Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

"If you don’t mind, I’d be honored," Duan Yu Yan said with a small smile.

She had never actually shared a table with a stranger before, but the old gentleman looked quite kind. Since he’d arrived first and was still willing to share, she nodded.

"It’s no problem." Wang had already regained his composure. He nodded and turned toward the table.

"Mom, take their order," Zhou Yan called out before turning back to the busy kitchen.

The lunch hour was a peak rush. He had to get the workers fed as quickly as possible, leaving them enough time for their break.

Zhou Yan was genuinely curious as to why this capitalist’s daughter had shown up in his little restaurant.

’She’s probably visiting Suji, saw how busy this little place was, and got curious enough to come in.’

’In any case, I have to find a way to build a connection with her. She’s the key to getting that old mansion.’

Wang took the seat on the inside.

Duan Yu Yan quickly moved to sit down to Wang’s right. From this seat, she only had to tilt her head slightly to see a large part of the kitchen. She could see Zhou Yan stir-frying at the stove, as well as a sleepy-looking little girl sitting on a small stool beside it.

’Huh?’

’The little girl is actually kind of cute.’

’But that’s not important.’ Her gaze returned to Zhou Yan.

From behind, his white cotton shirt was tucked into black trousers, a belt cinching his waist. It made him look like he had a slim waist and long legs. Spatula in hand, he stir-fried nonstop. His shoulders were quite broad, and his rolled-up sleeves revealed forearms defined by lean muscle. His fingers were nice to look at, too—long and straight.

Duan Yu Yan swallowed hard.

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly tore her eyes away.

’Damn it!’

’Why am I drooling?!’

’Right!’

’It must be because the food smells so good.’

It smelled amazing, like sizzling meat!

Her eyes shifted left, landing on the plate of Twice-Cooked Pork that had just been served to the neighboring table.

Twice-Cooked Pork with garlic shoots. The meat was curled into slices, mixed with the green and white parts of the shoots, all glistening with oil. How could it smell so incredible?

"The menu’s on the wall. See what you’d like to order," Zhao Tieying said, walking over with a smile.

"I’ll have the Twice-Cooked Pork with garlic shoots and a bowl of rice," Wang said.

"You got it." Zhao Tieying quickly scribbled it down on her notepad.

Duan Yu Yan didn’t rush to order. She first scanned the menu, her eyes glancing over the other tables before asking, "Ma’am, what kind of soup are they having?"

"Oh, that’s Kneeling Beef," Mrs. Zhao replied with a smile.

Duan Yu Yan’s brows knitted together for a moment. She glanced at the menu, and her expression brightened in understanding. "In that case, I’ll have a Kneeling Beef, too," she said happily.

’This beef soup looks good. The broth is so clear. I haven’t had a decent soup in a long time.’

"And I’ll also have the Braised Pork Ribs, Stir-fried Shredded Beef with Twin Peppers, Cold Dressed Chicken, and an order of Braised Pig’s Head," Duan Yu Yan added, ordering quickly from the menu.

After writing it all down, Mrs. Zhao looked at Duan Yu Yan. "Sweetie, that’s a lot of food for just two people."

"It’s fine. Yan has a huge appetite. He can finish it," Duan Yu Yan said with a sweet smile.

"Mm." Yan Fei nodded. ’What can I do?’ he thought. ’Miss Duan is treating. If she orders more than we can eat, it’s my job to finish it.’

"You got it." Mrs. Zhao tore the order slip from her pad and passed it into the kitchen.

Duan Yu Yan propped her chin on her hand, pretending to be lost in thought, but her eyes were glued to Zhou Yan in the kitchen.

’He’s so busy.’ He was single-handedly managing two huge woks—stir-frying Twice-Cooked Pork in the left and flash-frying pork liver in the right. In the gaps between, he had to plate up Braised Pork Ribs and Beef with Bamboo Shoots.

He was the only person in the back kitchen, personally preparing all the food for the sixty or seventy customers in the restaurant.

And despite how busy he was, his movements were methodical and efficient.

Dish after dish emerged from the kitchen and was carried out to the tables.

You could tell how good the food was just from the customers’ faces.

Nearly every single person wore a look of satisfaction.

She had never seen such genuine, happy smiles born from delicious food in the high-end restaurants of Xiangjiang Central. Over there, everyone wore a guarded, plastic smile.

She had been in Jiazhou for over six months and still wasn’t tired of it. Besides getting to eat all sorts of exotic and wonderful food every day, seeing the pure, beautiful smiles on most people’s faces was probably another major reason.

On the skyscraper-shadowed streets of Hong Kong, you could only see smiles like that on the faces of children.

Life had slowed down. It was hard to spend money, but her spirit felt rich and at ease.

She’d read more books in the last six months than in all four years of university.

’He looks so young, yet he seems to be an incredibly skilled Chef.’

