Chapter 131 - 117: Pasting the Drawing with Rice
Chapter 131: Chapter 117: Pasting the Drawing with Rice
Xiao Lei arrived at noon as promised. It was clear he had a deep obsession with stir-frying the perfect Spicy Pork Liver.
Zhou Yan was more than happy to have his Master here. After all, he was a man who knew how to make himself useful—not only did he take full charge of the Spicy Pork Liver, but he also helped chop up side ingredients.
A top-tier prep cook!
However, it was always easy to approach a limit, but very difficult to break through it.
He stir-fried another ten portions of Spicy Pork Liver at noon. You could see some slight improvement, but the entry in Zhou Yan’s vision didn’t change.
[An Extremely Good Plate of Spicy Pork Liver]
"Master, your Spicy Pork Liver is amazing! Are you coming back tonight?" Zhou Yan asked tentatively. ’Obsession is a subjective thing. If he thinks he’s succeeded, then the obsession will naturally fade away.’
’Wouldn’t his quest be complete then?’
"I feel like it’s still missing something." Xiao Lei put down his chopsticks and shook his head. "It still doesn’t have the same feel as yours, and there’s a gap compared to what the Master cooks. I’ll continue tonight, and I’ll come back whenever I’m free. I refuse to believe I can’t close that tiny gap."
"Alright! Come on by, you’re always welcome." Zhou Yan smiled at his words. ’My Master’s palate really is discerning; he can even taste such a small difference. He’s not easy to fool.’
"I saw the sign at your door. ’Taking reservations for lunch starting tomorrow.’ Looks like you’re planning to steal business from the state-owned restaurant," Xiao Lei said with a smile.
"I don’t have a choice. Business from the textile mill has already peaked. If I want to pull in more customers, I have to find a way to expand my customer base. I need to capture a portion of the weekend dining crowd." Zhou Yan looked at Xiao Lei and asked, "Master, the state-owned restaurant won’t try to pull some shady stuff on me behind my back, will they?"
"Hard to say. If you drive them to the point where they can’t stay open, they’ll definitely find a way to survive," Xiao Lei said with a laugh. "Their head Chef, Fan Qingfeng, is a pretty straightforward guy with a bit of pride. He probably wouldn’t resort to dirty tricks."
"But the management of the state-owned restaurant is another story. The number of people in Suji Town who go out for meals is limited. The state-owned restaurant has to support a lot of employees; they have a bottom line they can’t cross."
Zhou Yan grew thoughtful upon hearing this. ’It’s a small town, after all. It’s not just about open conflict; it’s also about connections and social etiquette.’
’Now that his uncle has suddenly become the head of the armed forces department, he wasn’t too worried about them using connections to pressure him in Suji.’
’But the state-owned restaurant has a dozen or two employees. If he smashes their ’iron rice bowls,’ who knows what kind of trouble they might stir up? His Master’s warning did have a point.’
"What’s there to be afraid of? We’re in the middle of the ’Strike Hard’ campaign. What could they dare to do?" Seeing Zhou Yan’s serious expression, Xiao Lei laughed. "Everyone’s just trying to run a business. The food is the original sin. If it’s not good enough, you practice more. You can’t hold a knife to a customer’s throat and force them to eat at your place, can you?"
"Those sons of bitches at the state-owned restaurant have just had it too easy for too long. With no competition, customers have no choice but to go there for hosting meals."
"And their waiters, they all look down their noses at you. They ignore customers’ questions, and sometimes they even get physical and hit people. Tell me, isn’t that just lawless?"
The more Xiao Lei spoke, the more agitated he became, his words filled with disgust.
Zhou Yan listened, stunned.
’As expected of his Master, so insightful!’
’And a little wild.’
"Keep up the good work. If you get too busy on weekends in the future, just call me. I’ll come help you out. Just pay me a prep cook’s daily wage. If it gets even busier, I’ll call Zheng Qiang over for you too," Xiao Lei said, looking at Zhou Yan.
"Alright!" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. This was an offer he really couldn’t refuse.
"By the way, the table count for the wedding banquet on the eighth has been finalized. They added two tables, so it’s twenty-two in total. I wrote down a list of the braised dishes they need; just follow it." Xiao Lei added with a smile, "I’ll promote you a bit then, too. I just don’t know how effective it’ll be."
"I’ll never be able to repay my Master’s kindness," Zhou Yan said with emotion.
’Having a Master like him was truly a blessing.’
’A wedding banquet with several hundred people, all of whom have tasted his braised meat before. This kind of promotion would be incredibly effective.’
Just in the past few days, Zhou Yan had already seen several familiar faces coming specifically for his braised pig’s head.
Zhou Yan added, "Oh, right, Master, three more parties came to book banquets yesterday. I had to turn one down because of a scheduling conflict, but the other two worked out, so I accepted them for you. They are..."
The master and disciple, one running a restaurant, the other catering banquets in the countryside—both had bright futures ahead of them.
...
After the lunch service ended, Xiao Lei went home for a nap.
Zhou Yan untied his apron and flopped onto the recliner at the entrance. A 28-inch bicycle with two large green bags hanging from it stopped in front of him.
"Zhou Yan, you have a package. Sign for it, please," the postman said, parking his bike and taking something out of his bag.
Zhou Yan shot to his feet. ’It must be from Mountain City.’
’A package? Not a letter?’
’Xia Yao sent him something?’
The postman handed him a long, rectangular package wrapped in several layers of oil paper and had him sign for it.
Zhou Momo had already scampered out of the restaurant. She came up to Zhou Yan, tilting her head back to look at the package in his hands, her big eyes full of anticipation. "Brother, is it from Yaoyao?"
