1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 311 Family Status - 1 (6k-in-1)

"These are freshly baked guokui (a type of flatbread), they smell so good! Here's one for Momo." Xia Yao didn't mind, she reached out and wiped the little one's drool from the corner of her mouth, then handed her a warm guokui.

"Wow! Thank you, Sister Yao Yao~~" Zhou Momo took the guokui (a type of flatbread), held it in both little hands, opened her mouth wide, took a bite, and her eyes immediately brightened. "Wow! So crispy! So fragrant~~"

"Let's go inside and sit for a while." Zhou Yan parked his bicycle against the wall, took the guokui (a type of flatbread) from Xia Yao, and walked inside.

"Okay." Xia Yao responded and led Zhou Momo into the courtyard.

The old lady and Aunt Zhao were sitting in the main room with tea brewing beside them. When they saw Zhou Yan and the others come in, they greeted them with smiles.

"I just bought some scallion pancakes from outside, everyone have a bite to eat first." Zhou Yan distributed the scallion pancakes to everyone and said with a smile, "Eat them while they're hot, they won't be as fragrant when they get cold."

"Yaoyao, sit here, Auntie will make you a cup of tea." Aunt Zhao put the guokui (a type of flatbread) on the coffee table and invited Xia Yao to sit down.

"Sit here," the old lady said with a smile, pointing to the empty chair next to her.

"Okay." Xia Yao nodded obediently and sat down next to the old lady.

“Mom, I’m thirsty too,” Zhou Yan said.

"Go get a cup from that cabinet over there and make yourself some." Aunt Zhao said without turning her head.

Zhou Yan: "..."

Suffered.

Family Status -1
"Where did the teacup and tea leaves come from?" Zhou Yan opened the cabinet and took out a covered teacup. It was a blue and white porcelain covered teacup, and it was in pretty good condition.

"I found these in the cupboard, they're all neatly arranged: a gaiwan, tea leaves, and some teaware I don't understand." As she brewed the tea, Aunt Zhao said, "This landlord is so kind. He left so much stuff—a teapot, a thermos—you could just roll up two bedding sets and move in."

"Grandma Qiu is indeed a very kind person." Zhou Yan nodded. He hadn't opened many of the cabinets; it turned out that Grandma Qiu had left him some small items.

Xia Yao took the covered bowl, glanced at it a few times, and said softly, "It's a covered bowl from the Qing Dynasty, and it's in very good condition."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. If that's the case, then these teacups should be carefully kept.

Everyone ate the guokui (a type of flatbread) first.

"Mmm, this guokui is great, crispy and fragrant, the taste is really good." The old lady nodded repeatedly as she ate it.

"It's delicious, very oily and fragrant," Aunt Zhao nodded in agreement.

“I was just getting a little hungry, and Zhou Yan’s guokui (a type of flatbread) came at the perfect time,” Uncle Zhou Ze said with a smile.

Zhou Yan said, "Xia Yao chose this guokui. She could tell at a glance that the guokui with a long queue must taste good. We bought two to try, and they were indeed delicious. The pork filling was more fragrant than the beef filling."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately began praising Xia Yao.

Xia Yao responded gently, a slight smile playing on her lips. This whole family had provided plenty of emotional support.

Even a small pot-shaped flatbread can attract so much attention.

Zhou Momo leaned against her, her little hands gripping the guokui (a type of flatbread), munching on it like a little squirrel. Crispy crumbs fell everywhere, covering her clothes and the floor. Her little hands were shiny with oil from eating, and she looked so happy eating.

Xia Yao thought Aunt Zhao would say something to her, but Aunt Zhao just glanced at her and didn't say anything.

She took out her silk scarf, then quietly put it back.

If she were a child, she probably would have preferred a mother like Aunt Zhao.

Not a spoilsport at all.

Looking back, wasn't her mother the same way?

When she was little, she drew all sorts of pictures on all the walls in her house, and her new clothes would get ink stains on them the next day, but her mother never scolded her for it.

If I have children in the future...

Thinking of this, she looked up at Zhou Yan, and her face inexplicably turned red.

"Zhou Yan, this house you bought is too big. With so many rooms, how can you possibly live here all at once?" Old man Zhou Qing finished his guokui first and looked at Zhou Yan with a smile.

