1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 18 Aunt Zhao's scolding was well done!

"Comrades...you must have made a mistake. How could I use pork from diseased pigs?" Old Wang said in a panic, his face ashen.

Wang Defa, who had been so arrogant just moments before, suddenly changed his expression, instinctively took two steps back, and looked around as if he wanted to find a place to run away.

The customers sitting at the noodle stall immediately erupted in chaos.

"Pork infected with disease! Why would a bachelor like Wang keep buying pork infected with disease?"

"What else can it be used for? It's definitely for making meat sauce! This bastard is truly rotten to the core!"

"They're giving us free pork from diseased pigs! They're incredibly immoral!"

Originally, everyone thought it was barely acceptable to add leftovers because Wang Laowu seemed to have a good attitude of repentance.

Using diseased pork as a topping, who could stand that?
The key is still long-term and large-scale!
In other words, Wang Laowu's noodle shop has always used diseased pork to make the meat sauce and toppings for customers.

Some regulars at Wang Laowu's noodle stall were already feeling dizzy, with itchy throats and general discomfort.

The workers who were watching quickly stepped back and moved away from Wang Laowu's noodle stall. Luckily, Comrade Hat arrived in time!

That was close! I almost sat down!

"There's been a mistake, there must be a mistake!" Liu Fen cried out, her voice trembling.
"Wang Qi, the knife maker at the farmers' market, has already confessed. You, Wang Dewei, are the first on the list!" Uncle Hat stepped forward and handcuffed the silver bracelet to Wang Laowu's wrist, saying sternly, "Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely! You two had better tell the truth when you get to the station!"

"Ah—" Wang Laowu and Liu Fen exclaimed in surprise, collapsing to the ground at the same time, their faces filled with panic, their eyes instinctively turning to Wang Defa.

Wang Defa walked away without looking back, his legs swinging so fast he was practically running.

The commotion was so great that even the guests at Zhouyan Restaurant squeezed to the doorway with their noodles to watch the excitement, craning their necks and straining their ears, afraid of missing any crucial information.

Many people also ran out of the factory to watch the excitement; it's not common to see someone like "Uncle Hat" catching people.

Wang Laowu's noodle stall had been set up at the factory gate for quite some time, and many people had eaten his noodles. However, when they heard that he used pork from diseased pigs, the crowd became agitated.

"You son of a bitch, you dare to feed your customers pork from diseased pigs! You make dirty money, may your babies be born without an anus!" Zhao Tieying took the lead, one hand on her hip, the other pointing at Wang Laowu and his wife, and angrily cursed, "If the Kitchen God wants to lift the lid off your pot—the underworld's ledger will remember it all!"

A cheer erupted from the crowd.

"Aunt Zhao's scolding was well done!"

Wang Laowu and Liu Fang lowered their heads, not daring to raise them, and were carried onto the car like two rats crossing the street.

Zhou Yan stood at the door with his arms crossed. He was tall, and even with two rows of female workers standing in front of him, it didn't affect his ability to enjoy the melon at all.

The Wang couple deserved what they got for their crimes. The efficiency of the epidemic prevention station surprised him; they found Wang Laowu's place by noon. His complaint letter hadn't been written in vain.

He watched Wang Defa walk away quickly. The fat Director Wang looked very flustered. He had just said that the pork Wang Laowu used was just as good as the pork from the factory canteen. Could it be that the factory canteen also used Wang Qi's diseased pork?
Zhou Yan recalled some memories of his time as an apprentice in the factory canteen. His master, Xiao Lei, had a dispute with Wang De because the pork purchased by the canteen was of poor quality, and was demoted from head chef to assistant chef.

Young and hot-blooded Comrade Zhou caused a scene while standing up for his master, and was subsequently expelled.

He didn't think Wang Defa was a good person, but he didn't have any evidence at the moment, so he just had to see if Uncle Hat could get anything out of Wang Qi.

