1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 342 If you come, I'll be saved! (6k-page compilation)

"Who are you writing a letter to? And you're smiling." Lin Zhiqiang asked with a smile as he returned to his room after taking a shower, looking at Meng Anhe who was writing a letter at her desk.

"I'll write this for my sister, sharing some of my trip to Zhoucun with her. Didn't she ask me about Xiao Zhou's family situation before? I could only say it was hearsay before, and I didn't dare to say anything."

"We went to Zhoucun today, had in-depth discussions all day, and ate two meals. Now we have a lot to say, and we must tell her the situation properly." Meng Anhe replied casually, without even looking up.

Lin Zhiqiang looked at the steaming blue-and-white porcelain covered bowl in her hand and said with a smile, "It has to be the old lady. This covered bowl is the most precious thing to her."

“This gaiwan is more beautiful than any of the gaiwans in my cabinet. I declare that from today onwards, it will be my new favorite.” Meng Anhe put down her pen, picked up the gaiwan, took a sip of tea, and put it down with a smile. “The old lady is such a wonderful person. She said: ‘Giving someone something you like as a gift is what truly matters.’”

Lin Zhiqiang nodded: "It's really amazing. Look at the old lady's five sons, four of whom are butchers and one of whom has been on the battlefield and killed enemies, but after sitting down, they don't have a bit of aggression on them. Instead, they appear peaceful and polite."

"Right? I was worried that when we got to Zhoucun today, the old lady and her daughters-in-law would surround me and talk about Yao Yao. As her aunt, how could I make such a decision? If all else fails, I'll have to run away."

Today, during the only time I had tea alone with the old lady, she casually asked a few questions about Yao Yao's family situation, remaining completely restrained and polite throughout. Meng Anhe smiled as well, "This family is truly well-mannered; those two plaques commemorating them as families of first-class meritorious officials speak volumes."

After putting down the covered bowl, Meng Anhe continued writing her letter.

Lin Zhiqiang took a newspaper, got into bed, and quietly read it against the headboard.

Twenty minutes later, Meng Anhe put down her pen, took an envelope from the drawer, folded the letter and stuffed it in, locked the door, then crawled into bed, lifted Lin Zhiqiang's clothes and slipped inside.

"Hiss—your hands are as cold as ice!" Lin Zhiqiang jolted and grabbed her wandering hands.

"Are those two little ones asleep?" Meng Anhe asked vaguely.

"She's asleep. She played all day and brushed her teeth and took a shower. She fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed. No need to coax her... Slow down, you bumped your teeth."

"Then I won't move, you come up here."

The wooden bed rocked gently for a long time before finally stopping.

Meng Anhe leaned against Lin Zhiqiang's arm, her face flushed, and said softly, "You've been eating a lot of braised beef lately, haven't you?"

"One bowl every other day, eating too much will make you feel too hot, and you're not here." Lin Zhiqiang leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette, and gently exhaled smoke rings. His eyes were a little hazy, and the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

"You've gotten quite arrogant." Meng Anhe gently punched his chest. "Only one cigarette allowed."

"Okay." Lin Zhiqiang nodded. At home, this was the only time he could have a proper cigarette, which was tacitly approved by Meng Anhe.

"Do you think Yao Yao and Xiao Zhou are dating?" Lin Zhiqiang stubbed out his cigarette, lay back in bed, and hugged Meng Anhe, gently stroking her smooth back with his fingertips.

"Anyway, their interaction seems quite intimate, with a kind of youthful, ambiguous atmosphere," Meng Anhe said with a smile.

"Not bad, Zhou is a quiet guy who gets things done. I had no idea when he confessed his feelings." Lin Zhiqiang laughed.

"It's hard to say whether he confessed or not. Isn't the most interesting thing about dating—the ambiguity, the uncertainty, the tug-of-war between just the right moment—that's what makes it so interesting?" Meng Anhe looked up from under the covers at Lin Zhiqiang: "Do you remember when we were dating, when did you confess to me and I agreed?"

Lin Zhiqiang thought for a moment and said, "Six months after we met, one weekend, we went to see an opera performance. When we got back to school, it was late and we couldn't get back in. So we stayed at a motel outside the school for one night. I confessed my feelings to you, and you agreed."

“But I was the one who liked you first,” Meng Anhe laughed. “Although we haven’t officially become a couple, we go to the library together, go to the movies together, take walks along the river together, and go shopping together. I feel happy every day.”

