1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 242 Comrade Zhou Ming, you haven't disgraced him.
"Thank you, Sixth Master." Zhou Yan quickly braced himself on the footrests and stepped forward to accept the gift with both hands.

When he was a child, Sixth Master worked as a page to the landlord's son and was one of the few literate people in the village's older generation.

He served as a soldier when he was young, fought against the Japanese, and after the war, he returned to his village to slaughter cattle and served as the village chief for twenty years.

He also knows how to consult the Chinese almanac and calculate auspicious days.

When the villagers have any important events, they all come to him to choose an auspicious date.

He doesn't charge money; he's happy just to bring a pound of wine or a chicken.

"You guys go ahead, don't delay the cooking time, we'll go up slowly." Sixth Master waved his hand and said with a smile.

“No rush, there’s still time.” Zhou Yan carefully tucked the paper into his pocket and looked at Sixth Master, asking, “Sixth Master, are you acquainted with Mr. Song? Ming is currently working on the inheritance and protection of Emei martial arts and wants to become a disciple of Mr. Song Changhe to inherit and promote his Emei spear technique, but he has been struggling to find a way to do so.”

Upon hearing this, Sixth Master glanced at Zhou Ming and said with a smile, "Isn't he the national champion? Now that he's a teacher, why does he still need to become an apprentice?"

Zhou Ming solemnly said, "Sixth Master, the country is currently carrying out rescue and protection of traditional martial arts. Our Emei martial arts have been passed down for thousands of years, and there are countless martial arts such as Emei boxing, Emei sword, Emei spear, and Emei dagger."

However, over the past few decades, martial arts schools and lineages have declined, and as older generations of martial arts masters have gradually passed away, many martial arts traditions have also been lost.

"Master Song Changhe is a leading figure in the Emei spear style. His spear technique, honed through countless battles, has no disciples to pass it on to. I think it would be a great pity if this tradition were to end here."

"I see." Sixth Master nodded thoughtfully after listening. "I shouldn't interfere with the matter of taking on apprentices. The old sergeant hasn't taken on any apprentices for decades, and he must have his own reasons. But if he asks about you, I will definitely tell him the truth."

"Alright, that's enough." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "Hongwei, then you take Sixth Master and ride slowly. Avoid any potholes you see. We'll get up there first."

“Okay.” Zhou Hongwei nodded.

Zhou Yan and Zhou Ming left first.

"I didn't expect that Sixth Master and Old Master Song were comrades-in-arms. I should have asked him for help sooner," Zhou Ming said with a surprised look.

“That makes sense. Teacher Song already got you accepted through a recommendation.” Zhou Yan scoffed. “Sixth Master is basically vouching for you. Whether you succeed or not depends on your own performance.”

"Performance?" Zhou Ming thought about it seriously for a moment. "How about I perform an Emei sword routine at the banquet later to liven things up?"

Zhou Yan gave him a disdainful look. It's not appropriate for someone else to be singing and dancing like this at a comrade-in-arms gathering.

"I think it's better not to do that. Old Master Song has been on the battlefield and killed Japanese soldiers. He might not like it if you show off your sword techniques in front of him."

Zhou Ming nodded: "That's right. Teacher Song said something similar, that he was quite disgusted with the current martial arts routines."

Then you should listen to what Teacher Song says more!
Teacher Song is really worried sick.

Zhou Yan remained silent.

"Zhou Yan, then tell me, how can I make Mr. Song like me?" Zhou Ming asked earnestly.

"You just need to do your best," Zhou Yan comforted him, "you can't do anything else well anyway."

His older brother is too innocent; he only practices martial arts and hasn't picked up any of the bad habits of sports students. What a waste of such a good physique.

"Sigh... interpersonal relationships are so difficult to manage." Zhou Ming sighed.

Zhou Yan smiled upon hearing this.

Who can argue with that? Interpersonal relationships are harder to manage than dealing with a corpse. You can tell he's really exhausted.

The two arrived outside the Song family's gate.

Zhou Ming went up and knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Song Wanqing stood inside, smiling as she said, "Teacher Zhou, you've arrived!"

“Yes, Zhou Yan and I will cook.” Zhou Ming nodded with a smile.

Song Wanqing then noticed Zhou Yan standing outside the door, and smiled and nodded at him: "Zhou Yan, come in."

