Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

’So that means!’

’Mrs. Qiu has already decided to go to Xiangjiang, so the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion will be empty.’

’Sure enough, once her emotional burden was lifted, the old lady wanted to go to Xiangjiang and reunite with her children and grandchildren. After all, what could be happier than being surrounded by family in one’s old age?’

’From his interactions with Duan Yu Yan, he could tell that the Duan family must be good people.’

’The Duan Family was wealthy and had investment projects in Rongcheng.’

’Mrs. Qiu could go to Xiangjiang for a while, and if she didn’t get used to it, she could just come back.’

’According to Duan Yu Yan, the even larger and more luxuriously renovated Duan Family’s Old Mansion was still empty anyway.’

’In this era, long journeys were only an issue for ordinary people. Rongcheng had an airport; she didn’t have to take a slow, swaying green-skinned train south.’

"That’s great. From now on, you can just drop the letters you write into a mailbox instead of putting them in the box," Zhou Yan said with a smile, looking at Wang. The old man was radiant today; you could tell he was happy from the bottom of his heart.

Wang said with deep emotion, "Thank you so much for this. I never even dared to dream that I would one day walk side-by-side with Qiu Qi across the Stone Slab Bridge and sit chatting under the tree at its end. I have no more regrets in this life."

’If I hadn’t been able to help you two reunite, that would have been my regret.’ Zhou Yan smiled and said, "You’re too kind."

After watching the old man leave, Zhou Yan turned around to find Zhou Momo standing behind him. She wore a small straw hat, shouldered a tiny fishing rod, and carried a miniature fish basket. Tilting her head up to look at him, she said, "Brother, let’s go fishing!"

Comrade Zhou had made this whole set of gear for her in his spare time over the past couple of days.

What could he do? That’s just what happens when you’re wrapped around your daughter’s little finger. Whatever she wanted, he’d make it for her.

"I made one for you, too. Want to go fishing?" Comrade Zhou followed them out, holding two fishing rods and carrying two folding stools, asking Zhou Yan with a smile.

"You bet I am!" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile and headed into the shop. "Dad, you go dig up some earthworms first. I’m going to mix some dough."

"Why are you mixing dough for fishing?" Comrade Zhou asked, confused.

"I’m making a meal for the fish. My target today is minnows. If I catch any, we can fry them up," Zhou Yan replied.

"Making a meal for the fish?" Comrade Zhou scratched his head, completely baffled.

"What yummy food is Brother making for the fishies?" Zhou Momo chirped, toddling into the kitchen after him.

Zhou Yan grabbed an empty bowl and added two spoonfuls of flour, a capful of baijiu, a spoonful of white sugar, half a spoonful of MSG, and a spoonful of sesame oil, mixing it all together.

Then he added the right amount of water, allowing the flour to absorb it completely before kneading the dough until its surface was smooth and delicate.

Soon, a fist-sized ball of dough was ready. The sesame oil gave it a pale yellow hue, and if you leaned in close, you could catch the faint scent of liquor and sesame.

"Is Brother making dough for the fishies?" Zhou Momo leaned in, her face full of curiosity. "Let me smell."

Zhou Yan held the ball of dough under her nose for a sniff.

"It smells so good!" Zhou Momo subconsciously opened her mouth.

"This is bait! It’s not for eating." With quick reflexes, Zhou Yan snatched the dough back.

’I don’t know if it’ll catch any fish, but it’s remarkably effective at hooking a little foodie.’

"Let’s go! Time to head out!" Zhou Yan wrapped the dough in brown paper, grabbed his fishing rod, and took Zhou Momo’s hand to lead her out the door.

"Catch a lot! What we have for dinner tonight depends on how much you three can catch," Mrs. Zhao said with a grin as she got ready to head out for a game of mahjong.

"Got it!" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Catch big fishies!" Zhou Momo exclaimed, spreading her arms wide to show how big.

On weekends with no planned family activities, they each did their own thing rather than forcing everyone to sit around staring at each other.

Zhou Yan led Zhou Momo to the riverbank, just in time to see Comrade Zhou cast his first line with a solemn expression, muttering, "Fishy, fishy, come and bite, I’m here to feed you your dinner..."

Then, he turned his head and saw Zhou Yan and Zhou Momo standing right behind him.

The air suddenly went quiet...

"Daddy, did you steal my magic spell?" Zhou Momo asked curiously as she sidled up to Comrade Zhou.

"I... I was just muttering to myself," Comrade Zhou said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "Anyway, have a seat. I’ve already baited the spot."

’Zhou Yan was about to die laughing. The little one really had no tact.’

He grabbed a small stool, sat down beside his father, and took the handmade fishing rod from him.

The rod, made from dried spotted bamboo, had its joints polished perfectly smooth. It felt surprisingly good in his hand—very comfortable.

It was about two meters long, with a reinforced tip, and the line was already rigged.

Zhou Momo’s little fishing rod was about 1.2 meters long. Her father had specially selected a small bamboo stalk for her and wrapped the handle in pink yarn. It was the perfect size for her to grip, so she no longer had to struggle to hold it with both hands like before.

This little detail said it all about how much Comrade Zhou doted on his daughter over his son.

’Gotta hand it to him,’ Zhou Yan thought. ’Even if Comrade Zhou can’t catch fish to save his life, he makes an excellent fishing rod.’

Zhou Yan removed the piece of a toothpaste tube that was wrapped above the hook and pushed the float down to about fifteen centimeters away from it.

This was the exact spot where Zhou Momo had once landed a six-and-a-half-pound carp on her first try. Comrade Zhou had been fishing here for the past few days, and even though he’d been skunked four times in three days, he still firmly believed that next time, he would be the one to catch a six-and-a-half-pound carp.

Comrade Zhou had used rapeseed cake as groundbait. It was the residue left after pressing rapeseed for oil, and some farmers would buy it to mix with pig feed for its remarkable fattening effect.

As the rapeseed cake dissolved and clouded the water, bits of it occasionally floated to the surface. In no time at all, schools of minnows appeared, swarming near the top.