Lin Zhiqiang was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, his mouth slightly agape: "So... from the very beginning, you were actually the hunter pretending to be the prey?"

"What, you've been taken advantage of?" Meng Anhe stared at him.

Lin Zhiqiang shook his head with a smile: "Not really. I was quite happy during that time. I enjoyed it. Every day I thought about how to get closer to you. If I could hold your hand for a while when it was dark or when we were crossing the street, I would be happy all night."

"Right? When you held my hand, my heart was racing. I wanted you to hold it a little longer, but I was afraid I would seem too reserved," Meng Anhe said. "Our relationship is closer than friends, but it hasn't crossed the line into lovers, so we are both emotionally stable and very interesting friends."

Lin Zhiqiang asked thoughtfully, "What about after you become lovers?"

“Love can be possessive, and it’s hard for stable emotions and intense love to coexist. When I was sure that you were a good person, and that you would choose to return to China like me, and that you were willing to respect my career development, and that I felt we could move forward together and go a long way, I accepted your confession at the motel.” Meng Anhe looked at him and said, “Actually, I knew that we wouldn’t be able to go back to school after that opera, because in three months, we would be finishing our studies and returning to China.”

"Huh? You know that?!" Lin Zhiqiang was stunned, feeling like he had been set up, but also like he hadn't suffered any loss.

He bought the opera tickets, but little did he know he was the prey.

"So you think Yao Yao and Xiao Zhou's situation is similar to ours back then?"

Meng Anhe thought for a moment and said, "It's hard to say. After all, Xiao Zhou is not only handsome, but he can also cook. Which girl wouldn't be confused by him?"

But Yao Yao is going back to school soon, and she'll be working in Hong Kong next year. Should we solidify our relationship first, or maintain the status quo and wait until the Jiaozhou factory is built and she's back from her assignment before committing to a relationship? I'm quite curious too.

Lin Zhiqiang pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized, "I suddenly understand what you mean by love having possessiveness. If you're in a committed relationship, being in a long-distance relationship inevitably leads to overthinking and internal conflict, resulting in a loss of emotional stability and an interesting soul. A letter exchanged half a month apart is hardly enough to comfort me today."

"Old Lin, if only you had understood these principles sooner. Your child is already ten years old and you're only just figuring them out now," Meng Anhe sighed softly.

"It's okay, it's never too late to understand now." Lin Zhiqiang smiled and hugged her tightly. "However, I think Xiao Zhou is pretty good. He is a career-minded and ambitious person, and he knows very well what he wants."

"Yes, I agree with that. Xiao Zhou's ambition and ability can help him bridge the gap. We elders will eventually look at their relationship from the perspective of life and material things. It's not hard to see from his daily interactions with Momo that he is someone who can manage a good life."

……

"You've really made me proud today. Look at Gao Cuihua, she's so angry she's practically choking on her own accord." Zhao Tieying tucked Zhou Momo in, snuggled into Zhou Miao's arms, and chuckled softly.

"I saw it too. We were using a meat grinder to make sausages. The pig-slaughtering feast was so lavish that Zhou Kunkun was extremely envious," Zhou Miao said with a slight smile.

"Yaoyao is such a good girl. You didn't even notice. She was holding onto the car seat, but when she heard everyone cheering, she put her arm around Zhou Yan's waist instead. That kid is so smug," Zhao Tieying said.

Zhou Miao said, "Do you think we should talk to Xia Yao's parents? My third brother told me today that they are planning to go to Jiaozhou next month to talk to Grandpa Song about Mingming and Teacher Song's marriage, and to see if Teacher Song's parents will meet in Jiaozhou or in Chengdu."

“Don’t worry, Mom called me aside today and told us not to interfere in Zhou Yan and Yao Yao’s affairs. Yao Yao is still a university student and her studies should be her priority. Zhou Yan is only twenty years old this year, so we can talk about marriage in a couple of years.” Zhao Tieying said, “Mingming is different from Teacher Song. Mingming is twenty-six this year, which is the age for marriage.”

“Okay.” Zhou Miao nodded.

"Next Sunday, let's go to the department store and buy a couple of nicer bags or boxes. Zhou Yan is going to send some cured meat and sausages to Yao Yao's parents and grandparents, right? An He should help take them back and make them look a little more presentable."

"Makes sense."

