1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 185 You're Impressive! (6k-page compilation)

"MoMo's here too?" Zhou Ming looked around immediately upon hearing the voice.

Zhou Momo had already run over excitedly, her little face full of pride as she introduced him to the onlookers: "This is my husband, my husband."

Zhou Yan pinned down the scoundrel he had knocked down earlier with a blow. He hadn't been too gentle, though. Once the guy recovered, he crawled on the ground, trying to run away. He couldn't help but laugh at Zhou Momo's smug face.

The little guy is quite the eye-catcher.

"MoMo." Zhou Ming tucked his injured hand behind his back, looking at Zhou MoMo with a smile, his eyes full of doting affection.

"Mingming!" Zhou Momo ran over, her eyes full of concern as she looked at his hands hidden behind his back. "Are your hands okay? I just saw they were bleeding! You need to bandage them quickly."

"It's nothing, a small problem." Zhou Ming smiled so much his eyes were almost closed.

The little guy breathed a sigh of relief, clapped his hands, and looked at Zhou Ming with shining eyes, saying, "Mingming, you were so amazing just now! You knocked one bad guy away with one punch! And then you knocked down the other two bad guys too. Is this martial arts?! I want to learn!"

"Really want to learn? Then I'll teach you." Zhou Ming grinned from ear to ear. Eighteen years of kung fu training and all the hardships he had endured meant nothing at this moment.

Momo is so good at praising!

Love to hear it!

The onlookers also smiled.

This little girl is so cute and sensible; she even knows to care for her brother immediately.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to ask Zhou Ming if he needed bandages, the thief, whom he had pinned to the ground, slapped the ground and said with difficulty, "Friend, fighting is fighting, give me some air..."

Zhou Yan quickly moved her leg to the side a little.

The thief was gasping for breath, his face turning bluish-purple, and he almost suffocated.

"Hey buddy, call the police for us. Tell them there was a group of robbers who hijacked our car, but Zhou Ming and Zhou Yan have already subdued them. We need backup," Zhou Ming said to the young man who was watching the commotion.

"Okay! I'll go right away!" the young man replied, pedaling his bicycle and speeding off.

The thief, who had just been knocked unconscious on the ground, slowly woke up and tried to argue, "We are thieves, not robbers..."

"Didn't you just say you were a ruthless bandit? Everyone had a knife, and you even stabbed me until I bled. You must be a robber who can't escape now," Zhou Ming laughed.

"I'm not going to be a bandit anymore, I'm not going to be one anymore." The young man cried, tears streaming down his face.

Zhou Ming shattered the bandit's dream with three blows.

His gaze fell on the shuttle bus beside him, and he said loudly, "Driver, don't rush off. Everyone, please take a look at your wallets to see if they're still there. When the police arrive, we can register and get our money back."

"Oh no! The thirty yuan I used to buy medicine is gone! Those damned bastards must have stolen it!"

"My new clothes have two holes cut in them! These guys are awful!"

"My wallet is gone too! It had eight dollars and sixty-five cents in it!"

Angry voices from the passengers soon filled the air on the bus.

We were very close to Suji, and soon six police officers on bicycles arrived.

Five or six bicycles followed behind, carrying armed militiamen. The one-armed youth leading them was Zhou Weiguo.

Everyone was fully armed.

Seeing the four people lying on the ground groaning in pain, they all looked surprised and astonished.

Didn't they say there were ruthless carjackers? They even went to the armed forces department for assistance.

They were all taken down by these two young men?

"Those are the four lying on the ground! They were subdued by those two comrades!" the young man who led the way testified.

"Cuff them!" The deputy director in charge waved his hand, and the four thieves were immediately handcuffed.

"It hurts, it hurts so much!"

"Don't delay, your leg is broken..."

"Comrade, I think my ribs are broken. Am I going to die?"

The thieves' screams grew louder and louder.

"Zhou Ming! Zhou Yan! How are you?" Zhou Weiguo stopped the car and came forward to ask with concern.

He had just received a notification that a bus robbery had occurred, with four armed robbers requesting assistance, and immediately led his men to the scene.

"Uncle, I'm fine, but Ming-ge's hand is injured," Zhou Yan said as he stepped forward.

"Uncle, I'm fine, it's just a minor injury," Zhou Ming said with a smile, raising his left hand, which was stained with blood. "It'll just need a bandage, and it's not easy for it to get infected in this weather."

