1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 5, the 28-inch bicycle +1
The traffic in front of the factory gate slowed down.

The customers at Wang Laowu's noodle stall all looked over upon hearing the noise.

Wang Laowu paused in his hand holding the noodles, staring in surprise at Lin Zhiqiang shaking hands with Zhou Yan, his smile freezing on his face.

Two years ago, the silk factory introduced foreign looms, and Lin Zhiqiang was transferred to serve as the deputy factory director, in charge of production technology. In the past two years, the silk factory's output and efficiency have been rising steadily, and he has a great reputation in the factory.

"Zhou Yan saved Deputy Factory Director Lin's niece? What happened?"

"I heard from the aunt next door yesterday that a city girl almost drowned in the flood at Bailatuo, but was rescued by a young man. Could it be Zhou Yan?"

"Bailatuo?! The water there is deep and swift, with undercurrents. Every year, several people who can swim drown there. Zhou Yan is really brave!"

"Although Zhou Yan's cooking is terrible, I didn't expect him to be so handsome and have such a strong sense of justice!"

The workers whispered among themselves, not in a hurry to go into the factory because they were looking forward to seeing some excitement.

"Nonsense! Zhou Yan can't swim at all, how could he possibly jump into Bailatuo to save someone?" Old Wang muttered to himself, but he also had some doubts.

He overheard some rumors while setting up his stall yesterday. When Zhou Yan came back, he was soaking wet. He thought the kid had done something stupid and jumped into the river. He never expected that he would save Deputy Factory Director Lin's niece.

Zhou Yan was a little confused when his hand was held. He quickly thought of the girl who fell into the water yesterday. She was really Deputy Factory Director Lin's niece.
The old lady at the town's intelligence center is really well-informed.

"You're too kind. Anyone would lend a hand in this situation," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"This is not just a matter of lending a hand. I heard that you can't swim, but you bravely jumped into the turbulent and dangerous Bailatuo to save people. We will never forget this life-saving grace." Lin Zhiqiang held Zhou Yan's hand tightly, his face full of gratitude.

Xia Yao is the daughter of his wife's older sister. She came to Jiaozhou to sketch with her teacher and took the opportunity to visit relatives in Suji.

Yesterday morning, he said he was going to paint by the river, but he accidentally fell into the water. When the news reached his family compound, he and his wife were so shocked that their legs went weak.

This is the only daughter of the Xia family. If something really happens to her, they'll have to jump into the Qingyi River to apologize.

Zhou Yan not only saved Xia Yao, but also two families.

So yesterday, Lin Zhiqiang asked around about his benefactor and prepared a gift of thanks. This morning, he had Zhao Dong bring him to Zhou Yan to express his gratitude.

"Is that girl alright?" Zhou Yan asked with concern. He had just transmigrated yesterday when he rescued her, and his mind was a complete mess. He only remembered pulling her ashore.

"Xia Yao is alright. Your rescue was very timely; she even vomited up the water she had choked on. But she was frightened and isn't in a good mood. She can't eat anything and is a bit weak. Once she recovers in a couple of days, I will definitely bring her here to personally thank Comrade Zhou Yan." Lin Zhiqiang looked relieved, but there was still a hint of worry in his eyes.

"It's good that she's alright. Let her rest and recover properly. She must have been frightened yesterday."

Zhou Yan was quite happy to hear that the person was alright.

As an ambitious young person raised under the red flag, the thrill of being publicly praised for a heroic act is no less than finding money.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, your noble qualities of selflessly saving others and acting bravely for a just cause are truly admirable!" Zhao Dong praised loudly, his admiration genuine.

As a native of Jiaozhou, Zhao Dong has worked in a textile factory for more than ten years. He would swim in the river in the summer, but he would never dare to swim in the Bailatuo section.

Zhou Yan's act of jumping into the water to save people was indeed reckless, but it also highlighted his noble character.

"Zhou Yan can't swim, yet he dared to jump into the water to save someone! He's so brave!"

"That's what you call selflessly saving others. I certainly wouldn't dare to do that."

"It's a pity the food is so bad, otherwise I would definitely eat at his restaurant often."

The female workers looked at Zhou Yan with eyes full of admiration and praise.

Lin Zhiqiang also looked at Zhou Yan with admiration. The young man was handsome and sunny, with the same charm as Lin Zhiqiang in his youth. Moreover, he was humble and reasonable, neither arrogant nor servile, unlike the factory cooks who were all very reserved when they saw him.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, this old-fashioned bicycle is a thank-you gift I prepared. Please accept it." Lin Zhiqiang released Zhou Yan's hand and pointed to the brand-new bicycle with red floral decorations hanging on it.

