Brothers of the Zhou Family

Zhou Yan instinctively took a step back.

The two burly men grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth in the dimness. Their features also became clear under the light.

"Haizi, Jie." Zhou Yan relaxed and greeted them with a smile.

These two burly men were his cousins: Zhou Hai, the second son of his eldest uncle, and Zhou Jie, the eldest son of his second uncle.

His father had four brothers, and each of his three elder uncles had two sons.

Because they slaughtered cattle, the Old Zhou family never lacked food or meat. Every one of his cousins had grown taller than 1.75 meters, broad and sturdy.

In Zhou Village, no one dared bully the Old Zhou family. Even the commune's loafers had to avoid them.

After all, the Old Zhou family saw blood every day. They possessed brute strength capable of pinning down an entire cow, with boning knives tucked at their waists. They were not people to provoke.

"Long time no see. I heard you jumped into the river to save the deputy factory director's niece, and the girl offered herself in marriage? You've even gotten your certificate?" Zhou Hai asked with a grin.

He was about the same height as Zhou Yan, but nearly twice as large. His dark skin made him look like a black bear, radiating immense pressure, yet his smile gave people a sense of steadiness and reliability.

"When are we drinking your wedding wine? When the time comes, Third Brother will go snatch the bride for you. I can drink an entire table under by myself!" Zhou Jie said with an honest smile.

He was half a head shorter than Zhou Hai, but just as powerfully built. His face was round, and what drew the eye most were his shoulder-length earlobes, making him seem especially approachable.

"Huh?"

Σ(⊙▽⊙"a?

Zhou Yan's face was full of question marks.

Where had this rumor come from now?!

The people slaughtering cattle nearby all slowed their work and turned to look at Zhou Yan, their faces brimming with gossip.

This had been Zhou Village's hottest topic for the past two days. Every day, the information center at the village entrance discussed it heatedly, saying Zhou Yan had climbed a high branch and that his whole family was about to rise to heaven, chickens and dogs included.

Yesterday evening, Zhao Tieying had returned home carrying a pile of Friendship Snow Cream, Pechoin Cold Cream, and cigarettes. She said they had been gifts from that city girl, becoming further proof of the matter.

The women at the village entrance had been soured to the core. Even their sweet potato porridge had lost its flavor these past two days.

But the Old Zhou family brothers had been delighted. If they had not been so busy these past few days, they would have gone to town long ago to ask Zhou Yan what was going on.

Today, Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie had come to help slaughter cattle. Earlier, they had heard from Fourth Aunt that Zhou Yan would be coming to collect meat, so they had waited eagerly.

The moment they saw Zhou Yan ride over on his bicycle, they rushed over without even putting down their knives.

"It's nothing like that. I did save her, and her family was being proper about it, so they gave me a Twenty-Eight Bicycle and a pile of gifts as thanks. How could I let their daughter offer herself in marriage?" Zhou Yan waved his hands repeatedly, sternly dispelling the rumor. "I'm still a genuine, certified golden bachelor."

"You really didn't get the certificate?" Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie were greatly disappointed.

They had been looking forward to drinking wedding wine. The brothers had even discussed how much to put in the red envelope.

Zhou Yan was the youngest brother. Before Zhou Momo was born, he had been everyone's darling. Though Zhou Momo had now become the family darling, the brothers still cared deeply for Zhou Yan.

"Really not. That girl is innocent and respectable. We can't ruin her reputation." Zhou Yan shook his head.

"That's right, that's right." Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie nodded repeatedly. This was not something to be vague about.

The others, upon hearing this, looked thoughtful.

It seemed rumors really could not be trusted. Zhou Yan had failed to climb that high branch, which made them feel a little more balanced inside.

"This is the new bike they gave you? It looks really nice, far better than my eighth-hand bike that jingles everywhere except the bell." Zhou Jie changed the subject, his gaze falling on Zhou Yan's bicycle.

"Yeah, a Phoenix PA-18. It rides pretty well." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "Jie, want to take it for a spin?"

"Then I won't stand on ceremony." Zhou Jie stuffed his knife into Zhou Hai's hand, went to wash his hands in the water bucket nearby, then accepted the handlebars from Zhou Yan. He rode two laps around the clearing before returning, kicked down the stand, and praised it repeatedly. "This bike rides so well! Once I save enough money, I'm getting a new one too!"

Men's obsession with vehicles had already begun to show itself in the bicycle era.

"Jie, how has your soup-pot business been lately?" Zhou Yan asked Zhou Jie.

Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie usually helped their family slaughter cattle, and they also partnered up to sell soup pots.

Zhou Jie handled most of the business. He looked more approachable and had the gift of gab for commerce, while Zhou Hai assisted him.

The four Old Zhou households slaughtered cattle, and for the past two years, Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai had been responsible for setting up stalls to sell the beef offal.

Since Zhou Yan wanted to sell Qiaojiao Beef, he did not intend to do it sneakily. He had to explain it to Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai first, lest there be a rift between the brothers later.

"The weather's getting colder, so business is alright. We can sell eighty or ninety percent of the beef offal every day, with not much left over." Zhou Jie looked at Zhou Yan with a sincere expression.

"Zhou Yan, is your restaurant business not doing so well? How about closing the shop and selling soup pots with Haizi and me? You can earn two or three hundred over one winter, and there's no rent. Save for two or three years, and you'll be able to marry a wife."

