1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 175 Breaking the Boundary Plan! (6k-page compilation)

The old lady's words were full of advice and admonition.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "I know. I don't have that kind of power right now. I just need to focus on making a good living with Su Ji."

Comrade Xiao Zhou, with his small hands, tried to hold a large bowl and smashed it to pieces.

Zhou Yan took this as a lesson.

The old lady possessed great wisdom, a view Zhou Yan strongly agreed with.

Zhang Zhengping smiled after hearing this: "Yes, listen to Third Sister, she's right."

Today's small family gathering was quite harmonious and comfortable.

No one compared who earned more, and no one bothered the kids with their grades. The conversation was all about everyone's recent situation and their hopes for the future.

The old lady was in a good mood today and drank an extra ounce of wine.

My great-uncle also had a few drinks and was slightly tipsy. He pulled the old lady aside to reminisce about some things from his childhood. When he got emotional, his eyes welled up with tears. He was a very genuine person.

"Uncle, I don't want to study anymore. I want to come to the shop to learn cooking during my vacation this year. I want to start being a chef as soon as possible." After finishing his meal, Zhou Lihui leaned close to Zhou Yan and whispered.

Zhou Yan looked at him and laughed, "There's only half a year left after this year's winter break, don't you want your junior high school graduation certificate?"

"Uncle, is a junior high school diploma important if I want to learn to be a chef?" Zhou Lihui asked him earnestly, not as a question, but out of curiosity.

“If you’re determined to be a chef for the rest of your life and never change jobs, then a junior high school diploma isn’t that important,” Zhou Yan explained earnestly. “But if you’ve studied for a year or two and feel that being a chef isn’t as good as you think, and you want to go out and try your luck, like working in a factory, then a junior high school diploma becomes very important as proof that you have a certain level of education.”

"I want to be a chef!" Zhou Lihui nodded firmly, "A chef for life."

Zhou Fei sat beside him listening, hesitant to speak, but in the end he just looked at Zhou Yan without saying a word.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "You should practice your straight knife technique until winter break. Then you can come to the shop and be in charge of cutting potatoes and lotus roots. If you can endure the hardships of being a chef, then we can talk about other things."

“Okay!” Zhou Lihui nodded.

Zhou Yan instructed, "Remember to practice your handwriting and learn more characters at school. I will give you a test during the winter vacation. I will not accept an illiterate apprentice who cannot even write down all the seasonings, spices, and kitchen utensils."

"No problem!" Zhou Lihui grinned, full of confidence, "Now I can write down all the seasonings in the shop."

“He’s been practicing calligraphy every night before bed lately, saying that his uncle’s handwriting is so beautiful, and a good chef has to have beautiful handwriting.” Zhao Hong was clearing the table when she heard this and chimed in with a smile.

"That's good." Zhou Yan smiled upon hearing this.

"Zhou Yan." Zhou Weiguo stood at the door smoking and called out to Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan quickly got up and went out the door, smiling slightly, "Uncle, is something the matter?"

"I ran into Mayor Huang Chen at the canteen at noon today. He told me that they had a meeting this morning to discuss vigorously promoting and developing Suji Qiaojiao Beef, and they plan to use you as a benchmark to build the Suji Qiaojiao Beef industry," Zhou Weiguo said, lowering his voice slightly.

"Is there really such a good thing?" Zhou Yan's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, but after thinking for a moment, he added, "But how exactly do they plan to promote and develop it?"

“He didn’t tell me the specifics, but he told me to reassure you that no matter how you promote and develop the business, it will absolutely not harm your interests, nor will it require you to share the recipe with everyone,” Zhou Weiguo said. “Moreover, they will support you in building the reputation of Qiaojiao Beef and severely crack down on other people’s malicious competitive behavior.”

"That's great." Zhou Yan clenched his fist; this was indeed a reassuring thing.

Qiaojiao Beef later became a signature dish of Suji, and countless Qiaojiao Beef restaurants started from here and spread all over the country.

Suji has become an important cultural tourism brand in Jiaozhou thanks to its signature "Qiaojiao Beef". The continuous stream of tourists has made the established Qiaojiao Beef restaurant a fortune.

With the increasing number of butchers in Zhoucun, the flourishing of Suji Qiaojiao Beef was an inevitable trend. Even without Zhou Yan, it would have entered a period of rapid development in the 1980s.

Is it difficult to make braised beef with skewers?

