1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 147 Silent Tofu (6k-page compilation)

"Deposit of 2158.82 yuan, 21% progress on the house purchase!"

Zhou Yan counted out today's money, put it back in the box, and then wrote down the accounts in the ledger.

Business was stable with a slight increase this week, with the main increase coming from braised meat orders at Feiyan Restaurant, and a small increase from non-textile factory worker customers.

Indeed, the frequency of meals for textile factory workers has begun to stabilize, while the number of diners has increased as word of mouth spreads, particularly among relatively high-income groups such as Suji Township government staff and teachers.

It's easy to tell them apart. On weekdays, textile factory workers wear uniform indigo work clothes, and even those not wearing work clothes can be roughly identified by their attire.

There were so few clothing styles back then. People of different professions wore similar clothes on weekdays, so it's no wonder Zhou Yan was stereotyped.

Huang Chen came twice this week, once to entertain guests and once to eat noodles by himself in the morning.

Zhou Weiguo has eaten noodles here twice.

The presence of a deputy mayor and a head of the armed forces department helped Zhou Yan's restaurant gain some recognition among the town's public officials.

Reputation is something that is built up little by little.

Zhou Yan took out a piece of stationery, thought for a moment, and then began to write quickly on the paper with his pen.

Qiu Qi's experience with Wang Yu deeply moved him, and his writing flowed like a spring, filling four pages.

After the ink dried, I glanced at it, then put it directly into an envelope and skillfully wrote the address and name on it.

I felt a sense of relief after writing it. It turns out that sharing beautiful things with others can also bring happiness.

Zhou Yan took a wooden board from the cabinet and wrote "Braised Beef - 1.4 yuan per serving (4 liang)" on it.

Without further ado, I'll start by braising 15 jin (7.5 catties) of beef tomorrow.

Zhou Yan has already made reservations for beef shank with his eldest, second, and third uncles.

A pound of beef shank costs one yuan and yields about six ounces of braised beef. Selling it for three yuan and fifty cents a pound, considering shrinkage and waste, the gross profit can reach about 50%.

Zhou Yan was quite confident about the braised beef, which cost 3.5 yuan per pound.

Five jin of it was prepared for Huang He. He hadn't told him beforehand, but Zhou Yan didn't believe he would refuse it.

Lying back on the bed, Zhou Yan brought up the control panel and glanced at it:
[Player: Zhou Yan]

Occupation: Chef

[Wealth Points: 3162.36]

[Professional Skills]:
Knife skills (advanced): 5600/100000
Cooking temperature (intermediate): 8488/10000
Seasoning (Intermediate): 8688/10000
Eloquence (Advanced): 88999/100000 (Striving for even greater heights!)

……

task:

Side Quest: Master's Obsession! Incomplete

Side Quest: Zhao Shulan's Troubles! Incomplete

Knife skills, cooking time, and seasoning are steadily improving.

There's not much to say about his knife skills; his current level is sufficient to handle any dish his restaurant needs.

The cooking temperature and seasoning have been greatly improved, and it is moving towards a higher level.

He has been conducting some experiments these days and has discovered an interesting phenomenon.

The system only provides recipes for dishes, so the increase in seasoning and cooking time is relatively small.

The dishes he tries to cook himself, such as braised fish, noodle fish, and stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings taught by his master, show a significant improvement in cooking time and seasoning.

Zhou Yan deduced that this might be related to his subjective initiative.

The experience gained from the system will improve your knife skills, seasoning, and cooking techniques all at once, but for dishes that have already reached a perfect level, the experience gained from cooking them multiple times will naturally be less.

Conversely, if it's a dish that he has only eaten or seen others cook before, he needs to be more careful in controlling the heat, as well as the combination and amount of seasonings. This is a process of trying and learning.

"That's interesting. It would be good to try and practice more dishes during working meals, thereby improving my professional skills." Zhou Yan seemed to have some new ideas.

Progress is made through practice.

Running a restaurant doesn't necessarily mean having more dishes.

The compatibility between dishes, profit margins, and whether they are presentable enough to be served at a formal event, as well as whether they will cause chaos in the kitchen, are all issues that need to be carefully considered.

