Chapter 370 - 194: A Lingering Thought Will Surely Have an Echo

Chapter 370: Chapter 194: A Lingering Thought Will Surely Have an Echo

"How much?" Xiao Lei had already taken out his wallet.

"Just think of it as payment for helping me out. I’ll call you again next time," Zhou Yan said matter-of-factly.

"Alright, I’m off then." Xiao Lei stuffed his wallet back into his pocket, picked up the braised vegetables, and rode off on his bike.

Smiling, Zhou Yan returned to the back kitchen and began prepping ingredients. This was what relationships were all about: a bit of give and take.

You help me, I help someone else. It was only by forging these bonds that people grew closer.

Zhou Yan used to be the kind of person who hated bothering others and hated being bothered himself.

He didn’t have any family or close friends to confide in, just a few roommates he got along with reasonably well. They’d meet up once in a while, but most of his time was dedicated to making money.

In this life, he had parents and a grandmother who cared for him deeply, an adorable little sister, and a whole slew of relatives who genuinely had his back.

He even had a master willing to quit his job for him and a harmonious culinary family.

His mindset had started to change.

’It seems these things aren’t as troublesome as I had imagined.’

’This is what life is all about.’

He was starting to feel a sense of fulfillment from helping others.

’Earning money slowly and living life at a leisurely pace... it’s actually quite comfortable and fun.’

"Brother, I’m here to help~~" Zhou Momo scampered after him into the kitchen, brought over a small stool, and started helping him tear up the cabbage.

Her tiny hands clutched the large head of cabbage. With each tear, a leaf was tossed into the wooden basin nearby. One by one, the pieces came out surprisingly uniform. She really looked like she knew what she was doing.

She wasn’t doing it for free, either; Zhou Yan paid her five fen for every head of cabbage she tore.

She could earn one or two jiao a day.

The piece-rate pay wasn’t bad, but she was so little that it was a struggle for her. She usually got tired after just one.

"That boss back from the United States is really something else, huh? Just pulls out a few hundred yuan to say thanks." Mrs. Zhao came into the kitchen and looked at Zhou Momo with a broad smile. "Our little girl has some backbone, I see. Turning down all that money to earn it five fen at a time tearing cabbage here."

"Brother said we have our own, so we shouldn’t take money from others. We have to create wealth with our own two hands," Zhou Momo said in her high-pitched, childish voice, but her expression was quite serious.

"That’s right, your brother is right." Mrs. Zhao brought a small stool over and sat down to work beside her, her eyes filled with a smile.

Zhou Yan was smiling too. He had told her that before. ’I can’t believe the little one actually remembered.’

A girl should be raised with abundance—not just financially, but also to be strong and rich in spirit.

That way, when she grew up, no one could hope to lure her away with a few cheap gifts.

’After all, her standards shouldn’t be lower than her own brother’s, right?’

Later, when he had a bit more money to spare, Zhou Yan planned to buy a Jialing 70 and take her out for more rides.

In this era, a new motorcycle was a symbol of wealth.

Private car ownership wasn’t even a thing yet.

’If she’s riding around on a Jialing 70 in the eighties, she won’t be impressed by those noisy, bleach-blond show-offs in the future.’

"Do you think he’ll be able to find his relatives?" Mrs. Zhao asked, looking up at Zhou Yan.

"I think the chances are pretty high. If he’s really from Linjiang, a lot of the old-timers are still around. As long as he has a name, he’s sure to get some answers by asking around," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"That makes sense." Mrs. Zhao nodded, her tone tinged with emotion. "You can tell this is very important to him. I hope he finds what he’s looking for. It’s not easy, traveling thousands of miles to search for family."

...

"Tsk. So you get to run off for that Linjiang Shanshi business and leave me at home with these braised vegetables. Shitou, oh Shitou, you’ve gotten pretty bold, haven’t you?" Ma Dongmei said, standing at the kitchen entrance with her hands on her hips, clucking her tongue at Xiao Lei.

"Just tell me, are these braised vegetables tasty or not?" Xiao Lei shot back with a grin, not pausing with his spatula. "Besides, I’m also stir-frying some cabbage with pork cracklings for you. We’ve got meat and veggies, plenty of flavor. That’s more than enough, isn’t it?"

"Did Zhou Yan really make these?" Ma Dongmei popped a piece of dried tofu into her mouth. "This vegetarian braise is so fragrant! The dried tofu is more tender than egg tofu, the tofu skin is more aromatic than meat, and the lotus root is so crisp and flavorful. I love thick-cut lotus root. The potatoes are amazing too."

Xiao Lei smiled. "It’s Zhou Yan’s family recipe. He learned it from his grandmother. You probably don’t know about Zhang’s Braised Shop from back in the day, but even my master praised it after he tried it. He still talks about it fondly after all these years."

"That’s great. The kid’s business is finally on the right track. I was always worried his restaurant would lose money and go under, leaving him up to his eyeballs in debt with no idea what to do. Now, seeing his restaurant thriving and even getting featured in a magazine, I’m just so happy for him." Ma Dongmei’s smile was tinged with emotion.

"He’s a sensible kid. He learned from his past and used it as motivation. He’s been working much harder than he ever did at the canteen, and that’s how he’s honed his skills," Xiao Lei agreed with a nod.

"So you’re taking that American to Linjiang tomorrow?" Ma Dongmei said with a smile. "Aren’t you the righteous one, Master Xiao? Casually turning down several hundred yuan."

"I was just going to help Zhou Yan, so there was no reason to take any money. Besides, the man’s mother has the surname Kong and is from Linjiang, and her ancestors were chefs. Who knows, they might even be related to my master. If I took the money, how could I show my face then?" Xiao Lei shook his head.

"You’re right. For this kind of thing, we should definitely help if we can. Taking money would just make us look petty," Ma Dongmei nodded with a smile.

Xiao Lei dished out the cabbage with pork cracklings from the wok and carried it out of the kitchen. "Come on, time to eat."

On the table, besides the two plates of braised dishes, there were also two poured glasses of liquor.

"Want some? We’ve got nothing on today, so we can go to bed early tonight," Ma Dongmei asked, looking at him with a beaming smile.

"Sure." Xiao Lei smiled and sat down. He glanced at the glass of medicinal liquor in front of him, which was half-full of goji berries, and sighed softly.