Chapter 306 - 175: President Duan, I’m Not One to Smile

Chapter 306: Chapter 175: President Duan, I’m Not One to Smile

"Yes, yes, Huang Ying." Mrs. Qiu nodded and said with a smile, "You’ve gotten slimmer and prettier. I almost didn’t recognize you for a moment."

"I’m so happy to hear you say that," Huang Ying said with a smile. ’It takes someone you haven’t seen in a long time to notice you’ve lost weight right away. It’s almost twenty pounds.’

’But what’s with Huang Xiaoji? Is that my Old Man’s pet name or a nickname?’

"Mrs. Qiu," Huang Bing chimed in.

Huang Ying made the introduction. "This is my brother, Huang Bing."

"Oh, he looks a lot like your Old Man did when he was young. Scrawny and skinny," Mrs. Qiu said with a smiling nod.

Huang Bing felt a little embarrassed and stole a glance at Duan Yu Yan, becoming instantly stunned.

’Good heavens! She’s gorgeous! And her aura is absolutely incredible.’

’Plus, she has amazing fashion sense!’

’That outfit she’s wearing is so cool, just like a celebrity on TV.’

’Compared to her, Bao Gu Snow’s face is a bit long, her nose is a bit flat, and her mouth is too big. Her clothes are tacky, too—always some kind of patterned floral shirt. Their auras are worlds apart.’

Last time, Huang Bing had only seen her profile and her back. Seeing her face-to-face today, she was even more beautiful than he had imagined.

Duan Yu Yan was also sizing up the brother and sister, a playful smile at the corners of her lips.

Ever since she found out that Feiyan Restaurant sourced its braised meat from Zhou Yan, her opinion of the place had dropped considerably. In that time, she had only accompanied her grandmother there once.

’This brother and sister have some nerve, not even trying to be discreet when they know my grandmother is a regular at Feiyan Restaurant.’

’Huang Ying has a round face and a pleasant voice. She’s polite and courteous, with an approachable smile. I actually kind of like her.’

’But her brother... he’s weaselly-looking, and the impolite way he stares at people makes me a little uncomfortable.’

After a brief greeting, Huang Ying sat back down and started ordering.

’They were just customers and owners, so a simple hello was enough to be considered on good terms. Saying too much would just be annoying.’

"Mrs. Zhao, we’d like an order of Mapo Tofu and one of beef with dried bamboo shoots," Huang Ying said.

"And a Kneeling Beef," Huang Bing added.

"You got it," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile, tearing off a slip from the order pad and heading to the kitchen.

"What’s that?" Duan Yu Yan’s gaze fell on a magazine propped up on a wooden board nailed to the menu wall. The cover featured a bowl of soup that looked a bit like Kneeling Beef.

Mrs. Qiu followed her gaze and squinted, her voice tinged with surprise. "*Sichuan Cuisine* magazine? Does the cover look like Kneeling Beef?"

"It’s in a magazine? Let me see." Hearing this, Duan Yu Yan couldn’t contain her curiosity and stood up to get a closer look. As she approached, she laughed. "It really is! They put it in a pretty Blue and White Porcelain Bowl, so I didn’t recognize it at first, but that’s definitely the beef and tripe from Kneeling Beef."

"That’s Zhou Yan’s Kneeling Beef. The magazine’s deputy editor came to interview him last time and took photos. Not only is it on the cover, but they also wrote a whole article about it," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, emerging from the kitchen and joining the conversation.

"There’s a feature story, too? Let me see." Duan Yu Yan picked up the magazine and flipped to the table of contents. She quickly found the article on Kneeling Beef in the "Sichuan’s Famous Sights" section. She turned to the page and saw a two-page spread. At the very top was a solo picture of Zhou Yan standing in front of the restaurant.

Although the print was black and white, it was a good photo, and you could still make out Zhou Yan’s features.

She was a very fast reader and finished the two-page article in no time. "This article is really well-written!" she exclaimed in admiration. "I had no idea there was such a story behind Kneeling Beef. Zhou Yan is pretty amazing."

"Is that so? Let me see." Mrs. Qiu’s curiosity was also piqued. She smiled and said, "*Sichuan Cuisine* is a very professional magazine. A lot of First Level and Special Level Grandmasters teach you how to cook in it. I’m not a good cook myself, but I love reading it. I even subscribed to the first two issues."

"Here you go." Duan Yu Yan brought the magazine over and handed it to Mrs. Qiu with a smile.

Mrs. Qiu took it and began reading intently, nodding from time to time. After a long while, she finished and nodded again. "To revive a dish from a single tattered recipe and pass it down... one can only imagine the difficulty. To have such character and perseverance at such a young age is truly impressive."

She already had an excellent impression of Zhou Yan, and after reading the article, she was even more convinced of the young man’s outstanding character.

