1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 321 Veteran Returns to the Team (6.2k words, two chapters combined)

Comrade Zhou knocked on the door of Sun Qi, who sold paper money in town, and bought two large bundles of paper money and two firecrackers, filling the two baskets on the back of his seat to the brim.

Sun Qi helped pack the paper money, took the money, and then took a bundle of paper money and two bundles of firecrackers from the shop and handed them to Zhou Hongwei. He sighed and said, "Hongwei, please take this to Uncle Kang. I will go to pay my respects tomorrow."

"Thank you, Uncle Sun." Zhou Hongwei accepted the gift with both hands, his eyes red-rimmed.

Sun Qi gently patted his arm and then handed Zhou Yan a cloth bag.

"Huh?" Zhou Yan took the cloth bag; it felt a bit heavy.

“The old man prepared the long deck of cards and playing cards long ago and left them with me. He knew you filial sons and grandsons would come to buy paper money, so he asked me to give them to you to take back and play with,” Sun Qi said.

Zhou Yan opened the bag and saw that it really was decks of cards and playing cards, more than ten decks, all unopened.

Zhou Yan was a little confused.

Although I've heard rumors about people playing mahjong at funeral parlors in Sichuan and Chongqing, this is just too much!

Where are we going to gather a dozen or so tables of people in the middle of the night?
Sun Qi smiled and said, "You're too young to understand. Just take it back. The adults know how to handle it."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan stopped asking questions, tied the bag up, and put it in the bicycle basket.

Sun Qi said with some emotion, "The old man lived a wonderful and insightful life. He came to my shop last month and ordered the coffin and the funeral house. He also arranged who would carry the coffin and who would hold the fire basin. You descendants don't need to worry about it."

“Whenever he comes to town for the market, he always stops by my shop for a while. He used to drink with my old man, and after my old man left, he would drink with me. Two ounces of wine was enough each time. He has been retired from the position of village chief for more than ten years, but he is still concerned about how Zhoucun should develop and how the villagers should get rich. Back then, he made many trips to the town and the city to get the cattle slaughtering permit.”

"In your Zhou Village, the old man handled all the weddings and funerals. When a baby was born, or a wife was married, he was always there when the old man passed away. He was the village chief for twenty years and he worried about everything his whole life."

Zhou Hongwei listened with tears welling up in his eyes.

"Let's go, Brother Sun," Zhou Miao said.

"Okay, take it easy." Sun Qi nodded, watched the three leave, gazed in the direction of Zhou Village, and after a long while, wiped his face and turned to go inside.

The three of them returned to Zhoucun in silence, and from afar they could see that the village was brightly lit.

Four bonfires were burning on the threshing floor in front of Zhou Hongwei's house, surrounded by people of all ages, men, women and children.

People were coming and going through the gate, and the courtyard was bustling with people.

At first glance, it seems that everyone from Zhoucun has come, except for the young children.

Zhou Yan suddenly understood why Sixth Master had prepared so many long cards and playing cards; even that might not be enough.

"Zhou Miao and Zhou Yan are here!" someone called out as soon as they saw the three arrive.

"Zhou Jie, Zhou Ming, help me carry the paper money inside. We've bought enough for all five families." Zhou Miao parked the car at the entrance and called to the two brothers who came forward.

"Okay." The two responded and stepped forward to help carry the things.

Zhou Qing, Zhou Ze, and Zhou Han also came over to lend a hand and whispered a few words to Zhou Miao.

"Zhou Yan, come on, let's go pay our respects to your Sixth Master first." Zhou Miao said to Zhou Yan, straightened his clothes, and walked into the courtyard.

"Brother Fei, these are the long deck of cards and playing cards. Sixth Master bought them in advance, and we brought them back. You can take them first." Zhou Yan handed the cloth bag in his hand to Zhou Fei and quickly followed Old Zhou.

There were quite a few people in the courtyard, but they were all moving around. After kneeling and worshipping in the main hall, they went out again so that the people behind could kneel and worship.

A large brazier was placed in the middle of the courtyard, where paper money was burning brightly, the flames soaring into the sky and illuminating the entire courtyard.

There were other people nearby helping with the setup, pulling wires and lights.

The atmosphere was quite solemn. Zhou Yan followed his father to the door of the main room, where an elder handed him three sticks of incense.

Sixth Master's coffin was placed in the center of the main room.

Sixth Master's three sons were kneeling on the cushions next to him, and several people were sitting in the room, all of them elderly people from the village.

The old lady was also among them, and when she saw Zhou Yan come in, she nodded to him.

Zhou Yan was initially a little dazed, but after seeing her grandmother, she gradually calmed down.

