1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 326 Who wouldn't be confused after hearing this? (Bonus chapter for 2685 monthly votes)

Zhou Yan also tried the shredded pork with garlic sauce. There was definitely a difference, but it wasn't that obvious.

However, he has requirements for the quality control of the dishes.

Next time, I'll start with four portions and gradually increase the amount to see where the limit of the perfect shredded pork with garlic sauce is.

This served as a reminder to him that cooking in a large pot was definitely not feasible, but adding one or two portions was still manageable for a large wok.

During peak dining hours, don't underestimate the two extra portions of food from one pot; they can directly increase meal preparation efficiency by 30% to 40%.

The first round of thirty tables of guests had already taken their seats, and the sliced ​​cold dishes had been served. Steaming baskets were opened, earthenware bowls were placed over plates, and trays were filled with steaming hot steamed dishes, which were then served.

Braised pork belly in a bowl, savory braised pork belly, sweet braised pork belly, meatball soup, crispy pork soup, Dongpo pork, ...

The simplified version of the Nine Bowls is still full of sincerity.

Zhou Yan's master said that the cost could be reduced, but the host family could not be embarrassed.

Once the dishes are served, the guests must eat their fill before leaving the table; otherwise, today's banquet will not have been a failure.

The dishes, including pig's head meat, pig's ears, pig's snout, two cold dishes, eight steamed dishes, and two stir-fried dishes, totaling twelve dishes, were served in a controlled manner.

"Wow! This braised pork belly is so delicious today, the taste is just perfect!"

"This Dongpo pork is absolutely delicious! It's fatty but not greasy at all. Chef Xiao is truly skilled!"

The guests raved about the food.

The three Zhou brothers were beaming. They had thought that since it was only one yuan per table and they were cooking two meals, they didn't dare to ask for too much. But they didn't expect that Master Xiao Lei and his team would cook so well.

"Eat well, everyone! Drink well!" Zhou Yao stood on the steps and shouted to his relatives and friends inside and outside the courtyard, "In the afternoon, everyone can play cards or chat as they please. Dinner will be served at five o'clock in the evening! Please pay attention to the time, I won't call everyone one by one."

"Yes, we'll do!" the guests responded loudly.

The chefs didn't get to eat the first round of food. When the second round of dishes were served, the last two plates of shredded pork with garlic sauce and twice-cooked pork were placed on the two tables next to the stove. Zhou Yan and the other chefs and assistants who had been busy all morning could finally sit down and eat.

Zhou Momo was also eating her second round of food. She ran over with her short legs, looked up at Zhou Yan, and said, "Brother! I want to sit next to you."

"You'll eat more if you go to the kids' table." Zhou Yan's smile was tinged with helplessness, but he could only move her a little to the side and give her another set of chopsticks and a bowl.

"I'm so hungry! I feel like I could eat a whole cow!" As soon as Awei sat down, he first picked up a piece of salted braised pork belly and put it in his bowl. Then he took a cornbread, stuffed the meat and bean sprouts into the hole of the cornbread, took a bite, and his eyes narrowed: "So delicious! Salted braised pork belly and bean sprout buns are even better than the bean sprout and meat buns that Master Zhou makes!"

"Wow! Brother, I want to eat Awei's too!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up.

"Okay, I'll get you one." Zhou Yan picked up a steaming hot cornbread and made her a steamed bun with pickled mustard greens and braised pork belly.

The little one grabbed it with his hands, took a bite, and squinted his eyes, saying, "Mmm! So delicious!"

The adults at the table were all amused by her.

Hearing the noise, Song Changhe at the next table looked over and asked Zhou Ming, who was sitting next to him, "Zhou Ming, is Zhou Yan making bean sprout and pork buns?"

Zhou Ming nodded: "Yes, Master. Zhou Yan's shop has been making steamed buns recently. In addition to pickled mustard greens and pork buns, there are also fresh pork buns and beef buns. They are very delicious and sell very well."

Song Wanqing swallowed the meat in her mouth, looked up and said seriously, "Mmm! Zhou Yan's pickled mustard greens and pork buns are delicious! Zhou Ming brought me two last time, and his cooking skills seem even better than Grandma's."

