1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 179 You're a Genius Sales Champion! (6k+2 chapters)

"How did I do just now?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile, her arm around Zhou Miao's waist.

Zhou Miao nodded with a smile: "Gao Cuihua's teeth are almost ground to powder. I reckon she'll have to beat up her son and husband when she gets back to vent her anger."

"That feels great!" Zhao Tieying's smile grew even brighter. "My good son, you've made your mother proud!"

She and Gao Cuihua had been at odds since they were young. When Zhou Yan was fired from the factory canteen and started her own restaurant, Gao Cuihua often spoke ill of her behind her back.

He's a real scoundrel who laughs and jokes to your face but talks behind your back.

If Gao Cuihua hadn't been here today, she wouldn't have bothered letting Zhou Miao stop her.

A woman's revenge lasts from morning till night.

Let her suffer this time!
Upon entering the village, the three got out of the car and went from house to house, informing each family about the upcoming Sunday evening dinner gathering and returning the emergency money they had given them previously.

"Fourth brother, Tieying, it's never too late for the New Year. You've just moved to town, and there are still many things you need to spend money on," Zhou Ze said to the two of them.

“That’s right, we’re not in a hurry to use it,” said Yang Qiuju, the second sister-in-law, holding the money in her hand.

“When we went to town, Zhou Yan bought everything and didn’t let us spend any money,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile. “The money is useless to us, so we might as well pay you back as soon as possible. That’s just how I am; I can’t sleep soundly at night if I owe money.”

Zhou Ze and Yang Qiuju both laughed upon hearing this.

"Second Brother, Zhou Yan's braised beef with ribs is on the cover of a magazine, and there's even an interview with him," Zhou Miao said, handing over the magazine.

"Really?!" Zhou Ze's eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands on his clothes before carefully taking the magazine. Looking at the bowl of beef soup on the cover, he smiled and said, "Is that the one from my old lady's blue and white porcelain bowl? It really is the same beef stew that Zhou Yan made, just like the one he taught Zhou Hai and the others to make."

"Zhou Yan is so talented! He's even on the cover of a magazine!" Yang Qiuju came over to take a look and exclaimed in amazement, her face full of joy.

“Look, there’s even an interview.” Zhou Miao flipped open the magazine.

"This young man! He looks really energetic in the photo!" Zhou Ze grinned as he looked at Zhou Yan's picture.

"He's really handsome." Qiu Ju nodded.

"Great news! This is wonderful news! Besides Grandpa and Weiguo, this is the third person in our family to be featured in a newspaper or magazine." Zhou Ze nodded repeatedly and said with a smile, "I'll keep this magazine as a souvenir."

“No way, we only have one copy.” Zhou Miao immediately snatched the magazine back from his second brother’s hand. “Our eldest and third brothers haven’t read it yet. This copy is going to be kept in the store as a prized possession.”

"You're just too serious about things," Zhou Ze clicked his tongue.

“When we go to Jiaozhou later, we’ll buy a few more copies and give one to each family,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile. “As for Zhou Jie and Zhou Hao’s wife, you two can be responsible for notifying them, okay?”

"Okay." Zhou Ze and Yang Qiuju nodded with smiles.

"Bye-bye, Second Uncle and Second Aunt." Zhou Momo waved her little hand at them.

"Hey, wait a minute." Zhou Ze quickly called out to her, turned around and went inside, then came out again and stuffed a handful of candy into her hand. "Your second sister-in-law brought these back from the city a couple of days ago. Here, have some."

"Thank you, Uncle!" Zhou Momo held the candy in her two little hands, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "I wish you good health and happiness every day."

"Good boy, sure, come again next time, your second uncle will steal your nephew's candy and save it for you." Zhou Ze laughed so hard his eyes disappeared.

This is how they spoil their only daughter in the family; she can coax her uncle into becoming their grandson with just a few words.

They visited each house, and everyone's face was beaming with smiles.

After shopping, Zhou Momo's two pockets were full.

Finally, they moved to the Zhou family's old residence.

Zhou Momo skipped and hopped through the slightly ajar courtyard gate, calling out, "Grandma! Big White! Flower~~"

"This girl." Zhao Tieying shook her head with a smile, picked up a bottle of wine from the basket and followed her in. She saw Zhou Momo standing head to head with a tabby cat on a stool, while a big white goose spread its wings and gently rubbed its neck against her leg behind her.