Even if the recipe provided by the system does not match the current menu.

Even if the dish is perfect, Zhou Yan might not put it on the menu.

Conversely, if he can figure out some dishes with high compatibility on his own, or learn some good new dishes from his chef, he can enrich the menu and increase revenue.

If it receives a rating of "quite good", then it can be considered for inclusion on the menu.

For example, stir-fried cabbage with pork cracklings.

Of the two unfinished tasks, his master hasn't attended the master class for several days. When he sees him again, he'll have to urge him on.

Comrade Xiao Lei, you've become complacent!
As for Zhao Shulan's troubles, they are probably not something that can be resolved in a short time.

For Huang Ying to lose 60 pounds is not something that can be done overnight.

However, cycling 70 to 80 kilometers every day has improved both her and Huang Bing's complexion considerably.

He successfully transformed from a weak, overweight person into a vibrant, overweight person.

Zhou Yan actually admired the amount of exercise involved.

What unreasonable demands could a VIP who spends an average of 6.6 yuan per day possibly have?

Turn off the lights, close your eyes, and fall asleep instantly.

……

"Crack!"

"Crack..."

Dormitories at Sichuan Fine Arts Institute.

Zhu Yuyu and Deng Hong stood on either side of Xia Yao behind her, holding rice candy in one hand and peanut candy in the other, chewing them with great delight.

"These peanut brittle are so delicious! Although they're a bit harder than rice brittle, they smell so good when you chew them!" Zhu Yuyu said.

"I still prefer rice candy a bit more. It has a faint sesame oil flavor, which is quite unique compared to other places," Deng Hong added.

As they talked, their eyes were both fixed on the painting Xia Yao was holding.

The painting depicts a kitchen, with a man in a chef's uniform standing in front of a large stove, holding a spatula; his back is to the viewer.

The kitchen, which should have been predominantly black, was instead decorated with vibrant and varied colors: colorful spice jars, bright red chilies, and a stove that glowed red...

Xia Yao looked at the painting with a smile on her lips.

"Is this a painting of Zhou Yan by Zhou Yan's younger sister? The colors are used so beautifully!" Deng Hong exclaimed.

"Yes, what a bold color combination, yet it has a strange harmony. She has quite a talent for color." Zhu Yuyu also leaned forward and nodded.

"The composition is quite interesting. A three-year-old's perspective is different from ours. The painting is unpolished, full of inspiration." Xia Yao smiled and raised the painting a little higher so that both of them could see it clearly. With a touch of emotion, she said, "It's such innocent and romantic color."

"Did Zhou Yan have his sister draw it for him?" Deng Hong asked with a smile.

Zhu Yuyu laughed along, "I think it's possible, a photo of me working in the kitchen, hahaha..."

“No, he said Momo drew it herself,” Xia Yao said with a smile. “She’s super attached to her brother.”

"I have a feeling that this is a bit like trying to hide something obvious."

"Comrade Zhu Yuyu, we should support Comrade Zhou Yan because we've eaten his food! I believe in him."

"That's right! Me too!"

Xia Yao rolled her eyes at the two of them and said irritably, "Alright, you two go brush your teeth. Eating rice candy in the middle of the night, be careful of cavities!"

"Alright, alright, we won't bother you while you're replying to Zhou Yan. Remember to thank him for the snacks he gave us." The two left laughing.

Xia Yao smiled and shook her head. This time, Momo's painting was done on paper. Zhou Yan is indeed a good older brother.

I took out the sketchbook, put the drawing inside, and pressed two thick textbooks on top to flatten it.

He took the letter written by Zhou Yan out of the envelope and read it again, a smile always on his face.

"By the way, Yao Yao, have you signed up for the production internship next month? Yu Yu and I are going to the Shancheng Printing Factory. Why don't you come with us? We might even be able to share a dorm room." Deng Hong came back carrying an enamel basin and asked Xia Yao.

Zhu Yuyu hung the towel on the rope behind the door and said, "Yes, it's related to our major. I heard there are a lot of applicants. I don't know if we'll be selected."

Xia Yao looked at the two of them and said, "There are quite a few internship units announced this time. It's not necessary to choose a printing factory. Printing factories themselves are not responsible for advertising design and book planning. They are downstream in the whole chain."

