1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 213 I'm so angry! Humph! (Additional Chapter)
"Go ahead and drink," Song Wanqing said with a smile.

Song Changhe put down his wine glass and pondered, "I feel there's something wrong with this braised meat."

"Something's not right?" Song Wanqing looked at the braised meat in the lunchbox and asked with a smile.

"It looks like leftovers." Song Changhe looked at her. "Is this something that kid gave you to eat? You didn't finish it, so you brought it back to me?"

Song Wanqing lowered her head, shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth, and mumbled, "No, he asked me to bring it to you."

Song Changhe laughed: "Giving elders braised meat, half a pig's ear, half a pig's snout, and two ounces of braised pig's head? I think this kid's heart isn't that sincere, and his character is seriously questionable."

"No way, he's a man of high moral character!" Song Wanqing put down her chopsticks and reached for the lunchbox lid. "Fine, don't refuse! I brought you braised meat and you still complain so much. I won't bring you any next time!"

"Eat, eat, eat!" Song Changhe quickly took the lunchbox containing the braised meat away and said with a smile, "Then I'm indebted to my granddaughter. You're spending my retirement money, so it's my turn to eat."

Song Wanqing looked at the old man with a helpless expression. "Grandpa, why are you unwilling to teach him Emei Spear? He wants to pass on traditional martial arts and do his best to preserve its heritage. You are one of the representatives of Emei Spear, so you should cooperate with his work. Didn't you want to open a martial arts school and take on students in your younger years?"

"Times have changed, why bother learning the Emei spear?" Song Changhe picked up a piece of ear and chewed it slowly, then picked up his wine cup and took a sip, saying leisurely, "These days, kids should study more, make guns, cannons, airplanes and tanks, that's the right path, that's the kind of powerful weapons that will make foreign tribes take you seriously and fear you."

Performing those martial arts routines and getting a couple of cheers—what's the difference between that and the old street performers? If that's the case, then so be it if it's lost; at least it avoids bringing shame.

Song Wanqing was stunned upon hearing this, and murmured, "But..."

"Hey, do you like that guy?" Song Changhe asked, looking at her.

"No way! I'm full!" Song Wanqing blushed and got up to leave.

"You haven't eaten yet."

"I'm so angry! Humph!"

Song Changhe picked up a piece of pig's head meat, put it in his mouth and savored it, shaking his head with a smile, "This kid does have a bit of cleverness."

……

"Zhou Yan! Package!" The postman called out as he stopped his bicycle in front of the restaurant.

"It's here!" Zhou Yan responded and quickly went out. He took the package from the postman. It was a bit heavy in his hand, like a book, but judging from its size, it looked like a drawing sheet. The sender's address was Shancheng.

"Did Sister Yao Yao send this?" Zhou Momo jumped out, looking at the package in Zhou Yan's hand with expectant eyes.

"What did you send? Such a big package!" Aunt Zhao asked with a gossipy look.

"I don't know yet." Zhou Yan entered the room carrying a package, carefully opened it with scissors, and found a letter, two comic books, and a new picture book.

"It's a comic book!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up.

Zhou Yan put the letter aside first, then picked up the two comic books, "Havoc in Heaven" and "Wu Song Fights the Tiger," both illustrated by Liu Jiyou, and both were still in good condition.

"This comic book is definitely for you." Zhou Yan smiled and handed the comic book to Zhou Momo.

Zhou Momo took the book with both hands, sat down with delight, opened "Havoc in Heaven" and began to read it carefully. She exclaimed softly, "Wow! It's so beautifully drawn! Look, Guoguo, this monkey is so big! Holding a stick, it looks just like Ming Guoguo!"

“That’s Sun Wukong’s golden cudgel,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “If your brother Ming heard that, he would be very happy.”

If you say a man is like a monkey, he'll definitely be unhappy.

But what if that monkey was called Sun Wukong?

That's different.

"Xia Yao is such a kind person. She always thinks about Momo. The gifts she received touched her heart perfectly. She can draw with those crayons every day without getting tired of it," Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

“That’s right.” Zhou Yan replied, took the letter and went out, leaned back in the recliner, and carefully tore open the envelope.

The three pages of letter paper were neatly rolled up, and when unfolded, Xia Yao's elegant handwriting stood out on the paper:
Zhou Yan:
Seeing words is like meeting each other, showing trust and comfort.

As I pick up my pen to write this letter, I can't wait to share something interesting with you. I saw your braised beef with skewers in class, and it was featured in the Sichuan Cuisine magazine, receiving a standing ovation from the teachers and classmates.

Teacher Su even used you as a case study to give the students a vivid lesson.

At that moment, I felt happy and proud of you.

It's funny, Deng Hong subscribed to the magazine. She took it out to read during class while she was daydreaming, but the classmate next to her couldn't help but make a sound after noticing it was you, so the teacher confiscated it...

......"

Zhou Yan's lips curled up slightly. He never expected that such a little incident would happen in the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute classroom in the mountain city, hundreds of kilometers away, because of him.

Those two meals weren't a waste of money.

However, the magazines he sent should have arrived in Chongqing in the last couple of days, right?
I wonder how Xia Yao reacted when she received it.

It can be considered a kind of tacit understanding.

They were both sharing this with each other.

Looking ahead, Xia Yao shared some interesting things that had happened at school recently.

