Exclamations of praise filled the air.
The university students' vocabulary was truly impressive; they never repeated themselves when praising others.
They ate their noodles and drank their beef soup with obvious relish.
"These students have been away for half a month, and this is the first time I've seen them eat so heartily and praise so enthusiastically." Su Jun couldn't help but chuckle.
"Exactly." the female teacher added with a smile, "they didn't seem to like the state-owned restaurants in Jiaozhou much, but here in this little restaurant, they're delighted by three types of noodles and a bowl of braised beef."
"This noodle soup is really delicious! The double pepper beef noodles are even better than what we get in our school cafeteria. The noodles are so chewy, and the toppings are amazing. The double pepper beef bits are crispy outside and tender inside, with a perfect spicy kick—it's so good!" Another male teacher looked up from his bowl and couldn't help but exclaim.
"Xiao Wang, you should order a bowl of Cross-legged Beef to try, or you'll definitely regret it when you go back." Su Jun said, dipping a piece of beef in the sauce.
The tender, pink beef was coated in red chili sauce. One bite revealed large, thin slices of tender beef, coated in fragrant and spicy chili sauce — both fragrant and tender, with an exceptional texture and flavor.
Su Jun loves Chongqing hot pot and has a deep understanding of how to eat beef offal. However, the typical Chongqing style is spicy red broth, emphasizing a heavy use of oil, spice, and numbing sensation.
This pot of clear broth, however, brings out a completely different flavor in the beef offal.
The fresh tripe is cooked to perfection, making it exceptionally crisp and refreshing; the tendons are tender and chewy; and the intestines are soft and smooth. Even with the dipping sauce, it's not too greasy.
And the broth itself is incredibly delicious!
It contains various Chinese herbs and spices, but these don't overpower the flavor; instead, they enhance its umami taste.
He's taken his students on many field trips, and this pot of broth still manages to amaze him.
"Comrade Zhou may be young, but his culinary skills are quite impressive." Su Jun remarked.
"He must have inherited his master's skills. These dishes are just as good." Lin Zhiqiang nodded. As a regular customer at the cafeteria, he had tasted many of Xiao Lei's cookings and had the right to comment.
The most popular dish was undoubtedly the free pickled radish.
Sour, spicy, and refreshing, it was the perfect accompaniment to noodles.
Of course, the free-refillable beef soup was also a favorite.
Cries of "Auntie~ Auntie~" filled the air.
Xia Yao and her friends had only ordered one bowl of cross-legged beef but after tasting it, they ordered another bowl.
The main reason was that the portion of cross-legged beef was just too generous; adding a bowl of noodles on top of that, they simply couldn't finish it.
At least Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu couldn't finish it, but Deng Hong was a different story; she could eat it, so the second bowl was ordered separately for her.
"Mmm...it's so delicious! The mountain city hot pot is making me feel so numb! I love cross-legged beef, I love Su Ji!" Deng Hong ate heartily, unable to stop herself from exclaiming as she ate.
Xia Yao and Zhu Yuyu both laughed.
"Yaoyao, why don't you consider it? With his cooking skills, I think marrying him would be the ultimate happiness." Deng Hong looked at Xia Yao, her round face full of seriousness. "I can feel his handsomeness now! A man who can cook is incredibly handsome!"
Ma Xingye at the next table paused, his chopsticks still.
"Shh, don't say that again!" Xia Yao pinched the soft flesh on her stomach, a blush creeping onto her face.
The teachers and students were very satisfied with their meal.
Lin Zhiqiang went to pay the bill. They had eaten twenty four bowls of noodles, twenty two bowls of cross-legged beef, and eighteen bowls of rice, totaling twenty nine yuan and forty cents.
Su Jun stood up and smiled, "Students, how was the meal?"
"Delicious!"
"So fragrant!"
The students responded enthusiastically, all thoroughly enjoying their meal.
"Shall we eat at Zhou Erwa Restaurant again tonight?" Su Jun asked again.
"Okay!"
This time, the students agreed in unison.
They didn't expect the textile factory's canteen to be very good; they'd rather try a different kind of noodles that night, and also have a bowl of cross-legged beef that they couldn't find anywhere else.
They were going back to the mountain city tomorrow, so this will be a special memory.
Zhou Yan, who was cooking noodles in the kitchen, heard this and immediately realized something was wrong. He could make more noodles, but he didn't have enough meat stew and toppings.
But this was a great opportunity for promotion, not to be missed.
Zhou Yan brought out two bowls of noodles, smiling, and said, "We don't have much meat stew and toppings left. If you all are coming for noodles tonight, please reserve what noodles you want so I can buy some fresh meat to cook for you all."
"No problem, just register it." Xia Yao took out a notebook from her backpack, wrote down four dish names, and smiled, "Tell me what kind of noodles you all want to eat tonight."
"I want to try the double pepper beef noodles." Deng Hong eagerly said.
"I want..."
Xia Yao wrote tally marks under the dish names, quickly finishing the tally.
"Here, that's all." Xia Yao tore the page from the notebook and handed it to Zhou Yan.
"Thank you, you've been a great help." Zhou Yan said with a smile, accepting it.