"It's Sunday today, shouldn't we hand over the grain tax?"

"I feel a little tired today."

"It's okay, I'll feel sorry for you. I'm on top, so relax and don't squeeze your legs so tightly..."

……

Zhou Yan got up very early, at 4:40, ten minutes later than before.

The newly built fermentation cabinet works very well; the temperature is stable, and the fermentation time of the dough is significantly shortened by more than ten minutes.

Ten minutes during the day can easily pass by in a moment of daydreaming.

But in winter mornings, those extra ten or fifteen minutes in bed are incredibly precious.

Zhou Yan decisively set the alarm clock back ten minutes.

Once the dough is kneaded, it is placed in the enamel basin along with the dough into a warming cabinet. Fires are already burning in the stoves on both sides, and the cabinet is warm for temperature-controlled fermentation. A damp towel is placed on top to keep the dough moist, which prevents water vapor from entering the enamel basin and causing the dough to become too wet and fail.

Zhou Yan used it once last Saturday, he's simply a genius!
Kong Liwei arrived quite early today, chopping fresh minced meat, and asked curiously, "Master Zhou, since you've started offering catering services, why don't you put up an announcement? You could write a catering menu, and start with the thirty-yuan dishes. That wouldn't conflict with the regular customers who come to the restaurant. The money from catering services is earned separately."

“Your point of view makes sense,” Zhou Yan nodded.

Although Song Yang often ate at the restaurant with Zhao Dong and Zhu Zhe, he had never brought his family to eat there before. If Zhou Yan didn't accept the banquet, he wouldn't be able to earn the sixty yuan.

Birthday banquets for elderly family members are usually held only when the date is a whole number; if you miss it, you have to wait another five or ten years.

Ah Wei continued, "Isn't the factory closed for New Year's Day tomorrow? Why don't we post an announcement today saying we're taking on banquet bookings? Based on my experience at Leming Restaurant, there's a high probability that families will go out to eat together to celebrate the holiday."

The textile factory workers have high wages and a large workforce. They're coming to the factory tomorrow to watch the New Year's Eve party to welcome 1985; some might even be willing to book a banquet to celebrate.

Zhou Yan thought about it for a moment and felt that what Awei said made a lot of sense. It was indeed possible to seize the New Year's Day holiday opportunity to make Zhou Erwa's restaurant famous for its banquet bookings.

He originally planned to give everyone a day off for New Year's Day, and that would be for outstanding employee Awei.

"Well done, Wei. Then we won't have a holiday tomorrow." Zhou Yan reached out and patted Wei's arm.

"It's nothing, that's called experience." Awei's smile was smug, but he quickly came to his senses: "Huh? Teacher Zhou, you were planning to have a day off tomorrow?!"

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "You're right. I'll go write a notice later. Tomorrow we'll only accept reservations and banquet bookings. We won't be making breakfast in the morning; we'll take a half-day off. By the way, if there are a lot of reservations, you'll have to come and help me with the food preparation."

"That deadpan mouth of yours is so unnecessary!" Ah Wei stopped laughing and wished he could slap himself twice.

Li Lihua and Zhao Hong, who were making steamed buns, both laughed when they heard this.

"Boss, I'll come earlier tomorrow, I'll help with chopping vegetables," Li Lihua said.

“Then I…” Zhao Hong began.

Zhao Tieying interrupted, "Why don't you take a nap before coming? With your knife skills, there aren't even any chopping blocks left in the kitchen." "Okay," Zhao Hong nodded happily.

After the meat sauce and toppings were cooked, Zhou Yan took some time to write a notice.

He wrote large characters with a brush and then listed the menu for the banquet he was going to serve Song Yang and the others today, indicating the price—30 yuan.

Braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup must be booked in advance and can only be enjoyed by ordering a private banquet.

Thirty yuan a table isn't cheap, but considering the dishes, the price isn't excessively expensive.

The price of the banquet is supported by two dishes: braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup. A rock carp weighing two pounds costs about four yuan, and its cost is also high.

The notice board was placed at the entrance, and all the customers who came to eat steamed buns in the morning saw it, with many stopping to take a second look.

"Zhou Erwa Restaurant is offering banquet packages now! Thirty yuan a table? That seems a bit pricey!" Zhu Zhe stood in front of the notice board and looked at it.