Mrs. Zhao, still holding a rag, also came over to take a look.
"Yes, it’s from her." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, already recognizing Xia Yao’s familiar handwriting and signature.
The package wasn’t large, but it was a bit heavy. Zhou Yan found an edge and peeled away layer after layer of kraft paper, revealing an exquisite box of—crayons?
"Is it something yummy? What a pretty box," Zhou Momo said, leaning in for a closer look.
"It’s not for eating. They’re crayons for drawing. Yaoyao must have sent them for you," Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Really? Yaoyao is the best!" Zhou Momo’s eyes sparkled, and she was so happy she nearly started jumping up and down.
"Xia Yao is so thoughtful. She saw that Momo used charcoal to draw for her, so she went out of her way to buy crayons and mail them over. This must have cost a lot of money," Mrs. Zhao remarked, also filled with emotion.
Beneath the crayons was a letter in an envelope, but it didn’t have a stamp.
’This girl is smart, frugal when she should be, and generous when she should be.’
Zhou Yan handed the crayons to Zhou Momo and said with a smile, "Put them on the table and let Mom help you open them. These are crayons for drawing. You absolutely cannot eat them, understand?"
"Mhm! I understand!" Zhou Momo nodded, took the crayons with both hands, and turned to give them to Mrs. Zhao. "Mom, help me open it!"
"Come here." Mrs. Zhao took the crayons, placed them on the table, and helped her open the box. There were two rows of crayons, twenty-four in total, and they looked very exquisite.
"Wow! So pretty!" Zhou Momo climbed onto the long bench by herself. Her eyes lit up when she saw the crayons, and she couldn’t help but swallow. "They look so yummy!"
"Zhou Momo, I’m warning you! You can’t eat these. You’ll get diarrhea if you do." Mrs. Zhao moved the crayons back a little, her expression serious as she warned her.
"Oh..." Zhou Momo nodded, then scooted forward again, her eyes shining as she looked at them. "So many colors! This is the color of a persimmon, this is the color of the sky, this is the color of the roof, this is the color of Grandma’s hair..."
Outside, Zhou Yan had already opened the envelope.
"Zhou Yan:
To receive your treasured letter was like seeing an old friend.
A few nights ago, it rained heavily in Mountain City. The weather has cooled, and it’s finally starting to feel a bit like autumn.
In the rockery behind our dorm, a stray cat gave birth to a litter of kittens. The mother cat was too skinny and couldn’t feed all six of them. Deng Hong secretly brought one back to the dorm to raise, and she actually managed to keep it alive. It’s a little orange tabby, so tiny and cute.
I’ve read your advice and well wishes several times. Your insights and deductions about advertising were a real eye-opener for me, and I now have a clear direction for my future career plans..."
Zhou Yan leaned back in the recliner, looking at the elegant handwriting. It was as if he could hear Xia Yao’s voice by his ear, and the corners of his mouth turned up unconsciously.
Her writing was still so lively. She wrote about many interesting things happening on campus and expressed her gratitude for the advice he had given in his last letter.
At the end of the letter, she mentioned Zhou Momo.
"Momo’s drawing is so cute, full of childish wonder and love. I think she has a talent for drawing, so I sent her a box of crayons. I hope she can use them to create even more interesting pictures.
I’ve drawn a picture with the crayons to give to her. Please pass it along for me. I added color based on the drawing she sent me.
Yesterday, I was walking along the banks of the Yangtze River with my roommate, and I couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic for the breeze by the Suji River.
May you be safe and sound, and may all your wishes come true.
Xia Yao."
Zhou Yan stared at the third-to-last line for a while, trying to analyze the emotions the author was trying to convey.
Unfortunately, his reading comprehension skills were too poor, and he couldn’t figure it out.
’Maybe the breeze in Suji is cooler than the breeze in Mountain City, which is why she misses it.’
’That place, Mountain City, is practically a furnace in the summer.’
He flipped to the next page. It was a folded drawing of a small courtyard. In the courtyard was a little girl with two pigtails, an orange tabby cat at her feet, and a goose with its wings spread out beside her.
The picture was drawn with crayons, and its overall layout was based on the one Zhou Momo had sent her.
The blurry charcoal lines and abstract figures of the person and animals had become clear and vivid. The drawing of Zhou Momo, in particular, was an amazing likeness.
The childlike fun of a countryside courtyard was captured perfectly.
Zhou Yan unconsciously sat up straight, staring at it for a moment.
"Wow! Isn’t this the drawing I gave to Yaoyao? It got prettier!" Zhou Momo had crept up behind him at some point and exclaimed in surprise.
"Xia Yao redrew it, didn’t she? It’s so well-drawn! That girl is just so thoughtful," Mrs. Zhao also said in admiration, feeling even more pleased with Xia Yao. ’What a pity, sigh.’
"This is a drawing Yaoyao sent for you. She said she received your drawing and loved it. She thinks you’re a great artist, so she sent you a box of crayons for you to use next time," Zhou Yan said with a smile, handing the drawing to Zhou Momo.
"Mhm!" Zhou Momo took it carefully, her eyes shining as if she were staring at a treasure. As she walked back into the restaurant, she muttered, "Crayons... colors... pretty! But... why did Huahua turn orange?"
Zhou Yan’s lips curved up slightly. ’It’s because Xia Yao and her roommates are hiding a little orange tabby in their dorm, so she probably thought Grandma’s cat was an orange tabby too.’
"It’s so beautiful. Let me help you stick it to the wall with some rice, so you don’t tear it up right away," Mrs. Zhao’s voice came from inside.
Zhou Yan leaped up from his chair, turned, and dashed into the shop. "Save the drawing from the rice!"