Chapter 301 - 174: The Breakout Plan

Chapter 301: Chapter 174: The Breakout Plan

"Okay, I’ll go talk to them about the specifics then," Zhou Yan nodded.

’He figured He Zhiyuan must have had a hand in this, pushing it forward. The township leaders probably wouldn’t have the foresight or decisiveness to industrialize a single dish on their own.’

After the table was cleared, Zhou Yan and Zhou Miao got on their bikes and took their great-uncle and the old lady home.

The old man was a bit tipsy, so they didn’t feel comfortable letting him take the old lady home on his bike.

Zhou Miao rode the bicycle he had borrowed back to the village, which would make it much more convenient for him to get around.

His great-aunt needed him to come over for acupuncture, and it was quite a long walk to go back and forth.

"Zhou Yan, I really enjoyed the meal today. Your cooking is fantastic," Zhang Zhengping said as he got off the bike, grabbing Zhou Yan’s hand.

"If you like it, Great-uncle, feel free to ride over anytime. It’s only a ten-minute trip," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Will do. You two ride safely now," Zhang Zhengping said, letting go of his hand.

Zhou Yan acknowledged him and headed back to the restaurant with Comrade Zhou on the back of his bike.

A single flashlight lit their way. As they passed their family’s old house, he glanced over, and Comrade Zhou was also staring at it intently.

"Hey, Old Man, still thinking about coming back to fix up the house?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Of course I am," Comrade Zhou chuckled. "Once I save up enough money, I’ll come back and rebuild it. That way, we’ll have a place to stay when we return to the village."

"Shouldn’t be a problem," Zhou Yan said, smiling. "Wait until I get the house in Jiazhou sorted out, and I’ll help you save up money for the renovations too."

"Don’t you worry about that. You just focus on what you need to do. We won’t be coming back to live here anytime soon anyway." Comrade Zhou looked away, his tone firm. "Your mother said that as long as our family is together, it doesn’t matter where we live.

If you want to build a future in Jiazhou, we’ll go with you as long as you need us. If you want to buy a house in the city, then go buy one. We’ll support you completely."

A warmth spread through Zhou Yan’s chest. ’Mrs. Zhao is so sensible, and she has so much faith in me, her son.’

"I did the math. We’ll have enough to buy the house by next month, but tearing it down, rebuilding, and renovating will probably cost a lot more. I plan to earn as I go, no rush," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Grandma was right: live within your means. We’ll earn the money slowly and live our lives well. We have plenty of time."

"Okay, you handle it then," Comrade Zhou nodded. After a moment of silence, he added, "Want to play a couple more games of chess when we get back? I figured out that move from yesterday. If I’d played differently, you would have definitely lost."

"Still not ready to admit defeat, huh? Sure, I’ll play a couple more games with you," Zhou Yan laughed.

Back at the restaurant, Mrs. Zhao had already finished mopping the floor and was wiping down the tables. Zhou Yan looked around but didn’t see Zhou Momo.

Mrs. Zhao smiled and said, "She fell asleep right after you left. She ran wild with Fanwa this evening and was so tired she passed out the moment she lay down. Didn’t even need to be lulled to sleep."

"You’ve been on your feet all day, you must be tired. Go soak your feet. I’ll finish wiping up," Comrade Zhou said gently, taking the rag from Mrs. Zhao’s hand.

"Okay. There are just these three tables left. I’ve got hot water on the stove. You two should soak your feet later, too. It’ll help you relax," Mrs. Zhao said as she walked toward the kitchen.

"I’ll get the water for the foot bath," Zhou Yan said, following her in.

With a wooden bucket at each of their feet, Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou sat facing each other, the chessboard already set up between them.

Mrs. Zhao sat between them, acting as a referee and chatting away.

"I talked it over with your father. We’re thinking of inviting a few of our brothers and nephews and their families over for dinner this Sunday to liven things up. When our house collapsed, everyone chipped in and lent us money to get through it. Now that we’re settled in town, we should have them over for a meal so they know where to find us," Mrs. Zhao said, looking at Zhou Yan. "What do you think?"

"Of course," Zhou Yan nodded. He asked seriously, "Should I see if my master and senior brother are free? We could do a full ’Three Steams and Nine Buckles’ banquet, make it a really proper affair."

"No, no, we’re not hosting a huge banquet. If you do all that, people won’t know whether they’re supposed to give you red envelopes or not," Mrs. Zhao said, shaking her head with a smile. "Let’s just cook the dishes from our menu. You do the stir-frying, and your father and I will be your assistants. Treat it as a family dinner. It’ll be a good chance for your uncles and cousins to taste your cooking."

"We’ll just have the dinner in the evening. That way, it won’t affect Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai’s stalls, or your three uncles’ butchering and meat-selling. That day is their busiest day of the week."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. ’His mom really had thought of everything.’ "I’ll write up a menu tonight, get a headcount, and prepare for the day."

"Check!" Comrade Zhou declared smugly.

"Old Man, launching a sneak attack, are we!" Zhou Yan looked at the board, raising an eyebrow.

...

The night ended with Zhou Yan’s narrow defeat, with one win and two losses.

Comrade Zhou emptied the foot-soaking water, then triumphantly put his arm around his wife and headed upstairs to bed.

Clearly, he was going to sleep well tonight.

Zhou Yan took out the cash box and began to count the day’s earnings and do the accounting.

The twenty extra portions of Kneeling Beef they had prepared today were all sold out, increasing revenue by twelve yuan from that item alone.

Mrs. Zhao’s judgment had been correct. As the weather grew colder, customers were clearly more willing to order a bowl of piping hot Kneeling Beef.

Before even stepping into the restaurant, the aroma of the hot beef broth was more persuasive than any sales pitch.

In contrast, sales of the cold-dressed chicken were gradually declining. The daily prep amount had already been reduced from four chickens to three, and with the weather getting colder, there was room for it to drop even further.