1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 186 This prosperous age is as you wish

"We're still two days away from visiting the graves, Ming-ge, why are you back early? Is it that easy to get leave?" Zhou Yan asked.

Aunt Zhao and the others also looked at Zhou Ming.

"I was transferred back to train the martial arts team at Jiaozhou No. 1 Middle School. My former mentor is now coaching the martial arts team at No. 1 Middle School. As a national champion in Emei boxing, I'm considered an outstanding graduate who came back to guide my juniors," Zhou Ming said with a smile. "I guess I'll have to stay until the New Year. I'll take advantage of this time to find a master who practices spear and see if I can become his apprentice."

"Don't you have a sect?" Zhou Yan asked, puzzled.

“Now the country is paying attention to the protection and inheritance of traditional culture. Emei martial arts has been included in the list. We need to collect and organize relevant materials, and I have signed up to join.” Zhou Ming put down his chopsticks and explained with a smile: “In recent years, fewer and fewer people are learning martial arts. Many martial arts have been lost because there is no one to take over. I feel very sorry and heartbroken. In the past two years, I have visited old boxing masters and martial arts families everywhere and learned from them and organized a lot of materials.”

"Although the practical significance of martial arts is diminishing and competitions are mainly based on martial arts routines, these skills honed and refined by our ancestors over thousands of years should not simply fade away quietly. As a martial arts instructor, I feel it is my responsibility to do something, not to promote and develop them, but at least to leave a trace of them."

Zhou Yan looked at him with deep respect.

I thought he was a crude and uncouth man, but I never expected him to have such sentiments and ambitions!
In his memory, Emei martial arts was later listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.

There's no way around it; as a symbol of Jiaozhou, it's just too famous. Even a food blogger who frequently travels between Jiaozhou and Emei has heard of it to some extent.

Among them, there must be many people like Zhou Ming who have made silent contributions behind the scenes.

After dinner, Zhou Ming played with Zhou Momo for a while. Seeing that the shop was getting busy, he said goodbye and went home first.

"Hey! Ha—" Zhou Momo struck a few punches in the open space in front of the door, and after a while, she got tired and ran back to the braised food stall to sit down and continue her daily sales job.

"Uncle!" Zhou Momo suddenly stood up, ran to a bicycle parked in front of the restaurant, looked up at Zhang Zhengping and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieying also looked towards the door and asked with a smile, "Uncle, please come in and sit down."

"I haven't eaten yet. I just gave Lihua acupuncture and chatted for a while, then forgot to check the time," Zhang Zhengping said with a smile. "I'm not going in to sit down. I'm going back to eat. Tieying, could you pack me three ounces of pig's head meat and a pound of braised vegetables? I'll take them back to have with my third sister's drinks. Pack plenty of dried tofu too."

“Okay!” Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

Zhou Miao had already cut and packed the pig's head meat and braised vegetables, and then walked over and put them in Zhang Zhengping's bicycle basket.

"How much money?" Zhang Zhengping asked with a smile as he took out his wallet.

"Uncle, are you still taking money?" Zhou Miao went back to cut the meat and gently reminded him, "Ride back slowly, it's getting dark."

“If you don’t take the money, I won’t come again next time.” Zhang Zhengping took out a dollar and handed it to Zhou Momo, smiling as he said, “Momo, take this.”

"Okay." Zhou Momo took the money and said with a smile, "Then you must come again next time."

"Okay, Momo is such a good girl, her great-uncle will definitely come." Zhang Zhengping smiled, reached out and patted the little girl's head, then got on his bike and rode away.

"Boss, why is he cutting in line?" someone muttered in the queue.

Zhou Miao said calmly, "This is my uncle. He's taking it back to drink with my mother."

"Heaven has the Thunder God, earth has the Uncle God, heaven and earth are vast, but the Uncle God is the greatest. I have no problem with that," the man who spoke first replied.

The crowd laughed.

Zhou Momo ran back, tiptoed and dropped a dollar into the money box, then looked up and whispered, "Dad, next time you should buy something for Uncle. If you don't take the money, he won't come anymore."

"Okay." Zhou Miao nodded with a smile.

"Your youngest daughter is even teaching your old man about social etiquette," Zhao Tieying couldn't help but laugh when he heard this.

"Zhou Yan, there's mail!" The postman shouted, pushing his bicycle through the crowd.

