Today, Xia Yao wore a long yellow floral dress, a light beige knitted jacket, and black Mary Janes. Her long hair was braided into two pigtails, styled with thin bangs, making her already beautiful face even more youthful and beautiful.
She sat on a rock under a tree, her sketchbook clutched, her pencil scribbling across the paper with a focused and serious expression.
The workers, wearing their uniform dark blue factory uniforms, couldn't help but take a second look at the bright color.
The university students from the city were different: fashionable and beautiful, and her skin was so beautiful, so fair and tender. They just didn't know why she was just writing and drawing on paper.
"Isn't that Deputy Director Lin's niece? I heard she's a painter!"
The workers looked around and chatted.
A curious person peeked over from behind her and exclaimed, "Wow, what a beautiful drawing!"
A little girl holding a Coke bottle leaped onto the page. The simple lines, yet the depiction was incredibly vivid and lively.
This exclamation of admiration attracted many people, and those who came to take a look couldn't help but praise the painting. It was indeed a fine piece.
Xia Yao wasn't used to being watched, especially when she was drawing; it made her feel uncomfortable. But when praised, she politely smiled and nodded, saying thank you.
As people gathered around, she offered a few words of recommendation for Zhou Yan's restaurant: "Zhou Yan's noodles are delicious. My uncle and I love them. Everyone should give it a try. You won't regret it."
Wang Laowu occasionally shouted a few words, clearly targeting Zhou Erwa Restaurant. Xia Yao naturally sided with her benefactor.
After hearing this, some of the onlookers actually went to try the noodles that the deputy factory director had praised so highly, which brought more customers to Zhou Yan.
Workers came and went, and as work hours arrived, the factory entrance quickly became deserted.
Zhou Momo sat at the entrance to the restaurant, holding up an empty glass bottle to the sky, closing one eye and staring intently.
Zhou Yan finished his work and stepped out for a breath of fresh air. He saw Xia Yao sitting under a tree, drawing. The scattered sunlight shone on her face, a tranquil and beautiful sight.
"Guo Guo, the Cola is delicious." Zhou Momo turned around at the sound of footsteps, waving the glass bottle at him. "Bottle is beautiful, too."
Zhou Yan smiled and leaned over to touch her head. "I'll buy you one next time."
Tianfu Cola is currently the best-selling cola in the Sichuan and Chongqing region, at 25 cents a bottle. It must have been given to her by Xia Yao.
Xia Yao put away her sketchbook, stood up, and walked towards the restaurant, smiling, "Good morning, Comrade Zhou Yan."
"Good morning, Comrade Xia Yao." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, glancing at the sketchbook peeking out of her bag. "I didn't realize you were a painter."
"I'm a student in the Arts and Crafts Department at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, not a painter." Xia Yao said.
"Oh, so you're a designer." Zhou Yan said thoughtfully.
Xia Yao looked at him in surprise. "You even know about designers?"
She majored in interior design, which covers areas like branding and packaging design, and she actually planned to pursue a career as a designer after graduation.
Whenever someone asked about her major, she'd laboriously offer examples, which they might not even understand. Zhou Yan, to her surprise, actually understood.
"I've read about it in a book before." Zhou Yan said casually.
One of his friends, who was studying Visual Communication Design, had once grumbled to him about how their department was once called the Department of Arts and Crafts, figuring it was roughly the same. He changed the subject: "Were you drawing Momo?"
Xia Yao pulled a sketchbook from her bag, opened a page, and handed it to Zhou Yan: "Take a look."
The girl in the drawing, drinking a Coke, was Zhou Momo. Though devoid of color, she was incredibly lifelike, her curled feet and smile adding to her lively presence.
"What a beautiful drawing!" Zhou Yan exclaimed.
He didn't understand art, but he was deeply impressed.
Zhou Momo hadn't been eating noodles at the door for a while when Xia Yao finished her drawing, demonstrating her exceptional artistry.
Xia Yao's lips curled slightly as she put away her sketchbook and rubbed Zhou Momo's head. "Momo is so adorable and so well-behaved."
"Hehe."
Zhou Momo's eyes curved with a smile, like a kitten enjoying a petting.
"You want some noodles?" Zhou Yan asked again.
"Yes," Xia Yao nodded. "I'll have pork ribs noodles, the same as yesterday."
"Okay, come in and wait." Zhou Yan nodded, then turned and went into the kitchen.
"Xiao Xia, you're here. Come sit down. I'll get you some water." Zhao Tieying said warmly.
She had already noticed Xia Yao painting, and several other customers had said they came for the noodles based on her recommendation. She was simply too busy to greet her.
"Okay, thank you, aunty." Xia Yao replied crisply.
Zhou Yan waited for Xia Yao to finish her noodles before pushing his 28-inch bicycle out the door. He was going to the dock to learn how to make Cross-legged Beef from Brother Jie, and to see how well Su Ji's Cross-legged Beef stall had developed.
"Comrade Zhou Yan, are you going to town?" Xia Yao asked, her bag slung over her shoulder.
"I'm going to the dock." Zhou Yan looked at her. "Comrade Xia Yao, how about I give you a ride back to the family compound?"
"Okay." Xia Yao slid onto the backseat and said with a smile, "Just call me Xia Yao."
