1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 288: It's not kindergarten, it's a literacy class! (6.4k words, combined)

The car is the one used by Jiaozhou Hotel to pick up VIPs. Qian Siyuan rode in this car last time he came.

Zhou Yan waited at the entrance for a while, and sure enough, the car slowly stopped in front of the restaurant.

The back door opened, and Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng got out of the car. Just as they were about to greet Zhou Yan, they covered their mouths and ran to a tree to vomit.

Zhou Yan: "..."

The roads in the countryside are in terrible condition, and it seems the two Hong Kong tycoons are still not quite used to it.

He silently withdrew his outstretched hand and went inside to get cups for the two of them and pour them two glasses of water.

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng vomited up almost all of the shumai they ate that morning before they finally recovered.

"This road is terrible, it made me so nauseous I almost threw up my bile." Yao Licheng sighed, looking utterly hopeless.

"If you want to get rich, build roads first. That's absolutely true." Zhuang Huayu nodded in deep agreement and took out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

What should have been a leisurely and effortless affair is now a hurried and frantic scramble.

The initial momentum of their entrance immediately diminished.

The driver stood awkwardly to the side, realizing he had probably lost out on the tip. He stammered, "Gentlemen, I'll drive slowly on the way back."

"It's alright, it's not your fault, the road was just too bad." Zhuang Huayu waved his hand. "You can park the car up ahead, we're going to eat here later."

"Okay." The driver nodded and went to park the car.

Zhou Yan stepped forward with two enamel cups, smiling and asking with concern, "Mr. Zhuang, are you alright? Have some water and rinse your mouth; it will help."

"Mr. Zhou, you flatter me. The road conditions were a bit terrible. I was fine in the car, but I couldn't help throwing up after getting out." Zhuang Huayu took the water glass and introduced to Zhou Yan, "This is my friend, Mr. Yao Licheng."

"Hello, Mr. Yao." Zhou Yan handed him the water.

Yao Licheng smiled and said, "Hello, Mr. Zhou. The dishes you made yesterday were so delicious and left a deep impression on me."

"You flatter me," Zhou Yan nodded.

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng took water to the side to rinse their mouths, and then drank half a cup of warm water before feeling refreshed and comfortable.

"Please come in and have a seat, I need to make some braised vegetables, I'll be busy for a while," Zhou Yan said, inviting the two of them inside.

"It's alright, you go ahead and do your work, important matters come first." Zhuang Huayu nodded.

Zhou Yan hurriedly walked to the back kitchen. It was time to braise the winter bamboo shoots; he had to quickly turn off the heat, otherwise the taste wouldn't be up to standard.

"This shop isn't very big, how can it earn more than three thousand a month?" Yao Licheng looked at the small restaurant in front of him and said in a low voice.

The signboard was simple, the lobby was dimly lit, and there were more than a dozen square tables, making it look a bit crowded. The floor was smoothed with cement, and the walls were plastered with white lime. There was no design to speak of.

It was nothing like the fancy hotels the government arranged for them after they entered Sichuan; it was just a small roadside restaurant.

Zhuang Huayu also looked around and saw a large stove and two small stoves built on one side of the entrance.

A large pot seemed to be simmering with soup, and the steam escaping through the gaps in the lid carried the rich aroma of beef broth.

On the other side, a steamer basket sat on the stove, steam rising and the aroma of bean sprouts and meat mingling together, making it equally tempting.

The weather is cold, but the aroma of meat and the sight of steaming food make you unconsciously want to move closer.

This is more effective at attracting traffic and generating advertising than a signboard.

“Qiaojiao Beef…” His gaze was drawn to the words written in front of the stove. He looked at them carefully and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? Isn’t this the Qiaojiao Beef that’s on the cover of Sichuan Cuisine magazine? Zhou Yan… That’s right! That young chef’s name is Zhou Yan!”

"Huh?" Yao Licheng looked at him in confusion.

