Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Chapter 142: Chapter 121: Shouldn’t an Excellent Chef Be Fattening People Up?

They got a decent monthly allowance—over a hundred if their mom was in a good mood—but money from their parents was completely different from earning it yourself.

’Zhou Yan could make over a thousand a month?’

’But he’s only twenty years old!’

Huang He listened and nodded. Although it was a bit of a shame, Zhou Yan’s stance was already crystal clear. Still, not wanting to give up completely, he said, "Master Zhou, I’ll make you an offer right here and now. If you ever change your mind, come find me at Feiyan Restaurant anytime. Our doors will always be open for you."

"Okay. Thank you for the kind offer, Boss Huang," Zhou Yan said with a nod, not wanting to reject the goodwill.

He’d heard of Feiyan Restaurant. It was considered one of Jiazhou’s current restaurant giants, so there was no harm in staying on good terms.

’Who knows, I might want to enter the Jiazhou market in the future. Making a friend now could open up more paths later.’

Huang He paid for the meal, said his goodbyes to Zhou Yan, and then walked out.

"Young man, you cook a good meal, and the dishes are fantastic. You’re definitely going to go places," Mrs. Xiang said with a smile at Zhou Yan before she left.

"Thank you, ma’am," Zhou Yan replied with a smile. He liked hearing that.

"Hey, I’m Huang Bing. Nice to meet you," Huang Bing said, walking over. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes, offered one to Zhou Yan, and stuck one in his own mouth to light.

"Thanks, but I don’t smoke." Zhou Yan raised a hand to decline, his eyes landing on the motorcycle by the door. He smiled. "Nice bike."

Huang Bing stuffed the cigarettes back into his pocket and grinned proudly at his motorcycle. "Just got it a couple of days ago. It’s the first one in Jiazhou, assembled with imported parts from Little Japan. Single-cylinder, four-stroke engine, four-speed rotary gearbox with a manual clutch. Cool, huh?"

"It’s definitely cool. Looks better than a 50," Zhou Yan agreed with a nod.

"Know how to ride? Wanna take it for a spin?" Huang Bing pulled out the keys and dangled them in front of Zhou Yan.

"You said it. Don’t mind if I do." Zhou Yan casually took the keys, swung a leg over the motorcycle, started it up, and took off.

"Hey, hey, hey..." Huang Bing didn’t even have time to react. Zhou Yan had already shot off on the motorcycle, riding fast and steady.

Huang Bing was dumbfounded. "No way, he actually knows how to ride?"

"How come it looks different when he rides it compared to you?" Huang Ying whispered.

"What’s different?" Huang Bing asked casually.

"He looks kind of cool."

"What about me?"

"You look kind of funny."

"Get lost!" Huang Bing’s fists clenched.

Huang He and the others were also surprised. Motorcycles were quite expensive back then; most people couldn’t afford one, let alone know how to ride.

They had bought the motorcycle for Huang Bing mainly to use as a transport vehicle for the restaurant. It was more convenient than a bicycle for carrying goods and giving people rides on the country roads, and much faster.

"Brother is so cool!" Zhou Momo stood at the door, clapping her little hands, her mouth wide open in awe.

Zhou Yan rode for about three hundred meters before turning back. It was a new bike, and it really was a comfortable ride.

It took less effort than a heavy-duty bicycle, the seat was comfortable, and the cushion was quite soft.

After graduating, he hadn’t bought a car, but he did get a used scooter for getting around. He didn’t use it for mountain rides or long-distance moto-touring, just for commuting around the city. He had a proper driver’s license.

A car was out of the question for now; you couldn’t get one even if you had the money.

But if he had the money, buying a motorcycle was something to consider.

With a motorcycle, going to Rongcheng or even Mountain City would be much more convenient.

He had just tested it, and its top speed was around seventy. If the road conditions were better, it could probably go even faster.

Then again, you couldn’t expect much from the roads in this era. Gravel paths were everywhere.

Zhou Yan squeezed the brakes and smiled at Huang Bing. "Rides pretty well. You’ve got good taste in bikes."

"Of course! I spent months researching it." Hearing the praise, the corners of Huang Bing’s mouth curled up in a huge, smug grin.

Zhou Yan put down the kickstand and was about to get off.

