1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 17 He didn't know he was wrong.

The people of Sichuan and Chongqing are very particular about food; it's ingrained in their very being.

If you get disgusted by something related to food, you can't hold it in until you vent your anger. Who can stand such humiliation?

Hearing the commotion, Zhou Yan couldn't help but peek through the doorway to catch a glimpse of the excitement.

A crowd of onlookers gathered at the factory gate, some even bringing their rice bowls with them as they came out of the factory to watch.

Isn't this more appetizing than the food in the cafeteria?
Wang Laowu stood in front of the noodle pot, being scolded, looking as wilted as a frostbitten eggplant.

His wife blushed furiously, wishing she could disappear into nowhere.

The weather at the end of October is cool in the mornings and evenings, but the temperature is still quite high during the day when the sun is shining.

Wang Laowu's noodle stall had a layer of oilcloth on it. The toppings and sauces had been drying in the sun for a day and then left overnight. By noon today, they naturally had a slightly sour smell.

"It's just... just a little bit left over from yesterday, the meat was picked out, how could it have any flavor?" Old Wang pouted, looking somewhat aggrieved.

Two pieces of beef per pound, who would be willing to throw it away!

Yesterday, due to the impact of Zhou Erwa Restaurant, most of the toppings and sauces they prepared were left over. Today, the prices have dropped significantly, so the couple figured they should be able to stir-fry a big pot of ingredients and mix them in, and the difference shouldn't be noticeable.

I didn't expect the sun to be so strong today, and the temperature to rise so quickly. It's only noon and it already smells so bad. Even pepper can't cover it up.

"No matter how bad the noodles in the cafeteria are, they're still better than your leftovers!"

"Absolutely! Zhou Yan's shop looks clean and hygienic! Spending an extra two cents gives me peace of mind when I eat there!"

The guests paid no heed to Wang Laowu's sophistry and immediately got up and headed towards Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

"Hey, you haven't paid yet!" Wang Laowu's wife, Liu Fen, said anxiously.

"You still dare to ask for money? We're being lenient by not tearing your stall down! Do you believe I'll report you to the market management committee?" Liu Laoba jumped up and down, "I trusted you so much! I've been eating noodles at your place for so many years!"

“Exactly!” Wang Jianming hummed in agreement and walked away without looking back.

Liu Fen wanted to argue further.

"Don't say a word!" Wang Laowu tugged at Liu Fen's clothes and whispered, "If we really stick our tongues out, we won't be able to set up our stall anymore."

"It's all your fault! I told you it would spoil easily in this hot weather. Now all the guests have gone to Zhou Yan's place. What are we going to do?" Liu Fen stamped her feet anxiously.

They went all out to steal Zhou Yan's business today, and now they still have half of the meat sauce and toppings left, which they can't sell, so they won't even get their costs back.

"It's all Zhou Yan's fault, otherwise we wouldn't have had so much meat sauce left over yesterday." Wang Laowu also put on a mask of pain. The reputation he had built up over many years was ruined, which was even more distressing than these few pots of meat sauce.

"Tsk tsk tsk, what a shameless person to serve leftovers to guests! Their conscience has been eaten by dogs!" Zhao Tieying also came to the door to watch the commotion, and clicked her tongue and laughed, "See? It really proves the saying 'a wicked hen cuddling a widow's egg'—she got what she deserved!"

Zhao Tieying didn't keep her voice down, and all the guests coming to the restaurant heard her.

"Aunt Zhao is right!"

Some guests joined in with a few laughs and curses, significantly increasing their positive impression of Aunt Zhao.

Wang Laowu and Liu Fen turned green with rage, but they were in the wrong and didn't dare to respond.

The mother and son smiled at each other. Zhou Yan silently gave his mother a thumbs up. When it comes to critical hits, it has to be the Onmyoji Zhao Niangniang.

Wang Laowu's self-disclosure greatly alleviated Zhou Yan's inventory pressure.

Many customers who originally came to eat noodles with a little over 40 cents and 100 grams of meat opted for Zhou Erwa Restaurant, which had been strongly recommended, after hearing that Wang Laowu used leftovers, resulting in a significant increase in customer traffic.

Wang Laowu and Liu Fen stood guard over their empty stall, their faces filled with sorrow.

"How about we ask Director Wang to come and support us again? If this continues, we won't be able to do business anymore," Liu Fen whispered, tugging at Wang Laowu's sleeve.

“Go and invite him, I’ll…” Wang Laowu whispered a few words to her.

"Okay." Liu Fen nodded and quickly left.

Wang Laowu stood up, picked up a half-bowl of braised beef topping, and said loudly, "I, Wang Laowu, was wrong today. I shouldn't have been so concerned about the leftover beef, and I shouldn't have let the guests eat the leftover sauce and topping. If I was wrong, I should stand at attention and take the beating. There's nothing more to say."

