1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 19 Hiring Someone

Hot pot dishes are not uncommon on the Zhou family's dining table.

Unsold offal is usually made into soup, and any unsold soup is taken home and consumed.

However, this soup pot looks a little different today.

The thinly sliced ​​beef tenderloin was pink and tender, blanched until just cooked through, and then taken out. Curled tripe and crystal-clear beef tendon were placed in the clear soup pot as garnishes, and each person was also given a dipping sauce of dried chili peppers.

"It smells so good, but it's not quite the same as what I cook." Zhao Tieying was a little puzzled. She had made soup many times. She learned this dish from her mother-in-law after she married into the Zhou family, but why was the soup she cooked not as fragrant as Zhou Yan's?

"Try the soup first." Zhou Yan took a spoon and ladled a bowl of soup for each person.

Zhao Tieying took a sip of soup with a spoon, her eyes suddenly lit up, her eyebrows rose, and she reached out to pat Zhou Miao on the shoulder: "You're lying through your teeth! This tastes way better than what I cook! It's exactly the same!"

"I think it's about the same as what you make, it tastes just as good." Zhou Miao smiled innocently.

"Forget it, you wouldn't understand." Zhao Tieying rolled her eyes at him, but the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up. She took two more sips of soup and nodded repeatedly, saying, "It's even better than Zhou Jie's soup. It's so fresh, and the flavor is just right."

Zhou Momo remained silent, only lowering her head to drink the soup, puffing out her little mouth to blow air, and then sipping it in small sips.

After finishing a bowl of soup, a light sweat broke out on my forehead, and I felt warm all over, which greatly reduced the fatigue from working.

"Gulu."

Zhou Momo had her eyes on the meat in the pot for a while. She swallowed hard, her little hands itching to grab it, and looked at Zhou Yan.

"Here, have some meat." Zhou Yan smiled and handed over a piece of beef.

"Aww!"

The little guy opened his mouth and caught it in one gulp.

The meat is soft and tender, with a subtle milky aroma!
The meat is so delicious!

She loves eating meat the most!

"So delicious, I want more meat!" Zhou Momo said in a childish, coquettish voice after swallowing the meat in her mouth.

The three adults laughed upon hearing this.

Zhou Yan directly served her a bowl of meat, the small bowl piled high with beef and offal, telling her to eat a little of everything.

"So tender!" Zhao Tieying picked up a piece of beef and tasted it, her face filled with astonishment.

How can beef be cooked to be so fresh and tender?

She had been cooking beef for over twenty years, and for the first time, she began to doubt herself.

"This chili powder smells so good!" Zhou Miao exclaimed after taking a bite of the tripe, "The tripe is so crispy when it's hot..."

Zhou Miao has been eating hot pot since he was a child, from his mother's to his wife's, but the best one is still the one made by his son.

The first broth was so delicious it made my eyebrows fly away. The tripe was crisp and refreshing, the beef slices were large, thin, and tender, the beef tendon was stewed until very soft and glutinous, and the cabbage was crisp, tender, and sweet. Paired with a spicy dipping sauce, it completely changed my understanding of hot pot.

Zhou Yan went to bring out the rice that had been cooked in advance.

A pot of rice and a pot of braised beef were devoured by the family of four, leaving not a single piece of cabbage.

"Your soup pot is so delicious! I'm sure the girls at the textile factory will love it. I think it's a good business to sell soup pots!" Zhao Tieying said confidently.

The previous doubts have completely disappeared.

“I think it’s a good idea!” Zhou Miao chimed in, “After drinking this soup and sweating it out, I felt much better. It really does have healing properties. If this is advertised, even more people will definitely try it.”

"The meat is delicious!" Zhou Momo exclaimed.

"That's good. I'll find someone to build the stove this afternoon. Once the preparations are done in the next couple of days, we can start selling hot pot immediately," Zhou Yan said with a smile. This hot pot of braised beef exceeded his expectations as well; the soup was fresh and the meat was tender, and the dipping sauce was spicy and delicious.

“Okay, we’ll do whatever you say.” Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao nodded in unison.

Zhou Yan has become increasingly reliable in his work these past few days, which makes people feel at ease.

Old Zhou was escorted upstairs to rest by Aunt Zhao. Zhou Yan was clearing away the dishes when someone came to the door and knocked: "Comrade Zhou Yan, I'm here to collect the rent."

The newcomer was a pretty young woman, wearing a white shirt and black pants, with short hair, black leather shoes, and carrying a brown leather bag. She looked very capable.

Wang Wei, a 20-year-old accountant in the finance department of the textile factory, is responsible for collecting rent from the shops under the factory's name. She comes to collect rent on the 20th of each month.

"Okay, come in first." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, then went behind the counter to get the money, making her practically a landlady.

"It's fifteen in total, please count it." Zhou Yan handed a stack of money to Wang Wei, including one ten-yuan note and the rest were all one-yuan notes.

"Hmm." Wang Wei took the money and counted it, carefully checking the large ten-yuan note before putting it in her bag, writing a receipt, tearing off a page and handing it to Zhou Yan. Then she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and said with a smile, "I heard you switched to selling noodles, and business is booming."

Comrade Xiao Zhou is tall and handsome, and is quite popular with young women and wives in the textile factory.

Wang Wei came to collect the rent three times and we chatted a few times. This girl was efficient and left a good impression on Comrade Xiao Zhou.

