1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 325 The Old Lady Beats Her Unfilial Grandson Three Times (6.2k words, two chapters combined)

On the way back, Zhou Yan and Song Changhe talked a lot. Unable to resist the old man's stubbornness, Zhou Yan had no choice but to agree to hold a banquet for him if he passed away in the future.

"Qingqing, remember this, if you need to do this again, ask Zhou Yan. He promised me today," Song Changhe said to Song Wanqing, turning back to her.

"Grandpa, stop joking around." Song Wanqing's expression was somewhat helpless.

"Forget it, I can't explain it to a kid like you." Song Changhe shook his head and said with a smile, "I'll talk to my two sons about it during the New Year, and they'll understand."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. If that day ever comes, he will definitely be there to help.

When the funeral procession returned to the village, meat-filled glutinous rice balls were already cooked in a large pot. The auntie had made the large glutinous rice balls early in the morning, and six were already overflowing in a bowl.

Each person takes a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, squats at the doorway, and eats.

Zhou Yan stepped forward, took a bowl, sat on the stone slab under the tree, picked up a glutinous rice ball and took a bite.

The freshly cooked glutinous rice balls are piping hot. With one bite, the scalding hot broth bursts out, rich in scallion flavor and sweet in meat broth. Paired with the soft, chewy glutinous rice ball skin, the taste is quite delicious.

"Master, did you give the aunties some pointers on the filling? It tastes really good!" Zhou Yan turned to Xiao Lei beside him and asked.

"Master Zhou is still a picky eater; he can taste it even in this." Xiao Lei grinned.

Zheng Qiang chuckled and said, "Uncle-Master is now a friend of women. Wherever he holds a banquet, women from all the villages come to him for cooking advice. They call him Master Xiao and he's very popular."

Xiao Lei sighed: "That's just how charming mature men are, there's no way around it."

Zhou Yan said quietly, "Master, you should still be careful. If your wife hears about it, you'll probably have to kneel on a washboard when you get back."

Xiao Lei stopped laughing and said to the two of them with a stern face, "You two kids, don't go back and spread rumors and ruin my reputation."

“Master’s wife isn’t the kind of person who believes everything she hears. As long as you have a clear conscience, what are you afraid of?” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“That’s right, that’s right,” Zheng Qiang echoed.

"You guys don't know anything." Xiao Lei rolled his eyes.

Zheng Qiang, holding his bowl, sat down a little closer to him and asked curiously, "Uncle-Master, have you ever gone out and fooled around?"

Zhou Yan immediately brought over with the bowl.

"No," Xiao Lei said firmly.

"You haven't been fooling around for over twenty years?" Zheng Qiang didn't believe it.

Xiao Lei put down the bowl of glutinous rice balls he had finished eating, lit a cigarette and took a puff. He said in a deep voice, "Your advisor told me that if a woman asks you this question, if you still want to continue the marriage, you must say no ...

Some women will try to comfort you, saying that it's normal for men to go out and fool around occasionally, and that they hate being lied to. They'll tell you the truth and they definitely won't blame you.

If you actually tell, you're finished. I'll beat you until you're covered in bruises, and your knees will be swollen from kneeling."

"So no matter who asks, you should always say: No."

"That advisor certainly has a good life," Zheng Qiang said thoughtfully.

"Confess and you'll be treated leniently, rot in jail; resist and you'll be punished severely, but you'll be allowed to go home for the New Year." Zhou Yan smiled.

Xiao Lei exhaled a smoke ring. "Who says otherwise?"

"So, Master, did you actually go out and fool around?" Zhou Yan asked curiously.

Xiao Lei glanced at him sideways and said quietly, "Do you know what your master's wife's ancestors did? Her grandfather was the last executioner in Jiaozhou!"

If anything were to reach her ears, it wouldn't just be a series of bruises, but a whole bunch of marks.

"It's not Teacher Xiao, it's just that he's disappeared."

Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang both shrank back upon hearing this, never expecting that their master's wife had such a formidable ancestor.

"It seems to be indeed the advisor's experience," Zheng Qiang said thoughtfully.

“Master, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, you certainly have the looks to attract romance,” Zhou Yan nodded in agreement.

Xiao Lei waved his hand: "Don't talk nonsense. Your advisor treats his wife very well. This is all based on his experience of observing his colleagues."

Back then, Grandpa Qin's face was swollen for a while, and when asked why, he said it was because he had bumped into all the doors, windows, and floors of his house.

