1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 183 Who can withstand this?! (6k-page compilation)

"That's hilarious! Gao Cuihua's nose was practically crooked with anger. Watching her was like drinking ice-cold plum juice on a sweltering summer day—cool from the throat to the belly button! It made my pores relax." Zhao Tieying walked into the shop with a smile, her smugness written all over her face.

“I think she hasn’t been able to eat properly for three days since she got back,” Zhou Miao said, pushing her cart inside.

The two returned from watching the excitement in high spirits, their lingering classroom atmosphere completely gone.

"Fourth Aunt, are they fighting?" Zhao Hong asked, her face full of gossip and anticipation.

Zhou Yangang had just finished taking all the braised meat out of the pot when he heard the noise and followed him out. Curious, he asked, "What did you do with the meat at the end?"

"Mayor Huang scolded Gao Cuihua and Zhou Liangliang, telling them to rectify the situation immediately, or he would confiscate their business licenses," Zhao Tieying laughed. "Zhou Liangliang and his wife were so scared that one covered his mother's mouth and the other dragged her back, afraid that Gao Cuihua would lose her temper and make a big scene. In all these years, this is the first time I've seen Gao Cuihua suffer such a big setback."

"Mayor Huang is reliable. He strikes at the heart of the matter and knows what individual business owners fear most." Zhou Yan smiled upon hearing this. It is most efficient and effective for Mayor Huang to handle this kind of matter. If they were left to handle it themselves, a verbal battle would be inevitable, and it might even escalate into a fight.

They're all from the same village, and the fight was so ugly that it became a laughing stock in the town.

Moreover, Huang Chen intends to develop Qiaojiao Beef, but even the internal struggles within Zhoucun are endless, so how can it be successful?

This is also why Zhou Yan doesn't participate directly; it would be too low-class.

Qiaojiao Beef has graced magazine covers and given exclusive interviews; these are all positive developments for building the Qiaojiao Beef brand.

Zhao Tieying nodded and said, "That's right. Mayor Huang also warned other hot pot vendors not to misuse our signboard, or they would face legal trouble. He is indeed a good official who stands up for the people."

"Alright, you can take care of the soup pot then. I'm going to braise some vegetables," Zhou Yan said, turning around and heading into the kitchen to get busy.

Being busy is a good thing; it means the store is doing well.

However, the small restaurant is indeed getting busier and busier. Aunt Zhao has to make 140 bowls of braised beef every day, and she also has to take orders and settle accounts. She is so busy that her feet barely touch the ground.

Zhao Hong's sister-in-law had to serve dishes, clear tables, wash dishes and vegetables, keeping her as busy as a spinning top.

Needless to say, Comrade Lao Zhou, a model worker, gets up early to go grocery shopping with me. When we get back to the shop, we start processing pig heads and chickens, and then we start cutting potatoes and lotus roots to be braised today. At noon and in the evening, we are also responsible for selling braised meat and braised vegetables.

Zhou Yan himself was the same. In the morning, he would buy vegetables, stir-fry meat sauce, make noodles, cook noodles, braise meat and vegetables, cook food for hundreds of people at noon, and cook food for hundreds of people in the evening.

The entire restaurant is operating at an unreasonable overcapacity, and Zhou Yan has begun to consider hiring another employee.

Even hiring just one more waiter would significantly reduce the workload of Aunt Zhao and Sister-in-law Zhao Hong, increase the speed of responding to customer needs, and thus improve the customer experience.

The restaurant's table turnover rate is pretty good now, but with his hygiene standards, the tables still need to be wiped clean after clearing them, which is quite labor-intensive.

During lunch, Zhou Yan shared his idea with Aunt Zhao.

“We need to hire people…” Aunt Zhao thought seriously. “We need to think this through carefully. They need to be quick and efficient, able to endure hardship, and without any bad intentions. If the people we hire in the village are after the beef brisket, there’s no way to stop them.”

Zhou Yan nodded upon hearing this, "That makes sense."

It's not easy to recruit someone as well-known as Zhao Hong's sister-in-law. Both of Zhou Jie's and Zhou Hai's sisters-in-law help out at the stall, and Zhou Hao's sister-in-law is a teacher.

Zhou Yang is also serving in the army, and Zhou Ming is practicing martial arts on Mount Emei. These two probably haven't broken their virginity yet.

