Chapter 435 - 213: So This Is What It Feels Like to Count Money Until Your Hands Cramp

Chapter 435: Chapter 213: So This Is What It Feels Like to Count Money Until Your Hands Cramp

Mapo Tofu was a must-order. People ate tofu all the time, but as far as Mapo Tofu in Jiazhou went, his was the most authentic.

Then, for a homestyle classic, Shredded Pork with Garlic Sauce. And finally, for the star of the show, Huo Xiang Carp.

That made nine dishes.

A traditional open-air banquet called for "nine big bowls," the standard for a grand feast.

Serving nine dishes at a family dinner was more than enough to show how much the host valued the occasion.

Once this spread was on the table, it would be absolutely impressive.

If you had to be picky, the only thing missing would be a soup.

The only soup Zhou Yan was good at making was Kneeling Beef, and since he wasn’t making it that Sunday, that was that.

For a family dinner that included Zhou Momo, a spread of this caliber was more than enough.

He finalized the menu, noting down the necessary ingredients and quantities on the back. He would go buy them early Sunday morning, bringing them up from Suji. It was more reliable than running around Jiazhou like a headless chicken looking for a place to buy groceries.

The house purchase would be settled soon. At the thought of it, he began to feel a surge of excitement and joy.

Although rebuilding, renovating, and a host of other tasks still lay ahead—not to mention sinking a lot more money into it—the thought that this would be their future home made it feel completely different.

In an era when a house’s primary function was still for living, he felt it was completely worth spending a little extra for comfort.

Besides, he planned to turn the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion into a new restaurant, an investment that would be anything but small.

It was fine for a small-town eatery to be a bit shabby, with concrete floors, exposed wires for its incandescent bulbs, and a restroom that required a fifty-meter dash to the public toilet.

But in Jiazhou, everything would need an upgrade.

It didn’t need to rival the grand restaurants of Rongcheng, but at the very least, the wealthy of Jiazhou had to feel that dining there was a respectable affair.

Labor wasn’t expensive, but he estimated the building materials wouldn’t be cheap.

’No need to worry. In any case, there was no rush to move the restaurant. Zhou Yan Restaurant had only recently found its footing, and its income was now stabilizing. With the prospect of earning ten thousand yuan a month, he could renovate while still making money. It shouldn’t drag on for too long.’

He already had several design drafts for the new restaurant’s layout in his notebook.

Closing the notebook, Zhou Yan lay back on his bed, picked up *Modern Chinese History* from the headboard, and began to read intently. Today’s passage was:

"On September 18, 1931, the Kwantung Army of Japan stationed in China’s Northeast region suddenly attacked Shenyang, forcibly occupying the Northeast..."

"Those damn Japanese bastards! Sooner or later, we Chinese will settle this score with you!" Zhou Yan snapped the book shut and fell asleep, simmering with rage.

...

Over the next few days, the restaurant saw an increase in customers who came drawn by its reputation. They all said they had made a special trip to Suji to eat there after reading the article in the Jiazhou Daily.

The patrons arrived with high hopes and left completely satisfied. Many even ordered braised meat to-go, either for themselves or as gifts.

Zhou Yan was grinning from ear to ear. Never underestimate the power of advertising.

He’d have to treat that reporter from the Jiazhou Daily, Shen Shaohua, to a meal sometime. The man was truly something else. The article was fantastically written, and the move to include the address was a stroke of genius.

Everyone knew where Le Ming Restaurant was. But if he hadn’t included the address for Zhou Yan Restaurant, people wouldn’t have even known where to start asking.

His master had come by once, CLANGING away as he stir-fried his Spicy Pork Liver, but unfortunately, he still couldn’t break past that 1%.

It couldn’t be helped. Perfection was just that difficult. The demands on one’s skill and condition were simply too high.

「Saturday night.」

Zhou Yan skipped his run. After closing time, once the restaurant was cleaned and tidied, he shut the front door, bolted all the doors and windows, and the entire family went upstairs.

After Zhou Momo had been lulled to sleep, Zhou Yan hauled the wooden money box out from under the bed. He called over Mrs. Zhao and Comrade Zhou, then slowly opened the lid.

"WHOA—" Mrs. Zhao clapped a hand over her own mouth, then used her other hand to cover Comrade Zhou’s. She stared, utterly shocked, at the box stuffed full of money.

Comrade Zhou’s eyes lit up as well.

They had a rough idea of the restaurant’s earnings, as Zhou Yan would mention it to them from time to time.

But seeing a box so jam-packed with cash still left them stunned.

This was ten thousand yuan!

A "ten-thousand-yuan household," the envy of everyone!

Piled high right here in this box.

Mrs. Zhao crouched down, then beckoned to Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou.

The two men, utterly confused, crouched down beside her.

Mrs. Zhao leaned in, covering her mouth as she whispered, "Zhou Yan, is this really ten thousand yuan?"

Zhou Yan couldn’t help but laugh. ’Why are we being so secretive about looking at our own money in our own house?’ he thought.

"It’s actually ten thousand seven hundred. I didn’t put the odd change in," Zhou Yan said with a smile. ℴ𝒗ⅇ𝑙.

"Ten thousand yuan... it doesn’t seem like as much as I imagined, does it? It all fits inside this one big box," Mrs. Zhao muttered quietly, glancing around.

"It really isn’t as much as I’d imagined," Comrade Zhou agreed with a nod.

"That’s just because they’re all small bills. If it were all in Great Unity notes, it would only be a small stack." Zhou Yan smiled and made a small gesture with his hands. He looked at his parents and said, "I have to deliver this money to Mrs. Qiu and Duan Yu Yan tomorrow, so I need to count it all to make sure the amount is exact. Mom, Dad, are you two tired? If you are, I can count it by myself."

"Tired? Who gets tired from counting money? Counting money is my favorite thing in the world!" Mrs. Zhao declared with a wave of her hand. She pulled over a small stool, sat down, and looked at Zhou Yan. "So, how are we counting it?"

Comrade Zhou went and fetched two more small stools, giving one to Zhou Yan and sitting on the other himself.

Zhou Yan picked up a wad of cash. "This bundle is a hundred yuan," he explained. "I’ve counted them before, but I’m worried there might be a mistake, and I don’t want them to think we’re dishonest. So, we’re going to unbundle each of these, count them again, and once we confirm a bundle has exactly one hundred yuan, we’ll tie it back up with a rubber band and put it in this basket. If a bundle is short, we’ll add to it. If it’s over, we’ll take some out. We just need to get to a final count of exactly ten thousand yuan."