Zhou Momo sat at the restaurant entrance, eating noodles in clear pork rib broth, mouthful after mouthful, relishing them.
She was too young, so just taste anything occasionally; the noodles and rice Zhou Yan usually gave her weren't spicy.
She sipped the large bowl of noodles and soup, finishing the entire bowl.
Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong chatted at the entrance, taking a break before washing the dishes.
Zhou Yan also stretched out on a bamboo chair, ready to take a nap; he had woken up too early this morning.
"Mom!"
"Fourth Grandma!"
Two loud, crisp voices rang out.
Zhou Yan opened his eyes and saw two boys, one large and one small, running towards him.
The older boy was about 1.6 meters tall, wearing a blue, military style jacket with a cloth pocket slung across his body. His hair was cropped close, his head was round, and his eyes were large and bright, making him look very energetic.
The younger boy, about six or seven years old, looked exactly like the older boy, a miniature version. His clothes didn't fit him well, with his sleeves and trouser legs rolled up several times, clearly his older brother's clothes.
Zhou Lihui and Zhou Lifan, these two brothers were Zhao Hong's two sons and his nephews.
The two ran at breakneck speed, arriving at the shop entrance in no time.
Seeing Zhou Yan, they called out crisply, "Uncle!"
"Huihui, Fanwa, did you run here? You both sweating profusely." Zhou Yan sat up and asked with a smile, looking at the two men, their heads steaming and their cheeks dripping with sweat.
"Hehe." The two chuckled, their eyes furtively glancing in Zhao Hong's direction.
"What are you running for? You both sweating all over. If you both catch a cold, I'll kill you both!" Zhao Hong grabbed one of them and wiped their heads dry with a towel, then wiped their backs.
The two brothers huddled their heads like quails, giggling foolishly, not daring to resist. They bore a striking resemblance to their father.
Zhou Momo had already put down her chopsticks and scooted closer, her hands clasped behind her back. After the two brothers had been dealt with, she said expectantly, "My turn! My turn!"
"What?" Everyone looked at her simultaneously.
Zhou Lihui and Zhou Lifan's eyes gleamed with smiles, their faces brimming with joy.
"Call me! Huihui and Fanwa haven't called me yet." Zhou Momo smiled at the two.
Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. So the little girl had been waiting for this.
"Call her! You both don't even know how to call?" Zhao Hong smiled and patted them.
Zhou Lihui and Zhou Lifan scratched their heads, exchanged glances, and said sheepishly, "Little Sister."
"Hey, sweetheart." Zhou Momo replied loudly, grinning brightly.
Seeing Zhou Momo's smile, the two brothers joined in the laughter.
Although Zhou Momo was only three and a half, she was indeed Little Sister, and the cutest Little Sister at that.
"Huihui, Fanwa, have you eaten yet? If not, ask your uncle to make you some noodles." Zhao Tieying asked, looking at the two.
Zhou Lihui replied, "Fourth grandma, we've already eaten. Mom saved some sweet potato porridge for us, and we both ate half the pot. We're so full."
"Yes, I'm full." Zhou Lifan said, rubbing his stomach.
"I'm full too. I'll take you both to play seesaw." Zhou Momo took their hands, one on each side, and said as they walked, "I have a secret base we can play with..."
She did... have a bit of a little sister's attitude.
"Huihui, keep an eye on your little sister and Fanwa!" Zhao Hong said.
"Okay!" Zhou Lihui replied.
Zhou Lihui was fifteen, already a little grown up, so it was quite reassuring to take two children out for fun.
Just as Zhou Yan was about to lie down, he saw a bus approaching and stopping at the entrance of the textile factory.
The door opened, and twenty or thirty young men and women, all dressed rather stylishly, disembarked. Leading the group was a middle aged man wearing glasses and a black Zhongshan suit. He was thin, with his hair parted 28cm and meticulously combed, giving him a scholarly air.
Many people from the textile factory hurried out to greet them. Lin Zhiqiang was leading the charge, and the others were also factory leaders.
"Look, isn't that Xia Yao?" Zhao Tieying, with her sharp eyes, spotted Xia Yao in the crowd.
"Looks like these are all Sichuan Fine Arts Institute students." Zhou Yan quickly spotted Xia Yao in the crowd. Tall and fair-skinned, she stood out.
Xia Yao was also looking toward the restaurant. Her eyes met Zhou Yan's glance, and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly as she offered him a faint smile.
Zhou Yan nodded in greeting, having not expected Xia Yao to return.
Lin Zhiqiang shook hands with the team leader, Su Jun, and then announced, "Teachers and students from the Arts and Crafts Department of Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, I am Lin Zhiqiang, Deputy Director of the Jiazhou Textile Factory. Welcome to visit and study, and to explore the school enterprise cooperation..."
As the students listened to Lin Zhiqiang's words, their eyes couldn't help but glance in the direction of Zhou Erwa Restaurant.
What a nice smell!
A large pot stood at the entrance to the restaurant, the rich aroma of beef wafting from the cracks in the lid.
Although they had already had breakfast in Jiazhou, the aroma was truly too tempting.
Even the teacher leading the group glanced over.
Besides the pot, many people noticed Zhou Yan sitting under the tree.
"Ah! Xia Yao, isn't that the savior in your painting?" Deng Hong blurted out. "Zhou...Zhou what?"
"Zhou Yan!" Zhu Yuyu added. "He's even more handsome in person than in the painting! He looks quite tall."