"Here! A letter from my boyfriend! Did it come from Chongqing?" Zhou Momo immediately jumped over, raising her little hand and shouting.

"Your son's name is Zhou Yan?" The postman looked at the little guy and nodded with a smile: "Yes, he was sent from the mountain city."

"Yes, my boyfriend's name is Zhou Yan." Zhou Momo nodded and raised her little hand: "I swear! It's true!"

“Zhou Yan is cooking in the kitchen, why don’t you take it to him?” Zhao Tieying said with a smile.

"Okay." The postman handed the letter to Zhou Momo.

Holding the letter, Zhou Momo turned and ran towards the kitchen, calling out, "Brother! Sister Yaoyao sent a letter! Sister Yaoyao's letter!"

Zhou Yan was practically sparking with the spatula in his hand when he turned back to look at her and laughed, "You put it away first, I can't handle this right now."

"Oh!" Zhou Momo nodded obediently, ran behind the stove and sat down, holding the letter in her hands, her eyes full of anticipation: "Brother, what do you think Sister Yaoyao wrote?"

"Maybe they're praising how well you draw," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Really?!" Zhou Momo smiled brightly, eager to open the letter right now. After thinking for a moment, she added, "Oh right, my great-uncle just came to buy braised meat, and I charged him one yuan. He said that if Dad didn't take the money, he wouldn't come next time."

“Okay, then I’ll buy him something later.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. This old man was just as stubborn as the old lady.

Zhou Momo held the letter and stood guard behind the stove. Seeing that Zhou Yan was busy, she didn't bother him. She picked up some small twigs from the pile of firewood beside her and threw them into the stove every now and then, muttering in her childish voice:

"Little pot, let me feed you!"

"Is it good? Small pot? Is it tasty?"

As Zhou Yan was cooking, listening to the little guy's self-entertaining chatter, she felt that the heat of the pot had lessened a bit today.

The firelight illuminated her slightly round face, and her smile was so innocent and lovely.

No wonder the villain felt remorse and realized his mistakes when he saw the scenes from his childhood; it's no wonder he was healed.

Forget it, even if she goes on strike today, I'll still pay her today's wages.

Emotional value is also a kind of value.

"That's the last serving of braised cabbage with pork cracklings, we're done." Zhao Hong carried the last dish out and reminded Zhou Yan.

"Quick, look at the letter!" Zhou Momo immediately jumped up from the small stool, held the letter high in both hands, and handed it over.

Zhou Yan wiped her freshly washed hands on her apron to make sure they were dry before taking the envelope and carefully tearing it open.

"Do you have a painting?" Zhou Momo looked at him expectantly.

"Yes." Zhou Yan took out the letter from the envelope. As always, the last page was a drawing. This time, he didn't rush to read the letter. Instead, he squatted down and carefully unfolded the drawing next to Zhou Momo.

On a campus path strewn with fallen ginkgo leaves, a girl in a long dress carrying books strolled along, turning back to reveal a sweet smile. The wind blew through her long hair, and the golden ginkgo leaves fluttering in the air seemed to glow.

"Wow! It's Sister Yao Yao! She's so beautiful!" Zhou Momo exclaimed.

Zhou Yan was somewhat mesmerized by the painting; it was so beautiful. The person in the painting was Xia Yao, exuding youthful energy and artistic flair.

The faces that were somewhat blurry in my memory came alive again at this moment.

Zhou Yan truly hadn't expected that Xia Yao's reply would include a self-portrait.

This must be... the reply he received after he sent Xia Yao the painting Zhou Momo had drawn of him in the kitchen.

That makes sense.

"Take this and enjoy it." Zhou Yan smiled and handed the painting to Zhou Momo; the two art lovers were exchanging ideas remotely.

"My hands are a bit dirty." Zhou Momo pulled her hand back and looked at him, saying, "Brother, why don't you put Sister Yao Yao in a photo frame and hang it above your bed?"

Zhou Yan looked at the little guy's hands, now stained with charcoal black, and nodded with a smile: "Okay, then you can look at it slowly after we put it in a photo frame."

"Mmm." The little guy nodded obediently.

Zhou Yan left the kitchen, first pressing the painting down with a flat wooden board before unfolding the letter to read it:
"Zhou Yan: Seeing this letter is like seeing you in person; I am delighted to read it..."

