Chapter 324 - 181: Walking into the Line of Fire

Chapter 324: Chapter 181: Walking into the Line of Fire

When Zhou Yan saw Zhao Tieying grab a cleaver and head for the door, he rushed to stop her. "Mom, where are you going?" he asked with a smile.

"To pick a fight!" Zhao Tieying declared, her face filled with indignation. "Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie are no match for Gao Cuiying. I’m going to back them up, otherwise Gao Cuiying will twist the truth until everyone thinks Zhou’s Kneeling Beef belongs to them."

"We don’t need to go. Just let Mayor Huang handle it." Zhou Yan smiled and gently took the cleaver from her hand. "If we get into a shouting match with her in the street, we’d just be stooping to her level. That would only make things more awkward for Mayor Huang and his team to resolve."

"Can Mayor Huang really handle it?" Zhao Tieying frowned. "I’ve been in fights in the village for over twenty years, and I’ve never seen any man win an argument against Gao Cuiying. I’m the only one who can manage her."

"This isn’t a shouting match. Mayor Huang is going there to issue a warning and demand rectification. Her usual antics of throwing a fit and being unreasonable won’t work on him," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Your real job is to watch over your broth. My braised meat is almost ready to come out of the pot, too."

Hearing this, Zhao Tieying nodded. "You’re right. This one pot of broth sells for more than eighty yuan. It’s not worth ruining it just to argue with her!"

"Exactly."

"I was a bit lost listening to you guys just now," Zhao Tieying said, looking at him. "What is Mayor Huang’s intention, really? Is he supporting us, or is he telling us to hand over our recipe?"

"Mayor Huang isn’t asking for the recipe. He’s supporting us in building a good reputation for Kneeling Beef, expanding the market, and leading everyone to prosperity," Zhou Yan explained with a smile. "Think about it, he’s going to handle these issues for us so we can run our shop in peace. That’s a form of support, isn’t it?"

"Zhou Liangliang and his family picked the wrong day to cause trouble. I bet Mayor Huang is going to make an example out of him to set some rules for all the soup pot vendors in Suji."

"Really?" Zhao Tieying’s face lit up, and she started rubbing her hands together eagerly. "Now that you put it that way, I want to go watch even more! It’s not every day you get to see Gao Cuiying get humiliated."

Seeing how she was dying to go, Zhou Yan chuckled. "Why don’t you have Dad take you? I’ll watch the fire. It’s just a matter of adding a log now and then."

"Zhou Miao!" Zhao Tieying shouted. "Let’s go! Get the bike, quick!"

Comrade Zhou finished slicing the last potato, washed the cleaver, wiped it with a thin layer of oil, and hung it on the knife rack. He walked out with a smile. "Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you."

"Hurry, or we’ll miss the show!" Zhao Tieying hopped onto the back seat and wrapped her arms around Zhou Miao’s waist.

Zhou Miao hopped on the bicycle and pedaled off toward the pier.

Zhou Yan watched the two of them ride off, a smile playing on his lips.

That was just like Comrade Zhou. He never spoiled Mrs. Zhao’s fun. As long as it was something he could do, he was always enthusiastic and eager to please.

’What person from China could ever resist a good spectacle?’

’The urge to be a bystander is in our DNA.’

’Life is dull; drama makes it worth living.’

If Zhou Yan hadn’t been watching the pot of braised meat, he would have wanted to go see the show himself.

...

「At the pier.」

"Come on, come on! Authentic Zhou’s Kneeling Beef! Thirty-five cents a bowl! Don’t just pass by, come and have a taste!" Zhou Liangliang called out to the customers, his face beaming and his spirits high, completely ignoring Zhou Jie shooting him a dirty look from the side.

Seven or eight customers were already seated at the stall.

Gao Cuiying stood behind the stove, hands on her hips, a smug look on her face.

’Changing the sign really did improve business.’

’The name "Kneeling Beef" was definitely more appealing than just "soup pot."’

’It was hard to steal customers from Zhou Jie, but they’d managed to attract quite a few who would have gone to other soup pot stalls.’

’She was here today to help her son and back him up. Now that the sign was changed, someone with Zhao Tieying’s temper was bound to show up for a fight.’

’She’d even thought up all her comeback lines last night and rehearsed them, so much so that she hadn’t slept well and now had dark circles under her eyes.’

’But she was full of confidence. If Zhao Tieying showed up today, she was sure she could out-curse her.’

’And she wouldn’t just win the argument; she was going to claim the "Zhou’s Kneeling Beef" brand for her own.’

’Everyone in Zhou Village shares the same ancestors. If Zhou Yan could use the name, and Zhou Jie could use it, then her dear Liangliang could use it too!’

Zhou Hai had left on his bike a while ago. She figured he’d gone to fetch Zhao Tieying.

’Zhou Jie’s and Zhou Hai’s mothers were both timid pushovers. She could argue them into tears with one hand tied behind her back.’

’In all of Zhou Village, only Zhao Tieying was a worthy opponent.’

However, Gao Cuihua didn’t get Zhao Tieying. Instead, Deputy Mayor Huang Chen arrived, along with several uniformed officers.

A bicycle bell rang. Zhou Hai was back, and he’d brought people with him.

Zhou Jie was stunned to see Huang Chen and his entourage. He shot Zhou Hai a questioning look.

"Reinforcements from Zhou Yan," Zhou Hai whispered, parking his bike and leaning in close.

Huang Chen and his group parked their bicycles in front of Zhou Liangliang’s stall. They dismounted and looked up at the new sign:

Zhou’s Kneeling Beef

The three words were painted in red. They were crooked and sloppy, but they certainly stood out.

Huang Chen’s brow furrowed. The smell of paint was still fresh; this sign had clearly been slapped together in a hurry last night.

Zhou Liangliang’s smile froze on his face. He instinctively took a couple of steps back and glanced guiltily toward his mother.

’Why aren’t Zhou Yan and his mom here? Why did the deputy mayor and the officers show up instead?’

’It’s just a sign. It can’t be that big of a deal, can it?’

The smile vanished from Gao Cuihua’s face as well. As the director of the village women’s committee, she often attended meetings in town and was no stranger to Huang Chen.

’Zhou Hai brought them here, and the first thing they did was stare at the sign. They were definitely here for us.’

The deputy mayor’s arrival with four officers immediately drew a crowd.

The other vendors from Zhou Village, who also sold soup pots on the pier, were especially quick to gather around for the show.

What Zhou Liangliang and his mother, Gao Cuihua, had done was just wrong. Everyone was from the same village; there was no excuse for stealing someone else’s business name.