On the contrary, I think that wineries and machinery factories that want to build brands and advertise might offer more hands-on opportunities during production internships. I'm still considering which one to choose.

The two looked thoughtful upon hearing this: "That seems to make some sense..."

……

Just as dawn was breaking, Comrade Xiao Zhou took Comrade Lao Zhou to buy groceries.

Meat prices have indeed dropped!

With the abolition of meat ration coupons, meat prices at various stalls have seen a welcome drop, with most prices falling by half.

Zhou Yan and his group came out early enough, but they had already encountered several passersby on the way who had bought meat and were heading home.

The fine pork belly that you can't buy even if you queue up early at the supply and marketing cooperative on weekdays, I was able to buy it today with the same amount of money at Daoerjiang's meat stall.

This is an absolute boon for consumers!

Passing by the meat stall, it was surrounded by customers buying meat. One wanted pig's trotters, another wanted pork belly, and the butcher's smile never stopped.

Having sold pork for over a decade, this is the first time I've felt that selling meat is so simple.

"This time, selling meat will really make money. I could only sell half a pig before, but I can sell at least a whole pig today," Old Zhou said with some emotion. "The butcher has finally turned the tables and become the master of his own destiny."

"Beef prices have been halved, and we expect to sell out today," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "However, this situation won't last long. Meat from the supply and marketing cooperative is just hard to get, not impossible to buy. Now you can find better quality meat at Daoerjiang. Short-term impulse buying will increase sales, but for most families, buying meat is a fixed expense every month, and once it's used up, it's gone."

Comrade Zhou nodded thoughtfully, then added after a moment's thought, "But the knife maker's business is definitely better than before; he's able to steal customers from the supply and marketing cooperative."

“That makes sense,” Zhou Yan agreed.

I bought beef in Zhoucun, and then went to Zhang Laosan and Xu Laoer at the bridgehead to get some pork.

"Old man, you watch the cart, I'm going to buy two bunches of bok choy." Zhou Yan propped up the cart, greeted Old Zhou, and walked towards the row of vegetable vendors at the head of the stone bridge.

The bok choy in the noodles needs to be bought fresh every day, and two cabbages also need to be added. We also need to buy some fresh garlic sprouts to stir-fry with twice-cooked pork.

Purchasing ingredients is such a tedious and troublesome task. Fortunately, Comrade Zhou is here to lend a hand, otherwise he would have to make two trips, which would have taken even more time.

The vegetable vendors were actually farmers from Suji Town. They would go out early in the morning to pick the vegetables, still covered in dew, and carry them to town to sell. With the money they earned, they would then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some daily necessities.

With the current low price of vegetables, one can only earn a meager hard-earned income.

However, with the implementation of the household contract responsibility system, farmers' lives have improved significantly compared to before. Jiaozhou has abundant water resources, making farming relatively easier.

Zhou Yan walked forward at a leisurely pace, his gaze sweeping over each stall.

[A pile of pesticide-free cabbages riddled with wormholes] [A head of cabbage that is not yet fully mature]

[A bunch of high-quality bok choy]

As the test results floated past Zhou Yan's eyes, he stopped, bent down, and picked up two bunches of small green vegetables tied with straw. Each bunch weighed more than a pound and cost only one cent.

Keep going.

[A bunch of misshapen and cracked white radishes]

A perfect piece of tofu

Zhou Yan paused, looking at a small folding table tucked away in the corner, on which were two pieces of tofu.

A perfect piece of tofu

A good piece of tofu

Two pieces of tofu that looked no different from each other yielded completely different test results.

There's a difference between "perfect" and "good"—two levels: "quite good" and "extremely good."

Zhou Yan glanced at the stall owner. Behind the small table sat a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old. He looked very thin and was wearing an obviously ill-fitting indigo Zhongshan suit. It was washed and faded, with several patches on the pants. He was also wearing straw sandals, and his big toes, which were exposed, were red from the cold.

The boy looked up and met Zhou Yan's gaze, then lowered his head somewhat shyly.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but shake his head. This guy wasn't cut out for business. He was shy around men, and if he saw a young woman, he'd probably bury his head in his crotch.