Her handwriting was as beautiful as ever, and her words were as refreshing and pleasant as a clear spring.

She said she received the rice candy and peanut candy he sent, which were delicious, and thanked him on behalf of Deng Hong and Zhu Yuyu.

Then we talked about some interesting things that happened at school during this time, as well as some new ideas about our major and future employment.

Compared to her last letter, Zhou Yan felt that her confusion had dissipated, her goals had become clear, and she had regained her confidence.

She has made her decision to become the best advertising designer and make a name for herself in the field of advertising design and illustration.

Through the words, Zhou Yan seemed to see the radiant smile on her face, and a determination as blazing as the sun.

Just like in the painting.

"Autumn has arrived in the mountain city. The ginkgo trees at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute have turned golden. When the wind blows, the golden leaves fall and scatter all over the ground. It's so beautiful."

Deng Hong lent us her camera and took photos of us, capturing a moment of autumn.

I really like Momo's drawings, so I drew one for her. I hope she likes it..."

Zhou Yan looked down at the little guy who was gazing up at him expectantly.

"Did Yao Yao mention me?" the little guy asked expectantly.

“She said the painting was for you,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Really? But I think it's for you," Zhou Momo said with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't take it from you."

Zhou Yan: ...

Zhou Yan didn't believe it, but this line of writing did look different from the previous ones; the style of the writing had changed, probably because his state of mind had fluctuated.

At the end of the letter, he also extended his greetings to Aunt Zhao and Comrade Lao Zhou.

As thorough as ever.

Although Aunt Zhao looked very gossipy, she refrained from asking.

However, after seeing Xia Yao's painting, he smiled more happily than anyone else.

"Bring the frame and fix it properly, don't get it dirty or damaged," Aunt Zhao earnestly instructed.

After Zhou Yan flattened the painting, he put it into a picture frame, and the size was just right.

This painting is indeed extremely beautiful; both the people and the scenery are lifelike.

Zhou Yan doesn't understand painting, but if the people find a painting beautiful, then it must be a good painting.

The five people at the restaurant on Tuesday all agreed that the drawing was beautiful.

"The painting is so beautiful, and the girl is so pretty." Zhao Hong exclaimed with admiration. "Zhou Yan, keep up the good work. If you can marry her, life will be so much better." Zhou Yan took the painting upstairs. He originally planned to put it in a box, but after thinking about it, he placed it on the box by the bedside.

This humble abode suddenly gained a touch of brightness.

It looks quite nice as a decorative painting.

"So beautiful!" Zhou Momo skipped upstairs and peered at the box, asking, "Why can Sister Yao Yao draw so beautifully? Mine looks kind of funny."

"Your paintings are beautiful too. Xia Yao said she really likes them," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhou Momo turned to look at him, blinked, and said, "Brother, I drew you. Does Sister Yao Yao like my drawing or you?"

The little guy's eyes were bright and clear, pure and innocent; Zhou Yan seemed to see his own reflection in them.

"It's time, you should go paint." Zhou Yan glanced at his watch and said with a smile.

"I'm off!" Zhou Momo turned around and ran to her room to get crayons and drawing paper, then scurried downstairs.

Zhou Yan put the letter in the box, glanced at the painting again, smiled, changed his clothes, and went downstairs for a run.

When they returned from their run, Old Zhou was massaging Aunt Zhao's shoulders, while Zhou Momo sat upright at the table, drawing intently.

After taking a shower, Zhou Yan glanced at Old Zhou, who was setting up a chessboard, and said to Aunt Zhao, "I'll go over the menu for Sunday later and see how to arrange it. I also need to confirm the number of people so that things don't turn out badly."

“Your father and I counted the number of people last night. There are nine from your eldest uncle’s family, seven from your second uncle’s family, three from your third uncle’s family, plus your youngest uncle, your grandmother, and your great-uncle, plus four from our family, making a total of twenty-six people. Three tables are just right,” Aunt Zhao said. “You can arrange the menu as you see fit, just like when we’re having a family dinner. Show off your best dishes so everyone can eat more comfortably.”

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded, having a general idea of ​​what was going on.

This was the first time they were hosting a dinner party after moving, so it was a very important event that Zhou Yan had to make sure everything was arranged properly.

"What's the plan for lunch on Sunday? Shall we find a restaurant in Jiaozhou?" Zhou Yan asked again.

