"Yes, I bought them for you." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "Look, your shoes are all worn out. You’re going to a banquet tomorrow, so you should wear a new pair."

"Oh my god, leather shoes! They’re beautiful. They must have been expensive, right?" Zhao Hong had already come over, marveling in a hushed voice.

"What would I do with leather shoes? I like cloth shoes; they’re soft." Mrs. Zhao’s eyes immediately reddened, but she sounded a bit disapproving. "Why waste money on this? Take them back and return them now."

"I can’t. The shop owner said I could exchange the size but not return them. Hurry up and see if they fit. If they don’t, we can exchange them. If the owner leaves, we won’t be able to," Zhou Yan said with a smile, stuffing the shoes into her hands. He then took out the other two pairs from the bike basket. "I also bought a pair of cap-toe leather shoes for Dad and a pair of tiger-head cloth shoes for Momo."

"Zhou Yan, you’re so filial. Mrs. Zhao, you’re so blessed." Zhao Hong, her face full of envy, smiled and urged her, "Just try them on. With such beautiful leather shoes, you’ll walk with a spring in your step."

"Well, I’ll just try them on then." Only then did Mrs. Zhao sit down on a stool, take off her cloth shoes, unbuckle the new ones, and carefully slip them on. She stepped on top of her old shoes and couldn’t help but exclaim, "Huh? These leather shoes really do feel different. Soft, comfortable, and the size is just right."

"They’re beautiful. Elegant and stylish," Zhao Hong nodded. "When I have some money at the end of the year, I’ll buy a pair to wear for the New Year."

"How did you know my size? How much did these shoes cost?" Mrs. Zhao looked up at Zhou Yan, a hint of surprise on her smiling face.

"I’m your son, of course I know. If the size is right, we won’t exchange them, okay?" Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Don’t worry about how much they cost. Just wear them."

It was clear that Mrs. Zhao loved them; she just couldn’t bear to spend the money.

’But isn’t the point of earning money to spend it on the people who matter most, to let them share in the joy?’

’Zhou Yan thought so.’

’All that money sitting in his account in his last life... in the end, even he didn’t get to spend it. What a goddamn waste that was.’

Mrs. Zhao put on the other shoe as well. Stepping on her cloth shoes, she looked left and right, growing more and more pleased, more and more happy, yet her eyes became a little misty.

She never thought that one day she would be able to wear leather shoes bought by her son.

"Brother, what about mine? Does Momo have some too?" Zhou Momo ran in from outside, her little hands covered in sand.

"Mhm, look at the little shoes I bought you." Zhou Yan dangled the pair of tiger-head shoes.

"Wow! So pretty!" Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up, and she rushed forward to pounce on Zhou Yan.

"Wait a minute, wash your little hands first," Zhou Yan quickly stopped her, carrying her to the doorway to wash her hands and patting the sand off her clothes outside.

When she took off her shoes, half a shoe’s worth of sand poured out. Her little feet were also covered in sand. Only after she was all clean did he carry her back inside and slip the tiger-head shoes on her.

They were a little big, with about a finger-and-a-half of extra room.

Mrs. Zhao leaned over for a look and nodded. "They fit. She can wear them until next spring."

"Roar! I’m a little tiger!" Zhou Momo was incredibly pleased. She shook her head playfully for a moment, then turned and threw herself into Zhou Yan’s arms, looking up at him. "Brother! I love these tiger shoes! I love you the most!"

"Good girl." Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head.

A pair of tiger-head shoes that cost eighty cents was enough to make Zhou Momo jump for joy.

’This money was so well spent.’

Mrs. Zhao had already taken off the leather shoes and switched back to her cloth ones. She turned away to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes and re-wrapped the shoes in the oil paper.

She got up and went outside, smacking Zhou Momo’s cloth shoes hard against a tree to shake out all the sand. Coming back inside, she picked up Zhou Momo and placed her on her lap, smiling. "Come on, wear the old ones today. You can wear the new ones tomorrow. That way, everyone will say how cute your new shoes are."

"Okay, okay!" Zhou Momo nodded her little head in agreement.

Mrs. Zhao then looked at the pair of leather shoes for Comrade Zhou, and her eyes lit up. "They’re the ’83 brand, aren’t they? I saw them at the department store last New Year. I wanted to buy them for your dad, but he refused to even try them on. He ended up buying me a new outfit instead."

"Did I pick the right ones?" Zhou Yan chuckled.

"Good taste. Takes after me." Mrs. Zhao nodded, then carried all three pairs of shoes behind the counter and hid them away like treasure.

As they were talking, the factory shift ended, and workers began to arrive for dinner.

The three of them quickly washed their hands, put on their aprons, and got to work.

There were three major pieces of news at the textile factory today, sending the workers on an emotional roller coaster from heaven to hell.

The good news was that Wang Defa had been reported by name. Although his transfer had already been approved, he was still detained by the security department.

