1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 20: Can this price really be sold?

"Sister-in-law." Zhou Yan stopped the car and called out. The woman standing at the door was his sister-in-law, Zhao Hong. She was thirty-two years old, about 1.6 meters tall, and quite robust. She was wearing a dark blue cotton coat and a pair of liberation shoes. Her short hair was clipped behind her ears, and her round face was full of smiles, making her seem approachable.

"Come over early to help. Fanwa will go to school by himself anyway. Just leave some food in the pot for him." Zhao Hong replied with a smile, reaching out to help Zhao Tieying take the basket off his back.

She lifted the corner of the blanket and glanced at Zhou Momo, who was still asleep, and said softly, "Momo is sleeping so soundly."

"She's such a little piggy, she sleeps all day long," Zhao Tieying laughed.

Zhou Yan opened the door and went in, first taking Zhou Momo upstairs to sleep.

Then I explained the job duties and working hours to Zhao Hong in detail.

"Sister-in-law, do you think this is suitable?" Zhou Yan asked Zhao Hong.

“These chores are done at home every day, so there shouldn’t be any problem.” Zhao Hong nodded, then looked at Zhou Yan hesitantly and said, “But… isn’t this salary a bit too high?”

My fourth aunt came to talk to her about this yesterday, and she was so excited that she couldn't sleep all night.

Zhou Fei worked as a butcher for his father, and the income was decent. However, with two sons, not only was there the issue of their schooling, but they also needed to get married in the future, putting immense pressure on the couple.

She does farm work and housework at home, raises two pigs, and earns very little money throughout the year. If she goes out to work, she can't take care of her family and two children.

She works at Zhou Yan's shop and earns twenty yuan a month. She can take care of her family and children. If it weren't for her own brother, she wouldn't have had such a good opportunity.

"The shop is quite busy. As long as you can do your job well and make the customers happy, I don't think the salary is too high," Zhou Yan said with a smile. Zhao Hong's personality was quite in line with his requirements.

Zhao Tieying chimed in, "If he dares to fire you, then take it. As long as we do our job well, we deserve our wages."

Looking at the two of them, Zhao Hong felt a warmth in her heart and nodded, saying, "Oh, Zhou Yan, I'll do whatever you say. I'm just not good with words, and I don't know if I'll offend the guests."

"There's no need to be too enthusiastic, just have a smile on your face," Zhou Yan reassured her. "Sister-in-law, don't be too nervous. Our little restaurant doesn't have that many rules."

“That’s right, I’ll teach you all of this. I’ve memorized everything Zhou Yan told me these past two days. Let me show you around the restaurant first…” Zhao Tieying pulled Zhao Hong toward the kitchen and began her teaching session.

Zhou Yan was happy to have some free time, so she carried the ingredients into the kitchen and got busy.

The noodle shop's business has clearly picked up this morning. We sold forty-eight bowls of noodles. Without Wang Laowu causing trouble, we've started to build a regular customer base through word of mouth.

Of course, even the leaders of the textile factory couldn't eat noodles that cost six cents a bowl every day; they could only come every few days to satisfy their cravings.

Zhao Hong doesn't talk much, but she works quickly and efficiently. She has learned from Aunt Zhao and always has a smile on her face. She does everything from serving dishes and clearing tables to washing dishes well and quickly.

"Zhou Yan's noodles must be delicious. All the customers praise them and drink every last drop of the soup." While washing the dishes, Zhao Hong said with a happy face, "Those people in the village are just talking nonsense! Zhou Yan's restaurant is doing very well! Fourth Aunt, you are so lucky."

Zhao Tieying beamed with joy, her lips curving upwards as she said, "Business only picked up these past two days after we switched to selling noodles."

The bricklayers arrived at the shop right on time, and the brick factory's tractor unloaded 300 bricks at the shop's entrance. Other materials were also delivered one after another.

Zhou Yan gestured to the bricklayer about the location of the stove, holding a sketch he had drawn overnight, marking various dimensions.

He planned to build the stove at the entrance of the restaurant, inside the door, near the textile factory gate, so that it would be conspicuous without affecting the entry and exit of guests.

