1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 136 Isn't this just a capitalist's heiress? Hmph! (6k-page compilation)

"Grandpa's favorite is braised pig's head?" Duan Yuyan asked thoughtfully, looking at the old lady. "Then Grandma, your favorite is braised beef?"

Grandma Qiu looked out the window in silence for a while, then smiled meaningfully and said, "Perhaps."

Duan Yuyan quietly looked at the old lady's profile, thinking to herself: At this moment, she must be reminiscing about some things from the past, right?
But my grandma is really beautiful; even at seventy, she's still a beauty.

Grandpa is so lucky.

The dishes they ordered started arriving one after another.

Duan Yuyan really enjoys eating at Feiyan Restaurant. The food is delicious, the presentation is exquisite, and the environment is nice, making it a comfortable place to eat.

As the dishes were served one after another, she kept her eyes fixed on the braised pig's head.

The braised pig's head meat, cut into pieces the thickness of a coin, is bright red in color. After being soaked in the braising liquid, it looks like amber, glistening with oil. It is arranged around the plate and piled up in the middle, looking quite beautiful and tempting.

"This braised pig's head is presented quite exquisitely. It looks a bit different from the braised pig's head I've seen before," Duan Yuyan said with some surprise.

"The meat looks about the same, but the chef's knife skills and plating are much better than the previous one," Grandma Qiu said with a smile. She picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of pig's head meat, carefully examined its texture and color, and then put it in her mouth and chewed it slowly.

Duan Yuyan hesitated for a moment, then picked up her chopsticks and took a piece of braised pig's head. She turned it over and over, examining it for a while, mentally preparing herself.

Before coming to Sichuan, she would never have eaten these things, such as pig's head, pig's ears, and pig's tail... In her opinion, they were all terrible foods.

In Hong Kong, she ate mostly Western food.

Her father loved Sichuan cuisine, and the family even hired a Sichuan cuisine chef. That chef had a strong palate, with a heavy emphasis on numbing and spicy flavors. He would even add Sichuan peppercorns when stir-frying bok choy. The Sichuan peppercorns hidden in the leafy greens were like assassins, and they made her cry several times when she was little.

So most of the time she chooses to eat steak or light-flavored Cantonese cuisine.

She doesn't like fatty meat, and when she eats twice-cooked pork, she only eats a little bit of lean meat. However, this way of eating doesn't look very good, so she doesn't even touch it when she's out.

Pig's head meat is a typical example of meat that is half lean and half fat.

However, after being soaked in the braising liquid, the originally greasy fat of this piece of braised pig's head turned amber, making it look less greasy.

If you bring it closer, you can smell a faint aroma of braised meat, which is... tempting.

"Just one piece! Let's see what Grandpa's favorite braised pig's head tastes like back then." Duan Yuyan said to herself as she put the braised pig's head into her mouth.

It's not as greasy as I imagined. When you bite into it, it has a soft and chewy texture. After a few chews, your mouth is filled with a meaty aroma. It's oily but not greasy, and the braised flavor is rich!

Ok?
This looks delicious!

After swallowing, the fragrance lingered on my lips and teeth, and I couldn't resist picking up another piece and feeding it to myself.

When she and her father first arrived in Chengdu at the beginning of the year, the local staff took them to eat braised beef. It was said to be a very famous braised food shop in the area, and the business was indeed very good, and the taste was also good.

But the braising liquid at that other braised food shop wasn't nearly as good as this one; it wasn't as fragrant, and it was a bit too salty.

"Grandma..." Duan Yuyan, who had eaten three pieces, looked up at Grandma Qiu, ready to express her opinion, when she saw a tear rolling down her cheek. She paused for a moment and whispered, "Grandma, are you alright?"

The old lady raised her hand and gently wiped the corner of her eye, then shook her head with a smile: "It's nothing, I was just thinking about some things. It's been more than 20 years, and I never thought I would be able to taste this flavor again."

"More than twenty years?" Duan Yuyan exclaimed in surprise. "I wasn't even born then."

The old lady put down her chopsticks and said softly, "Don't even mention you. Back then, your father was only in his early twenties. Before he went to Hong Kong, your grandfather packed a portion of braised pig's head and a bag of steamed buns for him, your eldest uncle, and your youngest aunt, and then he boarded the train heading south."

