Sister, You're So Pretty

Zhao Tieying sat on the back seat of the bicycle, humming a little tune all the way back to Zhou Village.

Under the big tree at the village entrance, a group of women were cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping.

"Ride slower." Zhao Tieying tugged at Zhou Miao's shirt, and the bicycle immediately slowed down.

"Iron Lady seems to be in a good mood today, huh? Humming all the way home." An older woman spoke with a smile. Everyone's eyes turned toward Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao.

Zhou the Fourth was skilled at slaughtering cattle and had been among the first in Zhou Village to obtain a cattle-slaughtering permit after the restrictions were lifted. Zhao Tieying was also efficient at work, and their family had been living a prosperous life, making others inevitably jealous.

But then they had Zhou Yan, that wastrel. After serving as an apprentice at the Factory Canteen for two and a half years, he had dared to quit and open a restaurant as a self-employed businessman.

Not only had he drained his parents' savings, but he had also piled up a mountain of debt. These days, their family had become Zhou Village's favorite joke after meals.

Fortunately, Zhou Miao had several brothers, all of whom knew how to slaughter cattle, and Zhao Tieying was a sharp-tongued woman who never spared anyone with her words. Most people did not dare gossip in front of them.

For someone as proud as Zhao Tieying, she had spent this period lowering her head whenever she passed the village entrance and telling Zhou Miao to ride faster. She did not want to hear the old women's idle chatter.

"Mother Wang, have you heard that my Zhou Yan saved the niece of Deputy Director Lin from the Textile Factory?" Zhao Tieying tugged Zhou Miao's shirt hem, and the bicycle immediately stopped. Her voice rose several notches. "Deputy Director Lin came to thank Zhou Yan today and gave him a brand-new Twenty-Eight Bicycle. He insisted that Zhou Yan accept it, and even said he wanted to nominate him for some kind of model citizen award. Oh, and the restaurant did great business today too. It was so busy we could barely keep up."

The village entrance fell silent. Only Zhao Tieying's crisp laughter and the crackling of the fire echoed against each other.

A Twenty-Eight Bicycle was a major purchase. Even Textile Factory workers had to save for over half a year and get a bicycle ration coupon before they could buy one.

There were only a few bicycles in all of Zhou Village. Only cattle slaughterers could afford them.

Looking at those stunned, envious, jealous faces, Zhao Tieying's smile grew even brighter. Her raised chin made her look like a victorious general. "I'm done chatting with you lot. I'm going home to bathe and sleep. I have to help at the restaurant early tomorrow morning."

Zhou Miao immediately pedaled away.

"A Twenty-Eight Bicycle! Zhou Yan really struck it lucky!"

"The deputy director of the Textile Factory? Zhou the Second has latched onto a big shot!"

"His restaurant business has improved too. No wonder Zhao Tieying is so pleased with herself..."

Zhao Tieying pricked up her ears at the discussion behind her and laughed so hard that her whole body shook. The resentment that had built up in her heart over this period was released all at once.

"Mom, what are you laughing about?" Zhou Momo turned around and looked at her curiously.

"I thought of something happy." Zhao Tieying replied with a grin.

"Hehehe, then I'm happy too..."

Zhou Yan fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Wang Laowu and his wife, however, tossed and turned all night.

"We sold ten fewer bowls than yesterday. Zhou the Second stole all our customers. What are we going to do?" Wang Laowu's wife looked miserable.

Wang Laowu took a puff from his dry tobacco pipe and waved his hand. "It's nothing. Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong were backing him today. The people who went to eat noodles there were just doing those two a favor and joining in the excitement.

"He sells a bowl of noodles for sixty cents. Even if workers earn a bit more, they can't afford to eat like that every day. In a couple of days, they'll still come back to us."

"Really?"

"Don't worry. Didn't Zhou Erwa Restaurant do well for just two days when it first opened? What good did that do? Zhou the Second simply isn't cut out to be a chef or run a restaurant."

Zhou Yan got up early again. He first changed the water for the dried bamboo shoots, then washed up with cold water.

A body accustomed to labor really was different. After a night's sleep, he was full of energy, strong all over, nothing like a fragile college student.

He tied a basket to the back seat of the Twenty-Eight Bicycle and rode out to buy groceries.

Once he reached the market, he activated [Food Appraisal], and the quality of all kinds of ingredients became clear at a glance. Even when picking chili peppers, he chose only those marked excellent.

