1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 166 It's so delicious!
"It's so soft and delicious, with a wonderful egg flavor and just the right amount of saltiness! It's really good!" Aunt Zhao ate half an egg pancake in one go, nodding in praise repeatedly. She couldn't help but reflect on herself: "Compared to it, what I make doesn't even deserve to be called an egg pancake."

Comrade Zhou also ate half a pancake and said thoughtfully, "Zhou Yan's egg pancake is fragrant, but I think yours is just as good. Actually, I prefer a thicker one, as it's more chewy."

"You're just talking nonsense." Aunt Zhao rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile. She picked up another pancake from his bowl with her chopsticks. "Since you don't like it anyway, my youngest daughter and I will each have half."

"Okay." Comrade Zhou grinned.

"Mom, I love you too!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up when she saw half a pancake suddenly appear on her plate.

Zhou Yan smiled. They were so happy to eat just a few vegetarian cakes. This family was so easily satisfied.

He wasn't very good at cooking in his previous life, but he was quite good at making egg pancakes, which was one of the few things he could be proud of.

Of course, the main reason is that the recipe is simple and the method is simple; you can master it after practicing a few times.

If you have eggs and flour in the refrigerator, you can easily make yourself a delicious egg pancake.

After quickly rinsing the pot, Zhou Yan wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. He opened the cloth bag in the bicycle basket and took out the magazine.

"Going to the library to borrow books so late?" Old Zhou asked casually as he was about to put away the dishes.

"It wasn't borrowed; it was a gift from Editor-in-Chief He. He happened to be here today to interview our grandmaster," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Our family's braised beef is on the cover of the latest magazine issue, along with a two-page interview."

“Really!” Aunt Zhao’s eyes lit up, and she stood up immediately.

"Great!" Old Zhou stopped clearing the bowls and stared at the magazine in Zhou Yan's hand with shining eyes.

Only Zhou Momo had a firm Dao heart, ignoring everything else and focusing solely on eating egg pancakes.

"Look, these are the photos taken that day." Zhou Yan placed the magazine on the table.

"Wow! Such a good and clear picture! Your grandma's bowl was well borrowed." Aunt Zhao exclaimed, rubbing her hands on her clothes before carefully picking up the magazine and examining it closely, her face full of joy.

"It looks amazing! The magazine cover is so impressive!" Old Zhou was also very excited.

Opening a small restaurant and being featured on a magazine cover is something they could never have imagined.

Are newspapers only for important people?
They don't understand magazines, but they're certainly not simple either.

"Zhou Yan, what are the benefits of being featured in this magazine?" Aunt Zhao asked, looking at Zhou Yan.

Comrade Lao Zhou also looked at him.

"This magazine is the most professional cooking magazine in the province, and it has a wide influence throughout the country. It is loved and sought after by chefs and food enthusiasts." Zhou Yan introduced to them with a smile: "Generally speaking, those who can be published in the magazine are industry leaders, such as my great-uncle who is a famous chef in Jiaozhou."

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou were stunned for a moment after hearing this.

"Doesn't that mean you've become a famous chef too?" Aunt Zhao said happily.

"At most, he's just a rising star." Zhou Yan waved his hand. "But he can make our Qiaojiao Beef famous, and maybe more customers will come to eat it. It's like advertising for us."

"That's great news!" Comrade Zhou couldn't help but clap his hands and cheer.

With Zhou Yan's analogy, they roughly understood the magazine's prestige.

Overjoyed, he was ecstatic.

Aunt Zhao flipped through the magazine and quickly found the page with Zhou Yan's photo. She nodded repeatedly and said, "This solo photo is also very good-looking! He's really handsome, but the black and white print isn't as clear as the cover."

"It's not too bad now. Look at this old man next to me, his face is so dark, you can't even see his features," Old Zhou said after taking a look.

Aunt Zhao handed the magazine to Old Zhou, "Read it to me, let's hear what it says."