Zhou Weiguo grabbed his hand and examined it. The wound was half a foot long, but fortunately it wasn't deep. It looked frightening with its blood, but it wasn't a big problem.

He's someone who crawled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood; you can tell at a glance how badly he's injured.

However, robbing someone with a knife on a shuttle bus and injuring them is a particularly heinous crime.

Zhou Weiguo's face turned cold, and he said in a deep voice, "Chief Lin, these ruthless bandits committed robbery and assault with knives, which is a heinous crime."

"Minister Zhou, rest assured, we will take them back for a thorough investigation and make sure they confess their crimes and submit to the law." Deputy Director Lin nodded to him, looking at Zhou Ming and Zhou Yan, "These two young comrades acted bravely and righteously, which is commendable. Go to the clinic to have your wounds bandaged first, and then go to the station to make a statement."

“Okay.” Zhou Ming nodded, then said, “Comrade Chief, these ruthless bandits all carry daggers, and they are extremely vicious, aiming for vital organs with every strike. Ordinary thieves wouldn’t do that. We can check if they have any other cases against them. Many people on the bus had money stolen from them, and…”

Zhou Ming stepped forward and whispered a few words.

Director Lin's expression was grave. He nodded and said, "Alright, we will investigate the situation you reported thoroughly when we get back!"

The handcuffed thieves' faces changed drastically, turning ashen.

Four robbers, three of whom had broken bones, had to be carried onto a bus and taken back to the police station along with the victims on the bus.

"Uncle!" Zhou Momo finally called out to Zhou Weiguo.

"What's Momo doing here?" Zhou Weiguo laughed and picked her up, then looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "What's going on? Why are you two here acting as heroes and catching a thief?"

"Momo and I went to the city to buy things. We passed by and saw a bus parked on the side of the road. As soon as the door opened, Ming kicked them all off. I saw they were holding knives and was worried that Ming would get hurt, so I went to get a stick to help. Jie took down three of them by himself. He truly deserves to be the national martial arts champion." Zhou Yan briefly explained the situation.

"He's the national champion of Emei boxing," Zhou Ming corrected.

"It's all the same, we're all champions anyway," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“These guys are despicable. Stealing money from old people is bad enough, but they also molested women. I couldn’t stand it, so I stepped in to stop them. I didn’t expect there were so many accomplices.” Zhou Ming said with a smile, “Zhou Yan did a great job. If it weren’t for his reminder and handing me the stick, my injuries today would definitely be more than this.”

"You two are both commendable, courageous, and worthy of being sons of the Zhou family." Zhou Weiguo nodded at the two men and said, "Come on, let's go back and bandage our wounds first, then cooperate with the police officers at the police station in handling the case. Once the case is closed, I will apply for commendations for your acts of bravery."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan and Zhou Ming nodded with smiles.

"Ming-ge, ride in my car, I'll take you to the clinic." Zhou Yan ran over and pushed the car over, picked up Zhou Ming and Zhou Momo, and drove back to Suji. They first went to the clinic to disinfect and bandage the wounds, then took Zhou Momo back to the hotel, and then headed straight to the police station.

After understanding the situation, the gatekeeper led the two inside.

Zhou Yan glanced at his watch and said to the police officer taking his statement, "Comrade, I'm a chef at the restaurant. I'm in a hurry to get back and cook. Could you please take my statement first?"

"No problem, you go first." The comrade nodded with a smile. They naturally gave priority to good young people who acted bravely and righteously.

Zhou Yan's statement was relatively simple. He was originally just an accomplice who got involved halfway through the journey. He was unaware of what happened on the bus and did not participate in it. He finished the statement in just over ten minutes.

"Ming-ge, after we finish taking your statements, come to my shop for dinner. Let's have a little get-together first," Zhou Yan said to Zhou Ming.

“Okay, you go back and cook first.” Zhou Ming nodded with a smile.

When Zhou Yan rode his bike back to the restaurant, Zhou Momo was at the entrance, vividly telling Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou how the two of them had subdued the bad guys and beaten them until they screamed in pain.

"Oh my, our great hero Comrade Zhou Yan is back!" Aunt Zhao got up and went forward, circling around Zhou Yan and asking with concern, "Are you hurt?"

"I wasn't injured. I just went to hand Ming-ge the stick." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "As expected of the national champion, he took down the bad guys one by one, making them howl in pain."

