Sweethearts? Glasses? Chubby?

Everyone at the restaurant entrance turned in unison to look at Zhou Yan.

The workers watching found it strange. These university professors and students had not gone inside to eat; instead, they were enthusiastically discussing an earthen stove.

Was there really something so special about Zhou Yan's stove?

Xia Yao smiled as she looked at Zhou Yan. She did not find it strange. Zhou Yan's way of thinking had never been like that of an ordinary cook—he was more flexible and clever.

Zhao Hong had long since slipped off to the side, afraid of drawing attention.

Zhao Tieying was stuck watching the pot and had nowhere to hide, so she could only look at Zhou Yan as well.

She did not understand terms like tracing origins or brand-building, but the things the university professor mentioned really were all things Zhou Yan had done, and they had indeed attracted plenty of customers.

But Zhou Yan had not even gone to high school. How had he managed to make university professors see him in a new light?

Zhao Tieying felt her hands and feet go a little numb. She had not even finished elementary school and had only attended a literacy class for one month, yet she still instinctively grew nervous whenever she saw teachers.

Zhou Yan was not nervous at all. He had stopped blushing in public when he started fighting old men and women for bottles at age seven. Four years as a restaurant-review blogger had further toughened his skin, and his nerves were rock-solid.

"Yes, Professor. That really was the idea behind what I did. You're very perceptive," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Lin Zhiqiang nodded slightly beside him. Zhou Yan's words were well chosen—they praised Su Jun while also affirming his own ability.

Su Jun smiled at that and asked, "How did you think of writing the sign on the stove?"

"I originally planned to make a neon sign. It would have been more eye-catching, absolutely one of a kind in town. It could have drawn in quite a few customers just from people coming to stare at it. But I asked around in Jiazhou, and it was far too expensive. I simply couldn't afford it," Zhou Yan explained. "So I could only buy a brush and some paint and handwrite a sign myself."

"Just as you said, building such a raised earthen stove outside the restaurant was already eye-catching enough. Once the aroma of the broth spread, people would naturally look for where it was coming from. Writing the sign and the brand story on the stove created the best possible GG effect."

The university students looked at Zhou Yan differently after hearing that.

No, he actually understood this stuff!

GG design had been making a comeback over the past two years. Their professors had added related courses and instruction, and there were more and more GGs on television as well.

Who would have thought that in a little town restaurant, there would be a young owner making his own sign and GG, even trying to build a brand?

"Not bad. This is the wisdom of the common folk," Su Jun said, nodding repeatedly as he looked at Zhou Yan with clear admiration. "Did you write these characters yourself too?"

"I did," Zhou Yan said with a nod.

Su Jun smiled. "The handwriting is fairly conventional, but the sign has a clear hierarchy, the color combination is appropriate, and the overall effect is excellent. You have quite a bit of talent."

"You flatter me," Zhou Yan hurriedly said.

The university students were somewhat surprised. Professor Su rarely praised anyone. He was nicknamed Iron-Faced Su in the department, and his classes were extremely demanding. Getting through one without being scolded was already considered fortunate.

"Hey, even a university professor says Zhou Yan has talent. That's pretty impressive."

"This kid is like a monkey from Mount Emei—sharp as hell."

"Most people wouldn't even be able to speak properly in a situation like this, but he isn't nervous or timid at all."

The watching workers murmured among themselves as well.

The corners of Zhao Tieying's mouth lifted. Zhou Yan had received praise from a professor, and as his mother, she felt honored too.

"Alright, let's go inside and eat. I can see everyone's been swallowing saliva ever since they smelled that beef soup," Su Jun said, taking the lead into the restaurant.

Everyone answered and followed him inside. They had spent the entire morning touring the factory, and with the smell of meat in the air, they were starving.

Zhao Tieying hurriedly ushered everyone to their seats. "Come on, come on, sweethearts. You can sit over here, or over there..."

"Thank you, Auntie," the female students said along with Xia Yao.

"Glasses, you sit here," Auntie Zhao said, motioning for a male student to take a seat.

"Huh? Auntie, you call them all sweethearts, but you call me Glasses?" Wang Chen pushed up the glasses on his nose and asked with a grin.

"Only female students get called sweethearts. Look at them, they're all so well-behaved," Auntie Zhao explained with a smile, then called to another male student, "Handsome guy, can you sit over here?"

"So you call Ma Xingye handsome guy?" Wang Chen looked wounded.

"Oh, Chubby, don't worry about that. Look at him—he's tall and strong, and he really is as handsome as my son," Auntie Zhao said with a dismissive wave.

"Chubby? Why did it change again?" Wang Chen sighed, looking even more wounded.

The classmates nearby were about to laugh themselves silly.

