Zhao Tieying was stunned for a moment by Zhou Yan’s words, but then her eyes lit up. "Alright! We’ll move into your restaurant!"

The restaurant had two floors. The first floor was for the business, while most of the second floor was empty.

Zhou Yan only occupied a small space by the stairwell, where he had set up a small room for sleeping. The rest of the area was vacant. With a little tidying up, they could move right in.

For one, they wouldn’t have to pay extra rent. For another, it would help them avoid the trouble of moving back into the old family house.

They couldn’t save up the money to rebuild the house right away, but tomorrow they could dig out the bed boards, let them dry in the sun, and with a couple of sets of bedding, they’d have a place to sleep.

Zhou Yan was really sounding dependable now. He had solved the problem weighing on her mind in one fell swoop.

She completely agreed with the old matriarch’s principle of managing the family—that living too close to relatives often led to friction.

Zhao Tieying had been managing her household for over twenty years and had always been a woman of strong opinions. After drinking the ginger soup and sitting in the warm room for a while, her frantic heart gradually calmed. Before the old matriarch could speak, she said, "Mom, it’s settled. Zhou Miao and I both want to live at Zhou Yan’s restaurant. It’ll be more convenient for the family to be together, and it’ll save Momo from being carried back and forth in the back basket every day, unable to get a proper night’s sleep."

"Right," Zhou Miao nodded quickly, showing his support for Comrade Zhao Tieying’s authority.

Seeing Zhao Tieying’s firm attitude, the old matriarch nodded. "Fine. We’ll go with what you want."

’How could she not guess what was on Zhao Tieying’s mind? Her youngest brother-in-law is getting married soon; she doesn’t want to be a burden on him.’

With a consensus reached on the living situation, the initial problem was solved.

The eldest uncle stood up, pulled two Great Unity bills from his pocket, and handed them to Zhao Tieying. "Sister-in-law," he began, "this is a little something from me and your sister-in-law. If you run into any trouble, come find us anytime."

Second Uncle, Uncle, and the youngest uncle followed suit, each rising and placing twenty yuan into Zhao Tieying’s hand.

Next, led by Zhou Fei, the cousins—Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie—each gave Zhao Tieying ten yuan.

This was a tradition in the Zhou Family: when one member faced hardship, everyone else would rally to help them through it together.

Zhao Tieying clutched the bundle of Great Unity bills, her eyes turning red. She sniffled and said with a smile, "I won’t be polite and refuse this. We’re in a tight spot right now, and we need the money to get our living situation sorted out. I promise I’ll pay everyone back by the end of the year at the latest."

"We’re family, why talk about paying it back? This is just a small token from us," the eldest uncle said with a smile.

The others chimed in with agreement.

"No, that won’t do. I’m treating this as a loan. I won’t write an IOU, but I will definitely pay you all back before the end of the year." Zhao Tieying’s expression was serious. "You know me. When I say I’ll do something, I do it."

Hearing this, everyone smiled and didn’t press the matter further.

Watching this scene, Zhou Yan felt a warmth spread through his heart. ’This is what family is all about.’

Outside, the roosters began to crow.

The old matriarch glanced at her watch and announced, "Those who need to butcher cows, go butcher cows. Those who need to set up stalls, go set up stalls. And those who want to go back to bed for a bit, go back to bed. This matter is settled, so no one needs to worry about it. Just focus on your own business. Meeting adjourned!"

"Alright!" everyone replied, rising to their feet. They departed, filled with a sense of warmth.

Chen Yueyue clung tightly to Zhou Hao’s arm as they shared an umbrella. She said with a smile, "Your family’s atmosphere is so wonderful! I feel like I’m marrying into an amazing extended family! It’s like being wrapped in love and happiness."

"Is our dear language teacher inspired to write a short essay?" Zhou Hao teased with a grin.

"Hey!" Chen Yueyue gave his chest a light tap but couldn’t help pondering. In a low voice, she added, "It feels like Grandma and Fourth Aunt are both really impressive, strong-willed women."

Zhou Hao nodded. "Of course. My grandma is respected by everyone in Zhou Village. Even when the county leaders visit, they’re very respectful to her. And Fourth Aunt is no ordinary person either. Her nickname is the Iron Maiden. When she was young, she was the vice-captain of the militia brigade. She even won a sharpshooting award in a militia competition. They say that in hand-to-hand combat, most men can’t even beat her."

"No wonder Fourth Uncle is so afraid of her!" Chen Yueyue’s eyes widened a little, feeling like she’d discovered a key insight.

