1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 70 I Have a Friend (Please continue reading)
Master Zhang and his apprentice worked efficiently, finishing the stove before the factory closed and cleaning the premises thoroughly.

After receiving his wages from Zhou Yan, Master Zhang looked at him and smiled, "Boss Zhou, study hard to learn how to make braised dishes. If you master it, I will definitely come to patronize your business often. My old man still often talks about Aunt Zhang's braised beef offal, but now he only has three teeth left, so he's afraid he can't chew it anymore."

"Okay, I'll definitely study hard." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Even if the person in question were to appear, it wouldn't make a difference to the "white moonlight" of one's childhood.

Zhou Yan wasn't confident that his braised dishes would satisfy Master Zhang.

After all, the best fried rice and wontons at the back gate of my high school were no longer the same as the ones I used to wolf down after evening self-study when I went back to college for vacation.

There's no way around it; after seeing so many glamorous women out there, I've finally broadened my horizons.

Looking at the proprietress who was once still charming, she has lost some of her allure.

The new stove will be left to dry for a couple of days before it can be used.

He plans to take some time in the next couple of days to go back and visit the old lady, to let her know in advance so that she can help him cook the braising liquid.

If we can get the braising liquid ready this Saturday, we can start trying to sell braised food next Monday.

To make money, you need to be full of passion and drive.

The biggest advantage of braised food is that it's not restricted by dining in; you can order whatever you want, have it weighed and cut on the spot, and take it home for the whole family to enjoy together.

There are actually three braised food stalls at the entrance of the factory canteen. One of them does good business, and the other two are also selling well. There is a braised food market. This kind of food is a favorite for many people to have with alcohol, and children love to eat it too.

Both shops mainly sell braised pork products, such as pig's head, pig's ears, pig's tongue, and pig's trotters, which are all best-selling items.

The most popular stall mainly sells sweet-skinned duck, which costs 3.2 yuan per duck. They sell several ducks every day, along with other duck products and braised pig's head. Business is booming.

Zhou Yan quickly cooked two dishes, and they finished their dinner before leaving the factory.

You need to be well-fed to have the energy to work.

As soon as the factory closed, customers flocked in.

The reputation of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts spread very quickly, and it has become a favorite among customers.

However, Zhou Yan only prepared twenty servings today. Thirteen servings were sold at noon, and the rest were sold out shortly after dinner started.

"Huh? The twice-cooked pork is already sold out? We came specifically for the twice-cooked pork!"

"Boss, what's going on? Twice-cooked pork is such a popular dish, and you only prepared such a small amount?"

The customers who came in later were surprised and somewhat annoyed when they saw the twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts hanging in the pre-sale area.

I was craving it after hearing my colleagues talk about it at noon, but when I got to the store, they were sold out!

"I'm sorry everyone, our restaurant insists on using second-cut pork for our twice-cooked pork to ensure the best taste. It's a new dish today, so we only have twenty servings available," Zhao Tieying explained with a smile to the customers, adding, "We'll prepare more tomorrow, so customers who want to eat twice-cooked pork can come a little earlier."

Since Aunt Zhao had said that, the guest didn't say anything more, but secretly kept it in mind and decided to come earlier tomorrow at noon.

Seeing the tempting sliced ​​beef and crucian carp with mint on other people's tables, I really couldn't resist.
Since we were already there, we sat down and ordered a few other dishes, which we enjoyed just as much.

Business was even better today than yesterday, thanks to the addition of the signature dish, twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts.

Comrade Zhou didn't go fishing today; he came to the shop early to help out. He's Aunt Zhao's most obedient soldier, always doing whatever she tells him to do.

Even Zhou Momo wasn't idle. She moved a small stool to the doorway and sat there, chatting with everyone she met. She even greeted the little dog that passed by.

Zhou Momo is small and cute, with a sweet tongue. Everyone who sees her is easily charmed and enjoys chatting with her.

When they have a good chat, the little one will even recommend dishes from her own restaurant, praising how amazing her husband is at cooking and inviting them to come in and try them.

Some customers couldn't resist this sweet-talking approach and actually came in to give it a try.

This job was arranged for her by Aunt Zhao.

Don't let Zhou Momo's small size fool you; she's got boundless energy every day.

There are endless things to say and countless "whys" to ask every day.

After a long day of work, she wanted to sleep as soon as she got home, and didn't want to hear Zhou Momo's voice in her ear: "Mommy, Mommy, why is this?"

Although the youngest daughter is very cute, she is really tired.

It's essential to let her burn off her energy before she gets home. Ideally, she should wash up, wrap herself in a blanket, and roll into bed to fall asleep as soon as possible.

The factory gate is crowded with people at this time of day, so I don't dare let her wander around.

So they gave her a workstation by the door, where she could chat with whomever she wanted.

Zhou Yan also set a commission for her: one cent for each customer she helped bring a customer into the store.

Zhou Momo wasn't doing this for the money; she was just a chatterbox and made money along the way.

"Sister, come again next time!" Zhou Momo waved her little hand to the young female worker who was leaving after eating.

"You're so good! I'll come again next time, okay?" The female worker smiled brightly, feeling the afterglow of the meal even more.