He glanced ahead and saw three more tofu stalls, so he walked towards them.

A good piece of tofu

A pretty good piece of tofu

A good piece of tofu

Zhou Yan, carrying two lotus-shaped cabbages, turned back and stopped in front of the boy's tofu stall.

Tofu is nothing special; Sichuan people love to eat tofu and are also skilled at making it.

Therefore, there are quite a few people selling tofu.

But Zhou Yan had to taste a piece of tofu that was identified as "perfect" to find out what it was all about.

The best review from other companies is "quite good".

Perfect, what a rare word.

While other vendors practically set up their stalls in the middle of the road, his tofu stall was shrunk back half a meter, just enough to clear the way for them.

The boy was well-behaved, but he was also too shy. The two pieces of white tofu were still neatly arranged on the small table, but he didn't sell a single piece.

"How much is tofu per pound?" Zhou Yan asked.

The boy looked up at him and pointed to his ear.

"Hmm?" Zhou Yan frowned.

"He's mute and deaf; he can't hear or speak," the vegetable vendor next door sighed as she looked at the boy.

It turned out he was deaf and mute. Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, looking at the handsome young man behind the table, and suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

The boy looked up at him, grinned, revealing a set of neat teeth, and held up two fingers.

Even so, shouldn't we still give life a thumbs up? Zhou Yan was moved by his optimistic and positive spirit.

"He means that the tofu is two cents a pound." The vegetable vendor translated for him, saying with a hint of pity, "The price is the same, but his tofu is a bit more delicate than others. He suffered because he couldn't speak properly; he came three times, and each time he couldn't sell half of it."

Zhou Yan pursed his lips, and awkwardly dug a three-bedroom, one-living-room shape out of the ground with his big toe.

“This piece, one jin.” Zhou Yan pointed to the piece of tofu in front of him and held up one finger.

The perfect tofu, you have to taste it to see what it's like.

The boy picked up the tofu knife, made two light cuts, and cut off a square piece of tofu. He wrapped it in oil paper, tied a straw around it, and weighed it on a small scale, raising the scale high.

The skills still need practice, and this is at least an extra bit more.

The boy handed the tofu to Zhou Yan, still holding up two fingers.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then pointed to the piece of tofu behind him and held up one finger: "This piece also costs one jin."

The boy paused, shook his head, pointed to the piece of tofu in front of him, and showed a hint of anxiety on his face. His slender fingers moved as if in sign language.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yan couldn't understand it; it was like casting pearls before swine.

"I'll take this one," Zhou Yan said firmly.

Clearly, the boy knew which piece of tofu was better and wanted him to buy the better one.

But Zhou Yan wanted a good piece, not one that wasn't so good.

Otherwise, how can you taste exactly what makes perfect tofu perfect?

An experiment also needs a control group.

Zhou Yan had a stronger aura. Although the boy didn't understand, he still cut a piece of tofu for Zhou Yan from the second piece of tofu.

This time, the scales were raised even higher.

I definitely still need to practice; I've gained at least two ounces more in this area.

Zhou Yan took the tofu, took out five cents and handed it over, then turned and left with the tofu.

The boy paused for a moment, holding the money, then got up to chase after them.

“He’s a kind-hearted man, you’ll accept it if I give it to you,” the vegetable vendor said, pulling him along.

The boy clutched the money but shook his head.

Zhou Yan walked back to the bicycle, first put the vegetables into the basket, and then carefully placed two pieces of tofu on top of the vegetables.

"Tofu for lunch?" Old Zhou was a little surprised.

“Yes, this tofu is excellent.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, holding the handlebars, but still felt a little uneasy.

"Old man, wait for me for ten more minutes," Zhou Yan said, then turned and walked back.

The boy's vision dimmed, and he subconsciously looked up. Seeing that it was Zhou Yan, he smiled and immediately held up a dime and handed it to him.

"I'm not here for this penny. I'm here to teach you how to sell tofu." Zhou Yan smiled and waved his hand, pulling out the Parker pen from his pocket and then a sheet of brown paper from the brown paper the boy used to wrap the tofu.