Achieving the perfect fusion of various Chinese herbs and spices is naturally not easy, but if you only require a clear soup color and delicious taste, it is actually not difficult.

Find a chef who knows how to make soup and they can improve the soup pot technique, then make adjustments and improvements little by little.

As long as there's money to be made, chefs have plenty of patience.

Make a rich broth from fresh beef bones, and blanch fresh tripe and beef in it. As long as you control the heat well, the taste will never be bad.

The fact that Suji Qiaojiao Beef is backed by Sha Niu Zhou Village, which provides a sufficient supply of fresh offal and beef every day, is the fundamental reason why it has been able to grow and thrive.

Zhou Yan now has a first-mover advantage, and has achieved brand building through the cover of "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine.

With the names "Zhou Erwa Restaurant" and "Zhou Ji Qiaojiao Beef" already established, as long as the taste isn't bad, Suji's Qiaojiao Beef will definitely have a place in the world of beef.

The old lady is right. A person has only one bowl of rice; they should focus on making sure their own bowl is clean.

Instead of trying to steal food from everyone else's bowls, try to make this pot of rice bigger, and then use a rice scoop to scoop the middle portion.

Huang Chen is in charge of the economy. If he is willing to support the Qiaojiao Beef industry, help him build the reputation of Qiaojiao Beef, and help him combat any malicious competition, then he will definitely seize such an opportunity.

"I estimate that they will come to talk to you once they have finalized the specific plan." Seeing Zhou Yan's open-mindedness, Zhou Weiguo felt relieved.

“Okay, I’ll discuss the details with them later.” Zhou Yan nodded.

He guessed that He Zhiyuan must have been pushing things along, and that township leaders might not necessarily have such a long-term vision and decisiveness in industrializing a single dish.

After clearing the table, Zhou Yan and Zhou Miao got on their bikes and took their great-uncle and grandmother home.

The old man was slightly tipsy, and they were worried about letting him drive the old lady home.

Zhou Miao rode the bicycle he had borrowed back to the village, which would make it much easier for him to go out.

His great-aunt still needs him to come over to give her acupuncture, and that trip back and forth takes quite a bit of walking.

"Zhou Yan, your great-uncle was really happy with the meal today. Your cooking was absolutely delicious," Zhang Zhengping said, getting out of the car and taking Zhou Yan's hand.

“My great-uncle likes to eat here, and he can come over anytime by bike. It only takes about ten minutes,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Okay, then ride slowly on the road," Zhang Zhengping said, letting go of her hand.

Zhou Yan responded and drove Old Zhou back to the hotel.

A flashlight illuminated the road. As he passed their old house, he glanced at it from the side, and Old Zhou also turned his head to look at it intently.

"Old man, do you still want to come back and repair the house?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Of course I want to," Comrade Zhou said with a smile. "Once I've saved enough money, I'll come back and rebuild this house so we'll have a place to live when we go back to the village."

"No problem," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Wait until I get the house in Jiaozhou sorted out, and I'll help you save up some money for the repairs."

"Don't worry about this. Just go and do what you need to do. Anyway, we won't be coming back to live here anytime soon." Old Zhou looked away, his tone firm. "Your mother said that as long as our family lives together, it doesn't matter where we are."

If you want to develop your career in Jiaozhou in the future, we'll go with you whenever you need us. If you want to buy a house in the city, go ahead and buy one; we'll fully support you.

Zhou Yan felt a warmth in his heart upon hearing this. Aunt Zhao was truly too clear-headed and trusted her son too much.

“I’ve done the math, and I should be able to save enough money to buy the house next month. However, tearing it down and renovating it might cost even more. I plan to save money as I go, no rush.” Zhou Yan said with a smile, “Grandma is right, we should only take on what we can handle. We can earn money slowly, live life to the fullest, and there’s plenty of time.”

"Okay, you decide." Old Zhou nodded, paused for a moment, and then said, "Let's play a couple more games of chess when we get back? I've figured out what move you made yesterday. If I just change the move, you'll definitely lose."

"Still not convinced? Fine, I'll play a couple more rounds with you," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Back at the hotel, Aunt Zhao had already mopped the floor and was wiping the tables. Zhou Yan didn't see Zhou Momo anywhere.

Aunt Zhao said with a smile, "She fell asleep as soon as you left. She ran around and played wildly with Fanwa in the evening, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow at night without needing to be coaxed."

