Food: Starting with Wonton Noodles

"Do it, do it, do it? What are you even doing?"

Sun Zhigang banged on Yang Jingda's forehead.

Yang Jingda covered his head and said sheepishly, "Brother Gang, I was just kidding. But I think he recognized me."

"So what if he recognized us? We didn't do anything. Even if he knows I bought his wonton noodles, we still paid for them. He bought our sticky rice chicken today too. Besides, we really didn't intend to do anything."

"However, this guy seems pretty easy to talk to," Yang Jingda said.

Sun Zhigang didn't respond, but he relaxed at this moment.

Indeed, there was nothing wrong to begin with, so why worry unnecessarily?

"Alright, that's enough. Turn on all the steamers; it'll get crowded soon."

......

When Zhou Yu returned home, Cao Xuezhen had already cooked breakfast.

Breakfast was still plain congee, but the side dish was pan-fried golden pomfret.

"Mom, I just ate, so I won't eat anymore," Zhou Yu said hurriedly when he saw Cao Xuezhen about to serve him some porridge.

"I just ate a sticky rice chicken, and I'm still very full."

Cao Xuezhen complained, "Why eat glutinous rice chicken? It's so hot now, and glutinous rice chicken is too heaty. The golden pomfret that Hongyu sent over is so fresh. I just dried it, and it's full of oil."

Zhou Yu said helplessly, "Mom, I'll eat lunch."

Then, Cao Xuezhen was surprised: "What, aren't you going to continue cooking at noon?"

Although she doesn't like spicy food, the boiled beef and Mapo tofu that Zhou Yu made yesterday were just too delicious.

Even now, when she thinks about it, her tongue still feels tingly, and her mouth waters involuntarily.

Cao Xuezhen swallowed hard and said, "Alright, if you don't want to cook it, then don't. Just remember to eat it for lunch. You really shouldn't eat too much spicy food. I think I should brew some herbal tea for the next few days."

***

To Zhou Yu's surprise, when he arrived at the Haojiaxuan convenience store that evening to set up his stall...

The first person I met was not Jiang Yan, but Sun Zhigang.

Seeing Zhou Yu set up his stall, Sun Zhigang walked towards Zhou Yu with an expression of heroic sacrifice.

"Hello, your name is actually Zhou, Zhou Yu, right?" Sun Zhigang said. "I don't know if Uncle An has told you that my name is Sun Zhigang."

Zhou Yu maintained his smile and looked at him with a questioning gaze.

Sun Zhigang gritted his teeth and finally spoke up, saying, "I'm sorry about what happened the other day. I spoke rudely. I had my cousin buy some wonton noodles from you a couple of days ago, and they were indeed very delicious."

After uttering the most difficult words, Sun Zhigang's speech became smoother: "At first, I thought you were a complete novice in the catering industry who had just barged in, which is why I said those things. If I have offended you, I hope you can forgive me."

"It's nothing, I didn't take it to heart."

Zhou Yu said nonchalantly that he saw Sun Zhigang wasn't there to cause trouble, so he continued to tidy up his stall and prepare to open for business.

To him, Sun Zhigang's initial provocation was always a trivial matter.

He wasn't a resentful man, and Sun Zhigang wasn't a beauty either; he was just a roughneck.

As long as Sun Zhigang doesn't cause trouble, he has no interest in caring about the myriad thoughts and struggles in Sun Zhigang's mind.

Of course, he wouldn't develop a favorable impression of Sun Zhigang just because of this.

However, Sun Zhigang interpreted Zhou Yu's nonchalant attitude as a sign that Zhou Yu was still holding a grudge.

He said sadly, "In a few days, I'm also planning to stop setting up a stall here, so you don't need to worry about me doing anything underhanded."

This time, Zhou Yu was truly surprised.

No, that's unnecessary.

Sun Zhigang continued, "There are only so many people at Ocean University. Your business is so good now that I can't do it even if I'm right next to you. But it's because I'm not as skilled as you, so there's nothing to say."

"However, I also want to advise you that there's no need to impose purchase restrictions. The times are tough right now, so make as much money as you can. With your skills, you shouldn't just stay here as a stall forever. Earn as much money as you can to plan for opening a shop in the future."

In his last few words, Sun Zhigang spoke with heartfelt sincerity.

In his view, Zhou Yu's current lackadaisical approach to work is a waste of his talent.

How much money can you make and how much reputation can you build by implementing purchase restrictions at a street vendor stall?

He was convinced that he was not as good at cooking as Zhou Yu, but he was very dissatisfied if Zhou Yu were to degenerate and only want to be a street vendor.

His family was poor and he couldn't afford to go to high school, but he never complained.

Because he believes that as long as he is willing to work hard, he will be able to make a name for himself no matter what industry he chooses.

So after he came out with his relatives, he worked at their restaurant, doing everything from washing dishes and vegetables to chopping vegetables and arranging dishes. He was willing to do anything as long as he could learn something.

Since he had chosen to become a chef, he had always harbored an ambition: to one day open a restaurant, a restaurant that everyone in his hometown would recognize and know.

He admired Zhou Yu's talent and naturally hoped to meet like-minded people on his journey to pursue his dreams.

As he was about to leave, he noticed that Zhou Yu was wasting his talent, so he couldn't help but say a few more words.

Sun Zhigang's words touched Zhou Yu slightly. He stopped what he was doing and said earnestly:

"Actually, I'm definitely going to open the shop in the next few months. I have my own reasons for not selling as much. So, you don't really need to change locations; I won't be here for too long."

Sun Zhigang didn't say anything more. After greeting Zhou Yu, he returned to his stall.

The few words he blurted out, advising Zhou Yu to sell more, made him laugh at himself as soon as he said them.

He felt that he, a defeated opponent, had no right to instruct others on how to do business, so he didn't listen carefully to what Zhou Yu said next.

When Yang Jingda saw Sun Zhigang return looking dejected, he couldn't help but say, "Brother Gang, why are you apologizing to him? You didn't do anything wrong."

Sun Zhigang shook his head and said, "If he were just a novice in the catering industry, of course I wouldn't apologize. Ada, you're new to the workforce and don't understand the rules. Sometimes it's okay to be arrogant, and it's alright to make mistakes."

"But you must have a clear understanding of how many mistakes you can make. I've learned this the hard way. Poor people like us don't have many chances to turn our lives around, but we have plenty of opportunities to fall into depravity. Zhou Yu is nothing special, but his talent is too great; he's bound to make a name for himself in this industry."

"If I just want to coast along like this, it doesn't matter. But if I want to make a name for myself in this industry, I can't afford to offend too many talented people in the field."

"Otherwise, if we run into each other again later, it might just be a casual remark from him that could cause unnecessary trouble for me in this industry."

He saw Yang Jingda and didn't think much of it.

Sun Zhigang then said, "Ada, your brother wouldn't harm you. You don't understand now, but just remember what I said today."