1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 134 Is it because I was born not to smile? (6k-page compilation)

"The braised beef is still a bit undercooked. Once I learn how, I'll definitely bring you some to try," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Alright." Grandpa Wang nodded, picked up a piece of pig's head meat and put it in his mouth, then took a sip of wine, and smiled as he let out a long sigh: "Still writing letters to that girl?"

"Yes, with the master's guidance, I no longer have any problems with letter writing format, opening remarks, and closing remarks." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, and instead of leaving, he moved a small stool over and sat down.

"Would you like a drink too?" Grandpa Wang pointed to the wine bottle next to him.

"I can't drink any more; I have to cook dinner tonight." Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile, a hint of gossip on his face: "Master, did you often write love letters when you were young?"

"When I was young, I was so busy, traveling all over the country. I had absolutely no time to write love letters." Grandpa Wang took another sip of his wine, his gaze drifting into the distance, his expression growing more somber. "Tell me, were we really that busy back then? So busy that we couldn't even write a single letter..."

On the radio, the young Mr. Shan kept talking, but Mr. Wang didn't utter a single word.

Zhou Yan rode away on his bike, not hearing any gossip, but becoming even more certain that the master must be a man with a story.

Next time, bring him a bottle of good wine, have a couple of drinks, and maybe he'll start talking.

Once Feiyan Restaurant's sales picked up, today's turnover immediately increased by 21.7 yuan. Although the profit margin dropped a bit, the gross profit should still be around 7 yuan.

This money is so easy to earn! Huang Bing comes to pick up the braised food himself, and they don't even have to do the chopping. It's great!

The Huang siblings eat three meals a day.

Judging from the dishes ordered yesterday, the daily meal allowance should be around 6.6 yuan, which is 20 yuan for three days.

Two people, that's a pretty high standard.

They belong to high-net-worth clients.

As for urging Huang Ying to lose weight, Zhou Yan didn't really have a good solution.

They could only resort to some clever tricks, such as having Aunt Zhao serve them a large bowl of warm water before each meal.

After cycling for more than ten kilometers and working up a sweat, I was just getting thirsty, and no one could resist a bowl of water at the perfect temperature.

After drinking a bowl of water, I was already half full.

When you eat again, your food intake will naturally be halved.

Based on yesterday's feedback, Huang Ying's appetite has indeed decreased significantly, showing remarkable results.

However, Huang Bing seemed to have a much larger appetite, slurping down beef soup and even eating two bowls of rice.

That's good too. Given his current weak and emaciated appearance due to kidney deficiency, it's a good thing that he can eat.

Zhou Yan guessed that Zhao Shulan invited the two siblings to dinner together not only to help Huang Ying lose weight, but also to help Huang Bing gain some weight.

It's a pity this quest didn't appear.

What a useless, lousy system!

Zhou Yan thought this was much simpler than getting Huang Ying to lose weight.

It was only a little past three o'clock when Zhou Yan got back to the hotel and parked the car.

"Brother, I want to sleep." Zhou Momo rubbed her sleepy eyes and leaned closer, trying to climb onto Zhou Yan.

"Don't let her sleep! If she sleeps, we won't be able to sleep tonight!" Zhao Tieying, who was leaning against the recliner by the door, sat up and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "If you don't keep the cat up during the day, the cat will keep you up at night! Why don't you take her out for a dance, and let her go to sleep early after dinner?"

“Okay…” Zhou Yan, who was about to bend down to pick up Zhou Momo, took her hand instead and said with a smile, “Come on, brother will take you to find the old man to go fishing.”

Still half-asleep, Zhou Momo paused for a moment, then tilted her head back, her eyes quickly lighting up: "Fishing?!"

“Yes, let’s go fishing.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Yay! Yay! Momo wants to go fishing!" The little one jumped up excitedly, instantly losing all sleepiness.

"Come on, let's go find the old man first." Zhou Yan took her hand and walked towards the river.

Comrade Lao Zhou usually goes fishing in front of the restaurant in the afternoon. Since he took Zhou Yan's advice and switched to using small earthworms, he has been able to catch a few small fish every day, successfully getting rid of his status as a fisherman who catches nothing.

Sure enough, after walking two hundred meters upstream along the riverbank, we saw Comrade Zhou sitting next to a clump of reeds.

A folding stool, a homemade fishing rod, and a military green water bottle at your feet—you can sit by the river for an entire afternoon.

Sometimes Zhou Yan admired the fisherman's willpower.