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in surprise.

How about giving me a cheap bicycle as a thank-you gift?

Everyone looked at Zhou Yan with a hint of envy.

The textile factory has been doing well these past two years. Frontline workers earn 38.6 yuan a month, plus seniority bonuses and other benefits. Senior technicians and managers earn even more, so many people have saved up to buy bicycles.

But a bicycle isn't cheap either, costing 150 yuan, and you need a bicycle ticket to buy one; the black market price is even higher, exceeding 300 yuan.

It would take an average worker a year and a half to save up enough to afford one.

"This bicycle must be the reward that Deputy Factory Director Lin received for the provincial technological progress award a while ago, right?"

"That's true! Deputy Factory Director Lin is really generous."

"Zhou Yan risked his life to save people; he deserved it!"

Zhou Yan's eyes lit up when he saw the old-fashioned bicycle, but he quickly shook his head, "This bicycle is too valuable, I can't accept it."

“Comrade Zhou Yan, you saved the life of a young girl in the prime of her life. Nothing is more precious than life.” Lin Zhiqiang looked at Zhou Yan and said with a serious expression, “Have you heard the story of Zilu receiving the ox? This bicycle is not only a thank you, but also an encouragement for others to do good deeds.”

Zhou Yan had certainly heard of the story of Zilu receiving an ox. Since Lin Zhiqiang had already brought up the allusion, it would seem insincere to refuse again. So he immediately nodded and said, "Then I'll accept this bicycle. Thank you, Deputy Factory Director Lin."

A bicycle is incredibly useful to him right now!

It will be much more convenient to buy groceries or go home in the future.

"That's great." Lin Zhiqiang handed the bicycle handlebars to Zhou Yan.

Wang Laowu, who was on the other side, was so angry at what he saw that his back teeth were practically grinding to powder. This was a 28-inch bicycle!

"Wang Laowu, your noodles are all overcooked!" a customer standing by the pot watching the commotion pointed out.

"Oh no!" Wang Laowu looked down and his face changed drastically. He quickly scooped out the noodles, sighed as he looked at the overcooked noodles, and had no choice but to grab a handful of noodles and cook them again.

"Comrade Zhou Yan, I've already had them prepare the materials to submit for your application to be recognized as a model of spiritual civilization. Once it's approved by the higher authorities, there will be various preferential treatments." Lin Zhiqiang smiled and patted Zhou Yan's shoulder, saying kindly, "If you encounter any difficulties in your work or life, the organization will do its best to help you."

Zhou Yan was deeply moved by Lin Zhiqiang's thoughtful consideration.

After thinking for a moment, he said, "If that's what you say, then I won't stand on ceremony. My restaurant was poorly managed before, which led to a bad reputation and the company was facing closure. Now, after much painful reflection, I've decided to transform the business and start by selling noodles, but there isn't a single customer in the shop, and everyone is hesitant to try it."

I'd like to invite Deputy Factory Director Lin and Director Zhao to my shop for a bowl of noodles. They could give me a fair evaluation of how my noodles taste, setting a good example for the textile factory workers and allaying any doubts they might have. What do you think?

“This… of course, no problem. I haven’t had breakfast yet.” Lin Zhiqiang nodded without hesitation, looked at the hundreds of textile factory workers watching, and said with a smile, “We should give the young comrades a chance to try and fail. If you are afraid to eat it, then I will try it for you first.”

"it is good!"

The workers responded with smiles.

Zhou Yan's cooking is terrible; I wonder how his noodles are. If they're good, I'd love to try Hero's noodles.

Zhao Dong looked troubled, but he didn't know how to refuse.

He was a gourmand at the textile factory, often eating at the canteen and occasionally going to state-run restaurants for a treat.

He ate at Zhou Erwa Restaurant on its first day of opening, and the food was so bad it left a deep impression.

"Please come in, both of you." Zhou Yan pushed his old bicycle into the shop and parked it against the wall before welcoming the two men inside.

"Sit at this table by the door so everyone can see how good your noodles are," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. "I'm from Shanxi Province, and I'm quite particular about noodles."

"Alright, you two, take a look and see what kind of noodles you'd like to eat. The menu is posted on the wall over there." Zhou Yan smiled, the more particular and professional the better.

He was racking his brains for promotional strategies, but the arrival of Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong gave him a way to break the deadlock.

A deputy factory director in charge of technology and a workshop director who was a glutton both held a certain status and authority in the hearts of the textile factory workers.

As long as they say it's good, the workers will be willing to try it; that's what they want – the celebrity effect.

Zhou Yan is very confident in his noodles. He believes that as more customers eat them, word-of-mouth will quickly spread.

