1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 128 I'm not lustful, it's just that the flowers are in full bloom... (Bonus chapter for 3500 monthly votes)

“Huang Silang?” Zhou Yan shook his head and said, “The current owner of Feiyan Restaurant is named Huang He.”

"Yellow Crane?" The old lady frowned and thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up: "It's Yellow Chick!"

"Huh?" Zhou Yan's eyes widened. "What little yellow chick?"

The old lady smiled and said, "Huang Silang's third son has a bird in his name, so his nickname is Little Chicken. Of the four brothers in his family, only he was interested in opening a restaurant. The other three either became teachers or officials. The least capable one stayed behind to inherit the restaurant."

"That's what his father said himself. He used to come to Suji often to get braised meat. A couple of years ago, he even came to see me, wanting to buy my braised meat recipe, but I didn't agree."

"That's pretty much it." Zhou Yan laughed upon hearing this. "Grandma is wise! It's a good thing she didn't sell the recipe to him, otherwise how would I sell the braised meat to him now?"

He never expected that, by sheer chance, he would find an old customer of the old lady from back then.

Feiyan Restaurant is great, a large restaurant, and we have a history of cooperation from back then.

I wonder if Feiyan Restaurant has recruited a new braised food chef in the past two years.

"Are you planning to collaborate with the hotels in Jiaozhou?" the old lady asked, looking at him.

“I have that idea.” Zhou Yan nodded honestly. “Right now I can sell more than 50 jin of braised meat at the factory gate every day. It will be difficult to make a significant increase in the short term, so I want to try to sell the braised meat to restaurants in Jiaozhou and make some extra money.”

"That's a good idea. That's how I sold braised meat back then," the old lady said with a smile. "Back then, I made a name for myself in Suji in just one year. Suji was a major silk town at that time, with many silk shops, bolt shops, and dye houses. There were quite a few wealthy people there."

The courtyard houses near Yangmatou were the residences of wealthy merchants. The most famous of them all was the Wang Family Courtyard, which had a huge silk business. Unfortunately, the family was later ruined and its members perished.

The wealthy families in Suji mostly buy my braised meat, and I quickly reached my sales peak. So I started thinking about whether I could sell it in Jiaozhou City. Jiaozhou is a big city after all, with even more wealthy people and countless restaurants of all sizes.

Back then, we used the most basic method: after closing up shop at noon, we would take a box of sliced ​​braised pig ears, braised pig head meat, and braised beef with your grandfather and go to restaurants in Jiaozhou City to ask for orders. We received a lot of disdain, but we did manage to secure orders from several restaurants.

Later, as their reputation grew, more and more restaurants came to them wanting to buy braised meat. During their two best years, those restaurants alone ordered over two hundred catties of braised meat a day. "Su Ji didn't have that many pig heads; he dragged them back from Jiaozhou City every morning..."

When talking about the past, the old lady spoke eloquently, as if recalling the glorious years of yesteryear.

Zhou Yan listened with great interest. Although some details were already blurry, he could still vaguely see the prosperous Suji Town of yesteryear from the old lady's words, as well as the daring and enterprising spirit of the young woman.

Later, Suzhou became commercialized and built many imitation ancient buildings, but ultimately lost some of its ancient charm.

“There are more than a dozen restaurants and eateries of all sizes. I’ll write down a list for you later, and you can find them yourself. But more than twenty years have passed, and I don’t know how many of the old friends are still running restaurants. Their descendants may not be able to carry on the business,” the old lady said.

Zhou Yan nodded: "Okay, I'll take some braised meat to Jiaozhou later and give it a try, whether they have it or not."

It has to be her own grandmother!
The moment to build connections!

"Come on, let's caramelize the sugar. We need four pounds of white sugar. I'll caramelize two pounds first to demonstrate, then you can caramelize two more pounds and I'll show you how. Next time, you can caramelize it yourself," the old lady said.

Zhou Yan nodded obediently and stood aside watching attentively.

"Use lard to caramelize the sugar. Since the braising liquid itself contains a lot of oil, there's no need to worry about the caramelizing sugar containing oil. The heat must be low during the frying process, and you must ensure that the heat is concentrated in the center of the pan, otherwise it will easily burn..."

