1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 230 You shouldn't get addicted to being a kept man at such a young age (6k-page compilation)

It's not unusual for a Sichuan restaurant to serve steamed dishes; many Sichuan restaurants in Jiaozhou feature steamed dishes as their signature dishes.

During peak hours, when customers order, the food is served directly from the steamer or slightly heated, making it convenient and quick.

This dish isn't so time-sensitive; it all needs to be prepared in advance.

They prepare elaborate dishes for their outdoor banquets, such as savory and sweet braised pork belly, and they have to start preparing a day in advance to make it successful.

However, does Zhou Yan know how to make steamed dishes?

I did teach him in the cafeteria, but I don't think he ever actually did it himself.

“That’s right, I plan to start with braised pork belly. This is the dish I learned the most from you in the cafeteria, and I’ve been studying it for a while since I came back.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, just to get the job done first.

“That works too. The salted pork belly in the cafeteria used to sell quite well.” Xiao Lei nodded. “Later, Liu Erpangzi is in charge of steaming the dishes. His salted pork belly doesn’t taste quite right. If you can make it well, you can definitely win over the customers who like salted pork belly.”

"Master, where did you buy your bean sprouts?" Zhou Yan asked.

The essence of braised pork belly lies not in the meat, but in the pickled mustard greens that are placed on top.

The quality of the bean sprouts can be said to determine the quality of a dish of braised pork belly with salt.

The bean sprouts his master used were of very high quality, full of flavor and with a great texture.

Xiao Lei smiled and said, "You know a thing or two. I got these sprouts from Old Man Huang in Jiaozhou. It's at No. 16 Yutang Street. There's a small sign hanging at the door that says 'Selling Sprouts.' Knock on the door before it opens and say you're my apprentice."

Old Huang's hometown is Yibin. His family's recipe makes the pickled mustard greens much more fragrant than ours. The price is what I negotiated with him: three cents a pound. He usually sells them to others for four or three and a half cents. A serving of salted braised pork belly doesn't cost that much.”

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

This is the advantage of having a mentor; you can even inherit the food supply chain and save yourself the trouble of negotiating prices.

Xiao Lei continued, "For the steamer, go to Hu Tianlei, the bamboo craftsman on the front street. His steamers are sturdy and durable, and they come in all sizes. You can also have one custom-made to your needs. If there are any minor problems later, you can ask him for help with repairs; just pay him a little for his labor."

If you're going to make steamed dishes, you'll definitely be adding more than just one savory braised pork belly dish later. You'll probably want to add sweet braised pork belly, steamed pork with rice flour, and other dishes. You might as well buy a larger steamer and steam more at once, so you don't have to switch to a larger steamer later, and the small one won't be useful.

“Okay, I’ll go straight to the big steamer.” Zhou Yan nodded, wanting to hear the master’s experience, and added, “Master, can you teach me how to make steamed pork with rice flour and steamed pork intestines with rice flour later? One steamed dish can’t stand alone.”

“We usually start preparing steamed dishes the afternoon before. Next time we have a banquet in Suji, you can come and learn after you finish your work at noon. You can learn as you go, and you’ll learn faster,” Xiao Lei said.

Zheng Qiang nodded in deep agreement: "The more you do, the faster you learn. I'm almost a master of the 'Three Steamed and Nine Braised' technique now."

"Okay! I'll definitely come next time." Zhou Yan nodded; this was indeed the fastest way to learn how to steam dishes.

Learning more recipes is essential for building up the technical skills needed to open a restaurant in Jiaozhou.

Jiaozhou is different from Suji. There are so many Sichuan restaurants and so many master chefs. If you want to stand out, you have to be highly competitive.

When the restaurant opens in Jiaozhou, he hopes that customers will look at the menu and see that he has several signature dishes for each of the four types of dishes: braised dishes, stir-fried dishes, steamed dishes, and cold dishes.

Guests arrived one after another, but Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang didn't leave. They still took on the responsibility of preparing the two dishes: stir-fried pork liver and braised cabbage with pork cracklings.

In his master's words, he was consolidating his strength.

Zhou Yan observed it carefully.

Every dish of stir-fried pork liver that his master cooked at noon today received a "perfect" rating.

Sure enough, once that hurdle was overcome and confidence returned, the dishes I cooked gained a new soul.

After closing at noon, Xiao Lei took off his apron and came out of the kitchen. He said to Zhou Yan, "I was just planning to go to Jiaozhou to buy spices and ingredients. Do you want to come with me? I know a few places that sell good Sichuan peppercorns and Erjingtiao peppercorns at reasonable prices. I'll take you to know the places, and you can pick them up yourself next time."

