1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 102 The Uncle's Hands Are Like a Scale! (Bonus Chapter for 1500 Monthly Tickets!)
Zhou Yan and Comrade Lao Zhou both breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, it wasn't about his personal savings.

However, Zhou Yan realized what was going on and was a little surprised, so he looked at Comrade Lao Zhou.

The restaurant is indeed short of a butcher, but Comrade Zhou is the best butcher in Zhoucun. He simply couldn't bring himself to ask him to lower himself to be a butcher.

Since Aunt Zhao had spoken up, he also wanted to hear Comrade Zhou's thoughts.

Slaughtering cattle is a lucrative profession; you can earn seventy or eighty yuan a month by working from dawn till dusk, which is more than what textile factory workers earn.

But I am really tired.

In the past, with Aunt Zhao helping Comrade Zhou, they could sell all the meat by noon.

Now that he's poached Aunt Zhao to be the lobby manager, Old Zhou's meat-selling efficiency has dropped significantly, and he often misses lunch at 2 PM.

Aunt Zhao's salary plus commission is already higher than Old Zhou's income from slaughtering cattle and selling meat, so he can't poach her back.

"This..." Comrade Zhou was clearly a bit conflicted. He had slaughtered cattle for half his life, and now he was hesitant to be asked to be a butcher.

“Old man, I’ll give you a basic salary of thirty-eight yuan, the same as the workers in the textile factory. In addition, as the person in charge of the braised meat section, I’ll also give you 20% of the profits from the braised meat as commission. How much you can earn depends on your own ability. The more you sell, the more you earn.” As the boss, Zhou Yan had to step forward and make his stance clear at this point. “Furthermore, if someone asks you to slaughter a cow, just go, as long as it doesn’t affect the sale of braised meat in the shop.”

"Did you hear that? 20% commission!" Aunt Zhao held up two fingers and lowered her voice, saying, "We sold over forty yesterday, and we're doubling the amount of braised meat we're preparing today. That's half the profit. You do the math and see how much commission you'll earn?"

Comrade Zhou has been selling meat for years and is very good at math; how could he not understand this account?

He earns over a hundred yuan a month just from commissions, more than he used to make selling beef.

If they sell more in the future, they'll earn even more, and maybe he and his wife can save enough money in a year to renovate the house.

“Okay, I’ll do whatever your mother says. I’ll be in charge of cutting braised meat at the shop from now on.” Old Zhou nodded. He’d done this job a lot during holidays and was quite skilled at it.

Moreover, Zhou Yan said that he can kill cows whenever someone asks him to. He can kill five or six cows a month, so his skills won't get rusty. He can get back to the shop around eight or nine o'clock after killing a cow, which won't affect him at all.

Selling beef alone is really not very interesting, but being able to help Zhou Yan and spend time with his family makes him feel quite good.

"Great!" Zhou Yan was overjoyed; the important employee had been successfully recruited!

Now the braised meat in the shop is being sliced ​​fresh, ensuring the best taste!

He trusts Comrade Lao Zhou to get things done.

It would be hard to find a craftsman who is more organized and meticulous than him.

Such a stone mound is priceless!

As for commission.

Zhou Yan was very happy to give Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou this high commission, as it would greatly boost their work enthusiasm. Look how energetic Aunt Zhao is at work; she can shout "Good boy/girl" hundreds of times a day.

The young female workers in the textile factory now adore her. Even if they don't eat, they'll still greet Aunt Zhao when they pass by.

They would be more likely to accept the money if it were given to them as wages.

Zhou Yan dislikes the practice of exchanging large red envelopes during holidays.

Moreover, as long as they do a good job, this is the reward they deserve.

Skilled workers deserve respect.

“Come on, old man, go take a bath. I’ll take you to buy a chef’s uniform and tidy up your hair and beard. From now on, you’ll be the face of our restaurant,” Zhou Yan said.

After Comrade Zhou finished showering and put on his clothes, Zhou Yan put the money in his pocket and took Comrade Zhou out for reform.

Two hours later, the two returned.

Comrade Zhou's somewhat disheveled hair had been cut into a buzz cut, his short stubble had been neatly trimmed, and he had changed into a white cotton-linen chef's shirt and black trousers, looking completely refreshed.

"Not bad, Lao Zhou! You look great!" Zhao Tieying circled around Zhou Miao, marveling at how the clothes made him look several years younger.

"Fourth Uncle, you look like a chef now," Zhao Hong said with a smile.

"That's good..." Comrade Zhou straightened his clothes, still a little embarrassed.

"Don't worry, old man, it's quite like a master chef's work." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "Old man, you're used to cutting braised meat for Grandma, so I'll just tell you the requirements and won't give you a separate demonstration."

Zhou Miao nodded: "Okay, I'll cut it according to the standard of the braised pig ears and braised pig head meat you packed for me yesterday."

Look, a truly excellent dish can be replicated after just one taste.

The boss doesn't need to worry about it at all!

Zhou Yan wanted to laugh. Aunt Zhao was really too decisive. This shop would close down without her!

Aunt Zhao has already washed and hung out two boxes of clothes to dry. They are all autumn and winter clothes. They were wet from the rain but not dirty. They can be worn as soon as they are dry.

Zhou Yan also bought two quilt cores from Zhu Laosi, the cotton fluffer, and two bed sheets and two pillows from the supply and marketing cooperative, which he took off from the back of his bicycle.

"Are these new quilts? Why didn't you buy cotton and make them yourself? They're so expensive!" Aunt Zhao noticed the two quilts and stepped forward to help take them, looking pained.

