1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 23 If anyone says your cooking is bad in the future...

Zhao Dong had been thinking about this for a while, and after eating the perfect Zhenzi rice today, he couldn't help but imagine how delicious it would be to mix rice with minced beef and double peppers.

Upon hearing this, the customers in the shop all looked at Zhou Yan.

Noodles are good for breakfast, but it's more reassuring to eat a proper meal for lunch and dinner.

Zhou Yan's braised pork ribs and beef are really delicious, and the shredded beef is definitely a great dish to eat with rice. If the price isn't too high, it would be wonderful for two or three people to share a meal.

The canteen's special meals aren't cheap, but there are still about a hundred people eating there every day.

The textile factory was profitable, and the wages of senior workers and managers were not low. There were many people like Zhao Dong who were willing to spend money on food.

"Soon. Once the beef stew is stable, we'll start preparing to cook and stir-fry the dishes," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

This was also part of his plan, but the problem now is that he's too busy to handle it all. He's the only one who can make the noodles, and it's difficult for his sister-in-law to take over in a short time.

Once the beef stew business stabilizes, he will switch to selling noodles in the morning, so that he can sell stir-fries and braised dishes at noon and in the evening, making the restaurant truly deserving of its name.

The limit for selling noodles is sixty yuan a day, while the limit for stir-fried dishes is much higher.

Zhou Yan's target customers were very clear: the people who ate stir-fries in the factory canteen and the customers of the Suji State-run Restaurant.

The customers who raided the factory canteen were digging up Wang Defa's roots, and he was happy to do it.

He still remembers the grudge of Xiao Zhou jumping into the river.

“Okay, if you sell stir-fries, I won’t eat stir-fries at the factory canteen anymore.” Zhao Dong nodded, then complained in a low voice, “Since your master stopped cooking, the stir-fries have gotten worse every day.”

"Okay, you guys eat first, I'm going to get busy." Zhou Yan said and went into the kitchen.

Zhao Dong was a loyal customer of the factory canteen's stir-fries, eating there twice every three days. He used to love ordering his master's stir-fried crispy intestines and stir-fried liver and kidneys. Even he started to dislike the stir-fries. Wang Defa was not popular.

Xiao Zhou's mentor, Xiao Lei, is the only Level 2 chef in the factory canteen, and was previously the head chef of the canteen.

Don't underestimate Level 2; in Suji Town, this is considered a top-notch chef specializing in red-cooked dishes.

Another level-two chef works as the head chef at a state-run restaurant.

Wang Defa demoted his master to a lowly position, which is no different from laying off key employees.

It was only because the individual economy had just been liberalized at that time that people still valued their work in state-owned factories; otherwise, his master would definitely not have been able to stand the humiliation.

Zhou Yan had considered poaching his master, a second-level chef skilled in hot dishes, who had established an authoritative image among the textile factory employees over the years. With that, Zhou Erwa's restaurant business would definitely see a spiral of growth.

This wasn't just undermining the foundation; they completely hollowed out the foundation of the factory canteen.

However, he soon realized a problem: his parents didn't know his cooking skills, and he could use what he learned from his master to cover up many things.

But his master knew his limitations all too well.

When Xiao Zhou wanted to open this restaurant, his master tried to dissuade him three times, each time with harsher words than the last.

Unfortunately, good advice is useless against a damned devil; Xiao Zhou simply wouldn't listen and was reckless.

This incident nearly drove Xiao Lei to his death with anger, leaving behind the following words:
"If anyone ever says your cooking is bad, you're not allowed to say you're my apprentice!"

They almost expelled Xiao Zhou from the sect.

Later, when Zhou Erwa's restaurant opened, his master only sent a red envelope through someone else and never came to the restaurant.

If Zhou Yan were to invite his master, he simply couldn't explain the various dishes he had suddenly mastered, or the leapfrog improvement in his seasoning and cooking skills.

This idea has to be abandoned for now.

After the last customer paid and left, Zhao Tieying eagerly went into the kitchen and looked at Zhou Yan, who was stir-frying vegetables, and said, "We sold thirty servings of braised beef today! It cost 18 yuan in total!"

The opening of Qiaojiao Beef went much more smoothly than she had imagined. When she used to sell hot pot, a bowl cost 25 cents and she would sell 20 or 30 bowls a day. After working hard, she would earn 6 or 7 yuan a day, and after deducting all the costs, she was lucky if she could make 2 or 3 yuan.

This is thanks to the reputation and loyal customers built up over the years; only during the peak winter season can we sell so much.

Today was the first time their restaurant had sold braised beef, and at a high price of six mao a bowl, they actually sold thirty servings!
Zhao Tieying felt a little dizzy, and even holding the money in her hand felt unreal.

"The guests all say it's delicious. Zhou Yan's braised beef is really excellent!" Zhao Hong came in carrying a bowl, her face also beaming.

"This is just the beginning. Business will be even better in the future." Zhou Yan smiled as he plated the stir-fried vegetables. With Lin Zhiqiang's tasting, the popularity of the braised beef was exactly what he expected.