Duan Yu Yan idly flipped through a few more pages of the magazine before putting it back. She looked at Zhao Tieying and asked, "Miss, is this magazine sold in Jiazhou? I’d like to buy a few copies to take back for my friends, so they can see all the delicious food I’m eating here in Sichuan."

"Well..." Zhao Tieying wasn’t sure how to answer. She didn’t know where to buy the magazine either. She wanted to buy a couple more copies herself—one for the restaurant entrance, one for the menu wall, and one to keep open to the feature article for people to read.

"Newsstands sell it, but their stock is usually low. If you want a lot of copies, you might have to check several," Huang Ying chimed in with a smile. "I just bought three copies the day before yesterday. I even got Zhou Yan to sign them."

"You can get his autograph, too? That’s interesting!" Duan Yu Yan laughed. "Thanks," she said to Huang Ying. "I’ll go buy some when I get back to Jiazhou."

She had been wondering what souvenirs to bring back to Xiangjiang for her friends and relatives. This magazine was perfect; she could include it in their gift bags.

’Then I can show them the pictures and the article and tell them just how delicious this Kneeling Beef is. I’ll make them drool!’

Her paternal aunt loved to cook. Even though her food was terrible, she had the same perseverance and determination as Zhou Yan.

She would probably like this semi-instructional magazine, and she would also love Zhou Yan’s story of persistence leading to victory.

Duan Yu Yan turned to Zhao Tieying again. "Miss, please add two orders of Kneeling Beef for us, both with an extra portion of beef."

"One order is enough. We won’t be able to finish more than that," said Mrs. Qiu.

"It’s fine, Grandma. Yan Fei is still outside, and he loves Kneeling Beef. He’ll take care of any leftovers," Duan Yu Yan said with a grin. "Besides, didn’t we have an appointment with Wang? He should be here soon."

As she spoke, a bicycle leisurely rolled up and stopped at the restaurant’s entrance.

Wang, his full head of white hair neatly combed, dismounted the bike, straightened his collar, and walked into the restaurant.

Yan Fei, who had been squatting outside the door, instinctively stood up. He watched Wang’s back for a moment before silently squatting down again.

He had someone run a background check on the old man but came up with nothing. His record was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.

So clean, in fact, that he didn’t dare to dig any deeper.

’Mrs. Qiu’s affairs are not my place to meddle in. I just wanted to check for my own peace of mind, to ensure her and Miss Duan’s safety. But the results only left me terrified.’

"Wang," Duan Yu Yan called out, waving.

Mrs. Qiu turned at the sound of her voice, a smile spreading across her face.

"Two young people showed up unexpectedly to borrow some books. I helped them pick a few out. My apologies for keeping you waiting," Wang said apologetically as he walked over.

"It’s no trouble. Yuyan and I just arrived as well," Mrs. Qiu said, shaking her head with a smile. "Please, sit."

"Of course," Wang nodded and sat down beside them.

Duan Yu Yan looked at him with a cheerful smile. "Wang, I’ve already ordered. Would you like to add a couple of dishes?"

Wang shook his head with a smile. "You always order too much food. I’m sure it will be more than enough without me adding anything."

"They have a new dish today, Mapo Tofu. I ordered one so we can see how authentic it is," said Duan Yu Yan.

"Good," Wang nodded. His gaze remained fixed on Mrs. Qiu, and he asked softly, "Qiqi, is almost everything moved?"

Mrs. Qiu replied, "We’re moving things out piece by piece. The study and bedroom haven’t been touched yet. It’s not too late to move them right before we leave. I’m still used to living on East Main Street."

’Qiqi!’ Huang Ying’s gossip radar went off instantly. Pretending to drink her water, she stealthily sized up the silver-haired man, who had a ramrod-straight back and a scholarly air about him.

She had heard her Old Man talk about the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion being for sale. Her Old Man was quite interested in it, feeling its location was excellent—facing Jiazhou Pier and bordering the river. If they could buy the adjacent property and rebuild, it would be an even better location than their current Feiyan Restaurant.

Apparently, it was Mrs. Qiu’s son who wanted to sell the house, and now her granddaughter was handling the arrangements.

But supposedly, there was a precondition for buying the house: the buyer had to be able to resolve Mrs. Qiu’s "heart knot."

As for what Mrs. Qiu’s heart knot was, Huang Ying had no idea.

’But, running into Mrs. Qiu in Suji today, seeing her eating with an old man who affectionately calls her ’Qiqi’... this might be a very important clue.’

Huang Ying glanced at Huang Bing, who was using his drink as cover to sneak glances at Miss Duan, and couldn’t help but roll her eyes.

’That hopeless romantic, falling for every girl he sees!’

’And you’re actually hung up on someone like Miss Duan, who’s like a Celestial Immortal?’

She schemed internally. If she could help her Old Man buy the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion, then she would have to get ready to take over Feiyan Restaurant.

’My foolish brother, go on and be a simp!’