Chapter 420 - 207: He’ll Have to Thank Us

Chapter 420: Chapter 207: He’ll Have to Thank Us

"Then why not just hold it at Le Ming Restaurant?" Duan Yu Yan wondered.

Mrs. Qiu smiled. "Huang Silang is a sharp fellow. He spent a fortune renovating Feiyan Restaurant, making it far more presentable than Le Ming Restaurant’s single-story building. And Feiyan Restaurant is actually quite good; its head chef just isn’t as famous as Le Ming’s was. It still has its own unique character."

Duan Yu Yan nodded thoughtfully.

Mrs. Qiu continued, "Later, Luo suddenly passed away after a bout of heavy drinking, and his son never managed to master the craft. The lineage was broken, and Le Ming Restaurant had to remove signature dishes like Snowflake Chicken Porridge and Pottery Pork from their menu.

"I remember Snowflake Chicken Porridge vividly. It’s a dish where you ’eat chicken without seeing chicken.’ Piled in a bowl, it truly looked like a mound of fresh snow. It was sprinkled with a little minced ham, the red and white creating a striking contrast. The texture was incredibly delicate, and it was absolutely delicious to eat."

"Le Ming Restaurant went decades without being able to bring that dish back. I never thought Zhou Yan would be able to puzzle it out just from a recipe. His talent is truly remarkable."

Duan Yu Yan gulped. "You’re making my mouth water," she said with a laugh. "We’re heading back to Xiangjiang next Friday. Why don’t we ask Zhou Yan to come over and cook for us this weekend? Didn’t you say you had some things you wanted to go over with him?"

Mrs. Qiu shook her head at that. "Most people invite guests over for a meal. You, on the other hand, invite someone over to cook the meal for you."

"What’s the big deal? This place will be his home soon. We’re definitely going to miss his housewarming party, so we can just consider this him treating us in advance." Duan Yu Yan grinned mischievously. "He might even end up thanking us."

Mrs. Qiu couldn’t help but laugh as well. After a moment’s thought, she said, "Alright, then. Let him know ahead of time, just in case he already has plans for the weekend. I do have a few things I need to go over with him."

"Okay, I’ll head over to Suji tomorrow, then." Duan Yu Yan looked at the old woman and asked, "Grandma, should I invite Wang over, too? We can all have a nice meal together. Who knows when we’ll see each other again after this."

Mrs. Qiu nodded slightly. "Yes, that’s a good idea. He’s never had a meal in this house before."

...

Mrs. Zhao came back with a stack of that day’s Jiazhou Daily. The very first thing she did upon returning to the restaurant was to have Comrade Zhou cut out the page with the special feature and paste it on the wall, right next to their copy of *Sichuan Cuisine* magazine.

"What do you think?" Mrs. Zhao asked Zhou Yan, who was standing beside her.

"Perfect. It’s very eye-catching," Zhou Yan said with a smiling nod. ’This is basically the same as those restaurants in the future that hang a whole wall of photos of the owner with celebrities.’

’It’s a good move. It adds a certain depth to the restaurant and gives people something to talk about.’

’A restaurant featured in *Sichuan Cuisine* and the *Jiazhou Daily*... that sounds pretty authoritative.’

’Mrs. Zhao may not be very literate, but she’s a fast learner. She’s already got a handle on basic marketing.’

"Brother, look! I’m here eating paotong!" Zhou Momo pointed at the tiny figure standing in front of Qian Siyuan in the picture, her face a mask of wonder. "The picture is so good! They even drew the paotong. Paotong are so yummy, crispy and fragrant!"

Everyone laughed at her words.

During the group photo that day, Qian Siyuan had been sitting in the center of the front row. He saw Zhou Momo watching the excitement from the sidelines while eating her paotong and called her over to join the picture.

The little one had slipped five paotong tubes onto her fingers and thought she looked incredibly cool.

It was clear Qian Siyuan was very fond of children.

"Brother, can we take some ricey-rice to trade for more paotong? They’re crispy and fragrant and sweet and yummy!" Zhou Momo sidled up to Zhou Yan, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

"Next time the paotong vendor comes around, I’ll give you a small bag of rice and you can go get some made yourself," Zhou Yan laughed.

"Okay!" The little girl nodded, beaming with happiness.

It was December first. That evening, after the restaurant closed, Zhou Yan called out to Zhao Hong just as she was untying her apron to leave.

He handed her a packed-up serving of the leftover cold-tossed chicken and a portion of pork ribs. Along with the food, he passed her a stack of Great Unity notes. "It’s the first of the month, so here’s last month’s salary. I’ve already dressed the leftover chicken for you, and there are some ribs, too. Take them home for your two kids so you don’t have to worry about cooking tonight."

"It’s the first already? Time flies. I just get home and crash every night, I’ve completely lost track of the days." Zhao Hong looked surprised for a second, but a smile quickly spread across her face. She accepted the food and money, rubbing the stack of bills between her fingers. Then she shook her head. "Wait, this isn’t right. How come there’s so much?"