Chương 29: The most important thing in life is to be happy

Exclamations of praise filled the air. University students have such rich vocabulary; they never repeat themselves when praising someone. They ate their noodles and drank their beef soup with gusto.

"These students, after being away for half a month, this is the first time I've seen them eat so heartily and praise so enthusiastically," Su Jun couldn't help but laugh.

"That's right, they didn't seem to like the state-run restaurants in Jiaozhou that much, but here in this little restaurant, they're happy with three bowls of noodles and a bowl of 'Qiaojiao Beef'," the female teacher also laughed.

"But these noodles are really delicious! The double-pepper beef noodles are even better than what we get in our school cafeteria. The noodles are so chewy, and the toppings are amazing. The double-pepper beef bits are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, spicy and flavorful—delicious!" Another male teacher looked up from his bowl of noodles and couldn't help but praise.

"Xiao Wang, you should order a bowl of 'Qiaojiao Beef' to try, otherwise you'll definitely regret it when you get back," Su Jun said, dipping a piece of beef in the sauce. Tender pink beef coated in red chili powder—one bite reveals large, thin slices of tender beef, infused with the fragrant and spicy chili powder, offering a unique and exquisite taste and texture.

This chili powder isn't machine-ground; it's hand-ground fragments with a touch of roasted sesame seeds and Sichuan peppercorn powder, resulting in a superb flavor that's the perfect finishing touch to this dish. Su Jun loves Chongqing hot pot and has a deep understanding of how to prepare offal, but Chongqing cuisine typically features a red broth, emphasizing heavy oil, spiciness, and numbing sensation. This clear broth, however, brings out a different flavor in the offal.

The fresh tripe is cooked to perfection, exceptionally crisp, the tendons are tender and chewy, and the intestines are soft and smooth, all balanced with a dipping sauce. And the broth itself is incredibly flavorful! It contains various Chinese herbs and spices, but these don't overpower the flavors; instead, they enhance its umami. He's taken his students on many field trips, and this broth still manages to amaze him.

"Comrade Zhou is young, but his cooking skills are quite impressive," Su Jun remarked.

"He must have inherited his master's skills; these dishes are just as good as his master's," Lin Zhiqiang nodded. As a regular at the cafeteria, he had eaten many of Xiao Lei's dishes and had the right to comment. The most popular dish was undoubtedly the free pickled radish. Sour, spicy, and refreshing, it was the perfect accompaniment to noodles. Of course, the free refills of beef soup were also a favorite. Calls of "Auntie~ Auntie~" filled the air.

Xia Yao and the others had only ordered one bowl of braised beef, but after tasting it, they ordered another. The portion of braised beef was simply too large; with a bowl of noodles, they couldn't possibly finish it. At least Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu couldn't finish it, but Deng Hong was a different story; she could eat it, and the second bowl was ordered separately for her.

"Mmm... it's so delicious! The hot pot from Shancheng is making me feel so numb, I love the braised beef, I love Su Ji!" Deng Hong ate heartily, unable to stop herself from exclaiming as she ate. Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu both laughed.

"Yao Yao, why don't you consider it? With his cooking skills, I think marrying him would make me happy for the rest of my life." Deng Hong looked at Xia Yao, her round face full of seriousness: "I can feel his handsomeness now, a man who can cook is incredibly handsome!" Ma Xingye at the next table paused, his chopsticks clapping.

"Shh, don't say that again!" Xia Yao reached out and pinched the soft flesh on her stomach, her face flushing slightly. The teachers and students were all very satisfied with the meal. Lin Zhiqiang went to pay the bill. They had eaten twenty-four bowls of noodles, twenty-two bowls of braised beef, and eighteen bowls of rice, totaling twenty-nine yuan and forty cents. Su Jun stood up and smiled, "Students, how was the meal?"

"Delicious!"

"So fragrant!" The students responded one after another, all very satisfied with the meal.

"Would you like to eat at Zhou Erwa Restaurant again tonight?" Su Jun asked again.

"Okay!" The students agreed in unison this time. They didn't expect the canteen at the textile factory to be very good, but they'd rather try a different kind of noodles that night, and have a bowl of braised beef noodles that they couldn't get anywhere else. They were going back to the mountain city tomorrow, so this would be a special memory. Zhou Yan, who was cooking noodles in the kitchen, heard this and realized something was wrong. He could make more noodles, but he didn't have enough meat sauce and toppings.

But this was a good opportunity to promote the business, and he couldn't miss it. Zhou Yan brought out two bowls of noodles and said with a smile, "We don't have much meat sauce and toppings left. If you're coming to eat noodles tonight, please make a reservation first, and I'll go buy some fresh meat to cook for you."

"No problem, just register it." Xia Yao took out a notebook from her backpack, wrote down four dish names, and smiled, "Tell me what kind of noodles you want to eat tonight."

"I want to try the double-pepper beef noodles," Deng Hong said eagerly.

"I want..." Xia Yao wrote tally marks under the dish names and quickly finished collecting the orders.

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

"Thank you, you've been a great help." Zhou Yan took it and said with a smile.

