1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 2 Double Pepper Beef Noodles
Zhou Yan began to look around his restaurant. The restaurant was 200 square meters in size. Apart from a large kitchen, the dining hall was about 130 square meters. Even with 20 square meters of tables, it wasn't crowded at all. There were electrical wires running and eight light bulbs hanging on the walls.

Most of the money spent on opening the shop went into purchasing these tables, chairs, and benches, which are made of very solid materials.

In addition, there is a large open space at the entrance that extends all the way to the riverbank, where dozens of tables can be set up.

The kitchen is quite spacious. Xiao Zhou learned to cook in the factory canteen and has planned the kitchen well, with a vegetable washing area, a vegetable cutting area, a cooking area, and a separate cold dish preparation area, complete with all kinds of knives and kitchen utensils.

The three-eyed earthen stove had two large iron pots and a soup pot on it, and neatly stacked half-person-high pieces of split oak wood next to the stove.

There was a three-tiered condiment station on the stove. The top tier contained oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar; the middle tier held dried spices such as Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers; and the bottom tier contained fermented broad beans and pickled peppers—everything was there.

There is also an empty area next to it, which makes it highly expandable.

The reason why struggling students have more stationery is because of this.

A huge sum of more than 1,300 yuan was spent here.

When ordinary self-employed individuals first start their businesses, they simply set up a street stall to do business. They don't need to pay rent or buy any equipment; their main focus is on saving money wherever possible.

However, Zhou Yan really liked this kitchen.

These two large iron pots can not only be used for stir-frying vegetables, but also for cooking noodles.

[Ding! Main quest issued: Restaurant influence reaches 100 (gain 1 influence point for each customer's approval) Accept: Yes! No!]

Reward for successful mission: A random recipe!

A new task suddenly appeared, and Zhou Yan chose to accept it decisively.

Zhou Yan went out and brought in an eight-immortal table, placing it on the open space to the right of the entrance.

The cypress wood table was still brand new, the planks were joined together with dovetail joints perfectly, and the tabletop was planed to a mirror-like smooth surface; Wang the carpenter's craftsmanship was excellent.

This is his pastry area; a worktable is essential for making handmade noodles.

Take a bag of flour out of the cupboard, weigh out one pound, add an appropriate amount of salt and water, and start kneading the dough.

Zhou Yan had never kneaded dough before, and Xiao Zhou had never been involved in making pastries.

But as soon as he put his hands on the dough, he unconsciously started kneading it. With a push and a pull, his skillful technique transformed the wrinkled dough into a smooth and soft texture in no time.

Cover the dough with an enamel bowl and let it rest for a while before continuing to knead it. Repeat this process three times until the dough is kneaded enough to stretch into noodles.

While waiting, Zhou Yan checked the shelf next to him. There were a dozen or so eggs, two bunches of wilted green and red peppers, and some ginger, garlic, and potatoes that would keep for a long time.

The restaurant was closed yesterday, so naturally they didn't prepare any food.

The store doesn't have a refrigerator, and the weather in October isn't cold enough, so the meat is all bought fresh every day.

Zhou Yan put the meat coupons and money in his pocket, preparing to go out and buy some beef to make a topping, to try out the dish first.

"Brother! Brother! Open the door! It's me, Momo!"

Just then, a knock sounded on the door, accompanied by a soft, sweet little voice, spoken in a Sichuan accent.

Zhou Yan's heart skipped a beat. He reached out and pulled the bolt open. The door was pushed open, and a little dumpling rushed in, about to fall to the ground.

Zhou Yan reacted quickly, grabbing her by the back of her collar and lifting her up.

It's tiny, with delicate features, big, round eyes, and still has baby fat on its face. Its cheeks look softer than dough, making you want to pinch them.

Zhou Yan looked at the three-and-a-half-year-old girl in front of him.

Is this... my sister? So cute!
"Huh?" Zhou Momo squinted her short legs a couple of times, and when she realized she hadn't fallen to the ground, she looked up at him expectantly and chuckled, "Brother, you're so amazing! You caught the nest."

"I might not be able to catch you if you fall again next time." Zhou Yan reached out and pinched her cheek; it was indeed soft.

However, this little guy is a bit slow to react, which is kind of cute and silly.

His parents had a daughter late in life, and she was the only daughter in the Zhou family. She also had five older cousins, making her the darling of the family.

Holding Zhou Momo in his arms, Zhou Yan looked at the two people standing outside the door.

On the left is a tall, thin middle-aged man with dark skin, wearing a dark blue Zhongshan suit. He has a straight back, and the patches on his elbows are neatly stitched. His clothes are old and faded, but they are clean. His calloused hands are holding a piece of beef in his right hand, which must weigh more than a pound.

The middle-aged woman on the right is not tall. She is wearing a blue and yellow floral polyester shirt. Her skin is fairer than that of the average rural woman. Although she has many fine lines around her eyes, her cheeks are rosy, which makes her look radiant.

