Chapter 214 - 143: I Seem to Believe in Love Again
Zhou Yan rode along the riverbank, the cool river breeze stirring his emotions.
To choose a good person and grow old with them... what a romantic promise.
’What kind of person will I meet? Who will I grow old with in the end?’
Xia Yao’s image appeared in his mind, and the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously.
’We’re probably good friends by now, right?’
’If I have time tonight, I could write her a letter.’
He suddenly felt the urge to share, to tell her about this love story that began in an era of war.
He was practically a witness to it all!
"Life is full of partings and reunions, so let’s rejoice in our time together." He could say that to her the next time they met.
What an open-minded sentiment.
What a carefree philosophy on life.
"What’s got you so happy? You’re grinning from ear to ear," Mrs. Zhao asked with a smile as she watched Zhou Yan push his bicycle through the door.
"I found a yuan on the street," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.
"Wow! You’re so lucky!"
Now everyone was happy, looking at him with a hint of envy.
"Come on, everyone gets a share." Zhou Yan pulled out a handful of small bills and gave everyone one mao.
"Ooh! One mao!" Zhou Momo’s eyes widened. She stared at the banknote in her hand with delight, then ran over to hug Zhou Yan’s leg. "Brother! My hero!"
"Good girl!" Zhou Yan laughed and patted her head.
’What a cutie, pledging her loyalty for a single mao.’
"Come on, let’s pool our money and buy half a jin of roasted sunflower seeds!" Mrs. Zhao suggested.
"Okay!" Zhao Hong immediately handed over her one-mao bill.
"I’ll go buy them," Comrade Zhou said with a smile.
"I want sunflower seeds too!" Zhou Momo held up her one-mao bill and ran to grab Comrade Zhou’s hand. "Daddy, let’s go buy them!"
"Let’s go." Holding the handful of small bills, Comrade Zhou led Zhou Momo out the door.
Zhou Yan smiled and turned into the kitchen. He wasn’t sure when it had happened, but he’d reached a point where he couldn’t be bothered to bend down for a mao dropped on the ground. But right now, one mao could still bring people a lot of joy.
Thirteen tables of guests, and since he wasn’t making braised dishes or Kneeling Beef, the prep work was still quite fast.
The braised pork ribs and beef with dried bamboo shoots were simmering in the pot. Next, he prepped the pork liver.
This morning, Zhang the Third had told him that starting next Monday, pork prices would drop across the board. The price of pork belly would go from two yuan down to one, and pork ribs would go from one-yuan-eight down to nine mao. It was basically a 50% price cut.
The policy had indeed been issued, and it was being implemented simultaneously across all the towns in Jiazhou and in Jiazhou City itself.
The other shoe had dropped. This was incredibly good news.
The price of beef was also confirmed to be dropping. He had already pre-ordered some beef shank from a few of the "uncles" today, preparing to officially launch his braised beef on Monday.
At four yuan a jin, he was almost too embarrassed to hang up a price sign for the braised beef.
But three yuan a jin? That was a different story entirely.
Braised beef at the same price as braised pig ears and braised pig snout... the value proposition was immediately obvious.
And unlike pig ears and snouts, which were scarce, it was relatively easier for him to get more beef shank.
No joke, Slaughter Ox Zhou Village was his backer!
In Suji, or even all of Jiazhou, no one could get more beef shank than him.
’Heh heh heh...’
Zhou Yan coughed lightly, schooling his expression.
Putting other things aside, he would at least have a stable stream of income coming in from Feiyan Restaurant soon.
Huang He had been eyeing his braised beef for a long time.
He wouldn’t consider exclusive rights, but selling to him was no problem at all.
Besides, once meat prices dropped, the profit margin on his braised pig head, originally 30%, would immediately shoot up to over 50%.
’Heh heh, and I’m not lowering my prices!’
Anyway, the original deal was a 20% discount on the selling price, and his selling price hadn’t changed.
The customers started arriving one after another.
He transferred the braised pork ribs and the beef with bamboo shoots into clay pots and set them over a honeycomb briquette stove to simmer on low heat. There wasn’t a large quantity, so he just needed to keep them warm.