He quickly wrote four characters on the back: Silent Tofu.

Outline, thicken.

And a huge sign: Two cents a pound!
Below is a small note: I am deaf and mute. I can't hear your voice, but I can understand your smile.

Zhou Yan placed the written advertisement next to the tofu.

The boy stared blankly at the words on the paper, then looked up at Zhou Yan, his eyes already glistening with tears.

Clearly, he can read.

That's much simpler.

Zhou Yan took out his ledger from his pocket, opened a new page, and quickly wrote a line for him to see: This is not how to sell tofu. Let me teach you.

The boy looked up at him and nodded.

Zhou Yan put away the ledger, and his first step was to move the boy's small table to be level with the vegetable vendors on both sides next door. Then, he stood in front of the stall and shouted in a loud voice, "Buy tofu—buy tofu—two cents a pound, white tofu without any coating, a quick chop with two eyes, good tofu, fragrant tofu, beauties will turn into Xi Shi after eating it, handsome guys won't lose their hair after eating it..."

He was tall and burly, dressed in a white chef's uniform, which made him stand out. His loud voice immediately attracted a lot of attention, and people gathered around.

"Sister, buy some. Look how good it is with tofu. The cuts are neat and it looks so tender."

"Don't worry, Auntie. This tofu tastes great whether you fry it, stew it, or make Mapo Tofu."

“I’m not taking money. I also sell tofu. This kid can’t hear and can’t speak. He can’t sell a single piece of tofu, which is a real pity. If I don’t help him promote it, he probably won’t sell any in a day.”

Zhou Yan put on a smiling face and chatted about this and that, and soon most of the two blocks of tofu were sold.

His sweet talk was one thing, but when customers saw the paper on the small table and then looked at the handsome and reserved boy, they readily took out two cents.

Since I was going to buy tofu anyway, it doesn't matter which store I buy from.

People gathered around, one after another.

Zhou Yan watched the boy busily cutting, weighing, and collecting money and giving change, then smiled and turned to leave.

What can he do?
It's just a matter of helping him write a sign and shout a few times.

Hopefully, the customers who took advantage of him will be satisfied and come back to patronize his business again next time.

[Perfect tofu] should not be drowned out by noise; this is his attitude towards food.

"What did you go to do?" Zhou Miao asked, looking at Zhou Yan who was walking towards him with a smile.

"I helped a kid sell some tofu." Zhou Yan smiled as he hopped on his bike and pedaled forward. "Come on, it's getting late to get back today, we need to hurry."

"Selling tofu?" Zhou Miao was completely baffled, but he also followed on his bicycle.

Back at the hotel, Zhou Yan took out two pieces of tofu and put them in two earthenware bowls.

Comparing them side-by-side, the difference is still not obvious, and they both have a faint bean aroma.

Zhou Yan placed the tofu on the cabinet and began to stir-fry the toppings and meat sauce.

Huang Bing and his sister Huang Ying arrived early again today.

The two ordered noodles, and Huang Bing noticed a new sign on the wall, exclaiming in surprise, "Braised beef?! Brother Yan, you made braised beef?"

“Yes, it’s officially served today.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. “Go back and tell your father if he wants some today. I’ve saved five jin for him.”

"Okay." Huang Bing nodded. His father had repeatedly told him to keep a close eye on when Zhou Yan would serve the braised beef and to report it immediately.

After braised pig's head was added to the menu last week, many of Feiyan Restaurant's regular customers came to eat and specifically ordered the braised meat.

The most frequently asked question is still about braised beef.

The old man could only make excuses by saying he wasn't online yet, but he was actually more anxious than anyone else.

After selling out of noodles in the morning, Aunt Zhao was busy cooking beef broth, while Zhou Yan started making braised meat.

Pig's trotters, beef, pig's head meat, pig's ears... are added to the pot in that order and simmered over low heat.

The fire in the stove had just gone out.

The sound of motorcycles could already be heard outside the door.

"Boss Zhou! Boss Zhou! I'm here!"

Huang He hurriedly walked in, his expression showing a hint of excitement.

……

　There will be another update later~~
　　Asking for the guaranteed monthly ticket for next month!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)