Chapter 35: Chapter 29: The Most Important Thing is to Be Happy

The praise was endless.

The university students had quite the vocabulary. Their words of praise were never the same twice.

They slurped their noodles and drank their beef broth, savoring every last, fragrant bite.

"These students have been out for half a month, and this is the first time I’ve seen them eat with such gusto and praise something so enthusiastically," Su Jun couldn’t help but say with a laugh.

"Exactly. They weren’t even this fond of the Jiazhou State-Owned Restaurant. But here, in this little eatery, three noodle dishes and a bowl of Kneeling Beef have made them ecstatic," the female teacher added with a laugh.

"But these noodles really are fragrant! The Double Pepper Beef Noodles are even better than what our school cafeteria makes. The noodles are so chewy, and the topping is out of this world. The minced double-pepper beef is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It’s perfectly numbing and spicy. Delicious!" another male teacher exclaimed, looking up from his bowl.

"Wang, you should’ve ordered a bowl of Kneeling Beef. You’re definitely going to regret it when we go back," Su Jun said, picking up a slice of beef and dipping it into the small saucer.

The pinkish, tender beef was coated in red chili flakes. He took a bite. The large, thin, soft slice of beef, covered in fragrant, spicy chili flakes, was both aromatic and tender—an absolute masterpiece of texture and flavor.

The chili flakes weren’t a fine powder ground by a machine, but hand-crushed fragments mixed with a bit of toasted sesame and Sichuan peppercorn powder. The flavor was superb, the perfect finishing touch for the Kneeling Beef.

Su Jun loved Mountain City hot pot and knew a thing or two about eating beef offal. But Mountain City’s style was typically a red broth, emphasizing heavy oil, intense spiciness, and a strong numbing sensation.

This clear broth, however, brought out a completely different flavor in the offal.

The fresh tripe was cooked with perfect Fire Control, making it exceptionally crisp and refreshing. The tendon was soft and glutinous, and the beef intestine was tender. Paired with the dipping sauce, it wasn’t the least bit greasy.

And the broth itself was unbelievably savory!

It contained many Chinese herbs and spices, but they didn’t muddle the broth’s flavor. Instead, they made it even more delicious and savory.

He had taken students on field trips to many places, but this pot of broth had truly astonished him.

"Comrade Zhou isn’t very old, but his culinary skills are on another level," Su Jun remarked with admiration.

"He’s a true disciple of his master. These dishes he’s made are no worse than his master’s," Lin Zhiqiang said with a nod. As a regular at the cafeteria’s stir-fry station, he had eaten plenty of Xiao Lei’s cooking and had a right to say so.

But the most popular item of all had to be the free pickled sour turnips.

Sour, spicy, and crisp, they were refreshingly palate-cleansing—the perfect companion for a bowl of noodles.

Of course, the free refills of beef broth were another crowd favorite.

Cries of "Auntie! Auntie!" were heard one after another.

Xia Yao and her friends had originally ordered only one bowl of Kneeling Beef, but after tasting it, they immediately ordered another.

The main reason was that the portion of Kneeling Beef was so generous that if they also ordered a bowl of noodles each, they wouldn’t be able to finish it all.

At least, Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu wouldn’t be able to finish it. Deng Hong was another story. She could handle it, so the second bowl was ordered just for her.

"Mmm... this is just too good! The Mountain City hot pot numbed me half to death, but I love Kneeling Beef! I love Suji!" Deng Hong exclaimed as she feasted, unable to stop herself from sighing with contentment.

Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu both laughed.

"Yaoyao, why don’t you consider it? With cooking skills like these, I think you’d be happy for the rest of your life if you married him." Deng Hong looked at Xia Yao, her round face filled with sincerity. "I finally see how handsome he is now. A man who can cook is devastatingly handsome!"

At the next table, Ma Xingye’s chopsticks paused mid-air.

"Shh, not another word!" Xia Yao reached out and pinched the soft flesh on her friend’s stomach, a blush creeping onto her face.

The teachers and students were all very satisfied with their meal.

Lin Zhiqiang went to pay the bill. In total, they had eaten twenty-four bowls of noodles, twenty-two bowls of Kneeling Beef, and eighteen bowls of rice, coming to a total of 29.40 yuan.

Su Jun stood up and asked with a smile, "So, students, how was the food?"

"Delicious!"

"So good!"

The students all chimed in, thoroughly pleased with their meal.

"So, should we eat here at Zhou Yan Restaurant again tonight?" Su Jun asked.

"Yes!"

This time, the students answered in unison.

They didn’t expect the textile factory’s cafeteria to be any good. It would be better to try a different kind of noodle dish tonight and have another bowl of the Kneeling Beef they couldn’t get anywhere else.

They were heading back to Mountain City tomorrow, so this would be a special memory to take with them.

In the back kitchen, Zhou Yan was cooking noodles when he heard this. ’Oh no,’ he thought. He could always make more noodles, but he was running out of toppings and sauces.

’But this is a great opportunity for publicity. I can’t miss it.’

Zhou Yan came out carrying two bowls of noodles and said with a smile, "There aren’t many toppings and sauces left in the shop. If you all want to eat here tonight, please pre-order what kind of noodles you’d like. That way, I can go buy fresh meat to prepare for you."

"No problem, we can just make a list." Xia Yao took a notebook from her backpack, wrote down the four dish names, and said with a smile, "Everyone, tell me what kind of noodles you want for dinner."

"I want to try the Double Pepper Beef Noodles!" Deng Hong quickly said.

"I want..."

Xia Yao made tally marks under each dish name, and the count was done in a moment.

"Here, this is everyone’s order," Xia Yao said, tearing the page from her notebook and handing it to Zhou Yan.

