1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 265 Sister Yao Yao, you're such a kind person! (Two chapters combined)

The filling was stir-fried and spread out to cool in a large enamel basin. Zhou Yan glanced at the alarm clock on the stove next to him; his efficiency had improved again compared to yesterday.

On the second day after the steamed buns were launched, we had to be alert and prepared.

If He Ermao is not allowed to experience the benefits of the textile factory, and suffers repeated setbacks, he will naturally give up.

Unlike general merchandise, steamed buns have a limited shelf life.

The peak time is before 8 a.m., and once that time is over, it's not as easy to sell anywhere.

After Zhou Yan finished, Old Zhou also got up and came downstairs, looking at Zhou Yan with some doubt: "Why didn't I hear the alarm clock go off?"

"I tucked it into the blanket before going to bed last night so as not to wake the whole family," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"No wonder, I told you you bought a rip-off." Old Zhou nodded. "Then I'll go buy some beef. Is there anything else I can bring back?"

Zhou Yan said, "Zhang Laosan has another piece of pork belly. Can you bring it back on your way? He delivered the meat this morning. I'm planning to stir-fry the toppings and meat sauce in advance so I can make steamed buns later."

"Okay," Old Zhou replied, pushing his bicycle out the door.

Zhou Yan went back to the kitchen and got busy.

When Comrade Zhou brought the meat back, Li Lihua, Zhao Hong, and Zhou Lihui also arrived at the store.

The ribs were already stewing in the pot. Zhou Yan also put the beef in the pot, chopped the beef into pieces and set it aside. He then started preparing to make steamed buns.

"Boss, the dough-making technique you taught me yesterday was really useful. I kneaded the dough last night and left it there, and this morning when I made vegetarian buns for them, they all said they were delicious. The dough wasn't stiff anymore either," Li Lihua said with a smile as she made buns.

"Right? It's actually quite simple, it's all about proportions," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“It sounds simple, but if you hadn’t taught me, I would never have learned it in my entire life.” Li Lihua’s face was filled with gratitude. “I have learned real skills from you.”

Zhao Hong added with a smile, "I also made two baskets of steamed buns this morning, enough for Afei and my in-laws to eat for two days."

"That's great. I'm very happy to see you all so motivated," Zhou Yan said with a smile. Everyone in the restaurant was full of energy, and only when they worked together as a team could they exert even greater strength.

The steamers were set up. Zhou Yan was in charge of rolling out the dough, while Li Lihua and Zhao Hong were in charge of making the buns. Zhou Lihui helped to evenly place the finished buns into the steamers.

Everyone performed their duties, and the efficiency was much higher than yesterday.

It's clear that Zhao Hong put in the effort when she got back. The steamed buns she made today were a significant improvement over yesterday's. She was able to pinch out eighteen pleats, and the buns were also quite plump.

Of course, she is still somewhat inferior to Li Lihua.

Li Lihua's steamed buns now have an extremely high success rate, and she can guarantee that each bun has twenty-two pleats, making them plump and round.

If things continue like this, the two of them will soon be able to take charge of the steamed bun category.

Zhou Yan and his team were working enthusiastically, while He Ermao and Liu Fen also arrived early today, lighting candles and diligently making steamed buns.

Liu Fen had applied some blush today and even rubbed her lips red with red paper, making her look much healthier. She would occasionally glance up at He Ermao, who was rolling out dough across from her, and ask gently, "Is it really going to work today?"

He Ermao said confidently, "Don't worry, I'll make two hundred buns today. I'll start steaming them after the workers come to work. They'll definitely sell out."

"Okay, I believe you." Liu Fen nodded.

"Did Wang Laowu scold you again when he went back yesterday?" He Ermao asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, that's just how he is, it's a habit." Liu Fen lowered her eyes, her voice muffled.

"That bastard! All he does is curse at women, he's not manly at all!" He Ermao said angrily. "You too, you spoil him, you should teach him a lesson."

“I’ve been with him since I was eighteen. I have no parents, and he’s the one who calls the shots in the house. How could I possibly give him a hard time?” Liu Fen said with a somber look in her eyes.

"Sigh, so you're also a person with a tragic fate." He Ermao sighed. "Me too. My mother died when I was three, and my father died when I was eight. I grew up eating food from many families. Later, I learned a craft from my master for three years."

Two years ago, because my master's daughter was bullied, I got into a fight and was locked up for a year. I was also fired from the restaurant and stayed home for several years. Everyone looked down on me, calling me a lazy and useless person.

"Do you think I am?" He Ermao asked, looking at her.