The bricklayers were master craftsmen; they were the ones who built the stoves in Zhou Erwa's restaurant kitchen. Their skills were renowned throughout the surrounding area.

After listening to Zhou Yan's request, he asked Zhou Yan to put down the blueprints and then started working.

……

The factory canteen office was locked.

Wang Defa sat behind his desk with a gloomy expression, looking at the plump woman with wavy hair next to him, and said in a low voice, "Are the accounts all correct?"

“No problem, I checked and revised it all night yesterday, I guarantee I won’t find any problems.” Sun Meili reached out and patted the white dust off Wang Defa’s shoulder, and said with a relaxed smile, “Old Wang, why are you so nervous? Even if you gave Wang seventy times the courage, he wouldn’t dare to betray you.”

"It's hard to say, we should always prepare for the worst." Wang Defa shook his head and asked, "What did Director Zheng say about Wang Laowu and his wife?"

"He'll be detained for a few days, and a fine is inevitable. Gao Tianlei is very stubborn, so Director Zheng can't interfere too much."

Fortunately, no accidents occurred, but since they were found to have used diseased pork, they definitely can't set up a stall at the factory gate anymore. Who would dare to eat noodles there? Sun Meili shook her head with a smile: "This is good for the guy who runs the restaurant at the gate. I saw his business was booming when I went to work this morning; there were quite a few bicycles parked outside."

“Xiao Lei can’t beat me, what can that kid do with a noodle shop? I’ll deal with him later.” Wang Defa waved his hand dismissively, lit a cigarette, and said, “Keep the supply and marketing cooperative delivering meat for now, we’ll deal with it when things calm down.”

“Okay.” Sun Meili nodded, wiggling her plump bottom as she sat on Wang Defa’s lap, wrapping her arms around his neck. “My husband’s away on a business trip, Lao Wang, tonight…”

……

The stove was built in just one day, and the surface was leveled with cement, making it smooth and beautiful... at least that's how it looks nowadays.

The large stove, one meter in diameter, is indeed eye-catching when standing at the entrance.

The stove has been raised, with the rim of the pot a meter off the ground, making it look taller and more convenient to cook beef and offal while standing.

However, the stove cannot be used on the same day it is built; it must be allowed to dry for three days before it can be used.

For the next three days, Zhou Yan spent his spare time teaching his mother how to make braised beef with ribs.

He was in charge of stewing the beef bone broth. If you timed the stewing time of different beef offal just right, the beef brisket would be almost done. It really didn't require much skill.

The secret recipe is all in this pot of soup. Comrade Zhao Tieying is considered a veteran chef in the hot pot world. He can cook beef and tripe, scoop out beef intestines and tendons on time, and control the amount very quickly.

In just three days, she was already capable of handling things independently and managing the stove at the door.

During this time, Zhou Yan also went to Jiazhou city to order a neon signboard, but after receiving a quote, he decisively turned right and bought a bucket of paint and a brush from the supply and marketing cooperative next door.

That evening, Zhou Yan soaked the dried bamboo shoots as usual and took out paint and brushes from the storeroom.

He had already brushed a layer of white lime on the outside side of the stove. He first drew six squares with a pencil to measure the size, then picked up a brush, dipped it in red paint, and directly wrote the six characters "Zhou Ji Qiaojiao Beef".

It is square and neat, yet the strokes are quite powerful.

Then Zhou Yan switched to a fine brush and used black ink to briefly write a few sentences about the origin and effects of Qiaojiao beef.

The story highlights an elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctor surnamed Luo who cooked medicine in a suspended pot. He added Chinese herbs to the beef offal soup and discovered that the soup was not only delicious but also had the effect of preventing and treating diseases. Customers flocked to the restaurant, and since there were no seats, customers who ate standing up would often put one foot on the crossbeam under the table, hence the name "Qiaojiao Beef" (meaning "staggered-foot beef").

That's right, this is the simple signboard that Zhou Yan made, which also serves as an advertisement.

Whether this story can truly resonate with textile factory workers and change the perception of hot pot as a low-end dish remains to be seen.

Of course, this isn't made up; it's a legitimate family tradition.

