Zhou Yan rushed into the restaurant and saved the painting from being plastered on the wall with rice from Aunt Zhao's hands.
Aunt Zhao and Zhou Momo looked at him with puzzled expressions.
"Such a beautiful painting will rot in less than two years if it's pasted on the wall. Let's leave it here for now and I'll go buy a frame to mount it." Zhou Yan placed the painting on the counter, took a piece of wood to weigh it down, and smoothed out the creases.
After setting the painting down, Zhou Yan turned and went into the kitchen. He cut up three liang of pig's head meat, packed it up and picked up the "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" that Old Zhou had finished reading by lamplight last night, threw it into the bicycle basket, and pushed his 28-inch bicycle out the door: "I'm going to borrow a book."
"Do you have to pay with pig's head meat to borrow a book now?" Aunt Zhao asked.
"I'm meeting a friend on the way." Zhou Yan's voice came from outside.
"What's wrong with him? Why does he have to buy a frame for a painting?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Miao with a puzzled look.
"This shows that he values that girl very much, so he wants to preserve her paintings carefully." Comrade Old Zhou analyzed.
Aunt Zhao seemed thoughtful, then smiled and said, "Not bad, Old Zhou, you really know a lot about these things."
...
Zhou Yan rode his bicycle to the supply and marketing cooperative first, buying a picture frame just the right size to hold Xia Yao's painting.
He hadn't thought much about it, just felt that since it was Xia Yao's painting, it should be preserved better.
But it was a gift from Xia Yao to Zhou Momo, and it wasn't appropriate for him to just store it in a box. Framing it would protect it from damage, whether placed on a table or hung on the wall.
Yes, that's it.
He also bought a dozen sheets of paper, intending to give them to Zhou Momo so she could draw on them.
Then he went to the town library.
An old man was lying on a recliner by the library entrance, engrossed in a book.
Zhou Yan stopped his bicycle, and took out the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and a bag of pig's head meat from the basket.
Hearing the noise, the old man quickly closed the book he was holding.
Zhou Yan vaguely caught the words "Jin Ping..." but they were obscured by a cover.
Of course, those two words were enough.
The old man was truly a man of character.
"Finished reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'?" The old man pushed up his reading glasses, which had slipped to the tip of his nose, and smiled at Zhou Yan.
"That's right, recommended by the master. I benefited greatly from reading it." Zhou Yan familiarly pulled over a small stool and sat down next to the old man, offering him some braised meat he had brought: "Please try my braised pig's head meat, it's a great dish to have with drinks."
The old man put the book on his lap, took the oil paper bag, opened it, glanced at the pig's head meat inside, picked out a piece, looked at it, put it in his mouth, chewed for a while, swallowed, and then sat up straight, looking at Zhou Yan with some surprise, asking, "What was your relationship with Zhang, the woman who used to sell braised meat at the bridgehead?"
"That was my grandmother." Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
"No wonder, it tastes exactly the same." The old man chuckled, nodding at Zhou Yan. "You've inherited the skills quite well. I haven't had such good braised pig's head meat in years. Where's your restaurant?"
"There's a restaurant called Zhou Erwa Restaurant near the textile factory gate. If you're free sometime, I'll treat you to a meal." Zhou Yan replied.
"Good things should be paid for, otherwise how can you show that you're better than others?" The old man shook his head, a hint of smugness in his voice: "I have a retirement pension."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded. He was the one who was more pitiful, not knowing when he would be able to retire.
"What book would you like to borrow today?" the old man asked.
"What are you reading?"
"Young people should read less of these kinds of books, lest they lose their ambition." the old man said without batting an eye.
"Then can you recommend one?"
The old man said, "Young people should read some profound books. Turn left when you go in, it's the third bookshelf, the top shelf, the one furthest inside. Take it home and read it."
Zhou Yan went inside. The third bookshelf was against the wall, and the top shelf was so small that he had to stand on tiptoe to see it. He reached out and pulled out the book from the very back.
"Fortress Besieged?" Zhou Yan was a little surprised. He had heard of the book, but only heard of it, he hadn't read it.
However, since it was recommended by the master, there's no harm in taking it home and read it.
Zhou Yan came out with the book and sat down on the small stool again.
The old man looked down at him through his old glasses, which had slipped down to the tip of his nose. "What's wrong? Your friend received another letter from the girl?"
See? A master is a master.
Zhou Yan didn't blush and nodded with a smile, "He has two questions for me to ask the master."
The old man glanced at him and nodded slightly, "Having eaten three liang of your pig's head meat, asking a few questions is no problem."
"Qing Xi Yu Zha, Ru Jian Gu Ren. What does this opening line mean? Could you translate it for me?" Zhou Yan asked the first question.
"She said receiving your letter was like seeing you in person, and she was very happy." The old man glanced at him. "This girl is much more cultured than you."
"University students, it's normal for them to be more cultured than me." Zhou Yan chuckled.
"University students only study those few textbooks. If you read more books, your conversation and knowledge might not be inferior to a university student's." The old man shook his head, pointing to the library with its rows of bookshelves. "After reading through one shelf of books, you can go out and call yourself a cultured person. Most cultured people haven't read as much as you have."
"Alright, I'll borrow books from here more often." Zhou Yan nodded, then continued, "At the end of the letter, she mentioned that she was taking a walk along the Yangtze River and was somewhat nostalgic for the breeze along the Suji River. Master, what do you think this sentence means? What is it trying to express?"
"Do you think the breeze of Suji refers to you?" the old man asked with a smile.