“You…” Liu Fen stared at him blankly, then shook her head: “It doesn’t seem like it.”

“After I came back, I did look for work, but they all said I had been to jail and wouldn’t hire me. Those company canteens and state-run restaurants are all about these things.” He Ermao said quietly, “I only have this one skill. You can’t ask me to do anything else. I’ve been in the village for so long that if Wang Laowu hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known that you can now be a self-employed person and set up a stall to make money.”

"You've had it pretty tough too," Liu Fen said with a hint of pity in her voice.

"It's good as it is now. As long as we work together, I think we'll be able to live a better life soon." He Ermao said with a smile, "I have a skill, and you're hardworking. Working together as a couple makes the work easier."

"Yes." Liu Fen smiled too, a blush creeping onto her face as she lowered her head to continue making steamed buns, seemingly lost in thought.

He Ermao smiled as he looked at her, and the dough in his hand was rolled out into a round sheet by the rolling pin.

Led by Zhou Yan, the steamed bun task force went all out and quickly finished making all 350 steamed buns.

The number of buns that failed today was reduced to only thirty-six, and the quality of the failed buns improved significantly, indicating that the lower limit has been raised.

However, the buns that don't meet the standards are still steamed and served as breakfast at the restaurant, as usual.

Zhao Hong's progress is visible to the naked eye; she is now able to make steamed buns that barely meet Zhou Yan's requirements.

This is truly remarkable for a novice who has only been making this dish three times.

It's tough on Fei Ge and the old man; they'll probably have to eat vegetarian buns for a long time to come.

"Brother Yan!"

"elder brother!"

Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen arrived early again.

He called for help, went inside to look for Zhou Momo, but after looking around and finding no one there, he ran back to the stove.

"Brother Yan, is little Momo still sleeping in?" Lin Jingxing asked, looking up.

“Yes, they’re still sleeping in.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

As the weather gets colder, it's becoming increasingly difficult for the little one to get out of bed.

"Then give this to her when she gets up. It was sent to us by her grandfather." Lin Jingxing took out a box of chocolates from his pocket and handed it to Zhou Yan.

"I didn't eat either. I saved my portion for Momo," Lin Bingwen said, trying to take credit.

"Okay, I'll give it to her later." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. One box of these imported chocolates would be enough for them to eat steamed buns for a month.

Sister Meng is still particular.

Meng Anhe and Xia Yao entered the room chatting and laughing. They sat down at the table by the stove and said with a smile, "Xiao Zhou, we're here to eat steamed buns again."

“Sister Meng can come anytime. What about Uncle Lin?” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“He went on a business trip. He left yesterday at noon and probably won’t be back until tonight,” Meng Anhe said.

"Zhou Yan, I want to go to Jiaozhou to buy some things tomorrow. My aunt said she's going to take your measurements tomorrow. Can I ride in your car?" Xia Yao asked him.

Today she wore a brown woolen short coat, a black turtleneck sweater underneath, black wide-leg pants, and black Mary Jane shoes. Her long hair was simply tied in a ponytail, making her look stylish and capable.

Since the internship position didn't come with factory uniforms, Xia Yao didn't have to wear the drab factory uniforms, making her one of the few employees in the entire textile factory who could dress as they pleased.

"Of course, no problem. I'll pick you up from your dorm building tomorrow morning." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. If Xia Yao hadn't taken the initiative to talk to Meng Anhe about the house repair, he wouldn't have known how to bring it up with her.

Zhou Yan really needs to thank her for this.

"A new steamed bun shop has opened across the street. Will it affect your business?" Xia Yao asked with concern.

"Yes, they're right across from each other, won't they steal each other's business?" Meng Anhe asked with concern.

Zhou Yan said with a smile, "It doesn't affect me much, but it has a big impact on him. I heard that he steamed two hundred buns in one go yesterday, only sold one, and fed the rest to the pigs."

"Huh? They've all been fed to the pigs?" Meng Anhe and Xia Yao couldn't help but laugh when they heard this. It seemed they had worried too much.

"The steamed buns are ready. I'll serve you two each first, eat them while they're hot." Zhou Yan lifted the lid of the steamer, took two plates, and filled them with eight buns each, placing them on the table. Looking at Xia Yao, he specifically instructed, "From now on, just come and eat the buns, no need to pay. We have some buns that aren't very pretty every day. The first batch you steam can have them for breakfast, as long as you don't mind the buns being ugly." "How could I mind? These buns look perfectly wrapped, why are they considered ugly buns?" Xia Yao looked at the buns on the plate, somewhat puzzled.