Although they had only met twice, Song Wanqing gave Zhou Yan the feeling that they were already very familiar with each other.

Just like... his sister-in-law.

It's so natural.

"Okay," Zhou Yan replied, pushing the bicycle into the yard.

Two round tables and benches have already been set up in the courtyard.

Song Changhe, dressed in a faded military uniform, sat at a small stone table. When he saw Zhou Yan and the others enter, he stood up and said, "You've arrived."

“Yes, the braised dishes are prepared in the shop first before being brought up. Mr. Song looks really dashing in his military uniform today.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, and then introduced Zhou Ming: “This is my brother, Zhou Ming. You should remember him.”

"Hello, Mr. Song. My name is Zhou Ming." Zhou Ming stepped forward and greeted him with a cupped hand.

"Coming twice a day, it's hard to say I wouldn't remember it," Song Changhe said with a smile.

Zhou Ming scratched his head awkwardly. Was Mr. Song complaining that he was coming too often?

Song Changhe looked at the two of them and nodded: "I read the Jiaozhou Daily a couple of days ago. You two lads are quite good, brave and resourceful, with extraordinary courage."

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "I was only responsible for handing over the stick. Ming Ge took down all those thugs. If it were me alone, I would have had no choice but to run away."

His training had paid off; he was agile and swift, and in just a few moves, all four thugs were down, completely incapacitated.

“This is nothing…” Zhou Ming scratched his head.

After listening, Song Changhe nodded slightly, but did not continue the conversation. Instead, he said, "The kitchen is in the back. Let Qingqing take you there. Thank you for your help today."

"No trouble at all." Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head, picked up the basket on his back, and followed Song Wanqing to the kitchen.

"Do you need my help? Although I'm not a great cook, I can still do some chores like washing and chopping vegetables," Song Wanqing asked.

"No need, I brought a kitchen helper with me today, there's no need for Teacher Song to lift a finger." Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile and said to Zhou Ming, "Brother Ming, start the fire first, I want to cook beef and ribs."

"Okay!" Zhou Ming replied, then went behind the stove to start a fire.

"Here's some straw." Song Wanqing stepped forward and handed him a bundle of tied straw, asking with a smile, "Are you thirsty? Shall I get you a glass of water?"

"Okay, is there any well water? I'd like some cold water to drink," Zhou Ming said.

“There’s some herbal tea. My grandpa likes to drink it cold too. I’ll pour you a cup,” Song Wanqing said with a smile, getting up to walk outside.

"Teacher Song, please pour Zhou Yan a glass too."

"Have it."

Zhou Yan: Thank you.

Ming is truly blessed.

To meet a woman like Teacher Song.

Zhou Yan was in charge of cooking, Zhou Ming helped with the fire, and Teacher Song moved a small stool and watched him tend the fire.

He hadn't encountered much of the "love-obsessed" type before, but today he'd witnessed it firsthand.

Actually, my rank is pretty good.

Unfortunately, she ran into Zhou Ming, that deadbeat straight man.

Sweet words are for the deaf, and flirtatious glances are for the blind.

Zhou Yan took a sip of herbal tea.

It's a bit too sweet.

It's too sweet; outsiders can't handle it.

Before long, Mr. Song's comrades-in-arms arrived one after another.

Song Wanqing went out to greet them, and soon Zhou Hongwei also came into the kitchen, plopped down on the small stool where Song Wanqing had been sitting, and said with a smile, "You guys rode pretty fast, we just couldn't catch up."

"No joke, Zhou Yan had a piece of tofu in his car. He was slow today, otherwise he could have been ten minutes faster," Zhou Ming said.

"How is Sixth Master's health?" Zhou Yan asked.

Zhou Hongwei nodded with a smile: "He's alright. He said he was coming to meet with his comrades today, and he was in great spirits. He got up early this morning and wore his military uniform, which he had taken out a couple of days ago and had his mom iron and hang up for him."

Zhou Yan looked at him and asked, "Have you been learning knife skills from Brother Jie these past two days?"

“I’m learning. Every morning I go to Brother Jie’s stall for two hours as an apprentice before I go work as a porter.” Zhou Hongwei grinned. “To be honest, I do have some talent for knife skills. Now I’m the only one who can cut the vegetables at home. I picked it up pretty quickly. How about I help you cut the vegetables?”