“Yes, it’s huge, so comfortable. A whole family could live here.” Zhou Ze nodded in agreement. “This family must have been very rich before, right? A wealthy family. When we were kids, we used to deliver braised meat to those wealthy families in Suji. Their houses were like this too, with multiple gates leading in and several courtyards.”

"Yes, they are indeed well-off." Zhou Yan nodded, then looked at the old lady. "Grandma, what do you think of this house?"

"I've passed by this house many times, always curious about what's behind that front door, and what kind of place Miss Qiu lives. This is my first time inside, and it's quite different from what I expected. It's not as luxurious as the houses of those wealthy families in Suji, but it's exquisite in every detail. That wall of bookshelves is also quite rare." The old lady smiled.
"But after thinking about it carefully, I realized that it makes sense. Those wealthy families raise a bunch of opium-addicted young masters, few of whom have any backbone. Most of their young ladies are good-for-nothings. Wang Yu is one of the few tough guys among the wealthy families."

"Miss Qiu is a person who values ​​relationships and is cultured and refined. This is due to her upbringing and the elegance that is ingrained in her bones. You can see this from her house."

“I rarely have any regrets in my life, and I can take everything in stride. But that time when I saw Miss Qiu crying as she left with the beef, I couldn’t get over it for a long time.”

“But you said she was doing very well afterward, that Mr. Duan doted on her, and that she recently met with Wang Yu again, so I’ve finally let it go.”

"In the end, this Qiu mansion became your house, which is fine."

The old lady had a smile on her face and spoke calmly.

Others couldn't quite understand what she was saying, and she wasn't going to explain.

But Zhou Yan understood every word she said; the old lady was, after all, a kind-hearted person.

After visiting this house today, Ms. Qiu's story has come to a perfect end in her heart.

Good.

Half a century has passed in the blink of an eye.

The beauties who were once stunningly beautiful are now all gray-haired.

But neither the elegant Qiu Qi nor the capable Zhang Shufen have been changed by the years.

She's aged, but her charm remains.

Xia Yao understood, turned her head to look at the old lady, her eyes full of tenderness and respect.

Zhou Yan told her the story of the "encounter" in great detail, recounting the fate of that bowl of braised beef.

The old lady picked up her tea, took a sip, and said with a smile, "I've never been to school, but I understand a little now. Studying is good. We should study more, and the younger generation in our family should all be encouraged to study more."

“You’re right, studying is a good way out,” Zhou Yan nodded in agreement.

The old lady was illiterate, but she saw things very clearly.

The best opportunities in this era, besides starting a business, are going to school and taking the college entrance exam.

The latter is even given a higher priority.

As soon as Zhou Momo finished eating her guokui (a type of flatbread), she immediately raised her little hand and said, "I love reading! Grandma, I can write, and I can even recite poems. My teacher praises me every day!"

"Huh?" Upon hearing this, everyone looked at her in surprise.

"Has Momo started going to kindergarten recently?" the old lady asked.

“It’s not kindergarten,” Zhou Momo shook her head, looking proud. “It’s a literacy class!”

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

“I recently enrolled her in a literacy class, and the little one insisted on coming with me, so I took her,” Aunt Zhao said with a smile. “And you know what? Out of dozens of illiterate students in the class, she writes the best characters and recites the best classical poems. Now she’s the top student in the literacy class and gets praised by the teacher every day.”

"The new brain is really useful. It can memorize a poem after reading it twice, and its Mandarin is very clear and standard with no accent," Zhou Yan confirmed. It's much easier to teach than Aunt Zhao. No wonder teachers like top students. From a teaching perspective, it is indeed much less troublesome.

"So, in Momo's future academic record, the class before kindergarten was the literacy class? And she even graduated with honors?" Xia Yao tried to hold back her laughter, but she couldn't help it.

"That's roughly it." Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh.

The little guy grinned foolishly, clapping his little oily hands and saying, "Let me recite two poems for everyone, 'Sympathy for the Peasants'..."

His voice was childish and sweet, but his pronunciation was exceptionally clear. He recited "Sympathy for the Peasants" and "Quiet Night Thoughts" without missing a single word.

Everyone applauded after hearing this, showing great support.

"Wow, that's amazing! You recited it so well." Xia Yao was also a little surprised. The little guy usually speaks with a Sichuan accent, but he recited the poem in standard Mandarin, and it was quite fluent.

Zhou Momo said with a smug look, "I want to go to university like Sister Yaoyao! I want to go to the police academy and become a policewoman!"