"Come on, Chubby. Sit at this table with us," Ma Xingye said with a smile, pulling Wang Chen over to sit beside him.

"How did that auntie know my nickname?" Wang Chen could not help laughing even after sitting down. He looked at Ma Xingye and said, "Let me see just how handsome this big son of mine really is."

"Get lost!" Ma Xingye said with a laughing curse, though his gaze drifted toward the table beside them.

"Just noodles and Qiaojiao Beef? Isn't this a restaurant? Why is it a noodle shop?" Wang Chen muttered as he stared at the menu on the wall.

At the next table, Xia Yao sat with Deng Hong, Zhu Yuyu, and another female student, discussing what to order.

"Xia Yao, you've eaten here before. Which noodles are good?" Zhu Yuyu asked.

"I like the Braised Pork Rib Noodles. Zhou Yan's Braised Spare Ribs are definitely the best I've ever had—better than my dad's," Xia Yao said with a smile. "But the other two noodle dishes are good too, especially the Double-Pepper Beef Tossed Noodles. A lot of people order those."

"The Qiaojiao Beef smells so good. Should we order a portion to try?" Deng Hong suggested.

"Sure, I want to try it too," Xia Yao said with a nod.

"Zhou Yan is so handsome. Does he have a girlfriend?" Zhu Yuyu asked, her face full of gossip.

"Yeah, are you even a little interested in him?" Deng Hong leaned closer too.

"Shh, don't talk nonsense." Xia Yao glared at them and lowered her voice. "My uncle is sitting in the back."

Deng Hong and Zhu Yuyu glanced at Lin Zhiqiang's table and could not help covering their mouths as they laughed.

Lin Zhiqiang sat with Su Jun and two other professors, enthusiastically recommending what they should eat.

The simplicity of Zhou Erwa Restaurant's menu surprised Su Jun and the other two professors.

The sign outside said it was a restaurant, yet the menu only had three kinds of noodles and one Qiaojiao Beef dish?

Lin Zhiqiang had not warned them before they entered either.

Now that they were seated inside, it would not be appropriate to say much more.

"Then I'll have one portion of Qiaojiao Beef, plus one serving of Double-Pepper Beef Tossed Noodles," Su Jun said as he placed his order, then began talking with Lin Zhiqiang about Zhou Yan.

In fact, Su Jun had originally declined Jiazhou Textile Factory's invitation.

The main destinations for this sketching and study trip to Jiazhou were Mount Emei and the Jiazhou Giant Buddha. There had been no plans to visit any businesses, and as department head, he had not intended to add an itinerary at the last minute.

But last week, when Xia Yao had fallen into the water while visiting relatives in Suji, her aunt had called him to request leave on her behalf. It had scared him into breaking out in a cold sweat.

Xia Yao's mother, Meng Zhilan, had been his senior at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. They had shared the same mentor. Although they had not kept in close contact in recent years, if anything had happened to Xia Yao, he truly would not have known how to face her.

Besides, he was responsible for this event. If something had really happened to Xia Yao, he would certainly have lost his position as department head and faced disciplinary action.

Fortunately, Zhou Yan had saved Xia Yao and minimized the impact of the incident.

After Xia Yao returned, she reported what had happened. The young man who had stepped forward to save someone left a deep impression on him.

They would return to Mountain City tomorrow, so he had temporarily confirmed with the school that they would spend a day visiting Jiazhou Textile Factory to explore the possibility of cooperation between the school and the enterprise.

Of course, the main reason was that he wanted to meet Zhou Yan in person.

When Lin Zhiqiang praised Zhou Yan, he did not hold back in the slightest. Even Zhou Yan, cooking noodles in the kitchen, felt embarrassed hearing it.

But Zhao Tieying loved hearing it. The deputy factory director praising Zhou Yan meant he had earned recognition from a leader, proof of Zhou Yan's ability.

The restaurant was full of university students, and quite a few workers followed them inside to see just how delicious the Qiaojiao Beef was if even university students came to eat it.

There were nineteen tables in the restaurant, and every one of them was full at noon that day.

With only noodles and Qiaojiao Beef on the menu, most of the university students had not expected much.

But as the noodles and Qiaojiao Beef were served one after another, exclamations rang out through the restaurant:

"Wow! These Double-Pepper Beef Tossed Noodles smell incredible!"

"These Braised Spare Ribs are the real deal! The meat falls right off the bone with one bite, and the flavor is unbelievably good!"

"The Braised Beef with Dried Bamboo Shoots is the best! It's so fragrant I'm practically dizzy!"

"Drink the soup, all of you! This beef soup is the real masterpiece!"

"Auntie, give us some more pickled radish! It's so good!"