1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 65 Granny Xiong (Second Update! Please Read On!)

Zhou Yan left two crucian carp for dinner, and all the menus on the wall were put into the clearance section, closing for the day.

There weren't many customers in the latter half of the day, so Zhao Hong had nothing to do and washed most of the dishes. After putting the last stack of dishes into the kitchen, Aunt Zhao helped clean them up, and then she went home on Zhou Fei's bicycle after get off work.

“I just asked Zhou Fei, and all the brothers are giving the same amount of money in red envelopes: ten yuan. Zhou Hai and the others think the same way.” Zhou Miao went into the kitchen and looked at Zhou Yan, who was frying fish, and said, “They discussed it and decided that since you are the youngest brother, you don’t need to give a red envelope. I felt that was inappropriate, so I said you would give one too.”

"Dad, you're right. I definitely have to give a red envelope for Hao's wedding, otherwise what will my sister-in-law think?" Zhou Yan flipped the fish over and said with a smile, "I can easily afford ten yuan. What about you guys? How much are you going to give?"

“As elders, we can’t avoid giving twenty yuan these days,” Aunt Zhao, who was sitting behind the stove tending the fire, chimed in. “Your second aunt and her husband have put on quite a show this time, and it must have cost a lot. We definitely have to support them. Anyway, they’ll give us a return gift when you have yours in a couple of years.”

"Do you have twenty yuan left?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Aunt Zhao paused in her act of stuffing firewood into the stove, and Old Zhou's smile became somewhat embarrassed.

All their savings were invested in Zhou Yan's shop, including Old Zhou's personal stash.

Old Zhou has saved some money these days by slaughtering cattle and selling meat, but the majority of it is to be used to buy more cattle. It's money that needs to be turned over every day, so he can't touch it.

"I'll give you twenty later, consider it my repayment," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“If your shop needs money, we’ll figure out a way ourselves,” Old Zhou said, shaking his head.

“I have it,” Zhou Yan retorted with a single sentence.

Upon hearing this, Lao Zhou and Aunt Zhao stopped refusing. Business had been good at the shop these past two days, and Zhou Yan did indeed have twenty yuan.

Zhou Yan carried the braised crucian carp with agastache out of the kitchen, took out two ten-yuan bills from the cash register, and handed them to Aunt Zhao. "I'll pay you back the rest of the money next month."

"What are you talking about? We gave you that money to open your shop, and we never intended to take it back. Keep it safe; you'll have plenty of expenses when you get married in the future." Aunt Zhao said with a smile, holding two ten-yuan bills. "Twenty yuan is enough; your father can earn that money by slaughtering cattle."

“No way. I said it was a loan when I opened the shop. I’ll definitely pay it back when I make money. If you don’t want it then, I’ll give the money to my old man,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“He wouldn’t dare!” Aunt Zhao raised an eyebrow.

"Wife, you take it, you take it." Old Zhou immediately waved his hand and glared at Zhou Yan. "You have to remember, in this family, only your mother can manage the money."

This grown man is still trying to screw over his father!
It's one thing to slip someone ten or five yuan as pocket money normally.

five hundred!

Even if Zhou Yan dared to offer it, he wouldn't dare to take it.

Aunt Zhao didn't nod, but she was secretly pleased, a smile playing on her lips.

"Brother, if they won't accept it, I will!" Zhou Momo had finished dinner and was playing nearby. After listening for a while, she stretched out her little hand to Zhou Yan: "I'll buy some candy."

"Here's a dime, go buy it yourself." Zhou Yan put a dime in her hand as her share of the initial investment.

"Thank you, bro!" Zhou Momo took the money, leaned over and kissed Zhou Yan's cheek, then turned and ran out the door.

"Where are you going?" Aunt Zhao called out.

"Let's go to the convenience store and buy some candy," Zhou Momo replied.

"Stand still! It's almost dark, and you're going to buy candy? You'll only start crying when Granny Xiong catches you." Aunt Zhao said sternly.

