The Family's Craft Couldn't Go Wrong!

Xia Yao wore a yellow floral dress today, with a light beige knit cardigan over it and a pair of black Mary Jane shoes on her feet. Her long hair was braided into two plaits beneath thin bangs, making her already pretty features look even more youthful and lovely.

She hugged a sketchbook as she sat on a stone beneath a tree, her pencil sweeping across the paper while she drew with focused seriousness.

The workers wore matching dark blue factory uniforms. When they spotted that splash of color, they could not help but take a few extra looks.

A college student from the city really was different—fashionable and pretty, with such fair, delicate skin. They just did not know what she was drawing on that paper.

"Isn't that Deputy Director Lin's niece? I heard she's even an artist!"

"Artists sure are fashionable, and she's pretty too. But what is she drawing?"

The workers looked her over and chatted among themselves.

One curious person circled behind her and leaned over for a look, then exclaimed, "Oh my, this is really good!"

A little girl holding a bottle of cola came alive on the page. The lines were simple, yet they captured her spirit and liveliness perfectly.

That praise drew quite a few people over. Those who leaned in for a look could not help complimenting her as well. The drawing really was excellent.

Xia Yao was not used to being watched, especially while drawing. It made her feel uncomfortable, though she still smiled and nodded politely in thanks when people praised her.

Since everyone had gathered around, she put in a good word for Zhou Yan's restaurant. "The noodles Zhou Yan makes are delicious. My uncle and I both love them. Everyone should go give them a try. You definitely won't regret it."

Wang Laowu shouted advertisements from time to time, clearly targeting Zhou Erwa Restaurant. Naturally, Xia Yao sided with her benefactor.

After hearing her, some of the onlookers really did go over to try the noodles that even the deputy factory director had praised. This brought Zhou Yan a few more customers.

Workers came and went, but once work hours began, the factory entrance soon quieted down.

Zhou Momo sat outside the restaurant, holding up her empty glass bottle to the sky. She closed one eye and peered through it intently.

After finishing up, Zhou Yan came outside for a breath of fresh air and spotted Xia Yao drawing beneath the tree. Specks of sunlight fell across her face, making her look peaceful and lovely.

"Bro, the cola was so good." Hearing his footsteps, Zhou Momo turned around and waved the glass bottle at him. "The bottle is really pretty too."

Zhou Yan smiled and bent down to pat her head. "I'll buy you another one next time."

Tianfu Cola was currently the best-selling cola in the Sichuan-Chongqing region. At twenty-five cents a bottle, it had to have been Xia Yao who gave it to her.

Xia Yao put away her sketchbook and walked toward the restaurant with a smile. "Good morning, Comrade Zhou Yan."

"Good morning, Comrade Xia Yao." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. Glancing at the corner of the sketchbook peeking out from her satchel, he said, "I didn't expect you to be an artist."

"I'm a student in the Department of Arts and Crafts at Sichuan Fine Arts Academy, not an artist," Xia Yao said.

"Oh, so you're a designer." Zhou Yan looked thoughtful.

Xia Yao looked at him in surprise. "You even know what a designer is?"

She studied interior design, which involved areas such as brand design and packaging design. After graduation, she really did plan to pursue a career as a designer.

Whenever people asked about her major, she had to go to great lengths to explain it with examples, and they still might not understand. She had not expected Zhou Yan to know.

"I read about it in a book before," Zhou Yan said casually.

He had a friend who studied visual communication design and had complained to him that the department used to be called the Department of Arts and Crafts. It should have been more or less the same. He changed the subject. "Were you drawing Momo just now?"

Xia Yao pulled out her sketchbook, flipped it open to a page, and held it out before Zhou Yan. "Take a look."

The little girl in the drawing, holding a bottle of cola and drinking from it, was Zhou Momo. Though it had no color, it was incredibly lifelike. Her upturned little feet and smile made her seem even more spirited.

"This is really good," Zhou Yan said in admiration.

He did not understand art, but he was deeply impressed.

Zhou Momo had only been sitting outside eating noodles for a short while, yet Xia Yao had already finished the drawing. Her skill was clearly exceptional.

The corners of Xia Yao's lips curved up slightly. She put away her sketchbook and reached out to rub Zhou Momo's head. "Momo is just too adorable. She's such a good girl."

"Hehe."

Zhou Momo's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, like a kitten enjoying being petted.

"Are you having noodles?" Zhou Yan asked again.

"Yes." Xia Yao nodded. "One bowl of pork rib noodles, same as yesterday."

"Alright. Come in and wait a moment." Zhou Yan nodded and turned toward the kitchen.

"Xia is here! Come, sit down. Auntie will pour you some water." Zhao Tieying warmly greeted Xia Yao.

She had noticed Xia Yao drawing earlier, and several customers had said they came for noodles after hearing her recommendation. Zhao Tieying had simply been too busy to greet her.

"Alright, thank you, Auntie," Xia Yao replied brightly.

Zhou Yan waited until Xia Yao finished her noodles before wheeling out his Twenty-Eight Bicycle. He was going to the docks to learn how to make Qiaojiao Beef from Brother Jie, and also to check out the current standard of Suji's Qiaojiao Beef stalls.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, are you going into town?" Xia Yao asked, her satchel over her shoulder.

"I'm going to the docks." Zhou Yan looked at her. "Comrade Xia Yao, how about I give you a ride back to the Textile Factory Family Compound on the way?"

"Sure." Xia Yao sat directly on the rear seat and said with a smile, "Just call me Xia Yao."

