1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 332 Sichuan pigs have only two paths: cured meat and sausages (6k combined)

[Get a bonus: "Cured Pork and Sausage"!]

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was taken aback for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

The restaurant expansion was something he proactively did to broaden his business, and he never expected it to trigger an extra reward, which was a truly unexpected surprise.

In winter, pigs in Sichuan have only two options: cured meat and sausages.

For people in Sichuan and Chongqing, cured pork and sausages are absolutely indispensable New Year's goods.

When it's time to make sausages and cured meat every year, it means the year is almost over and the end of the year is approaching.

The prepared sausages and cured meats can be boiled or steamed to make a dish, or used as a side dish in stir-fries, fried rice, steamed rice, or rice porridge...

Sichuan people have an amazing way of enjoying preserved meats, eating them from the end of the year to the end of the following year.

Of course, the slice of cured meat and sausage on the cutting board is always the most delicious, and it's best to sneak a whiff while cutting it.

It's already the end of December, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, it's indeed time to make cured meats and sausages.

In previous years, Zhao Niangniang, as the head of the family, would have started making arrangements for this at this time.

But she's been so busy running the restaurant this year, from morning till night, day after day, that she probably forgot all about it.

This recipe is incredibly valuable for people from Sichuan and Chongqing.

Suppressing his inner joy, Zhou Yan first paid Zhang Shi and his apprentice their wages.

The job took four and a half days. It was a contract for labor but not materials. The wages were agreed upon before the job started. It was thirty yuan in total, which was the price quoted by Zhang himself. Zhou Yan thought it was about right and didn't haggle.

The two of them used to hire a helper every day to assist them, at the normal market price.

Master Zhang took the money, counted it, and said with a smile, "Boss Zhou, I love doing your work the most. You know what I want, and you're always quick to pay."

"The food was pretty good," Zhang Hua added.

Zhou Yan also smiled and said, "Master Zhang's skills are indeed excellent. I'm planning to repair a house in Jiaozhou after the New Year. If it's suitable, I'll ask you for help again."

"Going to Jiaozhou to build a house!" Master Zhang was somewhat surprised to hear this. "Is Boss Zhou planning to move the restaurant to Jiaozhou?"

"It's still early, otherwise I wouldn't be expanding my store." Zhou Yan smiled and shook his head.

"That's true, it must have cost quite a bit of money." Master Zhang nodded, put away his tools but didn't leave immediately. He helped Zhou Yan and the others move the table before saying goodbye and leaving.

Originally, nineteen tables were placed in one store, which looked somewhat crowded.

Now, with fifteen tables on each side, the spacing between the tables is immediately increased, making the space look much more spacious and comfortable.

"Great! Now guests won't have to crowd around anymore." Aunt Zhao came back from get out of class, pushing her bicycle in. She looked around and was very satisfied.

"Wow~~ Our restaurant has become so big!" Zhou Momo ran around the two doorways, overjoyed.

"Teacher Zhou, I'm off work now. I'm going home to take a shower and get some sleep!" Kong Liwei said, pushing his bicycle out the door.

“Okay,” Zhou Yan replied.

Aunt Zhao rolled up her sleeves and said, "Come on, wipe off the dust. When the customers come tomorrow, they can sit next door. In the morning, many customers who wanted to eat steamed buns took them to the factory to eat because there were no seats in the shop."

"We'll take care of it, you don't need to worry about it. You and Momo should finish your homework first, so you don't stay up too late again." Comrade Zhou walked over, put down her sleeve, and said with a smile, "Comrade Tieying, studies come first!"

"Yes, the teacher said that studying comes first!" Zhou Momo nodded in agreement.

"Alright, alright, we'll listen to Comrade Zhou and Teacher Zhou." Aunt Zhao's smile revealed a hint of helplessness and happiness as she took out a notebook from her bag.

Old Zhou walked over and called out to Zhou Yan, "Come on, there's hot water in the pot, let's wipe the table together."

“Okay!” Zhou Yan replied with a smile. Schoolchildren don’t have to do chores when they have to do their homework; this is an age-old truth.

First, clean up the kitchen, wipe the stove clean, and sweep away the pebbles and dust.

Zhou Yan always maintains strict standards regarding kitchen hygiene, ensuring that guests can eat with peace of mind; there is no room for carelessness.