Upon hearing this, Duan Yuyan asked in confusion, "Grandma, why didn't you and Grandpa escape together? You stayed behind and suffered so much."

The old lady smiled and said calmly, "This has always been our home. Why would we run away? Your grandfather loved this land very much. He said that the knowledge he gained abroad was for the development and construction of our motherland. Since he chose to come back back then, he will not leave again."

"But my dad said that it was Grandpa who made them leave, and he even sewed several small yellow croakers into their clothes," Duan Yuyan said, puzzled.

“It was your grandfather and my choice to stay, but letting the children go was the better choice for them at the time,” Grandma Qiu said with a smile. “Your grandfather is a stubborn man. He can endure hardship himself, but he can’t bear to see his children suffer.”

"So he just watched you suffer?" Duan Yuyan asked with some resentment. "You stayed with him and suffered a lot."

“He had arranged the tickets and the people all back then, intending for me to go with him.” The old lady shook her head, her smile softening slightly: “Staying was also my choice.”

Duan Yuyan stared blankly into space, as if she had understood something.

One chose to stay and build the motherland, while the other chose to stay and accompany him.

"Grandma, come with me to Hong Kong. Dad, Uncle, and Aunt have all settled down and started their own families there. Wouldn't it be nice for the whole family to be together? It's too hard for you to stay here alone," Duan Yuyan said gently, her eyes slightly red.

Grandpa passed away three years ago, and the old lady lives alone in the old house, without any of her children.

They were only able to come back to visit their families at the beginning of this year. How lonely she must have been for the past three years.

"Good girl, why are you crying? I'm living a very comfortable life here." The old lady reached out and touched her face, smiling as she said, "Look, I get up in the morning and eat half a basket of paper-wrapped shumai, and then drink a bowl of Emei tofu pudding. At noon, I go to Zhou Laosan's place next door for a plate of freshly braised beef. It's cooked so tenderly and tastes so good."

In the afternoons, when we have nothing to do, we get together with a few old girlfriends to play mahjong, or go to the Minjiang River to enjoy the river breeze, drink tea, and chat. In the evening, we go out for Niuhua spicy hot pot or hot pot together.

The theater puts on Sichuan opera performances every few days. You can buy a ticket for just a few cents, enjoy tea, and watch the show all afternoon – it's so comfortable. Every day is well-organized; where's the hardship?

Duan Yuyan was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. She loved to sleep in and almost always woke up around lunchtime. Sometimes the old lady would cook at home, and sometimes she would take her out to eat.

After eating, she would wander around, such as going to a department store, watching a movie at the cinema, or watching a theatrical performance at the theater.

I never imagined that the old lady's day would be so colorful.

“But you have no relatives or friends here. If you go to Hong Kong, we will all be by your side,” Duan Yuyan said.

The old lady smiled and shook her head: "Your father and your uncle are busy with business, flying all over the country. Your mother might not even be able to spend three months with them in a year, let alone an old lady like me."

Your aunt married a British man. Although she owns property in Hong Kong, she spends most of the year in England, taking care of two children, and has even less time to spend with this old lady.

Duan Yuyan was speechless for a moment. When she was little, she would often not see her father more than twice a month. Now that his business is stable, it's a little better, and they can eat together more often.

After thinking for a moment, she added, "They're busy, but I am! Hong Kong is so much fun! I can take you to Ocean Park to see sharks, to the water park to ride the roller coaster, to Central Plaza for shopping, and to Causeway Bay..."

The old lady looked at her with a gentle smile: "My dear, you will have your own life too. I never feel that anyone owes me anything. This is the life I chose, every step of the way, so I can bear all the consequences."

Duan Yuyan leaned her head closer and rubbed against the old lady's hand. Her grandma was so cool and clear-headed that she couldn't refute her at all.

Even though his father was a very strong-willed person, he was still very submissive and had no temper at all in front of the old lady.

The meal took over an hour.

We only ate about half of the four dishes.

The old lady asked the waiter to pack up the remaining half of the braised pig's head.

Huang He personally saw them off at the door, where the pedicab that had brought them earlier was already waiting.

"Old man, who was that pretty girl just now? I've never seen her before." Huang Bing had just returned from Suji and was preparing to practice his knife skills again. When he saw Duan Yuyan's profile, he was overwhelmed with admiration. After the tricycle had driven away, he went up to her and asked in a low voice.

