1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 103: Licking to the End, Everything You Need Is There

Comrade Lao Zhou's small demonstration of his skills surprised the guests, who exclaimed in astonishment.

His hands were incredibly precise, and his knife movements were impeccably steady.

No matter how much you say, one cut and it's all gone, not a penny less.

At first, everyone thought it was a fluke, but then several customers ordered pig's head meat that was cut in one slice, and everyone was completely convinced.

Not only is his hand accuracy remarkable, but his knife skills are also exceptional.

Pig ears need to be thin and cut evenly, which requires a high level of knife skills.

The cleaver moved so fast in his hand that it left afterimages.

Thin slices of pig's ear landed on the cutting board, so thin they were translucent.

The pork head meat is even better, with an extremely precise thickness, making each slice almost identical.

The workers looked at Comrade Zhou with even more respect.

This is the skill of a master craftsman!
"Give me a pig's ear, half a pound of pig's head meat, and a serving of cold chicken salad." Factory Director Wang arrived early today, squeezing through the crowd with his lunchbox.

"Alright! Director Wang, please wait a moment." Zhao Tieying smiled as she took the lunchbox and asked Old Zhou to cut off the last pig's ear for the director.

"Comrade, your knife skills are really good, but you don't look like a professional butcher. What did you do before?" Wang Hongliang asked curiously as he watched Zhou Miao cut braised meat.

"I've been a butcher for over twenty years." Zhou Miao packed up the pig ears and handed them to Wang Hongliang along with half a pound of pig's head meat, smiling somewhat embarrassedly.

Wang Hongliang gave a thumbs up: "Then your cow-slaughtering skills must be excellent."

Zhou Miao smiled, a particularly happy smile.

After a while, Lin Zhiqiang arrived. He was disappointed to see that the pig ears were sold out, but luckily there was still a piece of pig snout left, so he quickly ordered it and also asked for three ounces of pig head meat.

"Old Zhou, cut me a leaner piece; my youngest son doesn't eat fatty meat," Lin Zhiqiang said to Zhou Miao.

He ate at the restaurant frequently and had a good relationship with Zhou Yan, so he naturally became familiar with Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao as well.

"Okay!" Old Zhou nodded with a smile and picked out a piece for him that was mostly lean with little fat.

"Is Anhe back? Why did Director Lin buy so many vegetables?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile.

“Yes, she’s coming back tonight. I’ll buy two braised dishes to take home.” Lin Zhiqiang nodded, then thought for a moment and handed over his lunchbox: “Could you pack me a serving of braised beef?”

"Okay." Zhao Tieying smiled and took the lunchbox.

"Mainly because the two kids wanted to eat," Lin Zhiqiang added.

"It's good for the baby to eat more beef to grow up." Zhao Tieying responded, and casually grabbed a few more slices of sirloin and put them in the pot. The Lin family is really nice.

Zhou Miao is in charge of the braised meat section. With his superb knife skills and hands as sharp as scales, he has successfully attracted many customers.

The braised pig's head meat sold all day yesterday, and word of mouth has spread. Today, everyone is crowding around to buy it. Many workers also bought it after asking around among their acquaintances.

Within half an hour, all the braised meat was sold out.

Fortunately, Zhou Miao's knife is sharp enough that customers don't have to wait for orders. If it were someone with worse knife skills, it would take them an hour just to cut all that meat.

"I'm sorry, we've sold out of braised meat for today. We'll add some more tomorrow." Aunt Zhao apologized to the later customers again.

She braised six pig heads today, and this morning she was a little worried that she wouldn't be able to sell them all.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Miao quickly sliced ​​and sold out in half an hour.

Many of the customers were simply curious and wanted to see if his hands were really that accurate and could cut as much as they wanted.

The cold chicken salad also sells very well. Customers who order takeout are experienced; they wash and dry their lunchboxes after lunch and then come back in the evening to pack the chicken in their lunchboxes. The chili oil won't spill, so it's clean and hygienic.

The best way to enjoy cold chicken salad is to wait about twenty minutes after mixing it, allowing the flavors to fully penetrate the chicken meat so that even the bones are flavorful.