"It's a fairly professional cooking magazine from mainland China, which I've always asked friends to subscribe to for me. Many Sichuan cuisine masters share their cooking techniques in interviews, which are quite informative. I keep a copy in every restaurant so the chefs can read and learn from it," Zhuang Huayu explained.
"This 'Qiaojiao Beef' was the cover photo of the fourth issue of the magazine in 1984. The clear beef soup in that bowl left a deep impression on me. I didn't read the chef's interview carefully, but now that I think about it, the chef's name seems to be Zhou Yan. I said that when I heard his name yesterday, it sounded familiar."

"He's so young and he's already been featured in a magazine interview and on the cover? He's really amazing." Yao Licheng was equally surprised upon hearing this.

"Young and promising, it's a real pity that such a talent cannot be used by me," Zhuang Huayu remarked.

“Such a talented person has the ability to work independently, so why would he submit to someone else?” Yao Licheng said with a smile.

Zhuang Huayu smiled upon hearing this, "That makes sense."

The two walked into the store.

"Please make yourself at home. We have a lot of work to do this morning, and Zhou Yan will be a bit busy. Let me get you some more hot water. Sit down and rest for a while," Zhao Tieying said with a smile as she came out of the kitchen carrying a thermos.

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng only half understood what they were hearing, but they nodded and sat down with smiles.

Aunt Zhao refilled their teacups.

"Thank you, are you a waiter?" Yao Licheng asked casually.

“Yes, I am Zhou Yan’s mother.” Zhao Tieying nodded and placed the thermos on the table.

"Oh, boss lady," Yao Licheng quickly corrected himself.

“Hey, that’s right, the boss’s mother, the boss’s wife,” Zhao Tieying said with a smile.

Yao Licheng and Zhuang Huayu laughed when they heard this. Sichuan people have a kind of inexplicable relaxed feeling about them. Men, women, young and old, are all quite humorous when they open their mouths.

Zhao Tieying added a piece of firewood to the stove and then went to do other things.

Having been a boss's wife for a while, she has seen all sorts of people and is now much more at ease when facing these big bosses, no longer feeling nervous or awkward as before.

No matter if you're a factory director or a town mayor, you still have to pay when you eat at a restaurant. If you eat something delicious, you still have to ask for a refill. No matter how rich you are, your stomach can only hold two bowls of rice.

Zhou Yan is right.

Once you enter the store, you are a customer.

That is, the guest.

We are a socialist country, we have no God.

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng drank tea and looked around the small restaurant.

From the outside, it looks ordinary, just a typical small restaurant in a rural town.

Sitting inside, I realized it was a little different.

The cement floor was mopped clean, without a single oil stain.

A quick wipe with my finger leaves the table clean and refreshed.

The biggest hygiene problem in small rural restaurants was not addressed at all.

"Impressive, their management and execution capabilities are impressive." Yao Licheng's eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"There is something there." Zhuang Huayu nodded.

The more upscale the hotel, the more attention it pays to its decor and hygiene, because it caters to discerning and wealthy guests.

Roadside restaurants prioritize efficiency, and lower-end customers have a higher tolerance for hygiene conditions.

However, the hygiene standards of Zhou Yan's small rural restaurant are comparable to those of high-end restaurants.

And it was successfully implemented.

Guests may not care, but if you do it well, they will definitely notice and use that standard to judge other restaurants of the same level.

This is where the special characteristics come into play.

In order to establish his restaurant in Central, Zhuang Huayu put a lot of effort into service. He succeeded by providing attentive service, which was then imitated by many other restaurants.

He made many mistakes and spent a lot of money seeking expert advice.

Unexpectedly, Zhou Yan, who opened a small restaurant in a town in Jiaozhou, had already begun to differentiate himself in terms of service to enhance his competitiveness.

