1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 267 I Believe Your Ghostly Deception (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets: 1064)

On Sunday, Zhou Yan slept in late.

I didn't get up until 7:30.

Compared to her usual 4:30 AM, 7:30 AM is now considered a late sleep for Zhou Yan.

It's funny, back in college, getting up at 7:30 to go to 8am was considered getting up early.

In winter, not everyone in a dormitory can catch up with 8 a.m.

Zhou Yan put on the corduroy jacket that Aunt Zhao had made for him. It was lined with cotton and was quite warm.

It's gotten colder these past few days; it's not the kind of weather you can just grit your teeth and get through in a shirt.

When Zhou Yan came downstairs, Aunt Zhao and the others had already changed their clothes and were waiting downstairs.

Zhou Momo changed out of her usual floral jacket and into the brown leather jacket that Duan Yuyan had given her. Instead of wearing a baseball cap, she put on the red woolen hat that Aunt Zhao had knitted for her. She pulled it down so that it just covered her ears, making her look a little adorable.

Comrade Zhou and Aunt Zhao also changed into decent clothes and wore leather shoes, looking energetic from head to toe.

Sure enough, people look different when they're not working.

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou were only in their early forties, and their skin had become tanned from years of hard work.

However, after helping out at the restaurant for the past two months without being exposed to the sun, and using the skincare products Xia Yao gave her, Aunt Zhao's complexion looked much fairer and her skin became smoother. With her new clothes, she looked much younger than before.

After being the boss's wife for two months, she seemed to have a much stronger presence than before. She stood up straight, and Old Zhou looked like a bodyguard standing next to her.

Comrade Zhou goes fishing every few days, and he still gets quite tanned.

The saying that money can support people is absolutely true.

The confidence of ordinary people comes from money, doesn't it?

"I'll make you an egg pancake. Go brush your teeth and wash your face, and eat breakfast before you leave, so you don't upset your stomach," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan. "We've already eaten."

"I'll fry it, so you don't get oil on your clothes." Zhou Yan took off his coat and draped it on the counter before going into the kitchen. There was still a small fire burning in the stove, and there was some batter that had been prepared.

Zhou Yan stuffed a piece of wood into the stove, then went to brush his teeth and wash his face. He casually fried an egg pancake to fill his stomach.

After putting out the fire in the stove, Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen, put on his clothes, and said with a smile, "Let's go, let's go into town."

On a rare weekend, Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou made an appointment to see Sichuan Opera. The Jiale Grand Theater on East Street has Sichuan Opera performances every weekend, and they had already asked about the ticket price in advance.

Zhou Yan thought this was great; it enriched her leisure time, and wasn't the point of earning money to spend it more comfortably?

Three months ago, Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou would never have thought of going to Jiaozhou to see Sichuan Opera; they could only wait for the performances to be sent to the countryside during festivals.

"MoMo, are you going to see Sichuan opera too?" Zhou MoMo asked with a smile as she rode in Zhou Yan's car.

"Mmm, I want to see face-changing!" Zhou Momo nodded, her eyes sparkling. "They changed faces in a flash! They're so amazing!"

That's true, no child can resist Sichuan opera face-changing.

Even if it means waiting for a Sichuan opera performance she can't understand first.

Zhou Yan and Xia Yao agreed to meet at eight o'clock. When Zhou Yan arrived at the dormitory building, Xia Yao was already waiting for him.

She was wearing the same wool coat as yesterday, carrying a small gold chain handbag. Today, she hadn't tied her hair up; her long black hair was combed straight, giving her an extra touch of elegance and sophistication.

Xia Yao greeted everyone and got on the back of Zhou Yan's bicycle.

"Have you had breakfast?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Not yet. I want to go to Jiaozhou to eat paper-wrapped shumai with a bowl of seaweed soup," Xia Yao said with a smile.

"That's great. I'll take you to have breakfast first." Zhou Yan said with a smile. After hearing her say that, he was a little hungry again after finishing his egg pancake. He felt that he could probably eat another basket of shumai.