The older generation looked quite calm. Some of them were even older than Sixth Master. They were here today to see their old friend off and to help with the affairs of the household.

Zhou Yan recalled Sun Qi's words; perhaps this was also Sixth Master's arrangement.

Zhou Yan followed behind Zhou Miao, knelt down, and offered incense.

After getting up, Zhou Yan glanced at Sixth Master in the coffin. The old man's face was peaceful. Over his burial clothes, he wore a faded old military uniform and a military cap.

"Kangzi! Hang in there, Kangzi!"

"Brother Yi, once I'm healed, I'll go kill the Japanese again!"

"Brother Yi! Kangzi is here..."

The voice from my memory seems to resurface.

Zhou Yan's eyes were instantly blurred with tears.

The veteran didn't die; he rejoined his unit.

His father exchanged a few words with his three uncles, but Zhou Yan didn't hear what they said. He then followed them out of the mourning hall and into the courtyard, wiping away tears as he left.

The imagined scene of grief and mourning did not materialize. Sixth Master's three sons had red eyes, but they did not wail.

A solemn atmosphere prevailed.

Sixth Master was highly respected in Zhoucun, and the villagers saw and remembered him.

After hearing the news of the death tonight, people started arriving one after another.

With many hands making light work, the mourning hall was quickly set up, and several bonfires were lit, both for illumination and to provide warmth for the guests who came to pay their respects and keep vigil.

After everyone had finished paying their respects, Sixth Master's three sons came out and bowed to their relatives and friends on the dam.

The eldest son, Zhou Yao, said, "Thank you all for coming to pay your respects to my old man. He would be very happy if he could see this."

He hadn't eaten properly for half a month. Tonight, he ate the braised meat Zhou Yan made and drank two ounces of liquor. He happily changed his clothes, finished explaining his funeral arrangements to us, and then passed away peacefully, without suffering.

Upon hearing this, the relatives and friends on the dam nodded in agreement, all breathed a sigh of relief, and their solemn expressions relaxed, replaced by smiles.

In this life, both joy and sorrow are a great blessing.

Zhou Yao turned to Zhou Qing and Zhou Ze standing to the side and said, "Brother Qing, Brother Ze, we still have some things to settle. I'd like to trouble you two brothers to help me arrange and take care of the relatives and friends keeping vigil tonight, okay?"

Zhou Qing reached out and patted his arm, nodding and saying, "Alright! You three brothers can go and do your work without worry. We'll take care of the arrangements. We're all family, so there's no need for formalities. If you need anything, just go home and get it yourself."

“Okay.” The three Zhou brothers nodded and turned to walk into the courtyard.

Zhou Yan looked at his uncle, wondering how his usually honest and unassuming uncle would be in charge today.

Zhou Qing looked at the crowd on the dam and said, "Those who stayed behind will all be keeping vigil for Uncle Liu tonight, right?"

"That's right! Keep vigil for Sixth Master!"

"Yes! See Sixth Uncle off!"

Everyone responded one after another.

Zhou Qing nodded and continued, "We don't have that many tables and chairs at home. We can form our own teams and move them from nearby. If we want to play mahjong or mahjong, we can move a lot of tables and chairs. We can put the tables on the threshing floor so we can use them for dinner tomorrow and avoid having to move them again."

Those who are brave can sit in the courtyard, while those who are less brave can sit on the dam. Young men can go to my house and bring over more firewood from the dam so that we can warm ourselves by the fire and not be cold.

The power cord will be brought out immediately. Don't panic. If you have any old tree roots at home, bring a few over as well; they're durable.

The table has been moved. Come to my place to get your mahjong tiles and playing cards. If you have mahjong tiles, please bring them yourself. I only have one set; the four of us brothers are making up a table, so I don't have any extras.

"Okay!" everyone agreed, and they scattered, each forming a team to go back to their own homes to move tables and get mahjong tiles.

Zhou Yan: "?"

He was a little confused.

No, we just finished paying our respects to Sixth Master, how come we're already playing mahjong?

"Zhou Yan, want to play Dou Dizhu or Texas Hold'em?" Zhou Jie walked over and asked Zhou Yan.

“I…” Zhou Yan hesitated for a moment.

"Texas Hold'em! It's more fun when there are lots of people, you can bet a dime. Zhou Yan is a restaurant owner now, he'll give the brothers some money for cigarettes." A young man next to him chimed in.

Zhou Jie waved his hand: "Get lost! Zhou Yan, this money is all hard-earned. He has to get up at 4:30 in the morning to knead dough and make buns. He's saving it up to get married. I'll give you wedding cigarettes after the wedding."

