Chapter 15: A Family's Craftsmanship Never Fails!

Xia Yao wore a yellow floral maxi dress today, layered with a light beige knit cardigan, and black Mary Jane flats on her feet. Her long hair was styled in two braids with thin bangs; her already beautiful features looked even more youthful and radiant in this attire.

Clutching her sketchbook, she sat on a stone beneath a tree, her pencil scratching busily against the paper with a focused and serious expression.

The workers, dressed in uniform dark blue factory clothes, couldn't help but steal extra glances at this splash of bright color.

College students from the city were different—fashionable and good-looking. Moreover, her skin was truly wonderful, fair and tender. They just wondered what she was writing or drawing on that paper.

"Isn't that the Deputy Factory Manager's niece? I heard she's a painter!"

"Artists are fashionable and pretty, but what is she drawing?"

The workers observed and gossiped.

A meddlesome soul circled behind her to peek, letting out a soft exclamation: "Oh my, she draws so well!"

A little girl holding a Coke bottle was vividly captured on the paper; though the lines were simple, they were incredibly expressive and lifelike.

This exclamation of praise drew many others over. Those who crowded around couldn't help but offer a few compliments; the drawing was indeed excellent.

Xia Yao was not used to being watched, especially while drawing, as it made her feel uneasy, but she still politely smiled, nodded, and said thank you when praised.

Since a crowd had gathered, she took the opportunity to recommend Zhou Yan's restaurant: "Zhou Yan makes delicious noodles. My uncle and I love them. You all should go try them; you definitely won't regret it."

Wang Laowu was shouting provocatively from time to time, his hostility toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant quite obvious. Naturally, Xia Yao sided with her benefactor.

Hearing this, some of the onlookers actually went to see if the noodles that even the Deputy Factory Manager praised were truly different, bringing even more customers to Zhou Yan.

The workers came and went, and once working hours were over, the factory entrance quickly quieted down.

Zhou Momo sat at the restaurant entrance, holding an empty glass bottle up to the sky, squinting with one eye closed as she studied it intently.

Zhou Yan came out to get some fresh air after finishing his work and saw Xia Yao sitting under the tree drawing. The dappled sunlight fell upon her face, making her look tranquil and beautiful.

"Brother, the Coke tastes so good!" Zhou Momo turned around upon hearing footsteps, waving the glass bottle at him. "The bottle is also very pretty."

Zhou Yan smiled and leaned down to pat her head. "I'll buy you another one next time."

Tianfu Cola was currently the best-selling cola in the Sichuan-Chongqing region, costing twenty-five cents a bottle. It must have been given to her by Xia Yao.

Xia Yao packed up her sketchbook, stood up, and walked toward the restaurant, saying with a smile, "Good morning, Comrade Zhou Yan."

"Good morning, Comrade Xia Yao." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, glancing at the corner of the sketchbook peeking out of her bag. "I didn't realize you were a painter."

"I'm a student in the Arts and Crafts Department at the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, not a painter," Xia Yao said.

"Oh, so you're a designer," Zhou Yan said thoughtfully.

Xia Yao looked at him in surprise. "You actually know what a designer is?"

She studied interior design, which involved brand design, packaging design, and other fields. She truly intended to develop her career as a designer after graduation.

Every time someone asked about her major, she had to struggle to explain it with examples, and they wouldn't necessarily understand. She hadn't expected Zhou Yan to know.

"I've read about it in books before," Zhou Yan said casually.

He had a friend studying Visual Communication Design who had complained to him that their department used to be called the Arts and Crafts Department, so it was likely much the same. He changed the subject: "Were you drawing Momo just now?"

Xia Yao pulled the sketchbook from her bag, flipped to a page, and held it out to him. "Take a look."

The little girl holding the Coke in the drawing was indeed Zhou Momo. Although there was no color, it was incredibly lifelike; her upturned toes and smile made the drawing feel even more spirited.

"It's drawn beautifully," Zhou Yan praised.

He didn't understand art, but he was deeply impressed.

Zhou Momo hadn't been eating her noodles at the door for long before Xia Yao finished the drawing, which showed her exceptional skill.

The corners of Xia Yao's mouth curled up slightly. She put away the sketchbook and reached out to rub Zhou Momo's head. "Momo is just too cute; she's so well-behaved."

"Hehe."

Zhou Momo smiled so widely her eyes curved like crescents, looking like a little kitten enjoying a pat.

"Do you want to eat noodles?" Zhou Yan asked again.

"Yes," Xia Yao nodded. "I'll have a bowl of pork rib noodles, just like yesterday."

"Alright, come in and wait a moment." Zhou Yan nodded and turned into the kitchen.

"Xiao Xia is here! Come, sit, sit. Auntie will pour you some water," Zhao Tieying greeted Xia Yao warmly.

She had seen Xia Yao drawing earlier, and several customers had even said they came because of her recommendation, so she had been too busy to attend to her.

"Okay, thank you, Auntie," Xia Yao replied brightly.

Zhou Yan waited until Xia Yao finished her noodles before pushing his heavy-duty bicycle out the door. He needed to go to the pier to learn how to make Qiaojiao Beef from Brother Jie, and while he was at it, investigate the current standard of the Qiaojiao Beef stalls in Suji.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, are you going to town?" Xia Yao asked, looking at him as she slung her bag over her shoulder.

"I'm going to the pier." Zhou Yan looked at her. "Comrade Xia Yao, how about I give you a ride to the residential compound on my way?"

"Sure." Xia Yao sat directly on the back seat and said with a smile, "Just call me Xia Yao."

