1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 130 What? Do I have to help him woo his sister-in-law? (Bonus chapter for 4000 monthly votes!)
"Worthy!"

"Aunt Zhang is back to selling braised meat?!"

"Where did you buy it?"

Huang He looked shocked, but his tone was also excited and eager.

He hadn't tasted this flavor in over twenty years.

Many memories have become hazy, but the moment I chewed on the braised pig's head, it seemed like everything came back.

This taste has been with me from childhood to youth.

Feiyan Restaurant sold extremely well for several years, but most customers didn't know that Feiyan Restaurant didn't actually have a braised meat chef; the braised meat was all sourced from Zhang's Braised Food in Suji.

Every morning, my uncle, who was in charge of purchasing for the restaurant, would drive a horse-drawn carriage to Suji, load dozens of kilograms of braised meat onto the carriage, and transport it back to Feiyan Restaurant. The goods were unloaded at the back door and covered tightly.

Even the head chef didn't know where the braised meat came from. His grandfather claimed it was a family recipe passed down through generations, with a century-old braising pot in the old house. The meat was braised in the old house and then transported to the restaurant, which was considered a great story at the time.

When the braised meat arrives at the shop, the best knife-wielder will cut it when a customer orders it.

The ear pieces should be thin enough to be translucent, the pig's head meat should be cut into pieces about one qian thick, and the beef...

He grew up in the kitchen, and his memories were stirred up, and he suddenly remembered everything.

Later, the restaurant was nationalized and used to receive important guests, allowing the Huang family to continue operating, although they were also forced to close for a period of time.

In those years, Aunt Zhang stopped setting up her stall, and braised meat disappeared from the menu of Feiyan Restaurant.

Two years ago, the restaurant was returned to the Huang family and reopened after renovation. With the support of its old customers, the business has become increasingly prosperous and has basically recovered its former glory.

Regular customers still fondly remember the braised pork from back then and often ask about it.

Huang He could only use the fact that the century-old brine had been destroyed and the old man had passed away, leaving behind a secret recipe, but it would take some time to maintain the brine to make up for it.

Two years ago, he went to Zhoucun to find Aunt Zhang, hoping she would continue to provide braised meat or sell him the recipe.

Even when I offered a price of one thousand, she still refused.

After that, he ate at every braised food shop in Jiaozhou, including all the well-known braised food stalls in the towns and villages, but he could never find braised meat that could compare to it.

That's a huge difference!
Even for a capitalist like him who was eager to make money, it was something he couldn't use to fool diners.

What kind of customers ask about braised meat?
Those were people who could afford to dine at Feiyan Restaurant more than 20 years ago; they were either rich or noble.

Even if some of them are down on their luck now, they've still tasted good food and can tell the difference between good and bad.

The restaurant has been doing well lately, business is booming, and its banquet booking business is also thriving.

He has already started considering going to Chengdu to recruit a cold dish chef to specialize in braised meat and cold dishes.

Even if regular customers aren't entirely satisfied, we still need to enrich the menu.

This matter has been causing him a lot of worry lately.

Friends in the industry recommended several cold dish chefs, and the couple tried their dishes.

Actually, his braised meat and cold dishes are quite good, and he has a certain reputation in the industry, but he always feels that something is missing.

Because of this, he was beaten by Zhao Shulan.

People say he's fussy and only knows how to nitpick.

Huang He felt so wronged that he starved himself.

Feiyan Restaurant sells top-quality braised food, and he'd be uncomfortable making do with what he has.

Just like a man shouldn't experience too many stunning women when he's young, otherwise the women he meets later will all seem a bit lacking.

When Zhao Shulan married into the family more than 20 years ago, Aunt Zhang's braised meat stall had just closed down.

She's never eaten it before, she doesn't understand.

But she was ruthless and autocratic, and had just forced him to make a decision on the choice of the cold dish chef, and to invite someone tomorrow.

then……

Huang Ying returned with four plates of braised meat in a bag.

He almost jumped up after eating it.

Isn't this like getting exactly what you want?!
"Why are you making such a fuss?" Zhao Shulan patted him on the shoulder.

"Try it! After you taste it, you'll understand why I don't want to hire those cold dish chefs anymore," Huang He said confidently, shoving the chopsticks into her hand.

Zhao Shulan picked up her chopsticks, took a piece of braised pig's head, and put it in her mouth. She chewed it carefully, and her eyes lit up.

After finishing a piece of pig's head meat, she picked up two pieces of braised pig's ear and put them in her mouth. They made a slight crunching sound when she chewed them, and they were crisp, refreshing, and flavorful.

"This meat is so well braised!" Zhao Shulan put down her chopsticks and looked at Huang He with amazement. "It is indeed better than the braised meat of those cold dish chefs. The old braising liquid tastes so good! And the cooking time of the meat is also very well controlled. The braised pig's head meat is tender and soft, and the braised pig's ears are crisp and refreshing. It is really good craftsmanship."