“You must be tired after standing all day. Go soak your feet, I’ll wipe the rest,” Old Zhou said gently as he took the rag from Aunt Zhao’s hands.

“Okay, there are only three left. I’ve boiled some water in the pot, so you two can soak your feet later. It will make you feel much more relaxed and comfortable.” Aunt Zhao said as she walked towards the kitchen.

"I'll bring you the water to wash your feet." Zhou Yan followed him inside.

Each person had a wooden bucket at their feet. Zhou Yan and Comrade Lao Zhou sat facing each other, and a chess set was already laid out.

Aunt Zhao sat in the middle, acting as the referee for the two and chatting casually.

“I’ve discussed it with your father, and we’re planning to invite a few of our brothers and nephews’ families over for a meal this Sunday to celebrate. When our house collapsed, everyone lent us money to help us through the crisis. Now that we’ve settled down in town, we want to invite everyone over for a meal so they can get to know us.” Aunt Zhao looked at Zhou Yan and asked, “What do you think?”

“Of course we should.” Zhou Yan nodded and asked seriously, “How about I ask my master and senior brother if they are free? We can make a proper meal with three steamed dishes and nine braised dishes.”

"No need, no need. We're not throwing a big banquet. If you do it like that, people might not know whether they should give you a red envelope or not." Aunt Zhao shook her head with a smile. "Just cook the dishes on our menu. You'll be in charge of cooking, and your father and I will help you. Just treat it as a family dinner, and it'll be a good opportunity for your uncles and brothers to taste your cooking."

“We’ll eat the dinner tonight. That way, it won’t affect Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai’s stall or your three uncles’ slaughtering and selling of beef. This is the best day of the week.”

Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. His mother's idea was quite good: "Then I'll write down a menu tonight and calculate the number of people so we can prepare for the day."

"Checkmate!" Comrade Zhou said triumphantly.

"Old man, you're launching a sneak attack!" Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the chessboard.

……

Zhou Yan narrowly lost tonight with one win and two losses.

Comrade Zhou poured out the foot bath water, then proudly took his wife upstairs to sleep.

Clearly, he'll get a good night's sleep tonight.

Zhou Yan took out the cash box and began to tally the sales revenue and record the accounts.

The twenty extra servings of braised beef that we added today sold out completely, and that alone increased our revenue by twelve yuan.

Aunt Zhao's judgment was correct. As the weather got colder, customers' willingness to order a bowl of hot beef broth increased significantly. Even before entering the restaurant, the aroma of the steaming beef soup was more appealing than any sales pitch.

On the contrary, sales of cold chicken salad have gradually decreased, and the daily amount of ingredients prepared has been reduced from four chickens to three. As the weather gets colder, there is still room for further decline.

This is an objective law: cold dishes don't sell well in winter, and hot soups don't sell well in summer.

When it's cold, I don't want to eat cold dishes that are too hard to chew, and when it's hot, I can't drink hot soup that's oily or fishy.

No matter how good the taste is, sales will still drop.

Braised dishes are slightly better, but when the coldest days of winter arrive and the fat solidifies, even pork head meat is hard to sell.

Hot and steaming braised and stir-fried dishes are relatively more popular in winter.

Adjusting the menu focus according to the seasons is also something a qualified restaurant owner needs to do.

Of course, there are some capricious bosses who only do seasonal business.

For example, some mutton soup restaurants only operate in autumn and winter. After the weather warms up in spring, they close down and wait for the temperature to drop again next autumn before reopening.

After bundling the money and putting it back in the box, Zhou Yan closed the ledger, took out a wooden plaque from the cabinet, wrote "Mapo Tofu" on it, paused, and wrote down the price: 0.8 yuan per serving.

A serving of Mapo Tofu uses one pound of tofu, one ounce of beef tenderloin for the sauce, beef bone broth, and all the ingredients and other costs, even if it costs only a penny, the profit is still half.

The price is the same as that of the popular braised pork liver.

Zhou Yan predicts that Mapo Tofu will become the restaurant's star signature dish this winter.

The two plates of Mapo Tofu tonight were completely devoured.

When it comes to dishes that are good with rice, only the crucian carp with mint on the menu can rival it.

After hanging up the Mapo Tofu sign, Zhou Yan's eyes fell on the braised beef with dried bamboo shoots. This dish was very popular with customers, selling 35 servings a day, almost twice as many as the braised pork ribs, and it always sold out.

Zhou Yan plans to try making braised beef and potatoes tomorrow. She'll make a portion as a work lunch so her family can taste it. If it's good, she might consider adding it to the menu.

