Chapter 36: The Old Lady's Great Wisdom

“Uncle, I will definitely study hard!” Zhou Lihui said solemnly, his eyes sparkling with an unprecedented passion for learning.

Zhou Fei and Zhao Hong smiled with relief.

The dishes Zhou Yan made were incredibly delicious to them; if Huihui learned from him, he certainly wouldn't fall short in the future.

Whether it was helping in a restaurant or opening one of his own later on, he would at least have a path to follow.

Zhou Yan opened the package sent by Ma Xingye, which contained two bottles of Tianfu Cola and a bag of White Rabbit creamy candies.

He handed one bottle to the two brothers and the other to Zhou Momo.

He also grabbed a handful of White Rabbit candies for each of them.

“Brother Fei, this is the eighty yuan I borrowed from you guys when I was first opening the shop. Since you and Sister-in-law are both here today, I’m returning it to you.” Zhou Yan took out eight ten-yuan bills that he had prepared in advance and handed them to Zhou Fei.

Zhou Fei didn't take them, waving his hand instead. “Zhou Yan, we don't need this money urgently. Keep it for now; you have a lot of expenses opening a restaurant.”

“Exactly, use it first,” Zhao Hong added.

“Brother Fei, Sister-in-law, I’m not the type of person who likes owing people money. Whenever I have a bit of cash, I want to pay it back immediately, otherwise, I won't be able to sleep at night,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “Understood? If I really need to borrow money in the future, it won't be too late to come to you then.”

“Alright then, we’ll take it.” Zhao Hong nodded and added, “If you need money, just tell us. We don't have much, but we can certainly come up with a few dozen or a hundred yuan.”

Only then did Zhou Fei accept the money.

“Alright, we're brothers; I certainly won't be polite,” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

By the time they finished cleaning up the dishes, it was dark outside.

Two cars, seven people.

Zhou Yan took a flashlight and drove Zhou Lihui and Zhou Momo back to Zhou Village.

“It’s so dark, why don't you just sleep at home for the night?” Zhao Tieying said, holding Zhou Momo as she looked at Zhou Yan.

“The cash box is still at the shop. If some thief steals it, all our work lately will have been for nothing,” Zhou Yan said with a smile, reaching out to pat Zhou Momo’s head. “Tomorrow, I’ll take you to Grandma’s to play. Is there anything you want to eat?”

Zhou Momo shook her head and pulled a White Rabbit candy from her pocket. “I have a big bunny already.”

“No more buying candy.” Zhao Tieying glared at him. “You have to be careful with money. Don't just spend it recklessly whenever you have some; you need to save up to get a wife later.”

“That’s right, your mother is right,” the old man chimed in, following his wife's lead.

“I know,” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, then asked, “Then besides fish, what else should I bring for Grandma tomorrow?”

“Your grandma loves alcohol. Go to Old Man Zhang at the bridgehead and get her some wine; she’ll definitely be happy,” Zhao Tieying said. “Make sure it’s the kind that costs eighty cents per jin; she likes that one.”

“Will do.” Zhou Yan nodded and rode off on his bike.

“This kid is quite something, already starting to pay back debts. He’s got some sense,” Zhou Miao said with a smile, watching the light of the flashlight disappear at the mouth of the alley.

“If this business keeps up, we could probably pay it all back in a month, and then we won't have to worry anymore,” Zhao Tieying also said with a smile.

“Was business good today?”

“You have no idea. A group of college students came today—all Xia Yao’s classmates. Thirty people, and they ate two yuan worth of food in a day...”

...

“Let Huihui learn cooking from Zhou Yan. It’s a skill, after all. He wouldn't have any interest in slaughtering cattle with you anyway.”

“Alright, Zhou Yan can keep him in line.”

Zhao Hong and Zhou Fei were also discussing their son's culinary training.

“Does that count as him becoming an apprentice? What do we need to buy for an apprenticeship? Zhou Yan isn't an outsider, so we can't be impolite.” Zhao Hong looked at Zhou Fei. “When you slaughter the cow tomorrow morning, ask your father what the proper procedure is.”

“Alright.”

...

When Zhou Yan returned, he went for a swim first, then took a shower at the shop and recorded the accounts.

Today, they sold 160 bowls of noodles and 100 bowls of Qiaojiao Beef, with a turnover reaching 156 yuan.

The students and teachers from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute contributed nearly 60 yuan, showing very strong purchasing power.

After deducting the cost of ingredients purchased today, the rice crackers, and the eighty yuan returned to Zhou Fei, he had 161.24 yuan left.

Since he was visiting his grandmother tomorrow, he planned to return the 100 yuan he borrowed from his fifth uncle, leaving himself a few dozen yuan for expenses, which would be enough.

He pulled the IOU from Zhou Fei out of the cash box and placed it in a separate paper box by his bedside. Once the last IOU was tossed in, it would mean his accounts were settled.

He quite liked this feeling.

