1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 271 Brother (Two Chapters Combined)

"Mom, what's there to hesitate about! Can you cook us even more delicious dishes when you get home?" Lin Jingxing asked, puzzled.

“That’s right, that’s right! You’d better not go into the kitchen.” Lin Bingwen nodded in agreement.

“I agree,” Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. “Of course, the main reason is that I can’t cook, which made Anhe suffer.”

Meng Anhe looked at the three of them and smiled, "If it's a family democratic vote, then I have no objection."

"I'm happy today, shall I have some more drinks tonight?" Lin Zhiqiang whispered.

"I agree!"

“I agree!” the two little ones nodded.

"You dare!" Meng Anhe glared at him.

Lin Zhiqiang spread his hands, his smile revealing helplessness: "Democracy also depends on the circumstances; it mainly depends on the dictator's mood."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

"Xia Yao, what about you?" Zhou Yan asked, turning his head.

“I can’t cook either, so I readily agreed,” Xia Yao said with a smile.

“Okay, let’s go buy groceries first.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and drove Xia Yao and Zhou Momo to the bridge. Zhang Laosan was resting with him on Sunday. There was also a pork vendor on the other side, with two pieces of meat left on his stall.

He picked out a decent-looking piece of pork shoulder, bought a chicken and three pounds of taro, and then returned to the restaurant.

Aunt Zhao had already brewed tea for everyone. Zhou Yan parked the car against the wall, handed the chicken to Old Zhou to handle, and then took the taro into the kitchen to peel it.

Tonight I'll make taro and chicken stew, stir-fried shredded pork with dried tofu, and finally stir-fried cabbage. That'll be enough for both of their families.

Old Zhou was quite skilled at killing chickens. In no time, he brought a clean chicken into the kitchen. After confirming that there was nothing else for him to do, he went out of the kitchen to play chess with Lin Zhiqiang.

"Do we need to start a fire?" Xia Yao sat behind the stove, with Zhou Momo sitting next to her, both ready and eager to try.

She had never cooked before, nor had she ever used such a traditional earthen stove.

But the thought that the delicious dishes were cooked in this big iron pot made it seem quite magical, and I wanted to participate in it.

"Have you ever used an earthen stove before?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile as he chopped the chicken into pieces.

"No." Xia Yao shook her head, holding a match in her hand, full of confidence: "But I don't think it's that difficult."

"Then try lighting the straw with a match, then stuff the straw into the stove and add some kindling..."

"Cough cough cough..."

Before Zhou Yan had finished teaching, Xia Yao, with red eyes, ran out from behind the stove carrying Zhou Momo. White smoke billowed around them, and she looked a little dazed.

Zhou Momo was also a little confused, and softly added, "Sister Yaoyao is so amazing! The fire in the pot doesn't seem to be smoking at all~~"

"It's alright, the smoke is just because it didn't burn properly. An open flame produces less smoke." Zhou Yan smiled and went behind the stove, pulled the straw out of the stove and relit it. The flames swallowed the smoke, and he stuffed it back into the firebox. He put a thin twig on top, and the flames leaped up. He then stuffed in two pieces of oak wood, and the fire was considered lit.

"You're so amazing!" Xia Yao exclaimed in amazement as she watched from the side, her voice soft and gentle like that of a woman from Jiangnan.

"You're so awesome, bro~~" Zhou Momo clapped her hands beside her, her voice soft and cute.

Zhou Yan's lips curled up slightly, an expression he couldn't suppress.

Can you really receive such enthusiastic praise just for starting a fire?
It seems he really knows how to use fire!

Like Zhou Momo, Xia Yao provides far too much emotional value.

"Now you can rest assured. You just need to watch the stove and put in a piece of wood when I say we need to increase the heat." Zhou Yan used a palm-leaf fan to disperse the excess smoke and gave Xia Yao the position of the cook.

Zhou Momo took the second-in-command position today, responsible for playing support roles.

"Okay." Xia Yao sat down with a smile, stretched her hand in front of the stove, and the firelight made her fair hand glow red. "It's so warm."

“Sister is warmer and smells nice~~” Zhou Momo snuggled closer to her.

"Come on, let me hug you." Xia Yao pulled her close and said with a smile, "Mo Mo is so warm, like a little furnace."

"Let's feed Zaozao some food then~"

"what?"

"It loves to eat small twigs. Look, if you throw them in, it will finish them in no time."

"Ah~ I see. Then feed it a little sword."

"Great! Let's feed it a slingshot!"

Zhou Yan was cooking, listening to their cute and adorable chatter, and occasionally glancing at Xia Yao.

She always had a gentle smile on her face, chatting with Zhou Momo while holding her close, and sometimes singing a few lines of songs for her, including children's songs and popular songs like "Tian Mi Mi".

