Chương 9: Sister, you're so cute!

Zhao Tieying sat on the back of the bicycle, humming a little tune as she returned to Zhou Village. Under the big tree at the village entrance, a group of women were cracking sunflower seeds and chatting.

"Slow down," Zhao Tieying tugged at Zhou Miao's clothes, and the bicycle immediately slowed down.

"Iron Lady, are you in a good mood today? Humming a little tune on your way back," an older woman said with a smile. All eyes fell on Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao. Zhou Laosi was skilled at slaughtering cattle, and was among the first in Zhou Village to obtain a slaughtering license after cattle slaughtering was allowed. Zhao Tieying was also efficient at work, and their life was thriving, which inevitably made people envious.

But unfortunately, they had a spendthrift son, Zhou Yan, who dared to open a restaurant and become a self-employed individual after only two and a half years as an apprentice in the factory canteen. Not only did he empty his parents' pockets, but he also incurred a mountain of debt. Lately, their family had become the laughing stock of Zhou Village.

It was only because Zhou Miao had many brothers, all skilled at butchering cattle, and Zhao Tieying was a sharp-tongued, unforgiving woman, that most people dared not speak ill of them. Zhao Tieying was a proud woman; lately, when passing the village entrance, she would always keep her head down, urging Zhou Miao to ride faster, not wanting to hear the gossip of the old women.

"Aunt Wang, you've heard that my Zhou Yan saved the niece of Deputy Director Lin of the silk factory?" Zhao Tieying tugged at Zhou Miao's sleeve, causing the bicycle to stop immediately, her voice rising several octaves: "Deputy Director Lin came to thank Zhou Yan today, giving him a new 28-inch bicycle. He insisted he accept it, and even said he'd nominate him for some kind of 'model of spiritual civilization.' Also, the restaurant is doing very well today, so busy we can't keep up."

The village entrance was silent, save for Zhao Tieying's hearty laughter and the crackling of the fire. A 28-inch bicycle was a big purchase; textile factory workers had to save up half a year's wages and only buy one if they received a bicycle ration coupon. There weren't many bicycles in Zhoucun; only butchers could afford them. Looking at the surprised, envious, and jealous faces, Zhao Tieying's smile grew even brighter, her chin held high like a victorious general: "I'm not going to chat with you anymore.

I'm going back to shower and sleep. I have to help out at the shop early tomorrow morning." Zhou Miao immediately pedaled away.

"A 28-inch bicycle! Zhou Yan's hit the jackpot!"

"The deputy director of the silk factory, Zhou Erwa's climbed up to a big boss!"

"The restaurant business's improved too, no wonder Zhao Tieying's so smug..." Zhao Tieying listened intently to the whispers behind her, laughing uncontrollably. All the resentment that had been building up in her heart was released at once.

"Mom, what are you laughing at?" Zhou Momo turned around curiously.

"Mom, I thought of something happy," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

"Hehehe, then I'm happy too..."... Zhou Yan fell asleep immediately. Wang Laowu and his wife, however, tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

"We sold ten fewer bowls today than yesterday. Zhou Erwa has stolen all the customers. What are we going to do?" Old Wang's wife looked worried. Old Wang exhaled a puff of his pipe and waved his hand, saying, "It's alright. Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong set up this for him today. People who come to eat noodles are just giving them face and joining in the fun. He sells a bowl of noodles for six mao. Even if the workers have higher wages, they can't eat like that every day.

They'll still come to eat here in a couple of days."

"Really?"

"Don't worry. Zhou Erwa's restaurant was also booming for two days when it opened. What's the use? Zhou Erwa is just not cut out to be a chef or run a restaurant." Zhou Yan got up early again, first changing the water for the dried bamboo shoots, then washing up with cold water. The body that works regularly is different. After a good night's sleep, he felt refreshed and energetic, not at all like a fragile college student. He tied the basket to the back of his old bicycle and rode out to buy groceries.

Upon arriving at the market, Zhou Yan activated his [Food Appraisal] feature, instantly recognizing the quality of all the ingredients. He even carefully selected the best-marked chilies.

"Zhou Erwa, the pork belly and ribs here are really good today. If you want some, I'll give you a discount," the butcher called out as Zhou Yan passed a meat stall, speaking mysteriously.