"I want to eat it too!" Zhou Momo immediately signed up, afraid of missing out.

"Didn't you already have an egg pancake?" Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“But… but I didn’t eat shumai,” Zhou Momo explained earnestly.

"We'll see if Mom lets you eat it later, I can't make that decision," Zhou Yan said with a smile. If Zhou Momo ate too much and got indigestion, his mother would really beat him.

"Sister Yao Yao, can you make the decision?" Zhou Momo turned around, trying to find outside help.

"I can't either." Xia Yao shook her head decisively; she didn't dare take the blame.

"Sigh~~" Zhou Momo sighed, pouting with a hint of annoyance.

Zhou Yan and Xia Yao were laughing happily in the back.

When they arrived at the family compound, Lin Zhiqiang was pushing his bicycle out of the compound, followed by his brothers Lin Bingwen and Lin Jingxing. Meng Anhe was also pushing her women's bicycle out of the compound.

Everyone greeted each other upon meeting.

Meng Anhe looked at Xia Yao sitting in the back seat of Zhou Yan and said, "Yao Yao, get in my car."

Before Xia Yao could speak, Lin Zhiqiang interrupted, "Why don't you let Zhou Yan take Yao Yao? He's young and energetic. It's already quite an achievement that you can ride all the way to Jiaozhou by yourself. Or you could let Jing Xing ride in Brother Miao's car, and I'll take you up?"

Zhao Tieying then said, "I think it's a good idea. Anhe, let Jingxing ride on our car. It'll save you from riding these twenty kilometers back and forth and getting your trousers dirty, which isn't worth it."

Meng Anhe glanced down at her wool wide-leg pants, then at her bicycle, thought for a moment, and nodded, saying, "Alright, then I won't ride the bike. My husband, Lao Lin, has been running every day for the past two months, so his legs are strong."

Zhao Tieying's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and she smiled and said, "Really? There are benefits to that too. Then I'll have my Sanshui go and do some more running around."

Meng Anhe was stunned for a moment, then laughed until tears almost came out.

Lin Zhiqiang and Zhou Miao exchanged a glance, giving each other a look of mutual understanding between middle-aged men.

Zhou Yan and Xia Yao looked puzzled, not understanding what they were laughing about. The group set off, chatting and laughing all the way, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhou Yan thought that Zhao Niangniang and Meng Anhe wouldn't have much to talk about, after all, one was an intellectual who had studied abroad and was now the vice president of the provincial architectural institute, while the other was a village woman who had always stayed in the countryside and had been a militia member when she was young. Their experiences were too different.

But the two of them ended up chatting enthusiastically on the back of the bicycle.

“When we went to the countryside before, we even went with them to hunt wild boars. They were that big, and I took them down with just two shots,” Meng Anhe said, gesturing as she spoke.

"Anhe, I didn't expect you to be such a good shot!" Aunt Zhao looked at her with admiration and continued, "That year, wild boars were rampant and came down the mountain to ruin the crops. Our militia brigade took on the task from the county to exterminate the wild boars. We killed 26 wild boars in a week. I killed one that weighed more than 600 jin and was even commended by the county."

"Over 600 jin! My God, that's huge! Sister Ying, you're amazing. My legs would go weak if I saw a wild boar that big," Meng Anhe exclaimed.

"Over 600 jin, that's really huge." Lin Zhiqiang was also surprised.

The conversation started with wild boars and then moved on to the construction industry, maintaining an unexpectedly harmonious atmosphere where everyone shared their own perspectives.

“Anhe, you said you’re a professional house repairman, so if we go back to the countryside to repair a house, could you take a look for me?” Zhao Tieying said to Meng Anhe, “I just want to wait until next year when I’ve made some money and go back to my hometown to repair a house. I don’t have high requirements, just enough so that the village women can tell at a glance that our family has made money.”

"I understand. It's like wearing fine clothes at night if you don't return home in glory."

“Yes! Especially those women like Gao Cuihua. They don’t know I have money. I feel like I’ve earned it all for nothing,” Zhao Tieying nodded.