"Zhou the Second, the pork belly and ribs are especially good today. If you want them, I'll give you a cheaper price." As Zhou Yan passed a meat stall, the butcher called out to him. In a conspiratorial tone, he said, "One sixty a jin. If you take it all, I'll knock another dime off."

One sixty a jin really was cheap.

Zhou Yan gave it a quick look. The pork on the stall was pale, but its assessment was glaringly red: [A pile of stale diseased pork]

Zhou Yan used a lot of meat for his restaurant, so all the butchers in town knew him.

"Why does this meat look a little pale?" Zhou Yan asked casually.

"My second uncle raised this pig himself. The meat is excellent, don't you worry. I, Wang Qi, have been selling meat for years. Would I cheat a kid like you?" The butcher patted his chest.

"Too bad I sell noodles now. I can't use this meat." Zhou Yan looked regretful as he turned and left.

"You sell noodles now?" Wang Qi scratched his head and could only shift his attention to the next sucker.

In this era of scarce supplies, selling diseased pigs or sick cattle was not unusual. But taking advantage of Zhou Yan's youth and ignorance of meat quality was going too far. Little Zhou might have suffered such losses before.

Zhou Yan had not planned to interfere, but when he had finished buying groceries and was about to leave, he saw Wang Qi pulling an elderly woman over and trying to sell to her. He went to an empty spot nearby, took out his notebook and pen, quickly wrote several lines, tore out the page and folded it. When he rode past the market administration office, he casually tossed it inside, where it landed right on the desk.

Whether the staff would deal with it and whether Wang Qi would be punished were no longer things he could control.

Zhou Yan went to Zhang Laosan's stall to collect the three jin of ribs he had ordered. They were still one ninety a jin, and the appraisal read: [A piece of fresh, high-quality ribs]

At a little over thirty cents extra per jin, letting customers eat high-quality ribs made Zhou Yan feel more at ease about earning the money.

"You're something else, kid. You're a hero for saving someone now. Once I'm done selling meat at noon, I'll come to your place for noodles too." Zhang Laosan looked at Zhou Yan with genuine admiration. This time, he was not just being polite.

"Sure." Zhou Yan answered with a smile and rode away. Even the big red flower on his handlebars seemed brighter.

He first set the bone broth to simmer, then stewed the beef brisket and ribs before starting to knead dough. With yesterday's experience, Zhou Yan could now arrange his time reasonably.

With his mother helping him sell noodles now, they could still manage. But if he planned to add new dishes later, such as selling Chinese dishes again, then he would have to seriously consider how to make the restaurant run more efficiently.

Of course, Zhou Yan would not be satisfied with merely running a noodle shop.

Zhao Tieying arrived early too. Zhou Momo was still asleep, so she had brought her in the basket, wrapped in a little quilt.

"Mom, come a little later next time. It's dark, and the road isn't easy to travel." Zhou Yan carefully lifted Zhou Momo out and carried her to his bed to continue sleeping.

"You know the roads are bad, yet you couldn't ride back from the slaughterhouse to pick up your mother and sister? You pedaled that bicycle fast enough." Zhao Tieying rolled her eyes at him.

"Sure, definitely next time." Zhou Yan scratched his head awkwardly. His mind had been focused entirely on buying groceries, and he had not thought of that at all.

Zhou Yan kneaded dough while Zhao Tieying tended the fire and watched attentively from the side when he cooked and stir-fried dishes.

"Mom, do you want to become a chef too?" Zhou Yan asked casually.

"One chef in the family is enough. I'm just watching how you chefs cook, so I can make tastier food in the future." Zhao Tieying looked at the meat in the pot, somewhat worried. "You prepared so much meat today. Can you sell it all?"

"It's not that much. As long as business is a little better this morning, it'll be fine." Zhou Yan said confidently.

Today, he had prepared ingredients for ninety bowls of noodles, only thirty more than yesterday. It was not too aggressive.

The toppings and minced meat sauce were ready. Two large pots were already boiling water, while the soup pot in the middle gently simmered the bone broth. It bubbled away, releasing a rich fragrance.

After working all morning, they could not work on empty stomachs. Zhou Yan cooked two bowls of noodles.

"I'll just have some green vegetables. Breakfast should be lighter." Zhao Tieying brought over two large bowls.

"Then why did you scoop up so much chili oil?" Zhou Yan clicked his tongue. After lifting out the noodles, he directly ladled a spoonful of Beef Braised with Dried Bamboo Shoots into her bowl.