"You don’t get it," Zhou Hao said with a laugh. "Fourth Uncle isn’t afraid of her, he respects her. In the Zhou Family, respecting your wife is part of our upbringing, a tradition. And don’t you underestimate my Fourth Uncle. He might look thin, but my old man says that among the five brothers, only the youngest uncle is a bit stronger than him. His skill at butchering cows is the best in Zhou Village. He’s incredibly skilled with a knife."

Chen Yueyue looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to Zhou Hao with a beaming smile. "So, are you afraid of me, or do you respect me?"

"I could hold down five of you with one hand. Do you think I’m afraid, or do I respect you?"

"I don’t believe you! If you’re so tough, try holding me down with one finger!"

"Slow down! The path is full of puddles. You hold the umbrella, I’ll carry you back."

"Okay!"

"I love you, honey."

...

Zhou Yan’s family didn’t rush off. Mrs. Zhao was busy arranging the plan for the day.

Zhao Tieying looked at Zhou Miao and said, "Old Zhou, grab your tools and go help with the cow butchering as planned. It was already arranged, and the client has surely hired helpers and found buyers for the meat. Don’t put them in a difficult position."

"But today..."

"No buts. You go earn that three yuan for today. With it, I can buy two new towels, two new toothbrushes, and a wooden washbasin. Then we won’t have to worry about washing up tonight. After you finish butchering the cow, you can come back and start digging through the rubble. Safety first. Just salvage whatever you can in one day," Mrs. Zhao cut him off.

"Got it." Zhou Miao shouldered his pack, clapped Zhou Yan on the shoulder, and headed out.

The old matriarch, cracking melon seeds nearby, watched the scene and nodded slightly. ’Tie Ying certainly has a bit of my style when it comes to running a household.’

"Mom..." Zhou Yan stood up.

"Let’s go. Get the back basket and put Momo in it. We need to go buy vegetables and meat to open the restaurant for business." Zhao Tieying got up, went out to grab the back basket, and came back in. She went into the room, carefully placed the soundly sleeping Zhou Momo inside, then draped a piece of oilcloth over the top to form a cover. After saying goodbye to the old matriarch, she rushed out the door.

"Grandma, Youngest Uncle, we’re leaving now," Zhou Yan said to the old matriarch and his uncle, then hurried to catch up.

"Mom, maybe today you should..."

"Mourn for a pile of rags buried in the dirt for a whole day? The house collapsed, so we need to earn money to rebuild it. Before we can do that, we have to work hard to earn and save. Not a single moment can be wasted." Zhao Tieying stopped and looked at him.

"If I take a day off, I lose one yuan from my salary and six yuan in commission. I’d lose more than your old man!"

"If you take a day off, how much money will you lose? How many customers will be disappointed because they couldn’t get a meal? And what about the new customers who came on a recommendation? Will they ever come back?"

"You have to be clear-headed in life. If you can’t even hold onto money, what else can you possibly hold onto?"

Zhou Yan looked at Mrs. Zhao in shock, then nodded. "You’re right!"

Mrs. Zhao had calculated the costs perfectly.

If Zhou Yan Restaurant closed for a day, they would lose two hundred yuan. That was enough money to buy them a bed and quilts, plus a few sets of clothes and all the necessary daily supplies.

That’s right, two hundred yuan went a long way in those days.

As long as you weren’t buying major appliances or other big-ticket items, you could buy a bunch of vegetables to take home for just five cents.

The plans disrupted by the house’s collapse were forcibly wrenched back on track by Mrs. Zhao.

The sky was just beginning to lighten. The rain had stopped, but the dirt road was still wet and slippery. Zhou Yan rode carefully, especially since Zhou Momo was still fast asleep in the back basket.

As they passed Zhou Fei’s house, Mrs. Zhao shouted out, reminding Zhao Hong not to forget to go to work.

"Are you still opening as usual today?" Zhao Hong ran out of her house, surprised.

After all, the house collapsing was a huge deal. They should probably take some time to recover.

"We’re opening! Business as usual. Just leave the house to your Fourth Uncle. He’ll dig out whatever he can," Zhao Tieying said with a smile.

"Okay, I’ll get ready and head out then," Zhao Hong nodded.

When they passed by their own house, Zhao Tieying couldn’t help but stare for a few extra moments.

The house they had been living in just fine yesterday was now a pile of rubble. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t heartbroken.