Huang He glared at him and said in a deep voice, "Don't get any ideas. You can fool those brainless girls on the street. As long as you don't kill anyone, I won't bother with you. But if you dare to have any crooked thoughts, Miss Duan, I will definitely deal with you."

"Old man, I was just asking casually, why are you so fierce?" Huang Bing shrank back and muttered, "Is their family very rich?"

“A Hong Kong businessman, and one with large investments in Chengdu. Remember, avoid him when you go out,” Huang He warned.

"Okay." Huang Bing nodded, and looking in the direction the tricycle had gone, he couldn't help but exclaim, "She's really beautiful."

"Don't even look at whose granddaughter she is. Compared to Mrs. Qiu back then, she's still a bit lacking," Huang He said with a laugh.

……

The evening breeze was a bit chilly in early winter. The old lady tightened her shawl, gazing at the street with its scattered lights in the distance, her expression serene.

"Grandma, are you waiting for someone?" Duan Yuyan finally couldn't help but ask the question that had been bothering her.

After a long silence, the old lady said softly, "Tomorrow, have Xiao Yan take you to Suji and see if Zhang's Braised Food near the stone bridge in Suji has reopened. I want to eat braised beef."

"Okay." Duan Yuyan nodded, her eyes shining.

After six months here, this is the first time Grandma has asked her to run errands on her own initiative! Could the answer lie in Suji?!
A few years ago, the old houses of the Qiu and Duan families were returned together.

The Qiu family's old house was in disrepair and located in a bustling city. With people coming and going and the constant whistles of tourist boats and ships outside, it was too noisy to live there. It was far less desirable than the Duan family's old house, which had a larger area, a better location, and was better preserved.

When he returned at the beginning of the year, besides spending time with his grandmother, his father also took a sum of money to renovate the Duan family's old house. He bought a lot of old objects and restored it to an antique style. Anyway, his father was quite satisfied.

The old lady only went to see it for a short while and said it was well repaired, but she never stayed there for a single day.

The old Duan family house is still empty. They've hired a clan uncle to look after it and take care of cleaning and maintenance.

The Qiu family's old house was really too dilapidated. The old lady had rented out two shops, which were crowded and chaotic. Her father wanted to demolish and rebuild it, but the old lady refused.

This really worried her father, so he had to hire someone to do some simple reinforcement and repairs, but he still felt uneasy about the old lady living there.

That's why they wanted to sell the dilapidated old house of the Qiu family.

The whole family is stubborn; no one can convince the others.

Her father once came home after drinking with friends and mentioned to Duan Yuyan that he felt the old lady seemed to be waiting for someone.

So she stayed at the Qiu family's old house, unwilling to leave or demolish it, for fear that the person would come back and she wouldn't be able to find it.

This incident caused Duan Yuyan to stay in Jiaozhou for an extra six months.

Before coming to Jiaozhou, her understanding of her grandparents was limited to the discussions that the elders would have when they gathered together during festivals to reminisce about their hometown and parents. She thought they were just a stubborn, feudal old lady from a small western town who knew nothing.

After arriving in Jiaozhou, she ate and lived with the old lady every day, and gradually came to know more about this refined and elegant old lady.

The old lady came from a scholarly family. She was educated, knew proper etiquette, and was always elegant and dignified in public. Her hair was neatly tied up, and she spoke slowly and deliberately. Her clear eyes seemed to be able to see through other people's thoughts.

She also studied abroad with her grandfather, saw the world, was opinionated and thoughtful, never preached grand principles, but was not easily persuaded by others.

Speaking of her grandfather, her eyes were full of tenderness and pride, still like a loving wife.

Duan Yuyan privately asked many neighbors and acquaintances, and their evaluation of the couple was always the same: a harmonious and respectful couple, deeply in love. All indications suggested that there should not have been a third party involved.

"Su Ji, Zhang Ji Braised Food, Braised Beef." Duan Yuyan felt as if she had obtained a key fragment.

In another month, her friend will be getting married, and she will be returning to Hong Kong.

If she can't bring the old lady back, then the task her father gave her will have failed.

Not only did he lose the million-dollar bonus, but he also lost his position as the deputy general manager of the branch office.

……

"1323.46 yuan." Zhou Yan wrote down the deposit amount in the ledger and put stacks of loose change bundled with rubber bands into the box.