He's...only twenty years old?
Zhuang Huayu's gaze shifted to the menus on the wall to the side. The menus were made of wood and hung on nails on the wall according to their different construction methods. There was a clearance section next to it.

I've seen this menu in Chengdu; it's a fairly traditional menu, simple and straightforward.

The handwriting is quite good.

As they were observing, a little girl appeared beside them at some point, with two buns in her hair, also curiously looking at them.

"Oh my, this little girl is so cute." Yao Licheng sat up straight and said with a smile, "She's about the same age as my granddaughter."

"She's exquisitely beautiful, absolutely adorable." Zhuang Huayu nodded with a smile and asked softly, "Little girl, what's your name?"

"My name is Zhou Momo," the little girl said, looking at the two men curiously. "Uncle, you two sound like Sister Yu Yan. Are you from Hong Kong?"

"Huh? You know about Hong Kong?" Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng were both a little surprised that the little guy could recognize their accents.

“My sister said that Hong Kong has many very tall buildings, as well as a zoo and an aquarium.” Zhou Momo nodded, “But none of them are as delicious as my husband’s cooking.”

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng both laughed upon hearing this and asked, "Is Zhou Yan your brother?"

"Yes, it's my boyfriend." Zhou Momo nodded. "Are you here for dinner? It's still early, the food isn't ready yet."

"It's alright, we'll wait a little longer," Zhuang Huayu said with a smile. This little guy is really cute; he's not very old, but he already speaks very logically.

"So how did you get here? Did you ride gray chickens?" Zhou Momo asked the two of them curiously.

"Airplane? Ah! Airplane! Yes, we came by plane." Yao Licheng nodded. "You even know what an airplane is?"

“My sister said that Hong Kong is too far away, and you have to take a grey chicken to get there.” Zhou Momo nodded and continued to ask curiously, “How much does a grey chicken eat in one meal? Doesn’t it get tired flying such a far distance?”

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng were overjoyed; this little guy was truly adorable.

"It eats fuel, and it takes quite a bit of food to eat in one meal. It needs to rest overnight after flying over here, and it can only fly back the next day. It must be quite tired," Zhuang Huayu said to her earnestly.

Zhou Momo's eyes lit up, and she became even more curious: "Really? Do you all keep airplanes at home?"

Zhuang Huayu pointed at Yao Licheng and said, "This uncle has one at home, but I don't. It eats too much; most people can't afford to keep it."

“It’s okay, we don’t have any at home either,” Zhou Momo comforted him.

"Thank you, I feel much better now." Zhuang Huayu nodded.

The three of them chatted happily, each taking turns to say something. Although they weren't on the same wavelength, they were having a good time.

Zhou Momo is a chatterbox; she probably talked a lot.

The two big bosses, who were initially a bit bored, never stopped smiling.

This little guy is only three and a half years old, but he's not shy at all, polite, very talkative, and provides plenty of emotional support.

When Zhou Yan came out, he saw Yao Licheng take off his big gold watch and put it on Zhou Momo's wrist. "Come on, Uncle is giving you a gift. Uncle has a little granddaughter who is the same age as you. You can be friends with her in the future."

"Uncle, I don't want a watch! I'm still young, I don't need to worry about time. I can sleep whenever I want, and I can draw whenever I want." Zhou Momo withdrew her hand and refused firmly.

After all these years in the business world, this is the first time Lao Yao has encountered a situation where he can't give away a gold watch. This kid is really clear-headed.

Zhou Yan: "..."

This girl almost gave me a good life. Zhuang Huayu chuckled, took out the gold pen he had clipped to his chest and handed it to her, "How about your uncle gives you a fountain pen? Do you need it?"

"Uncle, are you really going to give me this pen?" Zhou Momo tilted her head to look at him.

"How could it be fake?" Zhuang Huayu laughed.

"Then I really want it? I'm learning to write, and I can really use this pen~" Zhou Momo said in her childish voice.

