Chapter 319 - 180: Rare Reward: [Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers]

Chapter 319: Chapter 180: Rare Reward: [Fish-Fragrant Pork Slivers]

The autumn mosquitoes had been exceptionally vicious the last couple of days, their short lives drawing to a close.

Even Zhou Yan, who was usually such a heavy sleeper, had been woken up by bites three times last night.

He’d battled the mosquitoes all night and ended up in a stalemate: they hadn’t gotten their fill, and he hadn’t gotten his sleep.

"What are you drawing?" Zhou Yan asked, walking over for a look. The drawing showed a small car. Standing beside it was a long-legged young woman in a hat, and next to her was a little girl with pigtails, also wearing a hat.

It was a crayon drawing, so it wasn’t what you’d call refined, but the color palette was gorgeous. The resulting scene was surprisingly vibrant.

Zhou Yan wasn’t much of an art critic, but he knew what he liked when he saw it.

And he thought this drawing was quite good.

"It’s Yuyan," Zhou Momo said, looking up at him with a grin. "I’ll give it to her next time she visits."

"You’re already learning about returning kindness at such a young age," Zhou Yan chuckled. "Tomorrow, I’ll buy a frame so you can give it to her properly." He could just imagine how happy Duan Yu Yan would be when she saw it.

"Brother, has Yaoyao not written to you yet?" Zhou Momo’s big eyes were filled with anticipation. "I miss her so much! When can we go to Mountain City to see her? How about tomorrow? I’ve drawn two pictures for her."

"We can’t go tomorrow. The shop is too busy, and we can’t really afford a trip to Mountain City right now." Zhou Yan shook his head, smiling. ’This little one certainly has a big imagination and isn’t afraid to speak her mind.’

Besides, he and Xia Yao were just pen pals. Showing up in Mountain City out of the blue would be a bit presumptuous.

’In a couple of days, I’ll go pay my respects to Grandpa,’ Zhou Yan thought. ’I can stop by Jiazhou on the way to buy a few magazines and mail one to Xia Yao.’

Lin was right. This was a rare, serendipitous thing, and it was worth sharing.

It sounded more impressive and sophisticated than simply saying he earned three hundred a day.

"So, will she come see us?" Zhou Momo asked.

"Maybe... I guess so," Zhou Yan said, his tone uncertain.

Xia Yao was still worried about her career path after graduation next year. She would definitely be going back to Hang City for the winter holiday and New Year’s. Then, during the second semester of her senior year, she’d be busy with internships and job hunting, making a trip to Suji even more unlikely.

"Okay. Well, next time you write to her, you have to tell me, okay? I want to give her my drawings," Zhou Momo said, lowering her head to continue her work.

"Okay," Zhou Yan agreed with a smile, then went upstairs to grab his clothes for a shower.

...

"Zhou Kunkun, look what the cat dragged in! I thought you could fill your belly just by playing cards!" Gao Cuihua sat in the main room, glaring at her husband as he walked in.

"What’s with you? Did you eat gunpowder or something?" Zhou Kunkun froze for a second. He walked in, lifted the food cover on the table, and stared at the half-eaten plate of pickled vegetables from lunch. He sighed. "Where’s dinner? Am I supposed to eat the table?"

"Am I your goddamn maid? You go out and play cards all day, then come home demanding food. Did you lose your hands or your feet? You’re ugly, you’re not a sweet-talker, you’re a shabby loser with no money, and you still have the nerve to expect the world!" Gao Cuihua planted her hands on her hips and glared at Zhou Kunkun.

"Do you have any idea? Zhao Tieying’s husband bought her a pair of gold earrings—from Laofengxiang! You tell me, how come I’m not that lucky? In what way am I any worse than her?"

Zhou Kunkun flinched and stammered, "Zhou the Fourth’s house collapsed and he doesn’t even have money to fix it. How could he possibly buy his wife gold earrings? Don’t listen to idle gossip. What’s important is that we just mind our own business and live our own lives!"

"Bullshit! I saw it with my own two eyes! They were so big, they nearly blinded me!" Gao Cuihua slammed the table, making the plate on it jump half a foot in the air.

A noise came from the doorway, and Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua walked in. Zhou Liangliang glanced at Zhou Kunkun, who was cowering to the side, and grinned. "Dad, lose at cards again?"

"What the hell are you grinning about! Zhou Yan makes some soup and gets on a magazine cover! You useless bum, you’ve been making soup for three years and can barely sell a few bowls a day. Tell me, what on earth do you do all day?" Gao Cuihua’s gaze snapped to Zhou Liangliang, her voice rising sharply. "New Year’s is just around the corner! How much money have you got stuffed in your pants? When are you going to pay back what you borrowed from me? Other people get better every year, but you? You just get older!"

Zhou Liangliang’s smile vanished. He shot a pleading look at his wife.

Wu Guihua immediately turned to leave. "I’ll go make dinner!"

"Mom, you said Zhou Yan’s in a magazine? What kind of magazine? He just runs a little restaurant. How could he be that big of a deal?" Zhou Liangliang forced himself to ask.

Gao Cuihua said furiously, "His picture is printed right on it, so how could it be fake! They’re calling it some ’Kneeling Beef,’ which is just a new name for his soup. People say business is booming, and he’s selling over a hundred bowls a day."

Zhou Liangliang nodded. "That part’s true. Zhou Jie’s family changed their sign too. It’s called Zhou’s Kneeling Beef now. They sell their Kneeling Beef for six jiao a bowl and move almost a hundred bowls a day. On top of that, they also sell ten or twenty pounds of braised pig’s head."

Gao Cuihua’s eyes widened at his words. "That must be a ton of money!"

"At the very least, that’s over thirty yuan a day. That’s more than a thousand a month, which is over ten thousand a year..." Zhou Liangliang trailed off, sucking in a sharp breath.

Zhou Kunkun exclaimed in shock, "They’re becoming a ’ten-thousand-yuan household’ in a single year! Just from selling soup!"

"If Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie split that, they’d each be halfway to becoming a ten-thousand-yuan household," Zhou Liangliang muttered. ’It’s better not to think too hard about the numbers.’

"Then doesn’t that mean Zhou Yan’s family is making even more!" Gao Cuihua’s teeth ground with envy. "No wonder they can afford gold earrings, Shanghai brand watches, new clothes, and new leather shoes!" She turned to Zhou Liangliang and asked, "You’re selling soup and noodles. How much are you making a day?"