"I made most of them, but my skills are still a bit lacking. They're not perfectly round, and some are a little torn. I'm sorry for showing off," Zhao Hong said a little embarrassedly as she brought over a basin to collect the buns.

"Sister, I think you did a great job. If it were me, I wouldn't even be able to make a bun. The bun you made looks delicious," Xia Yao said with a smile.

"Oh my, you're making me blush with praise," Zhao Hong said with a beaming smile.

"It's much better than yesterday, a real improvement," Meng Anhe nodded in agreement.

"Thank you for saying that. I feel much happier now." Zhao Hong smiled even more broadly.

With chopsticks in hand, everyone began to focus on eating the steamed buns.

Across from them, He Ermao looked over and snorted, "I was fooled by him yesterday, but I won't fall for it today. I'll start steaming when he's steaming the second batch, and I'll steam two batches at a time until I sell one before I start steaming the second."

“Yes, we also need to keep a good pace.” Liu Fen nodded in agreement, glanced at the neatly arranged buns in the steamer, and felt much more confident. After thinking for a moment, she asked, “How much will our buns sell for?”

He Ermao said confidently, "We'll definitely sell it for 15 cents. Selling it for 15 cents will earn us 8 or 9 cents, while selling it for 10 cents will only earn us 3 or 4 cents. What's the point of that?"

“That makes sense,” Liu Fen nodded in agreement.

Zhou Yan checked the time and put all four steamers into the pot at once to steam a hundred at a time, preparing to fully meet the workers' needs.

"Sister Yaoyao, beautiful auntie~~"

Xia Yao and the others had almost finished eating when Zhou Momo suddenly poked her little head out from the stairwell and called out in a childish voice.

"MoMo, you got up by yourself?" Xia Yao stood up with a smile, walked to the top of the stairs, and led Zhou MoMo out.

The little guy clearly just woke up, with three question mark-shaped strands of hair sticking up on his head, and wearing a little floral jacket with only one button fastened, and it was even buttoned wrong.

Zhou Momo nodded her little head: "Yes, I got up by myself and even dressed myself. Isn't that amazing?"

"Yeah, that's amazing." Xia Yao said with a smile, bending down to help her unbutton the wrong buttons and then buttoning them all up again.

Meng Anhe looked at her with a smile, and said with a hint of helplessness, "It has to be a daughter. She can dress herself and get up by herself at three and a half years old. These two still ask their mother to find them clothes and help them get dressed when they go to kindergarten."

"MoMo, we brought you some chocolate! It's super delicious chocolate that Grandpa sent us," Lin Jingxing said.

"Mmm." Lin Bingwen, with a steamed bun still stuffed in his mouth, nodded in agreement.

“Here it is.” Zhou Yan took the box of chocolates from the counter and handed it to her.

"Thank you, Jingxing! Thank you, Bingwen!" Zhou Momo hugged the chocolate, her eyes crinkling with laughter. "Thank you, Grandpa!"

"You're welcome!"

Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen were laughing very happily.

Meng Anhe covered her mouth and chuckled: "If your maternal grandfather saw Momo, he would definitely adore her. This little one looks just as cute as you did when you were little. When you were little, your maternal grandfather spoiled you rotten. He couldn't bear to let you walk when you went out. He would either carry you or hold you on his back. You got scolded by your maternal grandmother for this a lot."

“MoMo is so cute, who wouldn’t like her?” Xia Yao nodded in deep agreement.

"Let's go, you two should go to your morning reading class." Meng Anhe got up and led the two brothers away.

"Oh dear, my little darling, you're up now. Wait a minute, I'll skim off this foam and then wash your face and comb your hair," Aunt Zhao said, standing in front of the stove with a long-handled spoon, looking at Zhou Momo.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yao said, "Auntie, let me wash her face and tie her hair. You go ahead with your work."

"I'm so sorry, you still have to go to work." Aunt Zhao quickly shook her head.

"It's okay, I have plenty of time before work. I still have an hour, so I can play with Momo for a while." Xia Yao looked down at Zhou Momo with a smile. "How about I braid your hair into a pretty little braid?"

“Okay, okay!” Zhou Momo nodded without hesitation. “Sister Yao Yao, help me wash my face.”

"Then I'll trouble you." Aunt Zhao smiled and said to Zhou Yan, "Zhou Yan, get some hot water and wring out the towel for Xia Yao."

"Oh," Zhou Yan replied, quickly walking into the backyard and bringing out a washbasin and a small towel specially made for Zhou Momo.

Pour the remaining hot water from the thermos into the basin, pinch a corner of the towel with two fingers and lift it up. Wait for the steam to dissipate slightly before wringing it dry and handing it to Xia Yao.

