1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 34 Agastache-Flavored Crucian Carp!

"Director, look, there are 30% fewer customers coming for stir-fries today than usual. We prepared a lot more dishes to accommodate those college students, and now there's nothing left."

In the factory canteen kitchen, head chef Huang Fusheng looked at Wang Defa with a melancholy expression.

The cutting board next to it was covered with all kinds of prepared ingredients, including beef, pork liver, pork intestines... there was everything, and the portions were quite generous.

Wang Defa, his face dark, said in a deep voice, "Today was ruined by Zhou Erwa's restaurant. If those college students came to eat in the cafeteria, there wouldn't be any leftovers, and it would even generate some discussion and a good reputation for the cafeteria."

"Exactly! Zhou Yan is a real scoundrel!" Huang Fusheng cursed angrily. "Director, you have to think of a solution. If this continues, all our customers will leave."

"How dare you say that!" Wang Defa glared at him, lowering his voice, but still unable to hide his anger: "I made you the head chef not just so you could skim the profits!"

"If you can't do a good job, you'd better get the hell out of here! Do you know how awful those workers were swearing at me? They were practically shitting on my head!"

"Yes, yes..." Huang Fusheng blushed as he was scolded. "I will definitely do my job well."

"Fuck your mother..." Wang Defa was still not satisfied. "Make sure the stir-fry tastes good for me. If any more customers leave, I'll send you back to work as a butcher!"

"I guarantee they'll handle this properly, and there won't be any problems!" Huang Fusheng nodded.

"I'll give you another week to win back the customers you've lost," Wang Defa said, looking at him. "And bankrupt Zhou Erwa's restaurant."

“Okay!” Huang Fusheng nodded solemnly, then hesitated for a moment and said, “Director, I don’t think Zhou Yan can do anything by himself. He can only make a cucumber salad, and he can’t even cook twice-cooked pork properly.”

His restaurant was on the verge of collapse, but selling noodles brought it back to life. There must have been some kind of magician guiding him.

"You mean that old bastard Xiao Lei?" Wang Defa asked thoughtfully.

At this moment, a middle-aged man dragged the food waste bin back into the kitchen, put it back in the corner, took off his apron, and prepared to leave work.

"Xiao Lei, come here for a second," Wang Defa said to the man in an unfriendly tone.

"I'm off work. We'll talk about it tomorrow." Xiao Lei turned and left without giving Wang De a friendly look.

"Stand still!" Wang De roared, laughing furiously. "Aren't you afraid I'll fire you?!"

"Screw you!" Xiao Lei paused, turned around to look at Wang Defa, curled his lip, and sneered, "Who do you think you are to fire me? I've been with the company longer than you, and I haven't done anything wrong. What makes you think you can fire me!"
"But don't get cocky. If you really piss me off, don't cry when the spatula hits your face. I'm more accurate and have much more power than Zhou Yan."

"You...you..." Wang Defa's face turned black with anger.

Huang Fusheng quickly pulled Wang Defa back, and said to Xiao Lei, "Master Xiao, this is not right of you. How can you talk to our Director Wang like that?"

"Shut up too. You can't even pass the Level 3 chef exam and you're a head chef? All you do is lick the cow's ditch—jumping and jumping to lick Wang Defa. What kind of person are you?" Xiao Lei sneered: "I have a very easy job now. I get paid as usual, and I still have my seniority. I can just wait to retire and enjoy my old age. I don't have to be gossiped about or cursed behind my back."

“You…you…” Huang Fusheng’s face also darkened.

Xiao Lei left in a hurry, without looking back.

As he rode his bike out of the factory gate, he glanced back at Zhou Erwa's restaurant and smiled slightly: "That kid does have some skill."

Zhou Yan had just returned to the shop when he parked his old bicycle against the wall. Zhou Fei was already sitting there, chatting with Zhou Miao about the big fish that Old Zhou had gotten away with.

He greeted them, placed the package Ma Xingye had taken on the counter, and then headed towards the kitchen.

"Did you send Xia Yao back?" Zhao Tieying asked.

Zhao Hong also cast a concerned glance at him. That college student was so beautiful, had a good personality, and spoke softly and pleasantly. She and Zhou Yan looked so well-matched.

"Yeah, it's getting dark, it's not safe for her to go back alone." Zhou Yan replied casually, first washing his hands. The fish had already been cut and marinated with scallions, ginger, and cooking wine, and the patchouli, green peppers, and red peppers were also washed.