"Brother, I want a ride too!" Zhou Momo ran up to him, raising her little hands, her big eyes full of anticipation.

Zhou Yan glanced at Huang Bing.

"Go for it! Take her for a spin!" Huang Bing waved his hand magnanimously.

Zhou Yan reached out, lifted Zhou Momo onto the bike, and sat her in front of him. Her little hands held onto the gas tank as he gently twisted the throttle and took her for a loop at a comfortable speed.

"WOAH—"

This made Zhou Momo absolutely ecstatic, her little face flushed red from smiling.

After parking the bike and pulling out the key, Zhou Yan lifted Zhou Momo down and handed the key back to Huang Bing. "Thanks," he said with a smile.

"No problem. I’ll be coming here to eat more often from now on." Huang Bing took the key and lowered his voice. "It’s better than the food at our family’s restaurant."

"I agree!" Huang Ying piped in, showing her approval. She then greeted Zhou Yan, "Hi, I’m Huang Ying."

"Hello, Zhou Yan," he replied with a smile and a nod.

’The girl was quite large, with a round face and a nice personality. Her voice was a bit put-on, but it sounded soft. She always had a smile on her face and had thoroughly won over Zhou Momo.’

’Of course, Zhou Yan suspected what Momo really liked was the snack pouch the girl carried with her.’

’To be able to eat your way to a physique like that in this day and age was proof of a well-off family.’

"I’m going to come eat here often too. Your food is just too delicious," Huang Ying said with a smile, still looking like she hadn’t had her fill.

Zhao Shulan, who had just gotten on the back of Huang He’s bike, frowned upon hearing this. "Huang Ying, if you want to come, you’ll have to ride a bicycle here yourself."

"Doesn’t my brother have a motorcycle?" Huang Ying looked at Huang Bing. "I’ll come with him."

"If he dares to give you a ride, I won’t even give him gas money," Zhao Shulan said, shooting a look at Huang Bing.

"I won’t! For Huang Ying’s safety, I will absolutely not give her a ride!" Huang Bing immediately raised his hand to declare his stance.

Huang Ying’s gaze shifted to Zhao Dong and Mrs. Xiang. "Then I’ll just stay at my uncle’s house!"

Zhao Shulan’s gaze shifted to Zhao Dong.

Zhao Dong quickly waved his hands. "Yingying, there’s no room at your uncle’s house right now. You know, the apartment my work unit assigned only has three rooms. Your grandma has one, your aunt and I have one, and your cousins share the other."

"Dad..." Huang Ying looked to Huang He.

Huang He felt the hand on his waist slowly applying pressure. He started pretending to be busy checking the brakes, looking left and right—anywhere but at Huang Ying.

The atmosphere suddenly grew a little tense.

Zhou Yan led Zhou Momo a little further into the shop to avoid getting caught in the crossfire.

He completely understood Zhao Shulan’s concerns. If only for health reasons, the girl really should lose some weight.

[DING! Side Quest triggered: Zhao Shulan’s Worry. Zhao Shulan’s daughter, Huang Ying, has seen her weight skyrocket in the last two years due to binge eating, jumping from 132 pounds to 202 pounds, and is on track to break 220 pounds. As her mother, Zhao Shulan is worried about her health and has tried to get her to lose weight, but with little success. This is a source of great distress for her.]

[A customer’s health is the goal of an excellent Chef. Excessive obesity will ruin the body. Please help Zhao Shulan resolve her worries and help Huang Ying lose 66 pounds.]

[Task Reward: Unknown. Accept Task: Yes/No]

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. ’What’s this? I can even trigger a system quest like this?’

’Hold on.’

’Shouldn’t an excellent chef’s job be to fatten people up?’

’Making a customer lose weight... doesn’t that make me seem unprofessional?’

Zhou Yan felt this system was a little screwy!

But, leaving a quest undone? That would drive Zhou Yan crazy.

Who could stand having a red notification dot constantly in their line of sight?

Zhou Yan looked at Huang Ying with a gentle smile. "Riding a bike is great! It’s so healthy. Our restaurant sells noodles in the morning, Kneeling Beef for lunch, and we serve dinner in the evening, too. If you made three round trips a day, you’d definitely be in great shape."

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(Jialing 70)

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