Chapter 352 - 189: Is This a Restaurant, Not a Cafeteria?

Chapter 352: Chapter 189: Is This a Restaurant, Not a Cafeteria?

Zhou Yan paid for the beef offal and casually asked, "Has Ming gone to school?"

"He just came by the yard to say hi. Said he was running to school. You didn’t see him on your way here?"

"Running? I really didn’t notice." Zhou Yan laughed when he heard this. Running over ten kilometers to work was even more absurd than Huang Ying and Huang Bing riding their bikes just to eat.

’Martial artists really can do whatever they want.’

Ma Jinhua nodded. "He said he’s planning to buy a bike soon. His work unit gave him a bicycle voucher. It’ll be more convenient to ride home from Mount Emei in the future. Besides, a bike is one of the essential items you need when getting married, so he figures he might as well buy it early and enjoy it."

’It’s dozens of kilometers to ride back from Mount Emei. That doesn’t sound very convenient. The gravel roads would rattle your butt numb.’

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "That’s great. Having a vehicle does make things more convenient."

In this era, people would dare to cross mountains and valleys on foot just to visit friends and family. With a bicycle, you felt like you could go wherever you pleased.

After loading the beef and offal onto the bike, Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou rode back to the restaurant.

Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui had just arrived as well, and they greeted Zhou Yan with a smile.

"Huihui, open up." Zhou Yan pulled the keys from his pocket and tossed them to Zhou Lihui.

"Okay!" Zhou Lihui caught the keys, stepped forward, and unlocked and pushed open the door.

Mrs. Zhao was also up and had come downstairs. She took an apron from the wall and helped unload the goods. Lifting out the basket of beef offal, her eyes lit up. "This offal is great quality today! Your Uncle really knows how to pick his cattle, and your aunt cleans it up so nicely."

"Exactly." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. This family was full of experts; they could tell if beef and offal were good with just a single glance.

If they got the offal from anyone else, his three uncles would all inspect it together. Anything of poor quality wouldn’t even pass their standards.

"I’m going to get the tofu now." After unloading everything from the bike, Comrade Zhou padded his back basket with a thick layer of straw and rode off.

Mrs. Zhao took the offal to give it a thorough washing, while Zhao Hong was in charge of washing the beef bones in preparation for making the stock.

Zhou Lihui had already gone to the kitchen to fetch water.

Everyone had their own role, and they all got busy.

Customers began to arrive one after another, and the restaurant quickly filled with people there to eat noodles.

Zhou Lihui worked until 7:30, then slung on his schoolbag, picked up his lunch box and a small jar of pickled vegetables, and left for class.

Zhou Yan had saved two portions of noodles. It was almost eight o’clock and most of the customers had left when Zhang Zhengping leisurely pulled up to the entrance on his bike. There was a canvas bag in the basket and a bulging urea sack tied to the back rack.

"Granduncle!" Zhou Momo was at the entrance washing her face, her little cheeks scrunched out of shape. She didn’t forget to mumble a call, "Save me~"

"Hey!" Zhang Zhengping replied with a laugh. "You’ve got to wash your face properly, or it’ll get all grimy."

"Uncle, come on in and sit down. Zhou Yan saved some noodles for you," Zhao Tieying said with a smile. She put down the warm towel in her hand, picked up a comb, and started to tame the stubborn tuft of hair sticking up on Zhou Momo’s head.

"Granduncle! I’m eating noodles too! Let’s eat together!" Zhou Momo said, looking up at him with a beaming smile.

"You bet," Zhang Zhengping agreed with a laugh and walked into the restaurant.

"Granduncle, what kind of noodles would you like?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile, coming out of the kitchen and looking at Zhang Zhengping.

Zhang Zhengping looked around for a moment, then said with a smile, "I’ll have the Stirred Noodles with Crumbled Beef. I thought the crumbled beef with rice smelled amazing last night, so I want to see what it’s like with noodles."

"You got it. Have a seat," Zhou Yan replied, turning back toward the kitchen.

"Brother, I want Braised Pork Rib Noodles!" Zhou Momo called out from behind him in a high, childish voice.

"Okay!" Zhou Yan replied.

A short while later, Zhou Yan came out carrying two bowls of noodles.

Zhou Momo’s Braised Pork Rib Noodles in a clear broth, and Granduncle’s Stirred Noodles with Crumbled Beef.

The little one liked clear-broth noodles in the morning, so Zhou Yan had cooked hers in a pork bone stock, seasoned it with a bit of salt, and added a small handful of green vegetable leaves. She absolutely loved it.

These noodles weren’t on the menu; they were Zhou Momo’s exclusive, secret menu item.

"These clear-broth noodles look wonderful too. Your grandaunt would definitely like them; she can’t handle heavy or oily flavors in the morning," Zhang Zhengping said with a smile. His gaze then shifted to the Stirred Noodles with Crumbled Beef in front of him, and his eyes lit up.

The double-pepper crumbled beef practically covered the top of the noodles. The portion was incredibly generous—at least an ounce or two of beef.

The essence of stirred noodles was in the ’stirring’. He plunged his chopsticks to the bottom of the bowl and lifted, and the red chili oil immediately stained the white noodles a brilliant color. After a few more turns, the crumbled beef was evenly coated on the noodles as well. The green and red peppers, along with the lightly seared beef, clung to the glossy noodles, looking absolutely appetizing.

The aroma of the beef wafted up with the steam, and Zhang Zhengping couldn’t help but swallow. It was a feast for the eyes and the nose!

’Time to see how it tastes!’

SLUURP!

Zhang Zhengping lifted a clump of noodles with his chopsticks and brought them to his mouth, slurping them in.

Numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant flavors exploded on the tip of his tongue. The seasoning was simply perfect!

These weren’t the common alkaline noodles you’d find in most noodle shops; the texture was surprisingly chewy and smooth. They were also especially good at picking up the topping. This one mouthful was full of the double-pepper crumbled beef—crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, numbing and spicy. Paired with the noodles, it was a match made in heaven!

’So delicious!’

This bowl of Dry Stirred Noodles with Double-Pepper Crumbled Beef that Zhou Yan made was simply the gold standard for all stirred noodles.

It even came with a bowl of bone broth, lightly seasoned, with a few specks of tender green scallion floating on top. When a few bites of the noodles started to feel a bit dry, a sip of the hot, savory broth would instantly warm his whole body. It was pure comfort.

"Delicious! Are these hand-pulled noodles you made yourself? They feel a bit like Shanxi-style pulled noodles—so wonderfully chewy and smooth." Zhang Zhengping looked at Zhou Yan and praised, "The double-pepper crumbled beef is a fantastic match for stirred noodles, and this bone broth is incredibly savory. Paired with the dry stirred noodles, it makes for a wonderful breakfast."