The workers packed up the cold chicken and carried it home, wobbling all the way, until it was perfectly cooked and ready to eat.

Zhou Yan only needs to make a cold chicken salad tonight, which is much easier for him, and the kitchen is not as chaotic as it was yesterday.

Comrade Lao Zhou is truly an excellent employee who is plug-and-play.

I prepared the same amount of food as yesterday, and in the end, I had a portion of braised pork ribs left over. There are also more than a dozen crucian carp in the fish tank, all lively and jumping around, so it won't affect our use tomorrow at all.

Zhou Yan packed up the remaining ribs and asked Zhao Hong to take them back for the two children.

"These ribs are so expensive, save them for Momo..." Zhao Hong looked embarrassed; this serving of ribs cost more than her daily wage.

"She had ribs for dinner tonight, so take this home and cook a simple dish. I'll make something fresh for tomorrow," Zhou Yan said with a smile as she handed the lunchbox to her.

They had eaten dinner before opening for business. Zhao Hong ate until she was half full, and then she would have another meal with Zhou Fei and the two children when she got home.

According to her, a family needs to sit down and eat together for it to feel like a family.

"Come on, let's go move the planks back. It's damp by the river tonight, and if they get wet, we'll have wasted a whole day drying them." Zhou Miao called to Zhou Yan, and they moved all the planks that were drying on the dam back to the shop.

The wooden planks have been drying in the sun all afternoon and are now half-dry. It looks like they'll be ready to sleep on in two more days.

Zhou Yan changed into a vest, carried the bedding downstairs and placed it on the counter. He said to Zhao Tieying, "Mom, I've brought the bedding down. You can put the new bedding on and sleep upstairs. I'll put four benches together to make a single bed. We can sleep there for a couple of days."

"Okay," Zhao Tieying replied as she boiled water in the kitchen.

"Brother, where are you going? Can I come with you?" Zhou Momo saw Zhou Yan walking towards the door and immediately slid off the stool, looking at her expectantly.

"I'm going for a run. Didn't you want to take a shower?" Zhou Yan paused, then said with a smile.

"I don't want to take a bath..."

"Zhou Momo?" Aunt Zhao's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Yes! I want to take a bath! I love fragrance! I love taking baths!"

Zhou Momo nodded, her eyes filled with determination, as if she were about to join the Party.

Zhou Yan went out with a smile, clearly demonstrating the power of bloodline suppression. Zhou Yan ran to the entrance of the family compound, where Lin Zhiqiang was warming up. Upon seeing Zhou Yan, he followed with a smile, "Little Zhou, the braised pig's head and pig's snout you made are so delicious! My wife and two sons praised them highly after eating them, and they complained that I didn't buy enough."

"I learned this skill from my grandmother. She was the best braised meat seller in Jiaozhou back then. I'm still a bit short of mastering it," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up, and he asked, "I heard they also have braised pig's trotters? Your sister Meng loves braised pig's trotters the most. When will they be on the menu? Save me two, I'll have to queue up and fight them for them, I definitely won't be able to get any."

"I'm planning to start serving braised pig's trotters tomorrow. They're 1.2 yuan each, and each one weighs about 1.2 jin. If Uncle Lin wants some, I'll save two for you," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"One yuan and twenty cents each? That's a pretty good price. Tomorrow is a good day. Reserve two for me, and I'll pick them up after get off work tonight." Lin Zhiqiang nodded and readily ordered two braised pig's trotters.

The two chatted as they ran.

Lin Zhiqiang ran for a week and his physical strength improved significantly. He must have had some foundation when he was young, and he quickly regained his form after resuming training.

Zhou Yan, a twenty-year-old young man, naturally had excellent stamina, and he deliberately kept his speed down when running with Uncle Lin.

"Are you still corresponding with Yao Yao?" After finishing discussing national affairs, Uncle Lin switched to gossip mode, mainly because it was a task given to him by his wife.

"I wonder if she received the letter I sent last time," Zhou Yan said with a smile. He had been so busy these past few days that he had completely forgotten about it.