"A dime? How much money do you have in your pocket? If you're going to gamble, gamble for a penny, or you won't be able to get back home tomorrow morning. You're not afraid of your wife, but we're all afraid. Who dares to win more money from you?"

"Even if I only give it one point, I'll still get it. It's Zhou Yan's wedding, so I'll definitely have to drink a couple more glasses." Zhou Chen scratched his head awkwardly.

All eyes turned to Zhou Yan, waiting for him to speak.

"It's Texas Hold'em, you know." Zhou Yan nodded.

The group went to Zhou Jie's house next door to move a table. Zhou Jie lagged behind and stood next to Zhou Yan, saying gently, "Sixth Master left happily, so we should send him off in a grand manner. Look, everyone in the village has come. He handled all the important matters in the village, and everyone respected him and remembers his kindness."

The vigil lasts all night, so everyone plays cards and chats, and the time flies by. The relatives won't think much of it. You were too young before, so I haven't brought you to these kinds of occasions, but you'll get used to it eventually.”

Looking at the beams of flashlight beams on the village road, like twinkling stars, Zhou Yan suddenly understood.

Yes, if it weren't for remembering this kindness, who would be willing to leave their warm bed in the dead of winter to play mahjong on the dam?
The open-mindedness of the people of Sichuan and Chongqing towards life and death struck him deeply for the first time.

Sixth Master fought the Japanese when he was young, and after returning to the village, he devoted himself to it. Seeing this scene, he must be gratified.

Zhou Yan and his group set up a table in the courtyard. Seven or eight young people sat around the table on small stools. There was a brazier under the table, and they could see the coffin in the main room just by looking up.

I don't know who dragged Zhou Hongwei over, but after playing for a while, Zhou Hongwei, who was originally a bit depressed, was in a much better mood.

He just had really bad luck today; he kept losing and never won.

After playing for an hour, I only had 50 cents left in my pocket, and I swallowed it all down in one go.

Zhou Hongwei turned around, clasped his hands together in prayer towards the main room, and said, "Grandpa, please bless me with a leopard!"

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

Zhou Hongwei nervously opened the cards.

Three sixes!
leopard!

"Wow!!!" Zhou Hongwei jumped up from the stool in surprise, both surprised and delighted.

Everyone else was confused.

"Your grandpa saw you were losing a lot, so he's letting you win back some money to keep gambling," Zhou Hongwei's father said with a smile after watching for a while.

"Remember to give me a little something!" Zhou Hongwei grabbed the loose change from the table and put it in his pocket. He got up and walked towards the mourning hall. "I'll go and kowtow to my grandfather twice first!"

Everyone laughed and took out their money.

Zhou Yan smiled too.

Sixth Master, may you rest in peace.

Zhou Hongwei came out of the mourning hall and said to Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, your grandmother wants you to come in."

"Okay." Zhou Yan replied, got up and walked into the mourning hall. He walked to the old lady's side and asked, "Grandma, did you call me?"

The old lady looked at him and asked, "Zhou Yan, is your master free tomorrow or the day after? Does he accept banquets for funerals?"

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "If I remember correctly, they haven't arranged a banquet for tomorrow or the day after. I'll go back and ask now."

Zhou Yao chimed in, "Zhou Yan, then we'll trouble your master to come and help cook for two days. This was decided by my old man, so we'll settle the bill accordingly. There are many people coming to help, so we'll have to hold a continuous feast for two days."

Zhou Yan nodded: "Okay, I'll go talk to my master and he can negotiate the price with you later."

“Okay, I know you’re a very honest and kind master.” Zhou Yao nodded.

The old lady looked at him and said, "Zhou Yan, after you finish this matter, go back and rest with Sanshui. Don't delay the restaurant opening tomorrow."

"Your pork and vegetables are all ordered and delivered daily. Changing them at the last minute in the middle of the night wouldn't work; it's several hundred yuan of capital, we can't afford to delay that. Don't worry about this; your Sixth Master has already arranged everything in advance. He hasn't assigned you any work."

"Grandma, this..." Zhou Yan hesitated.

Zhou Yao said, "Zhou Yan, listen to Aunt Zhang. There will be plenty of people to help. Just take good care of the shop tomorrow."

My old man also said that no one who slaughters a cow in Zhoucun should stay up tonight, otherwise there won't be enough beef in Jiaozhou City tomorrow. We can't let his funeral arrangements affect the lives of his descendants or prevent people from eating meat.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan subconsciously glanced at Sixth Master in the coffin, nodded, and said, "Alright, then I'll go find my master first, and I'll come back to keep watch for Sixth Master tomorrow night."