He shoved the cash box back under the bed.

He turned off the light and lay down, scanning his status panel before sleeping.

【Player: Zhou Yan】

【Profession: Chef】

【Wealth Value: -298.52】

【Professional Skills】

Knife Skills (Advanced): 600/100,000 (Tattoo artist closing eyes—Show me what you've got!)

Heat Control (Intermediate): 3,468/10,000 (Not taking the subway in the morning—Crowded!)

Seasoning (Intermediate): 3,695/10,000 (Your QQ Farm is ringing—Dead boring!)

Eloquence (Advanced): 88,889/100,000 (Zhuge Liang debating the scholars—Remarkable eloquence!)

【Mastered Dishes】

Double Pepper Beef Mixed Noodles (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Braised Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Braised Pork Rib Noodles (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Pickled Sour Cabbage (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Qiaojiao Beef (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Steamed Rice (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Houttuynia Crucian Carp (Advanced): 99,999/100,000

Smashed Cucumber (Intermediate): 1,871/10,000

...

Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999,999/1,000,000 (Non-upgradable)

【Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Progress: 462/1,000】

【Side Quest: Inheritance of Qiaojiao Beef. Progress: Incomplete】

【Wealth Mall: Unlocks at 1,000 Wealth Value】

...

As the wealth value approached positive territory, his Knife Skills had successfully upgraded to Advanced, and both Heat Control and Seasoning had seen significant increases.

However...

Had the system updated its commentary?

That little mouth of its was truly caustic.

Wealth value was directly linked to turnover, and the money he earned and spent did not affect the wealth value, meaning they existed independently.

This made Zhou Yan start to look forward to the Wealth Mall.

It was essentially like earning money once but being able to spend it twice; it felt like accumulating points.

Closing the system panel, Zhou Yan fell asleep instantly.

At the crack of dawn the next day, the young Master Zhou was already out the door...

"Eh?"

"No work today?"

Zhou Yan stood at the entrance of the restaurant, a bit bewildered.

Accustomed to the lifestyle of a working beast, he had actually woken up early even on his day off.

After pushing his bike back, Zhou Yan first went for a run around the textile factory. By the time he returned to take a shower, the sky was already bright, and only then did he ride out to the market.

Today was October 27th, the day of the Duihe Market.

Cycling along the Qingyi River, the autumn breeze was slightly cool. On the road, one could see vendors carrying shoulder poles or riding heavy-duty bicycles loaded with goods heading to the market.

Passing the bridgehead, Zhou Yan bought two jin of wine.

After riding a bit longer, the streets gradually became more crowded, with stalls lining both sides.

At a barber stall, a customer lay on a bamboo chair, a steaming enamel basin filled with soapy water before them. The razor moved with a rustling sound across the face, and the customer squinted their eyes in enjoyment.

A bamboo weaver patted a newly woven basket while haggling with a customer. In front of the ironware stall, hoes and machetes were laid out, and various shouts suddenly flooded his ears.

"Selling yams, selling yams! Stewed chicken, stewed duck, stewed pig trotters! Nourish the liver, nourish the kidneys, nourish the brain! Kids eat it to pass college! Elders eat it to ride motorcycles!"

"This knife of mine can chop ducks, chop bamboo, chop thieves! One knife on the mountain, and even the mountains will be sliced!"

"Medicine for the kids, medicine for the kids! I'm not afraid of you having many kids, I'm afraid of you having none! Kids die fast, kids die in large numbers, kids die right on the spot, in one minute and six seconds, even the King of Hell can't save them..."

"Red oranges, red oranges! Big and sweet red oranges! Eat them down to your throat, sweet to your belly button, refreshing to your soles!"

...

Zhou Yan pushed his bike around for a loop. When he emerged, two large crucian carps were hanging from his handlebars, along with a rack of ribs. He bought three jin of red oranges at thirty cents per jin, plus some side vegetables. He mounted his bike and rode toward Zhou Village.

Among the five brothers of the Zhou family, those who married immediately split into separate households. The old matriarch didn't allow them to build their houses too close together, saying that distance breeds closeness while proximity breeds resentment, and living too close for too long ruins relationships.

Thus, each family occupied a different direction in the village, only gathering during festivals.

This practice had once drawn gossip behind their backs in the village, but after so many years, the five Zhou brothers were exceptionally close. The sisters-in-law almost never had conflicts, and the family was very united; no one in Zhou Village dared to provoke them.

Zhou Yan felt that the old lady possessed great wisdom.

The four daughters-in-law were obedient to her and all cherished her kindness.

Zhou Yan went home first, picked up Zhou Momo, and then headed toward the end of the village.

The old lady lived in the ancestral house at the end of the village, and since the fifth uncle hadn't started a family yet, he lived with her.

"Brother, this orange is sweet," Zhou Momo said, holding half an orange and looking back at Zhou Yan. "It's so yummy!"

"I'll give you another one in a bit," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded happily.

(End of Chapter)