He started stir-frying in the large wok.
Everyone had pre-ordered, so they just had to give their name upon arrival, and the food could be served quickly.
"Mao’Er! You’re here again~~"
"I am! Do you like my hat today?"
"It’s pwetty! What’s that sparkly thing on your neck?"
"It’s a diamond."
"A diamond? It’s so beautiful!"
"Hehe, you have good taste, sweetie. Then how about... I give you a diamond ring?"
"No, Brother said I can’t just take things from people."
"Aww, you’re so well-behaved. How about next time, I bring you a talking doll?"
"Uh-huh, does it really talk?"
"Of course."
The conversation between Zhou Momo and Duan Yu Yan drifted in from the entrance, and Zhou Yan knew they had finished their chat and were here to eat.
He had just finished stir-frying two portions of spicy pork liver. As he carried the dishes out, he saw Wang and Mrs. Qiu walking in.
Wang had a smile on his face, looking as high-spirited as he must have in his youth.
Mrs. Qiu wore a faint smile, her features relaxed, gentle, and elegant.
Zhou Yan set the dishes down and walked up to greet them with a smile. "Wang, Mrs. Qiu, please, come in."
"Alright," Wang replied with a smile.
"Zhou, thank you," Mrs. Qiu said softly, looking at Zhou Yan instead of immediately taking a seat.
"You’re too kind. I was very happy to see you two walking across the Stone Slab Bridge together today," Zhou Yan said with a small smile.
Mrs. Qiu nodded slightly and sat down with Wang.
Duan Yu Yan came in and smiled at Zhou Yan. "Your sister is so cute."
"If you like her, she can be your sister too," Zhou Yan laughed.
"Really?! You said it!" Duan Yu Yan’s eyes lit up. She bent down and scooped Zhou Momo into her arms. "I’d love that! Come on, call me Sister Yuyan."
"Sister Yuyan," Zhou Momo called out obediently.
"Give me a kiss." Duan Yu Yan turned her cheek.
"Mwah~" Zhou Momo leaned in and gave her a peck. After the kiss, she looked surprised. "Sister, you smell so good!"
"Uh-huh, I am Sister Xiangxiang, after all." Duan Yu Yan smiled so wide her eyes nearly disappeared. "You smell like sweet milk, too. Let’s cuddle."
Zhou Yan watched the two of them giggling.
’Sis, this is all your big brother can do for you.’
’That’s not just Sister Xiangxiang, that’s Sister God of Wealth.’
’Your future fancy toys are secured now.’
’See? Being cute has its privileges.’
A goddess that other people could only dream of, and on their second meeting, Zhou Momo was already kissing, hugging, and cuddling with her. She was even offered a diamond ring and turned it down.
Zhou Yan felt that Duan Yu Yan, this young lady from a capitalist family, was a pretty good person. She was rich but not arrogant, had decent values, and was a bit too filial, but otherwise, she was great.
If he managed to acquire the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion, he’d have to treat her to a meal, one way or another.
He glanced again at the bodyguard, Yan Fei, who was squatting by the Toyota Crown outside the door.
’What’s with him?’
’It feels like...’
’His eyes are always brimming with hot tears?’
Zhou Yan rubbed his neck, which felt inexplicably cold. He chuckled and turned back into the kitchen.
The dishes were served one by one. Mrs. Qiu tasted every dish, eating a little more than she usually did, and gave them high praise.
"Young Zhou isn’t old, but his cooking is truly skillful. I can even taste some of the flavors from that old generation of master chefs," Mrs. Qiu said with a touch of emotion as she set down her chopsticks.
"It’s truly excellent. The chefs the Wang Family hired back in the day weren’t as good as him," Wang added, nodding with a smile.
"The big restaurants in Rongcheng are about this level, and some aren’t even as good." Duan Yu Yan put down her bowl, also full of praise. She particularly liked the Huo Xiang Carp today; it was much better than the cold-dressed crucian carp at Feiyan Restaurant!
It was a total knockout!
In the future, if she were to eat out, she’d rather have the driver bring her all the way to Zhou Yan’s place.
Even though there were no private rooms and the ambiance was a bit lacking, the tables and chairs were clean, and so was the food.
