1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 132 Are you guys risking your lives?! (Bonus chapter for 4500 monthly votes!)
When Huang Bing and Huang Ying arrived at the factory gate on their bicycles, they happened to run into the factory closing time.

The rolling tide of bicycles pushed them to the side, leaving them unable to move an inch even while pushing their bikes.

"Wow, there are so many workers in this textile factory!" Huang Ying exclaimed. "I thought factories in rural towns didn't have many workers."

"What do you know? This is a major foreign exchange earner in Jiaozhou. They make all the money!" Huang Bing rolled his eyes at her, his gaze falling on the sweet-skinned duck stall next to him.

Before he could even speak, a handful of braised peanuts was shoved into his hand.

"Try it, these are homemade braised peanuts, still warm," Zhao Minghui said with a smile, handing Huang Ying a handful as well.

"Thank you, boss." Huang Ying smiled brightly, immediately peeled a peanut and put it in her mouth. Her eyes lit up, and she nodded, saying, "Delicious! It smells so good, and the peanuts are plump and big. It's hot and delicious."

"What a sweet talker, little girl." Zhao Minghui was delighted and grabbed another handful for her. "Give me some more, keep it and eat it slowly."

"No need, no need. How much is it per pound? I'll weigh some." Huang Ying refused to take the money, stopped the car, and said, "If it's delicious, then you really have to buy it. Otherwise, it's just polite talk."

Zhao Minghui smiled and said, "Four cents a pound, shall we weigh one pound?"

"Selling it so cheaply? My family is big, one pound isn't enough to share. Give me a dollar's worth." Huang Ying took a dollar out of her wallet.

"Okay!" Zhao Minghui immediately grabbed an oil paper bag for her to pack it up. This girl is not only sweet-talking, but also generous.

"It smells really good." Huang Bing peeled a peanut and popped it into his mouth, looking at the smiling Huang Ying, as if he suddenly understood why everyone liked her.

She has a sweet tongue, knows how to compliment people, and is also capable of getting things done.

Although she's a bit chubby, she's adorably chubby, with a round face that doesn't look aggressive at all.

In comparison... it seems that he is not as well-liked because he is thin.

"Boss, how much is one of these sweet-skinned ducks?" Huang Ying asked, carrying two bags of braised peanuts.

"We sell authentic Mucheng sweet-skinned duck, by weight, 1.6 yuan per jin. This one is only about two jin." Zhao Minghui held up a knife: "Would you like a piece to try?"

"No need, no need, I'll buy again next time." Huang Ying quickly waved her hand. "Your sweet-skinned duck looks delicious. The sugar on the surface looks like maltose, and the color of the oil is beautiful, bright red. It's really authentic! And you sell it cheaper than in Jiaozhou. In Jiaozhou, any random shop will charge 1.8 or 2 yuan per catty, and it's not as authentic as yours."

"You know so well! It's okay if you don't buy it, I'll cut you a piece to try." Zhao Minghui's cleaver was already itching to strike.

"No way! I can't live with myself if I try it and then don't buy it." Huang Ying shook her head firmly: "I'm not going to eat sweet-skinned duck today."

"Okay, then come back next time." Zhao Minghui smiled and put down the knife. He could tell that this girl had a kind face and a sweet tongue, but she had her own ideas. When she said no, she really meant no, and he couldn't force her.

"Next time for sure, let's go eat first." Huang Ying nodded with a smile, and seeing that the traffic had thinned out, she pushed her bicycle toward Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

Two long queues had formed at the braised meat stall in front of the restaurant, each with more than ten people. This scene shocked Huang Bing and Huang Ying.

"So many people are in line?"

Even Zhao's Braised Food, the most popular restaurant in Jiaozhou City, had never seen such a grand occasion.

"Look, that's the power of taste!" Huang Ying said with a sigh as she looked at the two long queues. "As long as your taste is good enough, low prices can't beat you. At most, they can steal away some low-value customers. True gourmets are willing to pay more for the taste."

"Do you think I could make money if I set up a stall to sell Zhou Yan's braised food?" Huang Bing pondered, stroking his chin.

Huang Ying looked at him seriously and said, "With your knife skills, you shouldn't waste such good things. You can cut ear pieces as thick as erasers, it's a complete waste."

"Huang Ying! You're so awful..." Huang Bing gritted his teeth, almost dying of anger.

"Aunt Zhao, have some peanuts!" Huang Ying walked into the shop, greeted Zhao Tieying first, and then grabbed a handful of peanuts and put them in the pocket of her apron.

"Oh, thank you so much, my dear." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, "Hurry up, there's another seat over there in the corner, it'll be just right for you two siblings."

"Okay!" Huang Ying replied, quickly walked over and sat down. On the way, she also stuffed a handful of peanuts into Zhao Hong's hand, and grabbed a big handful for the two uncles drinking next door. "Here, braised peanuts to go with your drinks, the more you drink, the more you'll have."

The two middle-aged men were flattered. They looked at Huang Ying, then at the wine on the table. One of them picked up the wine bottle and asked, "Young lady, would you like some?"