“Go! I definitely have to go!” Zhou Yan nodded decisively, went upstairs to change his clothes, put the wallet Xia Yao had given him into the inner pocket of his clothes, went downstairs and pushed his bicycle out the door.

A seasoned chef's experience includes mastering the food supply chain, and knowing how to select ingredients is an essential introductory lesson for chefs specializing in the Kong school of cooking.

His master is preparing to give him a lesson!
Zhou Yan can perform appraisals, but he may not be able to find ingredients hidden in the streets and alleys.

For hosting a banquet in the open air, a large amount of spices are needed, so we have to go and buy them every one or two weeks.

Zheng Qiang also rode along on his bicycle; he was mainly responsible for transporting the goods.

As a partner in the "Da Ba Yan" (a type of outdoor banquet) business, Zheng Qiang is learning by doing and is growing rapidly.

On the way, Zheng Qiang excitedly told Zhou Yan, "My master and I have already discussed it. Once I've finished my apprenticeship, we'll bring our kitchen helpers and start our own businesses. On good days, when several restaurants want to hire us, we can take on two jobs at the same time, earning double the money and expanding our business!"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Great! I think you'll soon become the number one rural chef team in Jiaozhou! Whenever someone holds a large banquet, you'll be the first person they think of."

"With my master's culinary skills, we are undoubtedly number one now," Zheng Qiang said confidently.

"Don't be arrogant. New talents emerge in every generation. Who knows, one day an even more skilled chef will come out and start making banquets on the open ground," Xiao Lei said calmly.

The three chatted idly along the way and rode their bikes to Jiaozhou.

Xiao Lei took Zhou Yan to the dried goods market in the south of the city. As they strolled around, he explained the ins and outs of each dried goods and seasoning shop: "The peppercorns from that shop we just visited were genuine Hanyuan peppercorns, and the quality has always been good. The owner is skilled at preserving peppercorns; I've been using theirs for the past few years—they're spicy and flavorful. However, their chili peppers aren't as good; the quality isn't as good as the ones from Old Sun's shop earlier. You need to be careful when dealing with these shop owners, and pay attention when choosing chili peppers..."

Zhou Yan listened with great interest.

This small dry goods market, with its rows of small shops, somehow acquired a touch of the local underworld and street life under the master's narration.

The boss and the chef complement each other, but also engage in backstabbing and intrigue.

“Master, I think this shop’s Erjingtiao tea is even better than Sun Laowu’s.” Zhou Yan paused, his gaze falling on a small basket of Erjingtiao tea displayed at the shop next door.

A basket of extremely good dried Erjingtiao tea leaves.

They had previously reviewed Sun Laowu's Erjingtiao tea and rated it as "very good".

“How could that be? Old Sun’s dried chilies are the best in this market.” Xiao Lei walked over confidently, picked up a Erjingtiao chili, examined it, broke it open, smelled it, pinched off a bit, and chewed it carefully.

Xiao Lei's expression became noticeably more serious. He picked up a handful of dried chilies, examined them, and nodded, saying, "Sun Laowu's are indeed not as good as this. This one is better. It's very fragrant, and the spiciness isn't too prominent. It's a very standard dried Erjingtiao chili."

Zheng Qiang's expression was slightly strange: "Uncle-Master, what about those dried Erjingtiao peppers we just bought in the basket..."

"It's alright. Sun Laowu's is just not as good as this one, it doesn't mean it's bad. We'll buy another five catties of this Erjingtiao pepper and mix it in. We'll buy this one next time." Xiao Lei said calmly, "Sun Laowu's other peppers are still good. Look at this Shizhu Red pepper, the outer shell is dull in color and a bit damp when you squeeze it, it's not as good as the ones we just bought."

Zhou Yan took a few steps forward, then turned back and said, "Master, look at this shop's Shizhu Red tea, the second pack over there."

Xiao Lei walked over, picked up a red chili pepper from the stone pillar, examined it closely, broke it open, and smelled it. His expression became somewhat subtle.

"This Shizhu Red Hard is quite good, fragrant and spicy." He looked up at Zhou Yan, then at the somewhat unfamiliar shop owner, and smiled, "Master Zhou, are you here to give me a masterclass?"

Zhou Yan looked innocent and spread his hands, saying, "Master, why are you talking like that? I just thought this stone pillar looked red and bright, and it felt a bit peaceful, so I called you over to take a look. Isn't this all what you taught me?"