The bad news: the report alleged that over the past two years, Wang Defa had been purchasing large quantities of tainted pork from Wang Qi for the cafeteria.

When the workers heard this, their world came crashing down.

The factory cafeteria!

The very same cafeteria they all ate at every day had been using tainted pork!

And it had been happening for a long time, in large amounts, over the past two years.

When the workers heard the news, they nearly stormed the security department to beat up Wang Defa.

Today, not a single person ate at the cafeteria.

There was one more piece of news. The man widely recognized as the number one Chef in the factory cafeteria, the one seen as its savior after Wang Defa’s downfall—Master Xiao—had resigned.

A reliable source confirmed that he was the one who had reported Wang Defa.

He chose to resign, unwilling to become the head chef, so as not to affect Zhou Yan’s business.

’What a loyal and righteous master-disciple pair.’

’But for the workers, it was an absolute catastrophe.’

Many customers who were about to start the night shift didn’t want to eat at the cafeteria and flooded into Zhou Yan Restaurant, engaging in a bit of "revenge spending." The customer traffic more than doubled.

How could Zhou Yan have predicted so many customers today? The food he had prepared was sold out in just over half an hour.

"I’m so sorry, everyone, but we’ve sold out of everything for today. Please come back on Monday," Mrs. Zhao explained with a smile.

The customers who hadn’t gotten to eat had no choice but to flock to the other vendors at the factory gate.

This made the vendors ecstatic.

From the gossip among the workers, Zhou Yan heard about Xiao Lei’s resignation and was deeply touched.

’His master had a deep affection for the textile factory cafeteria. He had entered the cafeteria as an apprentice at fifteen, with thirty years of service under his belt. He took over from his own Master and had been head Chef for fifteen years. If he had just nodded, he could have been reinstated as head Chef and even been promoted to deputy director.’

’He could have worked for another decade or so and retired comfortably from the textile factory, maybe even as the director by then.’

’And he just resigned, without a moment’s hesitation.’

’Zhou Yan would definitely find a way to repay this kindness.’

Lin Zhiqiang had arrived early enough to get some Kneeling Beef, but not early enough to get the braised pork ribs to go.

"Lin, I won’t be going for a run tonight. My brother is getting married tomorrow, so I have to go back home tonight," Zhou Yan said, bringing out a dish and greeting Lin Zhiqiang.

"Alright." Lin Zhiqiang nodded, then asked casually, "How’s your master doing now? Does he have plans to move on to a better position?"

’See? Even the deputy factory director in charge of technology can’t resist a bit of gossip.’

"He’s doing well. He hasn’t decided where to go yet," Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

’It was an answer, but also not really an answer.’

After closing for the night, Zhao Hong and Mrs. Zhao cleared the tables and washed the dishes.

Zhou Yan counted the money, setting aside a seven-yuan pile and a fifteen-yuan pile.

Once they were finished, Zhou Yan smiled and called Zhao Hong over. "Zhao Hong, today’s the first of the month. I’m paying you your wages."

"Wages on the first? But I only worked a few days last month," Zhao Hong said with a smile as she walked over. "Why don’t we just start counting from this month? We’re family."

"You’re here to work, not to play around. You get paid even for one day’s work." Zhou Yan smiled and handed her seven yuan. "You worked ten days last month, so I’m giving you seven yuan. The extra is a bonus."

"This much?" Zhao Hong looked at the money in Zhou Yan’s hand, hesitant to accept it.

"Take it. This is money you earned working from dawn till dusk." Mrs. Zhao came over and stuffed the money directly into her hand, smiling. "You have to earn money if you want to save up and buy leather shoes at the end of the year."

"You got it." Hearing this, Zhao Hong delightedly clutched her wages, took off her apron, and headed for the door. "I’ll head back then. Your brother is waiting for me outside. I have to go home and cook for the kids."

"Mrs. Zhao, these are your wages." After Zhao Hong left, Zhou Yan handed the other fifteen yuan to Mrs. Zhao.

"What do I need a salary for!" Mrs. Zhao shot him a glare. "You save it properly. Don’t spend it recklessly. You still need to get married someday."

"Take it. This is money you earned working from dawn till dusk." Zhou Yan smiled and pushed the money into her hand, his expression serious. "You’re not just the general manager, you’re also the head of the Kneeling Beef operation. I’m calculating your salary at thirty yuan a month. Starting this month, your commission will be twenty percent of the net profit from the Kneeling Beef."

"This restaurant can’t run without you!"

"Take it. We’re going to a big banquet tomorrow!"

Holding the money, Mrs. Zhao’s eyes grew misty again.

"Banquet! I want to go to the banquet!" Zhou Momo came over, raising her little hands. "Brother, can we go now? My tummy is so hungry."

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Author’s Note: Here are four Chapters for you! Please vote with your monthly tickets! I’m begging you, my esteemed readers!