1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 110 Our New Home! Our New Home! (Second Update!)

He Zhiyuan listened, stunned. It made a lot of sense, but something seemed off.

However, he understood one thing: he needed to focus on the key points when writing about braised beef!
For a writer, Zhou Yan's words were like a wake-up call.

Since he wants to explore the origins and history of the dish "Qiaojiao Beef," discuss the culinary culture behind it, and tell its story of inheritance, then he should focus on this aspect.

If you were to delve into the specific steps, techniques, and recipe of this dish, you would be putting the cart before the horse.

Moreover, Zhou Yan's attitude was very clear: the recipe was not going to be revealed; it was a family heirloom, and they relied on it for their livelihood.

He Zhiyuan wasn't stubborn; he dared to ask, but he never forced anyone.

He's been through this kind of thing far too many times. From initial frustration to later getting used to it and understanding, he doesn't care about it at all now.

What's more, this time he reaped a great harvest.

Jiaozhou is so close to Chengdu, yet he visited more than ten times a year, traveling to almost every town and village.

He was truly excited to be able to discover a representative dish from Suji.

What's even better is that I met an interesting chef.

Zhou Yan is truly a remarkable person.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, your suggestions are excellent. I will carefully consider them when I get back and will benefit greatly from them. Thank you very much." He Zhiyuan cupped his hands to Zhou Yan and said with a sincere smile.

"You're too kind," Zhou Yan replied, bowing in return.

He Zhiyuan added, "I'll bring Xiao Li over to take some photos before we open for business tomorrow at noon. I wonder if that would be appropriate?"

"Of course, no problem. Please feel free to let me know if you have any needs, Editor-in-Chief He." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Great! That's it!

He Zhiyuan looked around the restaurant, then stared at Zhou Yan for a while before saying, "Tomorrow, move the table to the entrance to take close-up photos of the braised beef. The daylight outside needs to be brighter; the lighting in your restaurant is too dim, and the photos won't look good."

"By the way, it would be best if you could change into a newer chef's uniform. You have a good image and are tall. I'll take a full-body photo of you standing in front of that big pot, and I'll also include the signboard of Qiaojiao Beef. The effect will definitely be great."

“Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.” Zhou Yan nodded.

See? That's what you call professional!

He Zhiyuan got up and walked to the stove. He picked up the earthen bowl from the basket next to him, frowned and looked at it for a while, then shook his head and said, "Although this earthen bowl is practical, it is not very good-looking. The color is too dark, so it cannot capture the clarity of the beef soup, the tenderness of the beef, or the crystal clearness of the tripe. If it could be replaced with a clean and large bowl, the effect would be better, and it might even be able to make the cover."

“Bowls…” Zhou Yan walked over and said, “How about I go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow morning to see if they have any suitable ones? This shop really only has earthenware bowls.”

Zhao Tieying said, "No need to buy it. Your grandma has a set of blue and white porcelain bowls, they're so beautiful. Just borrow a big bowl tomorrow morning and then return it to her."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow. Blue and white porcelain? Is it a treasure passed down from your ancestors?
Their family has impeccable revolutionary credentials and many brothers. Even during turbulent times, no one dared to cause trouble at their door. The old lady might actually have kept some valuable things in her possession.

"That's wonderful!" He Zhiyuan's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "A couple of years ago, when the Japanese magazine 'Women's Friend' came to film 'A Collection of Famous Chinese Dishes,' our comrades even went to the museum to borrow furniture and antiques to highlight the dishes. The results were fantastic!"

"The Japanese really know how to take pictures. They made our Sichuan cuisine look incredibly beautiful and appetizing. We were responsible for accompanying them and translating, and we learned a lot from them."

"After the magazine was launched, we used this standard to photograph food and delicacies, and the readers responded very well."

Speaking of this, He Zhiyuan became quite excited: "Do you know how much this nine-volume 'Collection of Famous Chinese Dishes' costs?"

Everyone shook their heads.

"A whopping 1800 yuan!" He Zhiyuan's voice rose. "Damn capitalist countries! Our 'Sichuan Cuisine' only costs 40 cents a copy! That's only 1.6 yuan a year!"

Everyone gasped in shock.

Buy a set of books for 1800 yuan!

That money could build a house in the countryside!
"Damn capitalist countries!"

Everyone cursed inwardly.

This is utterly extravagant and decadent! It deserves severe criticism!

Seeing that everyone was listening with great interest, He Zhiyuan then told some interesting stories about the Women's Friend magazine's trip to Sichuan for filming, which also included criticism of the Japanese, making it quite humorous and interesting.

The tea party lasted for an hour before it ended. He Zhiyuan and Zhou Yan made an appointment, and then he rode his bicycle away with Huang Chen and the others.

"These intellectuals are really interesting to talk about," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, her opinion of He Zhiyuan having changed somewhat.

She realized that Zhou Yan had tricked him. The other party wasn't stupid, but he didn't care and was still willing to take photos for Zhou Yan's publicity.