Her voice is ethereal and clear, and her pitch is also good; it's especially pleasant to listen to.

Not only was Zhou Momo engrossed in listening, but Zhou Yan also perked up his ears to listen attentively.

"It sounds so good! Sister Yao Yao, you sing so well~~" Zhou Momo clapped her hands, her face full of admiration.

"Really?" Xia Yao looked up at Zhou Yan with a smile. "What do you think?"

"It's beautiful, a heavenly voice. I thought it was Teresa Teng singing just now," Zhou Yan nodded.

"Nonsense, how could I compare to Teresa Teng?" Xia Yao shook her head, but her smiling eyes didn't lie; the upturned corners of her mouth couldn't be suppressed, and she was clearly pleased.

"Do you listen to Teresa Teng too?" Xia Yao asked curiously.

“Yes, I’ve listened to the cassette tape before.” Zhou Yan nodded. “The sound quality wasn’t very good; it wasn’t as good as your singing.”

Xia Yao's smile grew even brighter. "It's probably because it's a copy. I'll bring you the original next time."

"it is good."

The two chatted across the stove, discussing everything from music to literature.

As a distinguished NetEase Cloud Music Black Vinyl VIP and a high-level VIP on Qidian.com, Zhou Yan's conversation was quite lively and engaging.

Zhou Momo got bored after listening for a while, so she went out to find her two older brothers to swing on the swings.

Outside the kitchen, Comrade Zhou was utterly defeated by Lin Zhiqiang, losing three games in a row. At this moment, he had to think carefully for three minutes before moving even a pawn across the river, only to have a horse captured and a checkmate taken.

"Old Lin, you played chess so well!" Comrade Zhou scratched his head.

"No, no, I was just lucky. You were just one move behind. Let's play again." Lin Zhiqiang's lips curled up into a wide smile as he helped Old Zhou set up the chess pieces.

“You’re right, I need to figure out a new trick this time.” Comrade Zhou nodded.

On the other side, Aunt Zhao was earnestly discussing knitting techniques with Meng Anhe.

Meng Anhe listened intently until Aunt Zhao took out her six-fingered gloves, which silenced her.

Aunt Zhao pressed the extra finger down and said with a smile, "Actually... putting aside the extra finger, I think these gloves are quite well made. They are the first gloves I've made that I can actually wear in over twenty years."

Meng Anhe: ?

Sister, can we just leave this behind?
Okay, so everyone's skill level is about the same, then she's relieved.

Last year, she enthusiastically knitted gloves for Lao Lin, working on it for more than half a month. In the end, the gloves she knitted were missing a finger, and her colleagues in the office laughed at her for three months.

Later, Lao Lin squeezed a hole through the little finger and wore it for a week.

She was laughed at by her colleagues for another month.

The missing finger has been found.

On the gloves knitted by Zhao Tieying.

A pretty good taro and chicken stew.

A decent serving of shredded pork and tofu.

A pretty good stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings

Zhou Yan brought out the dishes, the center of which was a large bowl of bright red taro and chicken stew.

The shredded pork and tofu and the fried pork cracklings and cabbage are served on two separate plates, one on each side.

I've made taro and chicken stew several times, and today's result was noticeably better, reaching a very good standard.

After he kept cooking and cooking, the dish of stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings finally improved from "good" to "very good".

The first time I stir-fried shredded pork and dried tofu, it barely reached a "good" standard.

Shredded pork and dried tofu is one of Zhou Yan's favorite dishes. Dried tofu with Erjingtiao peppers, stir-fried with shredded pork, makes for a perfect dish to eat with rice.

Zhou Yan prepared a small bowl of taro and chicken stew for the three little ones, without any chili oil or chili powder. The stew was mildly spicy and savory, which was more suitable for their still-developing stomachs.

"Wow! Is this your home-cooked meal? My goodness!" Lin Jingxing's mouth dropped open in shock.

"Auntie, do you still want a son? What do you think of me?" Lin Bingwen asked Zhao Tieying, who was sitting next to her, with a serious expression.

The little guy has already figured out who has the final say in this family, just like in his own.

"What, do you want to come with me?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile.

"Lin Bingwen, look at your pathetic self." Meng Anhe shook her head helplessly.

“Auntie, please consider me too,” Lin Jingxing added.

"Sister Ying, you should take them all. It will save me a lot of trouble," Meng Anhe couldn't help but laugh.

“No, I can’t take care of three kids.” Zhao Tieying shook her head, looked at the two pouting children, and said with a smile, “However, if you call me godmother, you can come over for a meal whenever you want.”

"Really!" The two little ones' eyes lit up immediately, and they looked at Meng Anhe with expectant eyes: "Is it okay, Mom!"

