1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 313 Honey, save me~~ (Bonus chapter for 2085 monthly votes)

Early the next morning.

Zhou Yan still got up early to knead the dough. No one else could do this step for him, so he had to get up at 4:30 to do it himself.

It was too early, and there was too much work to do that day. Only someone young and strong could have that much energy.

After kneading the dough, I divided it into several bowls and put them in a pot to rise. The layered steamer that I asked Comrade Zhou to make a couple of days ago is starting to come in handy.

Now, we make 600 steamed buns every morning. The dough needs to ferment properly, and it must be at a sufficient temperature.

In the design he drew yesterday, there was a heat preservation box, which works on a principle similar to the kang (heated brick bed) in Northeast China. It will be built next to the stove, where the fire is lit to stir-fry the toppings and meat sauce, and the heat will be transferred to the next room to provide enough temperature for the dough to ferment.

genius!

The dough was kneaded, and Zhang Laosan arrived.

Besides pork, there was also a bucket of pig's blood.

The pig's blood was in a deep tin barrel. Old Zhang carried it into the shop and said with a smile, "Zhou Yan, your old man said you wanted pig's blood. Today, the blood from this pig is excellent, clean and clear."

Zhou Yan peeked out and took a look.

A bucket of exceptionally good fresh pig's blood

"Yes, this pig's blood is really good. How much is it? I'll pay you." Zhou Yan nodded.

"What's the money? The pig's blood is a gift. If you want a lot, I'll give you a lot." Old Zhang waved his hand. "I can't promise anything else, but I'll buy all the pig's blood in your shop. I won't take a single penny."

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Zhang," Zhou Yan said with a smile, not being too polite.

Pig's blood is cheap, costing less than a penny per pound. Many knife makers will boil pig's blood and sell it, but usually they sell it at half price or give it away as a favor.

Zhou Yan is now a major customer of Zhang Laosan, and sending pig's blood is part of maintaining their relationship.

Of course, Zhou Yan still owed him a favor to some extent.

After all, free pig's blood can be sold for a dollar a bowl after he cooks it.

The pig's blood needs to be processed first. Take a large enamel basin, sprinkle in an appropriate amount of salt, pepper, white wine and rapeseed oil, and pour the pig's blood into the basin after filtering it with gauze according to a 1:1.5 water ratio. Stir clockwise until well mixed.

This method of processing pig's blood will result in a tender, smooth texture and less fishy smell.

Pour the stirred pig's blood into several basins, filling each basin only two fingers deep. This way, after it has solidified, it can be divided into small pieces and cooked directly in a pot.

Actually, a shallow rectangular tray would be better, but the store doesn't have any. If the blood curd sells well, he'll have to go to the department store to buy some.

He set the pig's blood aside to solidify, and then began to stir-fry the meat sauce and toppings.

When he was almost done with his work, Li Lihua and Zhao Hong arrived and started making steamed buns.

Zhou Lihui entered the kitchen and was surprised to see basins of pig's blood on the side: "Uncle, why is there so much pig's blood? Are you making blood curd?"

“Yes, we’re serving a new dish today: braised pork intestines and blood tofu.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Zhou Lihui grinned and said, "Great! New dishes are served again. Our guests are in for a treat."

Zhao Hong said, "Blood curd is delicious with rice. Last time Zhou Fei and I went to Jiaozhou, we ate blood curd at a roadside stall. It cost 3 cents a bowl, and we each ate three bowls of rice. We paid 2 cents for the rice."

"Mom, when did you and Dad sneak out to eat at a restaurant behind our backs?" Zhou Lihui turned around, his face showing a betrayed expression.

“Well… you weren’t born yet back then,” Zhao Hong said seriously.

Zhou Lihui: "..."

I don't believe it, but I have no evidence and can't refute it.

As everyone was making steamed buns, a shout came from outside the door: "Master Zhou?! Is Master Zhou here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Yan knew who it was. He clapped the flour off his hands and walked out the door.

Kong Liwei stood in front of the door, pushing an old bicycle with a mountain strapped to the back seat.

Three large sacks were stacked together and tied tightly with rope.

Zhou Yan circled the car once, then couldn't help but laugh and say, "Awei, did you move your whole family here?"

Kong Liwei spread his hands: "There's nothing I can do. My mom was worried I'd be cold, so she packed the thickest blanket in the house for me and also packed two bags of clothes."