Being featured in a magazine or newspaper is a great honor that brings glory to one's ancestors!
"It's quite interesting. They're down-to-earth, with no airs at all, just a passion for food," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

It was already dark, so Zhou Yan decided not to go for his run today. He and Old Zhou carried back the wooden planks that had been drying all day. "The sun was strong today, so they're completely dry. We can make the bed with them tonight," Zhou Miao said, weighing the planks in his hands.

“No, it won’t work. It needs to be aired out for another day to prevent moisture from ruining the quilt.” Zhao Tieying shook her head. “The boards that have been soaked in the rain all night won’t dry so easily.”

"It's alright, I'll just sleep downstairs for another night," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "But we'll have to work overtime tonight to clean up the second floor first. I've arranged for a bricklayer to come and build the walls tomorrow, so we can have a whole room for you."

Zhao Tieying said, "Why bother with rooms? What's the point of wasting money? It's just us family living here anyway. You can stay in the small room, and we can just put the bed against the wall and sleep."

“Your mother is right,” Zhou Miao nodded in agreement.

“That won’t do. In a room that’s nearly 200 square meters, the wind will seep in through the cracks in winter and freeze people to death.” Zhou Yan shook his head, his attitude firm: “I’ll get you a room on the outside with a window facing the river. The view is good, and everyone will have some privacy. It will be more comfortable for you to stay there.”

“You’re not here for just a few days, so if you’re going to be a little more particular about your lifestyle, you’ll feel much happier.”

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou are just approaching forty. In this day and age, there isn't much entertainment, so they both have some adult needs.

We'll set up two rooms upstairs, build brick walls, and the soundproofing will be pretty good, so we can avoid any awkwardness for everyone.

They each occupied one side, leaving the middle area empty. When they have more money in the future, they can add a sofa and a TV, and that will be their living room.

Zhou Yan had already drawn up the design drawings last night. It's a large single-level apartment of nearly 200 square meters. The initial plan is for two bedrooms and one living room. Apart from being a bit spacious, it's really perfect.

“This…” Zhao Tieying hesitated.

“I think we should listen to Zhou Yan this time,” Comrade Zhou Miao said, turning against him.

"Let's go! Let's get to work." Zhou Yan picked up a broom and dustpan and headed towards the stairs.

"Get to work!" Zhou Momo followed behind, holding a feather duster in her hand.

Seeing this, Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao also took their tools and went upstairs.

Zhou Yan's room is located at the top of the stairs on the second floor. The room is very small, only a dozen square meters. Fortunately, he doesn't have much stuff, just a bed, a clothes rack, and a bedside table. Now that there are two wooden boxes, it actually feels more spacious.

After Aunt Zhao's tidying up yesterday, everything is now clean and tidy, even the quilts are folded into neat squares.

The self-discipline of these model militia members is truly remarkable.

These are prefabricated houses built by a textile factory. The second floor is also made of cement, which was considered quite good for that era.

It hadn't been used for a long time, so a layer of dust had accumulated on the ground, and the walls and roof were covered with cobwebs and dust.

Comrade Zhao Tieying first assessed the battlefield and quickly made a judgment: "Zhou Momo, go downstairs and play with your dolls, there's too much dust."

"I want to do chores too!" Zhou Momo raised a feather duster to show her attitude.

"I don't want to wash your hair in the middle of the night. You'd better go downstairs and play by yourself. Come back up after we've swept up the dust." Zhao Tieying turned to look at her: "I'm from Shudao Mountain, one, two..."

"Okay! I'll go! I love playing house with dolls the most!" Zhou Momo shoved the feather duster into Zhou Yan's hand, turned around and ran away in a flash.

Zhou Yan couldn't stop laughing. The little one wanted to join in on everything, but it was all dusty when she cleaned it up, so it really wasn't suitable for her to stay up there.

Aunt Zhao rummaged through the box and pulled out a piece of old cloth, covering her hair and face with it, leaving only her eyes showing.

Comrade Lao Zhou had already brought up a basin of water and sprinkled it all over the place, then picked up a bamboo broom and started sweeping.

Zhou Yan was tall and was in charge of using a feather duster to remove dust and cobwebs from the walls and ceiling. After only a few swings, dust immediately filled the second floor, blinding him and making his mouth sticky. He rushed to the window and coughed for a while before he recovered.

Aunt Zhao is too worldly-wise; she had already foreseen everything.

The three of them were quite efficient; they swept away the dust in an hour, opened the windows on both sides to allow air circulation, and blew the dust out.

The ground has regained its original color. The simply polished cement floor looks much more comfortable than the rammed earth floor.

Zhou Momo has already come upstairs and is running around in the spacious room, overjoyed, constantly saying, "New home! Our new home!"

Zhou Yan walked over, gesturing with a feather duster as he said, "Look! I plan to build two walls for you in this corner, with the door in this location. The room is about 25 square meters. We can put a wardrobe and two bedside tables inside, so it won't feel so empty."

"I plan to turn this place into a small study. It will have a view of the river and be bathed in sunlight. It will be very comfortable to sit here and read."

"In the middle is a huge living room. When we have money, we'll put a sofa against the wall, build a TV wall here, and put the TV in this spot. Then our whole family can sit here and watch TV in the evening."

Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao's eyes lit up with anticipation, and they couldn't help but smile.

Yes, it is home.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)