Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Zhou Lihui glanced at Zhou Yan and nodded with a smile. "Uh-huh, I get it, Grandma."

’Don’t look at me for sympathy. I’m a legitimate graduate from a public university, okay!’

Once the sauce bases were stir-fried, customers started to trickle in.

As Zhou Yan pulled the noodles, the old lady watched with great interest from the side, asking a question or two from time to time.

The last time she was here, she had eaten Zhou Yan’s hand-pulled noodles and thought they tasted better than store-bought dried noodles, so today she had come specifically to learn.

"Mixing the dough and pulling the noodles is too much work. Grandma, if you want to eat them, you should just come to the shop," Zhou Yan said.

"Making a special trip to town just for a bowl of noodles—*that’s* what’s a lot of work. You think I can’t handle pulling enough noodles for two people at home? When I was young, I could carry a hundred and sixty-five pounds of braised meat on one shoulder," the old lady said, rolling her eyes at him. "Show me again. How do you pull it out and then fold it..."

The old lady’s talent for making braised dishes was definitely maxed out, and she was an absolute master of home-style cooking too.

She also knew how to make steamed buns, both filled and unfilled. After watching Zhou Yan pull noodles for half an hour, she pinched off a small ball of dough, went to the side to practice, and actually succeeded in pulling noodles after just a few tries.

"Here, cook this bowl of noodles for me later. I’ll eat them myself," the old lady said with a smile, walking over with a handful of noodles she had pulled.

"Grandma, you’re a genius!" Zhou Yan couldn’t help but exclaim in amazement.

Aside from being a bit uneven in thickness—some flat and some round—the noodles the old lady made on her first try looked surprisingly decent.

The older generation really knew their stuff.

"What genius? Just yanking it around a couple of times is a piece of cake," the old lady said, waving her hand dismissively. "As long as it’s edible, it’s fine. It’s not like I’m making them to sell to customers. This is good enough."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, then used a bamboo strainer to cook her handful of noodles separately.

The braised beef and pig’s head for today’s banquet were already simmering in the pot. This first batch had to be braised early and steeped for long enough so it could be delivered ahead of time, allowing the chefs to portion it properly.

The customers eating noodles in the shop gradually left. Zhou Yan scanned the room but didn’t see the Huang siblings, and he couldn’t help but shake his head with a smile.

It seemed that making them bike for half an hour from Jiazhou just for breakfast was too much to ask. Neither of them looked like the type to persevere.

And to think he had even saved two portions of noodles for them, just so they wouldn’t make the long trip for nothing.

Outside the door, two bicycles slowly came to a stop.

Huang Ying leaned on her handlebars, drenched in sweat. Her round cheeks were flushed red, her bangs plastered to her forehead. Sweat streamed down her face, pooled at her chin, and fell in large drops. Her soaked clothes clung to her body, revealing three distinct rolls around her waist. Gasping for air, she was completely past caring about her appearance.

Beside her, Huang Bing was slumped over his handlebars with a look of utter despair. His face was pale, completely drained of color, and he felt as if his body had been completely hollowed out.

He had stayed up all night drinking with his good-for-nothing friends, and this morning Huang Ying had dragged him out of bed. He was still in a daze when they set out on their bikes.

He had no choice. His mom had given him a direct order: if he wanted to get his hands on three Great Unity bills today, he had to accompany Huang Ying on three round trips to Suji for meals.

He hadn’t even gotten the money yet, but he’d already planned out how to spend it.

One bill to gas up his motorcycle.

One bill to buy a jar of vanishing cream for the girlfriend he’d just gotten yesterday.

And the last one to treat his boys to drinks tonight.

Everything was planned out perfectly.

Young Master Huang was well-respected on the streets, but getting spending money at home was like pulling teeth.

To be revered in public, one must first suffer in private.

Life wasn’t easy for Young Master Huang.

"You two are here for noodles?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile as she cleared a table, spotting the pair.

"Sister Huang Ying! You came!" Zhou Momo, who had just finished breakfast, heard them and ran out, shouting enthusiastically to Huang Ying.

"Yes, Auntie, we’re here for noodles." After a moment to catch her breath, Huang Ying tugged on her shirt to temporarily smooth out the creases over her stomach, put on a smile, and said to Zhou Momo, "Momo, I’m here!"

"Say hi to me, too," Huang Bing said, looking at Zhou Momo expectantly.

Zhou Momo hid behind Zhao Tieying and shook her head. "Brother said I should stay away from people who look mean."

"Mean? But I’m a really gentle person..." Huang Bing said, looking hurt.

"That’s right. Stay away from people like him; he’s not a good person." Huang Ying’s smile was radiant. She parked her bike, pulled a lollipop from her small bag, and handed it to Zhou Momo. "Here, I brought you a Tangtang."

"Thank you, Sister," Zhou Momo said, taking it. "I like you so much!"

"You’re welcome!" Huang Ying took her little hand and started walking into the shop.

’Can one piece of candy really make her that happy?’ Huang Bing wondered as he parked his bike. He decided to cut into the budget for treating his boys to drinks tonight and buy ten pieces of candy instead!

Ten shouts of "Huang" from his boys couldn’t compare to one "Brother" from this cute little kid!

Zhou Yan happened to be coming out of the kitchen just then and was rather surprised to see the two of them drenched in sweat.

These two siblings were polar opposites.

One was so out of shape she’d be panting after two steps, and the other was so drained he’d have to brace his back after two steps.

Making them bike all the way from Jiazhou to Suji this early in the morning for breakfast really was putting them through a lot.

"Boss Zhou." Huang Ying brushed her sticky bangs away from her forehead, discreetly tugged her shirt down, and greeted Zhou Yan with a smile.

Huang Bing also straightened his back and said in a deliberately deep voice, "Zhou."

Huh?

’Why is he being so familiar all of a sudden?’

"Our morning service is almost over. I thought you weren’t coming," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"I said I would come, so of course I came!" Huang Ying said with a laugh, her gaze shifting to the menu on the side as she began to study it seriously.