As a survivor of a literacy class, Aunt Zhao doesn't know many characters, but she can barely draw her own family members' names clearly.

Comrade Zhou took the magazine and began to read it aloud with great emotion: "A new way to eat beef that will amaze your taste buds—Suji Qiaojiao Beef! Suji Ancient Town, under the jurisdiction of Jiaozhou, is a town with a long history..."

"Young chef Zhou Yan has replicated and optimized this long-standing dish of 'Qiaojiao Beef' from the recipe, achieving a truly delicious and unique flavor. Its warming and dampness-removing properties are a continuation of the spirit of the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who once practiced medicine on the banks of the Qingyi River."

With its unique flavor and touching story of heritage, Qiaojiao Beef may become a new famous dish of Jiaozhou in the near future.

Zhou Yan, a young chef who is only twenty years old, is admirable for his spirit of inheriting and carrying forward traditions and daring to climb to new heights.

Zhou Erwa Restaurant is located to the left of the main gate of Jiaozhou Textile Factory in Suji Township, Jiaozhou. Besides his signature braised beef, Zhou Yan's dishes are known for their fresh, fragrant, and rich flavors, with his braised meat being particularly exceptional. The restaurant is always packed and definitely worth a visit.

"It's so well written! The story of Qiaojiao Beef is even better now that they've written it like this," Aunt Zhao said happily.

Comrade Zhou also exclaimed with emotion, "The writing is excellent, and she even gave us a shout-out at the end. Editor-in-Chief He is truly a wonderful person!"

Zhou Yan hadn't actually finished reading the article while he was out today, but after listening to Comrade Zhou read it aloud, he nodded repeatedly.

The writers of that era were indeed exceptionally talented, embellishing the story of "Qiaojiao Beef" beautifully.

The part about his accidental discovery of the recipe and his replication of the "Qiaojiao Beef" is given some dramatic flair, thus portraying him as a hardworking, ambitious, and highly skilled young chef.

pretty good.

He himself was embarrassed to boast like that.

But I heard others praising him like that.

It smells amazing! Editor-in-Chief He is a really good person!
They even gave it an advertisement at the end!
Putting everything else aside, just that last line of the advertisement alone made Zhou Yan think he should treat He Zhiyuan to a meal.

"Keep this magazine safe. Next time you go back to the village, take it back and show it to them." Aunt Zhao carefully closed the magazine, her fingers gently stroking the picture of the braised beef on the cover. Just thinking about the faces of those old women in the village made her want to laugh.

"I'm planning to go back to my mother's place tomorrow to get a hoe. Do you want to come back?" Comrade Zhou asked with a smile.

“Go back!” Aunt Zhao nodded immediately. “I also want to go back and check if the geese I asked my mother to raise have grown up. I’ll catch one and kill it.”

Zhou Yan glanced at Old Zhou; he knew his mother all too well.

Zhou Yan took out the envelope again, and said as he opened it, "Oh right, Editor-in-Chief He also developed our group photo and gave it to me as well."

The envelope was opened, and three photos were poured out.

There are two group photos, and another one is a solo photo of Zhou Yan standing at the entrance of the restaurant, the one printed in the magazine, but this one is in color.

Aunt Zhao picked up the group photo first. The family of four stood together, their faces beaming with smiles.

"This is a great photo; it's our family's first family photo," Aunt Zhao said with satisfaction.

Comrade Zhou also said with a smile, "I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative later and buy two picture frames to put them in, so they won't get dirty."

Aunt Zhao picked up Zhou Yan's solo photo again, her smile growing even brighter: "Editor-in-Chief He is so thoughtful, she even printed a solo photo for you. This photo is great. If someone introduces you to someone, you can show the photo to the woman first, which will save you a lot of trouble."

"If the woman sees the photos, she'll probably want to come see the real person no matter what," Old Zhou said.

"That's right, he's my son, he's just that handsome." Aunt Zhao said with some pride. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "Next time you write to Xia Yao, why don't you send her a photo?"