The two people words reached students's ears, and everyone turned to look at Zhou Yan.
They had all heard that Xia Yao had been in an accident a few days ago. While the details were unclear, it seemed to be related to that young man.
Zhou Yan, dressed in a white chef's uniform, had deep, three dimensional features, a refreshing and handsome demeanor that was unlike any other chef.
Su Jun's gaze fell on Zhou Yan upon hearing this. Lin Zhiqiang had just finished his speech, so he asked, "Deputy Director Lin, is this the restaurant run by your factory?"
Lin Zhiqiang introduced the restaurant with a smile, "Zhou Erwa Restaurant is privately owned. The owner, Zhou Yan, is a dedicated young man who has embraced the call to develop the private economy. Their noodles and Cross-legged Beef are both delicious. If you have a chance, you should go try them."
"Cross-legged Beef? What's that dish? Is it a Suji specialty?" Deng Hong whispered in Xia Yao's ear.
She was a foodie. Having moved to a mountain city for college, she gained ten pounds in a year.
"I don't know. The last time I came here, they didn't have this dish." Xia Yao shook her head, curious as to what it was.
"Okay, I'll try it when got chance. It smells delicious." Su Jun smiled and nodded, staring at the stove at the restaurant entrance for a moment.
Zhou Yan pondered. They were university students visiting for a study tour.
In his eyes, these were thirty new opportunities for recognition.
Unfortunately, the textile factory's reception would undoubtedly be held in the factory cafeteria, making it difficult for him to snag such a guest.
Unlucky, unlucky ah!
"University students have a different aura. They all look so stylish." Zhao Hong murmured, her eyes filled with admiration.
"That's right. People with intellectual talent speak differently." Zhao Tieying nodded.
Lin Zhiqiang led the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute delegation into the factory and showed them around the factory buildings, workshops, and exhibition areas.
He initiated this visit by reporting it to the factory director, who took it very seriously and arranged a high quality reception.
Jiazhou Textile Factory produces silk products. Last year, they introduced imported automatic silk reeling machines. Their craftsmanship is among the best in China, and their products are primarily exported, accounting for 60% of Jiazhou's foreign trade.
Although foreign sales are currently strong, the old factory director also endorsed his proposal for brand building and extended an invitation to the Arts and Crafts Department of the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, which was visiting Jiazhou.
The invitation had been sent to the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute at the beginning of the month, but they didn't receive a definitive response until the day before yesterday.
Talented individuals who understand branding and advertising are incredibly rare. Lin Zhiqiang was somewhat surprised that the faculty and students from the Arts and Crafts Department were here, and naturally, he wanted to seize this opportunity to establish a partnership.
In the morning, he chartered a shuttle bus to Jiazhou to pick up the 27 students and their three team leaders and bring them to the textile factory.
This stroll took the entire morning.
At 11:30, it was almost time for the workers to get off work, and it was time for lunch.
Lin Zhiqiang led the group to the factory cafeteria. The factory had approved a meal allowance for the teachers and students, costing two yuan per meal, a very high standard.
Wang Defa, the factory cafeteria director, was already standing at the cafeteria entrance. He'd been told by his superior that they were hosting the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute students for lunch today, and the kitchen had made extensive preparations.
The cafeteria's stir-fry business had been declining recently, so he planned to use this group of students as an advertisement: "The students all raved about the food!" in an attempt to win back some customers.
Seeing the group approach, Wang Defa straightened his collar and approached with a broad smile, "Welcome the teachers and students from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute to the factory cafeteria."
Su Jun paused, and the students behind him followed suit.
"Deputy Director Lin, are we finished with our morning tour?" Su Jun asked, looking at Lin Zhiqiang.
"Yes." Lin Zhiqiang nodded with a smile. "It's lunch time, so I'm taking the teachers and students to the factory cafeteria for lunch. The factory has approved a meal allowance."
"Our factory cafeteria is also fully prepared. We have pork belly, salty braised pork belly, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, shredded pork with fish sauce, and a variety of stir-fries, all prepared by our master chefs. We guarantee that the students will enjoy a comfortable and satisfying meal." Wang Defa continued with a smile, preparing to escort the students to the cafeteria.
Su Jun ignored him and looked at Lin Zhiqiang, asking, "Deputy Director Lin, can we eat this meal allowance anywhere? Or does it have to be in your factory cafeteria?"
"This..." Lin Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment, then said, "Of course, we can eat anywhere. Director Su, you don't want to eat in the factory cafeteria? If you'd rather go to the state-owned restaurant, I'll send the shuttle bus to take you all there."
Wang Defa was a little anxious when he heard this. It was just after get off work, and the workers who had come to the cafeteria to eat were curiously eyeing the group of college students.
If the department head took the students to the state-owned restaurant instead of the cafeteria, wouldn't that be a slap on the face for him, saying the factory cafeteria food wasn't good?
After that old man Xiao Lei went to work as a back up, the remaining chefs were indeed a bit inferior to those chefs in the state-owned restaurant. But since they were just coming to Su Ji for the first time, they shouldn't have known about this.
"No need very trouble. We can have lunch at Zhou Erwa Restaurant right outside. We have a seminar this afternoon, so it'll be convenient." Su Jun smiled. "This restaurant is truly remarkable. I'm planning to teach my students a lesson."
"Huh?"
A surprised voice suddenly echoed from the factory cafeteria entrance.