They also mentioned that they were about to start their internships, with most students choosing factories in Chongqing, while others were going to Chengdu or Xi'an. "I found two comic books for Momo at a bookstall, both works by the master Liu Jiyou. He is my favorite comic book artist, and every drawing is a masterpiece. Perhaps they can inspire the little one's drawing skills. I hope she will like them."

Zhou Yan turned around and looked at the little guy who was engrossed in reading a comic book. His eyes were wide open, filled with surprise, joy, and eagerness.

It's obvious she really likes it!
And she seemed to really understand it. She had been looking at it for a while, still on the first page, looking at it carefully.

Unlike when he was a child, when he only wanted to watch the monkeys fight monsters in Journey to the West, he only realized how many beauties he missed when he grew up.

"The sketchbook was bought for Momo, and there's a drawing inside that's for you. The enthusiastic applause your classmates gave you in class that day left a deep impression on me, and I felt it was a pity you didn't see it, so I drew one for you to enjoy."

Best wishes for a peaceful autumn and a joyous winter.

夏瑶
1984.11.23 "

Zhou Yan stuffed the letter back into the envelope, got up impatiently and went into the store. He opened the catalog and the first page caught his eye.

In the classroom, everyone was clapping. On the podium, Ms. Su, wearing glasses, held a magazine in her hand, smiling brightly. The four large characters "Sichuan Cuisine" on the magazine were particularly eye-catching.

In the crowd, a young girl in a shirt with long hair that reached her shoulders turned her head, becoming a bright spot in the painting.

That was Xia Yao, and her smile was exceptionally bright.

In a daze, Zhou Yan seemed to also feel the enthusiastic atmosphere in the classroom.

College students who haven't been toughened up by society tend to be more passionate and sincere.

"Wow, it's even reached Sichuan University! It's really beautiful." Aunt Zhao watched for a while and nodded repeatedly. "This girl is really talented. Will a college student like her shine in big cities like the capital in the future?"

“From a career planning perspective, this is the best choice,” Zhou Yan nodded.

Advertising design is a relatively cutting-edge profession, and in this era, seeking development in big cities is the best choice.

Zhou Yan gave her the same advice.

From hand-drawn illustration to computer design, the industry is changing very rapidly. Only in big cities can one keep up with the times and stay at the forefront.

From the correspondence between Zhou Yan and Xia Yao during this period, Zhou Yan could tell that she was a career-minded and ambitious person who wanted to make her mark in the advertising design industry.

The painting was tucked inside the album, without any creases, and there was no need to flatten it.

"Let me see!" Zhou Momo put down her comic book, leaned over to look at it carefully for a while, and asked in confusion, "Brother, what is this drawing?"

"Look, this is a classroom. The person standing on the podium is the teacher, holding a magazine in his hand. He's giving a lesson to the students, and they all think he's doing a great job, so they're clapping enthusiastically," Zhou Yan explained to the little guy with a smile.

"Oh! So this is what a classroom looks like. Is this what class is like?" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up as she looked at him expectantly. "Momo wants to go to class too, and she wants to have so many children clapping with her."

Looking at the hopeful light in the little guy's eyes, Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, "Okay, after the New Year, I'll send you to kindergarten."

"Okay! I knew you were the best!" Zhou Momo jumped up and down happily, her little ponytail swaying with her movements.

Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head, hoping that the little one wouldn't cry for her mother when the time came.

Put the painting in a frame and put it in a box.

Xia Yao's paintings always gave him a strong sense of vitality, as dazzling and intense as the sun.

He frames them and takes them out to look at them from time to time, which makes him feel happier.

After closing the box, he glanced at the photo frame standing on the box by the bedside. The autumn self-portrait, with the girl's radiant smile, brought the face in his memory to life.

After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan was about to go for a run when she bumped into Zhou Ming.

"Zhou Yan, I was just about to call you, where are you going?" Zhou Ming.

"I'm planning to go for a run. Ming-ge, you just got off work? Have you had dinner yet?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"I had dinner with the martial arts team and gave them an extra hour of training, so I got back a little late." Zhou Ming stopped his bicycle, pulled Zhou Yan aside, and briefly explained what had happened at noon. Looking at him, he asked, "So, what's going on here? What should I do next to avoid making a mistake?"

"This Teacher Song is truly different," Zhou Yan couldn't help but admire after hearing this, finding her to be so clear-headed and insightful.

He looked at Zhou Ming with a hint of helplessness and said, "Ming-ge, you should be more careful. Listen to Teacher Song more at school. It would be great if you could be transferred to No. 1 Middle School as a teacher."

"You're right, I'll listen to her from now on." Zhou Ming nodded repeatedly. He had thought about what happened today and was a little scared afterward.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh. Well, is this how henpecked husbands are raised?

"She took the braised meat back with her. Grandpa Song Changhe must have tasted it. Let's keep up the good work and bring him some braised beef to try tomorrow. Let him get addicted and have to take your existence seriously," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhou Ming scratched his head, looking troubled: "Tomorrow won't work. I have to lead the morning exercises, and I need to be at school by seven o'clock."

"I see..." Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I'll have a friend bring it up for you and leave it at the school gatehouse with a note. You can pick it up after class in the morning and give it to Teacher Song when you take her home in the evening."

"Okay!" Zhou Ming nodded with a smile, then hesitated and said, "Wouldn't that be too much trouble for you and your friend?"

"Why talk about these things when we're brothers?" Zhou Yan laughed.
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PS: I'm making up for the 2k words I missed the day before yesterday, but this chapter is 3k words.

(End of this chapter)