"No, I calculated the quantities of all the ingredients in advance. If you ruin them, I won't know where to find them." Zhou Yan refused decisively, not trusting his knife skills at all.

"Zhou Yan, if I learn knife skills for a month, can I start selling braised food?" Zhou Hongwei looked at him with expectant eyes.

“That depends on your talent and effort. If you can master knife skills in a month and understand how to cut pig's ear, pig's head meat, and beef, then you can go sell them. Otherwise, keep practicing.” Zhou Yan looked at him and said, “Normally, you need to practice for two or three months. If you can’t cut it well, the braised meat won’t taste right, and the texture will be completely lost. That would ruin my reputation.”

Zhou Hongwei stopped laughing after hearing this and nodded seriously: "Okay, I will definitely study hard and practice hard, and I will never go out and ruin your reputation. This is Grandma Zhang's braised food brand, I dare not ruin it."

"It's rare to see a serious expression on your face," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Stop nagging! I'm serious, okay?" Zhou Hongwei pouted. "When I was in school, my grades were better than yours!"

"What's so great about being third to last or second to last?"

"That means I'm ranked higher than you!"

“That makes sense. Then recite the Yellow Crane Tower for me to hear.”

"What is the Yellow Crane Tower? Where is it located? I'd like to climb it sometime."

"From now on, you're not allowed to say that you were one place ahead of me in school."

The three chatted idly, while Teacher Song leaned against the doorway, watching them with a smile, seemingly no different from the children in her class.

“One of them was paralyzed a couple of days ago and can’t come today, so their comrades now number eleven. However, apart from four healthy veterans, everyone else came with family members. Three people left after dropping off their loved ones, so there are eighteen people having lunch today.” Song Wanqing went into the kitchen and asked Zhou Yan, “Is there enough food?”

Zhou Yan nodded: "That's enough. Ming and I don't need to sit at the table. You two can squeeze in at the two square tables." "Then there's no need to squeeze in. I won't sit at the table either. I'll bring you the dishes, and we can eat in the kitchen, it's the same." Zhou Hongwei said.

"Then I'll eat in the kitchen too. This way, two square tables will fit perfectly. You guys go ahead with your work, I'll go pour them some tea," Song Wanqing said with a smile, and went out with a thermos.

Zhou Hongwei whispered, "Teacher Song is really beautiful, but seeing her makes me a little nervous, just like when I see my old Chinese teacher. I feel like she might pull out a thin bamboo stick at any moment, and I'm scared."

"So what do you think of me when you see me?" Zhou Ming asked with a smile.

"The PE teacher just felt a sense of warmth," Zhou Hongwei grinned.

In the courtyard, a group of gray-haired veterans sat around a table, exchanging greetings, their voices occasionally drifting into the kitchen.

"The old squad leader still looks so robust. There's a difference between those who practice martial arts and those who have much better complexions."

"That's right, I just can't do it anymore. My hands have been shaking since last year, and I need to drink two ounces of alcohol to steady them."

"Old Li, you should go out and move around more. Look at me, I go to the park to dance every day, and I'm in great health."

"Of course, dancing with other people's spouses every day, how could their health not be good?"

"He can only have a fleeting moment of pleasure; he can see it but can't have it, so it's not working out."

"Nonsense! I'm still as virile as ever!"

"It's true that she's still very stubborn."

"Hahaha--"

The veterans mostly talked about their current situations, and few of them talked about the war years.

"Old sergeant, your marksmanship is so good, have you taken on any apprentices? This martial arts skill must be passed down, right? I think the movies about Shaolin Temple are really good, now everyone wants to go to Shaolin Temple to learn martial arts." An old soldier said to Song Changhe.

"Yes, everyone says that Shaolin Kung Fu is known throughout the world, while Emei Kung Fu stays within the country. We Jiaozhou people all know that Emei Kung Fu is powerful, but there aren't many people who actually learn it." Zhou Kang said with some emotion, "Old squad leader, why do you think that is?"

Everyone looked at Song Changhe with curiosity.

Song Changhe picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said calmly, "Mount Emei is high and precipitous, difficult for ordinary people to reach. The Emei martial arts tradition is mainly passed down orally and through demonstration. In recent years, everyone has focused on production and construction, and society is stable, so naturally not many people are learning martial arts."

