Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

At this hour, the little lazybones Zhou Momo was naturally still asleep.

She was the only one in the family who could stay in bed until the sun was high in the sky.

"I’m going to go see what your new home looks like."

The old lady put down the jar of rock sugar. She wasn’t in a hurry to start working, so she went upstairs first to have a look around.

Zhou Yan followed behind her and turned on the light in the stairwell.

After hitting his head last time, Zhou Yan had decisively installed a light in the stairwell. It had a two-way switch, so it could be turned on or off from both upstairs and downstairs.

There was no choice; the stairwell had no windows, so it was dim even during the day.

The stairwell wasn’t whitewashed, but a thin layer of cement had been carefully skimmed over the surface. It wasn’t exactly smooth, but it definitely wasn’t rough enough to scrape your hand.

The lime wash used these days wasn’t like the putty or latex paint of the future. If you brushed against it, it would leave a white mark on your clothes.

The stairwell was already narrow, and in winter, if you wore slightly thicker clothes, a trip up and down could turn a black outfit white.

As soon as they reached the top of the stairs, the space immediately brightened.

The old lady clasped her hands behind her back and surveyed the empty living room, nodding. "This room is quite spacious. With the whitewashed walls, it looks really proper. It’s so much better than your old, run-down place. This is practically a new home."

Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao had also come upstairs, and they both smiled upon hearing her words.

"Is this the newly built room?" The old lady walked towards the bedroom.

Zhou Yan quickly followed and helped open the door.

There were no curtains on the windows yet, and daylight poured into the room, making it bright and airy.

The large room was empty except for a big bed against the wall, fashioned from wooden planks and long benches. Two boxes were placed beside it. New blankets were spread on the bed, and in the middle, Zhou Momo was fast asleep, sprawled on her stomach. She smacked her lips, lost in some unknown dream, completely unaware of their presence.

"’A humble nest to crouch in is better than the emperor’s golden throne.’" The old lady nodded, turning to look at Zhou Yan. "You really know how to get things done, kid. You’ve set up your mom and dad quite comfortably."

"Of course," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"This new building is even warmer than the old house, and living at the shop is more convenient since we don’t have to run back and forth every day," Zhao Tieying added, her face full of satisfaction.

"As long as the family lives together, everything is good." The old lady nodded, her gaze falling on Zhao Tieying’s ears. She asked with a smile, "New gold earrings?"

Zhao Tieying subconsciously touched her ear.

"I bought them for Tie Ying. We’ve been married for so many years, and I’ve never bought her any gold jewelry. Yesterday, we went to the department store in Jiazhou, and I got a salary advance from Zhou Yan to buy her a pair of gold earrings," Zhou Miao quickly explained, his slightly awkward smile tinged with affection.

"They’re beautiful. You look radiant wearing them. You two men have some taste after all," the old lady said with a laugh. "Getting a wife isn’t the real skill; being able to dote on your own wife, that’s what truly counts."

After speaking, the old lady glanced at Zhou Yan. "Learn from this. In the future, when you get a wife, you need to follow your old man’s example. People’s hearts are made of flesh; only true sincerity can be exchanged for the same."

"Got it," Zhou Yan nodded, taking her words to heart.

The old lady glanced at the new watch on Zhou Miao’s wrist, then at the identical Shanghai watch on Zhou Yan’s.

"Zhou Yan bought one for himself to use for the braised meats, and then he bought one for his dad, saying it would be more convenient for him to check the time and keep him from sleeping restlessly at night," Zhao Tieying immediately chimed in to explain.

"You’re a good kid. You think of your mother, and you remember your father too." The old lady lifted Zhou Yan’s hand to take a closer look. "How much are they selling for this year?"

"Seventy," Zhou Yan replied.

"That’s a lot cheaper. They were a hundred last year, and a hundred and twenty-five the year before that. This price is definitely a good buy," the old lady nodded. "It looks good on, too. With a watch on your wrist, people will think more highly of you when you’re out doing business."

"I’ll get you a new one later," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

The old lady was highly respected in the family, not just because she had sufficient authority, but because she was never one to spoil the mood. She always knew how to make people feel comfortable and respected.

"This one of mine is just fine. It’ll last another ten years, no problem." The old lady smiled and shook her head. She walked to the bedside to look at Zhou Momo, then turned with a smile and gently closed the door. "Let’s go. Let her sleep. Little kids need a lot of sleep to grow up well."

Once downstairs, Zhou Yan got busy stir-frying the ground meat sauce and toppings.

Comrade Zhou, meanwhile, went to slaughter the chicken and prepare the pig’s head.

The old lady sat behind the stove, helping to tend the fire. She said leisurely, "It’s a good thing your dad is here to help in the shop, lending a hand and slicing the braised meat. Butchering cattle and selling meat is truly too much for one person to handle alone."

"Exactly. He still goes to help others butcher a cow once or twice a week so his skills don’t get rusty. People still call him Master Zhou, and that makes him happy," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

The grandmother and grandson chatted idly, exchanging a few words here and there.

Zhou Lihui didn’t have to tend the fire today. After fetching water, he stood by and watched Zhou Yan cook intently.

"Huihui, you’ve been here for a few days now. Have you learned to make a single dish?" the old lady asked, looking at him.

"Grandma, I’ve learned half a dish," Zhou Lihui grinned. "I know how to make the seasoning for the noodles now. I’m in charge of preparing the base seasoning in the bowls for all the noodles at the shop."

"Well, that’s learning a real skill," the old lady nodded, then added, "What about your studies? Didn’t you have exams a couple of days ago? How did you do?"

Zhou Lihui stopped smiling. He wrung his hands, lowered his head, and said sheepishly, "Very stable. Still third from the bottom."

"That’s fine, too! There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Bad grades don’t mean you’re a bad person. Look at you, you always get first place in running, you’re the anchor in tug-of-war, and who can beat you at arm wrestling? If you average it all out, you’re still pretty amazing," the old lady said with a doting smile. "As long as you’re down-to-earth, willing to work hard, and practice diligently, it doesn’t matter what you do in the future. Look at your little uncle—he didn’t even finish middle school, and now isn’t he a successful Chef?"