My savings are steadily increasing, but I'm still far from my goal of 10,000 yuan.

Zhou Yan really liked the house he had his eye on on East Street in Jiaozhou a few days ago.

The house that's already been rumored to be for sale keeps getting on my mind, and I'm always worried that someone else will beat me to it.

When you have no money in your pocket, you always lack confidence.

Now he can only hope that the old lady Qiu's knot in her heart has not been untied and that the house will not be sold for the time being.

As long as he hasn't sold it, he still has a chance.

Zhou Yan is best at helping people solve their problems; he is very proactive as long as there is something to gain.

"I'll go to Jiaozhou again this weekend to check out the other restaurants that my grandmother and I previously worked with, and also to visit the property and do some research and preparation beforehand," Zhou Yan thought to himself, making some plans in advance.

Buying this house involves two steps: first, prepare 10,000 yuan; second, help that young lady from Hong Kong solve her problems and persuade the old lady to move out of the old house.

That's not simple, not simple at all!

First, take the first step: save money!

Putting away the ledger, Zhou Yan picked up the book "Life" from beside the bed and began to study.

Ten minutes later, with the book on his face, he successfully fell asleep.

……

The next day was approaching noon.

A Toyota Crown with a black license plate slowly drove along Suji Old Street, attracting the attention of Suji residents.

With the rear window rolled down, Duan Yuyan looked around at the bungalows on the street and the simply dressed, curious townspeople.

This car was left to her by her father for her convenience. His company has investments in Chengdu and Guangzhou, and foreign businessmen's cars are allowed to display license plates.

The driver's name was Yan Fei, he was thirty years old and had a buzz cut. He was both the driver and the bodyguard.

"Miss Duan, the stone slab bridge of Suji is just ahead." Yan Fei parked the car on an open dam.

"I didn't see any Zhang's braised food either?" Duan Yuyan pushed open the car door, got out, and walked towards the bridge.

Yan Fei turned off the car and followed a few steps behind.

Duan Yuyan walked around the bridge and saw several stalls, including those selling noodles, rice candy, and braised food, but the sign said "Li Ji Braised Food".

Duan Yuyan tried to ask someone.

As a result, her Cantonese-accented Mandarin mixed with Jiaozhou dialect was a complete mess.

She chatted with the old man selling rice candy for a while, and finally paid one yuan for a bag of rice candy, without getting any answers.

Duan Yuyan returned with a bag of rice candy, looking completely bewildered.

She thought she had been able to fully understand Jiaozhou dialect for the past six months, but she was defeated so badly!
She then realized that her grandmother was speaking Trump, not authentic Jiaozhou dialect.

Her neighbors usually slow down their speech when communicating with her, so that she can communicate without any obstacles.

The old man spoke quickly, and his Jiaozhou dialect was so authentic that she felt dizzy and disoriented listening to him.

Yan Fei stood to the side, pursing his lips. In just a few minutes, he recalled all the most painful experiences of his life in his mind before he managed to hold back his laughter.

He is professionally trained and usually doesn't laugh on set.

"Miss Duan, where are we going next?" Yan Fei asked with a smile.

The employer pays a high salary, so he naturally has to have a good service attitude.

"Brother Yan, could you ask them for me? I feel like they can't understand me." Duan Yuyan asked for help directly. Yan Fei was a local from Jiaozhou.

“Okay.” Yan Fei nodded, walked over and asked around, then came back to Duan Yuyan and said, “Miss Duan, I asked a lot of the neighbors, and they said that Zhang’s braised food stall hasn’t been open for more than 20 years.”

"Has it been more than 20 years since you set up your stall?" Duan Yuyan was somewhat disappointed. Could it be that the clues had run out here?

“But a neighbor just said that the grandson of the owner of Zhang’s Braised Food opened a restaurant near the entrance of the Jiaozhou Textile Factory, and he’s carried on the Zhang’s braised food business. The taste is almost identical to the original Zhang’s.” Yan Fei continued, “Do you want to go check it out?”

"Grandson? Of course we have to go see him!" Duan Yuyan nodded decisively. Since they were already here, they might be able to buy some braised beef from that grandson and find out some information along the way.

The car started up again, and the children who had been surrounding it scattered.

"A car! How impressive! Is this a rich person from the city? Only someone with ten thousand yuan could afford it!"