I haven't taken on any apprentices. No matter how fast this red-tasseled spear is, it can't outrun the Type 38 rifle.

"Back then, I won the all-army skills competition because of my exceptional marksmanship; the 'King of Guns' praised my accuracy, not my spearmanship."

Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"That's right. Back then, our old sergeant was the sharpshooter in our company. He could hit anything he pointed at. He was usually in charge of the machine gunners' duties, and he rarely missed a shot," Zhou Kang said with a smile.

"I was taught how to use a gun by my old squad leader. When I first got the gun, I was so happy that I couldn't sleep for two days. I even slept with it in my arms."

"Old Wang didn't come today, otherwise he would definitely have brought this up too. You all left Sichuan in the same year, right?"

While everyone was chatting enthusiastically, Zhou Ming, listening from the kitchen, looked somewhat troubled and sighed, saying, "It seems that Mr. Song really has no intention of taking on any apprentices."

Zhou Yan was also somewhat surprised. Judging from what Old Master Song said, did he think martial arts were useless? So he didn't plan to take on any more disciples?
This idea has probably been around for a while, otherwise he wouldn't still be over seventy years old and haven't taken on any apprentices.

Or is it for some other reason?

As Zhou Yan sliced ​​the braised meat, he pondered that this task might not be so easy to complete.

Zhou Hongwei watched from the side, his face full of amazement: "Your knife is so sharp! Swish, swish, swish, you can slice the ear so thinly and evenly without even looking?"

"What's there to complain about? This is just basic skill," Zhou Yan said calmly, picking up another pig's ear and chopping it up.

“I think Brother Jie’s skill level is far inferior to yours, Zhou Yan. How about I come and learn knife skills from you?” Zhou Hongwei looked at him earnestly and said, “So that I don’t go astray and waste my youth on Brother Jie.”

"I'll tell Brother Jie what you said back then," Zhou Yan teased. "You only need to learn one straight-knife technique for cutting braised dishes. Brother Jie's straight-knife technique is quite standard. If you're not afraid of difficulty, you can come to the restaurant and learn from me."

Zhou Hongwei thought for a moment and said, "Then forget it, I'll just learn from Brother Jie. It'll be more convenient to go and move goods right away after I learn."

"Whatever you like." Zhou Yan nodded, arranged the sliced ​​braised meat on a plate, and put the extra on a separate small plate. He glanced at the time; it was exactly twelve o'clock. He nodded and said, "Come on, let's start serving the cold dishes!"

"Coming, coming!" Song Wanqing followed and carried the cold dishes outside.

There were a lot of people today, but luckily Zhou Yan prepared a lot of dishes.

There are four cold dishes here: braised beef, braised pig's head, braised pig's ears and braised pig's snout, and a platter of braised vegetables.

The braised pork belly is steaming in the pot, and it's almost done.

Beef and bamboo shoot stew, and braised pork ribs are simmering in the pot; they can be served immediately after being plated.

The crucian carp is already fried, and making a braised crucian carp with mint is a simple task.

After turning the restaurant into the second canteen of the textile factory, this kind of small family banquet with two tables was a piece of cake for Zhou Yan.

"Ming-ge, stop the fire and go serve the food." Zhou Yan called out to Zhou Ming behind the stove, "Work more in front of people, so that people can see it, otherwise your work won't be in vain."

"Oh, okay," Zhou Ming replied, washed his hands, and followed to help serve the cold dishes.

"Hey, old squad leader, you've put together a great feast! These cold dishes look amazing."

"Hmm, the braised beef and braised pig's head are authentic and smell delicious."

As soon as the dishes were served, the veterans couldn't help but praise them.

"It's rare for us to get together, so we've hired a professional chef to cook a meal for everyone." Song Changhe smiled, stood up, raised his glass, and said loudly, "Come on, let's toast to our group of veterans first. When we get there, we'll fight the Japanese together again."

"Come on! Let's kill those Japanese devils together!"

The veterans raised their glasses one after another, some with trembling hands, but their eyes were exceptionally firm.

Zhou Ming slowed his pace slightly, and his eyes lit up as he watched the group of veterans downing their drinks.

Zhou Yan stood at the kitchen doorway, still holding a spatula in her hand, and looked at this scene with tears welling up in her eyes as well.

Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away.

This statement has become a reality in these veterans.