"Dad!" Zhou Momo let go of Zhou Yan's hand and ran down the riverbank.

"Slow down, slow down." Old Zhou turned around, quickly put the fishing rod aside, and hugged the little guy who was rushing down.

"Did you catch any fish?" Zhou Momo leaned over to look at the fish basket next to her. It was empty, and she couldn't help but sigh, "There's nothing here."

"Not yet." Old Zhou scratched his head awkwardly, but still said confidently, "But I'll definitely catch something on the next cast."

"Momo wanted to take a nap, so Mom asked me to take her out for a walk," Zhou Yan explained with a smile as he walked up.

“Yes, she didn’t sleep until 1 a.m. last night, which upset your mother.” Old Zhou nodded with a smile.

"Dad, I want to go fishing too," Zhou Momo said expectantly, looking at the fishing rod placed to the side.

"Come on, try fishing for a bit." Old Zhou picked up the fishing rod, replaced the worm with a new one, and handed it to her. "Hold on tight, it's a bit heavy."

"It's okay, I'm super strong~~" Zhou Momo held the fishing rod with both hands, casually tossed it into the water, and muttered to herself, "Fish, fish, bite quickly, I'm here to feed you~"

Zhou Miao held her loosely, preventing her from falling into the water, and said with a smile, "Fishing for small fish isn't so easy. Look, Dad's been sitting here for ages, and the float hasn't even caught anything..."

Before he could finish speaking, the float, which hadn't moved for a while, suddenly wobbled twice and sank sharply, causing the rod tip to plunge into the water as well.

"Wow!" Zhou Momo exclaimed in surprise, clutching her fishing rod tightly as she backed away, bumping into Old Zhou's arms. She cried out excitedly, "A big fish is swimming! Daddy, look!!"

Comrade Zhou stopped laughing, his eyes widened, and he looked incredulous.

The smile didn't disappear; it simply moved to Zhou Yan's face.

"Old man, why aren't you smiling? Are you just naturally averse to smiling?" Zhou Yan teased.

Comrade Lao Zhou reacted quickly enough. Before the fishing rod could slip from Zhou Momo's hand, he grabbed Zhou Momo, who was being pulled forward, with one hand and grabbed the fishing rod with the other.

The vibrating fishing rod brought an unprecedented feel to the fishing.

The straight fishing rod was taut and bent into a deep bow, its tip trembling as if it were about to break at any moment.

this--

Isn't that the big fish he's been dreaming of?!
To everyone's surprise, the big fish that he had been waiting for all afternoon was caught by the little guy with a simple cast.

Which step went wrong?
Was it because no incantation was recited?

Comrade Lao Zhou is having some doubts about life.

"Go! Go, Dad!" Zhou Momo cheered, shouting slogans as she tried to keep going.

Comrade Zhou carefully played the fish, taking a full ten minutes to finally flip it over. The large, golden-red carp tilted its head back, choked on two mouthfuls of water, and was completely exhausted.

Zhou Yan took the fish basket and scooped up the fish.

Goodness, one fish filled the small basket completely, with its golden-red tail fin still sticking out.

One item with exceptional protection!
"Wow! What a big fish!" Zhou Momo was overjoyed. She leaned forward and poked the fish's tail, then turned back to her father with a smile: "Dad, am I amazing?"

"You're pretty good..." Comrade Zhou nodded with a smile, but there was a hint of bitterness in his smile.

What does it mean if a novice catches a big fish on their first cast?
"Zhou Momo is amazing! Tonight, our family will finally be able to eat wild fish," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Brother, the big fish is so cute!" Zhou Momo looked up at Zhou Yan. "Should we steam it? Or braise it?"

"Let's braise the carp." Zhou Yan took the fish out of the basket, removed the hook, and weighed it in his hand. This fish weighed at least five pounds.

These wild-caught carp from the Qingyi River are so beautiful! They have golden scales and round, plump bellies, as if they've gained weight during the winter.

Chopping it into sections, frying it first, and then braising it is probably the best method he currently knows.

This time, I'm skipping the patchouli and trying out the braised fish recipe I secretly learned from Senior Brother Zheng at Brother Hao's wedding banquet.

This fish is a bit big; cooking it whole won't allow the flavors to penetrate, and it'll just waste oil.

After putting the fish back into the basket, Zhou Yan saw that Old Zhou had already packed up the small stool and asked with a smile, "Old man, not fishing anymore?"

