Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

That’s why she guarded the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion, refusing to leave or allow it to be torn down. She was afraid the person she was waiting for wouldn’t be able to find her if they ever returned.

This mystery had kept Duan Yu Yan in Jiazhou for an extra six months.

Before coming to Jiazhou, her understanding of her grandparents was limited to holiday gatherings where the elders reminisced about their hometown and parents. From those talks, she’d pictured her grandmother as a stubborn, old-fashioned woman from some small, backwards city in the west.

After arriving in Jiazhou, she lived with her grandmother day in and day out. She slowly began to understand this refined and elegant old woman much better.

The old woman came from a scholarly family. She was educated, understood etiquette, and always appeared elegant and dignified in public. Her hair was impeccably coiffed, and she spoke at a calm, unhurried pace. Her clear, bright eyes seemed capable of seeing right through you.

She had also studied abroad with her husband and was quite worldly. She was opinionated and thoughtful, never one to preach, but also not easily swayed by others.

When she spoke of her grandfather, her eyes would fill with gentleness and pride, and she’d still look like a young, doting wife.

Duan Yu Yan had privately asked many neighbors and locals, and their assessment of the couple was always the same: they were a devoted couple who treated each other with the utmost respect.

All signs pointed to the fact that there shouldn’t have been a third party in their relationship.

’Suji, Zhang’s Braised Shop, braised beef.’ Duan Yu Yan felt like she had just found a key piece of the puzzle.

In another month, her friend was getting married, and she would have to go back to Xiangjiang.

If she couldn’t bring her grandmother back with her, the mission her father had given her would be a failure.

Not only would the one-million-dollar bonus be gone, but so would the position of vice general manager at the branch company.

...

"1,323.46 yuan." Zhou Yan wrote the new balance in his ledger and placed the rubber-banded stacks of small bills into a box.

His savings were growing steadily, but the goal of ten thousand yuan was still a long way off.

Zhou Yan really liked the house he’d seen a few days ago on Jiazhou East Main Street.

Now that word was out that the house was for sale, he couldn’t help but think about it, constantly worrying someone would beat him to the punch.

With no money in his pocket, he had no real confidence.

For now, he could only hope that Mrs. Qiu’s unresolved issue remained, and the house wouldn’t be sold just yet.

As long as it wasn’t sold, he still had a chance.

Zhou Yan was best at solving problems for people. As long as there was a profit to be made, he was full of drive.

’This weekend, I’ll go to Jiazhou again. I’ll scout out the other restaurants that used to work with my grandmother, check on the house situation, and do some prep work in advance.’ Zhou Yan thought to himself, planning ahead.

Buying the house required a two-step plan. First, he had to get ten thousand yuan ready. Second, he had to solve the problem for the young lady from Xiangjiang by convincing Mrs. Qiu to move out of the old mansion.

’It won’t be easy. Not easy at all!’

’First, I have to focus on step one: save money!’

Putting away the ledger, Zhou Yan picked up the copy of *Life* from his bedside and began to read.

Ten minutes later, the book lay open on his face. He was fast asleep.

...

「The next day, near noon.」

A Toyota Crown with black license plates drove slowly down the old streets of Suji, causing the residents to turn and stare.

The rear window rolled down, and Duan Yu Yan looked around at the single-story houses on the street and the plainly dressed, curious townspeople by the roadside.

Her father had left the car for her convenience. His company had investments in both Rongcheng and Yangcheng, and vehicles belonging to foreign businesses were allowed to have those kinds of license plates.

The driver’s name was Yan Fei. He was thirty years old, had a crew cut, and was both a driver and, in reality, a bodyguard.

"Miss Duan, Suji’s Stone Slab Bridge is just ahead." Yan Fei parked the car in an open, flat area.

"I don’t see any Zhang’s Braised Shop, though," Duan Yu Yan said as she pushed the door open, got out, and walked toward the head of the bridge.

Yan Fei turned off the engine and followed a few steps behind her.

Duan Yu Yan looked around the bridgehead and saw a few stalls. One was selling noodles, another puffed rice candy, and there was one selling braised foods, but its sign read "Li’s Braised Shop."

Duan Yu Yan tried to ask someone for directions.

As it turned out, her Xiangjiang-accented Mandarin versus the Jiazhou dialect was a complete disaster.

She had a whole exchange with the old man selling puffed rice candy, and in the end, she paid one yuan for a bag of it without getting any clear answers.

Duan Yu Yan returned with a bag of puffed rice candy in her arms, a look of complete confusion on her face.

She thought that after more than six months here, she could finally understand the Jiazhou dialect. But she had just been utterly defeated.

Only then did she realize that her grandmother spoke to her in Sichuanese-accented Mandarin, not the authentic Jiazhou dialect.

And usually, the neighbors would deliberately slow down when they spoke to her, allowing her to communicate without much difficulty.

The old man’s speech was fast, and his Jiazhou dialect was too authentic; it made her head spin.

Yan Fei stood beside her, pressing his lips together. In those few short minutes, he had to recall every painful experience of his life just to keep himself from laughing out loud.

He was professionally trained; he usually didn’t crack up.

"Miss Duan, where to next?" Yan Fei asked with a smile.

His employer paid a high salary, so of course, he had to maintain a professional attitude.

"Yan, how about you ask for me? I don’t think they can understand what I’m saying." Duan Yu Yan asked for help directly, as Yan Fei was a Jiazhou local.

"Alright." Yan Fei nodded, walked over to ask around, and came back to tell Duan Yu Yan, "Miss Duan, I asked a number of the locals. They said Zhang’s Braised Shop hasn’t set up its stall in over twenty years."

"They haven’t had a stall for over twenty years?" Duan Yu Yan was a little disappointed. ’Has the trail gone cold here?’

"However, one of the locals just said that the proprietress of Zhang’s Braised Shop’s grandson opened a restaurant at the entrance of the Jiazhou Textile Factory. He’s carried on the Zhang’s Braised Shop legacy, and the taste is almost identical to the original." Yan Fei continued, "Would you like to go take a look?"