"For a while, Grandpa Li even sought refuge at your master's house. Later, your mistress persuaded him three times before he dared to go home."

Zhou Yan and Zheng Qiang were overjoyed to hear this.

The gossip from the older generation is still the most enjoyable to hear.

After breakfast, Kong Liwei arrived on his old bicycle.

"Awei, what brings you here?" Zhou Yan looked at him with some surprise.

Kong Liwei parked the car: "Come and help out. Anyway, there's nothing to do at home. I might as well be a pig feeder than feed my aunt's pigs."

"Your uncle hasn't spoiled you for nothing. You've come at the perfect time. Slice these cured pork pieces thinly for me; I'll stir-fry them with bamboo shoots later," Xiao Lei said with a smile, tossing him an apron.

"Okay!" Kong Liwei responded, pulled a kitchen knife from his bag, and immediately got to work.

The steamed dishes for the 60-table banquet were mostly prepared yesterday, and we only need to work on them for another morning to finish.

Zhou Yan went to his grandmother's house to help make braised dishes, six big pig heads, because he was afraid of tiring the old lady out.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the old house, the door was open. Upon entering, he saw Song Changhe and Song Wanqing sitting in the main room, chatting and drinking tea with the old lady, while Zhou Ming was feeding the pigs.

"Mr. Song and Teacher Song are here too," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“Yes, come sit with your sister-in-law for a while.” Song Changhe nodded.

Song Wanqing asked, "Won't Zhou Yan help your master?"

"Let's see if my grandma can manage with all the braised meat," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, then looked at the old lady: "Grandma, do you need any help?"

"Six pig heads? What help are they? They can be easily braised in one pot," the old lady said calmly.

"Grandma, the pigs, chickens, and ducks are all fed." Zhou Ming came in carrying an empty bucket and asked with a smile, "Is there any other chores to do?"

The old lady looked at him and said, "Pour tea for your master and Wanqing, and have a seat."

"Okay." Zhou Ming greeted Zhou Yan, put the bucket back in the kitchen, washed his hands, came out, poured tea for the two of them, made another cup for Zhou Yan, and then sat down next to Song Wanqing.

Song Changhe took a sip of tea and said, "My former secretary came to see me a couple of days ago and talked to me about Wei Guo. He said that he is quite capable and has a good way of training militia and handling affairs. This time, the Suji Armed Forces Department won an award in the city competition and also won a first-class merit. In a few years, there will be an opportunity to be transferred to the city."

The old lady smiled and said, "It's good that he can make adjustments, but we won't force him. As long as he's happy doing it, that's enough."

Song Changhe nodded: "He is a down-to-earth person, just like Zhou Yi, no problem."

Zhou Yan held his teacup, blew on the tea leaves, and listened attentively. It seemed that his uncle still had a chance to go to the city later, which was good. Gold will shine sooner or later.

"Ming-ge, don't you guys have classes today?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at Zhou Ming and Song Wanqing.

Zhou Ming said, "Today's classes are all in the afternoon. After dropping off Sixth Master and having lunch, we'll go to school. We'll have enough time."

He actually wanted to gossip about the progress of the two of them, but with Teacher Song present, he had to give up.

"How's your Emei spear training going?" Zhou Yan changed the subject.

Ming smiled and said, "You're just starting out and building a foundation. But guns and sticks are similar, so you'll pick it up faster. But you definitely won't be able to develop any real skills in less than three to five years. To master them, you'll need at least ten years of hard work."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan was filled with awe. It was indeed not something that ordinary people could persevere in learning martial arts.

Learning to cook also requires three years of apprenticeship and three years of assistant cooking before one can graduate as a master chef. But once you graduate, you can make a living by your skills.

Nowadays, learning martial arts, apart from inheriting Emei martial arts, is truly useless.

Three years of apprenticeship, ten years of hard work, all thanks to a burning passion.

Idealists like Ming are rare these days.

"Only he could endure such hardship and even find it enjoyable," Song Wanqing said with a smile, her tone a mix of teasing and admiration.

"This is nothing. Practicing martial arts has become a habit for me. If I don't practice every day, I feel uncomfortable all over," Zhou Ming said with a smile.

Song Wanqing looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "By the way, where's Momo? I haven't seen her."

"Grandma, you've gotten so fat!"

"Huahua, come here quickly, I brought you some fish, I caught them."

Just then, the little guy's sweet, childish voice came from the yard.

