Chapter 470 - 225: A Salute to Zhou Yan, the Heroic Model of Righteous Action

Chapter 470: Chapter 225: A Salute to Zhou Yan, the Heroic Model of Righteous Action

"You bought the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion? The one across from Jiazhou Pier, that big courtyard estate?"

The old lady had seen the world and was not easily fazed, but even she couldn’t hide her astonishment at Zhou Yan’s words.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "Yes, that’s the one. It might not be as big as you think, though—only about ten rooms. Miss Qiu sold it to me."

"Miss Qiu’s son is so successful and wealthy. Why would she sell the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion?" the old lady asked, confused. "How much did you pay for it?"

"Didn’t I mention it to you last time? I helped Miss Qiu and Wang Yu reunite, so Duan Yu Yan was willing to sell me the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion. Miss Qiu agreed to it as well. I got the property deed yesterday. In a couple of days, after they leave for Xiangjiang, their driver will bring me the keys, and the handover will be complete," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "It cost ten thousand in total."

"Ten thousand?" The old lady nodded thoughtfully. "That’s great. The location of that house is excellent. If you’re planning to move the restaurant to Jiazhou, it’s a fine choice."

"Right? The property has two small storefronts, one selling braised meat and the other selling noodles. Business is good for both. My plan is to save up enough money by next year, tear down the old building and construct a new one. Once everything’s ready, I’ll move the restaurant to Jiazhou," Zhou Yan said. "My mom said we should invite everyone to Jiazhou for a big meal during the New Year to celebrate."

"Sounds good. I’ll have Sixth Master pick an auspicious date for you," the old lady nodded.

"Zhou Yan’s here." Zhou Weiguo came out, holding a tooth-brushing cup.

"Uncle, I came to ask Grandma about the braised meat," Zhou Yan replied.

Zhou Weiguo looked at him and said, "By the way, there’s been a conclusion in the case of you and Zhou Ming catching those carjackers. That gang came down from the northwest, robbing and stealing along the way. They’ve committed a lot of crimes and have two lives on their hands. The provincial department has already gotten involved.

You two performed a great service. The banners for ’Good Samaritans’ have already been made. Zhou Ming’s will be sent to him at No. 1 High School, to make it more official.

You’re getting two. Remember when you jumped into the river to save that female university student? That’s been approved as well. Leaders from the county will be coming down today with leaders from the town to present them to you at your restaurant.

The town government also nominated you for the city- and provincial-level ’Spiritual Civilization Pacesetter’ award. The results for that won’t be out until the end of the year."

"Is that so?" Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected to receive any banners, let alone have county leaders deliver them to his door personally.

’That’s great. I can hang the banners in the restaurant. They’re a symbol of honor.’

As for the ’Spiritual Civilization Pacesetter’ award, Lin had mentioned it to him before; the textile factory had also nominated him. He wasn’t too concerned about whether he’d actually get it.

’But it should be very important for Ming.’

’Maybe it’ll help him get a permanent position at the No. 1 High School.’

"Grandma, Uncle, I’m heading back now. I still need to go buy vegetables," Zhou Yan said before hopping on his bike and leaving.

"Mom, did I just hear Zhou Yan say he bought a house in Jiazhou?" Zhou Weiguo asked curiously, watching Zhou Yan’s retreating figure.

"He spent ten thousand in Jiazhou to buy an old house in a good location," the old lady nodded.

"Ten thousand?!" Zhou Weiguo was flabbergasted. "How could Fourth Brother and the others come up with so much money?"

In the past few years, with his stipend and various subsidies, he had only managed to save a few thousand. Ten thousand was no small sum.

"How would Zhou Miao and Tie Ying have any money? They had to borrow the eight hundred yuan for Zhou Yan to even open his restaurant." The old lady shook her head. "It was most likely all money that Zhou Yan earned himself from the restaurant."

"Well then, Zhou Yan is really something else," Zhou Weiguo also laughed upon hearing this. "But they do work hard for it—up at dawn and busy past dusk, so busy they’re always on their feet."

"Who doesn’t work hard to earn money? There are people who work even harder than them and still can’t make ten thousand. Zhou Yan has the talent and ability, and he also has the guts and determination to be a private entrepreneur. He deserves to earn this money," the old lady said with a smile.

...

Zhou Yan went to Zhang the Third’s to pick up the pork intestines. Today, he ordered two baskets of them, with each basket weighing about five jin.

The price was fantastic. Zhang the Third charged him only one mao per jin and even gave them a preliminary cleaning.

Two baskets of intestines only cost one yuan.

In this era, ordinary families didn’t eat much offal. Pork intestines, in particular, were too troublesome to clean, and not many people knew how to cook them well, so they were naturally cheap.

"Going to start serving braised intestines?" Zhang the Third asked with a smile as he helped pack the meat.

"Yes, I’m planning to test them out," Zhou Yan nodded.

Zhang the Third remarked with some feeling, "Pork intestines are delicious, but they’re a real hassle to prepare. If you don’t do it right, they stink to high heaven. People are usually only willing to buy and cook them in the winter when they’re not so busy. If you can make them well, you’ll definitely have a lot of customers."

"If they sell well, I’ll have to rely on you to get more intestines for me," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhang the Third waved his hand. "Not a problem at all. However many you want, I’ll get them for you. I guarantee they’ll be the best quality."

Once the meat was loaded up, Zhou Yan and Comrade Zhou headed back to the restaurant.

Li Lihua and Zhao Hong had already arrived.

Zhou Yan put the two sets of pork intestines into a wooden bucket and looked at Li Lihua. "Mrs. Li, the task of washing the intestines is yours. The first requirement is that they’re clean. The second is to remove half the fat and leave half, and the remaining fat must be distributed evenly. There shouldn’t be any sections with a large chunk of fat sticking out. And the final requirement is, again, that they’re clean."

Li Lihua took the wooden bucket, smiling and nodding. "Got it. Your requirements are similar to the ones at my last restaurant. I’ll wash one set first for you to check. If it’s good, I’ll wash the second."

"Sounds good." Zhou Yan nodded. He liked this kind of efficient communication.