"This is the number one braised food in Jiaozhou that I told you about, the Zhang family's braised food that was famous in Suzhou back then. Am I right?" Huang He said with his arms crossed, looking smug. "Huang Ying, Huang Bing, tell your mother where you bought this."

"Zhou Erwa Restaurant"

The two said in unison.

"What?"

Huang He and Zhao Shulan both turned to look at Huang Ying.

One person was shocked, and the other was surprised.

"It's the restaurant we ate at yesterday. The braised dishes were made by Zhou Yan. I had a braised pig's trotter for lunch, and I also ordered braised pig's ears and braised pig's snout."

"After eating it, I felt it was the best braised meat I'd ever had. Remembering you've been struggling to find a braised meat chef lately, I specially packed some back for you to try," Huang Ying said with a smile.
"Mom, I brought you that braised pig's trotter. It's super delicious! But it's a bit cold. I'll steam it for you in a bit. Eating a whole hot braised pig's trotter is just wonderful."

Huang He and Zhao Shulan took a while to process what they heard.

"You're the best girl, always wanting your mom." Zhao Shulan smiled and reached out to pat Huang Ying's head. After touching her head until it was sweaty, she withdrew her hand and rubbed against Huang He's back.

Huang He didn't care about any of that at the moment. He frowned and said, "The braised meat was made by Zhou Yan, but it tastes exactly the same as the one made by Aunt Zhang. What does that mean?"

"This shows that Zhou Yan inherited Grandma Zhang's skills and made the braised meat that was all the rage in Jiaozhou back then," Huang Ying added. "He's really amazing!"

"As expected of my daughter! She has both a keen sense of taste to discover delicious food and a sharp insight to solve problems. Bringing back these braised meats has solved a big problem," Huang He praised.

“Speak plainly, what are your plans now?” Zhao Shulan asked.

"Our goal at Feiyan Restaurant is to become the number one restaurant in Jiaozhou. If we're going to add braised meat, we'll definitely add the best." Huang He looked at Zhao Shulan and said, "I plan to set off for Suji right now to discuss cooperation with Zhou Yan and ask him to provide braised meat for Feiyan Restaurant, just like Aunt Zhang did back then."

As he spoke, he started to walk towards the door.

"Stand down!" Zhao Shulan grabbed him and glanced around. "Come on, let's go to the private room on the second floor."

The oriole followed with small, quick steps.

After closing the door, Zhao Shulan took out an abacus from the cabinet and started typing away. Looking at Huang He, she said, "This braised meat is indeed quite good; it tastes better than other brands. But have you considered that if we use a larger quantity, say fifty catties a day, and we hire a cold dish chef for two hundred yuan a month, but make an extra fifty cents per catty of braised meat, that's twenty-five yuan a day, seven hundred and fifty yuan a month, and five thousand yuan more a year?"

After listening, Huang He shook his head with a smile: "Shulan, you are better at calculating than I am, but this is not how you calculate it."

"Then how do you suggest we calculate it?" Zhao Shulan pushed the abacus in front of Huang He.

“I don’t need to do the math. Just tell me, if you randomly pick a cold dish chef, how can you guarantee that customers will order fifty catties of braised meat a day?” Huang He said with a smile. “But I have personally witnessed this kind of success. A hundred catties of braised meat a day can be sold out completely, half for dine-in and half for takeout. Some families even send their servants to the restaurant to pack up the meat for their banquets.”

"What?"

"Customers crave that delicious taste; they can't find it anywhere else, so they always come back to your place."

"Let me give you an example. Braised pig's head sells for 2.2 yuan per jin outside. If we use this braised pig's head, cut a plate of 4 liang, arrange it on the best plate, and put it on the table in this private room, we can sell it for 2 yuan."

"If customers think the food is good after eating, they will come back next time and order more. If they have important guests at home, they are also happy to come to the restaurant to take away for their banquet. If customers think the food is good and ask about it, they will come to our restaurant to eat next time."

"If the braised meat is good, it's the main dish on the table. You think what the guests remember most is our private room? You're wrong, it's the taste."

"This is a problem that can't be solved with an abacus."

“Back then, my biggest regret was not being able to buy Aunt Zhang’s braised food. Now that Zhou Yan has inherited this flavor, I will definitely continue to use it.”

After listening, Huang Ying seemed to be deep in thought.

Zhao Shulan pondered for a moment and nodded: "I think what you said makes sense, but selling a serving of braised pig's head for two yuan is still too hasty."

Huang He's raised lips were so wide they could practically hold a teapot; it was rare to hear the first half of Zhao Shulan's sentence.

“To give you an example, you’ll definitely be the one to set the price, you’re more professional.” Huang He didn’t dare to be too proud. “If we take more, we can definitely negotiate the price with Zhou Yan. Back then, my old man got it from Aunt Zhang, and the price was 20% cheaper than her retail price. We should be able to negotiate based on that ratio.”