Meng Anhe smiled and said, "Sister Ying is so genuine. When you go home and renovate your house, I'll design the layout for you. I guarantee it will be the most stylish house in the whole village."

"I'm relieved to hear you say that!" Zhao Tieying was overjoyed and looked at Meng Anhe, saying, "From now on, I'll cover all your breakfasts when you and Director Lin come to the shop. You can come every day, and you can't pay. If you do, I'll get angry."

"That's so embarrassing."

"Look at you, you're being too polite. We're all so comfortable having you, the vice dean, draw up plans for us, and you're embarrassed to have breakfast?"

"Sister Ying, you're such an interesting person."

"I'm one of the few who slipped through the net in the literacy class. I'll be going to the literacy class for a second round of rehabilitation next week. I'll try to learn more characters and some Mandarin so that I can communicate with you cultured people in the future."

"Your inner world and core are stronger than many cultured people, and chatting with you is much more interesting than talking to many cultured people. If my sister met you, it would be like a scholar meeting a soldier."

"Tell your sister not to be violent. I respect cultured people."

"it is good……"

Meng Anhe chatted and laughed the whole way.

Xia Yao, who was listening from behind, couldn't stop laughing.

"Aunt Zhao is such a spiritually rich person, no wonder you and Momo get along so well," Xia Yao said with a smile.

"Yes, she's always cheerful, and she never spoils Momo's mood," Zhou Yan nodded.

In this era of scarcity, what he felt first was the happiness of this family's abundance.

As the soul of this family, Aunt Zhao brings tremendous energy to the household.

It also gave him endless motivation to improve.

"That's wonderful," Xia Yao said softly, a smile unconsciously creeping onto her lips.

Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe hadn't had breakfast yet, so when they arrived at Dongda Street, they went to Haihuiyuan Shaomai Shop first.

It's Sunday today, so even though it's almost nine o'clock, there are still quite a few customers having breakfast at the tables inside and outside the shop.

"Let's have breakfast here. The house is just over there on the street. We can go over after we finish eating," Zhou Yan said, stopping his bicycle and inviting everyone over.

"This shumai is pretty good. I ate here last time I had a meeting. The seaweed soup is quite delicious," Lin Zhiqiang said.

Looking around, Meng Anhe saw restaurants and food stalls everywhere, and couldn't help but laugh, "Living on East Street, we'll be in for a treat from now on."

"It's quite convenient," Xia Yao nodded. "They also have sweet tofu pudding."

"Sweet?" Meng Anhe's eyes lit up. "I've been in Jiaozhou for so long, and I've never had sweet tofu pudding before. Aren't the tofu puddings here usually loaded with toppings and chili oil, and quite spicy?"

Zhou Momo stood up, tiptoed to look, and said to Meng Anhe, "Auntie, I'll take you to eat lunch later. Uncle and Auntie haven't arrived yet."

"If you want to eat here, you really have to go with Momo to get a table. You'll have to rely on her connections," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Really? Then I'd love to try it," Meng Anhe said with a smile.

Zhou Yan ordered ten baskets of shumai, two baskets of each flavor, and each person also had a bowl of seaweed soup. They ate their fill.

"I made two extra egg pancakes this morning," Zhao Tieying said quietly, having also eaten half a basket.

"It's delicious! I love your egg pancakes," said Comrade Zhou.

"So you just ate a whole basket of shumai?"

"Well...that's different. It's mainly for the taste. It's not as good as your egg pancake."

"I believe your ghost."

……

"We're full, let's go take a look at the house." Zhou Yan paid the bill and came over, helping Old Zhou out of his predicament.

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded quickly.

Walking down the street, Meng Anhe looked at the two shops on either side of the old house and couldn't help but laugh, "These black tiles and white walls are really quite charming. The owner is willing to open these two shops on the wall, which shows he lives a very clear and practical life."

"Auntie, you'll definitely love the study in this house," Xia Yao said with a smile.

……

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(End of this chapter)