"Exactly! If us brothers work together, just having you stand in front of the stall will make all the young ladies and young wives happy to come eat." Zhou Hai smiled as well.

Old Master Zhou had died during the War to Resist America and Aid Korea. Old Madam Zhou had raised five sons alone. A true master of keeping the scales level, she had trained her four daughters-in-law until they were utterly obedient, leaving no filthy mess of domestic discord in the family.

The brothers were twisted into one rope, supporting one another, and the next generation of cousins also got along extremely well.

When Zhou Yan opened his restaurant, the Old Zhou family had supported him with all their strength. Every household had contributed money.

Seeing that the restaurant was not doing well, they were anxious inside, but they usually did not dare say much for fear Zhou Yan would think they were asking him to repay the money.

Zhou Yan's heart warmed. Jie and Haizi wanted to lend a hand to their little brother. By asking him to sell soup pots with them, they would be taking a share of the money that Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie could have earned for themselves and giving it to him.

These days, no one found it easy to earn money. Selling soup pots in summer meant losing money, and they relied on the winter months to make some profit. Their frankness and brotherly affection felt both unfamiliar and moving to him.

"I've switched to selling noodles now, and business has been pretty good these past two days. I can sell dozens of bowls a day." Zhou Yan hurriedly said, "The restaurant can stay afloat just by selling noodles. I really am not good enough at making other dishes, so I want to try selling soup pots on the side."

"Really?" Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai both looked delighted.

"It's not impossible for you to sell soup pots on the side, but your restaurant is at the entrance to the Textile Factory. The factory workers have money, but they don't seem to like soup pots much." Zhou Jie scratched his head. "We've been selling them for two years, and we rarely see female Textile Factory workers come eat."

"My mom mentioned that too, but I think they just haven't tried it. If I set up a pot outside the restaurant, once the aroma of beef starts drifting through the air, they'll come following the scent." Zhou Yan said with a confident smile.

"Alright. After you finish your morning work, ride over to our stall and find us. I'll teach you how to make soup pots." Zhou Jie stepped closer and lowered his voice. "This year, I improved the recipe and added two medicinal herbs. It tastes better than the soup pots sold by anyone else in our village. I'll teach you everything."

"Jie..." Zhou Yan's feelings were complicated. Who just laid their heart bare right from the start? It made him feel strangely unaccustomed.

Zhou Jie reached out and patted his shoulder, smiling. "We're real brothers. There's nothing to say. Your brothers just want to see you make money and marry a wife."

"Alright, then I'll come find you at eight." Zhou Yan nodded. He chose to accept this brotherly affection.

The three brothers exchanged a few more pleasantries, then Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai went back to work.

Zhou Yan greeted his other uncles and cousins before walking toward Old Zhou.

The cow had already been slaughtered, and they were dividing the meat. The knife moved along the gaps between sinew and bone, deftly avoiding the knots of tissue. With a light slice where the bones and tendons intersected, everything yielded before the blade, flesh separating from bone.

Zhou Yan watched for a while and deeply felt that the tale of Butcher Ding carving an ox did not deceive him.

Of the five Zhou brothers, all except his fifth uncle were slaughtering cattle. Yet the most skilled was actually the frailest-looking one, Zhou Miao.

Watching him slaughter a cow was an immensely pleasing performance. He used nothing but clever force, and it was rare to see him laboriously swing a heavy cleaver.

"Your mom went to wash the beef offal." Zhou Miao casually made a few cuts, separating four jin of chuck flap and three jin of beef brisket, then cutting another half jin of chuck flap.

He also placed several large beef bones into a bamboo basket at the side. There was no need for scales. His knife was the scale.

"I just told Jie and Haizi that I'm planning to sell soup pots. Jie told me to go learn from him later," Zhou Yan said.

"Didn't you say you wanted to make medicinal cuisine?" Zhou Miao paused his work.

"We can learn from each other." Zhou Yan smiled.

"Not bad. Zhou Jie really has a knack for soup pots. His sell better than anyone else's." Zhou Miao nodded and continued dividing the beef.

Zhou Yan walked over to the back basket set beside them and lifted one corner of the little quilt. Zhou Momo lay inside, sleeping soundly.

She was too young to leave at home without worry, so whenever his parents went out to slaughter cattle, they carried her out in the back basket.

After waiting a while, Zhao Tieying came up from the riverside carrying a small basket of beef offal. Zhou Yan then gave her and Zhou Momo a ride back to the restaurant.

"Riding really is so much easier. If I carried the back basket all the way to your shop, my waist would be about to snap." Zhao Tieying set down the basket and could not help sighing.

"Momo is getting this heavy already. From now on, I'll ride over and pick you two up." Zhou Yan carefully lifted Zhou Momo from the back basket. A cigarette came out tangled in the little quilt, and he asked in confusion, "Didn't I tell Dad to take these home to smoke?"

"What does he need cigarettes for? He's quitting! He smokes at home every day, choking your sister and me half to death, and he coughs all day long too. I'm not letting him smoke anymore!" Zhao Tieying curled her lip, then warned him, "These are good cigarettes. Keep them. Either sell them for money or use them as gifts."

"Quitting smoking is good too." Zhou Yan nodded.

Smoking less was a good thing. But it looked like Zhao Tieying had taken those cigarettes home yesterday just to put on a show, making the village women green with envy.

"Remember, these aren't for you to smoke!" Zhao Tieying glared at Zhou Yan. "Learn good things, not smoking, or I'll break your legs!"