The tabby cat closed its eyes and made a soft, purring sound.

"Huahua, be good." Zhou Momo snuggled up to it for a while, then hugged it tightly in her arms, and then reached out to pat the goose's head. "Dabai, you be good too."

Zhou Miao followed him in, and seeing this scene, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

“This goose is only this well-behaved in front of her and my mother,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile.

"I'll still avoid you when I see you," Zhou Miao said with a smile.

Zhao Tieying glanced at him sideways: "Are you trying to say that I'm scarier?"

"We have to admit it, it knows who's in charge of this house," Zhou Miao quickly said.

"That makes sense." Zhao Tieying nodded slightly.

"You've arrived." The old lady came out of the main room carrying a bucket of pig feed.

"Mom, let me do it!" Zhou Miao quickly stepped forward, took the bucket from the old lady's hands, and walked towards the pigsty.

"Grandma!" Zhou Momo looked up at the old lady and called out in a childish voice, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a handful of candy, which she handed over. "Have some candy!"

"One is enough for Grandma." The old lady smiled and picked a fruit hard candy from her hand, looking down at her and saying, "Oh my, our Momo is wearing a leather jacket, she looks so stylish."

“Zhou Yan’s friend brought it back for her from Hong Kong,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile, glancing around. “Where’s my uncle? Isn’t he home?”

"After lunch, he went next door to play chess. It's rare to run into such a terrible chess player; we were able to play back and forth." The old lady laughed. "Zhou Yanrong has never been to the city, yet he knows people in Hong Kong? Is his surname Duan?"

"Yes." Zhao Tieying nodded, somewhat surprised. "Mom, you know him too?"

“Zhou Yan mentioned it to me last time,” the old lady said casually, reaching out to brush the cat hair off Zhou Momo’s clothes. “The leather is so soft, it must have been expensive. It’s just that it fits too well; I’m afraid I won’t be able to wear it next year.”

“Rich people probably don’t need to think about these things,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile. “Mom, Zhou Miao and I are planning to treat everyone to dinner at a restaurant this Sunday night, as a way to celebrate moving into our new house. You, Weiguo, and Uncle can come along too.”

"Sunday evening?" The old lady paused. "I was planning to tell you tomorrow that we're going to Laoxiaoding to sweep Zhou Yi's grave on Sunday. That way, we can have dinner right after we sweep the grave."

"Okay." Zhao Tieying nodded, and the matter was settled.

……

"Old man! Guess who we ran into at lunch today?" Huang Ying said to Huang He as soon as she returned to Feiyan Restaurant and ran to the front desk.

"Did you run into your uncle?" Huang He asked casually as he was organizing the money in the cabinet.

“No, it’s Grandma Qiu,” Huang Ying said.

"Which one?" Huang He paused, looked up at Huang Ying somewhat nervously, and asked, "Are you talking about Old Madam Qiu?"

“Yes.” Huang Ying nodded.

Huang Bing added, "It's that old lady who came to eat in the Crown last time; her granddaughter is very pretty."

"Why would they go to Suji to eat?" Huang He lowered his voice. "Did they order any braised dishes?"

"I ordered it, and I ordered braised beef again." Huang Ying nodded.

"Oh no..." Huang He put his hand to his forehead, his heart sinking with despair.

If it were any other customer, he would let it go, but he would insist that the braised beef was made by his family and that it just tasted similar.

But Old Mrs. Qiu has been eating braised beef at their Feiyan Restaurant for decades, starting with her husband's generation. She orders it almost every time she comes.

He couldn't even imagine how disappointed she would be with Feiyan Restaurant when she tasted the exact same braised beef.

Huang Ying leaned closer and whispered, "Old man, didn't you say you wanted to buy the Qiu family's old house? Today at dinner, we saw Grandma Qiu, Miss Duan, and an old man eating together. From their conversation, it seemed like he was Grandma Qiu's friend. Do you think Grandma Qiu's reluctance to go to Hong Kong might be related to that old man?"

"Is that so?" Huang He perked up immediately upon hearing this.