"You're so young and you're already learning to write? Did you learn it in kindergarten?" Zhuang Huayu asked curiously.

Yao Licheng looked at her with a smile.

Zhou Momo shook her head: "It's not kindergarten, it's a literacy class!"

"what?"

"What?"

Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng were both stunned.

“You’ll be going to the literacy class with my mom. I can write numbers one through ten now,” Zhou Momo explained to the two of them.

The two couldn't help but laugh; the little guy really did surprise everyone with every word he said.

"That's great! Here, it's yours. Practice your calligraphy and study hard!" Zhuang Huayu handed the gold pen to Zhou Momo and encouraged her gently.

"Thank you, Uncle! I wish you happiness every day and a long and healthy life!" Zhou Momo said happily, holding her pen.

"You're welcome, thank you for your blessing." Zhuang Huayu smiled happily. Neither of his sons were married yet. They had wanted a daughter before but hadn't been able to, and now their determination to have a granddaughter was growing stronger.

"Why don't you take my watch too? You'll need it to tell time when you go to school." Yao Licheng pushed the gold watch forward again, wanting to hear his blessings as well.

"No need, no need, my boyfriend said he'll buy me a chick pecking at rice alarm clock in the future!" Zhou Momo shook her head like a rattle drum. "Such a big alarm clock, made of iron on the outside, it rings so loudly when it goes off."

Yao Licheng was truly at a loss this time; his gold watch had lost to the chick-pecking-rice alarm clock, and to a complete defeat at that.

Zhou Yan stepped forward, glanced at the gold pen with the brushed finish in Zhou Momo's hand, and said, "Mr. Zhuang, Momo cannot accept such an expensive gold pen. She is still young and doesn't understand."

“She’s still young, but she’s very sensible. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t want, and she won’t be easily persuaded.” Zhuang Huayu smiled and shook his head, looking at Zhou Momo and said, “This is a little gift I gave her. I agreed to give it to her, and she happily accepted it, so there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s right, she really doesn’t want the useless watch.” Yao Licheng put the gold watch back on his wrist, a hint of helplessness in his smile.

Zhou Yan smiled upon hearing this, and then he had nothing more to say.

These two are big bosses in Hong Kong; a gold pen is nothing to them.

The saying "a thousand pieces of gold cannot buy my happiness" probably refers to this.

Zhou Momo took the gold pen and ran to the side, took out her notebook, sat up straight, unscrewed the pen cap and started writing.

"Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Yao, are you here for dinner today?" Zhou Yan asked, looking at the two men.

"Yes, the main reason for coming today is to try Boss Zhou's cooking again and learn a bit." Zhuang Huayu nodded, looking at Zhou Yan and saying, "Your restaurant is very clean. There's not a single grease stain on the tables and chairs. Do you have specific requirements for your employees?"

Zhou Yan nodded: "There are requirements. Three towels are needed to wipe the tables and chairs three times to ensure that there are no oil stains when the guests are dining."

"This standard is the same as the one in my Central store." Zhuang Huayu looked at Zhou Yan with undisguised admiration.

At first, I thought it might be because one of the employees was particularly clean, but when Zhou Yan mentioned three towels, it meant that everything was in his plan.

"Does Mr. Zhou have experience working in a large hotel?" Yao Licheng asked curiously.

"No, I worked in the canteen of a textile factory for two and a half years before." Zhou Yan shook his head. "I was learning as I went, figuring it out on the job. Please excuse my poor performance."

"Your experience is quite new; there's nothing laughable about it." Zhuang Huayu shook his head and then asked, "How many chefs does your restaurant have? I see you have quite a few dishes; besides Sichuan cuisine, you also make steamed buns and noodles?"

"The steamed buns and noodles are only for breakfast. Currently, I'm the only chef. My dad sells braised dishes, my mom sells braised beef, and there are two other employees who serve the food and clear tables," Zhou Yan readily agreed. Just for that golden pen, he had to take good care of these two bosses today.