Wang stood up to pay the bill, but this time Duan Yu Yan was prepared. She shot up from her seat, pulled out the money she had ready, and handed it to Zhao Tieying. "Ma’am, I already calculated it. This should be the right amount."
"Alright," Zhao Tieying said, nodding with a smile as she took the money.
All the dishes were cooked. Zhou Yan took off his apron, came out of the kitchen, and walked the three of them to the door.
"Zhou, next time you’re in Jiazhou, come to our home for tea," Mrs. Qiu said to Zhou Yan. She reached out and patted Zhou Momo, who was standing beside him, and added in a gentle tone, "Bring this little sweetheart along with you."
"Okay, I definitely will," Zhou Yan nodded.
"Uh-huh, pretty grandma, I’ll come visit you!" Zhou Momo bobbed her head.
"What about me?" Duan Yu Yan asked with a smile.
"I’ll visit Sister Xiangxiang too!" Zhou Momo said with a grin.
"Such a good girl." Duan Yu Yan was extremely pleased with herself.
Wang walked Mrs. Qiu to the car. They walked side by side, their silver-haired figures still standing tall and straight.
As if they had never bent their backs to life.
One grew old while being loved.
The other found new life in a sea of books.
The reunion of Qiu Qi and Wang Yu was like a Romantic Encounter that spanned fifty years.
And now, it had reached a perfect conclusion.
"Wang Yu gave that box of letters to my grandmother. She was as happy as a sixteen-year-old girl receiving her first love letter, holding the box the whole time in the car. I think she’ll open them one by one, according to the year," Duan Yu Yan said softly, also watching their retreating figures.
"Those letters, all different shades from over the years, standing upright in the box... they look like the growth rings of his life."
"I never imagined that loving someone could be this romantic."
"I think I believe in love again."
Zhou Yan smiled at her words. That was good. The letters had finally made it into Miss Qiu’s hands.
Wang Yu’s deep affection had not been in vain.
"After I get back, I’ll talk to my grandmother about you wanting to buy the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion. As long as she agrees, I’ll let you know immediately." Duan Yu Yan turned to Zhou Yan and said with a smile, "Wait for my good news."
"I only have a little over a thousand yuan on me right now. You might have to wait two months for me to save up ten thousand," Zhou Yan said.
"It doesn’t matter. I said I’d sell it to you for ten thousand, and I won’t change my mind even if someone else offers a hundred thousand." Duan Yu Yan gave a small smile. "Thank you. I can feel that my grandmother’s heart has been unburdened. If it weren’t for you, they might never have reunited in this lifetime. What a shame that would have been."
"How about you give me a cash discount?" Zhou Yan asked sincerely.
"No way! Ten thousand is ten thousand, no more, no less." Duan Yu Yan huffed. "Besides, you can save up ten thousand yuan in two months. You’re a high-income earner. I might stick around for a while longer. I’ll leave after I get your money."
"The kid’s young and doesn’t know any better. I could have held on to that diamond ring for her."
"Hey! I think you’re the one who knows a little too much!" Duan Yu Yan turned to leave, the corners of her lips curling up. She waved a hand without looking back. "I’m off, goodbye."
"Goodbye," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.
"Brother, is that thing with four wheels a car?" Zhou Momo asked, tilting her head up.
"Yes, that’s a car." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, watching the black-plated Toyota Crown slowly pull away. ’With what it cost to get that on the road in this country, you could probably buy a whole row of courtyard houses in the Capital right now.’
Wang walked over and gripped Zhou Yan’s hand tightly. His lips moved, and his voice was choked with emotion. "Zhou..."
"We’re men. We get it. Say no more." Zhou Yan squeezed his hand firmly and said with a smile.
"She gave me her address in Hong Kong and told me to write to her often." Wang’s voice was filled with excitement. "It’s like... I’ve found my anchor in this world again."
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PS: Extra Chapter! Done writing! Asking for monthly tickets!
We’re second on the new book monthly ticket leaderboard! We’re so freaking awesome! (SHOUTING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS!)
For the last two days, I’ll keep dropping bonus Chapters! I’m counting on you all for the monthly tickets!