Chương 36: The Old Lady's Great Wisdom

"Uncle, I will definitely study hard!" Zhou Lihui said solemnly, his eyes sparkling with unprecedented enthusiasm for learning. Zhou Fei and Zhao Hong smiled with relief. They thought the dishes Zhou Yan made were incredibly delicious, and Huihui would definitely do well if he learned from him. Whether he helped out at the restaurant or opened his own restaurant in the future, there would always be a path he could take. Zhou Yan opened the package that Ma Xingye had given him.

Inside were two bottles of Tianfu Cola and a bag of White Rabbit milk candy. He handed one bottle to the two Zhou brothers and the other to Zhou Momo. He also grabbed a handful of White Rabbit milk candy for each of them.

"Brother Fei, this is the eighty yuan I borrowed from you when I opened the shop. Since you and your wife are here today, I'm returning this money to you." Zhou Yan took out eight ten-yuan bills that he had prepared beforehand and handed them to Zhou Fei. Zhou Fei didn't take the money, waving his hand and saying, "Zhou Yan, we don't need this money urgently. You can take it first; you have many expenses running a restaurant."

"That's right, you can use it first," Zhao Hong chimed in.

"Brother Fei, Sister-in-law, I don't like owing people money. I want to pay it back as soon as I have some cash in my pocket, otherwise I won't be able to sleep at night," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Take it. If I really need money later, I can come back to borrow from you."

"Okay, then we'll take it," Zhao Hong nodded, adding, "If you need money, just tell us. We don't have much, but we can still come up with a few dozen or a hundred yuan." Only then did Zhou Fei take the money.

"Okay, we're brothers, I certainly won't be polite," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. After cleaning up the dishes, it was already 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 we just stay home for the night?" Zhao Tieying picked Zhou Momo up and looked at Zhou Yan.

"The cash box is still in the shop. If it gets stolen by a thief, all our work these past few days will be for nothing." Zhou Yan said with a smile, reaching out to pat Zhou Momo's head: "Tomorrow, your brother will take you to Grandma's. Is there anything you want to eat?" Zhou Momo shook her head and took out a White Rabbit milk candy from her pocket: "I have a big rabbit."

"No more candy." Zhao Tieying glared at him: "You should be careful with your money. Don't spend it recklessly. You still have to get married in the future."

"That's right, your mother is right." Old Zhou echoed his wife.

"I know." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and asked, "Besides fish, what else should I bring Grandma tomorrow?"

"Your grandma loves to drink. Go to Old Zhang's place at the bridge and get her some wine. She'll definitely be happy." Zhao Tieying said: "Get her the kind that costs eight mao a jin. She likes that."

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded and rode off on his bike.

"That kid's not bad, he's already paying back the money, he's got some sense of propriety." Zhou Miao said with a smile as he watched the flashlight beam disappear into the alley.

"If this business continues, he can pay it off in about a month, and we won't have to worry about it anymore." Zhao Tieying also laughed.

"Was business good today?"

"You wouldn't believe it, a group of college students came today, all of them Xia Yao's classmates, thirty people, and they only spent two yuan on food..."...

"Let Huihui learn to cook from Zhou Yan, it's a skill after all, he's not interested in butchering cattle with you."

"Okay, Zhou Yan can keep him in check." Zhao Hong and Zhou Fei were also discussing their son learning to cook.

"So, does this count as him becoming an apprentice? What do we need to buy for that? Zhou Yan is very informal, we can't be impolite." Zhao Hong looked at Zhou Fei and said, "When you butcher the cattle tomorrow morning, ask your father what to do."

"Okay." Zhou Yan went swimming first, then took a shower at the shop and put the bills down. Today, he sold 160 bowls of noodles and 100 bowls of braised beef, generating a turnover of 156 yuan. Students and faculty from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute contributed nearly 60 yuan, demonstrating strong purchasing power. After deducting the money he spent on ingredients, rice candy, and the 80 yuan he repaid Zhou Fei, he had 161. 24 yuan left.

He planned to visit his grandmother tomorrow and repay the 100 yuan he borrowed from his fifth uncle; having a few dozen yuan on hand would be enough for his expenses. He took out Zhou Fei's IOU from the cash drawer and placed it separately in a cardboard box on the floor by his bed. When the last IOU was put in, it meant his debts were settled. He liked this feeling. He put the cash drawer back under the bed. He turned off the light, lay flat, and glanced at his work panel before sleeping.