Aunt Zhao breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this and patted his arm: "Next time you see someone with a knife, run away! Don't try to be a hero! Zhou Ming knows martial arts, you're carrying a kitchen knife, it's not the same."

"I know, if I hadn't seen Ming-ge today, I would have taken Zhou Momo and run as far away as possible." Zhou Yan nodded in deep agreement, his attitude quite sincere.

He has always been a man who values ​​his life, and the reason he was involved today was indeed because of Zhou Ming. He couldn't just stand by and watch his brothers be attacked with knives while they were empty-handed.

"Guoguo is a hero! He's a good person!" Zhou Momo ran over and stood in front of Zhou Yan, looking at Aunt Zhao and saying, "Mom, you have to respect him!"

Everyone laughed when they heard this.

Aunt Zhao laughed and looked at Zhou Momo, saying, "Are you thinking of making a move too?"

Zhou Momo nodded and clenched her little fists, saying, "I want to learn martial arts! I want to be a policewoman and catch bad guys!"

"Well done!" Comrade Zhou stepped forward, patted Zhou Yan's arm, and looked at him with satisfaction.

Zhou Yan's lips curled up, revealing a smile that any man would understand.

The two plaques on the old Zhou family mansion weren't hung there for nothing; every son of the Zhou family is a man of courage and integrity.

It would be shameful to run away from something like this.

"Zhou Ming is injured. Should we inform Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law about this?" Aunt Zhao asked Old Zhou.

Comrade Zhou shook his head and said, "No need. Let Zhou Ming talk about this minor injury himself when he gets back. Otherwise, they'll rush to town in a panic and wait outside the police station for who knows how long. The longer they wait, the more anxious they'll become."

“Ming just reminded me of this, and he said the same thing.” Zhou Yan nodded. This was probably the tacit understanding among the men of the Zhou family. “I’ll ask him to come to the store for dinner after he finishes giving his statement.”

"Then can I learn martial arts from Mingming?" Zhou Momo leaned closer and asked with expectant eyes.

"That depends on whether he accepts you or not," Zhou Yan said with a smile, taking four magazines out of his bag and handing them to Aunt Zhao. "I bought four."

"Keep one copy for Xia Yao." Aunt Zhao handed him a copy. Zhou Yan: "I've already kept one..."

“Yes, it’s not entirely a block of wood,” Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

"Guoguo, where's the hat you bought for Grandma? Let Mom see it." Zhou Momo gently tugged at Zhou Yan's bag.

"You even bought a hat for your grandma?" Aunt Zhao asked, somewhat surprised.

"MoMo said Grandma's hat is torn, and I want to buy her a new one for winter so she won't be cold. She's more thoughtful than I was; all I thought of was buying wine." Zhou Yan smiled as he took the purple hat out of his bag.

"It's a top hat, isn't it? It looks great! The stitching is really good, it must be machine-knitted, right?" Aunt Zhao took the hat and nodded repeatedly.

"The purple color looks so nice, and the design is beautiful too!" Zhao Hong nodded in agreement.

"I picked out this hat myself, and it even has bunny fur inside!" Zhou Momo said, pointing to the inside of the hat like she was showing off a treasure.

Aunt Zhao reached out and touched it, her eyes immediately lighting up. She turned the hat inside out and saw that there was indeed a layer of fluffy rabbit fur inside. She exclaimed, "It's lined with fleece! This rabbit fur feels so smooth and comfortable! It will definitely be very warm to wear in winter."

"Zhou Yan, this hat must be expensive, right?" Zhao Hong asked, looking at Zhou Yan.

Aunt Zhao also looked at him.

"They say they're machine-woven and have added rabbit fur, so they're windproof in winter. They're 8.2 yuan apiece," Zhou Yan replied.

"Eight yuan and twenty cents!" Both of them were startled.

"Wow, that's expensive!" Zhao Hong exclaimed. "If you sold it as yarn, you could make a dozen hats."

Aunt Zhao smiled and said, "It's not so comfortable to fight it yourself. You can send it to your grandma later. Not to mention you, I didn't even think of buying her a hat or clothes. It's my youngest daughter who thought of her grandma."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded and pushed the cart through the door.

Zhou Momo ran in, opened her small purse, took out a stack of coins tied with a rubber band, and handed it to Zhou Yan, saying, "Here you go, buddy!"

"Give me money?" Zhou Yan looked at her.