"I'm going to sleep in this quilt tonight, so there's no time to make one myself," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "I just bought the quilt insert from Zhu Laosi. It's eight jin for the bedding, first-grade cotton, which costs 2.6 yuan per jin. The mattress insert is six jin, made of fifth-grade cotton, which costs 1.9 yuan per jin. He made it ready-made, and the labor cost is extra. Including the quilt cover and sheet I bought from the supply and marketing cooperative, plus two pillows, it comes to a total of 52.8 yuan."

"Fifty-two yuan!" Aunt Zhao gasped.

Zhao Hong was also somewhat taken aback.

This comforter is so expensive!

Zhou Yan was also willing to spend the money.

“We spend a third of our lives in bed, so it’s only right to spend a little more money on blankets and pillows,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “You can save money on other things, but you should treat yourself well when it comes to sleep.”

Zhao Tieying thought about it and felt that what Zhou Yan said made a lot of sense.

Since they'd already bought it and couldn't return it, they had no choice but to carry it upstairs. The new quilt was soft to hold, had a pleasant fragrance, and the cotton fabric was very soft. It was much more comfortable than the old quilts they'd slept on over ten years ago, which were now stiff and drafty in winter, offering no warmth whatsoever.

"You need to be frugal with your money. At this rate, you could squander a mountain of gold," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan as she put down the quilt.

“I know I should be frugal, but I don’t mind spending money on you,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “When I earn money in the future, I will buy you silk quilts, and those will be even softer.”

"Who wants to sleep under your silk quilt? Only foreigners can afford that!" Aunt Zhao rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't hide the smile on her lips.

An afternoon passed in the blink of an eye, and the shadow of the collapsed house seemed to have dissipated from the heads of their family.

Zhao Tieying felt that life was still full of hope and aspirations.

With nothing else to do, Aunt Zhao began to give Comrade Lao Zhou on-the-job training.

“You can’t have a stern face. The customers come to eat. If you stand at the door looking too fierce, you’ll scare the young girls away and they won’t dare to come in.”

"That's right, you should learn from me and smile like this."

"You have to believe in yourself. You can definitely smile. I believe in you."

"No! Your smile is uglier than a grimace, and even scarier than before!"

"You're a real pain in the ass! If you keep laughing like that..."

……

Zhou Yan and Zhou Momo sat behind the counter eating sunflower seeds, keeping a good distance from each other, afraid of being affected by Zhao Niangniang's increasingly irritable temper.

"Guoguo, why does Mommy make Daddy laugh?" Zhou Momo asked, somewhat puzzled, as she took a peeled melon seed from Zhou Yan's hand and ate it.

"If the old man doesn't smile, the guests might not dare to come in," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

When Comrade Zhou has a stern face, he is indeed very intimidating.

Having slaughtered cattle for over twenty years, he carried a certain menacing aura, and his gaze was chilling to behold.

Therefore, Zhou Yan felt that Aunt Zhao's on-the-job training was very necessary.

Comrade Zhou felt wronged after being scolded. He pouted and said in a low voice, "Tieying, don't be angry. Let me smile again."

Even though he was the one who was wronged, he still had to appease his wife first.

He certainly has a firm grip on the position of younger brother in the family.

Zhou Yan couldn't stand it anymore and stepped forward, saying, "Mom, you can't judge your father by your standards. Your smile is like a flower, and all the girls at the textile factory like you. My father is not usually a smiley man, so it's good enough if you can get him to smile; it's more pleasing to the eye that way. His fake smile is even more frightening."

Comrade Zhou cast a pleading look at him; if he continued to be scolded, he might have to sleep on the floor tonight.

Aunt Zhao smiled upon hearing this, and nodded at Zhou Miao, saying, "Alright, as long as you smile, that's fine."

Comrade Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

"That's it! That's the smile! Remember that feeling!" Zhou Yan immediately said, "Old man, you have to think of it this way: every customer who comes into the store is our big spender. Only when they're happy to spend their money and come back next time can we earn money to repair the house. Don't you think seeing them should make you as happy as seeing a large sum of money?"

Comrade Zhou's smile became even more genuine; great unity truly deserves a sincere smile.

As soon as the textile factory workers finished their shifts, they noticed a small square table set up outside Zhou Erwa's restaurant. On the table, a winnowing basket was filled with bright red braised pig's head, braised pig's ears, and braised pig's snout. The basket was packed full and looked incredibly appetizing.

Behind the small square table stood a middle-aged man in a white chef's uniform, smiling. He looked... fairly amiable, I suppose?
At least he looks clean and neat, and he looks somewhat like Zhou Yan. He's pleasing to the eye no matter how you look at him.

Regular customers at the restaurant know that this is Zhou Yan's father, who usually helps serve dishes at the restaurant.

Judging from this, it seems he's in charge of cutting the braised meat?

Can he do it?

Those who bought braised pig's head and braised pig's ear yesterday know that Zhou Yan's pig's ear is cut extremely thin and the pig's head is cut very evenly, ensuring a high quality in terms of taste.

"Uncle, give me a pig's ear, and three ounces of pig's head meat, to go." A customer rushed to place the order; there were only twelve pig's ears left, so they wouldn't be available again!

“Okay.” Zhou Miao picked up a piece of pig’s head meat, cut it, and then weighed it on the scale, saying, “It’s exactly three ounces.”

"Wow!"

“So accurate!”

"Was it a fluke or do you actually have the skills?"

The surrounding guests gasped in surprise, their eyes widening in astonishment.

Zhou Miao picked up the pig's ear that the customer had chosen, weighed it in his hand, and before even putting it on the scale, said, "This pig's ear is exactly three ounces."

After saying that, he lifted the scale.

Not a penny less, exactly three ounces.

"Wow! That's amazing!"

"Uncle's hands are like scales!"

"I don't believe you. Why don't you try lifting me?"

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(End of this chapter)