The traditional eight-person table for kneading dough and pulling noodles was moved next door, and a long table was added to it, instantly doubling the size of the work surface.

According to Zhou Yan's plan, Li Lihua and Zhao Hong would make steamed buns at the long table, while he would make noodles at the eight-immortal table, so that they would not interfere with each other.

Comrade Lao Zhou is in charge of wiping the tables. The tables and chairs at the new store have been covered in a layer of dust these past two days, so it's quite a workload.

After finishing her homework, Aunt Zhao came to help. Zhou Momo was too young, so she was responsible for cheering her on. The whole family worked for two hours to clean the tables, chairs, and floor.

The towels were tossed into the basin, and the family looked at the clean shop, the tabletops gleaming, and even the door spotless. Smiles appeared on their faces.

Aunt Zhao put her hands on her hips and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad at all! We said we wanted to grow bigger and stronger, and this is a big step forward!"

"With the store expanding, we might be even busier," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Aunt Zhao said dismissively, "Being busy is good; you can only make big money if you're busy."

“Your mother is right,” Old Zhou agreed.

Zhou Yan looked at Aunt Zhao and said, "Mom, I'm going to make some cured pork and sausages. Some will be used at the shop, and some will be for us to eat during the New Year."

"Oh dear, I almost forgot! I've been so busy every day, like a spinning top." Aunt Zhao slapped her forehead and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "Should we slaughter a pig? Or should we just buy pork from the butcher? We still have two pigs in your grandma's pigsty. How about we slaughter one and keep the other for next year?"

Zhou Yan thought for a moment and said, "Then let's kill one pig and make cured pork trotters and ribs to eat during the New Year. I'll also go to Zhang Laosan's place to buy several hundred catties of pork to make cured meat and sausages, so that the shop will have enough."

"If we make the cured pork and sausages in winter, we can take them out when the shop needs them next year. Cured pork is great for stir-fries."

“Okay, let’s kill it on Sunday. We’ll treat your uncles to a pig-killing feast.” Aunt Zhao paused, then looked at Zhou Yan and said, “How about we invite Yao Yao along? I’ll have Mingming invite Teacher Song too. It’s rare for city girls to get to eat a pig-killing feast.”

“Okay, I’ll tell her tomorrow.” Zhou Yan nodded.

I've been busy until almost nine o'clock tonight. Last weekend, Teacher Song invited them to go to the city. If I could invite them to the countryside to slaughter a pig and have a pig-slaughtering feast, that would be a special experience.

Not to mention city girls, Zhou Yan also loves to eat pig slaughter feasts.

“Once the cured pork and sausages are ready, just put them in your grandma’s yard to smoke. Every year, your grandma smokes our cured pork and sausages. Our family makes the best-tasting cured pork and sausages in Zhoucun,” Aunt Zhao said.

“Okay.” This was also Zhou Yan’s idea. It would be more convenient to smoke cured meat and sausages in the village. He didn’t have the space to process hundreds of kilograms of cured meat and sausages in the town.

After taking a shower, Zhou Yan took paper and pen upstairs, locked the door, lay down on the bed, and immediately opened the recipe for "Cured Meat and Sausage".

Countless pieces of information flooded my mind, from selecting meat to processing it, and then to the entire process of using ingredients, marinating, drying, smoking, and preserving.

Sausages, cured pork, cured pig's trotters, cured pork ribs, cured pig's head, cured pig's tongue... it can be said that Sichuan-style cured meats are all available.

Three minutes later, Zhou Yan opened his eyes again, already having figured out all the possible actions.

Zhou Yan got out of bed, took out paper and pen, and first planned out how much cured meat and sausages she wanted to make.

The cured meat made from this pig at home is definitely for our own consumption, and we can also give some to relatives and friends. We don't plan to sell it.

For the shop, Zhou Yan plans to make 300 jin of cured pork and 200 jin of sausages in the first batch. Ten jin of fresh meat can make about seven jin of cured pork and sausages, and the final product will be about 280 jin.

It should last for a while.

We'll serve a few preserved meat dishes and see how they are received. Twice-cooked pork with preserved meat and twice-cooked sausage are classic and simple ways to eat them.

This meat needs to be delivered to him by Zhang Laosan. He's slaughtered too many pigs, and it's hard to deal with all those cured pig's feet and heads.

