1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 285 My Potato is So Amazing! (Bonus Chapter 685 for 5k Monthly Tickets)

Zhou Yan quickly took two steps back while holding Zhou Momo, almost getting splashed with water, but his leather shoes still inevitably got wet.

"This fish is quite fierce." After the tank calmed down a bit, Zhou Yan approached and shone his flashlight into the tank. Several crucian carp were huddled in a corner, while a large grass carp, more than half a meter long, was wagging its tail in the middle of the tank.

Goodness, it must weigh at least ten pounds.

Grass carp in early winter have accumulated a lot of fat to prepare for the winter, looking round and plump, and very robust.

Wild grass carp are not commonly seen; their fur is so beautiful.

The little guy really has a natural talent for fishing. After catching an eight-pound grass carp last time, he caught a ten-pound grass carp.

Zhou Momo managed to catch such a big grass carp with a small fishing rod. I have to say, Old Zhou's fishing rod is really solid, and the line he used is thick enough. There was no room or leeway for playing the fish; he just pulled it ashore.

In later generations, only some old men who squatted in the grass could catch grass carp like that.

Zhou Yan carried Zhou Momo out of the kitchen and said, "This grass carp is great. Tomorrow, we'll use half to make braised grass carp and the other half to make boiled fish. Two ways to cook one fish."

"Alright, you make the arrangements. I'll have your old man clean the fish tomorrow." Aunt Zhao nodded, looking at him and asking, "How did things go when you went upstairs to organize the banquet today?"

Comrade Lao Zhou also looked at him with concern.

"It went very smoothly. The guests all said it was delicious, and Director Chen was very satisfied. He even praised me separately. There's also a big boss from Hong Kong who wants to invite me to be a chef in Hong Kong," Zhou Yan said.

"So, did you agree?" Aunt Zhao asked.

“No, Hong Kong is so far away, why go to Chow Tai Fook? He paid me three thousand dollars a month, which is quite high, but it's not as much as what we make at the restaurant.” Zhou Yan smiled and put Zhou Momo on the stool next to him, then took out a stack of brand-new ten-yuan notes from his pocket. “This boss is very generous. He gave me a tip of three hundred and sixty dollars.”

"How many?"

"Three hundred and sixty?"

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou stood up abruptly from the foot basin, their heads almost bumping together, looking at the stack of money in Zhou Yan's hand with some shock.

“Yes, three hundred and sixty. I told Master and Senior Brother Zheng that they came with me and helped me prepare the food, start the fire, and cut the beef, so I gave them each one hundred, and I took the lion’s share, one hundred and sixty.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

“That’s right, we should definitely share some with your master and senior brother.” Aunt Zhao nodded, still marveling, “This big boss from Hong Kong is really generous, giving away 360 in one go, which is equivalent to a year’s salary for a worker who just started working in a textile factory.”

"That's right, we've even made up for the losses from not being able to operate at night." Old Zhou nodded in agreement.

"Here, this money is practically free. Everyone who sees it gets a share. Buy whatever you want." Zhou Yan pulled out five ten-yuan bills and stuffed them into his pocket, then handed fifty yuan each to Old Zhou and Aunt Zhao.

“No, we have money.” Aunt Zhao shook her head. “We get so much in wages, we can’t possibly spend it all.”

“Exactly, you can’t spend it all.” Old Zhou nodded in agreement. “You should save it. We still need to repair the house later, and there will be many other places where we need to spend money.”

"We can earn the money for repairing the house slowly, no rush. It's the first time we've received a tip, so we should all share it to make it more fun." Zhou Yan stuffed the money into the two people's hands, then turned his gaze to Zhou Momo, who was sitting upright on a stool to the side.

Although the little guy didn't say anything, his eyes were already full of anticipation.

"Here, this is your ten yuan." Zhou Yan handed the last ten-yuan note to Zhou Momo.

"Such a big bill! Is it really for me, bro?" Zhou Momo looked at the large ten-yuan note in Zhou Yan's hand, her eyes shining, and asked in a childish voice, still somewhat incredulous.

"Don't you want it?" Zhou Yan pulled her hand back.

"Yes! I want it~" Zhou Momo immediately stretched out her hands, cupped them together, and raised them high towards Zhou Yan.

"Here you go." Zhou Yan placed the money in her hand.