"But I've been selling noodles outside the textile factory for two years, and this is the first time I've done something like this. I hope everyone can give me a chance to turn over a new leaf. I swear, from today onwards, our noodle stall will never use leftovers again." After saying that, he poured the beef topping in his hand directly into the swill bucket next to him. The half-filled enamel basin contained at least two or three pounds of beef.

Then he picked up a bowl of minced meat sauce and poured it into the swill bucket.

Wang Laowu's actions have attracted the attention of many workers.

This is all meat! Most people only eat it once or twice a month, and it's being wasted like this.

Wang Laowu poured out three bowls of meat sauce and toppings before stopping, then said loudly, "The remaining toppings and meat sauce are all good, freshly stir-fried this morning, absolutely no leftovers were mixed in!"

"To express our apology, I'm treating everyone to noodles for free. Each bowl will have a small portion of meat, and you won't have to pay a single penny! Consider it my way of apologizing!"

Upon hearing this, many workers' eyes lit up.

Even the customers who were originally heading towards Zhou Erwa's restaurant couldn't help but stop in their tracks.

A bowl of noodles and a small amount of meat, all for free, sounds quite appealing.

"It's free, want to give it a try? Everyone who tried Wang Laowu's food before said it was good, right?"

"If someone admits their mistake and is willing to correct it, they should be given a chance."

“He doesn’t know he’s wrong, he’s just scared. You go ahead, I’ll eat Zhou Yan’s noodles.”

The workers whispered among themselves, some heading towards Wang Laowu's noodle stall, while others resolutely walked towards Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

Wang Laowu's lips curled up; he had made the right bet. The remaining sauce would spoil anyway, so he might as well give it away for free to salvage his reputation. Then he could sell noodles at a low price for a while longer, and the matter would gradually fade away.

Zhao Tieying collected the dishes and went into the kitchen to tell Zhou Yan about it.

"He does have quite the guts." Zhou Yan paused in his hand, which was scooping up noodles. Wang Laowu's crisis management response was quick enough. It seemed that relying on him to self-destruct and bankrupt the noodle stall was not quite enough.

I wonder if that station chief is reliable, and whether he can trace it back to Wang Laowu.

"It's alright, this kind of despicable person will be punished by God sooner or later." Zhao Tieying comforted Zhou Yan with a smile, "The most important thing is for us to make good noodles so that our customers can eat with peace of mind."

"You're right." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Aunt Zhao was indeed someone who didn't engage in internal strife.

Once the news spread that noodles were free, Wang Laowu's noodle stall quickly became bustling again, with seven or eight people sitting down in no time.

Wang Laowu stood in front of the big pot cooking noodles, a smile returning to his face. Losing a little money was fine; as long as the business could continue, he would earn it back sooner or later.

On the other side, Liu Fen also invited Wang Defa.

Wang Defa stood in front of the noodle pot with his hands behind his back and his potbelly sticking out. He said with a pained expression, "Wang Laowu, are you confused? How have I always taught you? We must make sure that our workers eat well, eat their fill, and eat with peace of mind."

"Director Wang, you're right. I was blinded by greed and just couldn't bear to waste meat. I'll never do it again." Old Wang nodded vigorously.

“Sigh, I know you’re used to being frugal. I understand that everyone has just had enough to eat, but this kind of thing absolutely cannot be done again.” Wang Defa nodded slightly, his tone softening considerably: “Your noodles are pretty good. The meat is the same good quality as the factory canteen, the portions are generous, and the prices are reasonable. Unlike some restaurants that only care about money and have a capitalist attitude.”

"Of course, of course," Wang Laowu nodded in response.

The charade performed by Wang Defa and Wang Laowu was so convincing that even Zhou Yan, who was serving noodles, couldn't help but stop and listen for a couple of lines. One can't underestimate the wisdom of the common people; their public relations skills are far superior to those of some amateur troupes in later generations. They even managed to annoy him a bit.

"Even Director Wang of the factory canteen speaks highly of Wang Laowu's noodles, which means they are indeed very good."

"The meat in the factory canteen is given priority by the supply and marketing cooperative. Old Wang is really willing to spend money."

"Or I should go back and call everyone from the workshop over. Opportunities to freeload like this don't come around often."

The workers nodded in agreement, and several sat down to try it, while others prepared to invite their friends.

Wang Defa smiled smugly, preparing to utter a few more official-sounding words.

Just then, two jeeps drove up and stopped in front of the noodle stall.

Two epidemic prevention workers in white coats got out of the car in front, which was painted with "Jiazhou Epidemic Prevention Station". One of them was Gao Tianlei.

Two men in hats got out of the car behind, glanced at the noodle stall's sign, and looked at Wang Laowu, saying, "Wang Dewei, right? You are suspected of purchasing large quantities of diseased pork over a long period, endangering food safety. Please come with us for investigation!"

(End of this chapter)