"I'm not fishing anymore." Old Zhou nodded. "I'm suddenly feeling a bit unwell..."

“Then you carry the fish, and I’ll help you with the rod.” Zhou Yan smiled and handed over the fish basket. “After all, you’re the one who baited the spot and caught the eels.”

"I don't know why, but my belt suddenly feels a little itchy," Old Zhou said, touching his waist.

"Come on, Zhou Momo, let's go back and kill the fish! I'll make you fried fish!" Zhou Yan picked up the fish basket, grabbed Zhou Momo, and turned to leave.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo swung her legs very fast.

Comrade Zhou watched the two figures walk away and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

Although I didn't catch anything, at least I got to experience the feeling of reeling in a big fish.

Moreover, what the youngest daughter caught is the same as what he caught.

Tomorrow I'm going to our usual spot to share my tips and techniques for kiting big fish with my fellow Air Force teammates.

"Wow, Old Zhou caught such a big fish!" Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong were sitting at the door chatting when they saw the big fish tail sticking out of Zhou Yan's fish basket and stood up in surprise.

"Such a big tail! It's huge!" Zhao Hong also came over, looking on with amazement.

"It's a baited spot! It's a baited spot!" Zhou Momo jumped up and shouted, raising her hand.

"You caught this?" Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong were both taken aback and looked at Comrade Zhou, who was carrying a fishing rod and a small stool and walking from behind.

"Yes, she caught it." Old Zhou nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

"install?"

"yeah?"

Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong expressed their shock.

"Little girl, you're a bit fierce! Your old man has been fishing for over ten years and has never caught such a big fish before!" Aunt Zhao picked up Zhou Momo and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "So amazing!"

This compliment made Zhou Momo giggle with delight, feeling extremely pleased with herself.

Comrade Zhou blushed, feeling even more embarrassed.

“Even your uncle has never caught one this big. Last time he caught a carp that weighed a pound. We set up two tables at home, but no one could even get a bite of fish,” Zhao Hong added with a laugh.

Old Zhou felt much better; his older brother had been fishing for ten years longer than him, yet he had never caught a big fish.

"This fish is so big, how are we going to eat it?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan. Zhou Yan is now the family's top chef, the king of the kitchen.

“Such a big carp, how about we braise it?” Zhou Yan said.

"Braised is fine," Aunt Zhao nodded.

"Then I'll kill the fish first." Old Zhou put the fishing rod and small stool back, picked up a boning knife, and looked at Zhou Yan, asking, "Do you want a whole fish or pieces?"

"Cut it into pieces. First, cut the fish in half, then cut it this wide. The fish meat is thick, so cutting it narrower will help it absorb the flavor better." Zhou Yan gestured to him. Killing fish is delicate work, so Old Zhou volunteered to do it, allowing him to go and prepare the ingredients for cooking the fish.

As if sensing the killing intent, the giant carp suddenly exerted its strength, flipped off Zhou Yan's hand, and landed on the ground, jumping around.

"Hey, don't play with the board, it's useless without the ball~" Zhou Momo stopped to the side and advised in a childish voice.

"Okay." Old Zhou replied, then bent down and used the handle of his knife to whack the big carp's head.

With a muffled thud, the large carp, which had been thrashing about, instantly lost its will to live and lay still.

"Did it fall asleep right away?" Zhou Momo looked up, somewhat shocked, at Old Zhou.

"Yes." Comrade Zhou picked up the big fish that had fallen asleep instantly, and headed to the riverbank with his knife and basin.

Zhou Yan went to prepare the ingredients. Sichuan people use a lot of ingredients and oil when cooking fish.

Now that I make everything myself, the cost isn't that high. Otherwise, just buying fish seasoning, pickled cabbage, pickled peppers, side dishes, scallions, ginger, cooking wine, and oil would cost almost as much as buying a fish.

To learn how to make braised fish chunks, Zhou Yan recalled some fragments of his master's cooking techniques.

Previously, I only remembered the steps but didn't quite understand the underlying principles, so I couldn't replicate it.

It's like knowledge flows through your mind without leaving a trace.

But after he mastered the perfect way to cook crucian carp with agastache, he felt like he understood everything.

Add scallions, ginger, and cooking wine to the marinated fish, and it'll be pretty much done.

Thickening sauces isn't difficult either. You can control the thickness of the sauce for stir-fried pork liver, and it doesn't matter much whether the sauce for braised fish pieces is a little thicker or thinner.