“No, no, this rhythm is wrong.” Lin Zhiqiang shook his head repeatedly. “Back then, I was in Suzhou and your Sister Meng was in Hangzhou. I could write her more than 300 love letters a year. Now, there’s a box in her old house in Hangzhou filled with more than 1,000 love letters I wrote to her.”

Grandpa Meng looked down on me back then, but my mother-in-law was moved by my sincerity and finally agreed to the marriage.

"Do you have so many trivial things to write about every day?" Zhou Yan pursed her lips, swallowing back what she shouldn't say.

"One letter a day? Are the letters delivered that fast?" Zhou Yan asked.

“That’s not the case. Anhe only replies to me once a week, and while I’m writing this letter, there are three other letters on their way.” Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, “When you like someone, you even want to share cute kittens you see on the street with her, so naturally you have something different to write about every day.”

Zhou Yan understood.

A simp, if he keeps licking, he'll eventually get everything.

Sister Meng studied abroad, is highly educated, capable, and beautiful. Her demeanor suggests she's from a wealthy family.

Of course, Uncle Lin is no less impressive.

If we're going to make Zhou Yan write a letter every day, we might as well just kill him.

He definitely won't write it!

He's not going to be a simp.

Back at the entrance of the family compound, Lin Zhiqiang, covered in sweat, waved and went back. Zhou Yan secretly carried him for another five kilometers of training.

On the way back, Zhou Yan encountered a fisherman who was shirtless and carrying a large carp weighing more than ten kilograms on his back. He was wandering around in crowded areas of the dam, as if he were lost.

Last night's heavy rain caused the river to rise, and many fishermen caught fish today.

"Holy crap, bro, you're amazing! Where did you catch such a big fish?" Zhou Yan leaned over and asked.

A group of people taking a walk gathered around to see what was happening.

The man immediately beamed, spitting as he spoke: "Oh, not big at all, only thirteen pounds and eight ounces. Last time I caught a grass carp, it weighed twenty-eight pounds, and when I killed it, I took out a grass carp stone that was as big as a baby's fist..."

Zhou Yan has already gone far away, keeping his achievements and fame hidden.

If Comrade Zhou finds out, he'll chase them down three streets to find out where their hideout is.

Back at the hotel, Aunt Zhao and Zhou Momo were playing beanbag toss, while Zhou Miao sat watching with a smile on his face.

Look, isn't Comrade Zhou smiling quite well?

Aunt Zhao turned around and looked at Zhou Yan, who was covered in sweat, and said, "I've boiled some water in the pot for you. Take a break before you take a shower. You need hot water."

Zhou Yan said dismissively, "It's nothing, I'm used to using well water, a quick rinse will do."

"Bang!" Aunt Zhao slammed the sandbag on the table, her expression serious. "It's almost winter and you're still taking cold showers? You'll suffer from rheumatism when you're old! Give me a hot shower, or I'll beat you up!"

"Your mother is right!" Comrade Zhou immediately took sides.

“Mom is right!” Zhou Momo joined the line.

"Yes, ma'am..." Zhou Yan shrank back, not daring to disobey Aunt Zhao's authority.

The water in the pot was still boiling hot. A ladle of hot water was added to a bucket of well water, and Zhou Yan felt warm inside after washing.

In his previous life, no one ever cared whether he would get rheumatism from taking cold showers.

It's so good to have a mom.

"Come on, play a couple of games of chess with me." Zhou Yan came out of the shower and was dragged to play chess by Old Zhou.

Among the pile of things he dug up today was this chess set.

The chess pieces were carved by Comrade Zhou himself from wood many years ago. The woodworking was a bit rough, but the polishing was still quite smooth.

The two chess novices, though evenly matched, fought a fierce and evenly contested battle.

After watching for a while, Aunt Zhao carried the drowsy Zhou Momo upstairs to sleep.

……

Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, dormitory.

Xia Yao turned on the desk lamp, looking at the letter she had just received in her hand, her expression shifting from smiling to deep thought to sudden realization.

Zhou Yan's reply came two days later than she had expected.

When she received the letter, she didn't know why the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up.

"Xia Yao:
The joy of receiving the book was like seeing him again...

　Asking for a monthly ticket~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)