Chapter 29: Being Happy is What Matters Most

The sounds of admiration were incessant.

College students certainly had a rich vocabulary; not a single word of praise was repeated.

One by one, they ate their noodles and sipped the beef broth, looking utterly delighted.

"These students... it's the first time in half a month that I've seen them eat with such gusto and praise things so enthusiastically," Su Jun couldn't help but laugh.

"Exactly. They didn't seem this fond of the state-run restaurant in Jiazhou, yet here in this little eatery, they're overjoyed by the Three-Flavor Noodles and a bowl of Qiaojiao Beef," the female teacher added with a smile.

"But this noodle is indeed fragrant! The Double-Pepper Beef Mixed Noodles are even better than what they make in our school canteen. The noodles are so chewy, and the meat topping is a masterpiece—the minced double-pepper beef is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with just the right amount of numbing spice. It's delicious!" another male teacher exclaimed, lifting his head from his bowl.

"Xiao Wang, you should order a bowl of Qiaojiao Beef to try, otherwise you'll definitely regret it when you go back," Su Jun said, dipping a piece of beef into the dipping sauce.

The tender pink beef was coated in bright red chili flakes. With one bite, the large, thin, soft slice of beef, wrapped in spicy chili, was both fragrant and tender—a masterpiece of texture and flavor.

This chili powder wasn't a fine powder crushed by a machine, but rather hand-ground flakes mixed with a bit of toasted sesame and Sichuan peppercorn powder. The flavor was exquisite, serving as the perfect finishing touch to the Qiaojiao Beef.

Su Jun loved Chongqing hotpot and had quite an understanding of how to eat beef offal, but typically, Chongqing style focused on heavy oil, heavy spice, and heavy numbness.

This clear broth, however, brought out a completely different flavor from the offal.

The fresh tripe was cooked to perfection, exceptionally crisp; the tendon was soft and chewy; the intestines were tender; and paired with the dipping sauce, it wasn't greasy at all.

And that broth—it was incredibly fresh!

Various Chinese herbs and spices had been added, but they didn't muddy the flavor; instead, they made the broth even more savory.

He had taken students to many places for field research, but this pot of soup truly surprised him.

"Comrade Xiao Zhou is young, but his culinary skills are quite impressive," Su Jun remarked with emotion.

"He truly inherited his master's essence. The dishes he serves are no worse than his master's," Lin Zhiqiang nodded. As a regular at the canteen's stir-fry station, he had eaten plenty of Xiao Lei's cooking and had the authority to speak.

If one were to talk about the most beloved item, it would have to be the free pickled radishes.

Sour, spicy, and refreshing, they were the perfect companion for the noodles.

Of course, the free refills of beef broth were also a favorite among everyone.

The cries of "Auntie~ Auntie~" were heard everywhere.

Xia Yao and her friends had originally only ordered one bowl of Qiaojiao Beef, but after tasting it, they ordered another.

Mainly because the portion of Qiaojiao Beef was so generous that if they had ordered another bowl of noodles, they wouldn't have been able to finish it.

At least Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu couldn't finish it; Deng Hong was a different story—she could eat it, so the second bowl was ordered specifically for her.

"Mmm... it's seriously too delicious! Chongqing hotpot makes my mouth go numb to death, but I love Qiaojiao Beef, I love Suji!" Deng Hong devoured her food, unable to stop her exclamations even while eating.

Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu both laughed.

"Yao Yao, why don't you consider it? With cooking skills like this, I think you'd be happy to death if you married him," Deng Hong looked at Xia Yao, her round face full of seriousness. "I'm starting to feel his handsomeness now. A man who can cook is incredibly hot!"

At the next table, Ma Xingye's chopsticks paused mid-air.

"Shh, don't say another word!" Xia Yao reached out and pinched the soft flesh on Deng Hong's stomach, a blush creeping onto her face.

The teachers and students were all very satisfied.

Lin Zhiqiang went to settle the bill. They had eaten twenty-four bowls of noodles, twenty-two bowls of Qiaojiao Beef, and eighteen servings of rice, totaling twenty-nine yuan and forty cents.

Su Jun stood up and asked with a smile, "Students, how was the meal?"

"Delicious!"

"So fragrant!"

The students responded in unison, all very satisfied.

"Then, will we eat at Zhou Erwa's Restaurant again tonight?" Su Jun asked again.

"Yes!"

This time, the students agreed in unison.

They didn't expect the textile factory canteen to be anything special, so they figured they might as well change their flavor tonight and try some noodles and more of that Qiaojiao Beef they couldn't find anywhere else.

They were returning to Chongqing tomorrow, so this could serve as a special memory.

In the kitchen, Zhou Yan, who was boiling noodles, heard this and thought to himself that things might get tricky. He could make more noodles, but he was running low on the toppings and meat sauce.

However, this was a great opportunity for publicity and couldn't be missed.

Zhou Yan brought out two bowls of noodles and said with a smile, "We don't have much of the meat sauce and toppings left. If you students want to come for noodles tonight, please pre-order what you'd like to eat. I'll go buy fresh meat later to prepare for you."

"No problem, we can just register them," Xia Yao said, taking a notebook from her backpack. She wrote down the names of four dishes and smiled. "Tell me what noodles you want tonight, everyone."

"I want to try the Double-Pepper Beef Noodles," Deng Hong jumped in.

"I want..."