Zhao Shulan nodded slightly and looked at Huang Ying, asking, "Huang Ying, how much does he sell for?"

"Braised pig's head is 2.5 yuan, braised pig's ears and braised pig's snout are 3 yuan each, and braised pig's trotters are 1.2 yuan each," Huang Ying answered quickly.

"The price is similar to that of several large braised food shops in Jiaozhou. Our restaurant sells by portion, and the gross profit is 50%." Zhao Shulan nodded and said, "Moreover, we don't need to hire a separate cold dish chef. We can have the chopping board chef do the chopping as well. We also don't need to add so many miscellaneous items to the procurement. The income from braised meat is essentially an extra boost."

"That means there's potential!" Huang He clapped his hands and said excitedly, "I'm setting off right now!"

"What are you panicking about? Did you eat chicken droppings?" Zhao Shulan pressed him down, saying with a hint of helplessness, "I know how excited you are to eat this braised meat, but we need to have a clear idea in mind before we talk about cooperation. For example, how much do you expect a pound of braised pig's head to cost, one yuan and eighty cents or two yuan? If you don't think about those two cents beforehand, you won't be able to take it back once you say it."

“You’re right, I’m starting to panic.” Huang He pulled out a chair and sat down, then asked Huang Ying to bring him paper and pen, and asked Zhao Shulan to calculate the prices of the various braised meats by reducing the selling price by 20%.

“Come on, I’ll go with you.” Zhao Shulan took her bag from the side, slung it over her shoulder, tore off the price list, and put it in her bag.

……

"Guoguo, are you going to mail a letter to Sister Yaoyao?" Zhou Momo saw Zhou Yan holding an envelope and ran over excitedly.

"Hmm, do you have a new work?" Zhou Yan asked her with a smile.

"Look." Zhou Momo took out a painting from behind her back and handed it to Zhou Yan like a treasure.

The painting depicts a kitchen with a large stove and a large pot. A man dressed in white stands in front of the stove, holding a spatula and stir-frying vegetables.

The figures are drawn in a somewhat abstract way, but they are surprisingly beautiful.

The color scheme is fantastic.

The little girl, who can't draw straight lines, can accurately find the right colors to make the picture look harmonious and pleasing.

It's a busy yet cozy kitchen.

"It's so well drawn! Is it a gift for me?" Zhou Yan examined it for a long time before looking down at the little guy and asking.

The little guy shook his head, "It's for Sister Yao Yao."

“But you drew me,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

The little guy nodded: "Yes! Yes! I'm afraid Sister Yaoyao will forget about you, so I'm going to draw you and give it to her so she can see you every day."

Looking into Zhou Momo's bright eyes, Zhou Yan felt inexplicably moved.

how?

Are you going to help him woo his sister-in-law?

There is really nothing to do with her.

“Okay, I’ll send it to her along with yours.” Zhou Yan walked to the table, carefully folded the drawing paper in half, took out the letter paper, unscrewed the pen, and added two sentences at the end.

Final note: This was not custom-made by Zhou Momo!
After writing that sentence, he regretted it a little.

It gives the impression of trying to cover something up, like trying to hide something obvious.

Picking your toes!

Forget it, he was too lazy to copy it again, so he folded it up with the drawing and stuffed it into the envelope.

After taking Zhou Momo out the door, they first went to Zhang's shop and bought three catties of rice candy and one catty of peanut candy. Then they went to the post office and mailed the letter to Xia Yao.

The main idea was reciprocity; she gave Zhou Momo crayons, and he returned the favor with a bag of snacks.

Zhou Momo sat on a bench in front of the post office, holding a bag of rice candy. She was chewing half a piece in her hand, crunching and enjoying it.

Even the old man guarding the gate was drooling.

The little guy didn't eat alone. He grabbed a piece, got up, went over to his grandfather, and said in a childish voice, "Grandpa, you eat too!"

"You eat, you eat, Grandpa won't eat," the old man waved his hands repeatedly.

"Eat up, I have so many more." Zhou Momo shoved the rice candy into his hand, smiling smugly, "It smells delicious~"

"Okay." The old man smiled along.

Zhou Yan came out of the post office and took her hand: "Let's go home."

"Goodbye, Grandpa." Zhou Momo didn't forget to turn back and wave goodbye to the old man.

"Goodbye." The old man waved, his eyes crinkling with laughter. Only after the bicycle disappeared around the street corner did he pick up the rice candy and take a bite.

Mmm, it tastes sweet!

I'm going to give that son of a bitch a good beating when I get home today, and see how he still can't produce a granddaughter!

……

Zhou Yan knew Huang He would come, but he didn't expect him to come so quickly.

He had just returned to the shop when Huang He and his wife's bicycles arrived at the restaurant entrance.

Huang He got out of the car, stood at the door and said with a smile, "Zhou Yan, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
-
(Rice candy)

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(End of this chapter)