"Go ahead, drive carefully." The old lady nodded.

Zhou Yan turned and went out; Old Comrade Zhou was already waiting at the entrance of the mourning hall.

"You guys have fun, I'm going to take care of something first," Zhou Yan said to Zhou Jie and the others.

“Okay, take it slow,” Zhou Jie replied.

Zhou Yan returned to town and told Old Zhou to go back to sleep first, then went to his master's house and knocked on the door.

"What's wrong? Zhou Yan, did something happen at home?" Xiao Lei and Ma Dongmei came out wearing coats and asked with concern.

There was a rustling sound coming from the room next to the pigsty. After a while, Kong Liwei came out, wearing clothes and shoes: "What's wrong?"

“Master’s wife, don’t worry, everything is fine at home.” Zhou Yan quickly explained, “Master, my sixth uncle from my ancestral home passed away tonight. I would like to ask you and Senior Brother Zheng to help organize the banquet in the next two days. See if you are willing to go. Your wages will still be paid.”

“You’re a relative, so I’ll definitely go when they invite me.” Xiao Lei nodded and turned to walk into the house. “Wait a minute, I’ll go change my pants and put on some socks before I go to Zhoucun with you. We’ll finalize the menu and number of tables with the host so we can go buy groceries tomorrow morning.”

Ma Dongmei breathed a sigh of relief and invited Zhou Yan in to sit for a while.

"Master's wife, I won't come in. You should go to sleep first. It's cold, don't catch a cold," Zhou Yan said, shaking his head.

"Teacher Zhou, are we still going to work tomorrow?" Kong Liwei, a bit more awake from the cold wind, asked Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan nodded and said, "The restaurant will be open as usual tomorrow. The meat and vegetables we ordered cannot be refunded. We can't afford to lose money if we don't open."

"Okay! I'm going back to sleep now, it's so cold!" Kong Liwei shook his legs and slipped back into his room.

Xiao Lei changed his clothes and shoes, took a flashlight, pushed his bicycle out, and set off with Zhou Yan to Zhoucun.

The matter was settled in just a few words. The cost per table was set at one yuan, which was two yuan cheaper than the usual banquet they would hold for weddings.

"Isn't this price too low? Master Xiao, please quote the normal price." Zhou Yao looked embarrassed.

Xiao Lei said, "On the way here, Zhou Yan told me about the old man's life. The people I admire most in my life are veterans of the War of Resistance against Japan. He is also Zhou Yan's elder. One yuan is enough. I just happen to have some time these two days."

"Thank you so much," Zhou Yao said gratefully, shaking Xiao Lei's hand.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang are now the most famous local chefs in Suji Town. At three yuan a table, they are so popular that people scramble to book them for business purposes, and their reputation is growing.

That is to say, the next two days are not auspicious for weddings, so they will have time to come.

The three brothers had already discussed it and decided that they would take care of the matter the old man had entrusted to them, even if it was just three yuan.

Xiao Lei only charges one yuan, and he only charges one yuan for two meals a day, with each table costing one yuan.

This really saved them a lot of money.

Xiao Lei asked, "How should the menu be arranged? Did you discuss it beforehand?"

“My father has already written it all down beforehand, including the number of tables and the number of people. It’s all here.” Zhou Yao took out a yellowed notebook, flipped to the last few pages, and handed it to Xiao Lei.

The menu and number of tables for the first day's banquet, and the arrangements for the second day's open-air banquet after the funeral procession, were clearly written down.

After reading it, Xiao Lei remained silent for a while, then said with some emotion, "The old man was so wise. He arranged his affairs so clearly, leaving no worries for his descendants. That's fine, I'll do it this way."

Xiao Lei made a list of the groceries he wanted to buy and handed it to Zhou Yao, letting the host family make the arrangements.

After finishing his business, Xiao Lei went into the mourning hall to burn paper money before returning to town with Zhou Yan.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhou Yan said to Xiao Lei at the stone bridge.

"Thanks, damn it. Go back to sleep, I'm so sleepy." Xiao Lei got on his bike and wobbled away.

Zhou Yan smiled and rode his bike towards the restaurant.

A light was on at the entrance of the restaurant.

Zhou Yan had just parked the car when the door was already opened.

"Old man, you're still awake?" Zhou Yan pushed the car into the shop and said to Old Zhou, who was closing the door.

"I'll wait for you to come back. Anyway, I don't have to get up so early tomorrow." Old Zhou turned around. "What did your master say?"

"Everything is arranged. He and Senior Brother Zheng will go tomorrow, and the payment will be one yuan per table."

"Your master is an honest and kind person, so go to bed early."