"Thank you, bro~~" Zhou Momo smiled broadly, overjoyed. Holding the large bill, she looked it over from left to right, her face full of curiosity: "This bill is so big! So new! And so pretty~"

The little guy doesn't have a clear concept of money yet. He only knows that one cent can buy candy. This is the first time he has handled such a large denomination banknote.

However, she was a miser; once the money went into her tin piggy bank, it basically never came out.

The guests adored her, and every day a young lady would bring her some snacks to feed her—sometimes a piece of candy, sometimes a piece of rice candy, or a few slices of peach.

She only accepts regular customers from the shop after obtaining their consent.

There are so many snacks that I can't finish them all, and I have nowhere to spend my money.

Saving money has become her hobby.

Zhou Yan gave her this large sum of money, which will probably still be sitting at the bottom of her money box next year. There's no need to worry about her spending it recklessly.

"Momo, do you want Mommy to trade you some coins?" Aunt Zhao asked with a smile.

"Five cents and one dime?" Zhou Momo looked at her.

“Yes, here you go.” Aunt Zhao nodded.

"No! Guoguo said this big coin can be exchanged for lots and lots of coins." Zhou Momo shook her head, glancing at Aunt Zhao: "Mom, I'm just little, not stupid~~"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

"She's got it all figured out. She's been hanging out in the shop every day lately, she knows which coins are big and which are small." Aunt Zhao shook her head with a smile.

"I'm going to put it away!" The little guy played with the banknotes for a while, then slid off the stool to the floor, ran to the counter, took out the money box, and solemnly put the ten-yuan note into it.

"Here, take mine." Old Zhou handed the small denomination of yuan he hadn't even warmed yet to Aunt Zhao.

"Oh, here's one for you, take it to buy fishing hooks and stuff." Aunt Zhao happily accepted it, took out another bill and stuffed it back into his pocket.

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded with a smile, and the large sum of money was now cleared of debt.

Zhou Yan smiled. The 360 ​​yuan tip from Zhuang Huayu had been transformed into 10,000 yuan in emotional value through his actions.

Aunt Zhao looked up at him and said, "By the way, Zhou Ming came by this evening and said that he is going to formally become an apprentice of Master Song Changhe this Sunday morning and wants you to be a witness. He also wants you to help with the apprenticeship banquet, which is about two tables. He asked if you are free. He will come to see you again tomorrow morning."

"The time has been set?" Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, "If it's just for lunch, no problem. I have to go to the Leming Chef Training Class this afternoon."

"Are you also going to sign up for a training course?" Aunt Zhao asked, looking at him.

"It's not about studying, it's about becoming a teacher and giving lessons to young chefs," Zhou Yan said with a touch of pride.

"What?"

"be a teacher?"

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou were both shocked when they heard this. They looked Zhou Yan up and down. Their son, who had always been at the bottom of his class, was going to become a tutor?
"My performance today was quite outstanding. My grandmaster uncle felt that I was a representative of the younger generation of disciples of the Confucian school, and invited me to give a lecture on the weekend afternoon. I thought it was a challenge for me, so I agreed," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"Oh my! My son has become so capable! He's a teacher now! Amazing! Absolutely amazing!" Aunt Zhao clapped her hands and laughed, but her eyes were moist.

"Wow! A teacher? You're so amazing!" Zhou Momo clapped her hands and said in a soft, sweet voice.

"Then you should still prepare well, so you don't not know what to say when the time comes," Comrade Zhou advised with a smile.

"I know. There are still a few days to prepare. There's enough time. Don't worry." Zhou Yan nodded, a little excited.

When you achieve something small, your family will be genuinely happy for you, a warmth they have never felt in their past lives.

Even with a million followers, he celebrated by himself at home with a cake.

"By the way, Mom, how's your literacy class going?" Zhou Yan changed the subject and asked Zhao Niangniang.

Starting this week, she has been taking Zhou Momo to her literacy class every night, one class a day, with Old Zhou taking care of the pick-up and drop-off.

"It's alright, I know how to spell numbers, but I'm a bit annoyed by the pinyin. I got criticized by the teacher today, who said my spelling wasn't standard and my accent was too heavy. She told me to practice every morning, and I still have homework to do later." Aunt Zhao looked slightly embarrassed.

"Guoguo! Guoguo! I got praised! The teacher said I read well~~" Zhou Momo raised her little hand, looking very proud.

"Really? You're amazing!" Zhou Yan laughed. Zhao Niangniang had only planned to find a study partner, but ended up bringing along a top student.