"Less. Can I even eat that much..." Zhao Tieying picked up her bowl, afraid Zhou Yan would add more, though the corners of her lips could not help rising.

This son of hers had become sensible and filial after all. She had not raised him for nothing.

Just as Zhou Yan was about to scoop out the remaining noodles from the pot, Zhou Momo came over after catching the scent. She stood in the doorway, rubbing her sleepy eyes, her face full of delight. "Is it time to eat?"

"Yeah, it's time to eat." Zhou Yan took out a small bowl and served her one first.

"Momo is super hungry! I'm going to eat three bowls today!" Zhou Momo leaned closer and held up her little hand in a V sign.

Zhou Yan helped her unfold another finger. "This is three."

The little girl really had not been bragging. She finished three small bowls of noodles, her little face gleaming with oil. After getting down from the table, she did not forget to give Zhou Yan a thumbs-up. "So yummy! Next time I'm eating three bowls again!"

After breakfast, Zhou Yan opened the restaurant doors. Outside, the sky was already bright.

Across the street, Wang Laowu's noodle stall had a pot of noodle water steaming away as they arranged tables and chairs.

Hearing the door open, Wang Laowu looked up. His eyes met Zhou Yan's, and he immediately turned away with a huff.

People in the same trade were rivals, especially when they were directly across from each other.

Zhou Yan merely smiled and did not take Wang Laowu's reaction to heart.

When running a restaurant, strength spoke for itself. Whichever place tasted better, the customers would give the answer.

After six-thirty, workers began arriving for work one after another.

Wang Laowu and his wife Liu Fang had deliberately changed into new aprons today. With smiles piled onto their faces, they stood before the noodle stall, ready to welcome customers with a fresh new image.

But they soon could not keep smiling.

Bicycles kept stopping in front of Zhou Erwa Restaurant. Within moments, six or seven had parked there.

Even two regulars from their noodle stall wore hats for some reason today, walking with their heads tilted as though afraid of being recognized. They slipped into Zhou Erwa Restaurant as well.

"What's going on? They're all going across the street! Wang Jianming and Liu Laoba even deliberately wore hats. I recognized them at a glance! Don't they only eat our noodles?" Liu Fang stamped her feet anxiously.

They normally would have opened for business by now, but today they did not have a single customer. All they could do was watch the bustle across the street.

"They're just going there for the excitement. Don't panic, don't panic." Wang Laowu said in a deep voice.

But his lowered hands were trembling slightly. He felt awful, as if his wife had run off with another man right in front of him.

He had been cuckolded.

Whether those people had gone for the excitement or not, today's business would definitely be poor. All the noodles and toppings he had prepared were going to waste.

"Why do we have to sneak around just to eat noodles? It feels like we're having an affair."

"Did you see Wang Laowu and his wife's expressions? Thirty percent shock, thirty percent confusion, and forty percent anger. They were practically about to grab us and ask, 'Haven't I given you discounts?' Who could stand that?"

"Ah? Hurry up, stupid legs!"

Wang Jianming and Liu Laoba hurried into Zhou Erwa Restaurant, only then letting out a breath of relief.

That morning, Wang Laowu had sold only three bowls of noodles, all to relatives. After catching Wang Laowu's eye, the customers were too embarrassed to go across the street.

In contrast, Zhou Yan's place never stopped. Pot after pot of noodles was tossed, and the large bowls sent back into the kitchen had already filled four wooden buckets.

Even Zhou Momo, the child laborer, had been assigned to stand at the entrance and welcome customers.

"Welcome to eat noodles."

"Big sister, you're so pretty."

"Big sister, your skin is so fair."

"Come eat noodles again next time."

"Bye-bye."

Zhou Momo was a little chatterbox and friendly with everyone. She could chat with anybody for a few words, and she was cute and knew how to compliment people. She gave the female workers plenty of emotional gratification, making them very happy. Some even gave her candy.

With candy in her pockets, Zhou Momo became even more talkative.

Zhou Yan came out several times carrying noodles and felt that the little girl was here to scam food and treats. But she was too cute, and her success rate was remarkably high.

Near eight o'clock, the workers were rushing to clock in, and the restaurant gradually emptied.

At that moment, a ruby-red Phoenix Brand bicycle stopped in front of the restaurant. A young woman jumped down from its back seat.

Zhou Momo, who was sitting on a little stool by the door eating candy, looked up. Her eyes widened, and her mouth fell slightly open. "Big sister, you're so pretty..."