“Godmother…” Meng Anhe pondered for a moment, then looked at Lin Zhiqiang sitting next to her: “I have no objection, Lao Lin, what do you say?”

“If you have no objection, then I certainly don’t either. Old Zhou and Sister Ying are both very nice people, and it’s a good thing that the child can recognize them as godfather and godmother.” Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, “However, can we skip the old-fashioned family recognition ceremony and just change how we address each other?”

“Of course it’s possible. I also find that other approach too troublesome.” Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile, her expression becoming more serious. “I really like these two children. If you two really agree, then it will be a great coincidence for our two families.”

Upon hearing this, Comrade Zhou put down his bowl and looked at the two children with a happy smile. "So sudden?" Xia Yao was a little confused. How did they suddenly become godparents?
"This can be considered a Sichuan specialty," Zhou Yan explained.

In Sichuan, it's quite common to have godfathers and godmothers; in some places, it's called "baobao" or "baoniang."

Some people even identify objects as family, such as ancient trees or stone mills.

Some close friends may also be recognized as godfathers or godmothers by their friends' children.

Zhou Yan acted as a father to his roommates for four years, and in his second year after graduation, he became the godfather of his roommate's daughter, who had married young.

There's no way around it; once you call him "Dad," you'll receive countless snacks from various brands and restaurant reviews throughout the year.

No roommate could refuse.

If Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen truly recognized his parents as godfather and godmother, he wouldn't need to call Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe godfather and godmother.

Each person has their own interpretation.

But the relationship does become more complicated, and during holidays, weddings, and funerals, people have to follow the etiquette of relatives.

Aunt Zhao casually mentioned it, and Meng Anhe and Lin Zhiqiang nodded in agreement, thus establishing the relationship.

Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe are well-educated and reasonable people, as well as leaders in their respective fields, and they value etiquette very much, so this nod was by no means a joke.

This shows a genuine willingness to let the two children acknowledge this relationship; it's a recognition of their family, Aunt Zhao, and Comrade Lao Zhou after getting to know them better.

"Godmother! Godfather!"

The brothers Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen shouted in unison.

"Oh! Such a good girl!" Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

"Yes, good boy." Old Zhou nodded with a smile.

"From now on, Momo is my little sister! I have a little sister now!" Lin Jingxing's eyes lit up. "Next time I'm going to take her to school! I want all my classmates to see how cute my little sister is!"

"Two pots? Then I have so many pots~~" Zhou Momo looked at the two of them with a bright smile on her face.

"Brother Zhou Yan, from now on you're my real brother." Lin Bingwen hugged Zhou Yan's hand, overjoyed.

"Sure, sure. There will be plenty of steamed buns from now on. You can come for a meal whenever you want. I'll take care of your meals," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Big brother!"

"My forever best brother!"

The two kids were overjoyed.

Xia Yao was a little envious; she didn't have that kind of treatment. She stared longingly at Zhou Yan, and almost couldn't help but call him "brother."

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, Zhou Yan turned to look at her and said with a smile, "You come too, I'll take care of you too."

"Then what should I call you?" Xia Yao smiled, pursing her lips: "Cousin?"

“You can shout along with them too,” Zhou Yan said, smiling at her.

"Brother?" Xia Yao's mouth moved, but she didn't say it out loud; her face turned red first.

No...

I can't bring myself to say it.

I feel a little ashamed.

Zhou Yan smiled, her blushing face was so adorable.

This family dinner turned into a family reunion for Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen. As a result, Uncle Lin also received Meng Anhe's permission to drink two ounces of liquor with Comrade Zhou.

Of course, it cannot be ruled out that Comrade Zhou brought out goji berries soaked in alcohol.

The taro and chicken stew received unanimous praise. The less spicy version was devoured by the three little ones, who even used the broth to mix with their rice.

Xia Yao, on the other hand, has a particular fondness for shredded pork and dried tofu.

The bright red and oily tofu, paired with the fresh green of green peppers, creates a vibrant color contrast and an irresistible aroma.

Xia Yao picked up a piece of shredded meat and dried tofu with her chopsticks, along with a piece of diagonally sliced ​​chili pepper, and took a bite.

The tender shredded pork, paired with crispy on the outside and tender on the inside tofu soaked in broth, is perfectly complemented by the chili pepper.

The salty and slightly spicy flavors blend together on the tongue, and the crispy exterior of the dried tofu and the smooth interior intertwine to create a delicious symphony.

The texture and taste are absolutely amazing!
Xia Yao couldn't resist taking a bite of rice. The soft and sweet steamed rice, with its lingering fragrance on her tongue, was so delicious that it made her want to eat more.

"This stir-fried shredded pork with tofu is so delicious! It's completely different from braised tofu, and it goes so well with rice." Xia Yao looked at Zhou Yan. "You're amazing! It seems like you can cook anything."