"One yuan sixty per jin (500g), and I'll give you a ten-cent discount if you buy them all." One yuan sixty per jin—that was indeed cheap. Zhou Yan glanced at the meat; the pork was whitish, but the label was bright red: [A Pile of Unfresh, Diseased Pork]. Zhou Yan used a lot of meat for his restaurant, and all the butchers in town recognized him.

"Why is this meat a bit whitish?" Zhou Yan asked casually.

"These are pigs raised by my second uncle. The meat is excellent. Don't worry, I, Wang Qi, have been selling meat for years. Would I lie to a kid like you?" the butcher boasted, patting his chest.

"It's a pity I've switched to selling noodles; I don't need this meat anymore," Zhou Yan said regretfully, turning to leave.

"Selling noodles?" Wang Qi scratched his head, turning his attention to the next sucker. In these times of scarcity, selling diseased pigs and cattle wasn't uncommon, but taking advantage of Zhou Yan, a young man who didn't know anything about goods, was going too far. Maybe Zhou Yan had been ripped off like this before. Zhou Yan hadn't planned to interfere, but as he was leaving after buying his groceries, he saw Wang Qi trying to sell to an old woman.

He went to a secluded spot, took out his ledger and pen, quickly wrote a few lines, tore off a piece of paper, folded it, and casually tossed it into the market management office as he rode his bike past. It landed right on the table. Whether the management would intervene or punish Wang Qi was beyond his control. Zhou Yan went to Zhang Laosan to pick up the three jin of pork ribs he had ordered, still at 1. 9 yuan. The appraisal said: "[A piece of fresh, high-quality pork rib] A little over 3 mao per jin."

Making sure his customers got high-quality ribs made Zhou Yan feel more at ease earning his money.

"You're quite something, kid! You've become a hero! After you finish selling the meat at noon, I'll come to your shop for noodles too." Old Zhang looked at Zhou Yan with admiration, this time it wasn't just polite talk.

"Sure." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, riding away on his bicycle, the big red flower on the front of the bike seeming even brighter. First, he started simmering the bone broth, then stewed the beef brisket and ribs, and then started This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. kneading the dough. With yesterday's experience, Zhou Yan was able to manage his time effectively.

With his mother's help, selling noodles was manageable for now, but if he planned to add new items later, like starting to sell Chinese food again, he would have to seriously consider how to make the restaurant run more efficiently. Of course, Zhou Yan wasn't content with just opening a noodle shop. Zhao Tieying also arrived early today. Zhou Momo hadn't woken up yet and was being carried in a bamboo basket, wrapped in a small blanket.

"Mom, come later next time, it's dark and the roads are difficult to walk on." Zhou Yan carefully carried Zhou Momo out and put her to his bed to continue sleeping.

"You know the road is difficult, so why didn't you turn back from the slaughterhouse and pick us up? You're pedaling your bicycle incredibly fast." Zhao Tieying rolled her eyes at him.

"Okay, I'll definitely do it next time." Zhou Yan scratched his head awkwardly; he had only been thinking about buying groceries and hadn't thought of that at all. Zhou Yan kneaded the dough, while Zhao Tieying helped watch the fire, carefully observing as the vegetables cooked and stir-fried.

"Mom, do you want to be a chef too?" Zhou Yan asked casually.

"One chef is enough for the family. I just want to see how your head chef cooks so that my cooking will taste better in the future." Zhao Tieying looked at the meat in the pot with some concern.

"You prepared so much meat today, will you be able to sell it all?"

"Not much, as long as business is good in the morning, it'll be fine." Zhou Yan said confidently. Today he prepared ingredients for ninety bowls of noodles, only thirty more than yesterday, not too aggressive. The toppings and meat sauce were ready, and two large pots were already boiling water. The soup pot in the middle was simmering bone broth, bubbling and smelling delicious. After working so hard all morning, Zhou Yan couldn't work on an empty stomach, so he cooked two bowls of noodles.

"I'll just add some greens, it's better to eat lightly in the morning." Zhao Tieying brought over two large bowls.

"Then why did you scoop out so much chili oil?" Zhou Yan scoffed, and after scooping out the noodles, he directly scooped out a spoonful of braised beef with dried bamboo shoots for her. The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com!