"Because of your resignation, your parents have cut ties with you?" Zhou Yan pursed her lips, suppressing a smile.

Kong Liwei waved his hand: "No way! My old man fully supports my choice."

"Does your old man have any say at home?"

"I talked a bit too much yesterday and slept in my room last night. I guess I'll be sleeping here for another week."

Zhou Yan: "..."

Then he silently turned his head away.

"Kukuku..."

"It's alright. Twenty-one is the perfect age to venture out and make a name for myself." Kong Liwei gazed at the distant sky, his expression deep and his eyes resolute. "Once I've mastered my skills and become the renowned Chef Kong of Jiaozhou, making a name for myself in the culinary world, my mom will apologize to my dad and me!"

"Chef Kong, would you please go and sleep in Chef Xiao's pigsty for a few days?" Zhou Yan said.

Kong Liwei turned to him, his gaze tinged with helplessness: "Professor Zhou, can you please respect my lofty aspirations? You're really ruining the atmosphere!"

"You're being really annoying by talking like that," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.

"Get out of here!" Kong Liwei looked into the shop. "Where do you think is the best place to park my Forever brand 28-inch bicycle? I can't let anyone steal it, I still need to keep it to get married. You know the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a car, watch, and radio)? People care about that these days."

"Your old bicycle is almost as old as you, isn't it?" Zhou Yan laughed.

"How do you know? My dad bought it when he was courting my mom. Back then, there were only three bicycles in the factory: one for the factory director, one for the deputy director, and one for him. My mom couldn't resist at all." Kong Liwei said with a smile, "She thought she had found a rich man, but the most valuable thing in the whole family was this old bicycle. She beat my dad up on our wedding night before she could go to sleep."

Zhou Yan looked at the well-maintained but still very old-fashioned bicycle and almost died laughing at Awei.

"Aren't you going to deliver the things to my master's house first?"

"It's too early. My master is going to hold a banquet today. My master's wife likes to sleep in. If I wake her up, what if she beats me up?" Kong Liwei shook his head. "My master's wife is even more wicked than my mother. She beat me up when I was a kid. She whipped me with a bamboo stick. It was really bad. I'm scared."

"Really? I think my master's wife is a really nice person." Zhou Yan said doubtfully. In his memory, his master's wife, Ma Dongmei, had never hit him. Sometimes when his master scolded or beat him, she would even protect him. "That's because you haven't blown up their outhouse with firecrackers. Boom! You have no idea how spectacular it is."

Zhou Yan: "..."

"You're a real talent, you bastard!"

"Swimming in the toilet bowl—forge ahead bravely!"

"If I whip you with a bamboo stick, it's because my master's wife is kind-hearted."

"If it were someone else, they'd have to apply iodine to you while whipping you."

Zhou Yan gave him a thumbs up.

"Huh? How do you know? My mom went back and applied iodine to my wound, and the more she thought about it, the more embarrassed she felt, so she beat me up again!" Kong Liwei said in surprise.

Zhou Yan knew that his days would definitely be filled with fun after a hilarious visit to the otherwise ordinary Zhou Erwa Restaurant.

Zhou Yan opened the shop next door and had Kong Liwei push the bicycle inside and park it against the wall.

Kong Liwei parked the car and looked around: "Wow, Master Zhou! The store next door is already so big, why are you opening another one? I thought you were just opening a small store. I underestimated you."

Zhou Yan briefly explained the situation of the shop to him: "I just rented this shop. I plan to open up two doors and connect the two sides. I will also create a kitchen here. After opening up, the kitchen area will double, so you will have your own stove. I will also create two rooms upstairs as staff dormitories..."

Kong Liwei clenched his fist excitedly and said, "Great! After six and a half years of studying cooking, I, Kong Liwei, have finally made it! I'm going to have my own private stove!"

Zhou Yan smiled. Perhaps every chef dreams of this day before they graduate.

However, he still had to start from the bottom, working as a kitchen helper and a kitchen helper.

"By the way, you said there are still people who need to join if there are two rooms between us?" Kong Liwei asked, looking at him.

Zhou Yan said, "The female chef in the training course will come for an interview after the training is completed. If she is suitable, she will start working next month."

"Huh? That model worker sister!" Kong Liwei exclaimed in shock. "You're not going to ask me to do the same work as her, are you? That would be killing me!"