Zheng Qiang pursed his lips, trying to stop himself from laughing.

Xiao Lei smiled and shook his head, a mixture of relief and helplessness in his expression.

Originally, I planned to bring Zhou Yan to buy dried goods today, and also give him a lesson on how to choose high-quality dried goods, and pass on the connections I've built up over the years.

Unexpectedly, he taught me a lesson.

The selected miscellaneous workers were all excellent, even more so than those he had chosen.

What can we do?

After all, he's his own apprentice, and he even said that he taught him.

Pride is the only thing that matters.

Xiao Lei looked at the shop owner and said, "Boss, how much do you sell these stone pillar red ones for? We run a restaurant and hold banquets there. We use a lot of them and need them regularly. Can you give us a discount?"

“Master Xiao, I know you. If you want it, I’ll give it to you at the price that Sun Laowu and his family charge.” The owner was a slightly chubby young man who lowered his voice and said with a smile, “You’re a master. You can tell at a glance whether something is good or not. My Shizhu Red is definitely the best in the market. I have special channels for getting supplies. They can’t get such good quality.”

"Okay, pack me five pounds, I'll come back for more later." Xiao Lei nodded and added, "As long as the quality is the same, I'll get from you."

"Why don't you take a look at my Sichuan peppercorns? They're red Sichuan peppercorns from Hanyuan. I personally went to Qingxi Town in Hanyuan this year to collect them and dry them. They're incredibly fragrant and odorless, purely numbing without being bitter—absolutely delicious!" The shopkeeper opened the bag next to him and said with a smile, "My shop has only been open for half a year, and I don't have many regular customers yet. If you want some, I'll give you a price that's five cents cheaper than other shops."

Zhou Yan leaned over and took a look:
A bag of exceptionally good Hanyuan red Sichuan peppercorns

"These peppercorns look good, and they smell quite fragrant," Zhou Yan said.

Xiao Lei grabbed a small handful, examined it in his palm, then brought it to his nose to smell it, and nodded, saying, "It's alright, then let's take five jin."

"Okay, I'll weigh it for you!" The shopkeeper nodded with a smile.

Zhou Yan said, "Weigh some for me separately too: five catties of Shizhu Red pepper and five catties of Sichuan pepper."

"You weren't together?" the boss asked, somewhat surprised.

Zhou Yan said, "My name is Zhou Yan, and I own a restaurant. This is my master."

Upon hearing this, the boss suddenly realized: "Oh, Master Xiao's apprentice! Hello, hello, my name is Wan Hao, but everyone calls me Fatty Wan. I'll pack it for you right away."

If you know how to choose, the quality of dried goods in this market is indeed much higher than that of the Suji Supply and Marketing Cooperative.

The dried goods from supply and marketing cooperatives are generally stored for a long time, and their quality varies. Today's trip wasn't in vain; Zhou Yan managed to select quite a few dried goods and seasonings that restaurants could use.

After a round of shopping, Zhou Yan's two backpacks on the back were already full.

The stable supply chain that Xiao Lei has built up over the years has somehow managed to whitewash Zhou Yan's reputation.

“New talents emerge in every generation. There are more and more young people starting their own businesses. Some of them have the skills and resources to get good spices and dried goods, and they pay generous prices.” Xiao Lei said with some emotion, “It seems that I should visit other stores more often in the future to try and find some good stuff.”

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Master has a good eye; I bought quite a few good items today."

"No, no, Master Zhou has a good eye. I've bought a lot of good stuff from you." Xiao Lei shook his head and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "You should guide me more in the future, so I don't end up buying all sorts of junk."

Zhou Yan nodded: "Okay, I'll call you again next time."

“Take note, Master Zhou has a good eye; he picks the perfect one every time,” Xiao Lei said to Zheng Qiang.

Zheng Qiang: ?
Okay, as long as he doesn't act ambiguously.

After buying most of their dried goods, the three of them went to Yutang Street and found number sixteen. A small wooden sign hung on the door, with the words "Selling Sprouts" written in charcoal.

The wooden sign was only the size of a palm, and the carbon marks were already blurred; you couldn't see them at all unless you looked closely.

Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow; this didn't seem like the way one would conduct business.

The gate was ajar. Xiao Lei propped up his bike, went up to the gate, and called out, "Old Huang! Are you home?!"

"At home, Stone, come in." An old voice rang out in the courtyard.