“There’s no rush. We can take our time to find the right person. If we hire someone who’s a busybody, it’s better not to hire anyone at all,” Aunt Zhao said. “We can get the work done even if we’re a little busy and tired. After a good night’s sleep, we’ll be back to our old selves.”

"That's right, we're still managing to keep up with the workload," Zhao Hong said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll recruit people slowly," Zhou Yan said with a smile. They were so patient; they could handle this workload and even comforted him.

“I can help too!” Zhou Momo looked up from her bowl and said to Zhou Yan with a serious expression, “I know a lot of things.”

"Yeah, you're the top salesperson." Zhou Yan laughed. As the store's business became increasingly booming, the top salesperson was quite busy every day, even having a lot of time to play on the seesaw and observe ants moving house.

However, the top salesperson's hard work didn't come for nothing; her little wallet was already stuffed with five-cent commissions, making her a veritable little rich woman.

“I can help cut the potatoes too,” Zhou Momo said earnestly.

"That's not the job of a top salesperson like you. I'm the junior one," Old Zhou said with a smile. "Are you trying to steal my job?"

Zhou Momo thought for a moment, then shook her head. "Never mind, it's too pitiful for you to be unemployed."

"Speaking of which, Zhou Ming should be coming back to sweep your grandfather's grave, right? He came back for two days last time when Zhou Hao got married," Aunt Zhao changed the subject.

“He will definitely come back. It’s not far from Mount Emei, and he has never missed a year’s tomb sweeping,” Comrade Zhou said.

Aunt Zhao looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Zhou Yan, braise two catties of pig's head meat. I'll ask Zhou Ming to take it back to your grandmother so she can try it. She's never eaten your cooking before."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Zhao Niangniang’s hometown is at the foot of Mount Emei. Last time, he heard her tell the owner of the Emei tofu pudding shop that Heishui Village in Tianjing Commune is a genuine Emei Xueya tea production area.

While her maternal grandmother is still alive, Aunt Zhao would occasionally ask someone to bring her something as a token of her filial piety.

"Mommy, when are we going to visit Grandma? I've almost forgotten what Grandma looks like," Zhou Momo asked in her childish voice.

Zhou Yan looked at her upon hearing this. Mount Emei was indeed not far away, but it seemed that Aunt Zhao did not go back to her parents' home for the Spring Festival last year.

Aunt Zhao forced a smile: "It's Chinese New Year, so I'll take you to see Grandma."

“Okay!” Zhou Momo smiled, took a bite of the rib and asked, “When Mingming comes back, can I learn martial arts from him? And then…and then I’ll become a female knight-errant.”

"You even know about female knights-errant?" Zhou Yan laughed. "Didn't you say you wanted to be a policewoman when you grew up?"

"Isn't a policewoman a female knight-errant?" Zhou Momo looked at him and asked seriously.

Zhou Yan pondered for a moment and felt that the little guy's statement made a strange sense.

“Then when your brother Ming comes back, you can become a female knight-errant under the Emei Sect,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

The martial arts training involves training from childhood.

Zhou Ming was selected by his school when he was in elementary school. He trained with the school team until he graduated from junior high school, winning many gold medals at the city and provincial levels. After graduating from junior high school, he joined the Emei School and practiced martial arts under his master. Now he works as a physical education teacher in Emei, where he is responsible for selecting and training martial arts athletes. He has also mentored several promising talents.

He truly loves martial arts. A couple of years ago, he even won first place in the Emei boxing category at the National Martial Arts Competition. Master Zhou is quite well-known in the martial arts world.

If Zhou Momo really wanted to learn some self-defense techniques from him, Zhou Yan thought it would be a good idea.

Having more skills is never a bad thing. If a young lady learns some real skills, she won't be easily bullied when she goes out.

Besides, if she really decides to become a policewoman in the future, learning some martial arts would be a good way to lay the foundation in advance.

Most families don't even have that kind of means.

As for whether Zhou Ming is willing to teach?
Zhou Yan figured that he wouldn't be able to refuse Zhou Momo once she asked.

No man in the Zhou family has yet been able to refuse Zhou Momo's request.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded and happily buried her head in her rice.

After lunch, the restaurant quickly became busy.