"I think it's good; this youngest granddaughter has the makings of a scholar." The old lady nodded, her smile full of affection, and reached out to pat her head.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yan suggested, "It's almost five o'clock. Let's have dinner in Jiaozhou before going back. We didn't prepare anything today; we have no vegetables or seasonings at home, so we can't cook. I'll take you to a Jianyang mutton soup restaurant. I met an old man there before, and he said it's really delicious."

The old lady said, "The restaurants in the city are probably not cheap. Why don't we go back to your shop in Suji and get something simple to eat? I just ate a guokui (a type of flatbread), and I'm not really hungry. You're planning to renovate the restaurant, so you should be careful with your money."

“Yes, I think going back and making a bowl of noodles would be just fine. We’re family, there’s no need to be so fussy,” Zhou Qing nodded.

Xia Yao hesitated, looking a little embarrassed.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It's cold, and I've been craving mutton soup for a while now. Jianyang mutton soup is really delicious. Drinking a bowl of hot soup, eating mutton and offal, and then blanching some peas at the end is just so comforting."

I've never slacked off when I'm earning money, and it's rare for me to come to the city. Everyone's here, so I can't possibly take you all back to eat noodles again; we don't even have any meat at home."

As he spoke, he gave Zhou Momo a wink.

"I want to eat mutton soup too! Come on, Grandma~~" Zhou Momo immediately went up to the old lady and acted coquettishly, her greasy little hands trying to rub against her legs.

"Oh dear, your hands are all oily, you've rubbed them on your grandma's clothes." Aunt Zhao quickly grabbed her little hands, took a towel and wiped them clean for her, then said, "Come on, Boss Zhou is treating, everyone don't be shy. Speaking of which, the peas these days are very tender, they're really delicious when they're hot. You rarely come up here, and Yao Yao is here today too, have some mutton soup before you go back."

Upon hearing this, the old lady glanced at Xia Yao and nodded with a smile: "That's right, just thinking about mutton soup with peas makes my mouth water. The last time I had Jianyang mutton soup was three years ago."

The old lady nodded, and the others naturally had no objections.

Xia Yao lowered her head to drink her tea, a smile playing on her lips.

It was clearly her who wanted to eat mutton soup, but Zhou Yan didn't mention her at all, so as not to let her be known as a gluttonous girl.

Having agreed to eat, everyone immediately got to work. They washed the cups and hung them to dry on the rack, closed and locked the doors and windows, and rode their bicycles straight to Liu's Jianyang Lamb Soup on Gulou Street.

The storefront is not wide. A wooden frame hangs above the entrance, displaying a freshly slaughtered goat. In front of the door is a large pot, where milky white broth bubbles and steams, and the aroma of mutton soup wafts through the air.

Aunt Zhao stopped and looked at it with some curiosity, as it wasn't much different from the beef stew she cooked.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but take a second look. The thick, white mutton soup in the large pot had a fragrance that wafted far and wide, causing passersby to stop and admire it. It was just as enticing as the aroma of braised beef.

The large bamboo winnowing baskets next to it were filled with cooked and chopped mutton and offal, two full baskets, weighing at least a hundred pounds.

【Extremely good Jianzhou mutton】

Zhou Yan glanced at it and could tell that the quality of the mutton was excellent.

It wasn't even five o'clock yet, and there were already two tables of customers in the restaurant.

Seeing Zhou Yan and his group park their car and enter, the proprietress greeted them with a smile: "Have you had mutton soup? How many of you?"

"Ten adults and one child, do you have a large round table?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Yes! We still have a private room that hasn't been reserved yet. You've arrived early, so please have a seat." The proprietress smiled and nodded, leading everyone into the restaurant.

The storefront only has eight square tables, but there's a whole world inside.

The restaurant, converted from a courtyard, has five or six private rooms, all furnished with large round tables that can comfortably seat eleven or twelve people.

When the weather is nice, a few more tables can be set up in the yard.

The private room was poorly decorated, with white walls, incandescent lights, and a large round table with a hollowed-out center. A honeycomb briquette stove was placed in the hollowed-out area, and a soup pot was placed in the center, sinking right in.
After everyone was seated, the owner stepped forward with a smile: "Boss, would you like to order a lot of mutton and offal?"

"How much do mutton and offal cost per pound?" Zhou Yan asked.