Zhou Yan and the others got up and walked to the entrance of the hall, where they saw Zhou Momo squatting down and petting a tabby cat, with a large white goose circling around her, eager to try out the small fish basket in her hand.

Zhou Weiguo stood to the side, looking down at her, a slight smile on his lips softening his usually cold and serious face.

"MoMo~~" Song Wanqing smiled and walked towards Zhou MoMo, politely greeting Zhou Weiguo.

"Uncle," Zhou Yan and Zhou Ming greeted Zhou Weiguo.

"Hmm." Zhou Weiguo nodded slightly and greeted Song Changhe as he entered, "Old Chief."

“Wei Guo is back. You said last time that you still had some things from the army. Take me to see them,” Song Changhe said, standing up.

"Please come with me." Zhou Weiguo walked towards a room to the side.

"What good stuff is it?" Zhou Ming asked, wanting to go too.

The old lady said, "Zhou Ming, come here, I have a few words to say to you."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ming had no choice but to walk over and stand in front of the old lady.

"How are things going between you and Wanqing?" the old lady asked in a low voice.

Zhou Yan, who was standing at the entrance of the main room, returned to his seat upon hearing the sound, picked up his tea, took a sip, and listened attentively.

“That’s great. When Teacher Song has a class, I just go to class with her and we have lunch together.” Zhou Ming smiled and said, “Grandma, don’t worry, I won’t fight with Teacher Song.”

The old lady grabbed a feather duster from the side and smacked Zhou Ming's leg with it.

Startled, Zhou Yan's teacup wobbled, spilling half a cup of tea onto his trousers.

"Ouch—" Zhou Ming didn't dare to dodge, wincing in pain, looking completely innocent: "Grandma...why did you hit me?"

The old lady's face darkened, her expression one of utter disappointment: "Slapping you was too lenient! You're not even going to fight Teacher Song? Is that what I asked? Is that what you're thinking? You think you might actually hit her?"

"No...no," Zhou Ming stammered.

"Then let me ask you, can you have a proper relationship with Wanqing?" the old lady asked, holding a feather duster in her hand.

Zhou Ming whispered, "This... I've never been in one before either." "Pfft—" Zhou Yan, who had just shaken the water off his pants, burst out laughing.

Snapped!
The next second, the feather duster landed on his leg.

"How dare you laugh?" The old lady's gaze swept over them.

Zhou Yan quickly stood up with the tea in hand, looking completely innocent: "Grandma... I don't usually laugh, but I couldn't help it just now."

"You think I hit you because you laughed? Are you all made of wood?" The old lady shook her head. "I'm asking you, how are things going with Yao Yao?"

Zhou Yan's thoughts raced, and he said somewhat nervously, "We held hands!"

The old lady had already raised her feather duster and smacked it down on Zhou Ming's thigh. "Did you hear that? Look at how Zhou Yan handles things. You see Teacher Song every day, eat together, and hold hands, don't you?"

"Huh?" Zhou Ming turned around and looked at Zhou Yan in disbelief, his eyes filled with shock at being betrayed by his brother.

Zhou Yan pursed her lips and gave him a look that said, "Good luck to you."

What could we do? The old lady was serious once she started.

"Not yet..." Zhou Ming shook his head, hesitatingly saying, "Holding a girl's hand, wouldn't that be indecent?"

The old woman raised her hand and lashed out with the whip again, saying coldly, "Going to and from get off work with her every day, eating together, ruining her reputation, and not even taking the initiative to hold her hand or confess your feelings—that's what makes you a hooligan, a scoundrel!"

"Huh?" Zhou Ming scratched his head, not daring to refute. What his grandmother said seemed to make some sense. After all, some teachers at school had been looking at them strangely lately, and some people had even asked him when he was going to a wedding.

Zhou Yan dared not laugh, his eyes darting around, afraid that the next whip would fall on him.

But he couldn't help but think about this issue. Xia Yao often came to comb Momo's hair, and they would go for a run together at night. He could also often hear the female workers in the textile factory gossiping about their relationship behind their backs.

Zhou Yan had previously thought they were just gossipy and noisy, but from Xia Yao's perspective, it seemed quite different.

She is, after all, a college student who has not yet entered the workforce and is well protected by her family. These rumors must be a source of annoyance for her.

The old lady looked at Zhou Ming earnestly and said, "You're twenty-six this year, and Teacher Song is twenty-five. Don't drag this out year after year, wasting their youth. Give me a definite answer today: can you finalize the relationship within three days?"