"The teacher often praises her. Among the dozen or so illiterate students in the class, she learns the fastest and reads the most clearly. The teacher really likes her." Aunt Zhao nodded with a smile, her eyes full of pride. "I think she has a knack for studying. She's much smarter than you were when you were little." "Hehe! I love reading~~" Zhou Momo laughed happily.

"If you love reading, then read more. Studying is a good way out. You can go to university like your sister Yao Yao in the future," Zhou Yan encouraged with a smile.

Zhou Momo didn't get to attend kindergarten this year; instead, she attended a literacy class.

That's good too. Aunt Zhao first helped her get used to the classroom and build her confidence as a top student among the illiterate group.

These are conditions that most kindergartens cannot provide.

"Then you guys do your homework first. I'm going to take a shower and I'll check your work when I come out." Zhou Yan patted Zhou Momo's head, went upstairs to get his clothes, and went to the back to take a shower.

When he came out after taking a shower, Aunt Zhao and Zhou Momo were sitting at the table, their heads close to the notebook, carefully writing words stroke by stroke.

Zhou Yan stepped forward, looked at the two of them holding their pens, and shook his head repeatedly: "Your pen-holding posture is wrong. Who holds a pen like a fist? You can't even see the words. How can you write well?"

Zhou Momo looked up: "Mom taught me to hold it like this."

“I think it’s easier to exert force this way,” Aunt Zhao tried to explain.

“Why are you putting so much effort into writing? Look, you've used up half a pencil just to write five characters. You'll need a whole pencil to finish these ten.” Zhou Yan sighed, freeing the pencil from Zhao Niangniang's hands and demonstrating to the two of them:
"There's a rule for holding a pen: one support, two presses, three supports! Support means the pen is supported by the base of the middle fingernail; press means the thumb points downwards and the index finger gently presses inwards; support means the ring and little fingers are bent and supporting. You see, this is the correct way to hold a pen. Secondly, you need to sit up straight, with your back straight..."

Zhou Yan started by correcting their pen grip and posture, and then taught them to write numbers and Chinese characters from one to ten stroke by stroke.

Aunt Zhao had a very proper attitude, but her hands were not very obedient. It took her a lot of effort to learn how to hold a pen, and her writing was crooked and messy, barely standing within the grid.

In contrast, Zhou Momo, who had already mastered crayon drawing skills, was able to write neat numbers and Chinese characters in the grid after learning how to hold a pencil.

That's right, it's neat and tidy!
Zhou Momo has an amazing control over the pen. Although watching her write feels like watching her draw, it doesn't stop her from neatly drawing the example characters that Zhou Yan wrote for her.

He even drew the strokes after writing it several times!

Zhou Yan watched from the side, a relieved smile on his face.

Old Zhou, who was reading a book to the side, couldn't help but come over for a peek. His eyes lit up, and a loving smile, like that of an old father, appeared on his face.

"It's so well written! Momo really has talent," Old Zhou whispered. "Even this is better than what I write."

"She draws well and writes well too; she's definitely talented." Zhou Yan nodded. As long as Zhou Momo can study, he will do his best to support her and help her until she graduates from university.

There was no other way; his sister was so cute, he couldn't let her suffer or regret it.

Half an hour later, Zhou Momo finished writing, and Aunt Zhao also... finished drawing.

"Yes, everything is fine." Zhou Yan nodded, holding the two notebooks.

"Good grief, I'm too embarrassed to hand this scribbles to the teacher. I'll rewrite it." Aunt Zhao took back her notebook, turned to a new page, and continued writing diligently.

A top student never does repetitive, useless work. Zhou Momo put the pencil back in the box, snuggled into Zhou Yan's arms, and said in a soft, coquettish voice, "Brother, tell me a story, please? I want to hear Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. You didn't finish last time~"

Zhou Yan held the little one and said with a smile, "Alright, alright, I'll tell you. Last time we talked about Snow White eating the poisoned apple the queen gave her..."

Before the story was even finished, the little one had already fallen asleep in her arms, her little mouth slightly pouting, her long eyelashes especially noticeable with her eyes closed, like holding a well-behaved kitten.

"She's sleeping too long. I'll carry her upstairs so she doesn't catch a cold," Zhou Yan said softly, picking up Zhou Momo and heading upstairs.

