purely platonic! We only talk about life and studies, and there's no romantic feeling involved."

"I don't believe someone can laugh so happily while talking about studying!" Deng Hong said with a smile, "Unless you bring me the letter for me to critique!"

"I don't believe it either!" Zhu Yuyu nodded in agreement. "Let's criticize it together!"

“That won’t do, that would be disrespectful to him.” Xia Yao immediately locked the drawer and looked at Deng Hong with a smile, “I never said I would criticize the love letters Ma Xingye wrote to you.”

“That’s true.” Deng Hong nodded, then thought for a moment and widened her eyes, saying, “Wait a minute! Every time I receive a love letter, I always read it to you with deep emotion right away!”

"That was something you recited on your own initiative." Xia Yao smiled, turned off the lamp, and climbed into her own bed.

"Tell Ma Xingye not to write such cheesy stuff next time; it gives me goosebumps," Zhu Yuyu agreed.

"You don't understand..."

……

Zhou Yan lay on a single bed made up of eight long benches, covered with the new six-pound quilt. He understood what it felt like to be cared for and loved.

His mother insisted on giving him the new quilt to use as a blanket, and the old quilt to use as a mattress pad.

Under the terrifying threat of the Shu Road Mountains, Zhou Yan had no choice but to submit.

New quilts are different!

It's soft, warm, and so comfortable to cover up with!
I closed my eyes and fell asleep instantly.

Upstairs, Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

"Can't sleep?" Zhou Miao hugged Zhao Tieying from behind and asked softly.

“I’ve been sleeping at home for so many years, so I might be a bit picky about beds.” Zhao Tieying snuggled closer to him, then couldn’t help but laugh: “This kid is really generous. He dares to buy an eight-pound quilt. When we got married, we only had a six-pound one.”

Zhou Miao laughed along, "If I had known this new quilt was so comfortable, I should have gotten you a new one a long time ago. Zhou Yan is right, we spend eight or nine hours a day in bed, so we should make sure we get a good night's sleep."

“Zhou Sanshui, I’m warning you, don’t let your son’s extravagant spending habits lead you astray! A quilt costs more than twenty yuan, what family can afford to replace it so often?” Zhao Tieying turned around and stared at Zhou Miao in the darkness. “We can sleep on this quilt for at least ten years. We can just take it out and fluff it every winter.”

“Okay.” Zhou Miao nodded vigorously.

"Has anyone asked you to slaughter a cow tomorrow?"

No.

"Then you can get up a little later and go buy meat and vegetables with Zhou Yan when it's light. I won't go; I'll let Momo get a good night's sleep," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, her tone relaxed.

"You just sleep well, I'll wash the offal, and I'll call you for breakfast." Zhou Miao nodded.

"Sanshui, you're so good to me." Zhao Tieying reached out and touched his face, then leaned in and kissed him.

"Go to sleep." Zhou Miao hugged her, making her so happy that her white teeth were quite noticeable in the darkness.

……

"Zhiqiang, you're amazing..."

Meng Anhe lay on top of Lin Zhiqiang, her face flushed, her breath coming in soft gasps, and her voice trembling slightly at the end: "Those recent beef stew meals weren't for nothing~"

Lin Zhiqiang gently stroked her beautiful back and smiled confidently: "It was just a normal performance. I've been running with Xiao Zhou every day recently, and I've regained some of my former glory."

"That's great, keep it up. I'll bring you a pair of Warrior running shoes from Chengdu later; they say they're comfortable for running in." Meng Anhe said with a smile, offering her full support.

"Okay." Lin Zhiqiang lit a cigarette, exhaled a smoke ring, and casually asked, "Has Yaoyao written to you recently?"

“I just received it yesterday. She said she’s about to graduate and is a bit confused about her future career choices.” Meng Anhe turned over, rested her head on his arm, and pulled the blanket over herself. “I don’t know much about advertising design either, so I plan to ask someone before replying to her.”

"This child is so stubborn. She won an award for her ink painting in high school. If she chooses the China Academy of Art for the college entrance examination, her mother will pave the way for her. Whether she stays at the school as a teacher or becomes a painter and holds exhibitions, it will all be a natural outcome."

Even if she chooses architectural design and works with you after graduation, she'll start in a design institute, without having to endure any hardship. With her talent, her future achievements will undoubtedly be substantial.

In the end, he secretly enrolled in the Arts and Crafts Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, majoring in interior design, without telling anyone. Lin Zhiqiang shook his head with a smile: "However, in this respect, you're exactly the same as me. Back then, when you chose architectural design, didn't that infuriate your dad?"

“Everyone has to have some ambition and pursuits.” Meng Anhe raised the corner of her mouth. “My dad is a master of ink painting and calligraphy, and my sister is a genius of ink painting. If I were to follow along and learn ink painting, I wouldn’t even be able to overcome the two mountains in my family. That would be too boring.”

“Yaoyao looks quiet, but she’s more ambitious than I was back then.”

"It's perfectly normal to feel lost when you're young. As long as someone gives you some guidance and helps you find your direction, you can soar to great heights."

After listening, Lin Zhiqiang silently took a few puffs of his cigarette, then sighed with some distress and said, "If you put it that way, I don't think Zhou Yan and she have much of a chance."

“Xia Yao is a person with her own opinions. Once she has more experience in the workforce, she will know what kind of person she should choose as her husband to spend her life with.” Meng Anhe rolled her eyes at him and laughed, “Don’t try to play matchmaker. If my sister and brother-in-law find out, they’ll take the train to Suzhou the next day to deal with you.”

"I'm not afraid of anything else, as long as you don't take me to eat West Lake Fish in Vinegar Sauce next time I visit relatives in Hangzhou."

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Master Zhou and Master Zhou went out early to buy groceries.

Two old-fashioned bicycles can carry more cargo.

Zhou Yan was in charge of selecting the meat and paying for it, while Lao Zhou was in charge of moving and packing the meat; they worked together well.

Zhou Miao has been slaughtering cattle for over twenty years, and he can tell the quality of beef at a glance.

The meat Zhou Yan selected was all top-quality.

The cow his uncle bought today was an old cow that couldn't work anymore. After it was slaughtered, it would be hard for an outsider to tell. But Zhou Yan only glanced at it from afar before going to his second uncle's place to buy a hanging dragon (a type of ox). He didn't even go there.

"How could you tell that your uncle's ox wasn't good?" Zhou Miao asked curiously after leaving Zhoucun.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)