Zhou Momo paused, a hint of fear on her face. "Mommy, is there really a bear granny?"

Aunt Zhao said quietly, "If you don't believe me, go ahead and try. Anyway, I heard that she's really fierce when she eats children's fingers, one by one, like eating broad beans, crunchy and crunchy. She specifically waits until dark to come out and catch lone little kids."

"Wow! I'm not going..." Zhou Momo suddenly threw herself into Zhou Yan's arms, burying her head, "Brother, I'm scared."

"Don't worry, as long as there are adults around, Granny Xiong Ga won't dare to come." Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head. "Little children can't go out alone at night; they must be accompanied by an adult, understand?"

"Mmm." Zhou Momo looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful. "Then...then I'll buy it tomorrow."

"Okay, Mom will take you to buy it tomorrow." Aunt Zhao smiled and patted her head. "Okay." Zhou Momo nodded and snuggled into Aunt Zhao's arms. "I want to eat a big bunny."

Xiong Ga Po is probably a childhood nightmare for many people from Sichuan and Chongqing. Zhou Yan heard about it from his local roommate after he came to Chengdu for university.

It's basically a Sichuan/Chongqing version of the classic Chinese folktale "The Big Bad Wolf," which no longer scares college students, but is just right for a three-and-a-half-year-old toddler.

These days, it's not some innocent era.

The crackdown in the past two years has been due to the high crime rate, social disorder, and several high-profile cases that have shocked the nation, necessitating swift and decisive measures to address the issue.

Previously, cases of robbery and trafficking of women and children were frequent. After a year of crackdowns, public security has improved significantly, and local thugs have basically behaved themselves.

But last month, a child from the neighboring village was stolen from his own doorstep.

Once it gets dark, no one dares to let their child out of their sight.

Zhou Momo is so cute, she's definitely a prime target for human traffickers.

It was only at times like these that Aunt Zhao would unleash her ultimate weapon, Granny Xiong, to subdue the restless Zhou Momo.

Every generation has its own "bear granny," and Zhou Yan thinks it's good to let children have a little wariness towards this wonderful world.

Naïve and innocent girls are too easily taken advantage of by pigs.

Although Zhou Momo is only three years old, Zhou Yan has already started thinking about protecting himself from Huang Mao.

"Oh right, that rice bowl they were talking about, are you planning to sell it?" Aunt Zhao asked.

“I think we can sell rice bowls. The customer base is larger than that of stir-fries, and the food is served quickly, so the table turnover is fast, just like noodles,” Zhou Yan said. “But we need to finalize the portion sizes, side dishes, and prices before putting them on the menu. We need to make sure that customers feel they are getting a good deal and are satisfied with their meal.”

Aunt Zhao didn't quite understand, but she still nodded and said, "Okay, if you want to do it, then do it. Just tell me what you need me to do."

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded. He still needed to think about this matter carefully.

Rice bowls can be considered as an expanded product category, suitable for customers who don't want to eat with others and want to get their money's worth.

Most workers do not have the need to treat others to meals during working hours.

For work meals, deliciousness and affordability are key.

After dinner, it was almost dark.

As the restaurant business improved, their closing time was kept getting later and later.

“Starting tomorrow, we’ll have breakfast before opening so we don’t go hungry,” Zhou Yan said to Aunt Zhao, who was sitting in the back seat.

“Yes, I’m actually a bit hungry tonight,” Aunt Zhao agreed.

After watching Aunt Zhao and the others leave, Zhou Yan locked the door, picked up a jar of pickled radishes, and went out for a run.

When Zhou Yan arrived at the family compound, Lin Zhiqiang was warming up. He must have been warming up for a while, as his head was covered in sweat.

"Xiao Zhou, you're here." He greeted Zhou Yan with a smile.

"Uncle Lin, have you been waiting long?" Zhou Yan jogged forward and said with a smile, "These are pickled radishes for Jingxing and Bingwen. Sister Meng said last time that they both like to eat them. I guess they should have finished them by now, so I brought them some more."

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(End of this chapter)