He was indeed quite interested in the Qiu family's old house; the location was indeed excellent. He had even asked around before, and all he heard was that Miss Duan had announced she wanted to sell it, but in the end, it still required Old Madam Qiu's approval.

The price is around ten thousand yuan.

It's not cheap, but considering the location and size, it's not too expensive.

"Yingying, why do you think it's related to that old man?" Huang He asked.

“A woman’s intuition,” Huang Ying said with certainty. “The old man’s gaze doesn’t lie. He looks at Grandma Qiu with such doting affection. It feels like they’ve known each other for a long time, but it’s not the kind of affection that’s overly clingy.”

"Really?" Huang Bing looked confused. "I didn't see it."

"You're just looking at other people's granddaughters, what can you possibly see?" Huang Ying rolled her eyes at him.

"Well... she really is beautiful." Huang Bing scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

"Stop your inappropriate thoughts! Miss Duan is not worthy of you." Huang He glared at him. "She always has bodyguards when she goes out, just to keep out messy guys like you."

"Old man, what's wrong with me?" Huang Bing asked innocently.

Huang He ignored him and looked at Huang Ying with admiration, saying, "Yingying, you have a keen eye. I'll talk to Miss Duan later and see if we can find a breakthrough to buy the Qiu family's old house. If we succeed, I'll give you whatever reward you want."

"I'm sure you'll want chocolate or a new doll again," Huang Bing said.

Huang Ying said earnestly, "Old man, I want to work in the shop so that I can take over the business for you and Mom when you retire."

"Huh?" Huang He looked at her with surprise, then nodded after thinking for a moment: "Okay, come on, let's learn by doing."

"No, Huang Ying, you're going to take over the restaurant?" Huang Bing was completely bewildered. If he wanted to work hard in the future, what would he inherit when he went home?

Huang Ying looked at him and revealed a contemptuous smile.

My foolish brother.

The struggle for the crown prince position has always been like this.

……

Laifu lined the back of Zhou Yanche with thick straw, then carefully put the two freshly made tofu boards and wooden frames into them, and lined the sides with straw as well.

"This clearly demonstrates excellent shock absorption," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Auntie originally wanted Laifu to carry her to the shop, but Zhou Yan thought that if a donkey cart could carry it, he could carry it on his bicycle too, so as not to make Laifu run back and forth for another hour.

He's taking away twenty pounds of tofu now, so Laifu will probably have to work overtime tonight.

"Zhou Yan, even with straw underneath, it's not foolproof. Be careful and ride slowly on bumpy roads. If it breaks, you won't be able to cook properly," Grandma Sun's voice came from the courtyard.

“Okay, I’ll get off and push it along the bumpy road.” Zhou Yan replied, “Auntie, I’ll head back now.”

“Okay, take your time,” Grandma Sun replied. The path was full of gravel and potholes as Zhou Yan pushed the cart forward.

Lai Fu followed closely beside him, and only after they reached the main road and Zhou Yan rode away did he turn back.

Zhou Yan rode carefully, highly focused, avoiding all potholes, big and small. When he encountered a pothole that he couldn't avoid, he would get off and push the bike.

My aunt is right. If the tofu crumbles, it won't make good Mapo Tofu. It's such a waste to waste such good tofu.

What usually takes ten minutes by bike took Zhou Yan a leisurely twenty minutes.

Pushing the car into the shop, Zhou Yan immediately took out a tray of tofu from the basket on his back. Upon removing the gauze, he found it to be perfectly intact, without a single crack.

"You brought the tofu back yourself?" Old Zhou and his group had just returned and were somewhat surprised to see a slab of tofu in the basket.

"Where there are many potholes, I get off and push it; when the road is in good condition, I ride it. I half push and half ride, and it didn't break at all," Zhou Yan said with a smile, carrying two slabs of tofu into the kitchen. When he came out, he took the Mapo Tofu sign off the clearance section and hung it back in its original place.

Zhou Miao reached out and brushed aside the thick layer of straw in the basket. "Don't throw away this straw. Tomorrow I'll bring the tofu back with it, so Laifu won't have to carry it all."

“Okay, forty catties of tofu tomorrow.” Zhou Yan agreed, thinking it was a good deal.

Zhou Yan mentioned the donkey purchase to Grandma Sun while waiting for the tofu. The old lady strongly agreed, saying that once she paid back his money, she would save up to buy another donkey.