"Alright, and you can just call me Zhou Yan." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. He pushed down hard on the pedal, and the bicycle shot forward. He glanced back at Wang Laowu's noodle stall. Several basins of noodle mince and toppings were already half gone. Wang Laowu's business that morning was even better than his.

That morning, he had sold a total of thirty-two bowls of noodles, over twenty fewer than yesterday. The noodle mince and toppings he had prepared for one hundred bowls would probably not sell out today.

[A basin of minced pork noodle mince made from diseased pig meat.]

[A basin of leftover Braised Beef mixed with fresh beef...]

...

Lines of appraisal notes popped up, and Zhou Yan unconsciously squeezed the brakes.

Caught off guard, Xia Yao instinctively wrapped her arms around Zhou Yan's waist. Her body pitched forward, pressing directly against his back.

The soft warmth against his back made Zhou Yan's waist stiffen. This was awkward.

"Wh... what happened?" Xia Yao released Zhou Yan's waist and gripped the seat tightly, a flush appearing at the roots of her ears.

"Sorry, I suddenly remembered something and got distracted." Zhou Yan hurriedly explained. He looked again at Wang Laowu's noodle stall, and after confirming the notes were real, he rode away.

This resolved the doubt in Zhou Yan's heart. Wang Laowu was using diseased pig meat and mixing yesterday's leftover toppings with fresh ones to sell together. That was why he dared to charge only forty cents for a bowl of noodles with over an ounce of meat.

Wang Qi, the butcher, and Wang Laowu seemed to be from the same village. The price Wang Laowu could get should have been even lower than 1.4 yuan. He could make some money selling pork noodle mince and toppings, then use it to subsidize the beef toppings. By that calculation, he would not lose money.

Wang Laowu's plan was simple and vicious. He could choose not to make a profit, but if Zhou Yan did not make money, he would have to shut down and get out.

A price war was a contest of who had the thicker health bar.

But Zhou Yan did not see it that way. Since Wang Laowu had no scruples about using diseased pig meat, Zhou Yan would definitely make trouble for him.

The bicycle slowly came to a stop at the entrance of the Textile Factory Family Compound.

Xia Yao jumped off the bike and said gracefully, "Zhou Yan, thank you for giving me a ride back. I'm heading back to Jiazhou this afternoon to sketch from life. See you next time."

"Alright, see you next time." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. He felt a little regretful at losing a steady customer, then rode away.

Xia Yao watched Zhou Yan ride off, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.

"Xia Yao, I was just about to come find you. The design institute has a meeting at noon. Go back and pack your things, then we'll set off." Meng Anhe's voice came from inside the compound.

"Mm, alright!" Xia Yao answered.

There were quite a few independent vendors at the Qingyi River docks. Dockworkers hauling cargo, sailors, and passing merchants were plentiful, so grabbing a simple meal at the docks was a good option.

Noodles and wontons boiled in the steaming pots at the noodle stalls. Various fresh ingredients were displayed openly at the stir-fry stalls. The tofu pudding in the pots at the tofu pudding rice stalls had already sold nearly half, while small flags stood at the Emei tofu pudding stalls, drawing many customers with children.

Villagers came carrying baskets to sell their own eggs, old hens, geese, vegetables, freshly caught river fish, and fresh eels. The place had practically become a small market.

Because the goods were fresh, people from town also came to the docks to shop, making the area quite bustling.

Along the river, cries of vendors rose and fell one after another, brimming with the liveliness of everyday life.

Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle along, looking around as he went. In this era, there were not so many technological tricks. Chickens, ducks, and geese that had never been fed commercial feed, wild eels and river fish, rabbits that ate only grass...

They were all exceptionally high-quality ingredients!

Stalls selling Qiaojiao Beef were scattered among the other vendors. Most had a signboard or flag reading "Zhou Sanwa Hotpot," "Zhou San-niang Hotpot," and so on.

After private business was allowed again, many people from Zhou Village had returned to their old trade of selling hotpot. They had already gained a small reputation in town.

Zhou Yan greeted anyone he knew, while offering a smile and nod to those he did not.

He soon noticed a hotpot stall ahead with a sign reading "Zhouji Hotpot." All eight tables they had set out were full of customers. The burly man standing before the pot and cooking beef was Zhou Hai, while the one handling customers, serving dishes, and taking payment with a broad smile was Zhou Jie.

In terms of popularity, it ranked first among all the food vendors at the docks.

The other hotpot stalls only had two or three scattered customers at most. There was even a nearby stall called "Zhou Liangliang Hotpot" with just one customer.

Zhou Hai kept an eye on everything around him and spotted Zhou Yan at once. He called out with a smile, "Zhou Yan! Over here!"

Zhou Yan pushed his bike over. Before he could say anything, Zhou Jie proudly introduced him to the customers at the stall. "This is my younger brother, Zhou Yan—the hero who jumped into the water to save someone. The higher-ups are even going to recognize him for it!"

"He's my younger brother too." Zhou Hai straightened his back, his face breaking into a grin.

The customers all looked toward Zhou Yan.

"You're the one who jumped into Bailatuo a couple days ago and saved that female college student? You really are a hero!"

"Young man, you're handsome and gutsy too!"

Zhou Yan felt a little embarrassed from all the praise.

"My younger brother isn't just handsome. His cooking is excellent too. He opened a place called Zhou Erwa Restaurant at the entrance of the Textile Factory, and he's planning to sell hotpot next. If you live nearby, eating at his place will be just as good." Zhou Jie patted his chest. "The family's craft couldn't go wrong!"