Zhou Yan has already learned how to make Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce). The salty, sweet, sour, and spicy flavors already make her think it's quite delicious even before she's made it.

The restaurant has just launched Mapo Tofu, and the dish is currently in high demand. The impact on the sales of other dishes is still being assessed. Yu Xiang Rou Si (shredded pork with garlic sauce) will not be launched until at least next week.

The menu must not be out of control; this is crucial for a restaurant.

He plans how much food to buy each day the night before.

Aside from cabbage and potatoes, if you buy too much of any other vegetables, the remaining ingredients will result in a loss.

It is unclear how many new customers Mapo Tofu will bring to the restaurant, but the addition of forty servings of Mapo Tofu per day will inevitably affect the existing menu.

Simply put, if a customer orders Mapo Tofu, their original plan to order Twice-Cooked Pork might be cancelled.

Whether the extra twice-cooked pork can be ordered by other customers will affect the profit of twice-cooked pork for the day.

As the get off work bell rang, workers poured out of the gate, many of whom ordered Mapo Tofu as soon as they entered.

This newly launched Chengdu specialty dish has sold forty portions, and after just one day, it has successfully established a good reputation.

During the lunch break, they sold 32 servings.

There were only eight portions of tofu left in the kitchen.

The level of popularity exceeded Zhou Yan's expectations.

"The Mapo Tofu is selling so well. I reckon there will be quite a few people wanting to eat it tonight. Do you want to ask your aunt to bring back two trays?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan, who had taken off her apron and was coming out of the kitchen.

"Forty portions are enough. If you order another twenty, we'll have a lot of leftovers today." Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile. It wasn't that he was deliberately teasing the customers; a boss has to have his own pace.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Aunt Zhao nodded thoughtfully. She always believed whatever Zhou Yan said.

Their restaurant has had very little leftover food lately. The little leftovers are mostly consumed internally, and the extras are taken back by Zhao Hong to share with other families, which makes everyone quite happy.

"When are you free to go to Jiaozhou? I heard from Huang Ying that the magazine 'Sichuan Cuisine' is selling quite well. I'm thinking of buying a couple more copies to keep as souvenirs. I could frame them and put them out in front of the restaurant as an advertisement, wouldn't that be great?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan.

"I'll go now, I'm free this afternoon." Zhou Yan went upstairs to change his clothes, and when he came down, Zhou Momo was already standing next to his bicycle, looking at him expectantly: "Brother, I want to go to the city to play too! Will you take me?"

The little one's voice was so soft, and she even came up to him and tugged at his clothes, acting all cute. Who could resist that?

"Okay, I'll take you out to have some fun." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Old Zhou had already brought her special seat cushion and quickly strapped it to the front bumper, afraid that his precious daughter would suffer any discomfort on the way.

Aunt Zhao placed a military green water bottle in the bicycle basket and instructed Zhou Momo, "Don't wander around in the city, okay? Hold your brother's hand tightly. If you get kidnapped by bad guys, you'll never be able to eat your husband's cooking again in your life."

Zhou Momo nodded, but her eyes widened when she heard that she wouldn't be able to eat the dishes cooked by her husband. She quickly grabbed Zhou Yan's hand and said, "Husband! You have to hold on to me tight!"

"Okay, don't worry." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Remember to give her water, and don't buy her snacks, she won't eat dinner tonight," Zhao Tieying instructed Zhou Yan again. "Okay." Zhou Yan nodded, bent down and lifted Zhou Momo onto the seat that Old Zhou had tied for her, and pushed the bicycle out the door.

As soon as Zhou Momo stepped out the door, she started chattering nonstop:
"Brother, look how big that boat is!"

"Hey bro, look at that motorcycle, it's so funny."

"Honey, I love it when you take me out to play! Can I buy you a popsicle?"

Zhou Yan coldly refused: "No."

The little guy has quite a few tricks up his sleeve. He's not even out of Suji yet, and he's already eyeing popsicles.

She wears her little floral jacket morning and night, but she still misses popsicles.

"Sigh." Zhou Momo sighed and said softly, "Although you're a bit stingy, I still forgive you."

"Should I say sorry?" Zhou Yan asked, suppressing a laugh.

"It's okay." The little one tilted her head and leaned gently against his arm like a little gummy bear. "Because I love you."