"A little less, can you really eat that much..." Zhao Tieying picked up her bowl, afraid Zhou Yan would add more, but a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. This son is so sensible and filial; it wasn't a waste of her upbringing. Just as Zhou Yan was about to scoop out the remaining noodles from the pot, Zhou Momo, drawn by the aroma, arrived. Standing at the door, rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked happily, "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, dinner is ready." Zhou Yan handed her a small bowl and scooped out a bowl for her.

"Momo's so hungry! I'm going to eat three bowls today!" Zhou Momo leaned forward, raising her little hand high in a V-sign. Zhou Yan helped her count on her fingers again: "That makes three." The little one wasn't bragging; she finished three bowls of noodles, her little face glistening with oil. After getting off the table, she gave Zhou Yan a thumbs-up: "So delicious! I'll finish three bowls next time!" After breakfast, Zhou Yan opened the restaurant door; it was already bright outside.

Across the street, Wang Laowu's noodle stall had a pot of noodles steaming hot, and they were setting up tables and chairs. Hearing the door open, Wang Laowu looked up, met Zhou Yan's gaze, and immediately turned away with a snort. Rivals are common, especially across the street. Zhou Yan just smiled, not taking Wang Laowu's reaction to heart. In the restaurant business, quality speaks for itself; customers will decide which is better. After 6: 30, workers started arriving.

Wang Laowu and his wife, Liu Fang, had specially changed into new aprons today, their faces beaming with smiles as they stood in front of their noodle stall, ready to greet customers with a fresh look. But their smiles quickly faded. Bicycles were parked in front of Zhou Erwa's restaurant, six or seven in no time. Two of their regular customers, for some reason, were wearing hats today, walking with their heads tilted to the side, as if afraid of being recognized, and also slipped into Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

"What's going on? They've all gone across the street! Wang Jianming and Liu Laoba even wore hats on purpose, I recognized them immediately! Don't they only eat our noodles?" Liu Fang stamped her feet anxiously. Usually, they'd be open by now, but today there wasn't a single customer, just watching the bustling scene across the street.

"They're just going to join the fun, don't panic, don't panic," Wang Laowu said in a low voice. But his hands were trembling slightly, his heart filled with a bitter feeling, as if his wife had run off with someone else right in front of him. He'd been cheated. Whether they were just joining the fun or not, business was definitely bad today; all the noodles and toppings he'd prepared were ruined.

"Why do we have to hide like this just to eat noodles? It's like we're having a secret affair!"

"Did you see the expressions on Wang Laowu and his wife's faces? Three parts shock, three parts confusion, and four parts anger. They were practically ready to grab us and ask, 'Didn't I give you a discount?' Who could stand that?"

"Huh? Hurry up, you idiots!" Wang Jianming and Liu Laoba quickly walked into Zhou Erwa's restaurant, finally letting out a sigh of relief. In one morning, Wang Laowu had only sold three bowls of noodles, all to relatives and friends. After being targeted by them, he was too embarrassed to go to the customers across the street. On the other hand, Zhou Yan's side hadn't stopped working. He was making pot after pot of noodles, and the large bowls he collected in the kitchen filled four wooden buckets.

Even Zhou Momo, the child laborer, was assigned to greet customers at the door.

"Welcome to eat noodles."

"Sister, you're so pretty!"

"Sister, your skin is so fair!"

"Come eat noodles again next time!"

"Bye-bye." Zhou Momo was a chatterbox, naturally outgoing, and could chat with anyone. She was cute, knew how to compliment people, and provided plenty of emotional value, making the female workers very happy, even giving her candy. With candy in her pocket, Zhou Momo became even more talkative. Zhou Yan brought out noodles a few times and thought this little one was just trying to freeload, but her cuteness made her success rate high.

As eight o'clock approached, the workers rushed to clock in, and the shop gradually emptied out. Just then, a bright red Phoenix brand bicycle stopped in front of the restaurant, and a young woman jumped off the back seat. Zhou Momo, who was sitting on a small stool eating candy by the door, looked up, her eyes widening slightly, her mouth slightly agape, "Sister, you're so cute..."