"In that case, I'd like to try it." Song Changhe said thoughtfully.

Zhou Ming said, "Master, shall I bring you two bean sprout and pork buns tomorrow morning?"

“No need. Steamed buns should be eaten fresh out of the steamer, when the dough is soft and the meat filling is fragrant. The ones you brought up are soggy and don’t have the same feel.” Song Changhe shook his head. “I’ll come down and eat them myself tomorrow morning.”

"Grandpa, isn't it too far to come all this way just for a steamed bun?" Song Wanqing looked at him with some concern: "Can your body handle it?"

"Suji isn't far at all. You're riding a bicycle. Coming here for breakfast isn't something you can just do casually. Consider it your morning exercise. After eating the steamed buns, we'll go to the riverside teahouse for tea, hang out for half a day, have lunch, and then go back." Song Changhe waved his hand dismissively.

Song Wanqing's eyes lit up: "Then I'll come too! I don't have class tomorrow morning, let's eat steamed buns at Zhou Yan's shop! Grandpa, it's your treat!"

“Okay.” Song Changhe nodded with a smile.

Of all the dishes on the table, Zhou Momo's favorite was the meatballs; she ate one and wanted another.

"Here, I'll save up some for you if you like it." Xiao Lei got up and brought the bowl over to her.

"Thank you, Master!" Zhou Momo called out in her childish voice, echoing Zhou Yan's words.

"You're welcome," Xiao Lei said with a smile. He wished he had such an adorable apprentice.

Zhou Yan saw through his thoughts at a glance: "Master, don't think about it. Momo is different from me. She is the star of literature in our Zhou family. She will definitely go to university in the future."

Xiao Lei couldn't help but feel a little regretful upon hearing this, and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "It's good that your studies didn't interfere with your cooking."

Zhou Yan: "..."

Is this right?
That makes sense, doesn't it?

Zhou Yao and his two brothers came over with drinks and offered a round of toasts to Xiao Lei and Zhou Yan to express their gratitude.

Zhou Hongwei stood beside him, holding a bottle of wine. He looked much more haggard these past two days; staying up late for days on end was definitely taking its toll.

Their table was quite formidable; they ate almost everything on the table, except for the meatball soup in front of Zhou Momo, which was left untouched by anyone, reserved for the little one.

Just as she announced that she was full, Zhou Yan picked up her chopsticks, and the six meatballs that were still left in the bowl mysteriously disappeared.

Depend on!
Zhou Yan watched Awei and Zhou Jie chewing their cheeks, thinking to herself that she should have sat at the same table as the kids.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone left the table.

Song Changhe walked over and said, "Zhou Yan, what time does your restaurant open in the morning? I'd like to come over tomorrow to eat steamed buns and try your pickled mustard greens and pork buns."

"We open at 6:30 in the morning and close around 8:00. The steamed buns usually sell out before 8:00," Zhou Yan said.

Song Changhe said, "Then save me... three bean sprout and pork buns, okay? I'll definitely come, whether I arrive early or late, just save them for me."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded, and in a daze, he saw the boy in his memory who could eat more than ten bean sprout and pork buns in one sitting. Now, after careful consideration, he could only ask for three.

"Zhou Yan, I want one pork bun and one beef bun! I want to try some new flavors," Song Wanqing said.

"I've got it." Zhou Yan nodded.

"Zhou Yan, then we'll head to Jiaozhou first. I have class this afternoon, so it's about time to go up now," Zhou Ming said.

"Take care." Zhou Yan waved his hand.

"Goodbye Grandpa Song~ Goodbye Teacher Song~~" Zhou Momo waved her little hand as well.

"See you tomorrow, Momo. I'll bring you a pinwheel tomorrow." Teacher Song patted Zhou Momo's head, then turned and walked away side by side with Zhou Ming.

As they walked, she took Zhou Ming's arm.

Zhou Yan was smiling and about to tell Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai about Ming Ge being slapped by the old lady earlier when he saw this scene and his eyes widened: "Eh? No... how did they end up arm in arm?"