"Buy! Buy a hundred!" Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he almost lost his mind.

The little guy is so cute and so heartwarming.

Who can stand this!

Forget popsicles, I'd even pluck the moon off her.

"You can't eat popsicles, but I'll buy you a little toy when we go into town later," Zhou Yan said gently.

"I don't want a gift, I want to buy Grandma a hat, okay?" Zhou Momo turned to look at Zhou Yan, "It must be a pretty hat."

"Why did you think of buying a hat for Grandma?" Zhou Yan looked at her with some surprise.

The little one looked at her earnestly and said, "Grandma has patched her hat so many times but she can't bear to throw it away. I want to buy her a pretty hat so that she'll have a beautiful new hat in winter and her ears won't get cold."

Seeing the expectant look on the little guy's face, Zhou Yan smiled and nodded: "Okay, then you can choose for Grandma later."

"Mmm." Zhou Momo nodded, a happy smile on her face.

The little one is so sweet, like a warm cotton-padded jacket, no wonder the whole family loves her.

When he visited the old lady, he always thought of bringing her a bottle of wine, some braised meat and braised pig's trotters to go with it.

Even though he made money, he didn't think to buy the old lady any clothes or necessities. He's not even as good as Zhou Momo.

The little guy even used his own toys to change the old lady's hat.

Zhou Yan rode slowly, carefully avoiding potholes to make the little guy more comfortable.

Upon arriving in Jiaozhou, we went straight to the newspapers and magazines.

I went through four different newspapers and magazines before I finally managed to collect five copies of "Sichuan Cuisine" magazine.

The newsstand owner took the money from Zhou Yan and muttered with a puzzled look, "That's strange, why are so many people buying this magazine these past two days?"

Zhou Yan put the magazine into the cloth bag he was carrying, took out a water bottle, unscrewed it, handed it to Zhou Momo, and asked, "It's selling so well?"

"Exactly! Before, it would take a month to sell out, but this time we got fifteen copies and they sold out in four days. Yesterday, a very pretty girl bought ten copies in one go. I have no idea what she was going to do with them," the shopkeeper exclaimed in amazement. "I think we should order more next month."

"I suggest you stick to the previous quantity," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

That pretty girl from yesterday must be Duan Yuyan.

This market trend is not sustainable. If the boss rashly increases the order quantity, he may end up with unsold goods in the next period, losing all the money he earned in this period.

After buying the magazine, Zhou Yan took Zhou Momo to the department store to pick out hats.

Zhou Momo sat on Zhou Yan's shoulders, carefully examining the hat, and suddenly pointed ahead and said, "Brother, look at that hat with flowers on it, it's so pretty!"

Zhou Yan looked in the direction the little guy was pointing and saw a taro purple knitted hat hanging on the shelf. A flower was sewn on the side with velvet. It looked quite pretty. The old lady would look very elegant if she wore it.

On a weekday, there weren't many customers at the department store.

Zhou Yan was handsome, and Zhou Momo was very cute. The auntie standing behind the counter looked at her and smiled, saying, "Little darling, who are you choosing a hat for?"

“Auntie, I’m picking out a hat for Grandma,” Zhou Momo replied obediently, pointing to the hat she had her eye on. “Can I take a look at that one?”

"Of course." The saleswoman picked up a fork and hooked the hat off, then handed it to Zhou Momo with a smile: "Wow, you have great taste. This is a new top hat, machine-woven, very dense, so the wind can't get in during winter. There's also a layer of rabbit fur inside, so it's fluffy, comfortable and warm to wear, especially suitable for middle-aged and elderly people."

Zhou Yan put Zhou Momo down from his shoulder and held her in his arms.

The little guy held the hat, looking at it from left to right. He even turned it inside out, and his eyes lit up with surprise. "Look, it really is rabbit fur!" he exclaimed.

The hat does have a layer of fleece inside, and it feels quite smooth to the touch; it's pure rabbit fur.

The auntie's description was absolutely true; the hat was exceptionally well-made, something you couldn't knit yourself with a knitting needle, and the design was also very nice.

With that hat on, the old lady was definitely the most fashionable old lady in the village.

"Then let's buy this for Grandma?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes, buy this!" Zhou Momo nodded.

