Chapter 330 - 183: The Spirit of a Young Hero, This Is It

Chapter 330: Chapter 183: The Spirit of a Young Hero, This Is It

"Right, right," Zhou Yan said, nodding with a smile. ’This ploy is a little too obvious.’

’She’s trying to scam my private stash with a twenty-cent egg cake.’

"Do you want sweet or savory?" the vendor asked with a smile.

"Sweet!"

"Savory."

The brother and sister gave two different answers.

"Brother, you don’t want a sweet one?" Zhou Momo asked, looking back at him.

"I want to add meat floss. I’m getting a savory one," Zhou Yan said with a firm nod.

The little girl asked for a sweet one with fruit syrup and cream filling.

Back then, the flavors of egg cakes weren’t so outrageous yet. The fillings were limited, with only four or five options to choose from.

In later years, the variety of egg cake fillings would become so numerous, and the combinations so bizarre, that it gave one the illusion that anything and everything could be put in an egg cake.

Cream, jam, chocolate, Oreos, beef, meat floss, red bean paste, cowpeas, Laoganma chili sauce... As long as you dared to imagine it, you could probably find it among the bowls of fillings.

After all, if you could even add Laoganma, what wasn’t possible?

The level of absurdity even surpassed the many schools of Tofu Brain in Jiazhou.

To make an egg cake, a small, palm-sized, flat-bottomed copper pot was used.

Lifting the lid of an enamel basin revealed a golden-yellow batter. The vendor scooped up a spoonful and poured it into the small copper pot. With a flick of the wrist, the batter spread evenly, coating even the sides of the pot.

In just a moment, the batter puffed up rapidly in the pot. Wisps of sweet fragrance, a blend of egg and flour, wafted over with the heat.

Zhou Momo stared eagerly, having already swallowed her saliva countless times.

The stall had two honeycomb briquette stoves, allowing two egg cakes to be made at the same time.

Once the golden batter had puffed up, the vendor began adding the fillings. He added cream and jam to one, and meat floss and cream to the other, letting the heat from the pancake warm the fillings.

Using tongs, he folded the pancake in half, encasing the fillings within the golden, crispy skin. He then picked it up and placed it in a pre-folded piece of kraft paper, which both insulated it from the heat and left a corner exposed for easy eating.

"Forty cents, here you go." Zhou Momo opened her small purse, took out forty cents, and handed it to the vendor.

"Alrighty, be careful now, it’s a little hot," the vendor said with a wide smile, his voice unconsciously rising in pitch as he handed her the egg cake.

Zhou Yan reached out and took his meat floss egg cake, blew on it twice, and took a big bite.

Egg cakes had to be eaten hot. The outer skin was slightly crispy, while the inside was exceptionally tender. With one bite, the aroma of cream instantly filled his mouth, and the savory meat floss was like a finishing touch, adding fragrance and cutting through the richness.

The taste was quite good.

[A Pretty Decent Egg Cake]

Zhou Yan glanced at the Identification result. ’It basically checks out.’

Beside him, Zhou Momo held her egg cake with both hands, blowing on it gently. She nibbled at it like a little squirrel, her eyes sparkling and her delicate little eyebrows nearly flying off her face. It was clear she was thoroughly enjoying it.

"The egg cake is so yummy! It’s sweet, and it has a milky flavor too."

The little girl ate half of it in one go, not forgetting to offer a two-sentence review.

Her way of eating was so adorable and appetizing that passersby stopped to watch, unable to resist swallowing. A young couple immediately came over and ordered two, and even someone sitting at the next stall eating wontons called out for one.

The vendor was beaming, busy making egg cakes while not forgetting to praise her, "This little girl is so well-behaved, a real lucky charm!"

As he spoke, he used a small spoon to scoop a handful of raisins, wrapped them in wax paper, and handed them to Zhou Momo with a smile. "Here, take these raisins as a snack."

Zhou Momo didn’t reach out; she looked up at Zhou Yan.

"The vendor is giving them to you himself. It’s okay to take them," Zhou Yan nodded.

Only then did Zhou Momo happily accept them, saying with a smile, "Thank you, sir."

"You’re welcome, you’re welcome. Come again next time," the vendor replied.