The old lady explained as she demonstrated.

Scoop a spoonful of lard into the pot. Without waiting for the lard to melt completely, add two pounds of pre-crushed rock sugar directly into the pot and start stirring constantly.

The granular rock sugar slowly melts in the oil and gradually turns into a thick, caramel-colored syrup as it is stirred.

"When it turns this color, it's almost done. Take it out of the heat and don't burn it." The old lady scooped up a spoonful of syrup and slowly poured it out, the syrup dripping down and leaving a bright red color.

Two pounds of rock sugar were used to make a small enamel basin of caramel coloring.

"Come here, I'll keep an eye on things for you," the old lady said.

Zhou Yan washed the pot clean, then put the fire back on and began to caramelize the sugar for the first time.

This is no easy task; if you're not careful and it burns, two pounds of rock sugar will be wasted, resulting in a significant loss.

If the heat is insufficient and the caramel color is not right, then it's a waste product.

A pot of braised meat relies entirely on the coloring of sugar; even a little bit less will ruin the flavor.

Fortunately, Zhou Yan's control over the heat has become increasingly proficient. He imitates the old lady, constantly stirring the rock sugar with a spoon to ensure even heating and prevent it from burning.

The white rock sugar gradually turned reddish-brown, and bubbles began to rise and simmer in the pot.

Zhou Yan scooped up the syrup with a spoon and poured it over the pot. After confirming that the color was right, he immediately turned off the fire under the stove. Before taking it out of the pot, he glanced at the old lady.

"Almost there, the color is perfect." The old lady nodded with a smile.

Zhou Yan then felt relieved and ladled all the caramelized sugar out of the pot, putting it together with the small half-basin from before.

The colors are almost indistinguishable, blending together seamlessly.

A truly excellent caramel coloring.

The test results came out instantly.

Zhou Yan was greatly encouraged.

Caramel coloring isn't just for making braising liquid; it's also useful for making braised pork.

It's a pity Zhou Yan doesn't know how; otherwise, this caramel coloring would be excellent for making braised pork.

I'll ask my master for some guidance someday.

Even if what you make can't be on a menu, it's still good as a home-style dish.

Zhou Momo will definitely like it.

Once the sugar is caramelized, you can start cooking the new braising liquid in separate pots.

The old lady handed everything over to Zhou Yan to operate, and she only gave a few pointers from the side. She didn't even say more than ten sentences throughout the whole process.

At first, Zhou Yan was a little apprehensive, but seeing that the old lady didn't say anything, he became more and more confident.

An hour later, two pots of bright red brine were ready.

It looks almost exactly the same as the original pot.

Zhou Yan scooped up the braising liquid with a spoon and slowly poured it back into the pot. The liquid was bright red and had a rich aroma.

"You've taken very good care of it. This pot of old braising liquid hasn't spoiled at all. The more you braise, the better the flavor. Dividing it into two pots won't affect the flavor." The old lady said with a smile, "Today is the second batch of braised meat. You should braise half of it in each of the two pots. Braising it twice will make the flavor even better."

“Okay!” Zhou Yan replied with a smile.

With these two pots of braising liquid, we can meet the surge in demand for braised meat during outdoor banquets, and also prepare for future expansion.

With food in hand, one feels secure.

Zhou Yan started braising the meat, and the old lady came out of the kitchen to go shopping with her youngest granddaughter.

Since it was a rare opportunity to come to town, she wasn't in a hurry to go back. She planned to have Old Zhou take her home after she finished her work at noon.

...Huang Ying and Huang Bing returned to their doorstep. Huang He and Zhao Shulan were just coming out to go to the restaurant when they saw the two of them covered in sweat and looked surprised.

Before Huang Bing could even speak, Huang Ying, who had caught up with him, pinned him against the wall and punched him twice.

Huang Bing grimaced in pain, but still managed to say to Zhao Shulan, "Mom! Look, I brought Huang Ying back!"

"Huang Ying, let go." Zhao Shulan stepped forward and separated the two, asking with a smile, "Did you get to eat the noodles at Zhou Erwa's restaurant?"

"Yes, I ate it!" Huang Ying nodded.

"Is it good?" Huang He couldn't help but ask. He liked noodles, and he had stayed up late playing mahjong last night and woke up late today. He was planning to find a noodle shop for breakfast on the way.