"I'll go upstairs to sleep with my youngest daughter now. You can write for a while and then come up early. Don't overwork yourself. You can write some more tomorrow afternoon," Old Zhou said, holding his book.

"Go ahead, I'll come up after I finish this page," Aunt Zhao replied casually, her head down as she wrote.

"If I had this much drive when I was in school, I wouldn't have had the chance to participate in literacy campaigns," Zhou Yan muttered to himself.

……

"Ninety! Where did you get so much money?!" Ma Dongmei counted the money in her hand three times, still looking somewhat surprised.

"As I said, Zhou Yan got his reward money and divided it between me and Zheng Qiang, ninety yuan each." Xiao Lei picked up the teacup on the table and took a few sips of water.

"You, as a master, how can you have the nerve to take your apprentice's money?" Ma Dongmei glared at him and handed over the money in her hand. "Take it back to Zhou Yan tomorrow. He doesn't earn money easily, and he still needs to save money to get married."

"Don't rush, let me explain slowly." Xiao Lei didn't take the money, but smiled and said, "Today, Master Kong had an upset stomach and was too weak to cook, so Zhou Yanding came up and made him braised rock carp. He did a very good job, even better than Yun Liang."

Zhou Yan prepared three dishes by himself, astonishing everyone present. The big boss in Hong Kong was very satisfied and offered him a salary of three thousand to work as a chef in Hong Kong…

Ma Dongmei was stunned for a moment, and after listening for a while, she was a little confused. She murmured, "Are you talking about our apprentice? Zhou Yan?"

"Correct."

"He's really made something of himself! Zhou Yan, that kid, he's really made something of himself! He's become the face of the Kong School and even received praise from the leaders! Oh my! That's wonderful!" Ma Dongmei paced back and forth in the room, excited and happy.

"You've really made something of yourself; even I, your master, am benefiting from it." Xiao Lei smiled with satisfaction.

It took Ma Dongmei a while to calm down. She looked at Xiao Lei and said, "Why doesn't Zhou Yan go for a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan with room and board included? That's 36,000 yuan a year! That's three people who earn 10,000 yuan a year! Hong Kong is much closer than the United States, so it's not really going abroad."

“Zhou Yan must have considered his parents and sister. They’re not very old, but they’re family-oriented. Besides, his restaurant is doing so well right now, earning far more than three thousand a month, so he declined,” Xiao Lei said.

Ma Dongmei said earnestly, "Then go ahead. I'll take good care of things at home. Go work for a year and bring back 30,000 yuan. We'll move directly to Jiaozhou. The younger one will be going to high school in two years. It's more convenient to live in the city, and I can take better care of him."

"I'd like to, but the boss doesn't want it," Xiao Lei said, shrugging.

Ma Dongmei smiled upon hearing this.

"Then this money..."

“Just keep the money. He said if we don’t take it, he won’t take us next time. This kid is honest, but also very stubborn,” Xiao Lei said. “I worked as his assistant today, doing a lot of work, so it wasn’t for nothing.”

Hearing this, Ma Dongmei nodded, then put the money into the box, and looked at him with a smile, saying, "You're still pretty good, you made ninety yuan. Tell me, what kind of reward do you want?"

Xiao Lei unbuttoned his coat and sat down on the edge of the bed, gesturing with his chin at Ma Dongmei: "Pour me the foot bath water, help me wash my feet first, and I'll deal with you properly later."

Ma Dongmei turned around and walked towards the kitchen with a happy smile: "You said it, there's still water heating up in the pot. I'll go get it for you right away, so you can wash your feet and take a bath at the same time..."

……

"Eighty yuan! Your junior brother is such a good person, isn't he? If he ever needs anything, you must help him out." Xu Hui pointed to the brand-new ten-yuan note in her hand, her round face beaming with a bright smile.

“I know Zhou Yan is a good person, and he does things right. He’s really loyal to his brothers.” Zheng Qiang had just finished showering and lay down on the bed. He smiled at Xu Hui and said, “The money’s been handed over. What are you planning to do tonight?”

Xu Hui stuffed the money into the cabinet under the bed, took off her clothes, crawled into bed, bit her lip, and said in a low voice, "Oh, whatever you say."

"Call me a name."

"Brother~"

"No, no."

"Oh, you..."

"hurry up."

"dad……"

"Oh! That's right."

"devil!"

"Ouch, slow down~ I'm telling you first, I'm going to be on top today!"

……

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(End of this chapter)