This dish was taught to Zhou Yan by his Uncle Zhong Yong, who had a solid foundation in making braised beef with dried bamboo shoots and experience in making braised potatoes. He also had a good grasp of controlling the heat, so it shouldn't be difficult for him to master.

Potatoes and dried bamboo shoots each have their own unique flavor, so giving guests more options is always a good idea.

Unfortunately, braised pork ribs are expensive, the portion is small, and there are bones, so they don't seem to be cost-effective these days.

In comparison, the braised beef with dried bamboo shoots is generously portioned, and the dried bamboo shoots are delicious and go well with rice, making it a great value for money.

[Ding! Main Quest Issued: Breakthrough Plan! Zhou Erwa Restaurant already enjoys a high reputation and brand recognition among textile factory workers, but its customer base beyond textile factory employees needs to be expanded! Please actively expand your customer base and help the restaurant break out of its niche!]

[Task Details: Expand your customer base by 200 beyond the textile factory employees! Accept: Yes/No]

[Mission Reward: Unknown]

Just as Zhou Yan hung up the sign, a main quest appeared in the corner of his eye.

"Breaking out of the circle?" Zhou Yan thought for a moment and chose to accept the task.

Zhou Erwa Restaurant currently mainly serves textile factory employees. Although some customers have recently come from the town to eat, the number is still small and has not yet achieved a large-scale, widespread impact.

However, if the Sichuan Cuisine magazine can promote the restaurant's reputation, it might bring in some new customers.

In addition, we still need to keep taking orders this weekend; it's the best way to quickly expand our network beyond our employees.

Normally, textile factory employees don't meet with colleagues to eat at the restaurant near the factory gate on Sundays. Instead, they bring family and friends, one by one, and they are all new customers who meet the criteria.

……

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Xiao Zhou and Lao Zhou got up to go buy groceries.

Today, Zhou Yan increased the supply of ten bowls of "Qiaojiao Beef" to try to meet the needs of the customers, and also ordered two extra pounds of beef tenderloin to use as the beef sauce for stir-frying Mapo Tofu.

When Zhou Yan and his companions rode their bikes back to the restaurant, they saw a thin figure standing at the entrance with a basket on his back at his feet. Upon seeing him, the figure grinned and showed off a set of neat white teeth.

"Laifu? What brings you here?" Zhou Yan stopped the car and looked at Laifu with surprise, whose cheeks were flushed and whose head was steaming.

The basket was filled to the brim with two boards of tofu, a basket of dried tofu, and a large bundle of dried bean curd sticks.

"Didn't I say I was going to pick it up? Why was the child brought to the store instead?" Zhou Miao also looked surprised.

Zhou Yan parked the car, took out his ledger, flipped to a page, and wrote in a few strokes: "Laifu, what brings you here? Didn't you tell my dad to go get the dried tofu and bean curd sticks?"

Laifu took the paper and pen and quickly wrote: "You guys are busy, I'll bring it to you. Grandma said that she won't go to the bridge to sell tofu for a while, it's more important to make the tofu and dried tofu that Yan Ge wants."

After reading it, Zhou Yan nodded thoughtfully. This must have been a decision made by Grandma Sun after careful consideration. She was in poor health, and Lai Fu was too thin and weak, so they couldn't overwork themselves to earn money.

Eight catties of dried bean curd sticks, ten catties of dried tofu, and twenty catties of tofu—just from orders placed with him, he earns 14.4 yuan, with a profit of about half.

Zhou Yan reached into his pocket for money.

Laifu wrote again: "Grandma said, 'No money needed, just transfer the money directly to pay off the debt first.'"

Zhou Yan looked at the words and nodded with a smile.

Just then, Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui arrived and helped carry the things into the store, and poured Laifu a bowl of water.

"Laifu doesn't look very chubby, but he's quite strong. It's not easy for him to carry so many things into the store," Zhao Hong said, looking at Laifu with a hint of heartache in her eyes.

Although they are of the same generation, Laifu and Huihui are the same age, so in her eyes Laifu is just a half-grown child.

Laifu drank the water, thanked them, and left lightly with his empty basket on his back.

Zhou Yan stood at the door, watching the boy's figure disappear into the distance, a smile on his lips.

Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. I know you have it tough, and you understand my difficulties. Only then can we stay together for a long time.