Zhou Yan calculated and wrote down the exact amount of meat and cuts he wanted on a piece of paper so he could make a reservation with Zhang Laosan the next day.

Once everything was settled, Zhou Yan went straight to sleep.

Before dawn the next day, Comrade Xiao Zhou got up early to knead the dough.

The alarm clock that used to wake him at 4:30 can now wake him up in just three seconds.

The biological clock is truly amazing.

After the dough was kneaded, Zhang Laosan also brought over the meat.

After carrying the meat into the kitchen, Zhou Yan settled the payment and said, "Uncle Zhang, I plan to make cured pork and sausages tomorrow, and I'd like to order the meat from you."

Old Zhang nodded: "Okay, how much do you want?"

"I need 150 catties of pork belly, 50 catties of pork shoulder to make cured pork, and another 200 catties of pork shoulder (30% fat, 70% lean) to make sausages. Deliver them to my grandma's door in Zhoucun at 9 o'clock tomorrow morning. Also, please provide all the pig intestines. You make sausages often, so you know how much you need." Zhou Yan handed over a piece of paper.

"Four hundred catties of meat!" Old Zhang's eyes widened in surprise.

Zhou Yan now eats more than 100 jin of meat a day, but pig's head and trotters make up the majority, with the remaining cuts of pork and pork belly only amounting to a few dozen jin.

“Yes.” Zhou Yan nodded, and then added, “The meat quality must be good.”

Old Zhang patted his chest and assured him, "There's definitely no problem! I'll order the meat today. Same as always, the meat will be delivered. If you're not satisfied with the quality, I'll take it away myself."

He was originally planning to rest for a day tomorrow, as it's the weekend, but Zhou Yan wants 400 jin of meat, so what's the point of him resting!
Even if you only make a dime per pound of meat, that's still forty yuan!
It's like selling a big, fat pig all at once.

“By the way, Zhou Yan, you’re making so many sausages. Would you like me to bring my brother-in-law’s meat grinder over tomorrow so you can use it for a day? He’s removed the blades from that grinder and attached a funnel-shaped tube. You put the sausage casings on the tube, and once the motor is on, it’s incredibly fast for stuffing sausages. Otherwise, it’ll take you ages to stuff these two or three hundred pounds of sausages,” said Zhang Laosan. Zhou Yan’s eyes lit up at this, and he immediately nodded, “That would be wonderful! Thank you, Uncle Zhang!”

"No need to thank me, I'll bring them all to you tomorrow." Old Zhang left happily.

Making sausages is a technical and physically demanding job, and the ability to use tools is what distinguishes humans from other animals.

Sausages made by hand are not necessarily more delicious than those made by machine, but they are definitely more tiring to make.

Comrade Zhou came downstairs, preparing to go out to buy beef.

"Old man, could you stop by Grandma's house later and tell her we're going back tomorrow to slaughter a pig and make cured meat and sausages?" Zhou Yan called out, peeking out from behind the window.

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

After getting up early for two days, Awei decided to lie down and now arrives at the store at the same time as Li Lihua and the others every day, starting work promptly at six o'clock.

"Wow! What a transformation! It's turned into a grand restaurant overnight!" Zhao Hong exclaimed in amazement, walking around the restaurant and kitchen.

"Exactly! It looks so spacious and grand!" Li Lihua exclaimed, then felt a little guilty. "I thought they were just knocking down walls last night, but they actually set up the tables and chairs and cleaned it all night. They should have asked us to stay and help."

"It's alright, you still have to cook when you get back. My son, Ah Wei, and I can work overtime and it'll be just as good." Zhou Yan said with a smile, pointing to the long table and saying, "The pastry preparation has been moved over here. Aunt Li, sister-in-law, you can make steamed buns at this long table."

"Sure!" the two replied with a smile. There was indeed a bit of limited space when the three of them were on the octagonal table before, but the long table was wide enough for the three of them to work together.

This long table was also bought by Zhou Yan from Liu Huaqiang for eighteen yuan. It was a long table from a wealthy family, which had been stored away for several years. The tabletop was flat and smooth, and it was originally a cutting board for making white dishes. However, two of the table legs were broken, so Liu Huaqiang had a carpenter install two new legs. It was quite practical to put in the back kitchen.

"Master Zhou, is Comrade Zeng definitely coming next week? We've added thirty more tables, so it feels like we're going to get busier and busier from now on," Kong Liwei asked, turning to Zhou Yan who was stir-frying the meat sauce as he chopped the meat filling.