“Here’s four yuan and ten cents. I asked my dad to count it for me!” Zhou Momo said earnestly, “We bought the hat together to give to Grandma, so I have to pay half the money.”

"You've already figured out all the accounts?" Zhou Yan was both amused and exasperated, not expecting the little guy to be serious.

"No wonder she asked me how much half of 8.2 yuan was when she came back, and even asked me to count out 4.1 yuan for her." Old Zhou said with a smile as he entered the door.

"Here you go!" Zhou Momo handed the money forward firmly.

“Okay, then I’ll keep it.” Zhou Yan smiled and took it. “This hat is a gift from the two of us to Grandma.”

This thick stack of coins, both small and large, was all saved up little by little by the little guy during his time doing daily sales.

Zhou Yan thought she was saving money to buy toys, but she was willing to spend it all to buy a hat for the old lady.

Zhou Ming came to the restaurant after giving his statement. Zhou Yan had just finished preparing the dishes for the evening's business when he came out and saw Zhou Momo hugging Zhou Ming's leg and acting coquettishly: "Mingming, teach me martial arts! I want to learn!"

"Come on, let's learn the horse stance first today," Zhou Ming said cheerfully, and immediately got the little guy into the position. "Yes, squat like this."

The little guy had only been squatting for a short while when his legs started trembling.

However, she was quite stubborn, gritting her teeth and enduring it, before finally plopping down on the ground.

This made all the adults laugh.

Zhou Momo laughed foolishly, trying to get up by pushing herself up, but her legs must have gone numb from squatting. She got up but sat back down, looking up at Zhou Ming who was grinning with his big teeth, and said, "Mingming, my legs feel all messed up, like lots of little ants are biting me. I can't stand up!"

“It’s normal for your legs to go numb,” Zhou Ming said with a smile. “When you can squat for half an hour without your legs going numb, then you’re doing a pretty good horse stance.”

"My legs are numb? My legs didn't eat any peppercorns, so why are they numb?" The little guy looked at his legs with a puzzled expression.

That afternoon, Zhou Momo learned what leg numbness was for the first time.

"Ming-ge, what did the police station say?" Zhou Yan asked.

Zhou Ming said, "The victims have all given statements, including the woman who was molested. Because she is suspected of armed robbery and assault, which are extremely serious offenses, they will also be questioned about whether they have committed other crimes. They will likely be severely punished. This gang came from out of town, and all four of them were apprehended."

"That's good." Zhou Yan nodded. Under the current circumstances, a heavy sentence would most likely mean a lifetime in prison, or even being sentenced to death.

Don't be afraid of thieves stealing, just be afraid of thieves missing you.

The entire gang was wiped out, eliminating any worries about the future.

"Did you take that knife on purpose?" Zhou Yan stepped forward and asked in a low voice.

Zhou Ming looked at him and smiled meaningfully. He didn't answer, but said, "They don't even spare the old and women. These guys are too dirty-handed. Let's make an example of them. I guess there won't be any thieves on the buses to and from Suji for a long time."

"You're really something!" Zhou Yan gave him a thumbs up. Ming Ge put himself in the trap and sent this group of ruthless bandits to jail.

"Then sit down for a while, I'll go cook dinner." He turned and went into the kitchen to make dinner.

"Again!" Zhou Momo got up from the ground and squatted in a horse stance again.

"MoMo is amazing! Aren't your legs numb?" Zhou Ming asked with a smile.

"I'm not numb!" Zhou Momo shook her head, completely ignoring her trembling legs.

"Fourth Aunt, what brand of liniment do you use at home?" Zhou Ming asked with a smile.

"It's alright, Sichuan women are strong from a young age," Aunt Zhao said with a smile. "Look how well she's standing."

After hearing this, Zhou Momo straightened her back a bit more and then plopped down on the ground.

"Is it numb now?" Zhou Ming asked.

"No, it's not numb! I'll rest for a bit!" Zhou Momo shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes, but she managed to hold them back.

“Stubborn as ever.” Aunt Zhao shook her head with a smile.

In the kitchen, Zhou Yan couldn't help but peek in twice, and couldn't help but laugh.

The young dragons of Sichuan and Chongqing may lose, but they will never admit defeat!
Zhou Yan stir-fried a plate of spicy pork liver, a plate of braised pork ribs, and a plate of twice-cooked pork. The braised dishes were not spicy. He cut a little of each and made a braised dish platter, with one plate of meat and one plate of vegetables.