"Whether it's expensive or not depends on the dish. Braised rock carp and snowflake chicken soup are high-end banquet dishes. You can only get braised rock carp at Leming Restaurant in Jiaozhou, and you might not even be able to find authentic snowflake chicken soup in Jiaozhou," Zhao Dong said with a smile, having arrived quite early today.

"Brother Dong, is this braised rock carp really that delicious?" Zhu Zhe asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, the workers who were looking at the announcement all turned to look at Zhao Dong.

Rock carp can be found in the Minjiang River, and people often manage to catch them. Although they are not cheap, at least I've seen them. But I've never actually eaten braised rock carp.

Seeing everyone looking at him, Zhao Dong cleared his throat and said, "I ate at a restaurant in Rongcheng once. It was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a fresh and delicious flavor. It is definitely the best fish I have ever eaten. The taste is incomparable to carp."

"I wonder how Zhou Yan's braised rock carp tastes," someone said.

Zhao Dong laughed: "Didn't you read the Jiaozhou Daily? Zhou Yan was recently invited to cook three dishes for a banquet for overseas Chinese and foreign businessmen: braised beef, snowflake chicken soup, and dry-fried rock carp. They were very well received. The final dish was the dry-fried rock carp. Zhou Yan's skill in making dry-fried rock carp is absolutely top-notch in Jiaozhou."

Zhu Zhe exclaimed, "If that's the case, this 30-yuan banquet is quite something! The three dishes are on par with what foreign and overseas Chinese businessmen eat. In Jiaozhou, this would cost at least 40 or 50 yuan."

Zhou Yan listened to the chatter in the shop, a smile on his lips, but didn't respond.

The two of them, talking back and forth, saved him a lot of trouble with publicity.

Moreover, the selling point is quite good: the three dishes served at foreign business banquets are the best endorsement for this banquet menu.

"Here you go. I bought ten copies of that day's Jiaozhou Daily. Pasting one up will be more effective than saying a thousand words." Aunt Zhao rummaged through the cabinet and pulled out a copy of the Jiaozhou Daily, handing it to Zhou Yan along with the paste.

“That makes sense.” Zhou Yan took the newspaper and glue outside and posted them above the bulletin board.

"Boss Zhou, if we're not booking a banquet, can't we order braised rock carp?" Zhao Dong asked Zhou Yan.

“Dry-roasted rock carp is too time-consuming and labor-intensive; it really can't be done without a banquet.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Braised rock carp! Snowflake chicken soup!" Huang Ying and Huang Bing arrived just then. Seeing so many people gathered around, they came forward as well. "Uncle, these are all good dishes!"

Zhao Dong looked at Huang Ying and said, "Yingying, how about we have your dad come to Suji tomorrow night to treat us to dinner, and then we can go see the show together?"

Huang Ying's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Great idea! Let's say that Grandma misses my mom."

The uncle and nephew reached a consensus in a second.

Huang Bing, who was standing to the side, was stunned for a moment, then thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll take a day off tomorrow too!"

"Zhou Yan, we've reserved a table at our house," Zhao Dong said, looking at Zhou Yan.

"Okay, I'll write it down for you." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile; Zhao Dong was indeed very straightforward.

Thirty yuan is a month's wages for an ordinary worker, but for Huang Ying's family, thirty yuan is no problem at all for a meal.

The announcement had just been posted when an order was placed; the efficiency is quite high.

Few people book banquet rooms, but quite a few book meals.

Tomorrow is New Year's Day, everyone has a holiday, and the factory is also holding a party to welcome the New Year.

Tuesday's Wa Hotel is closed on Sundays, but it's accepting reservations and banquet bookings tomorrow, which is a rare occurrence, maybe once a year.

We can't afford a 30-yuan banquet, but ordering a few dishes only costs five or six yuan. The whole family can come over, have a lively meal, and happily watch the gala to welcome 1985. That's great!
Some people come to eat at noon, and some come to eat in the evening.

Zhou Yan gave Zhao Niangniang a notebook and pen and put her in charge of the matter.

The rule at Zhou Erwa Restaurant is that you pay the full amount upfront when you make a reservation, and there are no refunds if you don't show up.

The main point is an unfair contract term.

There's no other way; Zhou Erwa Restaurant only uses fresh ingredients. If customers order food but don't show up, we really can't afford to lose money on the ingredients.

The customers had no objections; Zhou Yan's restaurant's dishes are all about consistency and reliability.

