Chapter 486 - 229: You’re Too Young to Be Addicted to Sponging Off a Woman

Chapter 486: Chapter 229: You’re Too Young to Be Addicted to Sponging Off a Woman

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened. ’Twice-Cooked Pork with pickled mustard is a great idea,’ he thought, then said, "I’ll take ten pounds of this pickled mustard, too."

’Since I’m already here, I can’t go back empty-handed.’

’I’ll buy a steamer when I get back, and tomorrow I can make a batch of Salted Burnt White for a trial run.’

’In a couple of days, Mr. Song is hosting a banquet for his old army buddies. I can add another steamed dish to make the menu seem more varied.’

"You got it. I’ll still give it to you for thirty cents a pound," Old Huang said with a smile, grabbing two woven sacks to pack the pickled mustard for them.

Zhou Yan took out his wallet, pulled out three dollars, and handed it over.

Xiao Lei took a cloth wallet from his pocket, settled his own bill, and picked up the pickled mustard. As they walked out, he saw Zhou Yan’s shiny black leather wallet and laughed. "Well now, look at you. Master Zhou is using a leather wallet. That looks pretty slick."

"Here, have a look," Zhou Yan said with a smile, handing the wallet over. "A friend gave it to me."

"Mmm, the leather’s so soft. A Shanghai brand wallet." Xiao Lei turned it over in his hands for a moment, then chuckled. "Which friend of yours is so generous, gifting you such a fancy wallet?"

"A leather wallet from Shanghai isn’t cheap," Zheng Qiang remarked, looking equally curious as he took the bag of pickled mustard from Xiao Lei and tied it to the back rack of his bike.

Zhou Yan gave a faint smile. "A beautiful lady."

"A beautiful lady? Junior Brother, did you really land a sugar mama?" Zheng Qiang exclaimed, his face a mask of shock.

"Master Zhou, you’re too young to get addicted to being a kept man," Xiao Lei advised with great earnestness.

"Exactly," Zheng Qiang chimed in, nodding in solemn agreement. "How are we supposed to sleep at night knowing that?"

Zhou Yan laughed. "Don’t worry, I’m not a kept man. I still have to keep cooking."

After leaving Yutang Street and passing by East Main Street, Zhou Yan pointed to the Qiu Family’s Old Mansion. "Master, Zheng," he said, "I bought this house. I’m planning to invite friends and family over for a meal for the New Year. You two should bring Master’s wife, your wife, and the kids."

SCREECH!

A harsh braking sound rang out.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang glanced from the massive house down the street back to Zhou Yan, their faces masks of shock. "What did you just say?!" they exclaimed in unison.

Zhou Yan stopped his bike as well. He smiled and said, "I said I bought this house. I’ll be inviting you over for a meal soon, and I might even ask for your help in the kitchen."

"What do you mean, you ’bought this house’? Are you saying this house is yours now? You bought such a huge house in a prime location in Jiazhou City?" Xiao Lei was dumbfounded. ’Wasn’t this kid’s restaurant on the verge of collapse just over a month ago?’

"Run that by me again," Zheng Qiang added, nodding along. He was just as flabbergasted.

There were no customers in the shop at this hour. Qi the Fourth stepped outside, preparing to have a smoke, when he spotted Zhou Yan. A smile was instantly plastered on his face as he hurried over. "Landlord! What a coincidence! Here, have a cigarette. About the storefront... can’t we discuss it a little more?"

"I don’t smoke. And this matter really isn’t negotiable," Zhou Yan said, waving him off with a firm expression. "Qi the Fourth, you know as well as I do that I sell braised meats. I’m going to open a restaurant here. I can’t have you selling braised meats right next door."

Qi the Fourth awkwardly tucked the cigarette behind his ear, not ready to give up. "But you haven’t decided when you’re going to open, have you? I’ll raise the rent to twenty dollars a month. The moment you confirm you’re moving in, I’ll be out of here. Immediately."

Zhou Yan laughed and shook his head. "That won’t work. People would think I just took over your braised meat shop, and my reputation would be ruined.

Let’s not discuss this further. It’s not up for debate. You have two months to find a new space. Once your time is up, you move out. Let’s avoid dragging this out when the time comes."

With that, Zhou Yan called out to his friends and rode off on his bike.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang glanced at Qi the Fourth, who was muttering something under his breath, then pedaled after Zhou Yan.

The braised meat shop owner had just proven that Zhou Yan wasn’t bluffing. The house really was his!

"I know how to read lips," Xiao Lei said. "He just paid his respects to your ancestors’ coffins."

Zheng Qiang nodded. "I don’t, but I could tell it was nasty."