Back when they had donkeys, the three of them could make a maximum of 200 jin (100 kg) of tofu a day, which they sold all to Jiaozhou.

Just when life was getting better and better, a sudden disaster took away his son and daughter-in-law, and the family was ruined.

Fortunately, Laifu was willing to learn and work hard, and with Zhou Yan's help, he got back on track.

Now Grandma Sun is full of energy; she's even come up with a plan to save up a dowry for Laifu.

To live, one must have something to strive for.

"Your grandma said the date for your grandpa's grave sweeping has been set for Sunday. We'll go sweep the grave first, and then have dinner here with us when we get back," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan.

“Sunday, sure.” Zhou Yan nodded. It seemed that the guests who planned to have dinner together on Sunday were going to be in for another round of groans.

Compared to earning an extra meal on Sunday, going to sweep my grandfather's grave is definitely more important.

For the Zhou family, this is the most important event of the year.

Everyone except those who are going to join the army and can't come back must be present.

Zhou Yan glanced at the time, then turned and went into the kitchen to start preparing the dishes.

It has now been confirmed by Duan Yuyan that the Qiu family's old house can be sold to him. As long as he saves up 10,000 yuan, the transaction can be completed immediately.

There's nothing to hesitate about then, just work hard to earn money and save money.

As for the task of breaking into new markets, he still needs to think carefully about how to do it. In Suji Town, the only customers besides textile factory employees are the post office staff, government employees, and teachers.

"Daddy, I want to eat lotus root, potatoes, and dried tofu~~" Zhou Momo went up to Old Zhou, who was setting out braised dishes, and tugged at his clothes, pleading in a childish voice.

"Okay, shall I get you a plate to serve it?" Old Zhou couldn't resist such a cute offensive.

Zhou Momo shook her head: "I don't want the plate, I want to eat it by myself. My older brothers and sisters will be out of school soon, and I want to go play on the seesaw."

This is the time she can sneak in to play every day when kindergarten and primary school let out, and she's very proactive about it.

"Okay, I'll pack it for you." Old Zhou took five or six pieces of lotus root, potato, and dried tofu from the basin, cut them into cubes, put them in an oil paper bag, and handed them to her with a bamboo skewer.

"Thank you, Dad!" Zhou Momo happily ran off with the oil paper bag in her hand, heading towards the factory-run kindergarten and primary school.

Comrade Zhou took two steps outside, watched her run all the way to the kindergarten gate, greet the security guard, and enter the gate, before he finally looked away with relief.

The little one has a sweet tongue and goes to kindergarten every day. She's already become familiar with the old man in the security office. Even though she's not in school, he lets her in to play on the seesaw for a while.

As the textile factory was nearing its closing time, the necessary ingredients had been prepared.

[New customer +1]

[New customer +1]

……

Just then, a small note popped up in Zhou Yan's eyes.

"Hmm?" Zhou Yan was a little surprised and came out of the kitchen to take a look.

A group of little kids were chattering excitedly around the braised food stall at the entrance.
"Boss, we'd like four cents worth of braised vegetarian dishes!"

"I want lotus root!"

"I want potatoes!"

"I want dried tofu!"

"Cut it into small pieces as well."

The little ones chattered away.

Zhou Momo stood to the side grinning: "Yes, dried tofu is delicious, but lotus root is even better!"

After receiving the money, Comrade Zhou smiled and served them lotus root, potatoes, and dried tofu, cutting them into small cubes just like Zhou Momo's.

His touch today was clearly a bit off; the amount was at least two ounces more than the usual four cents, and he packed it into a big bag, even giving them a handful of bamboo skewers.

"Thank you, boss!" The woman in charge took the food and waved her hand, saying, "Let's go eat over there!"

The seven little radish heads immediately followed along, wagging their tails.

Zhou Yan stared in disbelief; the progress bar showed [8/200].

Zhou Yan: ?
this is okay too?
"MoMo, did you bring these older brothers and sisters back?" Zhou Yan couldn't help but ask Zhou MoMo.

Zhou Momo nodded obediently: "I let my older brothers and sisters try some, and they all thought it was delicious. They asked me where I bought it, so I brought it with me. Brother, isn't that a good thing?"

