1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 295 Your...your pot seems to be smoking (Bonus chapter for 1185 monthly votes)

Xia Yao smiled gently, a little black charcoal stain from the sweet potato peel stuck to the corner of her mouth. Zhou Yan subconsciously reached out and scraped it off for her.

The charcoal mark that was originally just a little bit spread out evenly in a line on the upper lip, like a half-spread mustache.

Zhou Yan pursed her lips, finding it both funny and adorable.

How could I not restrain myself from using such a deadly move!

What to do now?

He's such a presumptuous fellow.

Xia Yao's body stiffened for a moment as Zhou Yan's warm fingers gently traced her upper lip, causing her face to flush instantly.

No, what's wrong with him?
There are still so many people in the store.

"Zhou Yan, cook the dishes." Aunt Zhao shoved the order form into Zhou Yan's hand, glanced at Xia Yao holding a sweet potato and with a smear of charcoal on the corner of her lips, and couldn't help but laugh: "Sweetie, remember to wash your hands after you finish eating, and wipe the corner of your mouth too, it's covered in charcoal ash."

"Come wash up in the kitchen later, I'm going to cook," Zhou Yan said, taking the order slip and quickly going into the kitchen.

"Mmm." Xia Yao responded, her smile widening as she took a bite of the sweet potato. It was so sweet.

"Sister Yao Yao, are you going to the city this weekend?" Zhou Momo sat down next to her and asked expectantly.

"Does Momo want to go to the city again?" Xia Yao asked with a smile.

"Mmm, Guoguo is going to be a teacher, and I'm going to the city with Grandma." Zhou Momo nodded her little head. "Do you want to come with us?"

"Become a teacher?" Xia Yao was somewhat surprised.

"Yes, a chef's teacher."

"so smart?"

"My boyfriend is super, super amazing!"

"Yes, I believe it."

"Hehe~"

"Here, have half of it. I need to save some room for my main meal."

"Thank you sister~"

The two chatted while eating roasted sweet potatoes, watching Zhou Yan busy in the kitchen. One spoke in a childish voice, and the other spoke in a soft and gentle voice, attracting the attention of guests at the next table.

"Boss Zhou is so lucky. Just thinking about how he'll be calling Master Meng Hanwen 'Grandpa' makes me a little envious of him," Zhuang Huayu said with a sigh.

"Director Lin, Zhou Yan is indeed very outstanding, but in terms of family background and circumstances, he is currently somewhat inferior to Miss Xia Yao. I am very curious, in the mainland, given their situation, would Xia Yao's family agree to them being together?" Yao Licheng asked curiously. "In Hong Kong, matching social status is still quite important."

Lin Zhiqiang smiled and said, "Yaoyao is very outstanding. Her parents are bankers and painters, and they are intellectuals. Zhou Yan is also very outstanding. He is the grandson of a hero of the War of Resistance against Japan and the son of a farmer."

His family has two plaques recognizing them as first-class meritorious individuals. Mr. Yao grew up in Hong Kong and probably doesn't fully understand what this means; they were the founders who shed their blood and sacrificed their lives for the new China. If my father-in-law saw them, he would also say they were a perfect match.

Yao Licheng nodded, but his expression still showed some confusion.

"Old Yao, that's the traditional mindset of an old capitalist. You married the daughter of a textile tycoon, and your son married the daughter of a major shipowner—it's both a marriage and a business deal." Zhuang Huayu shook his head with a smile.

"If you're looking at family background, thirty years ago, I wouldn't even be qualified to drive for you. Riding the wave of Hong Kong's development, countless people started from scratch and built successful businesses."

Today's mainland China is like Hong Kong thirty years ago, full of opportunities.

A golden carp is no ordinary fish; it will transform into a dragon once it encounters wind and clouds! With Zhou Yan's vision and ability, he will surely achieve great things within ten years.

This small restaurant is so popular, but he has already bought land at Jiaozhou Wharf and plans to spend 80,000 to build a restaurant. In terms of vision and execution, he is no less than I was back then.

With the tide of reform and opening up surging forward, I think he might just be a trendsetter of the times.