"She said she'd come for an interview next Monday, but whether she can come or not is not up to me," Zhou Yan said.

"If only she could come, she's such a hard worker. If I had her chop the minced meat, I could sleep for another half hour," Kong Liwei muttered to himself.

“What Master Kong said makes sense. If she could do all your work, you could sleep at home every day,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“That makes sense…” Kong Liwei nodded, then quickly realized, “Will Zhou Shi still pay me my salary?”

"What do you say?"

Ah Wei stopped laughing, turned around and continued chopping the meat.

"I just went out for a walk and saw an auntie carrying two baskets of pea shoots. They were plump and tender, and only three cents a pound. I bought them all." Auntie Zhao walked into the kitchen carrying two baskets and said to Zhou Yan, "Six pounds in total. Is that enough for you?"

Zhou Yan turned around and his eyes lit up:
A basket of top-quality pea shoots

“Okay, the quality is good. You can put it in the wooden bucket over there. You can take the money from the cabinet and tell her that if there are any more tender pea shoots like this, just send them to our shop,” Zhou Yan said.

"Okay," Aunt Zhao replied, transferring the two baskets of pea shoots to a basin before heading out with the baskets.

"These pea shoots are so comforting. I want to eat noodles later, could you please blanch some pea shoots for me, Master Zhou?" Kong Liwei said.

“Okay.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. The pea shoots were meant to be served with the braised beef, as a side dish, a winter-only way to eat it.

He had asked Comrade Zhou to keep an eye out for pea shoots these past few days, but they hadn't found any suitable ones yet, as the pea shoots had only just come out.

Either the quantity is too small, or it's too thin and not plump enough.

The appeal of pea shoots lies in their fresh and tender texture. People from Sichuan and Chongqing are quite picky eaters; they would rather not eat them if they are old or thin, or if they are not cooked properly.

Having just come to market, a large bowl of such plump and tender pea shoots like this is definitely a rare find.

"I told her, and she said she could pick them every two days. She ordered two acres of peas, and next time she'll bring them to our shop first for us to choose from." Aunt Zhao returned, looking at the overflowing pea shoots in the basin next to her with a bit of worry: "Isn't there a bit too much? Will we be able to sell them all?"

"Don't worry, it will definitely sell out." Zhou Yan said confidently, "I'll write a notice later, and the 'Qiaojiao Beef' will be limited to the addition of pea shoots. It'll cost one cent to add a handful of fresh and tender pea shoots. Just grab a handful of about 1.5 ounces."

"How much is one and a half taels?" Aunt Zhao frowned and looked at Old Zhou, who had just dragged the tofu back. "Sanshui, can you help me measure how much one and a half taels of pea shoots is?"

"Okay!" Old Zhou replied, carrying two slabs of tofu into the room. He put the tofu on the wooden shelf, walked over to the bowl of pea shoots, grabbed a handful, put a few back, and nodded, saying, "One and a half ounces, that's all."

"That's quite a lot." Aunt Zhao came over and took the handful of pea shoots from Comrade Zhou, weighed them in her hand, and gestured a few times to get a general idea of ​​what they were.

"Once this is cooked, it can still be eaten a few times on top of the braised beef. Everyone knows that pea shoots are expensive these days, but as long as they taste good, most people are willing to try them," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Green vegetables are now 10 cents for two pounds, while pea shoots can sell for 30 cents a pound, simply because the yield is low and they don't weigh much.

That bowl of pea shoots must have taken that old lady and her family two hours of picking in the field with flashlights.

These days, it's really not easy to make money from the land.

"Then let's wash them around noon. If we wash them now, they'll wilt and lose their appearance." Aunt Zhao carefully put the pea shoots back into the basin and turned to go cook the beef soup.

Nowadays, everyone at Zhou Erwa Restaurant is a cohesive unit, and with proper teamwork, their work efficiency is getting higher and higher.

"Brother, is Sister Yaoyao here yet?" Zhou Momo peeked her little head out from the kitchen doorway and asked softly.

The little guy didn't seem fully awake yet, his eyes were squinted, and he looked a bit dazed. The tuft of hair on his head twirled around like an exclamation mark.

"Not yet, what's wrong?" Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Do you want me to call your mom to help you wash your face? You look like you haven't woken up yet."