"Have it."

Zhou Yan lay back down on the bed and glanced at the alarm clock; it was already 12:30 a.m.

I closed my eyes, and my tired body instantly fell asleep.

Jingle Bell! ! !
The sound of the alarm clock was like a hammer pounding on his head. Zhou Yan groggily reached out and turned off the alarm clock, which had somehow escaped from the covers. He sat up, still a little dazed.

I felt like I had just lain down when I was woken up again. I sat for a few minutes to recover before I felt my body gradually waking up and my intelligence regaining its dominance.

No time for sentimentality, Zhou Yan threw off the covers, got out of bed, dressed, and went downstairs to start kneading dough.

Today, Zhou Erwa Restaurant is like a precise assembly line, where every step must be completed on time and accurately, without the slightest error.

If the dough isn't kneaded in time, it won't have enough time to rise, and the buns won't turn out well.

After the dough was kneaded, Zhang Laosan arrived, dragging along pork and pig's blood.

Today, Zhou Yan ordered 30 jin of pig's blood, three times the amount ordered yesterday. The pig intestine and blood curd are selling very well, and we still need to try our best to meet the needs of our customers.

Zhou Yan carried all the meat into the kitchen, paid Zhang Laosan, and said, "Uncle Zhang, my sixth master is going up the mountain tomorrow, and I need to go to the funeral and help out, so we'll be closed for a day. We won't be delivering meat tomorrow, so I'm letting you know in advance."

"Old Master Zhou is gone? He came to my place last month to buy some meat." Old Zhang was a little surprised.

“Yes, they left last night.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Old Zhang nodded, somewhat wistfully: "Alright, then I'll tell them not to send the pig's head tomorrow. I'll also go pay my respects to Uncle Zhou this afternoon when I have some free time. He was such a good man. When I was little, I fell into a ditch, and he pulled me out. I go to pay my respects to him every year."

Zhou Yan watched as Zhang Laosan rode away on his tricycle. Everyone remembered how good Sixth Master was.

Kong Liwei arrived exceptionally early today, at 5:30, even earlier than Zhao Hong and the others.

"Ah Wei, didn't you say you'd be here at six? Why are you here at five-thirty?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile as he was preparing to prepare the pig's blood.

Kong Liwei came in and helped carry the wooden bucket, saying, "I was afraid that Master Zhou would secretly make pig intestines and blood curd. Look, I caught him red-handed. If I had been ten minutes later, you would have already prepared the pig blood curd."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "If we don't prepare this pig's blood first, it will solidify and become unusable. The ratio of water to water is 1:1.5, plus some salt, pepper, and white wine..."

Kong Liwei listened attentively, and after preparing the pig's blood, he immediately took out a piece of paper and wrote it down.

“Come on, I’ll chop this minced meat. You go and stir-fry your minced pork and beef with pickled mustard greens.” Kong Liwei took out a cleaver from his bag and said to Zhou Yan, “Just tell me the standard.”

Zhou Yan said, "Mince the meat, but make sure it has a grainy texture. You've eaten the fresh meat buns I make, so you probably have a good idea of ​​what they're like, right? These two pieces of meat are enough."

"Okay." Kong Liwei responded, first slicing and then chopping, using two knives and the horseshoe-shaped knife technique to mince the meat, which was quite efficient.

Zhou Yan glanced at it twice, then went to the stove to start frying the minced meat.

Ah Wei is actually quite reliable.

They must have seen that he stayed up late last night, so they came over today specifically to help him chop the meat.

"Is there anything I can do? You didn't get much sleep yesterday, so I'll take over some of the work today." Aunt Zhao got up early today, tied her hair up, washed her face, and went into the kitchen to ask Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan turned his head and glanced at it, "Just add two ladles of hot water from that small pot to the big pot, the water temperature has gone down."

"Okay," Aunt Zhao replied, and got to work as well.

Zhao Hong and Li Lihua also arrived one after another, starting with making fresh meat buns.

"The whole village came, but no one could help. Everyone remembers how kind Sixth Master was," Zhao Hong said, her voice tinged with emotion as she held a steamed bun.

Aunt Zhao said, "Of course! Sixth Uncle was the village chief for twenty years. He named half of the children in the village. He even helped us choose our wedding date. If any family didn't come, they would be gossiped about."

Kong Liwei lent a hand, and the steamed buns were successfully cooked, catching the first peak of the elementary school student crowd.

"I don't think getting up at five o'clock is that hard. Maybe I can actually learn how to make steamed buns this winter," Awei said with a smile, biting into a steamed bun with pickled mustard greens and pork.

　There will be an extra chapter later~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)