The braising sauce was inspired by Zheng Qiang's braised fish, with the amount adjusted according to the size of the fish.

Comrade Lao Zhou brought the cleaned fish back, and Zhou Yan rinsed it again with well water until it was completely clean, with no blood left.

Half of the fishy smell comes from the blood and the mucus on the surface of the fish. After washing it clean, the fishy smell will be reduced by half immediately.

The wild carp from the Qingyi River have such excellent flesh; the meat is yellowish, looks crystal clear and firm, and has a much milder fishy smell.

One fish, after being killed, filled half an enamel basin.

"It's more than five jin, at least five jin and eight liang," Old Zhou said with a smile.

"You're a good hand, I trust you," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Smash the ginger, slice it, add a handful of scallions, pour in some cooking wine, add a little salt, and marinate the fish for a while.

Looking at the pot of fish, Zhao Tieying said, "There's quite a lot of fish here. Why don't you fry some, scoop out a bowl, and have Zhao Hong take it back to your grandma to cook for herself? She loves fish, and it's rare to find such a big wild carp."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Braised fish is a great dish to eat with rice, and this big bowl of fish is definitely not enough for five people to finish.

After marinating the fish, drain off the excess blood. Remove the scallions and ginger, beat an egg and pour it into a bowl to coat the fish with the egg mixture. Then add dry sweet potato starch to coat the fish with a batter.

This method is actually similar to the Tai'an fish from Tongnan, but the amount of sweet potato starch is not as heavy, and the fish is cut into larger pieces instead of small chunks.

Tai'an fish is a local intangible cultural heritage food of Chongqing. In his previous life, Zhou Yan, as a food blogger, filmed a local intangible cultural heritage inheritor making Tai'an fish up close. The master made a detailed explanation during the process.

He filmed and edited the video himself, making numerous revisions during the editing process, demonstrating his mastery of the techniques.

I used to think my master was amazing, but now I can try to replicate it.

Chop pickled ginger, pickled peppers, and pickled radishes into small pieces. Cut dried chilies and scallions into sections. Prepare Sichuan peppercorns and garlic. The ingredients are now ready.

He was preparing to start a fire.

Zhou Momo came running over, huffing and puffing, carrying a handful of firewood. "Brother, let me help you start a fire!"

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and took the firewood from her hand. He broke off half of it and stuffed it into the stove. Then he took a bundle of straw, struck a match and lit it. He stuffed the straw into the stove, and the firewood was immediately ignited. Then he stuffed a piece of oak wood into the stove, and the fire was lit.

Zhou Momo moved a small stool over, sat down in front of the stove, and muttered, "Good boy/girl stove, I'll feed you firewood, you have to keep the fire burning well and cook me some fish to eat~"

Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong had arrived long ago, standing on either side of the pot, both eager to learn some advanced fish-cooking techniques.

Like twice-cooked pork, cooking fish is also a must-learn skill for Sichuan people.

It's hard to say about other dishes, but when it comes to cooking fish, almost every family has a representative dish.

Add two large spoonfuls of lard and two ladles of rapeseed oil to the pot.

This step made Aunt Zhao and Zhao Hong's eyes widen a bit.

These four ladles of oil are enough for a family to cook for half a month.

"You don't need that much oil to cook fish, but you need more oil to fry it so it sets quickly and doesn't get overcooked," Zhou Yan explained to them. He brought the oil to a boil over high heat, and when it reached about 60% of its maximum temperature, he added the fish pieces.

Zizizi!
The fish pieces sizzled as soon as they hit the oil.

"Fry in small batches, don't fry for too long. Once the surface is slightly yellow and set, take them out of the pot." Zhou Yan took a slotted spoon, and after the fish pieces in the pot had set, he quickly scooped them out. He then shook them in the slotted spoon, and the sticky fish pieces immediately separated. He poured them into a clean large basin on the side for later use.

This pot of fish was fried in four batches, filling a large basin, and it smelled delicious.

"It smells so good!" Zhou Momo couldn't resist staying by the stove any longer. She went to the pot, stood on tiptoe to look, and couldn't help but swallow her saliva.

"How about we fry a few pieces again and make a plate of fried dough?" Aunt Zhao suggested.

"I like to eat noodle fish!" The little guy nodded his head frantically.

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled, took a plate and put the contents of the plate separately, then poured them back into the pot to fry again after the oil temperature had risen a bit.

