Chapter 123 - 111: Look, No Meal Is Eaten for Free
Chapter 123: Chapter 111: Look, No Meal Is Eaten for Free
When it came to work ethic, He Zhiyuan and Li were truly impeccable.
It took them nearly an hour to take just two photos.
From the amount of broth in the bowl, to the precise angle of the beef slices, to the adjustments in Zhou Yan’s posture, and the capture of the light...
The whole ordeal left even Zhou Yan exhausted.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Zhao and the others watched from the side, completely captivated.
"Perfect! These two photos are absolutely brilliant!" After the shoot, He Zhiyuan was ecstatic. He hadn’t managed to get any material he was truly satisfied with on his trip to Mount Emei. He never expected to stumble upon such a treasure while visiting a friend on his way back.
Especially this Kneeling Beef. Served in a blue and white porcelain bowl, its classiness instantly shot up a thousandfold!
The broth was clear, the beef was a tender pink, and the curled edges of the tripe glistened with an inviting, crystalline sheen of oil.
The dipping saucer on the side was the masterstroke. The contrast of red and white perfectly embodied the defining characteristics of Sichuan Cuisine: "excelling in fresh, clean flavors, while being famed for its numbing spice."
Once the photos were developed, if the results were good, he would definitely fight to get the editor-in-chief to make the Kneeling Beef the cover of the next issue.
"Chief Editor He, could you possibly take a picture of our family with your camera?" Mrs. Zhao asked with a smile, walking over while holding Zhou Momo.
Sometime during the shoot, she had changed into a blue-patterned Dacron shirt and a new pair of leather shoes. Zhou Momo had also been changed into a clean little blue and white dress, her hair done in two small braids.
He Zhiyuan subconsciously took half a step back, but a smile quickly formed on his face. "Of course, I can. Come on, have your family stand by the restaurant entrance, and I’ll take a family portrait for you."
"Oh, thank you," Mrs. Zhao said, delighted. She quickly called Zhou Yan and Zhou Miao over.
Mrs. Zhao stood in the middle holding Zhou Momo, with Zhou Yan and Zhou Miao on either side.
Zhou Yan smiled. ’A family portrait,’ he thought. ’What a novel concept. I’m finally getting one taken in this lifetime.’
"Brother, what are we doing?" Zhou Momo tilted her head and looked at Zhou Yan. She was too young to understand what having a picture taken meant.
"We’re taking a picture. It means that camera over there is going to draw us," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.
"A cam-bear-a? Is it a bear? Can bears draw?" Zhou Momo blinked, her little head growing even more confused.
He Zhiyuan picked up his camera and began to direct everyone:
"Come on, stand a little further forward so I can get the restaurant sign in the shot."
"That’s it, that’s it. When I count to three, everyone smile, okay?"
"Little one, look at uncle over here, give me a smile."
"Get a little closer. You’re a family, why do you look like strangers? That’s right, just like that. One, two... three!"
Though Mrs. Zhao was holding her, Zhou Momo leaned her head against Zhou Yan’s chest and broke into a sweet smile.
SNAP!
As the shutter snapped, the family’s smiles were frozen in that single moment.
He Zhiyuan carefully packed his camera away and said to Zhou Yan and the others with a smile, "After I get back, I’ll have the photos developed for you. When the next issue of *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine is out, I’ll mail them to you all together."
"Sounds good, thank you." Zhao Tieying watched the two men pack up to leave and called out with a smile, "We’re about to have lunch. Why don’t you join us for a quick bite before you go?"
"No, no, it’s alright. We need to go back and pack, then catch the bus to Jiazhou. We have to get back to Rongcheng today," He Zhiyuan said, waving his hand dismissively.
"Chief Editor He, even if you go to Jiazhou, you’ll still have to find a place for lunch. Just have a simple meal here with us before you head back," Zhou Yan added. "I’m going to start cooking now. We also have three masons who are helping with work upstairs eating with us today."
Hearing this, He Zhiyuan smiled and nodded. "Alright, then we won’t stand on ceremony. You’re right, we’d be hard-pressed to find a restaurant near the Jiazhou bus station better than yours on short notice."
Zhou Yan turned and went into the kitchen to cook.
Mrs. Zhao carefully picked up the blue and white porcelain bowl, found a large soup bowl to pour the contents into, then washed the porcelain bowl and dried it with a piece of gauze.
"This blue and white porcelain bowl is fantastic. You must keep it safe and don’t let anyone trick you out of it," He Zhiyuan reminded Mrs. Zhao. "There are a lot of bad people these days who take advantage of country folk, trading cheap towels and cups for valuable antiques."
"I will," Mrs. Zhao nodded.
"Uncle, when you put the cam-bear-a in your bag, won’t it growl? How does it draw? It just goes SNAP and the drawing is done?" Zhou Momo sidled up to him, her eyes fixed curiously on the bag holding the camera.
"Huh?" He Zhiyuan was stunned for a moment before he figured out what Zhou Momo meant. He and Li couldn’t help but laugh.
The little girl was as cute as a button, especially with her two little braids, and the way she talked was just delightful.
"Well, this camera of mine doesn’t usually growl. Here, let uncle show you the pictures it has drawn." He Zhiyuan rummaged through his bag and took out a small photo album. Inside were photos of landscapes and people he had taken on his travels throughout Sichuan.
"Wow! It draws so well! This ducky looks so yummy! This big river is so windy! This big sister is so pwetty..."
Zhou Momo leaned in to look, gasping with continuous admiration. She was praising the camera, but the smile never left He Zhiyuan’s face.
The little one was a natural at giving compliments.
’So different from those old geezers at the editorial office.’
The ones he’d had developed and kept in his album were all the photos he was most proud of from the past few years.
When they finished looking through the album, Zhou Momo blinked her big eyes at He Zhiyuan. "Uncle, has the camera been to lots and lots of places with you?"
"Yes, it’s my best partner on my journeys," He Zhiyuan said, nodding with a smile.
Li: ???
’Then what does that make me?’