"I'll have a braised beef noodle soup." Lin Zhiqiang made his decision after glancing at the menu.

Zhao Dong looked at the menu with a surprised expression. The original menu, which was densely filled with various dishes, had been torn out and replaced with a new menu that currently only had three noodle dishes, which seemed much more practical.

However, this bowl of noodles costs 60 cents, which is twice as expensive as the cafeteria and a few cents more expensive than Wang Laowu's noodle stall. I wonder how it tastes.

He quickly made his choice: "I'll have a double-pepper beef noodle soup."

"Alright, please wait a moment, both of you." Zhou Yan turned and walked towards the kitchen. Finally, the business was open!

The stove was kept burning a small fire. A piece of oak wood was added, and the bellows were pulled a few times. The flames immediately roared up, and the hot water in the pot began to bubble.

Zhou Yan moved to the square table, pinched off a lump of dough that had been kneaded beforehand, and with a pull and a flick in his hand, quickly turned it into a noodle, which he then dropped into the boiling pot.

I took two large bowls and prepared a base seasoning.

Cook the noodles until they are about 70% done, then blanch a few pieces of bok choy in the boiling water.

Once the noodles are ready, uncover the soup pot in the middle, ladle a spoonful of rich, white beef broth into the large bowl on the left, scoop out the noodles and put them into the two bowls, and put the leafy greens into the bowl with the soup noodles. For dry noodles, first mix the base ingredients and noodles evenly.

A spoonful of braised beef and dried bamboo shoots is placed on top of the soup, and a spoonful of minced beef with double peppers is placed on top of the dry noodles.

With two large bowls on a tray, Zhou Yan carried the noodles out of the kitchen.

If there are few customers, it's manageable, but if there are many customers, one person will definitely not be able to handle the work of lighting the fire, cooking noodles, serving dishes, and clearing tables. Recruiting employees has become something Zhou Yan needs to consider next.

"These noodles aren't cheap. They cost 60 cents a bowl, which is enough for two bowls of beef noodles in the cafeteria."

"It's not cheap, and there aren't many kinds of noodles, only three kinds. Even Wang Laowu's noodle stall has six or seven kinds of noodles."

"It's understandable that it's a bit expensive, after all, the rent for this shop isn't cheap, while Wang Laowu doesn't have to pay rent when he sets up a stall."

"If it tastes good, that's fine, but if the taste is bad, who would want to be ripped off?"

The workers peeked at the menu and began to discuss it amongst themselves.

When Zhou Yan came out carrying noodles, everyone looked at him.

Zhou Yan placed two bowls of noodles on the table; the large bowls looked quite substantial.

The soup is topped with braised beef and bamboo shoots. There are five or six large pieces of beef and plenty of bamboo shoots. The red meat broth and milky white sauce blend together, glistening with oil, making it look very tempting.

A spoonful of stir-fried minced beef with green and red peppers was poured over the dry noodles. The minced beef, stir-fried with green and red peppers, was brightly colored, and the steam carrying the aroma of meat wafted out of the store.

"Gulu."

The sound of swallowing saliva rose and fell in an instant.

"It smells so good! This beef smells amazing!"

"They've given so much topping, the beef is in big chunks, more than three times the amount at Wang Laowu's place, and there's also dried bamboo shoots. It looks delicious!"

"This beef and chili noodles looks absolutely amazing! It's much more appetizing than the pork topping, and the portion is generous too."

"I initially thought 60 cents a bowl was a bit expensive, but with this much meat, I'm now worried the owner will lose money."

The workers were talking amongst themselves. People in the Sichuan and Chongqing region are very particular about food. They can tell whether something is good or not just by looking at it and smelling it.

Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up when he looked at the soup noodles in front of him. From the appearance alone, it was impeccable. The bone broth had been simmered until it was thick and white, slowly blending with the beef broth, and the aroma of meat was irresistible.

He first picked up a piece of beef, his chopsticks sinking into the tender beef, the juices overflowing. With a gentle bite, the marbled beef brisket melted in his mouth, but it didn't fall apart. The soft and chewy tendons added a touch of flavor, the sauce was rich and savory, and the spiciness had a sweet aftertaste. One bite was so satisfying!

He then tried a piece of dried bamboo shoot. The bamboo shoot, soaked in butter and meat juices, was a delightful surprise – crisp and chewy, oily and refreshing!

"This braised beef with dried bamboo shoots is delicious! The beef is tender and juicy, and the dried bamboo shoots are crisp and chewy. It's so good!" Lin Zhiqiang couldn't help but exclaim.

Then, he stirred the noodles, picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth. Instantly, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

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(End of this chapter)