Zhou Yan nodded, then shook his head. "Hard to say."
The old man didn't answer, but instead asked, "Where is that girl from? How many brothers does she have? What are her parents' identities? How much do you know about them?"
Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and said, "I don't know much about the family situation of a Hangzhou native who goes to university in Shancheng, but her parents must be of high status."
The old man glanced at the Parker pen pinned to Zhou Yan's chest and asked with a smile, "Did she give it to you?"
"Yes." Zhou Yan nodded. He would always clip this pen to his shirt when he went out. It was convenient for keeping accounts, and he could also show off by taking it out.
"The pen is nice, and the girl is nice too." The old man said with a smile, "But she must think the wind is cooler by the Suji River. The wind in Shancheng is very hot in summer."
"As expected of a master, great minds think alike." Zhou Yan nodded. The master was indeed insightful and profound. He got up to leave, but then stopped and asked, "What is your name, Master?"
"My surname is Wang, and my given name is Ran."
"Master Wang, see you next time." Zhou Yan hopped on his bicycle and rode away.
The old man watched Zhou Yan ride away on his bicycle, then got up, opened the cabinet in the library, reached for a bottle of liquor, paused for a moment on the box next to him, flicked his finger, opened the box, and inside was a box of letters neatly stacked.
Hundreds of letters were sealed in envelopes, stamped, and addressed, but never sent.
The old man stood there for a long time, then gently closed the box, poured himself two liang of liquor, spread out the pig's head meat Zhou Yan had brought, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and leisurely drank by himself.
...
Zhou Yan went to the post office to ask about how to mail something before returning to the restaurant.
The painting had been flattened. Zhou Yan opened the frame, placed the painting inside, clipped the back cover, and propped it up on the counter.
Zhou Momo watched him work from the side.
"Should I put it here, or hang it on the second floor wall upstairs?" Zhou Yan asked.
"On the wall!" Zhou Momo replied without hesitation.
Zhou Yan found a nail, took a hammer, went upstairs, and hung the painting for Zhou Momo in the second floor living room.
It was hung about a meter high, a small table would be placed there, and the height would be just right for her to sit and paint.
Hanging it on the wall added a splash of color to the otherwise monotonous white wall and it actually looked quite nice.
"Guo Guo, what happened to the sky that Sister Yaoyao drew last time?" Zhou Momo turned to look at him.
"That was drawn for me, I won't hang it." Zhou Yan said.
"Hmph, stingy Guo Guo." Zhou Momo pouted.
"I bought you some drawing paper. You can draw on it with crayons from now on." Zhou Yan handed her the newly bought drawing paper.
Zhou Momo took it, looking at it from side to side in disbelief, then looked up at Zhou Yan: "So white! So big! Guo Guo, is this really for me?"
"Of course, draw whatever you want. I'll buy it for you when you're done." Zhou Yan smiled and pinched her chubby little face. "But I have one condition, once you draw on the paper, you're not allowed to scribble on the wall, okay?"
"Okay." Zhou Momo nodded, already eagerly carrying the drawing paper downstairs to draw. Zhou Yan put the letter into the box and went downstairs. He saw Zhou Momo sitting at a table, holding a crayon and drawing meticulously on a piece of paper.
Regardless of how well the painting turned out, the smile on her face and her sparkling eyes didn't lie. She was very happy and loved the gift.
Xia Yao was so thoughtful, she went out of her way to buy crayons and send them to Zhou Momo because of a painting.
He, as her brother, hadn't even thought of that. He just thought she seemed quite happy drawing on the sand by the door everyday with a small stick.
After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan went for a run with Uncle Lin and then came back reviewed the reservations for tomorrow.
Nine tables were booked, with the largest table seating nine people, and the others mostly for small groups of three to five people.
It was alright, not as busy as expected, but it was still about half full.
According to Zhou Yan's plan, the maximum number of reservations for lunch on the weekend was nineteen tables. This limit ensured that all guests would have a seat and wouldn't have to wait for food, thus guaranteeing a good dining experience.
Since they only sell for one meal and the menu isn't complete, the revenue will definitely be lower than usual. So they will focus on building a good reputation and not chase after making a lot of money.
The meal for nine people was ordered by Zhao Dong, and he ordered six dishes.
He originally wanted Zhou Yan to make the braised dishes, but Zhou Yan politely declined.
There are only sixty customers in total, and if make braised dishes, they'll sell out in a whole day.
After closing at noon tomorrow, he plans to take his parents and Zhou Momo to Jiazhou City to shop and buy some things.
The door was installed this afternoon, and he also asked Master Zhang to build an extra braised food stove in the kitchen, side by side with the previous one, to match the specifications.
The current braising pot in the restaurant is enough for the restaurant's daily sales, if he braises another pot in afternoon, the production capacity could double.
However, Zhou Yan started considering selling braised vegetarian dishes.
Braised lotus root slices, braised potatoes, braised tofu skin, braised bamboo shoots… the potential is huge.
Zhou Yan himself really enjoys braised lotus root and braised potatoes. Now that his braised pork products are becoming more stable, he plans to get a pot first to test the waters for braising vegetables.
Compared to meat, vegetables are much cheaper.
How much do lotus root and potatoes cost per jin?
Braise them, and the price will increase several times over!
Even if he sell them cheaply, the profit margin is still quite considerable.
"I've already made the bed. We'll be staying in the new room tonight. You can go back to your own room and sleep there." Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan as she came downstairs, a smile on her face.