"Zheng Qiang, you keep an eye on the stuff," Xiao Lei said to Zheng Qiang. There were hundreds of yuan worth of spices in their three cars.

“Okay.” Zheng Qiang nodded with a smile. He had come here with Xiao Lei several times before and knew the place well, so it didn’t matter whether he went in or not.

Zhou Yan followed his master through the door. As soon as he entered, he was greeted by the aroma of sprouts. The courtyard was small, and an old man with gray hair was weaving a bamboo basket. He looked to be over seventy years old, with deep wrinkles on his face and rough hands holding the bamboo strips, covered with old scars of all sizes. He looked up at them and smiled, "Shitou, you're here."

"Yes, I came to buy dried goods today, and I also came to ask you to bring back some bean sprouts." Xiao Lei nodded, and then introduced, "This is my apprentice, Zhou Yan."

Old Huang looked Zhou Yan up and down and said with a smile, "This young man is quite handsome."

“He now runs his own restaurant and also needs bean sprouts. I brought him here to familiarize himself with the place so it will be convenient for him to come and buy them himself next time,” Xiao Lei said with a smile.

Old Huang was somewhat surprised upon hearing this: "You're so young and you've already opened your own restaurant? You're really promising at such a young age."

"In response to national policies, I opened a small restaurant and became a self-employed individual," Zhou Yan said.

“That’s good. The policies are good now, and young people are bold and willing to take risks. They’re sure to make something of themselves.” Old Huang nodded. “Wait for me a moment. I need to pack up this place so I don’t lose track of where to start.”

"Go ahead and do it, we're not in a hurry." Xiao Lei sat down on the chair next to him and casually asked, "Is Auntie setting up a street stall again?"

Old Huang grinned and said, "How else can we do it? We need someone to sell the baskets and bean sprouts. My second son can't go to work, so we're thinking of earning more money for him to save so that he'll have food to eat after we're gone."

Xiao Lei sat up a little straighter. "Huang Erwa still doesn't want to go out? So many years have passed, and he still hasn't gotten over it?"

"There's nothing I can do. I can't sleep well at night. I have nightmares every time I try to sleep. I can only sleep during the day with the doors and windows open." Old Huang sighed, with a hint of helplessness. "Forget it, it's good enough that I came back alive. Even after I've had enough sleep, I still get up every day to help us move some things and do some chores."

After chatting for a while, Old Huang finished packing up his basket, stood up with his hand against the wall, patted the dust off his clothes, and walked towards the house next door.

As soon as I opened the door, a strong aroma of bean sprouts wafted out.

Turn on the light, and you'll see hundreds of large ceramic jars lying upside down in the big room, arranged neatly.

These pottery jars vary in size and appear to be from different eras.

Old Huang stood at the door, his back straightening a bit, and pointed to the jars inside, saying, "I have three cellars, where the sprouts are stored for one to three years. This cellar contains this year's and last year's produce."

The fermentation process of pickled mustard greens is a special technique. The pickled mustard greens I make are all made from my own homegrown Erpingzhuang greens, which have broad and thick stems, thick petioles, and tender and crisp texture.

The vegetable seeds are all from Yibin, so the flavor of my pickled mustard greens is different from those made by other families in Jiaozhou; they taste better.

Xiao Lei said, "Three years is a bit too long, and one year is a bit lacking in flavor. Old Huang, can you give me ten catties of two-year-old?"

“Alright, you’re the chef, so you decide. But if you ask me, older jars taste better.” Old Huang nodded with a smile, then led them to another room and carefully placed a jar on its side.

The mouth of the jar was sealed with multiple layers of salted vegetable leaves and tied tightly with straw rope.

After untying the rope and removing the leaves, Old Huang reached into the jar and grabbed a handful of sprouts.

Zhou Yan looked closely and saw that the sprouts were brownish-yellow, glossy, with uniform roots and a sweet aroma.

A jar of exceptionally high-quality bean sprouts.

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. It had to be his master who could find such high-quality sprouts.

If it were him, he would never have imagined that such high-quality sprouts could be hidden in this ordinary little courtyard.

"Look, this is good bean sprouts. The color is very pleasing to the eye, brownish-yellow, and the surface looks moist. Because it is fermented with red soup, the flavor is more mellow and sweet.

"If there are no leafy greens or old stems, just slice them into pieces about the thickness of chopsticks. We can chop them finer ourselves when we need them," Xiao Lei said, picking up a piece of bean sprout and explaining to Zhou Yan.

“Yes, it’s really good.” Zhou Yan nodded.