"Great! That's fantastic!" Zhou Yan laughed and lifted her high in the air. "You're a sales genius!"

"That's fun!" the little one giggled. "I want to be lifted up high again!"

Zhou Yan played with her for a while before putting her down.

“Eight dolls together made four cents,” Zhou Miao said with a smile.

"Sell them two or three cents a day, just as if they're buying some snacks. Pack them a generous amount if you can," Zhou Yan said. It doesn't matter if you earn a little less pocket money from the kids.

If we gain fame, maybe we can complete this breakthrough mission faster.

Zhou Yan was previously troubled by this task, but unexpectedly, Zhou Momo found a solution for her.

"Okay." Comrade Zhou nodded.

As the textile factory's closing bell rang, a stream of bicycles quickly poured out of the gate.

"Mom, the braised vegetables that Momo made the other day were so delicious!"

"The braised tofu skin smells so good! The braised lotus root is delicious too. Let's order a serving today. I want some."

Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen, each holding Meng Anhe's hand, walked towards the restaurant, already starting to recommend it and act coquettishly.

Meng Anhe wore a tight black wool sweater and a gray long skirt today, looking as capable and stylish as ever.

She had just returned from Chengdu at noon. After saying hello to Lin Zhiqiang at the factory, she went to pick up her two children from school and headed straight to Zhou Erwa's restaurant for dinner.

I've been eating at Zhou Yan's restaurant a lot lately, and my palate has become a bit picky. I always feel that the food in the cafeteria is not quite right.

The cafeteria at the architecture institute is famous for its delicious food. The head chef is a level-two chef and is especially good at cooking.

The saying "It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality" probably means the same thing.

"Let me try it too. I want to see how delicious Zhou Yan's braised dishes are, and how you two can't stop thinking about them," Meng Anhe said with a smile.

"Anhe!" Lin Zhiqiang pushed his bicycle out of the factory gate and waved to the three of them.

"You guys go in first to grab a seat and see if they still have any Mapo Tofu left. If they do, order some. I heard from them that Zhou Yan's new Mapo Tofu is really delicious!" Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe said. "I'll go park the car first."

"He can even make Mapo Tofu?" Meng Anhe was a little surprised when she heard this, and led the two children into the shop.

"Anhe is back." Zhao Tieying greeted Meng Anhe familiarly when she saw her.

“Yes, I came back at noon today.” Meng Anhe nodded with a smile, her gaze falling on the menu wall beside her. “Sister Zhao, I’d like a Mapo Tofu, a Braised Pork Ribs, and a Mixed Vegetable Platter…”

“Okay, please sit down.” Zhao Tieying took out a pen and paper and quickly wrote it down.

"MoMo, look what I brought you—a marble!"

"Your brother brought you a chocolate."

The brothers Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen have already gone to play with Zhou Momo, calling her "little sister" so enthusiastically.

"Do you still have Mapo Tofu?" Lin Zhiqiang asked with a smile as he came in and sat down next to Meng Anhe.

"I ordered it." Meng Anhe nodded, smiling at him. "I also ordered you a plate of braised beef with pork knuckle."

"To be honest, even if I don't eat braised beef, I'm perfectly fine now," Lin Zhiqiang said confidently as he approached her.

“Then I’ll ask Sister Zhao to cancel it for us.” Meng Anhe turned around.

Lin Zhiqiang raised his hand and said, "Never mind, you've already ordered, so I'll just have to eat a bowl. The two kids can have some soup too."

Meng Anhe's lips curled up slightly; this man in his thirties was known for his stubbornness.

"Then why is there a magazine on the menu wall?" Lin Zhiqiang changed the subject, his gaze falling on the magazine standing on the menu wall.

Hearing this, Zhao Tieying turned around and replied with a smile, "Zhou Yan's braised beef with 'qiaojiao' (a type of beef dish) was on the cover of a magazine, and there was even an interview with him. I'm putting it here as a memento."

"Zhou Yan is in a magazine?"

Both of them were somewhat surprised to hear this.

"Zhou Yan is that good? Let me see!" Lin Zhiqiang got up and picked up the magazine, laughing as he said, "This cover really is 'Qiaojiao Beef,' just in a different bowl, I couldn't even tell at a glance."

(End of this chapter)