"Okay, you can just call me by my name, too." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. He pedaled hard, and the bike shot off. He glanced back at Wang Laowu's noodle stall. Several pots of stew and bases were already halfway gone. Wang Laowu's business this morning was even better than him.
He'd sold a total of 32 bowls of noodles this morning, over 20 fewer than yesterday. He probably wouldn't be able to sell all the 100 bowls of stew and bases he'd prepared today.
[A pot of minced pork stew made with rotten pork.]
[A pot of leftover braised beef mixed with fresh...]
...
Lines of appraisal notes popped up, and Zhou Yan instinctively slammed on the brakes.
Xia Yao was caught off guard and instinctively wrapped her arms around Zhou Yan's waist, leaning forward and pressing directly against his back.
The soft, warm touch on his back made Zhou Yan's waist stiffen, and he felt awkward.
"What...what's wrong?" Xia Yao let go of Zhou Yan's waist, her small hands gripping the bicycle seat tightly, a blush forming on her ears.
"Sorry, something suddenly occurred to me and I got distracted." Zhou Yan said hurriedly. He glanced at Wang Laowu's noodle stall once more, confirming the note was real, and then rode away.
This cleared up Zhou Yan's confusion. Wang Laowu was using diseased pork and mixing in yesterday's leftover bases with fresh ones. That's how he managed to charge 40 cents for a bowl of noodles with just over 100g of meat.
Knife maker Wang Qi and Wang Laowu seemed to be from the same village. Wang Laowu's price should be lower than 1.4 yuan. He could make a profit from selling the pork stew and bases which he could use to subsidize the beef bases, thus making sure he didn't lose money.
Wang Laowu's idea was simple yet vicious: he could choose not to make money, but if Zhou Yan didn't, he'd have to close his shop and leave.
A price war is all about who has the most money.
But Zhou Yan didn't think so. Since Wang Laowu was unethical and used diseased pork, he would definitely give him a hard time.
The bicycle slowly stopped at the entrance to the textile factory's staff quarters.
Xia Yao jumped off and said gracefully, "Zhou Yan, thank you for the ride. I'm going back to Jiazhou this afternoon to sketch. See you next time."
"Okay, see you next time." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, feeling a little regretful at the loss of a stable client. He rode off.
Xia Yao watched Zhou Yan's back as he cycled, her lips curling slightly.
"Xia Yao, I was just about to come find you. There's a meeting at the Design Institute at noon. Go back and pack your things before leaving." Meng Anhe's voice echoed from the courtyard.
"Okay!" Xia Yao replied.
...
The Qingyi River wharf was bustling with individual vendors, laborers and sailors moving goods, and a bustling crowd of merchants. A simple meal there was a pleasant option.
Noodle stalls were simmering noodles and wontons in steaming pots. A small stir-fry stand nearby displayed a variety of fresh ingredients. The tofu rice stall had already sold half its pot of tofu. A small flag hung above the Ermei tofu pudding stall, attracting many customers with their children.
Following their backpacks, villagers came to sell their eggs, hens, geese, vegetables, freshly caught river fish, and fresh eels. It was like a small market.
Because of the freshness of the goods, people from the town also came to the wharf to buy, making it quite lively.
Along the riverbank, the sounds of hawkers echoed endlessly, creating a vibrant atmosphere.
Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle along, taking in the sights. Back in those days, before so much technology and hard work, he saw chickens, ducks, and geese that had never been feed, wild eels and river fish, and rabbits that ate only grass...
All of these were high quality ingredients!
Interspersed among the other stalls were stalls selling Cross-legged Beef, most of which displayed a sign or flag proclaiming "Zhou Sanwa Soup Pot" or "Zhou Sanniang Soup Pot."
After liberalizing trade, many Zhou Village residents returned to their old ways of selling soup pots, becoming somewhat well-known in the town.
Zhou Yan greeted those he knew and smiled and nodded at those he didn't.
He quickly noticed a soup pot stall up ahead, with a sign reading "Zhou Ji Soup Pot." Eight tables were filled with customers. The burly man standing in front of the pot, cooking beef, was Zhou Hai. While another one was in charge of greeting customers, serving dishes, and collecting payments. The one with the most smile on his face was Zhou Jie.
This stall was undoubtedly the most popular food vendor at the entire dock.
The other soup pot stalls only had a few or three customers, and next stall, "Zhou Liangliang Soup Pot." had just one customer.
Zhou Hai, alert and alert, spotted Zhou Yan immediately and greeted him with a smile, "Zhou Yan! Over here."
Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle over. Before he could say anything, Zhou Jie proudly introduced him to the customers at the stall: "This is my brother, Zhou Yan, the hero who jumped into the water to save someone. The higher-ups are even going to award him a commendation!"
"He's my brother too." Zhou Hai, standing nearby, straightened his back and smiled.
The customers glanced at Zhou Yan.
"You were the one who jumped into the Bailatuo to save a female college student the other day? You're such a hero!"
"You're handsome, and you're capable!"
Zhou Yan blushed at the compliment.
"My younger brother is not only handsome, but also a great cook. He opened a 'Zhou Erwa Restaurant' in front of the textile factory and is planning to sell soup pots soon. If you live nearby, you can go eat there too." Zhou Jie patted his chest and said, "The cooking skills of our family are undeniable."