"Please rest assured, everyone, we will definitely give you an explanation for this matter and make the lawbreakers pay the price!" Gao Tianlei said loudly to the crowd, glancing towards the direction of the restaurant and noticing a tall, thin figure that looked somewhat familiar.

“Comrade, I’ve been eating noodles at Wang Laowu’s noodle stall for months on end. What if I get a health problem?” Wang Jianming said with a worried look on his face. He was a regular customer of Wang Laowu’s noodle stall.

"Me too," Liu Laoba said with a bitter face.

Many victims are in a terrible state, having been caught in this mess without even knowing if they've harmed their health.

Gao Tianlei raised his hand to calm everyone down and said loudly, "Everyone, don't worry, I'll have Xiao Zheng write down your information and names..."

Mr. and Mrs. Wang were taken away, and the remaining few pots of unused toppings and sauces were taken away by the staff of the epidemic prevention station for investigation. The noodle stall was confiscated by Uncle Hat.

Wang Laowu's noodle stall, which had just made a big show of challenging Zhou Erwa's restaurant and was determined to bankrupt Zhou Yan, has gone out of business.

He sold leftovers, and since the customers didn't find anything wrong with the food, they could only condemn him on a moral level. He salvaged a lot of his reputation and goodwill by offering free noodles.

But selling diseased pork is a different story. From today onwards, all the workers in the textile factory will know that Wang Laowu's noodle stall uses diseased pork for its meat sauce and toppings. Who would dare to eat there?

Moreover, the long-term and large-scale purchase of diseased pork, which was then used to make noodle toppings and sauces, should be enough to give Mr. and Mrs. Wang a hard time. I wonder when they will be released.

"You can't be like Wang Laowu. We can earn less money, but we can't lose our conscience, or people will talk behind our backs." Back in the kitchen, Zhao Tieying didn't forget to give Zhou Yan a serious reminder.

"Yes, I'll make sure my guests feel even more at ease eating here than at home," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

[Ding! Wang Laowu has been arrested, his noodle stall has gone out of business, mission complete! A somewhat uneventful business battle. Reward: "The Perfect Steamed Rice Cooker's Guide"]

A system notification popped up. Zhou Yan glanced at the reward, frowned, and thought, "That's all?"

Are there any special techniques for steaming rice?

Although even with Comrade Xiao Zhou's cooking skills, he occasionally manages to cook rice that is undercooked or burnt at the bottom when steaming large pots of rice, the rice grains tend to stick together, and the aroma doesn't seem to be as strong...

Well, this perfect steamed rice recipe is quite suitable for him.

He's already preparing to sell "Qiaojiao Beef," which will definitely need to be served with rice. Rice steamed in a wooden steamer is the softest and sweetest, enhancing the flavor of the dish.

After he finishes his work today, he will study this rice steaming guide more carefully.

When Wang Laowu was arrested, the customers who had been watching the commotion with their noodles returned to the restaurant to continue eating. They gave Zhou Erwa's restaurant a great advertisement.

Many workers, drawn by the aroma, entered the shop and ordered a bowl of noodles to try.

Zhao Tieying is straightforward and outspoken, and hates evil. Her fierce output from the Sichuan-Chongqing tyrannosaurus has won the favor of many young workers, who affectionately call her "Aunt Zhao".

This delighted Zhao Tieying, and he served her a dish of pickled radishes every time she went upstairs.

The tangy, spicy, and crisp pickled radish quickly became a favorite among guests.

After eating a few bites of noodles, I felt a bit greasy. But then I took a bite of pickled radish. Its crisp texture, sour and spicy flavor, and ability to cut through the grease made it a perfect match for the noodles!

To get another plate of pickled radishes, the guests called out "Aunt Zhao" even more gently.

It was almost one o'clock when all the customers in the store finally left, and it was time for the factory to start work.

Zhao Tieying hummed a little tune as she collected the bowls, her steps unusually light.

"Aunt Zhao seems to be in a good mood today," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

We sold 52 bowls of noodles at noon today, making up for all the noodles we missed this morning. We'll definitely sell out all 100 servings of toppings we prepared.