Zhou Yan is certainly accomplished in calligraphy; you can see that the menu was all handwritten by him, with a style reminiscent of Yan Zhenqing's calligraphy. His conversation reveals that he has a wide range of interests, a considerable amount of reading, and a certain foresight regarding current affairs.

Miss Xia Yao is the granddaughter of Master Meng Hanwen and the daughter of Meng Zhilan. She must be a girl who has transcended vulgar tastes. It is impossible for her to like Zhou Yan just because he is tall and handsome. There must be some common ground between them.

If I had a daughter, and had gotten to know him well, I would definitely be willing to entrust her to him. Compared to those spoiled rich kids, Zhou Yan is more responsible and has a stronger sense of duty.

His family, from the elderly woman to his parents and sister, exudes warmth and happiness beyond material possessions, which is especially rare.

"Oh dear, you're a capitalist now too, so please don't criticize me." Yao Licheng picked up his wine glass, smiled and nodded: "Now that Lao Zhuang has said that, I understand. I was indeed narrow-minded. Here, I'll drink a penalty glass."

"I'll have a drink with Mr. Yao." Lin Zhiqiang raised his glass and clinked it with his, then poured him another glass after he finished.

“It’s clear that Mr. Zhuang really likes my father-in-law’s work.” Lin Zhiqiang said to Zhuang Huayu, “How about this, if I go to Hangzhou to visit relatives, I’ll call you in advance. If you have time to come to Hangzhou, I’ll take you to visit my father-in-law. There’s a technical conference in Hangzhou in the middle of next month, and the factory has confirmed that I can go. I plan to visit my parents-in-law on the way.”

"Really?!" Zhuang Huayu's eyes lit up immediately. He picked up his glass and said, "Director Lin, no, no, Brother Lin, for what you said, I'll toast you."

"Mr. Zhuang, you're too kind." Lin Zhiqiang raised his wine glass.

“What Mr. Zhuang? Just call me Lao Zhuang, that’s what my friends call me.” “Haha, okay, then you can call me Lao Lin.”

“Since you all call me that, then don’t call me Mr. Yao anymore. Just call me Old Yao. Next time you come to Hong Kong, let me know and I’ll make arrangements for you.”

"Row."

The three of them clinked glasses and chatted happily.

"This twice-cooked pork with pickled mustard greens is really delicious! The skin is fragrant and chewy, the fatty meat melts in your mouth, and the lean meat is tender and slightly chewy. It's fatty but not oily, fragrant but not greasy! The pickled mustard greens add a lot of flavor." Zhuang Huayu ate two pieces of twice-cooked pork and looked at Lin Zhiqiang, asking, "Where are the pickled mustard greens from? The flavor is completely different from salted vegetables. They are particularly crisp and tender, with a special savory sauce flavor."

“Ya Cai is a specialty of Yibin. It’s made from the tender stalks of Chinese cabbage. I’m not too sure about the specific method. It’s really hard to find outside of the Sichuan and Chongqing area.” Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, “Old Zhuang, try this Ya Cai Salted Braised Pork Belly. It’s also a steamed dish made with ya Cai, but the flavor is quite different.”

"I'll give it a try. We had nine bowls of salted vegetables and braised pork belly a couple of days ago." Upon hearing this, Zhuang Huayu picked up a piece of braised pork belly. The fatty meat trembled, and the chopsticks sank in with just a little force.

As he fed it directly into his mouth, the aroma of the bean sprouts and meat exploded on his tongue, and Zhuang Huayu's eyes lit up. This flavor was even richer than that of salted vegetables and braised pork belly.

The fried tiger skin soaks up the broth, becoming soft, bouncy, and sticky on the lips. The fatty meat melts in your mouth, while the lean meat is savory and flavorful, tender yet not mushy, with a moist texture and a rich but not greasy taste!
"It has to be Zhou Yan. I've actually eaten this steamed dish, Salted Braised Pork Belly, many times, including at Rong Le Yuan in New York. He's probably the only one who can make it taste this good." Zhuang Huayu looked at the Salted Braised Pork Belly on the plate and said with a face full of emotion, "It's suitable for all ages. It's really well made. It's even more fragrant than the braised pork belly with preserved mustard greens in my shop."

He hasn't even returned to Hong Kong yet, and failing to poach Zhou Yan has become his biggest regret of this trip.