"No, I'm going to ride my bike later, I can't drive drunk," Huang Ying waved her hand and smiled. "Thank you, Uncle."

Huang Bing covered his face. How come she can chat with anyone for a bit?

That's true. He's been a chatterbox since he was little. He could sit on a small stool at the entrance of a restaurant and chat with people coming and going all day long.

She really hasn't changed at all...

"Sister Yingying." Zhou Momo came over with a paper bag and presented it to Huang Ying like a treasure: "Rice candy, have a taste."

"Oh my, Momo is still the best to me. Even the rice candy she wants is for me." Huang Ying reached out and took a piece, chewed it with a crunch, and nodded with a smile: "Mmm, so sweet and fragrant! Thank you."

"You're welcome." Zhou Momo smiled happily and handed the bag to Huang Bing, "You eat too."

"I have one too?" Huang Bing was a little surprised.

"Yes." The little guy nodded obediently.

Huang Bing smiled, reached out and picked up a piece, took a bite, and found it to be indeed fragrant and crispy.

My uncle brings them a big bag of Suji rice candy every year, but it doesn't taste as sweet as it used to.
The two ordered food, and Zhou Momo sat next to Huang Ying, chatting away non-stop.

Huang Bing rested his chin on his hand, leaning against the table, and couldn't help but laugh.

Two childish fools, two chatterboxes, they're a perfect match.

Aunt Zhao took a moment out of her busy schedule to pour them two large bowls of warm water.

The two thanked him and picked up their bowls to drink.

After cycling more than ten kilometers, I was covered in sweat and really thirsty.

As soon as the dishes were served, Zhou Momo immediately disappeared.

"You have so many candies, why didn't you bring her a couple?" Huang Bing asked Huang Ying.

“MoMo is only three and a half years old. Too much sugar will cause cavities.” Huang Ying picked up a piece of pig liver with her chopsticks and said with a smile, “Besides, I got fat from eating too much sugar. Look how cute she is now. It’s good for her to eat less sugar. She’s already sweet enough.”

Huang Bing glanced at the rice candy she had only taken a bite of, and frowned slightly. Was this still Huang Ying?
With a limited budget for the evening, they only ordered a plate of stir-fried pork liver, a plate of pork cracklings with cabbage, and a bowl of braised beef.

Huang Bing insisted on having the braised beef, and he didn't know if it was just his imagination, but after drinking the soup at noon, he felt that he had more energy to pedal his bicycle.

After finishing the soup, Huang Bing shamelessly went to get another bowl and drank it all by himself.

Huang Ying was full after eating only one bowl of rice, which was quite unusual for her, as she usually ate three bowls of rice before leaving the table.

Huang Bing's appetite had increased significantly. He finished a bowl and a half of beef soup and ate two bowls of rice. He even used the leftover oil residue from his plate to mix with his rice.

"What's wrong with you? You're full after eating so little?" Huang Bing put down his chopsticks, touched his slightly protruding belly, and looked at Huang Ying with some confusion.

"I don't know? I just feel full..." Huang Ying looked puzzled, then thought for a moment, "Could it be because I drank too much water?" "That's good, you eat less, I can eat more." Huang Bing smiled.

After paying the bill, the two were so full that they pushed their bicycles along the riverbank for a while before riding home.

When they arrived home, Zhao Shulan was watching TV while eating a pig's trotter, while Huang He sat at a table next to her with three plates of braised meat in front of him and a delicate white wine glass in his hand, also enjoying his meal.

Without having to worry about what the child eats, the couple's life suddenly became much more leisurely and carefree.

The pig's trotters were steamed, and they were soft and chewy, so delicious! Zhao Shulan had specially saved them for dinner. She ate them while watching a drama, and her smile softened.

"Mom~"

"mom?"

"Mother--"

As soon as the two entered the house, they started shouting at the top of their lungs.

"Are you two trying to kill me?!" Zhao Shulan turned around and glared at the two of them. "Go take a shower and stop screaming. You're giving me a headache!"

The two quickly shut their mouths, exchanged a glance, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Old man, I brought you some braised peanuts to go with your drinks." Huang Ying tore open the remaining packet of braised peanuts and placed it on the table for Huang He.

"Zhou Yanlu made it?" Huang He's eyes lit up.

"No, it was from a roadside stall. I think the taste was still okay. You brought it for me." Huang Ying shook her head with a smile.

Huang He peeled open a peanut, and three large, plump peanut kernels rolled into his hand. He threw them into his mouth, chewed them, and nodded, saying, "Hmm, not bad, and quite fragrant."

"Daughters are the best; they remember their old man," Huang He said with a smile, not forgetting to nudge his son, who was leaning against the wall and preparing to go upstairs.

"Old man, I actually wanted to buy it for you, but I'm short of money and can't come up with an extra penny." Huang Bing spread his hands, his smile revealing a hint of impoverished helplessness.

"Anyway, you're never short of money when you go out drinking. You're good at drinking with others, so why don't you just have a couple of drinks with your old man at home?" Huang He looked at him and teased, "Do I need a cup of yours or a pair of chopsticks? Can you afford to drink eight-yuan bottles of Moutai when you go out? Or can you afford to eat such good braised meat?"