"It’s okay. When we make money in the future, I’ll build you a two-and-a-half-story building made of brick and concrete, even sturdier than the ones at the textile factory," Zhou Yan said with a comforting smile.

"Alright," Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile, a glimmer of hope on her face.

After buying the meat, Zhou Yan made it back to the restaurant without any real incident, despite the treacherous roads.

Today, he had bought six pig heads and four chickens, ready to go all out.

He also bought half a pound of pork liver, four pig kidneys, and some side vegetables for stir-frying them.

He planned to significantly increase the portions of braised pig head and cold-dressed chicken today. He decided to delay adding the stir-fried pork liver to the menu for a day or two, planning to stir-fry a portion for the family to taste-test at lunch.

"You know how to stir-fry pork liver and kidneys, too?" Zhao Tieying asked, looking at Zhou Yan in surprise as he carried the ingredients into the kitchen.

"It’s my master’s signature dish, the ’Stir-Fried Three Musketeers.’ As his star pupil, of course I know how to make it," Zhou Yan said without batting an eye.

Only then did Zhao Tieying notice the sign for "Stir-Fried Pork Liver" already hanging on the wall. She hesitated. "Eighty cents a serving? Pork liver costs thirty cents a pound. Isn’t that a bit expensive? Other places usually sell it for around fifty cents."

"An average cook’s version sells for fifty cents. Mine is more delicious, so it sells for eighty. That extra thirty cents is what they’re paying for the taste," Zhou Yan explained with a smile. "Besides, if I price it too low, everyone will just order the stir-fried pork liver and my other dishes won’t sell. How are we supposed to earn money to rebuild the house then? When I add some vegetable dishes later, I’ll price a few of them cheaply. That way, it won’t affect the people who want to order meat dishes."

"You’re the boss, you call the shots." Zhao Tieying turned to start cleaning the beef intestines and tripe. They were behind schedule today. The river had risen a lot due to the rain, and the water was too muddy and yellow to wash the tripe, so she had to bring it back to wash with well water.

"Youngest Uncle, my condolences. This is a little something from me. I hope you can rebuild your house soon." Zhou Lihui took out twenty cents and handed it to Zhou Yan, emphasizing, "This is from my own allowance."

He hadn’t heard the commotion last night and was shocked to discover on his way to the restaurant with his mom this morning that his Fourth Great-Uncle’s house had collapsed.

"I appreciate the thought, but you should keep these twenty cents and buy yourself a snack. Adults don’t need a kid’s twenty cents to rebuild a house," Zhou Yan said with a smile, tucking the money back into the boy’s pocket.

Zhou Yan was quite touched that the boy had such a kind heart.

After adding the braised meat to the menu, the mornings became exceptionally busy.

After making the noodles, he immediately started braising the meat and boiling the chickens without a moment’s rest.

He had also bought five pig’s trotters, one for each person at the restaurant.

After surviving the disaster, it wasn’t too much to treat themselves to something good.

Before they opened for business in the morning, Comrade Zhou still hadn’t returned. Mrs. Zhao made the executive decision to postpone lunch until after closing, to see if her old man would be back to eat with them.

Zhou Yan had no objection. He never went hungry while cooking in the back kitchen anyway.

But Zhou Momo was hungry. She had recently gotten used to eating an early lunch, and as soon as the factory workers got off their shift, she started crying that she was hungry.

"Zhou Yan, get her pig’s trotter out for her to eat," Mrs. Zhao called out.

"Got it!" Zhou Yan replied, already fishing one of the trotters out.

Mrs. Zhao placed a small stool for her in front of the braised meat stall at the entrance, tied a little apron around her, and had her sit down. After wiping her hands clean, she placed the warm pig’s trotter directly into them.

"It’s huge!" Zhou Momo cradled the large pig’s trotter, her eyes sparkling. She looked at Mrs. Zhao with a stunned expression, then turned back to look at Zhou Yan, still in disbelief. "Brother, this is all for me?"

"Yep, it’s all yours," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "If you can’t finish it..."

"CHOMP~" Zhou Momo had already taken a huge bite. There was no such thing as not being able to finish it!

As the textile factory workers got off their shift, the first thing they saw upon exiting the main gate was an adorable little girl, gnawing on a giant braised pig’s trotter.

The skin was so tender it jiggled, coming off with just a purse of her little lips. The meat and tendons were so soft and succulent they broke apart with the gentlest bite.

Her hands and face were shiny with grease, and she was eating with such incredible relish.

"GULP~"