Chương 65: Grandma Xiong

Zhou Yan left two crucian carp for dinner, and all the dishes on the menu on the wall were put into the clearance section. The day's business was over. There weren't many customers in the latter half of the day, so Zhao Hong had nothing to do and washed most of the dishes. After putting the last stack of dishes into the kitchen, Aunt Zhao helped clean them up. Then she went home on Zhou Fei's bicycle after work.

"I just asked Zhou Fei, and all the brothers are giving ten yuan in red envelopes. Zhou Hai and the others think so too." Zhou Miao entered the kitchen and said to Zhou Yan, who was frying fish, "They discussed it and decided that since you're the youngest, you don't need to give a red envelope. I felt that wasn't appropriate, so I said you would give one too."

"Dad, you're right. I definitely have to give a red envelope for Hao's wedding, otherwise what will my sister-in-law think?" Zhou Yan flipped the fish over and smiled, "I can still afford ten yuan. What about you? How much are you going to give?"

"As elders, according to the current custom, twenty yuan is unavoidable." Aunt Zhao, who was tending the fire behind the stove, chimed in, "Your second aunt and her husband have put on quite a show this time, and it's cost a lot. We definitely have to support them. Anyway, they'll give you a return gift when you have your wedding in a couple of years."

"Do you still have twenty yuan?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile. Aunt Zhao paused in her act of stuffing firewood into the stove, and the smile on Old Zhou's face became a little awkward. All their savings had been invested in Zhou Yan's shop, including Old Zhou's personal stash. Old Zhou had managed to save some money these past few days by slaughtering cattle and selling meat, but the majority of it was earmarked for buying more cattle; it was money that needed to be used daily and couldn't be touched.

"I'll give you twenty later, consider it my repayment," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"If your shop needs money, we'll figure it out ourselves," Old Zhou shook his head.

"I have it," Zhou Yan retorted. Hearing this, Old Zhou and Aunt Zhao didn't refuse anymore. Business had been good these past few days, and Zhou Yan certainly had twenty yuan. Zhou Yan carried the braised crucian carp with mint leaves out of the kitchen, pulled out two ten-yuan bills from the cash register, and handed them to Aunt Zhao.

"I'll pay you back the rest next month."

"Pay back what? We gave you that money to open your shop; we never intended to take it back. Keep it safe; you'll have plenty of expenses when you get married." Aunt Zhao held the two ten-yuan bills, smiling.

"Twenty yuan is enough; your father can earn that much by slaughtering cattle."

"No way! I said it was a loan when I opened the shop. I'll definitely pay it back when I earn money. If you don't want it then, I'll give it to my father." Zhou Yan said with a grin.

"He wouldn't dare!" Aunt Zhao raised an eyebrow.

"Wife, you take it, you take it." Old Zhou immediately waved his hand, then glared at Zhou Yan.

"Remember, in this family, only your mother can manage the money." What a son of a bitch, trying to trick his father! Giving him ten or five yuan as pocket money is one thing. Five hundred! Even if Zhou Yan dared to offer it, he wouldn't dare to take it. Aunt Zhao didn't nod, but she was secretly pleased, a smile playing on her lips.

"Brother, if they won't accept it, I will!" Zhou Momo, having finished dinner, sat playing nearby. After listening for a while, she stretched out her little hand to Zhou Yan: "I want to buy candy."

"Here's a dime, go buy it yourself." Zhou Yan put a dime in her hand as her share of the initial investment.

"Thank you, Brother!" Zhou Momo took the money, leaned over, hugged Zhou Yan's face, and gave him a kiss, then turned to run out the door.

"Where are you going?" Aunt Zhao called out.

"To the corner store to buy candy," Zhou Momo replied.

"Stand still! It's almost dark, and you're going to buy candy? You'll cry when Granny Xiong catches you!" Aunt Zhao said sternly. Zhou Momo paused, a hint of fear on her face.

"Mommy, is there really a 'Bear Granny'?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Aunt Zhao said quietly, "If you don't believe me, go ahead and try. I've heard she's really fierce at eating children's fingers, one by one, like eating broad beans, crunchy and crunchy. She specifically waits until dark to come out and catch lone little kids."

"Wow! I don't want to go..." Zhou Momo threw herself into Zhou Yan's arms, burying her head.

"Brother, I'm scared."

"Don't be afraid. As long as there are adults around, the 'Bear Granny' won't dare to come." Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head.

"Little kids can't go out alone at night. They have to be with an adult, understand?"

"Mmm." Zhou Momo looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, looking pitiful.

"Then... then I'll buy it tomorrow."

"Okay, Mommy will take you to buy it tomorrow." Aunt Zhao also smiled and patted her head.

"Okay." Zhou Momo nodded and snuggled into Aunt Zhao's arms.

"I want to eat a big bunny." The story of Granny Xiong is probably a childhood nightmare for many people from Sichuan and Chongqing. Zhou Yan heard it from her local roommate after coming to Chengdu for university. It's basically a Sichuan and Chongqing version of the Big Bad Wolf story, which no longer scares university students, but it's perfect for a three-and-a-half-year-old. This isn't exactly an innocent time.

The crackdown these past two years was due to the high crime rate, social disorder, and several nationally sensational cases, necessitating swift and decisive action. Previously, cases of robbery and trafficking of women and children were frequent. After a year of crackdowns, public security improved considerably, and local thugs were largely docile. But last month, a child from the next village was stolen from their own doorstep. Once it gets dark, no one dares let their child out of their sight.

Zhou Momo is so cute; she's definitely a prime target for traffickers. It's only in situations like this that Aunt Zhao resorts to Granny Xiong as a powerful weapon to subdue the restless Zhou Momo. The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com! Every generation has its own set of naiveté, and Zhou Yan thinks it's good to let children have a little wariness about this wonderful world. Naïve and innocent girls are too easily taken advantage of.

Although Zhou Momo is only three years old, Zhou Yan is already thinking about protecting her from predators.

"By the way, that rice bowl they were talking about, are you planning to sell it?" Aunt Zhao asked.

"I think we can sell rice bowls. The customer base is larger than for stir-fries, and the service is fast, so table turnover is quick, just like noodles," Zhou Yan said.

"But we need to finalize the portion sizes, side dishes, and prices before putting them on the menu. We need to make sure customers feel they're getting a good deal and are satisfied." Aunt Zhao didn't quite understand, but nodded anyway, "Okay, if you want to do it, then do it. Just tell me what you need."

"Okay," Zhou Yan nodded. He still needed to think this through carefully. Rice bowls could be an expanded product category, suitable for customers who didn't want to eat with others and wanted to get their money's worth. Most workers didn't need to treat others during work hours. Delicious and affordable meals were key for their work lunches. After dinner, it was almost dark. As the restaurant's business improved, their closing time was getting later.

"Starting tomorrow, we'll switch to eating before opening to avoid going hungry," Zhou Yan said to Aunt Zhao, who was sitting in the back seat.

"Okay, I'm actually a bit hungry tonight," Aunt Zhao agreed. After watching Aunt Zhao and the others leave, Zhou Yan locked the door, picked up a jar of pickled radishes, and went out for a run. When Zhou Yan arrived at the family compound, Lin Zhiqiang was warming up. He must have been warming up for a while, as his head was covered in sweat.

"Little Zhou, you're here." He greeted Zhou Yan with a smile.

"Uncle Lin, have you been waiting long?" Zhou Yan jogged forward and said with a smile, "These are pickled radishes for Jingxing and Bingwen. Sister Meng said they liked them last time, and I figured they'd finished them, so I brought them some more." (End of this chapter)