"So many dishes? They look delicious, and they smell even better." Zhou Ming sat down, his gaze falling on the braised meat and vegetables. He exclaimed in surprise, "Xiao Yan, have you even learned Grandma's braising skills?"

"We've been selling this in the store for over half a month now. Try it and see if you've grasped the essence," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhou Ming last came back when Zhou Hao got married. At that wedding banquet, Zhou Yan made the braised dishes under the guidance of the old lady, and did not make any braised vegetarian dishes.

"It looks very professional, so it must be good. I haven't had my grandma's braised vegetarian dishes in a long time. I even dreamed about them last week. I'm really craving them." Zhou Ming picked up his chopsticks and first put a piece of dried bean curd into his mouth.

Soft but not mushy, once you bite into it, your mouth is filled with a rich, meaty aroma, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes.

"It's delicious! It's exactly the same as Grandma's!" Zhou Ming exclaimed, adding another piece of dried tofu to his mouth. He nodded as he chewed, "The dried tofu is delicious too! I've never had such tender dried tofu in Emei. It's so fragrant from the braising."

Zhou Ming tasted every single vegetarian dish, praising them endlessly.

I ate half a bowl of rice.

"Zhou Yan, your braised food skills are amazing! You've mastered all of Grandma's techniques." Zhou Ming said, looking at Zhou Yan with great approval.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Don't just eat braised dishes, try some stir-fried dishes. Since you're injured, I put less chili in. Have a bowl of braised beef and eat more braised pork ribs."

"It's nothing. There's no need to avoid certain foods for a minor cut in autumn and winter." Zhou Ming said nonchalantly, picking up a piece of pig liver with his chopsticks and putting it in his mouth. His eyes lit up immediately.

This stir-fried pork liver is so tender! It's spicy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious!
After swallowing, I couldn't help but shovel a big mouthful of rice into my mouth.

He picked up another piece of twice-cooked pork, along with a piece of garlic sprout stalk. The tender, fatty meat and the chewy lean meat were not greasy at all. Paired with the green garlic, it became more and more fragrant with each chew.

Take a piece of braised pork ribs, and the bone will fall off immediately with a bite.

The meat is tender but not dry, it melts in your mouth, and the cartilage makes a crunching sound when you chew it, it's so delicious!
The braised beef was served in a separate bowl, and he took a spoonful of the soup first.

The clear beef broth was surprisingly flavorful, making his eyes light up immediately.

Hot pot is not uncommon in Zhoucun; every household knows how to make it, and each has its own way of doing it.

Two years ago, when Zhoucun resumed cattle slaughtering, his father slaughtered a cow, and his mother went back to her old business of selling soup pots. However, because the soup she cooked was really not tasty, business was slow.

Last week, he received a letter from his father saying that his mother no longer sells hot pot. Every morning, she prepares the beef offal perfectly and sells it directly to Zhou Yan, which saves her time and effort. In fact, she earns more than she used to when she sold hot pot.

After all, they lost half of what they sold before, making it difficult to even break even, and they were still selling all day long.

I didn't make any money, but at least I was exhausted.

Zhou Yan's beef soup is so delicious! There's not a hint of gamey smell; it's so fresh and fragrant.

He picked up a piece of tender pink beef with his chopsticks, dipped it in the saucepan, coated it with granular chili powder, and then put it in his mouth.

The tender shredded pork tenderloin coated with seasoned chili powder is the perfect finishing touch, resulting in an exceptional texture and flavor!
The tripe is crisp and refreshing, the beef intestines are tender and soft, and the soft and chewy beef tendons, when coated with chili powder, each have their own unique flavor and an excellent texture.

This is a soup pot, so what is her mother making?
Zhou Ming was stunned.

Oh, this is braised beef with ribs, and his mom makes it as a soup.

This makes sense.

This bowl of braised beef is unmatched in Suji.

No wonder customers line up to eat it for just six cents a bowl. If he had money, he would come here often to eat it.

Zhou Ming ate three bowls of rice, not Zhou Momo's small bowl, but the earthen bowl that held the braised beef, three bowls full.

"Eating from a Mingming pot is so delicious!" Zhou Momo was a little stunned. She handed over her small bowl and said, "Mom, I want another bowl of rice! I want to eat three bowls!"

　Asking for a monthly ticket~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)