This time, he didn't rush to take them out of the pot. Instead, he waited until the fish pieces were fried until golden brown and crispy before taking them out.

clang!clang!clang!
The fish pieces were poured into the plate with a crisp sound; their outer shells were golden brown, and a fragrant aroma wafted up.

Sprinkle a layer of salt and pepper on top, pick up the plate and shake it a couple of times to coat it evenly.

"Here, have a taste, but be careful of the barbs." Zhou Yan handed over the plate, and everyone picked up a piece with their hands.

Zhou Momo reached out and touched it, then immediately pulled her hand back, pinching her ear with her little hand and pouting, saying in a wronged tone, "It's so hot!"

"Let me blow on it for you." Zhou Yan quickly blew on her red, scalded hand, then took a long strip of fish belly and blew on it until it was no longer hot before handing it to her.

"Thank you, bro." Zhou Momo grinned, holding the golden-fried dough fish in both hands, and took a small bite.

Click!

The crispy crust with added egg makes a soft crackling sound, and inside is tender fish meat. Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it's simply amazing.

"It smells so good! It tastes delicious!"

The little guy nodded his head and said happily.

"Slow down, watch out for fish bones," Zhou Yan said with a smile, taking a bite of the fish-shaped pasta himself.

The outer shell is crispy with a subtle egg aroma, and the fish meat is very tender with a slight elasticity, unlike the mushy texture of farmed fish.

When making braised fish, Zhou Yan uses a lot of seasonings. When marinating the fish, he used relatively little salt, leaving a base flavor. However, after sprinkling salt and pepper on top, the fish was salty, fragrant, and just right.

It smells quite good.

Most importantly, it has absolutely no fishy smell.

The quality of wild river carp from this era is truly high!
People in Guangzhou don't like to eat carp, and people in Hubei treat it like trash, but carp holds a good place in Sichuan.

Of course, the main reason is that Sichuan cuisine has many cooking methods, and even farmed carp has various ways to suppress the muddy taste.

"It smells so good! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I'll go get some chili powder, it'll be even better then." Aunt Zhao exclaimed, going out to get a plate of special dipping sauce for the braised beef. She dipped the noodles in it, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes! It's absolutely delicious!"

"I'll try it." Zhao Hong dipped her finger in chili powder, took a bite, and nodded repeatedly: "It's even more fragrant! Delicious!"

A plate of fish-shaped noodles became a snack for everyone, and they finished it off quickly while it was still hot.

Zhou Momo ate three pieces and went back to tend the stove, completely satisfied.

"Old man, next time catch more sea cucumbers. Those fried fish are so delicious, crispy and crunchy, you don't even need to spit out the bones. Let's catch two or three pounds of them," Zhou Yan said to Old Zhou.

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded, feeling some pressure.

Two or three pounds?
He can only catch two or three at a time...

Zhou Yan glanced at his watch; it was 4:30, just the right time. After finishing his meal at the textile factory, he could start working.

Leave a little oil in the pan, add a spoonful of fermented broad bean paste, stir-fry until the oil turns red, then add the chopped pickled peppers, pickled ginger, and pickled radish. Stir-fry over low heat until the moisture evaporates and the sour aroma gradually intensifies. Add the crushed garlic, ginger, and dried chili pepper pieces, and continue to stir-fry.

After the dried chili pepper pieces gradually turn dark brown, add water and bring it to a boil. Then, pour in the previously fried and shaped fish pieces.

About a third of the contents were left in the basin, and I asked Sister Zhao Hong to take it back to the old lady after get off work that evening.

Add the scallion segments after the water has just submerged the fish pieces.

The fire under the stove had long since been turned to a low flame, simmering slowly.

Tofu cooked over a high flame, fish cooked over a low flame – this is wisdom passed down through generations.

"Glug~ Glug~"

The fish pieces trembled slightly in the rich red broth, bubbling and releasing an aroma that filled the entire kitchen.

During the process, I gently pushed it a few times with a spatula to prevent the bottom from sticking to the pan.

After simmering for about ten minutes, the broth gradually reduced.

Now sprinkle some finely chopped celery stalks and a handful of tender green scallions on top, then remove from heat and plate.

The largest porcelain basin in the store was filled to the brim.

The fish is coated with powder and completely soaked in the bright red broth, making it look crystal clear. The white scallion segments, green celery, and red chili segments intertwine to create an enticing color.

The spicy and savory aroma wafts up with the steam.

Braised fish chunks, done!
The five people in the kitchen couldn't help but swallow hard.

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(End of this chapter)