"Don't worry, I'm not a heartless capitalist who exploits his employees." Zhou Yan patted his shoulder, turned around and walked out: "I'm going to make steamed buns."

"Wouldn't it be inappropriate for the two of us to live together? After all, there's quite a big age difference between us."

"You're kidding me, it's definitely not a room with an iron door."

"That's good."

Kong Liwei followed Zhou Yan into the kitchen, where he warmly greeted Aunt Zhao and the others and introduced himself.

This guy is very outgoing and has a lively personality, but he's still quite polite and likable.

"Wow, so many steamed buns! I haven't studied pastry making, but I think I can still help make steamed buns." Kong Liwei was eager to try making steamed buns when he saw everyone else doing so.

"Don't bother making the steamed buns. We're almost done, so don't give me any defective ones." Zhou Yan withdrew an Awei. "I won't assign you any work this morning. Just familiarize yourself with the work environment and processes. If you're really too busy, just lend a hand."

"Okay, I'll follow Chef Zhou's instructions." Kong Liwei immediately stopped what he was doing and stood obediently to the side, following the head chef's orders in the kitchen—this was the basic principle.

"Is this young man your apprentice?" Kong Liwei, having nothing to do, set his sights on Zhou Lihui standing to the side.

“Huihui, my cousin’s son, wants to learn to cook, but he hasn’t graduated from junior high school yet. He comes over every morning to help out and learn knife skills, so he’s practically an apprentice,” Zhou Yan replied casually.

Zhou Lihui gave Kong Liwei a simple and honest smile.

"Young man, you have potential. You know how to curry favor with your uncle." Kong Liwei patted his chest and said, "From now on, you can call me Brother Wei. I can also teach you knife skills."

I'm the youth group champion of this year's mid-year knife skills competition at Leming Hotel. I'm proficient in all kinds of knife techniques. Seriously though, even your uncle might not be as good at knife skills as me.

"That's amazing!" Zhou Lihui was shocked upon hearing this and turned to Zhou Yan for confirmation.

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded: "That's true. In terms of overall knife skills, I might not be as good as you."

"Viagra!" Zhou Lihui shouted.

Kong Liwei nodded with satisfaction: "Okay, if you have any questions in the future, feel free to ask me."

The first batch of buns will be steamed.

Although no work was assigned to Kong Liwei, he wasn't truly idle; he volunteered to help start the fire.

"Uncle Xiao even taught you how to make steamed buns? The steamed buns in Leming are all made by other masters. I've never seen anyone in our Kong school make steamed buns well." Kong Liwei asked doubtfully as he lit the fire.

"I made it using a recipe I researched myself," Zhou Yan said casually.

"As expected of a genius of the Kong school! He's incredibly fierce!" Kong Liwei silently gave a thumbs up, then asked curiously, "Making so many, will you be able to sell them all?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Zhou Yan said, putting the lid of the steamer on.

"Guoguo~~ Has Sister Yaoyao arrived yet?" Zhou Momo, with two tufts of hair sticking up, rubbed her sleepy eyes and came out. Her little floral jacket was buttoned up wrong, making her look a bit dazed.

"Not yet, Momo, why are you up so early today?" Zhou Yan smiled and squatted down to help her button up her jacket.

"I'm afraid she won't wash my face after she goes to work." The little one hugged his neck, her icy little hands burrowing into his neck. "Wow~~ Honey, you're so warm~"

Zhou Yan looked down at her feet and called out, "Mom, where are Momo's socks?"

"Shh—" Zhou Momo quickly reached out and covered his mouth, her little face flustered.

"Zhou Momo! You're not wearing socks again, are you?! I put them on your bedside table and you still don't wear them!" Aunt Zhao stormed out of the kitchen in a huff.

"Brother, save me~~" Zhou Momo quickly burrowed into Zhou Yan's arms.

"Mom, I'll take her to get dressed." Zhou Yan smiled, picked her up, and carried her upstairs, avoiding Aunt Zhao.

"Brother, you're such a good person~" The little guy wrapped his arms around Zhou Yan's neck and kissed him on the cheek.

Kong Liwei, who was tending the fire nearby, was grinding his back teeth so hard they were almost shattered.
"Why!"

"Why is it that Master Zhou gets to have such a beautiful girlfriend?!"

"He also has such a cute little sister!"

　Asking for a monthly ticket~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)