"No! Shh—" Zhou Momo's eyes widened instantly. She jumped into the kitchen, put her hand to her mouth, and said, "Guoguo~~ Don't shout! I want to wait for Sister Yaoyao to come and wash my face. I brought her some candy, so I won't let her wash my face for nothing."

"What candy? I want some too." Zhou Yan looked down at her and smiled.

"Watermelon candy, Teacher Song gave it to me yesterday." Zhou Momo rummaged in her pocket, pulled out a watermelon-flavored hard candy, hesitated for a moment, then held up her little hand and offered it to Zhou Yan, "Here, have one. I have another one for Sister Yaoyao, you can't take it~"

"Okay." Zhou Yan smiled and took it, unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth, nodding with a smile: "Mmm, it's watermelon flavored, so sweet."

"Right! It's super delicious." A smile appeared on the little guy's face, his chubby little face looking adorable when he smiled.

Zhou Yan had initially thought she would be reluctant to part, but she was immediately warmed by her smile.

"Next time we go to the department store, I'll buy you a pound of fruit hard candies in all flavors."

"Really!" Zhou Momo's eyes widened, and she ran over to hug his leg. "Honey, I love you! You're such a good person~~"

"MoMo, I want to eat watermelon candy too." Kong Liwei came over.

"No! The last one is for Sister Yaoyao." The little guy shook his head resolutely. "Awei, you're a grown-up now, you don't have to eat candy."

Ah Wei glanced at Zhou Yan.

“This is my pot, it’s different!” the little guy said confidently.

"See that? This is my younger sister." Zhou Yan said with a smug look on his face.

Ah Wei: "..."

Damn, I’m injured again.

At 6:20, the first batch of steamed buns were put into the steamer on time, and the students began to arrive as they were almost ready to be taken out of the steamer.

"Godmother! Good morning!"

Lin Bingwen and Lin Jingxing entered the room and greeted Zhao Tieying, who was standing in front of the steamed buns.

"Oh my goodness, good morning," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

"Good morning, Auntie." Xia Yao greeted Meng Anhe with a smile as they entered the room.

"Good morning, Yao Yao. An He is back." Zhao Tieying greeted the two of them with a smile.

"I got back last night. I've been busy all week, so I'm taking a couple of days off." Meng Anhe nodded with a smile, looking at Zhao Tieying's face with some surprise: "Sister Ying, your skin looks better and better. Have you been using any skincare products lately? It's much fairer and smoother than before."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Tieying reached out and touched her face, a smile spreading across her face: "Really? I just apply some face cream every day, and sometimes I even forget to apply it. Have you really gotten whiter?"

"Really, she looks younger and more beautiful every day." Meng Anhe nodded and said with a smile, "Old Zhou is really lucky."

“I also think Auntie’s skin looks much better than when I first saw her. She looks very healthy and vibrant.” Xia Yao nodded in agreement.

Zhao Tieying grinned from ear to ear, "Yaoyao and Anhe really know how to talk. Sit down, shall we have noodles or steamed buns today?"

"I want two pork buns. I haven't had them for days, and I'm really craving them," Meng Anhe said, then glanced to the side and paused, "Did you expand the shop?"

"Is it finished?" Xia Yao was a little surprised when she heard this. She went over to take a look and said, "That's great. The hall is much more spacious now."

"They were decisive; they expanded the storefront just like that." Lin Zhiqiang went over to take a look and remarked with some emotion.

The long queues at Zhou Erwa's restaurant have been going on for quite a while now, and everyone's gotten used to it. Zhou Yan has already started preparing to build a restaurant in Jiazhou, and he didn't expect that he would also invest money to expand the store. His initiative makes him feel inferior.

"Sister Yao Yao! Pretty Auntie~~" Zhou Momo ran out of the kitchen and jumped into Xia Yao's arms.

"Sister Meng is back." Zhou Yan followed her out and greeted everyone with a smile.

Meng Anhe nodded: "Yes, I just got back yesterday. You've done a great job opening up the store, and the layout is much more reasonable than before."

"I just wanted to make sure the guests were comfortable." Zhou Yan smiled and turned to Xia Yao: "Tomorrow my family is going back to the countryside to slaughter a pig and make cured meat and sausages. Would you like to come along and experience a pig-slaughtering feast?"

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