"Such a pretty young girl, we definitely have to send her back," Zhao Tieying said with a smile, then added with a touch of wistfulness, "It's just too far. She's from Hangzhou, but she's going to university in this mountain city. Tell me, how far is Hangzhou from here?"

"It's over four thousand li, and it takes three days by train." "Four thousand li? Good heavens! I don't even know how much the fare would be." Zhao Tieying shook her head repeatedly. She thought even Chengdu was far away, and she had only been to Jiaozhou a few times. She couldn't even imagine how far four thousand li was.

“It’s faster by plane,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

“Airplane? Who can afford that?” Zhao Tieying shook her head. “Last time I was in the commune, I overheard them chatting. They said that the Party Secretary went on an inspection tour with his superiors, and he needed a certificate from the county to fly there. A ticket costs several hundred yuan, enough to buy a bicycle.”

"So expensive?" Zhao Hong gasped, her face filled with shock. "If you two get married, how often will she go back to her parents' home?"

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was taken aback for a moment, then smiled helplessly, "Sister-in-law, what are you talking about? We're not dating, and we haven't said anything about getting married."

“Your sister-in-law is really daring. I wouldn’t even dare to dream of something this beautiful. Even among college students, Xia Yao is one of the most well-behaved. She’s generous and poised, efficient and thorough in her work, and her social skills are impeccable.” Zhao Tieying got more and more excited as she spoke, staring at Zhou Yan and saying, “You kid, go and give it a try. I won’t be able to sleep at night if I miss out on such a good daughter-in-law.”

"Mom, I'm going to make crucian carp with mint, and you can make braised eel." Zhou Yan didn't dare to reply at all.

Take pickled ginger, pickled cowpeas, and pickled peppers from the sauerkraut jar and chop them into small pieces. Mince ginger, garlic, and chili peppers together. This step is very important.

Use only the leaves of patchouli, and chop them finely to fully release their flavor.

Heat rapeseed oil in a wok until it reaches 60% of its maximum temperature. Fry the crucian carp until both sides are golden brown, then remove it from the wok and set aside.

Add a spoonful of lard to the oil in the pot, heat the oil, add ginger, garlic and pickled peppers and sauté until fragrant, then add finely chopped fermented bean paste and stir-fry over low heat until the oil turns red. Finally, add pickled cowpeas and stir-fry together.

The aroma burst forth instantly—sour, spicy, and fragrant!

Sichuan people use a lot of oil, side dishes, and seasonings when cooking fish, because they want that mixed flavor.

At this point, add a spoonful of water, along with MSG, pepper, sugar, and soy sauce to enhance the flavor, and a little Baoning vinegar to remove any fishy smell and add aroma.

Add the previously pan-fried fish, just enough to be submerged in the broth, and simmer over low heat.

Zhou Yan glanced at Zhou Lihui standing by the stove and said with a smile, "Huihui, does Yu want to learn too?"

"Yes." Zhou Lihui nodded and exclaimed, "Uncle is amazing! This fish smells so good, even better than my mom's cooking."

“Your uncle is a professional chef, he can definitely cook better than me,” Zhao Hong said with a smile as she tended the fire behind the stove.

Next to it, Zhao Tieying's eel was already cooking in the pot. The eel, cut into sections, was bubbling in the red broth, and it smelled quite delicious.

Watching Zhou Yan cook these days, Zhao Tieying has also learned some techniques, namely, you have to be generous with the ingredients. As long as the ingredients are delicious, even a braised shoe sole will smell good.

After cooking the crucian carp for six or seven minutes, Zhou Yan took an open plate and took the crucian carp out of the pot first.

Turn up the heat a little to reduce the sauce. Add a little cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce. When the sauce becomes thick and starts to bubble, add the mint and chopped green onions. Stir-fry a few times to allow the flavor of the mint to fully infuse the sauce, then pour it over the cooked crucian carp.

The thick broth, with scallions, pickled cowpeas, and pickled peppers mingling together in vibrant colors, is poured over the crucian carp, making it look incredibly tempting.

The aroma of fish wafted through the air, and Zhou Lihui swallowed hard. It smelled so good!

"This smells amazing! I never expected Zhou Yanyu to cook such a delicious dish," Zhao Hong exclaimed.

Zhou Momo and Fanwa approached the kitchen doorway and sniffed around.

"It smells so good! Pot!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up. "Is it fish? I want to eat it!"

"Hmm, crucian carp with mint." Zhou Yan handed the plate to Zhou Lihui and said with a smile, "Go wash your hands, I'll stir-fry a vegetable dish and then we'll have rice."

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(End of this chapter)