"Auntie, how much is this hat?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"This hat has a fleece lining, it costs eight yuan and twenty cents a hat," the salesperson said.

"It's so expensive!" Zhou Momo exclaimed, looking at the hat in her hand and then at Zhou Yan, her expression a little conflicted.

"Okay, I'll take this one," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Industrial products were the most expensive items in this era because many goods could not be mass-produced, and scarcity made them valuable.

Later, with the large-scale cultivation of vegetables and fruits, and the transformation of China into an industrial Cthulhu, the prices of unfertilized green vegetables, free-range chickens and pigs, and various intangible cultural heritage handicrafts became expensive due to their rarity.

A very interesting loop.

"Really?" Zhou Momo asked uncertainly.

"Of course, it's beautiful and warm. Momo chose it, so Grandma will definitely like it." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. He wasn't a sales champion for nothing; he already knows what's expensive at such a young age.

"Brother, you're so kind!" Zhou Momo was touched. "That's what we gave to Grandma together, okay?"

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

After paying, Zhou Yan carefully put the hat into his bag, then took Zhou Momo's hand and bought five more photo frames of different sizes.

One was used to frame family photos, one was used to frame paintings for Zhou Momo and given to Duan Yuyan, and the other two were used to frame magazines.

The cover is framed, and the two pages of the interview are cut out separately, also framed, and displayed at the entrance of the restaurant for a while, and later hung on the wall as decorations.

The Sichuan Cuisine magazine endorsed and supported the project, making the best use of its resources!

Anyway, Zhou Yan wouldn't be embarrassed. With the endorsement of a professional magazine, the story of Qiaojiao Beef immediately seemed credible.

There's also a Zhou Yan painting left; if Xia Yao sends another painting next time, it can be framed directly.

Passing by the toy section, Zhou Yan asked with a smile, "Want to buy a toy?"

"No, I've already bought a hat for Grandma." Zhou Momo shook her head, not even glancing at the toy section, her gaze as determined as if she were about to join the Party.

After leaving the department store, Zhou Yan put the photo frame in his backpack, lifted Zhou Momo into the car, and asked her with a smile, "If you don't want toys, is there anything you want to eat? It's a rare trip to the city, I'll take you to eat before we go back."

"I want to eat... tofu pudding!" Zhou Momo looked at him with bright eyes and said very confidently, "Sweet!"

"It has to be sweet..." This request wasn't unreasonable, but it put Zhou Yan in a bit of a dilemma.

After all, in Jiaozhou, if you want to eat a bowl of sweet tofu pudding, you not only need money, but also a thick skin.

Seeing the little guy's expectant look, how could Zhou Yan refuse? He smiled and nodded, "Come on, I'll take you to eat sweet tofu pudding."

Riding her old bicycle along Dongda Street, Zhou Momo saw a dazzling array of snacks. As they passed a stall, she asked curiously, "Hey, what's that golden-yellow pancake? Is it an egg pancake?"

Zhou Yan squeezed the brakes, looked at the golden pancakes in the small pot in the vendor's hand, and said with a smile, "These are egg pancakes."

"Egg pancakes?" Zhou Momo leaned forward, sniffed the air, and exclaimed with delight, "They smell so sweet and delicious!"

"Little friend, would you like an egg pancake? It's only two cents each." The owner, a middle-aged man, spoke with a gentle voice and a smile, "It tastes sweet and fragrant, and has a soft and fluffy texture. It's delicious."

"Yes." Zhou Momo nodded and held up two fingers. "I want two."

After saying that, she patted her small shoulder bag and said to Zhou Yan, "Brother, I'll treat you to a meal! I have money."

Zhou Yan paused for a moment after hearing this, then smiled and nodded, "Okay."

The little guy has earned quite a bit of money lately. He works hard every day to earn commissions, and his savings have probably reached three or four yuan.

Eating one of her egg pancakes isn't excessive.

The owner chuckled upon hearing this, rolled up the egg pancakes he was holding, wrapped them in oil paper, and handed them to the customer next to him, saying with a smile, "You're treating me, how generous of you!"

"This is my boyfriend, what's mine is his," Zhou Momo said matter-of-factly, then turned to look at Zhou Yan: "Boyfriend, is what's yours mine?"

(End of this chapter)