The fact that my great-aunt and the old lady have been on good terms for so many years, and that the old lady cares about and looks after her so much, shows that she is a very good person.

"Mapo Tofu! Boss Zhou, you've finally brought out a new dish!" Huang Ying and Huang Bing arrived early today. After entering and sitting down, they habitually glanced at the menu, and their eyes lit up immediately.

Zhou Yangang came out of the kitchen after cooking the meat sauce and toppings. Hearing the sound, he smiled and nodded: "Yes, a new dish."

There was no one else in the shop, so Huang Ying asked in a low voice, "Boss Zhou, isn't Mapo Tofu one of your Kong School's signature dishes? I remember the Mapo Tofu at Leming Restaurant was just so-so, not much better than the one made by the chef at Feiyan Restaurant, not authentic at all."

Zhou Yan felt that Huang Ying's review of his own restaurant, which was based on equality, should be very objective and purely from the perspective of a diner.

“However, even the twice-cooked pork and stir-fried pork liver at Leming Restaurant aren’t as good as yours. The cooking time and seasoning are far inferior. Is the lineage of Master Kong Er not as good as that of Master Kong Da? My old man says that Master Kong Huaifeng’s cooking is incredibly delicious. I ate it a few times when I was a child, and it left a deep impression on me.” Huang Ying looked at Zhou Yan with a face full of curiosity. “Is your Mapo Tofu even better?”

Don't stir up trouble; Zhou Yan doesn't want to be a sinner against the Confucian school.

However, this girl is indeed picky about words; nothing can fool her, good or bad.

"Whether it tastes good or not is a matter of feeling. If you're really curious, just come and order some at lunchtime and you'll know," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“Okay! I’ll definitely order it for lunch.” Huang Ying looked expectant. “I’ve had Chen Mapo Tofu in Chengdu before, and I was very impressed. It’s an amazing dish to eat with rice.”

Zhou Yan smiled without saying a word, "Then today I'll show you what the most authentic Mapo Tofu in Jiaozhou is all about."

"Brother Yan, could you write me another love letter when you have some free time? I'll pick it up when I come to get the braised meat." Huang Bing took out two yuan and handed it to Zhou Yan, his smile revealing a hint of flattery: "It's so well written. I can clearly feel the change in Xue'er's attitude towards me."

"Sure." Zhou Yan smiled and took the money. Two yuan to write a page of love letter, why wouldn't that be acceptable?

However, this guy is truly a legend among simps, a pillar of the Joker, a McDonald's mascot, and a big boss in Gotham City.

Garlic bird, garlic bird, Young Master Huang is paying the bill, as long as he's happy.

To be honest, Huang Gongzi, who only dated once a month, wasn't exactly a pure-hearted guy.

Huang Ying pouted and said leisurely, "Don't go out and say you're my brother, I can't bear the embarrassment."

The Mapo Tofu on the menu attracted the curiosity and attention of many customers.

It's a famous dish in Chengdu, but it's still rare to find in Suji Town.

This dish is on the menu of the state-run restaurant, and the price seems to be six cents a serving.

However, according to people who have eaten Rongcheng Chen Mapo Tofu, the Mapo Tofu in state-run restaurants is not authentic at all. The meat sauce is made with pork, and there is only a small amount of it, so you can't taste the meat. The thickening is also terrible.

This dish looks simple, but it's actually quite complex.

At 80 cents a serving, it's not exactly cheap, but on the menu of Zhou Erwa Restaurant, it's considered a low-priced dish.

Many people have already decided to come and try it around noon.

Zhou Yan's reputation, built up through the success of each dish, is enough to convince guests to give it a try.

Before the factory closed at noon, a Crown slowly pulled up in front of Zhou Erwa's restaurant.

The back door opened, and Duan Yuyan, dressed in a brown leather jacket, black skirt, and Mary Jane shoes, stepped out of the car, carrying a colorful bag. She smiled at Zhou Momo, who was sitting on a small stool by the door, and said, "Momo!"

"Sister Xiangxiang!" Zhou Momo jumped up and ran over, looking up at the hat on her head with a surprised expression: "Today's hat looks like a duck! It's pretty too!"

　Average subscriptions have exceeded 10,000!

　　I'm so excited today that I haven't been able to settle down and write.

　　I only tied myself to the keyboard tonight. I'll definitely update more tomorrow, or I'll be a dog!
　　thanks for your support!
　　Ten thousand founding shareholders for this tiny little shop! We're really awesome!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)