Zhou Ming was silent for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Yes."

"Okay." The old lady put the feather duster back in the corner, and a kind smile returned to her face.

At the door, Song Wanqing and Zhou Momo entered, smiling sweetly. It was unclear whether they had heard the conversation that had just taken place in the main room.

"Brother, look! Big White's egg is huge!" Zhou Momo held up a giant goose egg, showing it off like a treasure. "Do you think it can hatch into a cute little White?"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "It's hard to say, but I can fry a goose egg pancake."

“Okay! Then we’ll have goose egg pancakes tomorrow morning!” Zhou Momo readily agreed.

"There are still six goose eggs in the kitchen basket. Take two each of you back. You can use them for pancakes or soup." The old lady said, looking at Song Wanqing, "Wanqing, you should also take a few to try. I'll have Mingming bring some back for you later. There's no shortage of goose eggs in the countryside. It might not be as easy to raise them in the city."

“Okay, Grandma.” Song Wanqing nodded with a smile and said to Zhou Ming, “Teacher Zhou, come with me to get ready. We have to go back this afternoon after we eat.”

“Okay.” Zhou Ming nodded and led Song Wanqing toward the kitchen.

"Grandma, I'm going to help my master now. You can ask Ming-ge to bring the braised meat to the threshing floor later." Zhou Yan slipped away, afraid that the old lady's feather duster would fall on him again.

"That kid..." The old lady looked at Zhou Yan's back and couldn't help but shake her head with a smile.

"Grandma, I'm giving you two colorful hair ties. They'll make your white hair look even prettier when you tie it up." Zhou Momo put the goose egg aside, took two colorful hair ties out of her pocket, and handed them to the old lady. "Sister Yaoyao gave them to me."

"Hmm, it's really pretty." The old lady smiled as she looked at the hair tie in her palm.

“Teacher Song…” Zhou Ming carefully took three goose eggs from the basket and put them in his pocket, looking down at Song Wanqing, hesitant to speak.

"Okay, go ahead." Song Wanqing looked at her with a gentle smile on her lips, appearing poised and confident, but her hands, hanging by her trouser seams, had already clenched tightly.

"I think you're a really nice person," Zhou Ming said.

Song Wanqing pursed her lips. Was this the kind of thing he should be saying?

Zhou Ming's face began to burn. He didn't dare to look her in the eye, and his voice dropped a few decibels: "She's beautiful, has a good personality, and is also... quite good to me."

"Yes, keep praising me, I love hearing it." Song Wanqing's smile grew even wider. It was the first time she had ever seen Zhou Ming blush. Seeing his nervousness made her feel less nervous herself.

"Huh?" Zhou Ming was taken aback and looked up at her.

Song Wanqing stared straight at him, and their eyes met, frozen in place.

Her face gradually turned red, her beautiful eyes trembled slightly, as if she wanted to hide but was unwilling to show weakness.

As Zhou Ming looked at her face, countless images of his time with her flashed through his mind.

Her smile was always so bright; she was always there to encourage him, helping him find ways to get close to Mr. Song, leaving him half of her meat and rice, pouring him warm water and giving him a dry towel when he practiced martial arts…

In that instant, he suddenly felt that if he could spend his whole life with her like this, he would be very happy.

"Teacher Song, let's be a couple," Zhou Ming said, standing ramrod straight with a serious expression.

Tears welled up in Song Wanqing's eyes instantly, and she pounded Zhou Ming's chest with her fist: "Zhou Ming! Do you know how long I've waited to hear these words? You idiot! You big idiot! Waaah..."

Zhou Ming stood there, hands raised, looking bewildered and unsure of what to do.

"Ten years! You idiot." Song Wanqing threw herself into his arms, burying her head in his shoulder, and wiped her tears on his shoulder in revenge, leaving the area wet.

Zhou Ming's expression suddenly relaxed, he slowly lowered his raised hand, and then gently hugged her.

ten years.

"So, that girl in the alley back then, was it really you?"

"You knew? You've always known?"

“I saw you at No. 1 Middle School, but I wasn’t sure it was you. You know, I got carried away in a taxi that day, and when I came back, there was no one in the alley. I was worried that something had happened to you, so I searched several alleys until someone said that you had been picked up by your parents, and then I felt relieved and went home.”

"Waaah... I should have told you sooner."

……

"What's wrong? Did I hear Teacher Song crying? Is Ming bullying her?" Zhou Momo heard the faint noise coming from the kitchen and was about to go inside.