The woman's eyes were just like Zhou Momo's—big and bright—and she looked at Zhou Yan with a smile.

Zhou Yan opened his mouth, but the words "Dad" and "Mom" were completely unfamiliar to him. He had never called them that in his previous life. Although his memories and remaining emotions made him feel close to the two of them, the words were stuck in his throat and he couldn't make a sound.

Just then, Wang Laowu, who was selling noodles at a stall near the factory gate, came over and peeked into the restaurant, muttering, "Didn't they say that Zhou Erwa's restaurant couldn't stay open and he jumped into the Qingyi River?"

Zhao Tieying's smile instantly turned cold. She turned around, glared at Wang Laowu, pointed at him, and angrily cursed, "You bastard, you look like a toad, always getting sunburnt, useless and crooked, you'd rather hang yourself than live!"

"Two eggs hanging under your eyebrows, all you can do is blink but you can't see, why are you making up stories about my son for no reason?"

"You...you woman..." Old Wang was red-faced from the scolding.

"You son of a bitch, you never show your face when you're rich, but you're all together when you're down on your luck! If I ever hear you say anything bad about my son again, I'll tear your mouth apart!" Zhao Tieying continued her barrage of insults.

Wang Laowu clenched his fists tightly, about to rush forward.

Zhou Miao stepped forward, blocking Zhao Tieying's path. His face was cold, and he lifted a corner of his Zhongshan suit to reveal a boning knife at his waist.

Wang Laowu paused, chuckled, and said, "Fourth Brother, your wife is really too crooked." He then turned and left.

Who dares to mess with Zhou Laosi, the butcher of Zhou Village?
"Get the hell out of here!" Zhao Tieying spat at Wang Laowu's back.

"Climb!" Zhou Momo cried out in a childish voice, clenching her little fists.

Zhou Yan, who was being protected for the first time, felt a surge of warmth in his heart. In his past life, he had always been bullied and had never experienced this kind of kinship. He couldn't help but blurt out:

"Dad, Mom, what brings you here?"

After shooing away Wang Laowu, Zhao Tieying turned around and looked Zhou Yan up and down, saying, "Come see a hero! I heard there was a hero who jumped into the Qingyi River to save a girl. Zhou Yan, how come I didn't know you had such abilities before?"

Well, the Sichuan-Chongqing Tyrannosaurus Rex has transformed into an Onmyoji.

“I just happened to be passing by and saw it. I couldn’t just stand by and watch someone die,” Zhou Yan said, scratching his head.

"Erwa was doing a good deed; it's good that he's alright," Zhou Miao chimed in.

Zhao Tieying glared at him, but before she could say anything, Zhou Miao turned to her and said, "Your mother is right."

Zhou Yan: ? ? ?
When it comes to her position in the family, Zhao Tieying clearly has a firm grip on it. "There are so many clay figures that can be sculpted into huge Buddha statues, but you can't even swim, how dare you jump into the Qingyi River to save people..." Zhao Tieying's eyes reddened halfway through her sentence, and her voice choked with emotion.

Zhou Yan felt the care and affection that she had once longed for but could never attain in her presence.

He could imagine how Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao rushed to find him when they heard the news.

Their son, Zhou Yan, is dead. From this day forward, he who has inherited Zhou Yan's memories and some of his emotions is now their son.

With both parents alive and a lovely younger sister, Zhou Yan's resentment about time travel completely vanished at this moment.

"Mom, you're right. I'll definitely act within my capabilities next time." Zhou Yan nodded respectfully.

"You dare to do it again? I'll break your legs!" Zhao Tieying pretended to wave his fist.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Zhou Yan immediately admitted defeat, put Zhou Momo down, reached out and took the beef from Zhou Miao's hand, saying, "I was just about to cut some beef to make the sauce. You guys probably haven't had lunch yet, right? I'll make you some double-pepper beef noodles."

"Okay, okay! Momo loves noodles!" Zhou Momo followed Zhou Yan into the kitchen.

"I haven't had lunch yet, but when did you learn to make noodles?" Zhao Tieying followed her in, looking puzzled.

"I learned it a long time ago, I just didn't make it for you guys before," Zhou Yan said casually.

When Xiao Zhou was learning to cook, he lived and ate at the factory and didn't go home often. Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao didn't really know much about his cooking skills, otherwise they wouldn't have lent him so much money to open this restaurant.

Zhou Miao closed the door behind him and said thoughtfully, "Why don't you save this beef for the guests? We're family, we can just make some vegetarian noodles."

“Yes, this is such a good piece of hanging dragon meat. Your dad specially saved it for you. We can’t afford to eat meat anymore.” Zhao Tieying nodded in agreement.

"I'm planning to switch to selling noodles starting tomorrow. I need to have people try them before I start selling them, otherwise I won't feel at ease," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao fell silent upon hearing this. They glanced at the empty wall again; the original menu had disappeared, leaving only a few glue marks.

"Why has it been turned into a noodle shop again?" Zhou Miao whispered.

