1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 24 has surpassed 100!
"I don't know, maybe a long time from now," Zhou Yan said with a smile and a shake of his head.

Xia Yao is a college student at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute. If she goes back to Chongqing, who knows when she will come back to their small town.

Having experienced the terrifying ordeal of falling into the water, she probably won't have a good impression of the town, and it's possible she won't come back again.

"How long is a long time?" Zhou Momo asked, looking completely bewildered.

Zhou Yan smiled but did not answer, because he could not give an answer either.

"Zhou Yan, two bowls of noodles." Zhao Tieying's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Okay!" Zhou Yan replied and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

……

"Xia Yao, we're going to Suji tomorrow. What's fun to do in that town?"

"Yaoyao, didn't you fall into the water there before? Aren't you scared to go back?"

In a makeshift dormitory converted from a residential house, two girls chattered as they watched Xia Yao sitting at the table drawing.

Teacher Liu, who was leading the group, announced at noon that everyone would be visiting and learning at the Jiaozhou Textile Factory tomorrow.

Xia Yao had just been to Suji, so both of them wanted to get some information from her first.

“Don’t be scared, it was just an accident. Jiaozhou Textile Factory is huge, Suji is beautiful, and there are lots of delicious food and local specialties.” Xia Yao put down her pen and smiled as she said to her two roommates, “There’s also the best braised pork rib noodles in the world.”

"Is this handsome guy also a specialty of Suji?" The girl pointed at Xia Yao's sketchbook with a gossipy look on her face.

"I've noticed you've been drawing him a lot in your spare time these past few days. Could it be someone you have a crush on?" another girl said with a smile.

The tall, slender girl was named Zhu Yuyu, while the shorter but rather plump girl was named Deng Hong.

They were roommates in school, and after more than three years of living together, they developed a close and friendly relationship, talking about almost everything.

“His name is Zhou Yan, my savior. If it weren’t for him, I would be dead. His noodles are delicious.” Xia Yao said gracefully, turning the page of her sketchbook to the next page: “This is his sister, Momo.”

"So cute!" The two of them exclaimed, their eyes lighting up.

"He's handsome and a hero who did something righteous. Yao Yao, aren't you even a little bit tempted?" Deng Hong asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, aren't you tempted?" Zhu Yuyu asked as well.

"Go away, go away, our friendship is purely platonic." Xia Yao waved her hand seriously, but her ears were flushed. "I'll take you guys out for noodles tomorrow!"

"Yeah!"

"Could you also take us to meet your savior, and see if he's as handsome as you drew him?"

"climb!"

……

As Zhou Yan had predicted, the 100 servings of braised beef with ribs were not sold out, with 31 servings remaining.

But this has far exceeded his expectations this morning.

Zhou Yan sent twelve portions of the remaining braised beef to the security department of the neighboring factory, and each staff member on duty received one.

Luo Weidong, the head of the security department, was on duty today. When he saw Zhou Yan carrying a tray into the room, he waved his hand repeatedly and said, "Little Zhou, how can I accept this? You can keep it to sell for money."

The steaming hot beef stew with its enticing aroma caught the attention of all the guards.

"Section Chief Luo, it's getting dark soon. We can't finish selling all of it, and we can't eat it all ourselves. Everyone works hard on the night shift, so a bowl of braised beef will make you feel better." Zhou Yan smiled as he put down the tray. "We don't sell leftovers; it would be a waste. This is a newly launched braised beef dish, so everyone can try it. With you all here, I feel at ease keeping the shop running."

Hearing this, Luo Weidong didn't refuse anymore and nodded, saying, "Okay, then we'll accept your kindness. I'll have them bring the bowl back to you after we finish eating."

"Okay, you guys go ahead with your work," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

"Xiao Zhou, if you encounter any trouble in the future, just contact the security department. Your shop is rented from a textile factory, so our security department can handle anything that happens," Luo Weidong said.

“Okay.” Zhou Yan’s smile widened as he turned and left.

"Xiao Zhou is a good comrade, a hero who acted bravely and righteously. Keep an eye on his restaurant from now on," Luo Weidong said to the other guards, picking up a bowl of braised beef.

"it is good."

"It smells so good!"

“So fresh!”

"What a tender young man!"

A chorus of exclamations of praise rang out from the security department.

Zhou Yan delivered ten more portions to the workers who came to work the night shift. They were all familiar with Zhao Tieying when they passed by the restaurant, which showed that they were regular customers of the restaurant.

The remaining eight portions were divided: half was given to Zhao Hong to take home for dinner, and the other half was left for the eight people to eat themselves.

"How can I possibly take all this meat back with me?" Zhao Hong waved her hands repeatedly as she looked at the lunchbox Zhao Tieying handed her.

“Take this back and let the two kids eat it together, so we don’t have to cook. It’s such a waste to throw it away.” Zhao Tieying shoved the lunchbox into Zhou Yan’s hand. “Hang it in your brother’s car.” “Okay.” Zhou Yan replied and went out with the lunchbox.