Xia Yao marked tally marks under the dish names, quickly compiling the count.

"Here, that's it." Xia Yao tore the page from the notebook and handed it to Zhou Yan.

"Thank you, this is a huge help," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he took it.

"It's a small matter. Go back to your work; the customers are still waiting for their noodles," Xia Yao said with a graceful smile.

Standing to the side, Lin Zhiqiang watched the two of them with a "proud uncle" smile, wondering whether he should mention this to Meng Anhe tonight.

After Zhou Yan greeted Su Jun and Lin Zhiqiang and confirmed they would return for dinner, he went back to the kitchen to work.

The students stood up and left the restaurant to find a place to stroll and digest.

Director Su gave everyone an hour and a half of free time to wander around Suji Town, but strictly forbade them from going near the river and insisted that the two teachers accompany them.

"Auntie Zhao, where is Momo? I don't see her," Xia Yao asked Zhao Tieying as she walked to the door.

"She went out to play with her two nephews and hasn't come back yet," Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "Sweetie, when are you all heading back to the city?"

"We leave tomorrow morning. We're going back to Chongqing."

"Chongqing? That's so far!" Zhao Tieying's voice rose. "Then... will you come back to Suji to play in the future?"

"I'll come back when the school is on break and I have time," Xia Yao nodded with a smile. "Well, Auntie, you get back to work. I'll come find Momo to play later."

"Alright," Zhao Tieying replied and turned to settle a customer's bill.

"Yao Yao, when you were registering the orders, you looked just like a proprietress," Deng Hong said with a grin, linking arms with Xia Yao as they stepped out.

"Yeah, she had the vibe," Zhu Yuyu added, linking arms with the other side. "Yao Yao, you two seem quite close."

"He's my lifesaver; it was just a small favor, and he's a very good person," Xia Yao smiled slightly, then looked at the two of them warningly. "But there's nothing between us, so don't go imagining things!"

"Fine, fine, if there's nothing, there's nothing. Let's go wander over there instead of the town center; I'm too lazy to walk that far," Deng Hong suggested.

Xia Yao glanced back toward the restaurant and nodded. "Okay."

The news that a group of college students had eaten lunch at Zhou Erwa's Restaurant and were extremely satisfied spread quickly through the workers eating in the shop.

This was a novelty and became big news within the textile factory.

The restaurant was located right at the factory gate, and for the past two days, the aroma of beef had drifted through during shift changes. However, most people had reconsidered after hearing the prices.

But hearing that the city-dwelling students and professors loved it gave people the urge to try it.

The restaurant remained busy until just before the factory shift started.

Zhou Yan tossed two small dough balls into an enamel basin and shook his aching hands. The meat sauce and toppings in several basins had all been sold out. He had completed the 100-portion quota ahead of schedule, and many customers who wanted noodles hadn't even been able to order.

"Those college students this afternoon brought in so many customers; we even sold sixty-two portions of Qiaojiao Beef," Zhao Tieying said, her face beaming as she carried in a basin of earthenware bowls, her steps almost light.

"I expect quite a few customers will come tonight. I'll go buy meat and vegetables in a bit and prepare fifty more portions of meat sauce," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Those students gave us a massive advertisement."

"Mama! Ma..."

"Mom, look! We caught an eel!"

The voices of Zhou Momo and Fanwa rang out from outside.

"Good heavens, did you go playing in the fields? You're covered in mud!" Zhao Hong's voice followed. "Zhou Lihui! I called you, and you went to see your aunt and Fanwa, and you took them to play in the mud!"

Zhou Yan and Zhao Tieying stepped out to look.

Zhou Lihui and the two little ones were covered in mud, each clutching an eel. Zhou Lifan's face was completely smeared with mud, leaving only his eyes and teeth white, looking utterly ridiculous.

"I swear, I really..." Zhao Hong grabbed a feather duster from the side and started marching toward her two sons.

"Fanwa, run!" Zhou Lihui tossed his eel and grabbed Zhou Lifan, bolting away.

Zhao Hong chased after them, shouting, "Stand still! I'll..."

"Sister-in-law, let it be, let it be. Just remember to come back for dinner in a bit," Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh. These kids were having a complete childhood.

Zhou Momo didn't run. Her small hands tightly gripped a large eel, weighing about three taels. Even her toes were tensed with effort as she proudly held it up. "Mama! Brother! Look, a big eel!"

Zhou Yan stole a glance at Zhao Tieying. If she got too angry, he might have to grab Zhou Momo and run too.

Instead of exploding, Zhao Tieying laughed. She stepped forward, crouched down, and said, "Oh my, my little girl is so capable! Catching such a big eel. Do you want Mama to make braised eel for you tonight?"

"Yes!" Zhou Momo nodded vigorously, overjoyed.

"Then stay right there. I'll wash your feet before we go in, and then I'll give you a bath and change your clothes," Zhao Tieying said, taking the eel from her and smiling as she walked back into the shop.

"Why aren't you scolding her?" Zhou Yan asked with a laugh.

"She's having such fun and even brought an eel back. Why scold her?" Zhao Tieying brought out a basin of warm water and said while wringing out a towel, "Your father gets covered in mud every time he goes fishing and fails to catch anything, and I never scold him either."

"Well, being happy is what matters most in life."

Zhou Yan smiled. It was wonderful to have a mother who wasn't a killjoy.