"Who knows?" Zhao Tieying curled her lip. "Only the head of the household knows how expensive oil and salt are. If we don't do all those fancy things, we can lose less money selling noodles. But does this kid really know how to make noodles? There are plenty of noodle shops in our town."

Zhou Yan carried the beef into the kitchen, kneaded the dough that had been resting for a while, covered it again to let it rest, and then began to process the beef.

The beef from this grass-fed yellow cattle is of excellent quality, and the brisket is a very sought-after cut. It can be stir-fried or boiled, and you can't get it at the supply and marketing cooperative.

His father was a butcher in Zhoucun, which was famous for its cattle butchering in the Jiaozhou area. There were five brothers, four of whom were butchers. Because he was the fourth in line, he was known as Zhou Laosi (Fourth Brother Zhou). He was skilled and had a good reputation.

The butcher made a living with his skills. His father could earn sixty or seventy yuan a month butchering cattle, which was more than the average worker in the silk factory. The family was well-off, so they could afford to give him five hundred yuan in savings to open a shop and raise their chubby daughter, Zhou Momo.

Zhou Yan opened this restaurant, which swindled the couple out of their savings and left them with a debt.

He's certainly experienced firsthand what it's like to be a burden on your father.

However, having a butcher as a father made buying beef much simpler, and the prices were more reliable than on the black market.

This pound of beef sells for 1.2 yuan at the supply and marketing cooperative, but it sells for 2.8 yuan on the black market, more than doubling the price.

Meat from the supply and marketing cooperatives was hard to buy with ration coupons; even queuing up in the early morning didn't guarantee you'd get the meat you wanted.

First, cut the beef into strips, then into small cubes. Grab a handful of pickled peppers and pickled ginger from the kimchi jar and cut them into small cubes as well. Smash the peeled garlic cloves and then chop them to ensure a certain texture.

First, slice the bright red millet peppers and the emerald green Erjingtiao peppers into rings, then chop them finely and place them in a bowl for later use.

Zhou Yan's knife skills are indeed quite good now; his hands can keep up with his mind.

“GuoGuo is awesome!”

Zhou Momo moved a small stool and sat on the side to watch, exclaiming in amazement, providing plenty of emotional value.

After preparing the ingredients, Zhou Yan kneaded the dough again, until it became soft and smooth.

Two pots are heated simultaneously, one for boiling water and the other for stir-frying vegetables.

Zhou Momo couldn't sit still any longer. She ran to the side, grabbed a piece of oak tree that was about her height, and walked over with a swaying gait. She looked at Zhou Yan triumphantly and said, "Brother, look how capable I am."

"Wow, that's impressive!" Zhou Yan praised with a smile.

Praised, Zhou Momo became even more motivated. She hugged the wood and stuffed it into the stove, muttering to herself, "I'll feed the stove."

Once the pot was hot, Zhou Yan poured in a spoonful of rapeseed oil, then scooped a small spoonful of white lard from an enamel basin and added it to the pot.

Zhao Tieying stood at the kitchen door, craning her neck to look, and immediately looked pained: "This kid, two spoonfuls of oil are enough for our family to cook for a week."

“More oil makes the food more fragrant. Homemade food is definitely different from restaurant food. Erwa is a professional chef, after all,” Zhou Miao said with a smile.

"What professional skills? My twice-cooked pork is even more delicious than yours," Zhao Tieying muttered.

“That’s right.” Zhou Miao nodded hurriedly.

Zhou Yan was completely focused on the oil pan in front of him. He knew exactly how to make double-pepper beef, but since it was his first time doing it, he was still a little nervous.

Heat the oil, then add the minced beef.

With a sizzle, the oil in the pan was quickly scrambled apart with a spatula, releasing a rich, meaty aroma.

The ground beef quickly changed color in the hot oil. Once the meat was slightly browned, pickled ginger, pickled peppers, and minced garlic were added, along with a little soy sauce and oyster sauce, and the aroma was immediately released.

"Gulu."

Zhou Momo swallowed loudly, tiptoeing and trying to peek over the stove, peeking out with half her head. "It smells so good!"

"Don't get splashed with oil." Zhao Tieying quickly stepped forward and picked her up, also unable to resist peeking into the pot. The aroma was so tempting; Zhou Yan's cooking never tasted like this before.

Add salt and a little MSG to taste, then add chopped millet peppers and Erjingtiao peppers and stir-fry evenly. Transfer to an earthenware bowl and a serving of double-pepper beef sauce is ready.

The bright green and red peppers are glossy and vibrant, the slightly browned minced meat is distinct, and the spiciness and meaty aroma blend together, making it extremely tempting.

Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao, who had been busy all morning, couldn't help but swallow hard.

This meat sauce looks really good! I wonder what it tastes like?

Whisper is back! Back to food writing, to tell a heartwarming and delightful story.

During the new book launch period, I humbly request that all readers read it daily and directly recommend it. Please, please!


(End of this chapter)