"It's nothing, you go ahead and get busy. The guests are waiting for their noodles." Xia Yao said with a graceful smile.
Lin Zhiqiang, standing to the side, watched the two with a broad, uncle-like smile, wondering whether he should tell Meng Anhe about it that evening.
After greeting Su Jun and Lin Zhiqiang and confirming they would be coming to the restaurant for dinner, Zhou Yan went back to the kitchen to work.
The students got up and left the restaurant, looking for a place to stroll and digest their food.
Director Su gave everyone an hour and a half to explore Suji Town, but strictly forbade them from going to the riverbank, and insisted that two teachers accompany them.
"Auntie Zhao, where's Momo? I haven't seen her." Xia Yao asked Zhao Tieying as she walked to the door.
"She went to play with her two nephews and hasn't come back yet." Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "My sweetheart, when are you all going back to the city?"
"We're leaving tomorrow morning. We're going back to Shancheng."
"Shancheng? That's so far!" Zhao Tieying's tone rose immediately. "Then… will you come to Suji again?"
"That will have to wait until school holidays. I'll come to Suji again when I have time." Xia Yao nodded with a smile. "Then Auntie, you go ahead with your work. I'll come to find Momo later."
"Okay." Zhao Tieying replied, and then went to settle the bill for the customers.
"Yaoyao, you looked just like the proprietress when you registered." Deng Hong said with a smile, linking arms with Xia Yao as they left.
"Yes, she did look like that." Zhu Yuyu replied, linking arms with her other arm. "Yaoyao, you two seem to know each other quite well."
"He's my savior, it was nothing, and he's a really nice guy." Xia Yao smiled slightly, then warned the two, "But there's nothing between us, don't overthink it!"
"Okay, okay, nothing's wrong then. Let's go for a walk over there, instead of going to town, I'm too lazy to walk." Deng Hong suggested.
Xia Yao glanced to the direction of the restaurant and nodded, "Okay."
The university students had lunch together at Zhou Erwa Restaurant and were extremely satisfied, praising the food highly. This news quickly spread among the workers eating at the restaurant.
This was quite a novelty, big news in the textile factory.
Zhou Erwa Restaurant was located near the factory gate, and the aroma of beef wafted through the air on both the way to and from get off work these past few days. However, most people hesitated to try it after hearing the price.
But the university students and professors from the city all raved about it, which made people want to give it a try.
The restaurant remained busy until the textile factory was about to open for business.
Zhou Yan tossed two small dough balls into an enamel basin beside him, shook his aching hands, and saw that all the noodle toppings and stew in the basins were sold out. They had reached their target of one hundred servings ahead of schedule, and many customers still wanted noodles but hadn't been able to order.
"These college students brought in so many customers at noon today! We even sold sixty two servings of cross-legged beef." Zhao Tieying said with a beaming smile, carrying a basin of earthenware bowls, her steps almost light.
"I reckon there will be quite a few customers tonight. I'll go buy meat and vegetables later, and add fifty servings of noodle toppings." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "These college students have really given us a huge advertisement."
"Mommy! Mom..."
"Mom, look, we caught an eel!"
Zhou Momo and Fanwa's voices rang out from outside.
"Good heavens, did you two go to play in the fields? You're covered in mud!" Zhao Hong's voice followed: "Zhou Lihui! I told you to look after your little sister and Fanwa. But you take them to the fields for a bath!"
Zhou Yan and Zhao Tieying went outside to see.
Zhou Lihui and the two people were covered in mud, each clutching an eel. Zhou Lifan's face was completely smeared with mud, leaving only his eyes and teeth white, making him look utterly comical.
"I really am..." Zhao Hong grabbed a feather duster and headed towards her two sons.
"Fanwa, run!" Zhou Lihui threw down the eel in his hand, grabbed Zhou Lifan, and they ran.
Zhao Hong chased after them, shouting, "Stop right there! I'm counting from one to three..."
"Sister in law, leave it, leave it, remember to come back for dinner later after done." Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh. These two kids had a complete childhood.
Zhou Momo didn't run away. She tightly gripped a large yellow eel in her two little hands, weighing at least three ounces, even her big toes were straining, and proudly held it up, saying, "Mommy! Guo Guo! Look, a big yellow eel!"
Zhou Yan secretly glanced at Zhao Tieying. If she got too angry later, he might have to carry Zhou Momo run away too.
Zhao Tieying didn't explode. Instead, she smiled, stepped forward, and squatted down, saying, "Oh, my little girl is so capable! Catching such a big eel! Mommy will make you braised eel for dinner tonight, okay?"
"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded, overjoyed.
"Then stand still. I'll wash your feet clean before you come in, and I'll give you a bath and change your clothes." Zhao Tieying took the eel from her hand and walked into the shop with a smile.
"Why don't you discipline her?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"She's having so much fun, even catching eels. Why discipline her?" Zhao Tieying brought out a basin of warm water, wringing out a towel as she said, "Your dad always gets covered in mud when he goes fishing, and he never catches any fish, but I never scold him."
"The most important thing in life is to be happy."
Zhou Yan smiled too. It was great that he had a mother who didn't spoil the fun.