Even though his hair was already white and his hand was trembling as he held the wine glass, he was still as bold as ever and still wanted to go down and kill the Japanese devils.

Everyone put down their cups and laughed heartily.

"Sit down!" Song Changhe gestured for everyone to sit down, and said with a smile, "Try this chef's cooking. Don't let his young age fool you, his skills are truly excellent. He deserves the title of chef, especially this braised pig's head meat, the taste is absolutely delicious."

"Of course we have to try it!"

"Mmm! It smells amazing! Oily but not greasy, with a rich, savory braised flavor!"

"This braised beef is absolutely delicious! The chef's skills are truly impressive."

The veterans picked up their chopsticks and praised the food repeatedly.

"Let me tell you, this chef is my older brother Zhou Yi's grandson. He's only twenty years old this year, and his name is Zhou Yan. I don't know if you saw the Jiaozhou Daily a couple of days ago. He and his brother Zhou Ming subdued a group of ruthless robbers on a bus with their bare hands, protecting the lives and property of the people." Zhou Kang pointed to Zhou Ming with a proud look and said, "Look, this kid is Zhou Ming, the national martial arts champion. Heroes emerge from among the young."

Everyone looked at Zhou Ming, smiling and exclaiming, "What a young hero!"

Zhou Ming immediately straightened his back and said with a righteous expression, "I am a Communist Party member, this is what I should do."

The Party badge on his chest gleamed brightly at that moment.

Upon hearing this, the veterans' eyes lit up immediately.

Even Song Changhe put down his wine glass on the table, looked at Zhou Ming, and nodded with a smile.

Zhou Yan was stunned.

At this moment, Zhou Ming was, in his eyes, an ambitious young man who had transcended vulgar interests.

Meanwhile, Song Wanqing, standing to the side, had eyes sparkling with excitement.

Zhou Ming put the dishes on the table and turned to walk towards the kitchen.

"Old squad leader, do you think he looks a bit like you when you were young?" Zhou Kang asked with a touch of emotion.

"I think it's about 70-80% similar. It has the righteous spirit and chivalrous courage, but it lacks the killing intent honed on the battlefield," a veteran said.

"This young man has such a spirit; his family background must be truly remarkable!" someone echoed.

Song Changhe picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and said with a smile, "Before I joined the army, I killed mountain bandits and bullies. After I joined the army, I killed Japanese devils and American devils. If you ask me how much he resembles me, I think he doesn't resemble me at all."

This is a good thing. He doesn't see national or personal grievances; he sees the world as bright. Isn't that precisely the purpose of all the wars we fought back then?

The veterans all smiled and nodded upon hearing this.

These words struck a chord with them.

Song Wanqing held the tray, staring blankly at Song Changhe. This was the first time she had heard her grandfather comment on Zhou Ming, or perhaps on himself when he was young.

"Zhou Yan, do you think if Grandpa had come back back then, would he be sitting at that table today, drinking and chatting with these old soldiers?" Zhou Ming said softly.

“Yes.” Zhou Yan nodded, then thought for a moment and added, “Then today’s banquet will probably be held in Zhou Village. The old lady will definitely be very happy and will personally cook braised meat for everyone.”

Zhou Ming sighed: "I don't know what kind of person the old man was. When we were little, my grandma would sometimes tell us about my grandpa's exploits in fighting the Japanese, but she gradually stopped talking about it."

I asked my father, and he said he didn't remember much. After Grandpa joined the army, he came back in his spare time to have him, and then came back in his spare time to have my fourth uncle. He didn't even see his youngest uncle.

Zhou Yan was silent for a while before saying, "When the old man was young, he looked a lot like my uncle. After he joined the army, he looked more and more tough and strong. His physique was similar to yours. He was very good to the old lady. He always thought of her and always gave in to her."

Last time, Mr. Song mentioned his grandfather, saying they had fought in the same trench. The old man told him that his wife's braised pork was the best in the world. He must have loved his wife very much, which is why he fought so many battles, fighting for his five sons, and for us, his descendants.

Zhou Ming's mouth was slightly open, his eyes were already red, and he couldn't speak for a long time.

Zhou Yan ladled the two dishes from the pot, handed the tray to Zhou Ming, patted his arm, and said with a smile, "If the old man were sitting here today, he would be just as proud of you and me as Sixth Master. Comrade Zhou Ming, you have not let him down."

(End of this chapter)