Besides the braised beef, they also sold 32 bowls of noodles at noon today, only 4 fewer than yesterday. This dispelled Zhou Yan's worries; the good sales of the braised beef didn't affect the noodle sales, which meant pure profit.

After lunch, Zhou Yan moved a bamboo recliner to the tree by the door, lay down, and enjoyed the cool autumn breeze.

"Brother, have some Dingding candy." Zhou Momo came up to him, stood on tiptoe, held up her chubby little hand, and put a piece of candy to his mouth.

Zhou Yan opened his mouth to take it, smiled, and reached out to pat her head: "Good girl."

"Hehe." The little guy grinned: "My sister-in-law said that Huihui and Fanwa won't have class tomorrow, so they're coming to play with me."

"So, what are your plans for showing them around?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Huihui and Fanwa are the two sons of Zhao Hong, the eldest sister-in-law. The older one is fifteen years old and in the third year of junior high school, while the younger one is seven years old and has just started elementary school.

According to seniority, they should call Zhou Momo "Auntie" because she is the youngest, so they usually call her "Youngest Auntie".

"I took them to play on the seesaw, hopscotch, and the seesaw!" Zhou Momo listed them off on her fingers as if they were old friends. "I also know a really fun secret spot!"

"Then Momo will still be the youngest aunt, she knows so many fun things." Zhou Yan smiled indulgently.

"That's right!" The little guy became even more proud, turned around and ran to fetch a small stool, placed it next to Zhou Yan's recliner and chatted with him.

"Brother, look, there's a caterpillar on that leaf."

"Hey, look, there's a flock of geese in the sky. Where are they going? Are they coming back for dinner?"

"Pot..."

Zhou Momo is a chatterbox, her head is full of a hundred thousand whys.

Zhou Yan responded with a few words here and there, and listening to her soft, sweet voice, he soon fell asleep.

"Guoguo, Guoguo..." Zhou Momo didn't hear Zhou Yan speak for a while, so she got up, glanced at the sleeping Zhou Yan, and didn't wake him up. Instead, she moved the small stool back and went to play by herself.

……

Textile factory, large conference room.

Lin Zhiqiang sat in the main seat and held a sharing session for the factory's technical backbone, talking about his experience attending a technical conference in Chengdu and some industry information.

Compared to the morning, his condition improved significantly in the afternoon, and his voice became loud and passionate.

"Zhiqiang, that's very well said. Our factory still needs young people like you who understand technology." After the meeting, the old factory director Wang Hongliang and Lin Zhiqiang left the meeting room together.

"Factory Director, you flatter me. Our factory owes its current success to your excellent leadership and management. I only know how to bury myself in technical research," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile.

"If it weren't for your hard work, our factory wouldn't have such good results. I've already submitted your improved and summarized techniques to the Ministry of Light Industry for the technology award selection, and the leaders are very optimistic about them." Wang Hongliang looked at Lin Zhiqiang with admiration in his eyes.

"Thank you, Factory Director. This is not my achievement alone, but the achievement of all the technical staff in the textile factory." Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up upon hearing this. The technical award from the Ministry of Light Industry was a great affirmation for a technician.

"I noticed you were sneezing a lot this morning, but you seemed much better this afternoon. Did you go to the hospital to get your medicine?" Wang Hongliang asked with concern.

"I caught a bit of a chill, but I had a bowl of braised beef at Zhou Erwa's restaurant near the factory gate at noon. I felt much better after sweating it out. It felt more effective than taking medicine." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Factory manager, how about we go get some noodles? Zhou Yan's handmade noodles are amazing, and his braised beef is also very flavorful."

“Zhou Yan is the young man who saved your niece last time, right? But not today, it’s my youngest grandson’s birthday, and he told me to go back for dinner this morning.” Wang Hongliang shook his head and added, “Next time, invite Xiao Meng and the two kids along, and we can have dinner together.”

"Okay." Lin Zhiqiang replied with a smile, helped Wang Hongliang push the bicycle out of the shed, watched him ride away, and then walked towards the factory gate.

The braised beef with pork belly at noon was indeed very effective in dispelling the cold, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been able to hold this meeting today. I'll have another bowl tonight to consolidate the effect.

"Uncle Lin, you've arrived." Zhou Yan was playing with Zhou Momo at the restaurant entrance when he saw Lin Zhiqiang approaching and greeted him with a smile.

"Xiao Zhou, your braised beef skewers have been a huge help to me today," Lin Zhiqiang said with a hearty laugh.

Lin Zhiqiang ate a bowl of braised beef and drank two bowls of soup before turning around and going to the cafeteria to pack food for his two children to take home.

According to him, children don't need to eat so well as they are growing, but they need to be full, with meat and vegetables.

He really is his biological father.

Zhou Yan watched Lin Zhiqiang's retreating figure and couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother, when will Sister Yao Yao come to eat noodles again?" Zhou Momo tugged at his clothes, her chubby little face full of anticipation.

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(End of this chapter)