"It's alright, there's still room for improvement." Zhou Yan smiled slightly, his damned smile twitching again.

He also ate quite a bit of stir-fried shredded pork with dried tofu. Thanks to the quality of the dried tofu and his recent understanding and mastery of the dish, this first attempt at making the dish was indeed above average.

There is no doubt that the characteristics of dishes are common.

After dinner, it was already getting dark outside. Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe took their two children home to finish their homework. It was clear that tonight would inevitably be a test of their mother-child relationship.

Two children were walking and jumping in front of them.

Meng Anhe linked arms with Lin Zhiqiang and said with a smile, "Didn't you always refuse to let the two children recognize godfather and godmother? Why did you suddenly change your mind today?"

“I don’t think it’s appropriate between colleagues, whether it’s your colleagues in the architecture institute or my colleagues in the textile factory. With this relationship, it’s not easy to carry out the work, and people will inevitably gossip behind our backs.” Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, “But Brother Zhou and Sister Ying are different. They are hardworking, simple and honest, and they have a kind of uprightness. I think the two children can learn a lot of excellent qualities from them and Zhou Yan.”

"Director Lin's words are different, aren't they? It's really not because Zhou Yan's cooking is too delicious?" Meng Anhe asked him with a smile.

"Obviously, there's a reason for this," Lin Zhiqiang nodded frankly. "From now on, if they invite us to dinner, we can just bring our food and go without any qualms."

"Makes sense."

"We need to keep an eye on Zhou Yan and Yao Yao's situation. We won't interfere with the two children, but if it really comes to meeting the parents, we'll have to help Zhou Yan out. It's not like we ate all those meals for nothing."

“Okay.” Meng Anhe nodded, looking at him with a smile: “I think Zhou Yan should at least call you godfather.”

"No need, I'm waiting for him to call me uncle."

……

Zhou Yan escorted Xia Yao back to her dormitory building.

Xia Yao glanced at him, hesitated for a moment, and said, "I feel so full. How about we walk around some more?"

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded without the slightest hesitation or doubt, and didn’t care that the sun had already set and it was getting dark.

Xia Yao smiled and followed him along the riverbank.

The two shadows gradually lengthened behind them.

In winter, the riverbanks become deserted as soon as it gets dark.

When Zhou Yan went out, he carried a flashlight with him. A dim yellow light illuminated the road, extending a circle one meter forward from Xia Yao's feet.

The outside world was pitch black, even the moonlight was a cold white, accompanied by the sound of the river rushing against the riverbank. In the cold winter night, even the chirping of insects had disappeared.

Xia Yao subconsciously moved a little closer to Zhou Yan. She was a little afraid of the dark, and even more afraid of water.

It turns out that the nights in small towns are quite different from those in the city; they're a bit scary.

When she got closer to Zhou Yan, she found that she felt warmer, like being near a fire in the darkness.

So, she couldn't help but slowly move closer to him.

Then, a warm, large hand grasped her clenched fist, and the warmth emanating from that hand seemed to instantly dispel the cold and fear.

Xia Yao paused, then looked up blankly, meeting Zhou Yan's eyes.

Those were eyes brighter than moonlight, filled with tenderness and care.

"It's getting dark and a bit cold, let's go back." Zhou Yan looked down at her, his voice gentle.

"Okay." Xia Yao nodded, and the warmth from her palms seemed to quickly spread to her face.

what happened……

I don't want to let go at all.

Zhou Yan took her hand and walked back. He glanced down at her and noticed that her steps were much lighter. Her cold little hands gradually warmed up and felt like a piece of warm jade when held in his hand.

As they were talking, he noticed she was getting closer and closer, her voice getting softer, and her waving hand brushing against the back of his hand—it was icy cold.

The cold wind along the river on a winter night is icy and biting.

He then suddenly realized that not everyone is unafraid of the cold or the dark.

For Xia Yao, the river in Suji holds not pleasant memories.

So after a slight hesitation, he still took her hand.

As we approached the dormitory building, the lights at the entrance of the corridor dispelled the darkness.

Zhou Yan then released his grip.

Xia Yao casually put her hands in her pockets, and the two stood downstairs at the dormitory building.

"Thank you." Xia Yao looked up at him.

Zhou Yan lowered his head, and their eyes met. Both of them smiled, but then subconsciously looked away.

"Let's go upstairs, it's cold outside," Zhou Yan said gently.

"Okay." Xia Yao nodded, turned and walked into the stairwell. After taking two steps, she turned back, pursed her lips, and softly called out, "Brother~"

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was stunned. Xia Yao had already run upstairs.

Winter is a bit cold, but it doesn't seem too bad.

Zhou Yan thought it was pretty good.

(End of this chapter)