"Thanks, this is a huge help," Zhou Yan said, taking the paper with a smile.

"It’s nothing. You should get back to it. The other customers are still waiting for their noodles," Xia Yao replied with a graceful smile.

Standing to the side, Lin Zhiqiang watched the two of them with an avuncular grin, wondering if he should tell Meng Anhe about this tonight.

Zhou Yan said goodbye to Su Jun and Lin Zhiqiang, and after confirming they would be back for dinner, he returned to the kitchen to get back to work.

The students got up and left the restaurant, looking for a place to walk around and digest.

Director Su gave everyone an hour and a half of free time. They could wander around Suji Town, but he strictly forbade them from going near the river and had two teachers accompany them.

"Mrs. Zhao, where’s Momo? I haven’t seen her," Xia Yao asked Zhao Tieying as she reached the entrance.

"She went off to play with her two nephews. She’s not back yet," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile. "Sweetie, when are you all heading back to the city?"

"We leave tomorrow morning. We’re going back to Mountain City."

"Mountain City? That’s so far!" Zhao Tieying’s voice rose in surprise. "Well... will you come back to visit Suji in the future?"

"I’ll have to wait for a school holiday, but I’ll come back to Suji when I have time," Xia Yao said, nodding with a smile. "Well, Auntie, you’re busy, so I’ll come find Momo to play with later."

"Alright," Zhao Tieying answered, then turned to ring up another customer.

"Yaoyao, when you were taking down the orders just now, you looked just like the proprietress," Deng Hong said with a grin, linking her arm through Xia Yao’s as they walked out.

"Mhm, you did have the air of one," Zhu Yuyu added, taking her other arm. "Yaoyao, you two seem to know each other pretty well."

"He’s the one who saved my life. It was just a small favor, and he seems like a nice person," Xia Yao said with a small smile, then looked at her two friends and warned, "But there’s nothing going on between us, so don’t get any funny ideas!"

"Alright, alright, if there’s nothing, there’s nothing. Let’s just wander around over there. I don’t really feel like walking all the way into town," Deng Hong suggested.

Xia Yao glanced back in the direction of the restaurant and nodded. "Okay."

The news that the university students had all eaten lunch at Zhou Yan Restaurant and were completely satisfied, praising it endlessly, quickly spread from the factory workers who had also been eating there.

This was something new, and it counted as big news at the textile factory.

Zhou Yan Restaurant was right at the factory gate, and for the past two days, people could smell the aroma of beef on their way to and from work. However, most people gave up the idea of trying it after hearing the prices.

But now that university students and a professor from the city had eaten there and said it was good, people felt the impulse to give it a try.

The restaurant was busy right up until the textile factory workers’ shift was about to start.

Zhou Yan tossed two small balls of dough into an enamel basin to the side and shook out his sore hands. The toppings and sauces in the several basins were all sold out. He had already met his goal of one hundred servings ahead of schedule, and there were still many customers who hadn’t been able to order the noodles they wanted.

"Those university students brought in so many customers at noon today. We even sold sixty-two portions of Kneeling Beef!" Zhao Tieying said, beaming as she walked in carrying a basin of earthenware bowls, her steps light and airy.

"I estimate we’ll have a lot of customers tonight, too. I’ll go buy meat and vegetables in a bit and prepare fifty more servings of toppings," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "These university students gave us some great advertising."

"Mama! Ma..."

"Mom, look! We caught an eel!"

The voices of Zhou Momo and Fanwa came from outside.

"Good heavens, did you go playing in the fields? You’re covered in mud!" Zhao Hong’s voice followed. "Zhou Lihui! I told you to watch your aunt and Fanwa, and you took them for a mud bath in the paddies!"

Zhou Yan and Zhao Tieying went outside to look.

Zhou Lihui and the two little ones were covered in mud, each clutching an eel. Zhou Lifan’s face was so caked with mud that only his eyes and teeth were white, making him look utterly ridiculous.

"I’m gonna..." Zhao Hong grabbed a nearby feather duster and started walking toward her two sons.

"Fanwa, run!" Zhou Lihui threw down the eel in his hand, grabbed Zhou Lifan, and took off running.

Zhao Hong chased after them, shouting, "Get back here! I’m telling you, Shu Dao Mountain..."

"Sister-in-law, never mind, never mind! Just remember to come back for dinner after you’re done with the beating!" Zhou Yan couldn’t help but laugh. ’Those two are having a complete childhood.’

Zhou Momo didn’t run. Her two small hands were tightly gripping a large eel, which had to weigh a good three *liang*. Even her big toes were clenched with effort. She held it up proudly and shouted, "Mama! Brother! Look, a big eel!"

Zhou Yan secretly glanced at Zhao Tieying. If she got too angry, he might have to grab Zhou Momo and make a run for it himself.

But Zhao Tieying didn’t fly into a rage. Instead, she smiled, took a step forward, and crouched down. "Wow, my little girl is so capable! You caught such a big eel. How about Mommy makes you some braised eel for dinner tonight, okay?"

"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded her head, absolutely delighted.

"Then you stand right there. Let me rinse your feet before you go inside. You need a bath and a change of clothes, too." Zhao Tieying took the eel from her hands and walked back into the shop with a smile.

"How come you’re not scolding her?" Zhou Yan asked with a laugh.

"She had so much fun and even brought back an eel. Why would I scold her for that?" Zhao Tieying came out with a basin of warm water and said as she wrung out a towel, "Your dad gets covered in mud every time he goes fishing, and he can’t even catch a damn thing. I don’t scold him, do I?"

"Being happy is the most important thing in life, after all."

Zhou Yan smiled too. ’It’s nice,’ he thought. ’I have a mom who doesn’t spoil the fun.’