"Wow! This salted braised pork belly is really delicious!" Yao Licheng tasted a piece, served himself a bowl of rice, shoveled it in, then scooped a spoonful of pickled mustard greens and broth on top of the rice, mixed it up casually, took a bite, and his eyebrows relaxed. "Amazing! Even pickled vegetables can taste this good!"

"Old Yao, you've really gotten into eating." Zhuang Huayu also served himself a bowl of rice. There was no other way; this twice-cooked pork and salted braised pork belly weren't meant to be eaten with alcohol, they were meant to be eaten with rice. They were soulless without rice.

"Old Zhuang, do you think it would be a huge success if Zhou Yan opened a Sichuan restaurant in Hong Kong?" Yao Licheng asked him with a smile.

"His dishes are more home-style, and the flavors are milder than the spicy Sichuan cuisine that most people are familiar with. Hong Kong customers will find them more appealing. As long as the prices aren't too high, the business will definitely be booming." Zhuang Huayu said with a touch of emotion, "Don't even think about it. I invited him to partner with me to open a restaurant in Hong Kong, but he refused. He said he still needs to learn from his master and continue to improve his skills."

"It's a pity that I won't be able to eat such delicious Sichuan food again when I go back to Hong Kong," Yao Licheng sighed.

Xia Yao finished eating half a roasted sweet potato and went into the kitchen to wash her hands.

"The washbasin that Zhou Momo uses is on the shelf by the door to the backyard. I poured hot water into it for you, so it shouldn't be too hot now," Zhou Yan said to Xia Yao while cooking.

"Okay." Xia Yao replied. Sure enough, there was a small basin on the wooden shelf, half full of water, steaming slightly. A mirror was hanging on the shelf. She leaned closer and saw the smear of charcoal ash on the corner of her lips, and burst out laughing.

"Zhou Yan, look at the mustache you drew on me." Xia Yao pointed to the corner of her lips and turned to look at Zhou Yan, her tone carrying three parts laughter and seven parts coquettishness.

Zhou Yan had just ladled the twice-cooked pork out of the pot when he saw her charmingly naive appearance and couldn't help but laugh.

Looking at Zhou Yan's bright smile, Xia Yao couldn't help but smile back.

Their eyes met, they stared at each other for a while, and then suddenly stopped smiling.

The kitchen, brimming with the aroma of meat, inexplicably gained a slightly ambiguous atmosphere.

Xia Yao's face turned red again.

"You...your pot seems to be smoking," Xia Yao reminded her.

"Oh..." Zhou Yan quickly poured a ladle of water into the pot to rinse it, and called out, "Table three, table six, two servings of twice-cooked pork, please serve!"

"Okay!" Zhao Hong walked over quickly, put the twice-cooked pork on a tray, and hurried out the door.

After Zhou Yan finished cooking, he immediately started stir-frying the pork liver while simultaneously reducing the sauce for the crucian carp with mint in the next pot.

Sure enough, women only slowed him down when he cooked.

Xia Yao stared at Zhou Yan for a while. This was the first time she had seen Zhou Yan cook. He held a long-handled round spatula in his hand, managing both sides as if he were a conductor.

It was as if he was facing not two earthen stoves, but a group of musicians, with the shovel in his hand serving as his conductor's baton.

Order slips were brought into the kitchen and piled up on the stove, but he remained calm and composed.

It even has a touch of elegance.

If the white chef's uniform were replaced with a black tuxedo, it wouldn't seem too out of place.

Xia Yao suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Yan asked casually as he took the stir-fried pig liver out of the pot, while rinsing the hot pot.

"It's nothing." Xia Yao shook her head, turned around and washed the charcoal ash off her hands and mouth. The water was warm, just right, as warm as he was.

"I've saved a small portion of braised vegetables for you. Eat it with the shredded pork with garlic sauce." Zhou Yan pointed to a separate dish of braised vegetables on the shelf next to him.

Xia Yao looked up and saw a small plate of dried bean curd sticks, dried tofu, and winter bamboo shoots, all of which were her favorite foods.

"Thank you." Xia Yao carried the braised vegetables out, a smile playing on her lips.

He's too busy; she doesn't want to keep him from cooking.

(End of this chapter)