[Player: Zhou Yan] [Occupation: Chef] [Wealth: -298. 52] [Occupational Skills]: This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

Knife Skills (Advanced): 600/100000 (The tattoo artist closes his eyes - showing off his skills) Cooking Techniques (Intermediate): 3468/10000 (I don't take the subway in the morning - it's crowded) Seasoning (Intermediate): 3695/10000 (Your QQ Farm is ringing - the game is dead) Eloquence (Advanced): 88889/100000 (Zhuge Liang debates with the Confucian scholars - his eloquence is superb) [Mastered Dishes]: Double Pepper Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Pork Rib Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Pickled Cabbage (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Beef with Pork Knuckle (Advanced): 99999/100000 Steamed Rice (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Crucian Carp with Pogostemon (Advanced): 99999/100000 Cucumber Salad (Intermediate): 1871/10000...

Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded) [Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 462/1000] [Side Quest: The Inheritance of Braised Beef with Pork Knuckle. Quest Progress: Incomplete] [Wealth Shop]: Unlocked when wealth reaches 1000.... His wealth points were rapidly approaching a positive trend, his knife skills had successfully upgraded to advanced, and his heat control and seasoning data had significantly improved. However...

did the system update its ratings? This little mouth of his is really sharp. Wealth points are directly linked to sales revenue, and spending money doesn't affect wealth points; they're definitely independent. This made Zhou Yan start to look forward to the Wealth Mall. It's like earning one sum of money and being able to spend it twice—it feels like accumulating points. Zhou Yan shut down the system panel and fell asleep instantly. The next day, just as dawn broke, Master Zhou set off…

"Huh?"

"No work today!" Zhou Yan stood at the restaurant entrance, a little bewildered. Accustomed to the grueling pace of life, he was surprisingly up early even on his day off. Pushing his bike back, Zhou Yan first went out and ran a lap around the textile factory. After sweating profusely, he took a shower. It was already bright when he finally set off on his bike to the market. Today was October 27th, the market day at Duihe. Riding along the Qingyi River, the autumn breeze was slightly cool.

Along the way, he saw vendors carrying loads on shoulder poles or riding their heavily laden bicycles to the market. Passing the bridge, Zhou Yan bought two jin of liquor. After riding for a while, the streets gradually filled up, lined with stalls on both sides. At the barber's stall, customers lay on bamboo chairs, enamel basins filled with steaming soapy water, razors gliding across their faces, the customers squinting their eyes in enjoyment.

Bamboo weavers patted their newly made bamboo baskets, haggling with customers; ironware stalls were filled with hoes and machetes, and all sorts of shouts filled the air.

"Selling yams, selling yams! Stewed chicken, stewed duck, stewed pig's feet! Nourishing the liver, kidneys, and brain! Kids who eat it will pass the college entrance exam! Old people who eat it will ride motorcycles!"

" This knife of mine, chopping ducks, chopping bamboo, slaying thieves, one knife up the mountain, and the whole mountain will be scorched!"

"Rat poison, rat poison, I'm not afraid of having many rats, I'm afraid of not having any rats. Rats die quickly, many rats die, rats walk by and you die on the spot, 1 minute and 6 seconds, even the King of Hell can't save you..."

"Red tangerines, red tangerines, big and sweet red tangerines, they're so sweet they go down your throat, sweet to your belly button, and refreshing to the soles of your feet!" Zhou Yan pushed his cart around for a while, and when he came out, there were two big crucian carp, a spare rib, three pounds of red tangerines at three cents a pound, and some side dishes. He got on his bike and rode towards Zhou Village. The five Zhou brothers separated their households immediately after marriage.

The old lady forbade them from building their houses too close together, saying that distance fostered closeness, while closeness breeds resentment; constant dependence leads to decay. Therefore, each family occupied a separate area in the village, only gathering together for festivals.

This practice initially drew gossip in the village, but over the years, the five Zhou brothers have become exceptionally close, their wives have rarely quarreled, and the family is very united; no one in Zhou Village dares to provoke them. Zhou Yan felt that the old lady possessed great wisdom. Her four daughters-in-law were obedient to her and all remembered her kindness. Zhou Yan went home first, took Zhou Momo with him, and then headed to the end of the village.

The old lady lived in the old house at the end of the village; her fifth uncle, who was still unmarried, lived with her.

"Brother, this orange is so sweet!" Zhou Momo, holding half an orange, turned to Zhou Yan and said, "It's so delicious!"

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

"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded happily.