Chapter 32: Old Zhou, you're finally standing up today!

Zhou Yan rode his bike to town and bought three bags of rice puffs from Zhang Jiwu's place. They were one yuan and twenty cents per jin, with each bag weighing one jin, wrapped in kraft paper and tied with string.

Su Ji didn't have any convenient local specialties to carry; the dried beef was too tough to chew, even he found it a waste of jaw strength.

Zhang Jiwu's rice puffs, however, were quite famous in Su Ji.

Fresh lard was rendered from pork fat, then mixed with maltose and stir-fried into an amber-colored sugar syrup. Toasted peanuts and puffed rice were tossed in; once the rice puffs were fully coated in the syrup, they were removed from the heat and spread onto a sesame-covered cutting board, finished with another layer of toasted white sesame seeds.

Using a large rolling pin, the mixture was flattened, pressed, and cut into small pieces to complete the rice puffs.

The aroma of the toasted rice drifted far and wide; in this era, the sugar-syrup mixture was something everyone loved.

When students passed by after school, they often found themselves unable to walk past.

The owner let Zhou Yan taste one; it was fragrant, sweet, crispy, and carried a savory richness that was quite unique.

He also bought fifty cents' worth of extra rice puffs for Zhou Momo and his two nephews so they could have a taste.

When Zhou Yan returned to the shop, Zhou Momo and Fanwa were playing hopscotch.

Zhou Lihui was acting as their referee nearby. Seeing Zhou Yan, he walked up with a smile: "Uncle, you're back."

"Yeah, I bought some rice puffs for you. Take them and share them with Momo and Fanwa," Zhou Yan said, handing him the loose rice puffs.

Zhou Momo and Fanwa had already followed the scent over.

"Brother! Is it rice puffs?" Zhou Momo stared at the rice puffs in Zhou Lihui's hand and swallowed hard. "I want to eat!"

"Go wash your hands first, and then you can eat," Zhou Yan said with a smile, heading toward the kitchen with the groceries.

That evening, the college students alone ordered twenty-eight bowls of noodles and twenty bowls of Qiaojiao Beef.

Zhou Yan estimated that some workers might come to join the fray in the evening, so he had prepared sixty servings of minced meat and toppings.

It didn't matter if they didn't sell out; since they had many people today, the leftovers could just be served as dishes tonight.

Washing vegetables and stir-frying seasonings made for a tight schedule.

Just as Zhou Yan started chopping vegetables, he noticed Zhou Lihui standing at the kitchen entrance. He looked up and asked with a smile, "What is it, Huihui?"

"I want to watch you cook, Uncle," Zhou Lihui said with a shy smile.

"If you want to watch, come in. You can't see much standing at the door," Zhou Yan invited him with a laugh. His knife didn't stop; a piece of beef was rapidly transformed into slices, then shredded, and finally minced.

Watching this, Zhou Lihui's eyes widened.

"Do you know how to cook?" Zhou Yan asked, transferring the minced meat to a side plate for later use.

"I only know how to stir-fry vegetables and boil porridge."

"Then today, your uncle will teach you how to make braised ribs and double-pepper minced beef. You can show off your skills to your parents next time," Zhou Yan said casually.

"Okay," Zhou Lihui nodded, taking two steps forward to watch even more intently.

...

"Director Su, I look forward to our cooperation bearing fruit."

"A pleasure working with you."

In the meeting room, Lin Zhiqiang and Su Jun shook hands.

After an afternoon of discussion, the Jiazhou Textile Factory and the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute's Department of Arts and Crafts reached a preliminary cooperation agreement for a school-enterprise partnership to build a brand for the Jiazhou Textile Factory.

However, the specific methods and details of the cooperation would need to be finalized gradually.

Lin Zhiqiang was very satisfied with this result. Sichuan Fine Arts Institute was a first-class art academy within Sichuan and even nationwide. Partnering with their arts and crafts department would be of immense benefit in raising the profile of the Jiazhou Textile Factory.

Having studied abroad, he knew the importance of branding.

While the Jiazhou Textile Factory was currently flourishing and hitting new highs in foreign exchange earnings, there was still a gap compared to advanced textile factories abroad. Exploring the path of brand building was necessary.

"It's almost time to get off work, and the students are waiting outside. Let's head straight to dinner," Lin Zhiqiang said, glancing at his watch with a smile.

"Alright, I am indeed getting a bit hungry," Su Jun nodded.

...

Zhou Liangliang rode his bike to the entrance of the textile factory. After parking, he pulled out a cigarette and approached several street vendors to ask about Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

"Zhou Yan's business is booming! Noodles are sixty cents a bowl, and he sells at least a hundred bowls a day. Can you imagine how much he's making? Wang the Fifth was caught, so now his family is the only one selling noodles."