Although the rule of paying in advance is a bit domineering, it's acceptable since all the ingredients are fresh that day.

One morning, 22 tables were booked out, two were banquet tables, and the rest were reservations for meals.

"That's great, especially since it's a holiday. We've already collected 224.6 yuan in reservation fees this morning alone." After closing for the morning, Aunt Zhao handed a notebook to Zhou Yan, which contained the reservation time, the dishes ordered, and the approximate number of diners.

His mother was right. It was during a holiday that the average order value was around 1.5 yuan, which was 0.5 yuan higher than the average order value of the workers during their regular workdays.

We expect to be able to get more reservations at lunchtime and in the evening, so business might not be much worse than usual.

"Well done, Awei!" Zhou Yan said to Awei, who was drinking water from his teacup.

"As long as the boss is happy," Awei said with a hint of helplessness.

"Hey? Zeng, what brings you here today?" Aunt Zhao's surprised voice rang out.

Zhou Yan turned around and saw Zeng Anrong standing at the door with a large bag on her back.

"Sister Zeng, you're here? Didn't you say the handover would take two weeks? Why..." Zhou Yan hurriedly went out and walked in, noticing that Zeng Anrong had some redness and broken skin on her right eyebrow bone. "What happened to your face?"

"Oh my! It really is! I didn't even notice." Aunt Zhao looked at her with concern.

"It's nothing, I just ran into a little trouble and got bumped." Zeng Anrong smiled shyly. "I finished the handover at Qingshen Restaurant yesterday, and the procedures went smoothly. I took the earliest bus here today, but I still missed breakfast to help out."

"Are you really alright? Should we go to the hospital to get checked out?" Zhou Yan asked with concern.

Zeng Anrong shook her head: "It's okay, we've applied medicine at home, the swelling should go down in a couple of days. I'll put the things down and come down to work right away."

“What kind of work are you doing? Your skin is all scraped. If you don’t treat it properly, it will leave a scar.” Zhao Tieying stepped forward to help her take off the bag on her back and handed it to Zhou Yan. She took off her apron and pulled her outside: “Come on, I’ll take you to the factory hospital to get some ointment to apply. A girl’s face can’t have scars. She has to look pretty.”

"Was Sister Zeng beaten up?" Awei asked, looking at Zeng Anrong being pulled away by Aunt Zhao.

"Stop gossiping. If she doesn't want to talk, let's not ask." Zhou Yan shoved the bag into Awei's arms. "Run an errand for Sister Zeng and take it to her room."

"Okay." Ah Wei picked up the package and left.

Zhou Yan frowned slightly. He was actually quite curious about why Zeng Anrong had suddenly arrived ahead of schedule.

However, this is a good thing for the restaurant.

Zeng Anrong is incredibly capable; she can handle everything from customer service and reception to the kitchen.

Zhou Erwa's restaurant had booked a banquet, and Zhou Yan was worried about the lack of manpower, so her arrival was just in time.

Half an hour later, Aunt Zhao returned with Zeng Anrong.

Her forehead was smeared with medicine, making it look bright red, and her eyes were a little red, as if she had been crying. But as soon as she entered the store, a smile appeared on her face: "I'm sorry to have worried everyone. I'm fine, just a little scrape."

Zhou Yan looked at her and said, "Sister Zeng, why don't you take a day off? You'll probably be leaving early to catch the train, so why don't you go get some sleep first?"

Zeng Anrong shook her head: "It's nothing, boss. This little injury won't affect my work. When I was learning knife skills, a cut hurt more than this. You're going to make braised dishes later, right? I'll chop the vegetables for you."

Zhou Yan looked at her silently for two seconds, then nodded and said, "Okay, then I'll consider you an official employee today."

"Welcome Zeng to our Zhou Erwa Restaurant!" Aunt Zhao led the applause.

"Welcome! Sister Anrong!" Zhou Momo clapped her hands and called out.

Everyone laughed and applauded, welcoming Zeng Anrong's arrival.

"Great! Sister Zeng, I'm saved now that you're here! You have no idea how tiring it is to be both a kitchen helper and a kitchen helper in our restaurant! It's enough to kill an ox!" A sincere smile appeared on Awei's face, without a trace of falsehood.

　The extra chapter will be very late, I'll read it tomorrow morning, I need to stay up...

　　First, I'd like to ask for a monthly pass!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)