A bicycle was parked at the entrance, and a burly man wearing a vest squatted beside it, watching Zhou Momo play with the rattan grasshopper in her hand, his fleshy face turning into a squinty smile.

"Brother Fei," Zhou Yan greeted with a smile, hanging his lunchbox on the handlebars; the rope lunchbox bag was quite convenient.

"Hey, Zhou Yan." The man looked up at Zhou Yan, smiled, and stood up.

"Brother, look, this is a grasshopper that Feiguo made for me! It's so cute!" Zhou Momo held up the grasshopper in her hand and proudly showed it to Zhou Yan, "There's only one, you didn't get one."

Zhou Fei's smile grew even brighter.

“Your brother Fei spent all night knitting this one, and it’s the best one he ever made. He didn’t even give it to Fanwa.” Zhao Hong followed him out and said with a smile, “I’m hiding it to give to Momo.”

Zhou Momo turned around and hugged Zhou Fei's leg tightly: "Fei-guo, you're so great!"

"Next time, Fei Guo will make you a sparrow," Zhou Fei said with a smile.

"Feiguo, you are my best big pot!" Zhou Momo jumped up happily.

Zhou Fei watched her grin foolishly, her joy written all over her face.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh; Zhou Momo was the darling of the Zhou family.

The two brothers, Zhou Fei and Zhou Hai, are both straightforward and honest. However, Zhou Fei is tall and strong, but he has a pair of skillful hands. He learned straw weaving from his mother and can weave various insects from rattan and straw, making them lifelike.

"Why don't you two have a daughter too? Look how much Zhou Fei likes little girls," Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong teased.

"Fourth Aunt, we can't even afford to support two sons, and besides, the policy doesn't allow it." Zhao Hong shook her head repeatedly. "If we have another son, it'll be the death of us. The chances of the Zhou family having a son are just too high! Who can handle that?"

Zhou Fei drove Zhao Hong home, while Zhou Yan's family ate dinner at the shop.

“The textile factory will be closed the day after tomorrow, so our shop will also be closed for a day. From now on, we'll only have one day off per week,” Zhou Yan said to his mother.

"Resting?" Zhao Tieying paused, chopsticks in her hand, and asked, "Does no one come to eat on Sunday?"

“Ninety percent of the restaurant’s customers are factory workers. When the factories are closed and the workers don’t come to work, there’s hardly any business. It’s hard to prepare food for just a few scattered customers. Too much is wasteful, and too little will be disliked.” Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile. “Besides, we also need to rest. We work so hard every day from dawn till dusk, so one day off a week isn’t unreasonable.”

“Yes, we should balance work and rest.” Zhou Miao put a piece of beef on Zhao Tieying’s plate. “Don’t overwork yourself.”

Zhao Tieying smiled and nodded, "Okay, then let's take a day off."

"By the way, if you're not open the day after tomorrow, take Momo to see your grandma. I ran into Lao Wu yesterday, and he said the old lady hasn't seen you two siblings in a long time. Go cook a meal for her." Zhou Miao said to Zhou Yan.

"Remember to bring something with you; your grandma dotes on you two," Zhao Tieying added.

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded and started eating, an image of an old lady with a full head of white hair popping into his mind.

He drinks twice a day, with two ounces of wine and two ounces of meat each time, and he can still eat two bowls of rice.

He raised five sons by himself and trained his five daughters-in-law to be completely obedient.

Sichuan-Chongqing Tyrannosaurus·First generation.

Zhou Momo, who was standing to the side, buried herself in her rice, oblivious to everything else, focusing only on eating her food, leaving her hands and face greasy.

She looks so happy eating.

“When the weather is nice, let Momo eat breakfast and lunch at the entrance. Just look at how she eats! Who wouldn’t want to come in and try what they make?” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“I think it’s a good idea. Those young girls really like her. She has a sweet tongue and knows how to tell stories. She’s better at attracting customers than I am.” Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Momo with a doting smile.

"By the way, today our store sold 100 servings of noodles, 69 servings of braised beef, and 52 bowls of rice, bringing our total revenue to 106.6 yuan, successfully breaking the 100 mark," Zhou Yan said.

"One hundred!" Zhao Tieying was a little stunned.

More than one hundred!

It sold for over a hundred yuan!

Their restaurant has really taken off.

I can earn more than half of this hundred yuan. After running the restaurant for three months, I can finally see a return on my investment.

"This is just the beginning! From now on, we'll not only earn a hundred, but a thousand! Ten thousand!" Zhou Yan said with a smile as he picked up the soup bowl. "Here, have a bowl of our delicious beef jerky for a successful opening!"

"Let's do it!" Zhao Tieying's eyes shone with light, his face beamed with smiles, and he was full of energy.

"Cheers." Zhou Miao raised his bowl.

"Cheers~" Zhou Momo raised the bowl with both hands.

The four bowls were gently tapped together.

Everyone had a smile on their face.

(End of this chapter)