"He started selling Qiaojiao Beef yesterday—it's like that soup pot from your Zhou Village. It's also sixty cents a bowl, and business is great."

"How much does he sell? Who knows? Aren't you from the same village? Just go ask him yourself instead of sneaking around."

"A group of college students ate at his shop today—twenty or thirty of them! They have money and aren't afraid to spend it. I bet he made several 'Big Unity' bills just from those students."

After chatting with the vendors, Zhou Liangliang's hand holding the cigarette was trembling. He stared blankly toward the direction of Zhou Erwa's restaurant, instinctively taking a drag, only to hiss in pain and flick the cigarette away as it burned him.

"Pah, pah, pah..." Zhou Liangliang spat several times, the cigarette butt having given him a jolt.

Then, he saw a group of fashionably dressed, handsome and beautiful young people walking out of the textile factory gates and turning into Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

"Eating at Zhou Erwa's again tonight? Just three bowls of noodles and a soup pot—is it really that good? Even city college students haven't eaten such delicacies," one vendor grumbled.

"Exactly. Why not come try my wontons?" another added resentfully.

The vendors discussed it with envy.

Just then, the factory shift ended, and a stream of bicycles poured out, some of which turned toward the entrance of Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

Zhou Liangliang, ignoring the blister forming on his lip, looked at the crowded restaurant with eyes full of fanaticism. "Sixty cents for a bowl of noodles, sixty cents for a soup pot... is it really that easy to sell?"

"The textile factory workers are rich! Money is easier to earn here!"

Zhou Liangliang leaned in closer to watch for a while. Seeing that everyone was indeed sitting down to eat what they ordered, he finally felt relieved enough to ride away.

*Nice work!*

*I'll come tomorrow!*

*Selling noodles, selling soup pots!*

*It'll definitely work!*

His legs pedaled faster and faster, as if he wanted to fly back immediately.

...

The college students were very satisfied with their thirty-yuan meal.

Zhou Momo sat next to Xia Yao, clutching a new doll, constantly calling out "Sister, Sister!" She had the female students wrapped around her finger; they had emptied their pockets of snacks to fill a small basket for her.

There was no helping it; how could anyone resist such a soft and adorable little girl?

"Auntie is so amazing, so many sisters are giving her snacks," Fanwa said, squatting nearby with candy in his mouth, looking extremely envious.

"Auntie Zhao, I'll take Momo to play for a bit. Can I bring her back in time for dinner?" Xia Yao asked Zhao Tieying while holding Zhou Momo's small hand.

"Of course, take her to play. She's been talking about you every day," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

The textile factory had arranged accommodation at a guesthouse for tonight, and they would take a shuttle bus back to Shan Cheng early tomorrow morning. Therefore, they had two hours of free time before returning to the guesthouse at dark.

Xia Yao wanted to spend more time playing with Zhou Momo.

It went exactly as Zhou Yan had anticipated.

The fact that the teachers and students from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute were skipping the canteen to eat two consecutive meals at Zhou Erwa's restaurant had caused quite a stir at the Jiazhou Textile Factory.

College students were symbols of intellect and fashion; many workers wanted to see what kind of delicious food this restaurant sold that could enchant even the students.

The extra thirty-two portions of noodles and the remaining Qiaojiao Beef that Zhou Yan had prepared were sold out completely. Even the beef broth in the pot was distributed to the latecomers who hadn't been able to eat.

"Sorry everyone, today's noodles and Qiaojiao Beef are all sold out. The restaurant is closed tomorrow, so please come back on Monday," Zhou Yan apologized to the customers who missed out as he stood at the door.

"It's gone so early?"

"Prepare more next time; I wanted to try it."

"Alright, see you next time then."

The customers were somewhat disappointed but could only wait until Monday.

"We will definitely prepare more next time," Zhao Tieying said with a beaming smile.

Just then, Zhou Miao rode up on a "28-inch" bicycle, with two large crucian carp tied to the handlebars with straw stalks, and stopped at the restaurant entrance.

"Oh! You caught crucian carp!" Zhao Tieying went out to meet him, marveling, "Old Zhou, you're on a roll today! Catching such big carp! We can have them for dinner tonight."

"These two aren't even that big; I even lost a bigger one," Zhou Miao scratched his head.

Beside him, Zhou Yan silently turned his head away, moving his mouth to control his expression.

A line of text slowly scrolled past

[Two farmed crucian carp, fed on pure grain, quality is acceptable.]

...

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(End of Chapter)