"That's right, everyone enjoyed the meal and praised our noodles and pickled cabbage, saying they'd come back next time," Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "I've heard more compliments today than in the first half of my life, so of course I'm in a great mood."

"Thank you for your hard work." Zhou Yan helped clear the dishes, and he was in a great mood when he heard the customer's praise.

Switching identities, from a diner in my previous life to a restaurant owner, is certainly a new experience.

"Just carrying plates, washing dishes, and doing a little chores," Aunt Zhao waved her hand casually, glancing towards the door. "But why are you so late closing up today, old man? Usually, you'll be sold out by now."

"Brother, I'm hungry." Zhou Momo came over and tugged at Zhou Yan's trouser leg, saying in a childish voice.

crunch.

A bicycle was parked in front of the restaurant.

Zhou Miao stepped through the door, swayed slightly at the entrance, and reached out to steady himself against the doorpost.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Tieying threw down the towel in her hand and ran over to help Zhou Miao.

"Dad." Zhou Yan hurried forward. Zhou Miao's face was not good, his lips were dry and chapped, and beads of sweat were on his forehead.

"It's nothing. I caught a chill from the cold wind this morning. I'll be fine after a nap," Zhou Miao explained gently with a smile.

"Dad, are you sick?" Zhou Momo ran over and looked up at Zhou Miao: "I'll take you to get a shot."

"My dear daughter, Daddy's fine, I don't need a shot." Zhou Miao patted Zhou Momo's head and forced a smile.

"Come on, let's go sit down first. I'll pour you a bowl of water." Zhao Tieying helped Zhou Miao to sit down at the table.

"How about a bowl of beef bone soup? I added some Chinese herbs to it, which will help dispel the cold," Zhou Yan said, and quickly walked towards the kitchen.

The beef bone soup, simmering for eight hours on the honeycomb briquette stove, was bubbling away. Lifting the lid released a mouthwatering aroma of meat, a complex fragrance of spices and Chinese herbs that was even more enticing.

Zhou Yan took a ceramic bowl, ladled out a bowl of soup, sprinkled some chopped green onions, and placed a spoon in the bowl.

"Dad, have a bowl of soup first, you'll feel better once you warm up," Zhou Yan said. "I'll go get the soup pot, and after you eat, you can go upstairs and take a nap."

"Okay." Zhou Miao replied. The aroma of meat wafted up with the steam, and his drowsy head seemed to clear up a bit. Just as he picked up his spoon, he saw Zhou Momo climbing onto the stool next to him. The little girl swallowed her saliva as she looked at the meat soup.

"Momo, would you like to try a bite?" Zhou Miao asked, looking at her.

"You eat yours, I'll get her some more." Zhao Tieying pressed down on his bowl.

"Daddy, eat first. Eating will help you get better. Momo isn't hungry." Zhou Momo shook her head and said seriously, "I'll eat meat later."

"Okay." Zhou Miao replied, lowered his head and took a sip of the hot soup. His tongue was slightly hot, and the umami flavor rushed straight to his head.

The Chinese herbs and spices blend perfectly in the soup, enhancing its aroma and freshness without any strange taste. It tastes completely different from the soup made by Zhao Tieying, and it's so much more delicious. One sip and your eyebrows will fall off!
One spoonful after another, blowing on it gently and drinking it in big gulps, a bowl of soup was gone in no time.

Zhou Miao felt warm all over, with sweat pouring down his forehead and back, and felt indescribably comfortable.

"Delicious?" Zhao Tieying asked with a smile.

"Hmm, the eyebrows are all fresh." Zhou Miao smacked her lips in savoring the taste, then added, "It's almost the same as what you made."

"Here it is." Zhou Yan carried a double-handled iron pot out of the kitchen and placed it in the middle of the table. The bottom was made of cabbage, with beef intestines and beef tendon underneath. On top were thinly sliced ​​beef and tripe. The small pot was full, and some scallions and cilantro were sprinkled on top, making it look particularly tempting.

(End of this chapter)