"It's nothing, you go ahead and get busy, the guests are waiting for their noodles." Xia Yao smiled generously. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Lin Zhiqiang, who was standing to the side, watched the two of them with a smile like an uncle, wondering whether he should tell Meng Anhe about it that night. Zhou Yan greeted Su Jun and Lin Zhiqiang, confirmed that they would come to the restaurant for dinner, and then went back to the kitchen to get busy.

The students got up and left the restaurant to find a place to stroll around and digest their food. Director Su gave everyone an hour and a half to go for a walk around Suji Town, but strictly forbade them from going to the river, and required two teachers to accompany them.

"Aunt Zhao, where's Momo? I haven't seen her." Xia Yao walked to the door and asked Zhao Tieying.

"She went out to play with her two nephews and hasn't come back yet," Zhao Tieying said with a smile.

"Goodness, when are you going back to the city?"

"We're leaving tomorrow morning; we're going back to Shancheng."

"Shancheng? That's so far!" Zhao Tieying's tone rose immediately.

"Then… will you come to Suji again in the future?"

"That will have to wait until school holidays. I'll come to Suji again when I have time," Xia Yao nodded with a smile.

"Then you go ahead and do your work, Auntie. I'll come to play with Momo later."

"Okay," Zhao Tieying replied, and then went to settle the bill for the customers.

"Yaoyao, you looked just like the proprietress when you were registering," Deng Hong said with a smile as she took Xia Yao's arm as they left.

"Yeah, that's the kind of look you're in." Zhu Yuyu linked arms with her other hand.

"Yaoyao, you two seem pretty close."

"He's my savior, it was nothing, and he's a really nice guy." Xia Yao smiled slightly, then looked at the two and warned, "But there's nothing between us, don't overthink it!"

"Okay, okay, nothing's wrong then. Let's go for a walk over there, instead of going to town, I'm too lazy to walk." Deng Hong suggested. Xia Yao glanced in the direction of the restaurant and nodded, "Okay." The college students had lunch together at Zhou Erwa's restaurant and were extremely satisfied, praising the food highly. This news quickly spread among the workers eating at the restaurant. This was quite a novelty, big news in the textile factory.

Zhou Erwa's restaurant was located near the factory gate, and the aroma of beef could be smelled during the past two days on both the way to and from work. However, most people gave up the idea of eating there after hearing the price. But the college students and professors from the city all said it was good, which made people want to try it. The restaurant was busy until the textile factory was about to open for business.

Zhou Yan tossed two small dough balls into an enamel basin beside him, shook his aching hands, and saw that all the noodle toppings and sauces in the basins had been sold out, exceeding the target of one hundred servings ahead of schedule. Many customers still wanted noodles but hadn't been able to order them.

"These college students brought in so many customers this noon; we even sold sixty-two servings of braised beef," Zhao Tieying said with a beaming smile, carrying a basin of earthenware bowls, her steps almost light.

"I reckon there will be quite a few customers tonight. I'll go buy meat and vegetables, and add fifty servings of noodle sauce," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"These college students have really given us a huge advertisement."

" Mommy! Mom..."

"Mom, look, we caught an eel!" Zhou Momo and Fanwa's voices rang out from outside.

"Good heavens, did you go to the fields to play? You're covered in mud!" Zhao Hong's voice followed: "Zhou Lihui! I'm calling you. If you see your aunt and Fanwa, take them to the fields for a swim!" Zhou Yan and Zhao Tieying went outside to take a look. Zhou Lihui and the two little ones were covered in mud, each holding an eel. Zhou Lifan's face was covered in mud, only his eyes and teeth were white, making him look extremely comical.

"I really am..." Zhao Hong grabbed a feather duster and walked towards her two sons.

"Fanwa, run!" Zhou Lihui threw down the eel in his hand, grabbed Zhou Lifan, and ran. Zhao Hong chased after her, shouting, "Stop right there! I'm from Shudao Mountain..."

"Sister-in-law, little garlic, little garlic, remember to come back for dinner later." Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh out loud; these two kids had a complete childhood. Zhou Momo didn't run away; her two little hands tightly gripped a large yellow eel, weighing at least three ounces, even her big toes were exerting force, and she proudly held it up, saying, "Mommy! Potty! Look, a big yellow eel!" Zhou Yan secretly glanced at Zhao Tieying; if she got too angry later, he might have to carry Zhou Momo away too.

Zhao Tieying didn't go berserk; instead, she smiled, stepped forward, and squatted down, saying, "Oh my, my daughter is so capable! Catching such a big yellow eel, Mommy will make you braised eel for dinner tonight, do you want some?"

"Yes!" Zhou Momo nodded, overjoyed.

"Then stand still. I'll wash your feet clean before you come in, and I'll give you a bath and change your clothes." Zhao Tieying took the eel from her hand and walked into the shop with a smile.

"Why don't you discipline her?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"She's having so much fun, and even caught an eel. Why discipline her?" Zhao Tieying brought out a basin of warm water, wringing out a towel as she said, "Your dad always gets covered in mud when he goes fishing, and he never catches any fish, but I've never scolded him."

" The most important thing in life is to be happy." Zhou Yan smiled too. It's good that he has a mother who doesn't spoil the fun.