"A chef?" Zhuang Huayu and Yao Licheng were both surprised to hear this. Zhou Yan's refusal of a monthly salary of three thousand yuan meant that his restaurant business must be doing well.

This small restaurant's most expensive dish costs 2.5 yuan per serving. How many dishes would they have to make to earn over 100 yuan?
Can Zhou Yan, a chef alone, manage to handle all the work?

“Yes.” Zhou Yan nodded, glanced at the time, and smiled. “There’s a lot to prepare this morning. I’m going to make lunch for the staff. Would you two like to eat together?”

"You do your thing, don't worry about us. We'll rest for a bit and have lunch when it's time to eat." Zhuang Huayu shook his head. Although his stomach felt much better after drinking the tea, it was only a little before eleven o'clock, and it really wasn't his lunch time yet.

“Yes, let’s wait a bit longer.” Yao Licheng nodded in agreement.

Besides not wanting to eat lunch right now, I also felt it was a bit strange to eat the staff meal with Zhou Yan and the others. We weren't that familiar with each other. Lao Zhuang came here today specifically for the braised dishes.

They can order a few more dishes to try Zhou Yan's cooking later.

“Alright, here’s some hot water, please help yourselves.” Zhou Yan nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"Uncle, look at my handwriting!" Zhou Momo came over with two lines of writing she had just finished and presented them to Zhuang Huayu as if they were a treasure.

The pen strokes from one to ten are neat and upright, even showing a slight nib.

"Wow, it's so well written?!" Zhuang Huayu exclaimed in surprise.

“Yes! Her handwriting is even better than mine, I should give her a pen.” Yao Licheng nodded in agreement. “My granddaughter can only doodle now.”

"Doodles? You mean drawing? I can do that too." Zhou Momo looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "Would you like me to draw a picture for you?"

"You can also draw portraits?" Zhuang Huayu was even more surprised.

Zhou Momo shook her head: "What's a portrait? I can only draw the two of you."

"Whatever you like, draw it however you want," Zhuang Huayu said with a smile.

“Okay!” Zhou Momo replied, put away her gold pen and notebook, ran behind the counter to bring out her sketchbook and crayons, sat down at the next table, stared at the two of them for a while, and began to draw.

"She's very well cared for; she's young but poised and elegant," Yao Licheng remarked with a touch of admiration.

In the kitchen, Zhou Yan was instructing Old Zhou to kill a fish: "Old man, this fish is yours. Cut off the tail about a third of the way off. I'll keep the whole tail to make braised grass carp. I'll slice the top half later to make boiled fish."

"Okay." Old Zhou responded, walked to the water tank, flipped the cleaver in his hand, and slashed the head of the grass carp that was thrashing about in the bathtub with the back of the blade.

Boom!
There was a muffled sound.

Quick and accurate.

The round grass carp immediately flipped over belly up and stopped moving.

Comrade Zhou reached out and pinched the fish's gills, lifting the grass carp out in one swift motion.

"How heavy is this grass carp?" Zhou Yan asked.

"Ten catties and eight taels." Old Zhou replied without hesitation. "We definitely can't finish it, so I went to call your grandma and Weiguo to eat fish this morning. I'll go back to pick her up after I've killed the fish."

"Alright, then I must give it my all today." Zhou Yan nodded, "Old Zhou is always so thoughtful."

Old Zhou was very efficient at killing fish; he gutted and scaled them, and returned with an enamel basin in no time.

Zhou Yan took it and began further processing.

The tail of a fish that is one-third the length weighs about two and a half pounds. Cut off the excess tail fin, then make diagonal cuts on it, rinse it with well water to remove the blood, and then use ginger and cooking wine to remove the fishy smell.

He plans to use the same method as dry-roasted rock carp to cook the grass carp tail.

Wild grass carp has a very firm texture; slicing it gives you the illusion of slicing beef.