Something is wrong!

"Hey what? They've already found someone, and you're still grinning like that." Aunt Zhao said, pouting as she passed by.

Zhou Yan stopped laughing; he genuinely couldn't laugh anymore.

The old lady's three blows finally made Ming-ge understand!
He hasn't even held hands yet, how come they're already dating?
It’s so outrageous that he opened the door for me, it’s so outrageous!
“I think our Zhou family has a wedding banquet to hold this year during the Spring Festival,” Zhou Jie said.

"Then it's just Zhou Yan and Zhou Yang left." Zhou Hai looked at Zhou Yan with a smile.

Zhou Jie laughed too: "Zhou Yang is far from the emperor's reach, and no one in the army can control him. Zhou Yan, you should be prepared for what's to come."

Zhou Yan scratched his head. This was the problem. Originally, he had Zhou Ming, his fellow sufferer, to help him take the hits.

Now that's great, Ming has suddenly figured it out. The old lady will definitely be giving him a good beating from now on.
Uncle Zhou Han and Aunt Ma Jinhua saw Song Changhe and his group off for a while, then turned back, their mouths practically stretched to their ears in a wide grin.

"Jinhua! You're so lucky. Mingming found you such a beautiful and eloquent teacher as your daughter-in-law."

"Your family has such good feng shui! You're about to marry your second teacher! Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"

"Are you going to have a celebration for the Lunar New Year? If so, you should pick a date early."

The women in the village chatted amongst themselves, their words revealing a mixture of envy and satisfaction.

Song Wanqing is gentle and elegant, a teacher at No. 1 Middle School, her grandfather is a retired cadre, and her parents are professors in Chengdu.

Who wouldn't be confused by this family's financial situation?
Zhou Ming, that silly boy, is almost obsessed with martial arts. He used to teach martial arts in some remote mountain area of ​​Mount Emei, without even a single female monkey by his side.

He was suddenly transferred back to the No. 1 Middle School as a physical education teacher, and he even found such a beautiful partner. Not to mention the gossipy women in the village, even the single young men were a little envious.

"Zhou Yan, do you think I have a chance to find a Chinese teacher as beautiful as Teacher Song? A math teacher would be fine too," Zhou Hongwei muttered to himself.

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "Go back and get some sleep now, and you'll have all sorts of dreams."

Zhou Hongwei looked at Zhou Yan and said, "To be honest, I think my knife skills are almost there. Can I start selling braised meat now? I can cut braised pig's head and braised beef."

"Let me see your hands," Zhou Yan said.

Zhou Hongwei stretched out his hands.

There are many new scars on my left hand, which are obviously from being cut with a kitchen knife. There is a new callus on the fingertip of my right hand.

Zhou Yan said, "Come to my shop at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. I'll test your skills. If you're good enough, you can start selling tomorrow."

"Okay." Zhou Hongwei smiled and turned to walk home. "I really need to get some sleep. I haven't been sleepy for two days, I can't take it..."

Xiao Lei and his friends sat by the fire, drinking tea and chatting.

Zhou Yan walked over and heard Awei sighing: "The registration for the Level 3 Chef Exam in Jiaozhou has started this year. It's a pity that I don't have enough years of experience, otherwise I would definitely give it a try."

“Awei, you still need to train for two more years.” Zheng Qiang reached out and patted his shoulder, saying with some pride, “As for me, I am already a distinguished Level 3 Red-Cooking Chef.”

“Senior Brother Zheng, you’ve only studied cooking for a few more years. By the time I’m your age, I’ll definitely be a Level 2 chef specializing in hot dishes!” Awei said confidently.

Zheng Qiang smiled and said, "Your master only passed the Level 2 exam less than two years ago. You're exaggerating a bit."

[Ding! Main quest issued: Please register for this year's Jiaozhou Level 3 Chef Examination and pass the exam to obtain your Level 3 Chef Certificate!]

Just as Zhou Yan was about to join the group chat, a notification sound rang in his mind.

　Extra chapter needed! Please vote with your monthly tickets, dear readers! Thank you!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)