"Okay." Zhou Momo stuffed the raisins into her pocket and went back to eating her egg cake.

Zhou Yan then took her to eat Tofu Brain. He ordered a sweet version for her at Gan’s Emei Tofu Brain, while he himself ordered one from the neighboring Niu Hua Tofu Brain stall.

The owner of Gan’s Emei Tofu Brain had a complicated expression. When he saw Zhou Momo sprinkle her own raisins on top of the Tofu Brain, he had to turn away, afraid he might lose his composure.

’What can you do? The little girl is so cute, it’s only reasonable that she’d want to eat sweet Tofu Brain, right?’

The owner of the neighboring Niu Hua Tofu Brain stall was almost dying of laughter.

"Thank you, sir! Your Tofu Brain is so delicious! I’ll come back again next time." Zhou Momo lifted her bowl, licked it clean, then set it down and praised the owner and his wife.

Smiles immediately appeared on the faces of the owner and his wife, and any lingering annoyance in their hearts vanished completely.

The owner’s wife said with a grin, "You’re welcome, sweetie. Come back and eat again next time."

Zhou Yan paid, hoisted Zhou Momo onto the bike, and slowed down a bit as they rode past the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion.

’This house will be mine soon. Once I save up ten thousand yuan, I’ll be a homeowner in the city.’

He glanced at the braised goods store. There were a few customers inside, carrying bags—tourists, by the looks of it.

’That’s what a good location does. It can make up for a lack of flavor.’

Zhou Yan mused, ’When I get this house, the first thing I’ll do is wait for the lease to expire and take back the storefront. I can’t let this braised goods shop ruin the location’s reputation. Otherwise, when I open my own restaurant later, I’ll have to waste energy fixing it.’

He pushed hard on the pedal, and the bicycle shot forward. Accompanied by Zhou Momo’s humming of a children’s song, they left the city, turned onto a country road, and headed toward Suji.

There weren’t many large vehicles on the road, but there were plenty of bicycles coming and going.

A bus rumbled past Zhou Yan, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Zhou Yan slowed down slightly and raised a hand to shield Zhou Momo’s face.

Suji was close to Jiazhou and home to a major factory like the Jiazhou Textile Factory, so its economy was among the top in Jiazhou’s townships. The number of street toughs was also considerable. Many were pickpockets who specialized in lifting wallets on buses, and their notoriety for using razor blades was widespread.

Therefore, many people who went to Suji, if they had the means, chose to ride their own bikes.

It was better to be a little tired than to have your wallet stolen.

The police station had cracked down on them a few times, but with little effect; they would always pop up again after a while.

In Zhou Yan’s memory, Comrade Zhou had also been a victim once. While he was asleep, his pocket was slit open with a blade, and his wallet was taken.

But when he woke up, the wallet was sitting on his lap. The eighty cents inside had been taken, and a note was left behind with a single line written on it: "Such a big wallet for only eighty cents. You’re broke!"

The red exclamation mark made eighteen-year-old Zhou feel utterly humiliated.

Zhou Yan could feel that same anger and frustration through the memory.

It wasn’t because his clothes were cut.

It was because of that sentence.

It was just too insulting!

As Comrade Zhou got off the bus, he had even tried to console himself: ’Maybe it’s just that I respect money. I don’t steal it, I don’t rob anyone for it, and I don’t have any.’

Zhou Yan had been poor before, so he could empathize.

But he also really wanted to laugh.

Even the thieves in Sichuan and Chongqing were Yin-Yang Masters; their Magic skills were truly ahead of the rest of the country. It seemed like every family had a Magic Cloak ready to be summoned at a moment’s notice.

Zhou Yan rode on at a leisurely pace. He saw that the bus that had just passed them was now stopped on the side of the road, swaying back and forth with an unusual amplitude.

Of course... don’t get the wrong idea. That sort of activity wouldn’t be enough to make a bus—rated for thirty-six but carrying sixty-three—sway like that.

Besides, this wasn’t some backwater country. Things weren’t that outrageous in broad daylight.

The passing cyclists also noticed something was wrong with the bus and instinctively slowed down.