"That's a Crown car, it costs hundreds of thousands of yuan, and it has a black license plate. Even people with only ten thousand yuan can't afford it, so it must be a foreign businessman. See that young woman? Her accent is exactly like that of Hong Kong and Taiwan stars on TV. She's probably here to find her relatives."

"Fang San is truly insightful; people who have been to Guangzhou are different!"

"Isn't this just a capitalist's rich girl? Humph!"

The neighbors were talking about it.

In an era where motorcycles are considered luxury cars and even old-fashioned bicycles are enviable, owning a car is truly beyond the imagination of small-town residents.

After turning from the old street onto the main road leading to the textile factory, the road conditions improved significantly.

Duan Yuyan wanted to keep a low profile, so she had Yan Fei pull over a few hundred meters from the factory gate and walk over.

"Jiazhou Textile Factory is a major foreign exchange earner in Jiazhou..." Yan Fei said to Duan Yuyan as he walked half a step behind.

His driver had multiple roles, including driving, bodyguard, translator, and guide.

Of course, if the employer pays a high wage, it's only right to do more work.

"Look, Zhou Erwa Restaurant is just ahead," Yan Fei introduced.

Just then, an elderly man with gray hair rode his bicycle past them at a leisurely pace, also glancing at the sign of Zhou Erwa Restaurant, a smile appearing on his face.

"Can a small restaurant near the factory gate really make delicious braised food?" Duan Yuyan looked up at the simple hand-painted signboard. There was a small table set up at the door, and an uncle was cutting pig's head meat. Behind him stood a large pot, steaming hot.

Look at the color of that pig's head meat, it's almost the same as what I ate last night. The knife in the uncle's hand is so fast it's blinding.

Looking into the store again, I saw that it was completely full.

This surprised her a little.

If she wanted to find out information from a merchant, she should buy something from him first; this was a little trick her father taught her.

"I'm actually hungry, let's grab some lunch first," Duan Yuyan said to Yan Fei, and they walked into the shop.

Grandpa Wang parked and locked his car, and had just stepped into the store.

"Grandpa, are you having dinner? How many people are in your party?" Zhao Tieying greeted him with a smile.

“Yes, all by himself,” Grandpa Wang said with a smile.

“Sure, there’s a table over there that’s being cleared out, just wait a moment.” Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile, pointing to the innermost spot near the kitchen door.

Zhao Hong had already cleared away the bowls and was wiping the table.

"Okay." Grandpa Wang nodded.

Zhao Tieying then noticed Duan Yuyan entering the room. A look of amazement flashed in her eyes as she smiled and asked, "My goodness, you're here for dinner too? How many people are with you?"

“Two.” Duan Yuyan held up two fingers. She spoke the simple, common phrase with ease, as if it were second nature to her.

This auntie looks so kind, always smiling, and she even called her "good girl"!
“Two…” Zhao Tieying looked around and said somewhat embarrassedly, “I’m sorry, you might have to wait a while, there are no empty tables right now.”

"We have to wait for a table?" Duan Yuyan was a little surprised. She didn't expect that such a small restaurant would be so popular. She had eaten at Feiyan Restaurant so many times, but she had never had to wait for a table before.

Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen carrying two plates of stir-fried pig liver. He was pleasantly surprised to see Grandpa Wang and said, "Master? What brings you here?"

"Your braised meat is excellent. Today I've come to try your stir-fried dishes," Grandpa Wang replied with a smile.

"Welcome to offer your guidance." Zhou Yan smiled and served two plates of stir-fried pig liver to the two tables next to them. "Please sit down first, there's a table that's been cleared out."

While talking to Grandpa Wang, Zhou Yan glanced back and saw a young woman with an air of nobility standing at the restaurant entrance.

Tall and slender, with curly hair, delicate features, and light makeup, she looked quite elegant.

She wore a beige turtleneck underneath a high-quality black suit jacket, wide-leg jeans, brown low-heeled ankle boots, a black beret, a sparkling Cartier diamond watch on her right hand, and a Gucci bamboo bag with the double G logo prominently displayed.

Good guy!
A Hong Kong-style socialite!
Grandpa Wang didn't rush to sit down. Instead, he turned to Duan Yuyan and Yan Fei and smiled, "I think we'll have to wait a while for a table. If you two don't mind, you can share a table with me. I'm only ordering one dish, so it won't take up much space and won't make a difference."

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(End of this chapter)