“As is customary, your grandma will make a basket of steamed buns as provisions and bring two boxes of pickled vegetables, a simple solution,” Zhou Miao said.

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "Eating pickled vegetables is too simple. I will braise a pot of meat and vegetables early in the morning, pack some to cook at noon, and leave some to serve as a dish when entertaining guests in the evening."

Aunt Zhao nodded: "Sure, that's definitely better than eating pickled vegetables."

Zhou Yan took out paper and pen from the counter, quickly wrote out the menu, and then calculated the required ingredients and quantities.

The braised dishes include braised pig ears, braised pig head meat, and braised beef. Choose a few types of braised vegetables and arrange them on a plate.

The dishes include braised pork ribs, braised beef with dried bamboo shoots, and crucian carp with mint.

Stir-fried dishes include stir-fried beef with two kinds of peppers, twice-cooked pork, stir-fried pork liver, Mapo tofu, and shredded pork with fish-fragrant sauce.

There are twelve dishes in total.

They are all quite hard.

This meal costs 15.8 yuan according to the restaurant's selling price.

The meal allowance is not low.

"Except for the braised beef, bring out all the dishes?" Aunt Zhao came over and looked at Zhou Yanlie's menu, somewhat surprised.

“We’ve gathered here now, but the next time might be during the Chinese New Year. I’ll cook a portion of all my signature dishes for everyone to try. Twelve dishes should be just right,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Alright." Aunt Zhao nodded, her gaze falling on the last dish. "Fish-flavored shredded pork? I've never seen you make this before, have I?"

"I often make this in the cafeteria; it's one of our Kong-style signature dishes. I plan to put it on the menu next week," Zhou Yan casually made up. He planned to showcase it on Sunday so everyone could try it, test the waters, and make adjustments accordingly.

"I haven't had shredded pork with garlic sauce many times, but eggplant with garlic sauce is delicious. Your grandma used to make it often. It goes so well with rice, and it's so satisfying to eat with sweet potatoes." Aunt Zhao's face showed a hint of nostalgia. "I haven't had it in a long time either. The ones I make always feel a little off, not as good as your grandma's."

"That must be because the flavor of the pickled Erjingtiao peppers is different. Next time, try using the Erjingtiao peppers that your grandma pickles." Zhou Yan looked at her, wondering if she was reminiscing about Yu Xiang eggplant or her childhood self.

Aunt Zhao smiled and nodded: "That makes sense. Next time you go back to your parents' home, bring back a whole jar of the brine from your grandma's kimchi jar."

Zhou Yan and Comrade Lao Zhou played three games of chess, ending the battle with a perfect record.

“Old man, the more you cook, the worse it gets. I think you need to practice more.” Zhou Yan said with a smug look on his face.

“Today doesn’t count,” Old Zhou said, putting away the chess box, somewhat unconvinced. “I think it’s going to rain tonight. The air pressure is a bit low and the air is a bit stuffy, which affected my judgment. We’ll start over tomorrow.”

"If you're not good at it, blame the road for being uneven." Aunt Zhao pouted, yawned, and carried Zhou Momo upstairs to sleep.

Old Zhou blushed, put the chess set back under the counter, and followed them upstairs.

The store remained busy for the next two days, just like always.

The news that the restaurant was closed on Sundays caused another round of lamentations from the guests.

There's no other way. Compared to weekdays, closing on Sunday noon minimizes the restaurant's losses.

Moreover, on such special days, even if it's a weekday, he has to close the shop to sweep the tombs.

After closing for business on Saturday night, Zhou Yan and his family went back to Zhoucun.

The old lady told her brothers about tomorrow's plans.

The offerings for the memorial service were very simple; the old lady was always frugal in this regard and refused to be extravagant.

When it came to the meal arrangements, the old lady heard that Zhou Yan wanted to take the braised meat out for lunch and asked with a smile, "Isn't it troublesome to get up so early to braise it?"

"It's no trouble at all. I'm used to it. I'll eat it tonight anyway," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Okay, we'll do it your way." The old lady nodded.

The next morning, Zhou Yan rode his old bicycle out to buy groceries.

The three tables were filled with a wide variety of dishes, but we didn't order much of anything.

When he returned to the restaurant after buying groceries, Comrade Zhou was already sitting in the lobby, helping him prepare the ingredients.