"It's alright, I managed to pay the rent." Zhou Yan put away the receipt and sighed, "It would be great if the factory could lower the rent a bit." "I can't make that decision." Wang Wei smiled and then gave him another suggestion, "Didn't you save Deputy Factory Director Lin's niece? Why don't you talk to him and maybe he can really lower the rent a bit?"

“It’s such a small matter, why bother others?” Zhou Yan shook his head decisively.

If he can consistently sell 100 bowls of noodles a day, the 15 yuan rent is really not high at all. Moreover, he will soon be selling braised beef, and there is still room for the turnover to increase. As long as the factory doesn't raise the rent for him then, that's fine.

"Okay, I'm going to collect rent from the next tenant now. I'll try your noodles next time I come back," Wang Wei said with a smile, then slung her bag over her shoulder and headed out.

"Take care," Zhou Yan said, continuing to collect the bowls.

"I'll wash the dishes, you go about your business." Zhao Tieying came downstairs and took the bowl from his hand.

Zhou Yan did have important business to attend to, so he first counted the money.

Of the 100 bowls of noodles prepared today, 18 bowls remain unsold. After deducting the cost of ingredients, there is a surplus of 31.9 yuan. He has saved 74.2 yuan over the past few days. After paying the rent, he has 91.1 yuan left.

Zhou Yan went out and found a bricklayer, arranging for him to build a stove for him the next day. He also contacted suppliers for materials such as blue bricks and asked Zhou Jie to help order a large cast iron pot with a diameter of one meter.

The pot alone cost him fifty yuan, and it was only after Zhou Jie pulled some strings and gave him two packs of Yuxi cigarettes that he was able to buy it.

In those days, resources were scarce, and many things couldn't be bought with money. Otherwise, he would have wanted to get a pot with a larger diameter and put it at the door; it would have been more eye-catching than a signboard.

The labor and materials will cost around twenty.

Just setting up a stove costs seventy yuan.

Money is hard to earn, but it's so easy to spend.

However, Zhou Yan was not worried. Zhou Erwa's noodle restaurant had already gained a reputation in the textile factory, and its word-of-mouth was rising rapidly. Meanwhile, its biggest competitor was currently serving time in jail.

Selling 100 bowls of noodles a day can generate a turnover of 60 yuan. After accounting for the costs of firewood, seasonings, etc., the profit is nearly half.

You can earn eight or nine hundred a month.

In this way, he can pay off all his debts in two months, including the five hundred yuan owed to his parents.

Selling noodles is the basic business; once the reputation of Qiaojiao Beef spreads, the profits will be even greater.

However, just selling noodles already keeps him and Aunt Zhao incredibly busy. Adding a soup pot on top of that, unless the system grants him the ability to create clones, they definitely won't be able to handle it all.

……

For dinner, we reheated the leftover beef bone soup from lunch and ate it with the remaining offal. The whole family still enjoyed it very much.

After sleeping all afternoon, Comrade Zhou was back to his peak condition, praising Zhou Yan's soup pot for its remarkable medicinal effects, even better than taking medicine.

“I’m planning to hire someone,” Zhou Yan said.

"Hiring people?" Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao both looked at him with some surprise.

"That's another expense. I'd have to pay at least ten yuan a month's salary, right?" Zhao Tieying pondered. "Maybe I should do more work?"

"Mom, you've done enough. I'm planning to hand over the soup pot cooking to you next, so I need to hire someone to serve the food, clear the tables, and wash the dishes, otherwise I definitely won't be able to handle it." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "We need to make sure it's both good and fast so that the customers are satisfied. If business is good, the labor costs will be covered, and we can earn even more."

“I think Zhou Yan makes a good point on that point,” Zhou Miao nodded in agreement.

“Okay, let’s hire someone then!” Zhao Tieying nodded, then thought for a moment and said, “How about we ask Zhou Fei’s wife to help? She’s strong, quick and efficient, and with the two kids in school, she doesn’t have to worry about them much. Plus, she’s reliable.”

“Alright! Let my sister-in-law give it a try. If she’s capable, it’s definitely better than hiring an outsider.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Zhou Fei is her uncle's son, the eldest among their group of cousins, and Zhou Hai's older brother. He is currently helping his father slaughter cattle.

His wife, Zhao Hong, is from the same village as his mother. It was Comrade Zhao Tieying who brought them together. They have two sons, the older one is already in junior high school, and the younger one started elementary school this year. They still face some financial pressure.

Zhou Yan had a good impression of this woman; she was gentle and a good worker.

“I’ll go talk to her when I get home tonight and ask her how much salary you plan to pay her each month,” Zhao Tieying said, looking at Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "How about twenty yuan a month?"

“Okay.” Zhao Tieying nodded: “This salary is very high. The waiters in state-run restaurants only earn about twenty yuan a month. It’s a place that people fight tooth and nail to get into.”

"Then it's settled." Zhou Yan made the decision.

Twenty yuan a month is indeed a high salary in a rural town, but it's within Zhou Yan's budget. He's more concerned about staff stability and whether the other party has any ulterior motives.

Besides, his sister-in-law is family after all. When Xiao Zhou opened his restaurant, his family lent him eighty yuan to open the business, which was no small sum for them.

……

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Mr. Zhou went out early to buy groceries.

When he drove Zhao Tieying back to the hotel, a figure was already standing at the door. He took two steps forward and said with a smile, "Fourth Aunt, Zhou Yan, you're back."

"Zhao Hong, why are you here so early? Didn't you sleep well last night?" Zhao Tieying teased.

(End of this chapter)