The bus door flew open, and a skinny young man was thrown out, landing in a clumsy face-plant. He had just yelped "Ouch!" a couple of times and was about to get up when a short, stocky young man was also thrown out, landing right on top of him.

Then, a tall young man in a gray linen short coat stepped off the bus, holding another skinny youth by the collar as if he were carrying a little chick. He watched the first two struggle to their feet and pull out folding knives, then grinned. "You tried to steal from me, and now you dare pull a knife?"

"Brother, isn’t that Brother Ming? Is he catching thieves?!" Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up as she pointed.

"It really is!" Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up too. The young man who got off the bus was his cousin, Zhou Ming. It looked like he had run into thieves on the bus and gotten into a fight.

There were three of them, and they had knives. Even though he knew Zhou Ming had practiced Martial Arts since he was a kid, Zhou Yan couldn’t just stand by and watch. He parked the bicycle on the roadside, lifted Zhou Momo off, set her aside, and instructed, "Stay right here and don’t move!"

"Mhm!" Zhou Momo nodded, her eyes showing no fear, only excitement at the prospect of catching thieves.

Zhou Yan’s gaze swept the area and spotted a man-sized wooden stick leaning against the door of a nearby house. He quickly ran over and grabbed it. It was a perfect fit in his hands, with a bit of weight to it.

With a suitable weapon in hand, his heart immediately settled.

Zhou Yan charged forward, stick in hand. Zhou Ming was still in a standoff with the two thieves holding daggers.

Suddenly, a dark figure leaped from the bus, a cold glint flashing in his hand as he stabbed straight at Zhou Ming’s back.

The onlookers and the passengers on the bus immediately let out a collective gasp.

"Ming! Behind you!" Zhou Yan shouted in alarm.

Hearing the warning, Zhou Ming took half a step back and raised his arm to block the incoming dagger.

The sharp dagger sliced through his sleeve, and blood immediately gushed out.

Seeing this, the other two thieves also yelled and charged, trying to take the opportunity to land a few stabs.

"Fuck!" Zhou Yan didn’t know any Martial Arts, but his physical fitness and explosive power were decent. He rushed forward in a few quick strides and smashed the stick across the back of the tall, skinny one, knocking him to the ground where he writhed in pain.

Getting stabbed in the arm didn’t affect Zhou Ming’s combat ability in the slightest. The smile vanished from his face, replaced by a ruthless glint in his eyes.

After dodging two straight thrusts from a dagger, Zhou Ming chopped down with his hand, knocking the weapon away. He then punched the man in the stomach, sending him flying into the side of the bus.

With a THUD, the ambusher slid to his knees on the ground, clutching his stomach and wailing in agony.

"Ming! Catch!" Zhou Yan tossed the stick over.

Zhou Ming caught the long stick, gave it a casual twirl, and charged at the short, stocky youth with the dagger.

WHACK! WHACK! WHACK!

Three strikes.

One strike to the hand, and the forearm bent at an unnatural angle. The dagger flew out of his grasp and stuck into the dirt some distance away.

A second strike to the leg, accompanied by the crisp crack of breaking bone, brought the man to his knees.

The final strike landed on his shoulder. A scream had just begun to escape his lips before he pitched forward, face-planting on the ground, unconscious.

The one he had dragged off the bus scrambled up and tried to run, but a swift swing of the stick caught him on the rear, sending him rolling on the ground, howling in pain. Another blow to the leg incapacitated him.

Zhou Yan watched, stunned. ’After getting stabbed, Ming’s attacks are ruthless.’

Zhou Ming planted the end of the long stick on the ground and looked at Zhou Yan with a grin. "Nice one, Yan!"

Zhou Yan looked at him. His left arm was still dripping blood, yet he didn’t even frown. His smile was bright and heroic.

A line of poetry surfaced in his mind: ’A young man who walks through danger as if on level ground, leaning on his long sword, a lone figure in the crisp autumn air.’

’This is the very picture of a young hero!’

In the blink of an eye, all four knife-wielding thieves had been subdued.

The onlookers and the passengers on the bus erupted in cheers and applause.

"Brother! Brother Ming! You’re so cool!" Zhou Momo’s childish cheer, tinged with pride, was particularly loud.

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