Before eight o'clock, the braised meat had been taken out of the pot one after another.

Zhou Yan cut two jin of braised pig's head meat, put a bowl of braised vegetables in an enamel basin, and put a jar of pickled radishes in a canning jar.

The tomb sweeping doesn't take a whole day, but the Zhou family has a tradition of hiking and having a picnic together. This was decided by the old lady. After sweeping the tomb, the whole family climbs to the top of Laoxiao Mountain, and then goes home.

"Zhou Yan!"

"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt!"

"Oh my, Momo's hair looks so cute today."

Just as Zhou Yan finished packing the pickled radishes, the sounds of people outside could be heard.

"Coming!" Zhou Yan responded, packed the vegetables into a straw-lined basket, and then pushed his bicycle out the door.

More than a dozen old-fashioned bicycles were parked at the entrance. The entire Zhou family, spanning four generations, had come out, including Uncle Zhang Zhengping.

Not all the cars belong to the family; some were borrowed from the village. Everyone knows that Old Zhou's family is going to sweep the tombs, so borrowing a car is just a matter of saying a word.

Zhou Yan greeted everyone, and Zhou Momo ran over, carrying her own camouflage water bottle, "Brother, I want to ride in your car!"

"Hold on tight." Zhou Yan smiled and lifted her onto the front bar that was tied with old clothes.

"Let's go," the old lady said, sitting on the back of Zhou Ming's bicycle.

The group chatted idly as they headed straight for Jiaozhou City.

Laoxiaoding is located in the old town of Jiaozhou, and the Jiaozhou Confucian Temple is built next to it.

The old man's tomb was built at the foot of the back mountain. At that time, Jiaozhou had not yet built a large-scale martyrs' cemetery. Because the old man was a first-class meritorious person, he was placed here with a group of martyrs for future generations to pay their respects and remember. Every year on Qingming Festival, students would come to sweep the tomb to commemorate him.

The group parked their bicycles at the foot of the mountain, told the tomb keeper, and he would help watch over the tomb.

As everyone carried their belongings inside, their expressions grew more serious.

The children chased each other, their faces beaming with bright smiles.

"Fanwa!" Zhao Hong called out.

The old lady smiled and waved her hand: "Don't shout, let them have fun and worship happily. If they all look down and dejected, the old man will think we're not doing well."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this, and their expressions relaxed considerably.

"Third Sister has a good attitude. If I were lying in there, I don't know how much Yu Rong would cry," Zhang Zhengping said with a smile.

"Forget it, when Yu Rong keeps vigil for you, she'll definitely drag a few people over to play mahjong." The old lady rolled her eyes at him.

Zhang Zhengping pondered for a moment and nodded in deep agreement: "There is some truth to that. She is capable of doing it. I'll just stand by and whisper in their ear, and they'll all fail."

Zhou Yan tilted his head, feeling like he had just heard a joke from the underworld.

He had attended several wedding banquets in Sichuan and Chongqing, but he had never attended a funeral.

However, according to his local roommate, it is a traditional activity for the sons and daughters to play mahjong together while keeping vigil at the funeral parlor.

The art style is quite different from that of other places.

That's why people from Sichuan are said to be amazing.

In any other place, this kind of thing would earn him the label of an unfilial son until his death.

The cemetery was relatively small. The group arrived at a tombstone inscribed with: "Tomb of Martyr Zhou Yi".

The group stepped forward to sweep away the fallen leaves in front of the grave, wiped the dust off the tombstone with a new cloth, and then laid out the sliced ​​meat and wine they had brought.

Zhou Yan took the rag and wiped the back of the tombstone. He found that the back was engraved with Comrade Zhou Yi's life story. The hundreds of words briefly summarized his military career, from leaving home in Sichuan on August 16, 1937, through the Battle of Shanghai-Songjiang, the Battle of Taierzhuang, and finally falling in Tieyuan.

Yet every single word is so poignant.

A scene flashed through Zhou Yan's mind: before leaving, Zhou Yi held Zhang Shufen's hand and said, "I must go. We'll fight all the battles we need to fight, so our descendants won't have to fight anymore!"

The old woman, dressed in black, stood to one side, gazing at the tombstone in silence for a long time.

Zhou Yan slowly clenched his fist and silently said in his heart, "Grandpa, the country is safe and sound, and this prosperous age is as you wished."

(End of this chapter)