Xia Yao bent down and carefully wiped the little guy's face and neck clean with a towel.

After washing her face, the little one's eyes brightened, and she turned to Aunt Zhao, saying, "Mommy! Look at her! Sister Yaoyao's face didn't hurt at all when she washed it!!!"

“That means your sister Yaoyao washed it well. You used a squeegee before, so I had to scrub harder,” Aunt Zhao said matter-of-factly.

"Hmph~ I don't believe it." Zhou Momo pouted.

Xia Yao stood to the side, laughing heartily. The little guy was so cute!
"Come on, brush your teeth." Zhou Yan handed her a small toothbrush with toothpaste already squeezed out.

The little guy squatted down under a tree and started brushing his teeth seriously.

This small toothbrush was a gift he brought back for her from the department store in Jiaozhou last time; the supply and marketing cooperative didn't have toothbrushes that small.

After brushing her teeth, Xia Yao wiped the toothpaste foam off her mouth, then sat on the stone bench under the tree with a hair comb and began to comb and braid her hair.

Her movements were light and quick; in no time, she had braided two braids for her, and even braided a few small braids into the stray hairs on her head. As if by magic, she pulled two colorful hair ties from her sleeve and tied them on for her. She then took a small mirror and showed it to Zhou Momo, smiling as she said, "Okay, look at these hair ties, don't you think they look good?"

"Yes, it looks good!" Zhou Momo shook her head, her little braids swaying as she nodded with a smile.

"You're so skillful. You'll definitely be good at taking care of children in the future. You won't have to worry about braiding hair." Aunt Zhao said with a smile, "I used to have short hair and never needed to tie it up or braid it. I only started learning to braid after I gave birth to Zhou Momo. It was really hard to learn."

"She seems to know everything," Zhou Yan said with a smile, looking at Xia Yao.

"Xiao Zhou, are the steamed buns ready yet? I heard your pickled mustard greens and pork buns are really delicious. I came here without even eating any of the porridge I cooked at home this morning." A deep male voice rang out.

Zhou Yan glanced at the alarm clock hanging on the wall and said with a smile, "Director Zhao, you've come at just the right time. Come in and sit down, it'll be ready in three minutes."

"It smells so good! Give me three, please." Zhao Dong parked his bicycle.

"uncle!"

"We want to eat steamed buns too!"

Huang Bing and Huang Ying also arrived on their bicycles, calling out from a few meters away.

"You two, eat up, eat up." Zhao Dong's smile was full of affection.

"Uncle, it's my treat today. Eat as many buns as you want, don't be shy." Huang Bing stopped the car and put his arm around Zhao Dong's shoulder.

"Did you find money on the street?" Zhao Dong looked at him suspiciously.

"I didn't find money, I made money!" Huang Bing laughed. "Don't worry, I earned it myself."

"What's going on?" Zhao Dong asked Huang Ying.

"Yeah, he's made money, but he's become so stingy. He's only willing to treat me to steamed buns." Huang Ying pouted, revealing a hint of disdain.

"That's right. You only realize how hard it is to earn money when you earn it yourself, so of course you have to be careful with your spending," Huang Bing said matter-of-factly.

"If you can say that, then I'll believe you really earned the money yourself." Zhao Dong looked at him with satisfaction. "Alright, then Uncle, try the steamed buns you bought with your own money."

"Come on, come on, I'll treat you to ten!" Huang Bing put his arm around him and walked into the store.

"MoMo, your hair looks so cute today." Huang Ying didn't rush in, but looked at Zhou MoMo with a smile.

Zhou Momo leaned forward, picked up her braid, and said, "Good morning, Sister Yingying~~ My hair was braided by Sister Yaoyao, isn't it beautiful! Look at this hair tie, it's even colorful!"

"Yes, beautiful." Huang Ying nodded, looking at Xia Yao beside her and praising, "Sister Xia Yao, you are so skillful, this braid is so beautiful. And the wool coat you are wearing today is so beautiful, it looks so elegant with the sweater."

"Thank you." Xia Yao smiled slightly and looked at Huang Ying, saying, "Yingying, I feel like you've lost weight again. Your face is smaller than the last time I saw you, and look, your clothes are all loose."

"Really? My weight hasn't changed for days. I was quite upset about it, but hearing you say that makes me much happier." Huang Ying's eyes lit up, and she said, touched, "Sister Yao Yao, you're so kind!"

　I've been quite busy these past few days, but I'll start updating more frequently tomorrow~~ Please vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)