"Alright, you can just call me by my name too." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and pushed down hard on the pedals. The bicycle surged forward. He glanced back at Wang Laowu's noodle stall; half of the several basins of minced meat and toppings were already gone. Wang Laowu's business this morning was even better than his.

This morning, he had sold a total of thirty-two bowls of noodles, which was over twenty bowls fewer than yesterday. He feared he wouldn't be able to finish the hundred portions of meat and toppings he had prepared today.

【One basin of minced meat topping made from diseased pork.】

【One basin of leftover braised beef mixed with new...】

...

Lines of identification notes popped up, and Zhou Yan instinctively squeezed the brakes.

Caught off guard, Xia Yao instinctively grabbed Zhou Yan's waist, her leaning body pressing directly against his back.

The soft, warm sensation against his back caused Zhou Yan's waist to stiffen. This was awkward.

"Wha... what happened?" Xia Yao let go of his waist, her small hands gripping the bicycle seat tightly, a flush of crimson appearing on her ears.

"Sorry, I just remembered something and lost my focus," Zhou Yan said hurriedly. He took another look at Wang Laowu's stall to confirm the notes were real, then rode away.

This cleared the doubt in Zhou Yan's mind. Wang Laowu was using diseased pork and mixing yesterday's leftovers with new toppings to sell. That was why he dared to charge forty cents for a bowl with over an ounce of meat.

The knife craftsman Wang Qi and Wang Laowu seemed to be from the same village. The price Wang Laowu could get should be even lower than 1.4 yuan. By selling pork mince and mixed toppings, he could make a little profit to subsidize the beef toppings; calculated this way, he wouldn't lose money.

Wang Laowu's logic was simple yet malicious. He could choose not to make a profit, but if Zhou Yan didn't make a profit, Zhou Yan would have to close down and get out.

In a price war, it was a contest of who had the thicker health bar.

But Zhou Yan didn't think that way. Since Wang Laowu was playing dirty with diseased pork, he was definitely going to sabotage him.

The bicycle slowed to a stop at the entrance of the textile factory residential compound.

Xia Yao hopped off the bike and said gracefully, "Zhou Yan, thank you for the ride. I have to head back to Jiazhou this afternoon to do some sketching. See you next time."

"Alright, see you next time." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, feeling a slight sense of regret at losing a steady customer, and rode away.

Watching Zhou Yan's retreating figure, the corners of Xia Yao's mouth curled up slightly.

"Xia Yao, I was just about to look for you. The design institute has a meeting at noon. Go back, pack your things, and let's head out," Meng Anhe's voice drifted from the courtyard.

"Okay, will do!" Xia Yao responded.

...

There were many individual vendors at the Qingyi River Pier. There were laborers carrying goods, sailors, and many traveling merchants; eating something simple at the pier was a good option.

Steam rose from the large pots of noodles and wontons at the noodle stalls. Beside them, small stir-fry stalls displayed various fresh ingredients. The tofu pudding in the pot at the tofu rice stall was already half-sold, and the Emei Tofu Pudding stall stood with small flags fluttering, attracting many customers dining with their children.

Villagers arrived with back baskets to sell their own eggs, old hens, geese, and vegetables, as well as freshly caught river fish and fresh eels, turning the area into a small marketplace.

Because the goods were fresh, people from town would also come to the pier to shop, making it quite lively.

Along the river, the cries of vendors rose and fell, filled with the vibrant atmosphere of daily life.

Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle along, looking around. In this era, there weren't many "technological and chemical additives." There were chickens, ducks, and geese that hadn't been fed commercial feed; wild eels and river fish; and rabbits that only ate grass...

They were all high-quality ingredients!

Stalls selling Qiaojiao Beef were interspersed among these vendors, most of them standing with a sign or a flag that read "Zhou Sanwa's Soup Pot," "Auntie Zhou's Soup Pot"...

Since the opening of business, many people from Zhou Village had returned to their old trade of selling soup pots, and they were already somewhat famous in town.

Zhou Yan greeted those he knew and nodded with a smile to those he didn't.

He soon noticed a soup pot stall ahead with a sign reading "Zhou Family Soup Pot." The eight spread-out tables were full of customers. The burly man boiling beef in front of the pot was none other than Zhou Hai. The one responsible for greeting customers, serving food, and collecting money, with a face full of smiles, was Zhou Jie.

This level of popularity was top-tier among all the food vendors at the pier.

Other soup pot stalls only had two or three scattered customers; even the "Zhou Liangliang Soup Pot" next to them only had one customer seated.

Zhou Hai, with eyes and ears everywhere, spotted Zhou Yan at a glance and called out with a smile, "Zhou Yan! Over here!"

Zhou Yan pushed his bike over. Before he could speak, Zhou Jie was already proudly introducing him to the customers at the stall: "This is my brother, Zhou Yan, a great hero who jumped into the water to save someone! The higher-ups are even planning to give him an advanced commendation!"

"He's my brother too," Zhou Hai added, straightening his back with a wide grin.

Hearing this, the customers all turned to look at Zhou Yan.

"You're the one who jumped into the Baila Trough to save that female college student a couple of days ago? You're a real hero!"

"The young man is handsome and brave too!"

Zhou Yan felt a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"My brother isn't just handsome; his cooking is also quite excellent. He opened 'Zhou Erwa's Restaurant' at the entrance of the textile factory and is planning to sell soup pots soon. If you live nearby, you can go to his place for the same quality," Zhou Jie said, patting his chest. "It's a family recipe; you can't go wrong."

(End of Chapter)