Furthermore, Comrade Zhou Miao has already confirmed that drinking a bowl of hot beef offal soup when you catch a cold does indeed have the effect of dispelling cold.

After packing his things away, Zhou Yan took a cold shower and went back to his warm bed early. He pulled a wooden box out from under the bed and began to count his savings.

The noodle shop's business has stabilized over the past three days. In addition to textile factory workers, people from the town also come to try the noodles. They can sell out 100 bowls of noodles every day, and their income is very stable.

After deducting the 71.2 yuan cost of building the stove, he now has 173.8 yuan in savings.

The wooden box contained stacks of banknotes tied with rubber bands, mainly one-jiao, two-jiao, and one-yuan notes, with only two "Great Unity" notes.

Compared to when he first arrived with only 3 yuan, 8 jiao, and 7 fen, he now feels much more secure.

Although he still owes a lot of debt, he is confident that he can pay it all off within three months.

He's a poor guy with a future now!

After recording the expenses, Zhou Yan shrank back into bed and glanced at the dashboard before going to sleep:
[Player: Zhou Yan]

Occupation: Chef

[Wealth Points: -556.52]

[Professional Skills]:
Knife skills (intermediate): 9964/10000 (Your knife skills are sufficient for most dishes)

Cooking skill (intermediate): 2468/10000 (poor, still needs practice)

Seasoning (Intermediate): 2695/10000 (Please be gentle with the salt).

Eloquence (Advanced): 88889/100000 (Like a pig pushing a curtain – all talk and no action)

[Mastering the Dishes]:
Double Pepper Beef Noodles (Premium): 99999/100000
Braised Beef Noodles (Premium): 99999/100000
Braised Pork Ribs Noodles (Premium): 99999/100000
Pickled Cabbage (Premium): 99999/100000
Braised Beef with Pork Belly (Premium): 99999/100000
Steamed Rice in a Steamed Pot (Premium): 99999/100000
Cucumber Salad (Intermediate): 1871/10000
……

Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded)
Main Quest: Become a Master Chef! Become Famous Worldwide!

[Wealth Mall]: Unlocked when wealth value reaches 1000.

With improvements in knife skills, cooking techniques, and seasoning, wealth is trending positive, and everything is thriving!
……

As soon as it was dawn, Mr. Zhou went out early to buy groceries.

Today he ordered the intestines and tripe from the cow his dad slaughtered, ten pounds of beef tendon, and two extra pounds of hanging tenderloin.

Even if we're not sure we'll sell out, we need to make a strong impression on the first day. Any leftovers can be given to customers to try that evening, to establish sales channels and build a good reputation.

Now that his wallet is fuller, he can afford a certain amount of initial investment, and he has more marketing options available.

Beef offal and beef tendon cost 30 cents per pound, a total of 30 pounds. His father calculated it for him at cost price, and Zhou Yan didn't stand on ceremony. He would just give Old Zhou some of his savings when he made money.

The cost of beef offal, beef, and Chinese medicine is around 15 yuan, with firewood and seasonings costing extra.

Even if he loses everything, he can afford it.

However, once a good reputation is established, the profit margin for braised beef can be much higher than that for noodles, and the service speed is also fast enough.

A bowl of "Qiaojiao Beef" is priced at 0.6 yuan. One bowl contains three liang of beef offal and two qian of beef, with the cost of the meat being 0.12 yuan. Including Chinese medicine, seasonings, and wood, the cost does not exceed 0.2 yuan.

The gross profit margin can reach 60%, which is higher than that of noodles.

However, this money was not easy to earn.

Comrade Zhou got up at three o'clock to slaughter the cow, and Aunt Zhao was cleaning and processing the offal on the banks of the Qingyi River at four-thirty. After taking it back to the restaurant, it had to be washed again with well water.

“Other places usually sell Su Ji’s soup pot for two or three cents, and Zhou Jie’s price of four cents is considered high. You’re selling it for six cents. Can you really sell it at that price?” Zhao Tieying stood by the stove, watching Zhou Yan put beef bones into the big iron pot, and said with some worry.

(End of this chapter)