"Why send photos?!" Zhou Yan shook his head repeatedly. He felt a little embarrassed when Zhou Momo drew him for Xia Yao last time, so sending photos would be even more outrageous.

“Then send her a magazine. It’s not easy for her to be featured in the magazine. It’s fine if others don’t send her a copy, but Xia Yao definitely has to send her one.” Aunt Zhao analyzed him seriously: “It’s not good for us to praise our own products, but now that someone has praised her, they’re telling the truth. We have to show our female comrades our excellent side.”

"Mom, don't worry about it." Zhou Yan smiled and put the photo back into the envelope. "Old man, I'll buy the frame tomorrow. I'm going to take a shower now, I'll be busy again tomorrow."

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded.

"Remember to buy a copy and send it to Xia Yao later. I'll keep this one for myself," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan's retreating figure.

"Okay~" Zhou Yan replied.

Aunt Zhao pulled Comrade Zhou to sit down, turned the magazine to the front of the page and said, "Read it to me again, teach me to read it word by word, so that I will know how to explain it to them later, and it won't make me look uncultured."

"Come on," Comrade Zhou said with a smile, pointing to the headline: "Shocking..."

"Shocking!" Zhou Momo, who had just finished her egg pancake, came over and exclaimed in her childish voice.

A copy of the magazine "Sichuan Cuisine" brought a lot of joy and smiles to the Zhou family.

Zhou Yan took her clothes to the backyard to take a shower, already thinking about how to talk to the old lady about the interview tomorrow, wondering if the old lady would agree.

……

Meanwhile, in a bungalow in Suji Town, Xiao Lei was soaking his feet.

Two pairs of feet were placed in the steaming wooden tub. Sitting opposite him was his wife, Ma Dongmei, a slightly plump middle-aged woman. She stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape, and exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, Zhou Yan was published in 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine, which even your master has not yet been published in, and his dish was even on the cover of the magazine?"

Xiao Lei nodded and said, "Yes, today He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine, gave Zhou Yan a copy of the magazine, saying that it has been released in Rongcheng and should be available at newsstands in Jiaozhou tomorrow."

Zhou Yan's braised beef with skewers is indeed delicious. It's a traditional dish from Zhoucun, and the authentic recipe had almost disappeared. He's the one who revived the tradition, which is why He Zhiyuan interviewed him.

Ma Dongmei said happily, "This is great news! This kid was fired because of your conflict with Wang De, but now the restaurant is thriving, and he's even been interviewed by a magazine. Life is getting better and better for him."

“Yes, he was interviewed and featured on the cover at such a young age. His future achievements will definitely far surpass mine.” Xiao Lei nodded with satisfaction. “His knife skills were only at an average level after practicing for more than two years. I didn’t expect him to have such a high talent in controlling the heat and seasoning. I held him back a bit before.”

“Knife skills are a fundamental skill, how can you say it’s a delay?” Ma Dongmei looked at him with a smile and asked, “Are you telling me this because you want me to go to Suzhou tomorrow to buy you a few copies of the latest issue of Sichuan Cuisine magazine?”

"Meimei, you're brilliant!" Xiao Lei said, shaking her hand with admiration.

"A magic cloak." Ma Dongmei rolled her eyes at him. "Just tell me how much it costs? How many are you planning to buy?"

“I saw the price, it’s five cents, so just buy me one…” Xiao Lei hesitated for a moment, then held up two fingers: “Two books.”

"Okay." Ma Dongmei nodded. "I'll take the bus to Jiaozhou tomorrow morning to buy it for you."

"Meimei, you're so kind!"

“Zhou Yan is your apprentice, so he should call me ‘Master’s Wife’ too. This kid is filial and responsible. He’s promising, and I’m happy for him too.”

"That is."

"Leave me a copy later, so I can take it with me when I go out to play mahjong and show it to my fellow mahjong players, so they'll know we have such a talented apprentice."

"Get it!"

……

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(End of this chapter)