"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!" Huang Ying nodded. "Their noodles are different from others. They must be handmade noodles. They taste just like the noodles we had when we went to Shanxi to visit my second uncle at the beginning of the year. The soup is very fresh, made from pork bone broth. The seasoning is just right, spicy and refreshing. Absolutely amazing!"

After hearing this, Huang He couldn't help but swallow hard. He thought to himself, "Huang Ying is just like me, not only in terms of her size, but also in how much she loves to eat, knows how to eat, and understands food!"
The surprise Zhou Yan gave him yesterday had such a strong aftereffect that he couldn't sleep well all night. He felt like he had missed out on a great chef, but there was nothing he could do about it.

His father had invited Kong Huaifeng three times, but to no avail, which became a lifelong regret for him.

Zhou Yan is different; this young man is not just a chef, but also an ambitious young boss.

If you can make your business thrive in the small town of Suji, you will surely not be satisfied with the three thousand workers in the textile factory in the future, and you will still want to come to Jiaozhou.

Huang He was not afraid of Zhou Yan at all. On the contrary, he thought highly of the young man and even wanted to invest in him if given the opportunity.

Feiyan Restaurant, with its century-old heritage, is positioned for mid-to-high-end banquets and catering services. Its reputation and ambiance have been built up over generations and cannot be easily replaced.

The dishes at Zhou Yan Restaurant follow the model of affordable Sichuan restaurants; the two have different positioning.

However, with Zhou Yan's abilities, he will soon be able to build a good reputation and turn his Sichuan restaurant into a booming success.

Many chefs can cook, but they are not good at socializing and management, so they can't open a restaurant.

Unlike Zhou Yan, after a brief encounter, he concluded that Zhou Yan had a talent for business and a limitless future.

If he has the chance in the future, he still plans to get to know Zhou Yan better.

He glanced at Huang Bing, his brows furrowing slightly. If Huang Bing had half of Zhou Yan's abilities, he could be considering retirement by now.

Huang Bing grinned carefree, "It's really delicious! Even though I don't like noodles, I had his double-pepper minced beef noodles today and thought they were absolutely amazing. The noodles cling to the broth, and after just a couple of stirs, the minced beef coats the noodles perfectly. The chili oil is incredibly fragrant, and it's so addictive. If he were to open a shop in Jiaozhou, all the noodle shop owners there would be crying!"

"Beef and minced meat noodles? That must be absolutely delicious!" Huang He's eyes lit up at the mention of it.

They had shredded beef yesterday, which was excellent with rice. Hearing Huang Bing mention it, he was really tempted. He tentatively said to Zhao Shulan, "Wife, how about we go to Suji to have a bowl of noodles before coming back?"

"Are you the one who's crazy or am I?" Zhao Shulan rolled her eyes at him. "The restaurant has to take inventory and settle accounts today. Where would we find the time to run off to Suji for a bowl of noodles!"

Huang He scratched his head awkwardly.

"Old man, don't even think about it. Zhou Yan's noodles are only sold for a little over an hour in the morning. When we went, we only got one bowl each, and that was specially reserved for us. We couldn't even get an extra ounce." Huang Ying poured cold water on him and offered him a way out.

"Oh dear, that's a pity. We'll go again next time." Huang He nodded and came down the steps.

"Only sell for one hour in the morning?" Zhao Shulan was a little surprised, and said with a smile, "Then he is indeed very smart. Although the shop sells a variety of things, he has a method. He sells noodles in the morning and focuses on selling Chinese food in the afternoon and evening. The whole family has managed to run the business. Apart from being a bit tired, he can indeed make a lot of money. No wonder he looks down on the three hundred yuan salary you offered."

Huang He nodded. He naturally understood this principle. Three hundred yuan in wages—not only did Zhou Yan not react at all, but even his parents didn't seem to care. It was clear that this amount was significantly less than their profits.

"Mom, you have to give me my lunch money. Huang Ying paid for my breakfast this morning, and I have to pay her back double." Huang Bing came up to Zhao Shulan and reached out to ask for money.

Huang He frowned: "Didn't your mother just give you thirty yesterday? And you spent it all on your bunch of cronies?!"