That surprised her a little.

She had originally assumed there was an older Chef in the kitchen and that Zhou Yan was just a prep cook.

"Hello, my name is Wang Ran. I’m a librarian here in Suji Town," Wang said, smiling at Duan Yu Yan.

Duan Yu Yan quickly replied, "Hello, sir. My name is Duan Yu Yan. I’m currently... between jobs."

’So he’s a librarian!’

’The classic cover for a hidden master!’

’The most famous example, of course, was the librarian at Peking University.’

’Professor Luo held his literary and military achievements in the highest possible regard.’

Duan Yu Yan’s attitude grew even more respectful. As a graduate of Hong Kong University’s Chinese literature department, she already felt a faint sense of pressure.

’Don’t worry, I’m definitely not telling him my major!’

"Duan..." Wang’s hand twitched again.

"Duan Yu Yan," she finished for him.

"A fine name," Wang said, nodding with a smile. "Judging by your accent, are you back from Xiangjiang?"

Duan Yu Yan looked at him with curiosity. "Yes. Your Mandarin is excellent; you can even tell where my accent is from. Have you been to Xiangjiang or Guangdong before?"

Unlike the others, he was speaking Mandarin to her. His Sichuan accent wasn’t very strong, so she could understand him easily.

A nostalgic look flickered in Wang’s eyes. He gave a slight nod. "I have. But that was back in the forties. Fighting the Japanese."

Duan Yu Yan was filled with a sudden, profound respect, mixed with surprise. The man had such a scholarly air about him; he didn’t look at all like a veteran who had fought the Japanese on the battlefield.

"Back to visit family?" Wang asked casually, his hand unconsciously clenching into a fist.

"Yes, I..." Duan Yu Yan nodded, about to elaborate.

"Miss Duan, why don’t you have some soup first." The Kneeling Beef arrived just then, and Yan Fei immediately cut her off. He picked up a bowl and ladled a small amount of the broth for her.

"Alright." Duan Yu Yan nodded and began to quietly sip her soup.

Her father had told her not to reveal too much about herself when she was out, especially to strangers.

The old man had the air of a respected elder, which had made her subconsciously open up, but upon reflection, his questions felt a little too pointed.

Yan Fei gave Wang a slight nod, a gesture that conveyed both respect for a war veteran and a clear message to keep his distance.

Hong Kong Businessmen were prime targets in this day and age, and the old man’s questions set off alarm bells for Yan Fei.

Wang just smiled and didn’t press further.

Duan Yu Yan took two sips of the broth, and her eyes immediately lit up. She blew on the steaming liquid before taking another two sips.

’This beef broth is so umami!’

The broth was exceptionally clear, with just a slight sheen of oil on top. It wasn’t greasy in the slightest and had no gamey flavor.

She looked into her bowl, picked up a slice of beef, and popped it into her mouth without dipping it in the chili powder.

The beef was incredibly fresh and tender, reminding her of eating Chaoshan-style beef hot pot.

The Fire Control was perfect. The meat was exceptionally tender and burst with juice when she chewed. It was even more savory than the broth of a Chaoshan hot pot.

One after another, all six thin slices of sirloin vanished into her stomach.

When she finished, she was left wanting more.

Duan Yu Yan poked around in her bowl at the remaining ingredients: tripe, beef intestine, and beef tendon.

She tried a piece of tripe. It was a signature ingredient in Sichuan hot pot. Even though she wasn’t a fan of offal, she found it hard to resist that crisp, satisfying texture.

CRUNCH, CRUNCH!

It was crisp to the bite, yet incredibly tender—so much so that it seemed to melt away.

It was just missing a little something.

She picked up another piece of tripe, dipped it lightly into the chili powder, and popped the lightly coated morsel into her mouth.

"Mmm! So fragrant!"

’It’s different! Completely different!’

The tripe, which had been fairly plain on its own, was suddenly transformed into something delicious, as if a master had added the final, crucial stroke to a painting.

The chili powder looked fiery red, but its spiciness wasn’t malicious.

It was more aromatic than spicy. Even for a lightweight like her, who could only handle a hint of heat, it was pure bliss.

After the tripe, she tried a piece of beef tendon. It was soft and chewy.

’Hmm... not really my kind of texture.’

As for the beef intestine, she thought about it for a moment before deciding to pass.

Duan Yu Yan’s gaze returned to the menu, a thoughtful look on her face. "Sixty cents for six slices of beef and six slices of tripe... that’s only five cents a slice. It’s cheaper than hot pot!"

"Ma’am, we’ll have two more bowls of Kneeling Beef!" Duan Yu Yan raised her hand, then pushed her earthenware bowl in front of Yan Fei. She smiled. "Yan, this one’s for you."

Yan Fei: "Huh?"

(ಥ_ಥ)

’You really know how to live it up, don’t you?’