The proprietress smiled and said, "The mutton is 2.5 yuan per jin, and the offal is 1 yuan per jin. Two jin of mutton comes with a free serving of sheep's blood. We are weighing cooked meat, as the mutton will shrink after cooking."

Ours are genuine Jianzhou big-eared sheep, freshly slaughtered daily, with delicate and firm meat.

"For a group like yours, ordering three or four pounds of mutton, four or five pounds of offal, plus sheep's blood, and finally some radishes and peas would be about right."

The price drew everyone's attention; it wasn't cheap.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "I want six catties of mutton and six catties of offal. Uncle Xiao said that the peas here are very fresh and tender. Could you pick two basins of them for me? And you can bring me whatever radishes you like."

The proprietress beamed with joy: "Alright, since you were recommended by Master Xiao, then I won't charge you for the peas and radishes. There aren't many peas today, so I'll give you half."

"Thank you, boss lady." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile; he knew that Grandpa Xiao's name would work.

Xia Yao looked at him with some surprise. If it were her, she would have been too embarrassed to mention the name of the old man she had just met today.

The proprietress went out to prepare the ingredients.

Zhou Qing remarked with some emotion, "It's easy to spend money in the city; a single meal can cost more than twenty yuan."

“The mutton from Jianzhou is indeed excellent. Even after cooking and slicing, the meat is still very firm. Local Jiazhou mutton isn’t as good,” Zhou Ze said.

Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and said, "The mutton and offal are indeed very good. They are freshly slaughtered and cooked on the spot. Their business must be good. The remaining sheep will be cooked and sold tonight. I guess there will be people coming for midnight snacks."

"If it's delicious, then it's not expensive. The price is justified in reflecting the chef's skill," the old lady said.

“That makes sense.” Zhou Yan nodded in deep agreement; his pig’s head meat still sold for two yuan and fifty cents a pound.

Aunt Zhao patted Comrade Zhou on the shoulder: "Sanshui, go and take a look at the scale."

"Okay." Comrade Zhou then got up and went out.

Before long, Comrade Zhou returned, sat down and said, "The scale was accurate, and I even gave you two extra ounces."

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

If Zhou Miao says the scale is accurate, then there's definitely no problem.

Cooked mutton and offal cannot be simply heated up; they must also be stir-fried in mutton fat until fragrant, and then added to a thick, white mutton broth that has been simmering for several hours before being served.

This process maximizes the aroma of the mutton and makes the mutton soup thicker and whiter.

Zhou Yan and Zhou Weiguo sat next to each other and chatted for a while while waiting for the dishes to be served.

"Uncle, how's the work going?" Zhou Yan asked.

"It's alright, I've gotten used to it now. Every morning we do a field training exercise first thing, and I'm getting better and better at handling documents. A couple of days ago, our Suji Armed Forces Department won a second prize in the city-wide skills competition, and our ranking improved by five places compared to last year..." When talking about the work of the Armed Forces Department, Zhou Weiguo gradually opened up, and his face even glowed when he talked about the skills competition.

Zhou Yan smiled and occasionally chimed in with a few words.

Three months ago, my uncle was still in the countryside carrying a hoe, his eyes lifeless, like a walking corpse.

He was nothing like the spirited and high-spirited man he is today.

“I have to come to the city tomorrow to give a report. The progress and changes in our Suji Armed Forces Department during this period have been recognized by the leaders, and they want me to share my experience.” Zhou Weiguo’s tone was somewhat emotional. “Tell me, if you hadn’t persuaded me to come back to work, would I have been slacking off for a long time?”

“Uncle, that’s not called being decadent, it’s called being mature and accumulating experience. That’s why you’ve brought about so many changes in just three months since you arrived at the Armed Forces Department.” Zhou Yan said earnestly, “Your abilities are obvious to everyone. You’re still so young, it’s a sure thing that you’ll rise further in the future.”

"It's already quite an achievement that I can understand the Armed Forces Department," Zhou Weiguo said with a smile and a shake of his head.

The old lady listened to the two of them talking, a smile on her face.

Recently, matchmakers have been coming to Weiguo's door more and more often, and the women they introduce to him are no longer widows with children or reckless men who don't know when to come home in the rain, but rather decent young women with good qualities in all aspects.

In just a few short months, he went from being a disabled person whom everyone laughed at to Minister Zhou, whom everyone respected.

The old lady attributed all the credit to Zhou Yan.