Huang Bing guiltily moved closer to his mother and whispered, "If I told you I lost it, would you believe me?"

"My belt probably doesn't believe in such nonsense!" Huang He reached out to unbuckle his belt.

"Mom! Help!" Huang Bing quickly slipped behind Zhao Shulan.

“Magic Cloak.” Zhao Shulan raised her hand and pressed down on Huang He, looking at Huang Bing and said, “Starting today, you will eat at Suji with your sister for all three meals. I will cover the cost of the meals, but I will give the money to Huang Ying. As long as you can come to eat for all three meals, I will give you ten yuan of pocket money every day.”

"Mom, didn't we agree on the 30th?" Huang Bing asked anxiously.

“Li Laosan is a top-level chef and the head chef at a restaurant. He only makes 360 yuan a month! You brat, you think 300 yuan a month is not enough for pocket money?” Huang He pulled out his belt with a swish.

"Ten yuan it is! That's enough!" Huang Bing panicked and shouted hurriedly.

Zhao Shulan pressed Huang He down again and said, "Then it's settled. I'll give you an extra ten yuan for gas for your motorcycle today."

"Thank you, my dear mother! I'm going to take a shower now!" Huang Bing grinned, dodging Huang He around the pillar, and rushed into the house.

Zhao Shulan took out five ten-yuan bills and handed them to Huang Ying. "Huang Ying, this is your food allowance for three days, and your pocket money for three days. I'll give you your pocket money all at once, you can manage it as you see fit, but you also have to come with me to clock in once a day, okay?"

Huang Ying casually stuffed the money into her small bag and nodded with a smile: "Okay, Mom, I think going to Suji for dinner every day is a happy thing."

Zhao Shulan smiled and nodded: "Okay, you should go change your clothes too, so you don't catch a cold."

Huang Ying nodded, parked the car in the yard, and followed them inside.

"Huang Ying should be given pocket money, but you shouldn't have given Huang Bing so much. You never see him all day long, I don't know where he's messing around." Huang He pushed the cart and went out with Zhao Shulan, complaining in a low voice.

“You don’t know anything! Look at them, they ride their bikes more than 20 kilometers round trip just to eat breakfast, and they have to do it three times a day to earn that ten yuan. It’s much harder than before, isn’t it?” Zhao Shulan said with a smile. “Look, when he comes back tonight, even if he gets the money, he won’t have the energy to go out and have fun.”

Huang He paused, his eyes lighting up immediately: "Wife! You're truly amazing! You even came up with such a trick!"

“That’s called an open strategy,” Zhao Shulan pinched the soft flesh on his waist. “It’s not a trick!”

"Yes, yes, yes! You are Zhuge Shulan!"

……

On the sofa in the living room.

After changing their clothes, Huang Ying and Huang Bing each slumped to one side, staring blankly at the color television playing "The Great Hero Huo Yuanjia," both feeling completely drained.

Huang Ying peeled a gold coin chocolate, held it in her hand for three minutes, and finally got up and stuffed it into Huang Bing's mouth.

With a chocolate in his mouth, Huang Bing stared at Huang Ying, his eyes wide with fear and suspicion, not joy: "Hey? Did you land? Or are you expired? How could you give me your favorite chocolate? Did you poison it?"

They usually hate each other, but he is most afraid of his sister's sudden concern.

Huang Ying rolled her eyes: "Eat it or not, it's up to you. I just feel like I've lost a bit of weight, and eating this chocolate would be a disservice to myself after all the hard work of riding my bicycle."

Hearing this, Huang Bing finally felt relieved and started chewing. He stared at Huang Ying for a while and said uncertainly, "You don't actually like Zhou Yan, do you? It's been three years, and this is the first time I've heard you say you want to lose weight! That's so strange."

Huang Ying replied frankly, "Everyone has a love for beauty. I'm not lustful, but the flowers are in full bloom, and if I don't appreciate them, I'll seem unromantic. It's not too much for me to patronize his business every day, glance at him, and chat with him for a bit, is it?"

"That doesn't seem like an exaggeration." Huang Bing nodded, but then thought about it and felt something was off: "Hey? But how come you, a young girl, seem to know more than I do?"
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(End of this chapter)