Speaking of bean sprouts, Old Huang's face lit up: "The bean sprouts from Yibin are the best in the world. My skills are just average in Yibin."

Not only is it essential for savory braised pork belly, but Yibin-style spicy noodles are also soulless without pickled mustard greens. And if you add a handful of finely chopped pickled mustard greens when stir-frying twice-cooked pork, the flavor is absolutely divine.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly, agreeing that the braised pork with pickled mustard greens was indeed a good idea. He said, "I'll take ten catties of these pickled mustard greens too."

Since we're already here, we certainly can't go back empty-handed.

Go back and buy a steamer, then we can make a batch of salted braised pork belly for trial sale tomorrow.

In a couple of days, Mr. Song will be hosting a banquet for his comrades-in-arms. We can add a steamed dish to make the meal more varied.

"Alright, I'll still charge you three cents a pound," Old Huang said with a smile, taking two woven bags and packing the bean sprouts for them.

Zhou Yan took out his wallet, pulled out three yuan, and handed it over.

Xiao Lei took out a cloth wallet from his pocket, paid the bill, and carrying the bean sprouts, he saw Zhou Yan's shiny black leather wallet and said with a smile, "Oh my, Master Zhou is using a leather wallet now. He looks very comfortable."

"Let me touch it," Zhou Yan said with a smile, handing over his wallet. "A friend gave it to me."

"Hmm, the leather is so soft, it's a Shanghai brand wallet." Xiao Lei held it in his hand for a while, then laughed, "Which friend is so generous as to give you such a high-end wallet?"

"A Shanghai brand leather wallet, it's not cheap." Zheng Qiang took the sprouts from Xiao Lei and tied them to the back seat, looking equally curious.

Zhou Yan smiled slightly: "A beautiful lady."

"Beautiful lady? Junior brother, you've really hooked up with a rich woman?" Zheng Qiang asked in shock.

"Teacher Zhou, you're so young, you can't afford to be a kept man," Xiao Lei earnestly advised.

“Exactly, we can’t sleep well at night if you do this.” Zheng Qiang nodded in deep agreement.

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "Don't worry, I didn't get to eat a woman's rice, so I'll keep cooking."

As they left Yutang Street and passed Dongda Street, Zhou Yan pointed to the Qiu family's old house and said, "Master, Senior Brother Zheng, I've bought this house. I'm planning to invite relatives and friends for a meal during the New Year. Please invite your wife, sister-in-law, and the kids too."

"Crench!"

The screech of brakes sounded.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang looked at the big house on the street, then stared at Zhou Yan in shock, exclaiming in unison, "What did you say?!"

Zhou Yan also stopped the car and said with a smile, "I said I bought this house, and I'll invite you guys over for dinner later. I might even ask you to help me cook a meal."

"What do you mean you bought this house? Does that mean this house is yours? You bought such a big house in such a good location in Jiaozhou City?" Xiao Lei was a little confused. Wasn't this kid's restaurant about to go bankrupt just over a month ago?
"Translate it." Zheng Qiang nodded in agreement, equally bewildered.

There were no customers in the shop at this time. Qi Laosi came out to have a smoke when he spotted Zhou Yan. He immediately put on a smile and came over: "Landlord, what a coincidence! Come on, have a smoke. Let's discuss the shop matter again."

“I don’t smoke, and that’s definitely not negotiable.” Zhou Yan waved his hand in refusal, his attitude firm. “Qi Laosi, you know I sell braised meat. I’m going to open a restaurant, and I can’t expect you to still be buying braised meat from me.”

Qi Laosi awkwardly tucked the cigarette behind his ear, still unwilling to give up: "Well, you haven't decided when you're coming to open yet. I'll increase your monthly rent to twenty yuan. As soon as you decide to take over and move in, I'll leave immediately."

Zhou Yan laughed and shook his head, saying, "That won't work. People will think I took over your braised food shop and started it, which will ruin my reputation."

Don't say anything more. There's no room for discussion on this. You should focus on finding a shop in the next two months, and move out as soon as the time is up to avoid any further disputes.

After saying that, Zhou Yan called out and rode off on his bike.

Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang glanced at Qi Laosi, whose mouth was moving, and then followed on their bicycles.

The owner of the braised food shop proved that Zhou Yan hadn't lied, and that the house really was his!
“I can read lips, he just insulted your 'fairy board',” Xiao Lei said.

Zheng Qiang nodded: "I don't understand, but I can tell that the insults are very vulgar."

　I'll update now, there will be an extra update tonight!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)