Huang Bing paused for a moment, looking at the three plates of braised meat on the table and the Moutai liquor next to it, and felt that it seemed to make sense.

"Old man, wait for me! I'll go take a shower and then come drink with you!" Huang Bing turned around and ran upstairs.

That night, Huang Bing's underlings, who never saw him, wandered the streets of Jiaozhou again and again, like lost souls.

"Drinking with me? You're way behind." Huang He looked at his son, who was slumped on the sofa, laughed, threw a blanket over him, and staggered upstairs.

"You reek of alcohol, go sleep in your son's room, and don't come near me!"

……

"Brother, let me tell you another story?" Zhou Momo squatted by the bedside and looked at Zhou Yan.

"No need to tell me anymore, I'm already fast asleep..." Zhou Yan didn't dare to open his eyes, his head was buzzing, filled with the Sichuan and Chongqing fairy tales that Zhou Momo had told him.

The amount is too large; it can't be digested in one night.

“Brother, shall I sing you a song?” Zhou Momo said again.

“Okay…” Zhou Yan replied, afraid of dampening Zhou Momo’s enthusiasm.

"Red carrots, so sweet, seeing them means it's almost Chinese New Year."

"The New Year is so much fun, ladles of soup, chopsticks swishing around..."

Zhou Momo cleared her throat and began to sing. Her soft, childlike voice, sung in a Sichuan accent, put Zhou Yan to sleep after just two lines.

After the little guy finished singing and saw that Zhou Yan didn't move, he leaned forward and touched his nose. He felt warm breath and breathed a sigh of relief.

“Guoguo is asleep, now it’s Mom and Dad’s turn.” Zhou Momo climbed off the bed, put on her shoes, and even stood on tiptoe to turn on the light at the door.

Soon, Zhao's somewhat irritable voice came from the next room.

"Heavens! Aren't you going to sleep yet? I'm never letting you take a nap again..."

……

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Comrade Xiao Zhou and Comrade Lao Zhou went out to buy groceries.

We ordered two extra pig heads today for Feiyan Restaurant.

“Zhou Yan, the amount of pig heads you need is increasing every day, and I can’t supply enough for you. I can only get six from the surrounding towns at most. If you need more, I’ll have to talk to my cousin who slaughters pigs in Jiaozhou in advance and ask him to help me find a way.” Zhang Laosan said to Zhou Yan while helping to load the pork into the basket. “But if we have them delivered to Suji, it will cost an extra 50 cents for transportation. That’s the price for a truckload of ten or less.”

“Okay, I’ll let you know in advance when I need more than five, and then I’ll ask your cousin to help me buy and deliver them.” Zhou Yan nodded and smiled. “But you have to make it clear to him that you shouldn’t send any pigs that are diseased, sick, old sows, or pig heads that don’t look good. You know how good I am at choosing pork. If I don’t like it, I definitely won’t take it. Sending it would be a waste.”

Not only will I not get the shipping fee, but I'll also lose money on the pig's head. As long as the pork is good, I'll pay cash on delivery, not a penny on credit. We're all experienced butchers, we can tell the difference between good and bad pork.”

"Don't worry, if I can't get past this hurdle, I won't give it to you," Zhang Laosan assured, patting his chest.

Zhou Yan is now his biggest customer at the meat stall, ordering dozens of kilograms of pork ribs, spare ribs, and pig's head every day, and his order is consistent.

He was supposed to rest for one day after slaughtering pigs for three days, but because of Zhou Yan, he was forced to change it to a single day off on Sunday.

Zhou Yan is not old, but he is very accurate in judging flesh.

If the meat quality is even slightly subpar, he'll turn around and leave without arguing with you at all.

He now carefully selects pork, fearing that Zhou Yan might not be satisfied and he would lose dozens of kilograms of sales.

He gets the pig heads from his competitors at a lower price, and sells them to Zhou Yan, making a profit of one cent per pound. Five pig heads would earn him an extra two yuan and fifty cents, which is a very lucrative business.

"Alright, then we'll head back first." Zhou Yan replied, having resolved the supply of pig heads, which relieved one of his worries.

He buys boneless pig's head meat for six cents a pound, and as for what price Zhang Laosan buys from his peers and how much profit he makes, that's entirely up to his own abilities.

Old Zhang always selects good pig heads. He's been a butcher for over twenty years, and he can tell the quality of pork at a glance.

Zhou Yan was happy to save himself that trouble, otherwise just finding knife makers everywhere to collect pig heads one by one would keep him busy all morning, and he would also have to haggle with various vendors.

This is the value of food suppliers!
On the way back, Old Zhou looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Zhou Yan, I can't understand the book you borrowed this time. Does the library have Water Margin? Could you borrow a copy for me next time?"

"Okay, I'll borrow it for you this afternoon." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. He himself was a little confused after reading "Fortress Besieged," let alone Old Zhou.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh when he thought of Grandpa Wang, who guarded the library entrance.

I wonder what book this master will recommend to him today.
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(End of this chapter)