He was introduced to many girls, but Weiguo turned them all down because he was busy with work, and didn't meet any of them.

The old lady felt reassured and stopped panicking.

Marrying a wife is a lifelong commitment; you can't rush it.

As we were chatting, the proprietress came in carrying a large pot.

Zhou Yan got up and made way for him. An employee put a red-hot honeycomb briquette into the coal stove, and then the proprietress put the iron pot on it.

The milky white mutton soup bubbled and simmered on the coal stove. Mutton and offal mingled in the pot, rising to the surface, with sheep's blood mixed in. A handful of tender green cilantro was sprinkled on top, and the rich aroma of mutton filled the air.

Everyone swallowed hard.

The waiter brought over a tray with a large bowl of white radish cut into rectangular strips, a plate of fresh and tender pea shoots, and eleven dipping saucers of dried chili powder arranged in a staggered pattern, and placed them on the table.

"You can eat now. The radish has been blanched. Add the meat when you've almost finished eating, so it doesn't get too mushy. Just let me know if you need anything. Take your time eating." After saying that, the proprietress left, closing the door behind her, leaving only a small gap for ventilation.

"Come on, let's eat!" Zhou Yan greeted with a smile, then turned to look at Xia Yao and said, "Shall I serve you a bowl of mutton soup first?"

"Okay." Xia Yao nodded and pushed the bowl a little closer to him.

Zhou Yan picked up a soup ladle and ladled half a bowl of soup for her. The soup contained some mutton and offal, and the broth was thick. It smelled like pork bones had also been added.

“I want some soup too, bro~~” Zhou Momo immediately pushed her bowl over.

"Okay, I'll serve you some." Zhou Yan smiled and got up, serving everyone a bowl of mutton soup first.

Zhou Yan sat down, picked up a piece of mutton. The meat was bright in color, with distinct textures, and the fat and lean meat were interspersed with red and white. He dipped it in the chili powder dipping sauce and put it in his mouth.

The mutton, fresh from the hot soup, is incredibly tender and juicy with a rich, savory aroma that hits you right in the head.

There's absolutely no gamey smell!

With its perfect balance of lean and fatty meat, it's incredibly chewy and full of collagen. Coated in chili powder, the spicy and fragrant flavor is the perfect finishing touch, making it absolutely wonderful.

Another piece of sheep intestine. The sheep intestine is fatty and juicy, bursting with oil with every bite. Dip it in chili powder, and the taste is quite moist.

To be honest, this way of eating is quite similar to that of "Qiaojiao Beef".

However, mutton and beef taste very different.

Take another spoonful of mutton soup. The mutton soup is fresh, hot, rich, and flavorful, warm but not fiery. One sip and a warm current immediately spreads throughout your body.

I feel completely relaxed.

One bite after another, I couldn't stop.

A bowl of mutton soup in winter is truly comforting!
"This mutton soup is so delicious! There's no gamey smell at all. It's completely different from anything I've had before." Xia Yao sipped the soup, her eyes sparkling with surprise.

"It's good, this Jianyang mutton soup is very authentic." The old lady nodded in agreement, having already finished her bowl of mutton soup, and was about to ask for another bowl.

Zhou Momo, however, set her sights on the pea pod standing to the side.

"Pea pop, pea pop, eat it and your brain won't go crazy~~ Beautiful as an angel, top-notch academic performance~~" Zhou Momo sat next to Xia Yao, muttering something to herself.

"Huh?" Xia Yao was a little confused. After listening carefully for a while, she couldn't help but want to laugh.

No, do Sichuan people have a spell when they eat peas?
Zhou Yan smiled, seemingly unsurprised.

Pea shoots, a beloved delicacy in Sichuan and Chongqing, are the only variety that can rival houttuynia cordata.

When it comes to vegetarian dishes in winter, pea shoots are definitely the top choice.

In general, if a Sichuanese person orders a yin-yang pot (half hot pot, half mild) when going out for hot pot, they will be laughed at.

But if you say the restaurant has fresh, tender pea shoots that you can order, then I'll definitely order the yin-yang hot pot today.

In winter, soups like crispy pork soup, meatball soup, and mutton soup don't feel complete without a handful of pea shoots.

　No extra chapter tonight, I'm adjusting my sleep schedule. I've been staying up too late these past few days and I'm not feeling well. I'll write the extra chapter tomorrow morning.
　　Everyone get some rest, no need to wait!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)