Chapter 311 - 177: Wealth Without Returning Home Is Like...

Chapter 311: Chapter 177: Wealth Without Returning Home Is Like...

Zhou Yan watched the corners of Mrs. Zhao’s mouth curl up. It looked like she could barely contain her smile just thinking about what she would do when she got back to the village.

Comrade Zhou left, giving Mrs. Zhao and Zhou Momo a ride. Zhou Yan pocketed some money, packed up some pig’s head meat and half a pound of braised vegetables, and pushed his bicycle out the door, heading for Shangshui Village.

Just as he turned onto the small path, he caught the fragrant aroma of soy milk.

Zhou Yan parked his bike outside the courtyard gate, walked up, and knocked.

A moment later, the door was pulled open. Lai Fu, standing inside, saw Zhou Yan and broke into a smile, welcoming him in.

"Zhou Yan, you’re here." Mrs. Sun was still sitting in the courtyard making bean curd sticks. She looked up at him, a smile also appearing on her face.

"Grand-aunt, are your eyes and legs any better?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile, handing the braised meat and vegetables to Lai Fu, who was standing beside him. "I brought you some pig’s head meat and a few braised vegetables for dinner tonight."

"My eyes are much more comfortable. After Cousin Zhengping gave me acupuncture, my legs are a lot better too; they don’t hurt as much. I actually had a good night’s sleep last night, for the first time in a while." Mrs. Sun said, a bit embarrassed, "Goodness, you’re too kind, always bringing things. You shouldn’t waste your money, especially when I have nothing to give you in return."

"As long as you’re feeling better, that means it’s working. It’s just some braised food I made myself, I wanted you to try some," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. He could see that Mrs. Sun’s eyes were indeed less red and swollen than yesterday; the eye drops and anti-inflammatory medicine were clearly effective.

’Besides, she probably hasn’t been crying, which would also help her eyes recover.’

"Grand-aunt, my Mapo Tofu sold really well today. Twenty pounds of tofu wasn’t enough. Can you increase your production?" Zhou Yan said, getting to the purpose of his visit.

"Twenty pounds wasn’t enough?" Mrs. Sun was surprised and asked directly, "Just tell me how many pounds you need."

"Would forty pounds be possible?"

"Forty pounds..." Mrs. Sun pondered for a moment, then nodded. "We can do that! I’ll have Lai Fu carry it over in two trips tomorrow. I guarantee you’ll have enough to sell."

"No need for two trips. Just have Lai Fu bring the tofu to my shop. My dad can pick up the pressed tofu and bean curd sticks when he comes by," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Lai Fu’s time shouldn’t be wasted on delivery runs. It’s more important for him to stay home, help you make tofu, and improve his skills."

"You and the other cousins are too good to him," Mrs. Sun said, her voice choked with emotion.

"Grand-aunt, here’s half the money for the goods Lai Fu delivered this morning. Please take it." Zhou Yan pulled eight yuan and forty cents from his pocket and handed it to Mrs. Sun.

"But we said you’d put it on my tab." Mrs. Sun didn’t reach for the money.

"I was being thoughtless. Even if we’re running a tab, you need capital to buy soybeans and some cash to live on," Zhou Yan said with a smile, pressing the money into her hand. "I need a lot of tofu now, and since I’m your only customer at the moment, I’ll give you half the payment for soybeans and living expenses. At this rate, the tab should be cleared in about a month. It works out perfectly."

"Zhou Yan, are you sure you don’t need this money urgently? It’s a lot," Mrs. Sun said, holding the money, feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Don’t worry, Grand-aunt. I’m not in a rush for this money," Zhou Yan said, shaking his head. ’She’s the type who gets really flustered about being in debt.’

Mrs. Sun asked, "Will you be needing tofu for dinner tonight? We’ve just set two pots. If you want them, I can have Lai Fu prepare two slabs and deliver them to your shop."

Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up. "Yes, I’ll take them!"

’Two slabs of tofu was twenty pounds. That meant twenty servings of Mapo Tofu, which could earn him over eight yuan.’

...

「Under the big tree at the entrance to Zhou Village.」

The women of the village, having just finished lunch, were now sitting around, swapping gossip.

Lately, Mrs. Zhang’s family had been the primary source of conversation topics.

"Wei Kingdom is the head of the Armed Forces Department now, he’s so impressive! I went to town on an errand yesterday and passed by the department. I saw him directing the militia’s training. The way he stood there, those militiamen were like little chicks in front of him."

"Wei Kingdom has really made something of himself. I heard several matchmakers have already approached Mrs. Zhang to propose marriages. They used to look down on him for his disability and unemployment, but now those things don’t matter at all."

"Whoever marries him gets to be an official’s wife. So what if he has a little disability? Wei Kingdom used to be the most handsome young man in all the surrounding villages, every bit as good-looking as Zhou Yan is today."

"I heard Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai are selling some kind of hot soup over at the docks, and business is booming! They sell it for sixty cents a bowl and can sell a hundred bowls a day. I can’t imagine how much money they must be making!"

"It’s not just some hot soup, it’s called Kneeling Beef. They say they learned the recipe from Zhou Yan. Everyone who eats it says it’s great, and customers are willing to pay extra just to eat at their stall."

"That side of the family has latched onto Zhou Yan, and their lives have been getting better and better. I heard Zhou Yan’s own restaurant is doing great too—there’s a long line out the door every day for his braised meat."

The women chattered among themselves, the envy on their faces impossible to hide.

"Pfft, sounds like a lot of hot air to me," Gao Cuihua said, curling her lip. "If Zhou Yan is so good at making money, why hasn’t he come back to rebuild their house after it collapsed? It’s been over half a month, and no one has even touched the foundation. It’s just sitting there, a collapsed mess."

"Exactly. There are so many brothers in that family, but you don’t see any of them offering money or labor to rebuild the house," a plump woman next to her chimed in. "Even if they can’t afford a brick-and-tile house, they could at least clear the foundation and put up new rammed-earth walls."

Just then, a bicycle appeared on the village road, approaching at a leisurely pace.

"Isn’t that Old Fourth and Tie Ying?" someone with sharp eyes said, recognizing the riders immediately.

Everyone craned their necks to get a better look. They had just been talking about that family, and now the people themselves had shown up.

"Old Fourth is wearing all new clothes. He looks pretty sharp."