First, slice the fish meat off the bones. The meat is reddish and has beautiful marbling.

Squeeze!
The sharp slicing knife cuts along the fish meat, and thin, even slices of fish quickly spread out on the cutting board.

The fish fillets alone filled a whole basin.

The fish fillet was chopped with a cleaver, and the main bone was as thick as a finger.

The grass carp head was round and smooth, so he chopped it into four pieces and marinated it with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine.

I made a thickening sauce with cornstarch, poured it into the bowl containing the fish fillets, and stirred it well so that the fish fillets were all coated with a thin layer of sauce.

There are too many fish slices; if this whole pot is put into the pot, it won't cook properly in a short time.

If you don't thicken the sauce, it's easy for the food to become half raw and half cooked during the cooking process, and it will fall apart as soon as you stir it.

Thickening the sauce makes the fish more resistant to overcooking and gives it a more tender texture.

Boiled fish is one of the few dishes Zhou Yan knows how to cook. With the help of the fishmonger and the boiled fish seasoning packet, it's generally difficult to make it taste bad.

Unfortunately, there are no seasoning packets available now, so he has to stir-fry the seasoning himself.

There are quite a few ingredients, including fermented broad bean paste, pickled cabbage, pickled cowpeas, and three different kinds of dried chili peppers.

If you want fish to taste good, you have to be generous with the ingredients.

Heat oil in a wok, fry the grass carp tail until the skin is cooked through, then remove the fish from the wok immediately. Next, stir-fry the seasonings, add broth, and then add the grass carp tail. Simmer over low heat.

Add a spoonful of excess rapeseed oil to the hot pan next door. Once the oil is hot, fry the fish head and bones until golden brown and remove them from the pan.

Add a spoonful of lard to the remaining oil in the pot to enhance the aroma. Add Sichuan peppercorns and dried chilies and fry until fragrant. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peppercorns and chilies. Add finely chopped broad bean paste, ginger, and garlic and stir-fry until the oil turns red and the oil is bright red and fragrant. Then pour in a large pot of boiling water.

Simmer the broth for five minutes, then add the previously fried fish bones and fish head, cover the pot and simmer. The freshness of the fish soup depends on these fish bones.

Fish is all about cooking time and temperature. For dry-fried rock carp, start cooking ten minutes in advance to ensure that the dish is served close to the desired time.

This is a chef's basic control ability.

As the braised grass carp was nearing the end of reducing the sauce, fish fillets were added to the pot of boiled fish soup.

Bring the water to a boil over high heat. The fish slices quickly turn white in the bubbling broth. Remove from heat and serve, filling an enamel basin.

I scooped a small bowlful to the side; it was Zhou Momo's special version with reduced spiciness.

Sprinkle minced garlic, chopped green onions, Sichuan peppercorns, dried chili flakes, and white sesame seeds on top of the large bowl. Heat oil in a small pot until it reaches the perfect temperature, then pour it over the sauce in three batches.

It's sizzling!It's sizzling!
The aroma of spiciness then bursts forth, and the soup becomes even more red and bright.

Finally, sprinkle with a handful of tender green scallions.

In the bright red broth, snow-white fish slices coated in red oil curl up at the corners, creating an enticing color contrast with the bright green scallions, and the aroma is irresistible.

Boiled grass carp is ready!

On the other side, the grass carp tail, which was being slowly cooked over low heat, had just finished reducing the broth. It was then plated, with pickled mustard greens and minced meat evenly spread over the golden fish tail. Finally, scallions and pickled peppers were neatly arranged on the plate. With this simple plating, the braised rock carp was successfully served!

"grandmother!"

"Oh~ our Momo is so capable! She caught such a big fish! Grandma is also lucky to have a delicious meal."

The old lady's voice could be heard from outside the door.

　Asking for a monthly ticket~
　　The extra chapter will be late, check it tomorrow morning.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)