"No, it's the chicks chirping." The old lady pulled her close, placed her on her lap, and said with a smile, "I heard you've learned a lot of ancient poems, and now you teach your mother to write and recite poems every day. Recite them for Grandma."

"Okay!" The little guy immediately sat up straight: "Then let's start by reciting the poem about geese, 'Goose, goose, goose, with its neck bent towards the sky, it sings...'"

The old lady's smile deepened.

As the saying goes, "Spare the rod and spoil the child." This blockhead finally came to his senses after being whipped three times.

It seems there's a real chance of attending another wedding banquet this Chinese New Year.

After a while, Song Changhe came out of the next room and called out, "Wanqing?"

"Hey!" Song Wanqing's voice came from the kitchen. After a while, she came out with two goose eggs in her hands, her eyes red and watery.

"What's wrong with your eyes?" Song Changhe asked her with concern.

"No...nothing, just a mosquito got in, Teacher Zhou blew it out for me." Song Wanqing blushed slightly and explained softly, nudging Zhou Ming with her elbow.

"Yes, that's right." Zhou Ming nodded, not daring to look at his master.

Song Changhe glanced at the two of them, smiled meaningfully, and said, "These mosquitoes in the countryside are something else; they're still biting people this time of year."

The old lady didn't respond, engrossed in listening to Zhou Momo recite poetry.

Song Wanqing dug her toes into the ground and showed off two large goose eggs in her hand. "Grandpa! These are goose eggs that Grandma Zhang gave me. Let's take them back and make egg drop soup."

Song Changhe looked at her and said, "The goose eggs are good, but do you know how to make egg drop soup?"

"Yes!" Song Wanqing nodded decisively, glanced cautiously at the old lady, and continued, "I'll go ask Zhou Yan for advice later!"

"Zhou Ming, let's go find something to wrap the goose eggs up. If we just put them in a cloth bag, they'll definitely break when we get back." Song Wanqing nudged Zhou Ming again.

"Oh, okay." Zhou Ming nodded quickly.

"Grandma, thank you for the goose eggs," Song Wanqing said to the old lady.

The old lady smiled and said, "You're welcome. If you like it, I'll have Mingming bring it for you next time."

"Okay," Song Wanqing replied.

Song Changhe sat down again and sighed, "Girls grow up and can't stay at home."

The old lady laughed and said, "You've taken on an apprentice and gained a grandson-in-law. You must be secretly delighted. Where else can you find a grandson-in-law with such strict evaluation criteria?"

Song Changhe was amused upon hearing this.

……

Zhou Yan was originally there to help out, but as soon as he turned around, he was pinned down on the stove, grabbed a large spatula, and stir-fried two large pots of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) and Hui Guo Rou (twice-cooked pork).

He usually stir-fries shredded pork with garlic sauce in the shop, and he generally controls the amount of meat in one pot to no more than three servings. He can precisely control the seasoning and the heat, and the quality control is quite stable.

Today, he's making fifteen portions from one pot, frying two pots at once, which made him a little nervous, afraid of making a mistake and ruining his master's reputation.

Ah Wei assisted him from the side, wielding the spatula in a wide arc to stir-fry, looking equally nervous.

A very good serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce.

A pretty good twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens.

Remove from the pot and plate.

Zhou Yan breathed a sigh of relief after seeing the test results.

It's alright; at least the twice-cooked pork was of a pretty good standard.

Unfortunately, we didn't have enough spare cuts of pork, so we used pork belly stir-fried twice.

Moreover, with so much meat, it's not so easy to fry it properly in the oil, and it won't curl up into a small, round shape. But it still has a bright red color, a fragrant aroma, and when coated with a few bits of pickled mustard greens, it looks quite presentable.

The shredded pork with garlic sauce was even better.

Xiao Lei came over with chopsticks, tasted a piece of twice-cooked pork, then a bite of shredded pork with garlic sauce, and gave Zhou Yan a thumbs up: "Chef Zhou, the quality of this big pot dish is truly top-notch!"

"The quality of the twice-cooked pork belly is top-notch. And the shredded pork with garlic sauce is even more superb, no less than what you get in a restaurant."

After hearing this, Ah Wei picked up his chopsticks and took a bite. His eyes lit up: "Master Zhou! From now on, let's just make fifteen servings of Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) at the restaurant! I think that's a good idea! The taste is just as good."

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(End of this chapter)