After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan settled Zhou Momo's commission of 13 cents.

The little child laborer had already earned money to buy candy with her own mouth. "Thank you, bro! I'll love you forever!" Zhou Momo jumped up happily, clutching the money in her hand.

"You're welcome." Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head.

The little guy called in thirteen customers, who ate about seven or eight yuan worth of food. He probably earned three or four yuan, and his commission was 13 cents. I don't know if that counts as exploiting child labor.

Anyway, the child laborer was quite happy, her mother was quite happy, and he, as the capitalist, was even happier.

Triple win!

After washing the dishes, his parents went home first.

We ate dinner early today, while it was still light outside.

Zhou Yan locked the door and went out to run with Uncle Lin.

"Uncle Lin, a friend of mine received a letter. The opening line was 'Seeing this letter is like meeting you in person; opening this letter brings joy.' How should I reply in a way that sounds eloquent?" Zhou Yan asked Lin Zhiqiang while jogging.

"Is this friend of yours really yourself?" Lin Zhiqiang looked at him and laughed. "Xia Yao wrote you a letter? Then you've come to the right person. Back in Moscow, they all called me the Prince of Love Letters."

"I just received it today and I'm still figuring out how to reply." Zhou Yan wasn't embarrassed at all; he was thick-skinned after all, and he humbly asked for advice: "What does it mean?"

“When I used to write to Anhe, I would start with: ‘My beloved Anhe, hello.’” Lin Zhiqiang thought for a moment and said, “I think that’s fine.”

“It’s pretty good…” Zhou Yan nodded. What love letter prince? He’s no better than him.

……

Back at the shop, Zhou Yan washed her clothes, soaked the dried bamboo shoots in a basin, took a bath and changed her clothes. After putting down the bill, she took out the Parker pen that Xia Yao had given her, sat down at the table, and placed a new sheet of paper in front of her.

His expression changed from solemn and serious to deep thought, then gradually became irritable, then gradually calmed down, and finally became drowsy.

The letter with a dozen or so words written on it was crumpled into a ball and precisely tossed into the trash can in the corner.

I'm sleepy, time for bed!

I need to get up early tomorrow to buy groceries; I can't let writing letters interfere with earning money.

By the way, if I have time tomorrow, I'll go to the town library and see if they have "A Letter to My Wife" or something else.

Uncle Lin may have been educated in Western culture, but the things passed down from our ancestors are still more touching.

……

The next day, at the crack of dawn, Comrade Xiao Zhou rode his old bicycle to buy groceries.

Twice-cooked pork was so popular that he rode his bike early in the morning to buy some.

Xu Lao Er and Zhang Lao San each left him five catties of pork belly. Zhou Yan wandered around the market meat stalls and bought two good pieces of pork belly, and made an appointment with the owner to buy more the next day.

His bicycle seat has been modified, with a half-height bamboo frame installed on each side, which can hold a lot of things. If you pull your legs forward, you can barely sit on the back seat.

This is currently the optimal solution.

"Uncle!"

Zhou Yan returned to the hotel with Aunt Zhao and two baskets full of goods. Zhou Lihui immediately ran over to help put down the basket on which Zhou Momo was sleeping.

"Looks like you've gotten a lot stronger again." Zhou Yan patted Zhou Lihui's strong arm. These past few days, he'd been fetching water at the shop. His cooking skills hadn't improved, but his strength had definitely increased.

Zhou Lihui smiled憨厚ly, "I've memorized all the multiplication tables, and I've also learned quite a few characters. I can write oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, star anise, cinnamon...

“Good, keep it up. I’ll test you when the holidays come. If you can pass my test, you can come to the shop to learn cooking during the winter break,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Okay! I will definitely study hard!" Zhou Lihui nodded, his eyes filled with determination.

Zhou Yan started cooking the broth, while Zhou Lihui was in charge of fetching water. Bucket after bucket of well water was carried from the kitchen and poured into a large pot that was a meter high. Sweat beaded on his forehead and calluses formed on his palms, but he didn't complain of being tired.

After he finished fetching the water, he went to the kitchen to tend the fire for Zhou Yan and watch him stir-fry the toppings and make noodles.

Around 7:30, Zhou Lihui had already eaten breakfast in the kitchen. He took out his lunchbox from his schoolbag, opened it, and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "Uncle, could you pack some pickled radishes for me today? I want to take them to eat with my classmates."

"Male or female classmate?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

“It’s a male classmate, my deskmate,” Zhou Lihui quickly said.

Zhou Yan glanced at his lunchbox, which contained braised beef brisket with potatoes. There were only three or four pieces of beef brisket, along with some offal. His mother had prepared a decent meal for him, a lunchbox full of food.

"You'll need to steam this lunchbox to reheat it later. You can't eat it with the pickled radishes inside. I'll get you a small jar to put some in and take with you." Zhou Yan walked to a nearby shelf, picked out a small glass jar, and filled it with pickled radishes for him.

"Thank you, Uncle! I'm going to class now." Zhou Lihui packed the pickled radish and lunchbox into his schoolbag, turned around and ran out the door.

"You reckless fellow, listen to your teachers at school, eat well, and don't cause trouble," Zhao Hong called out to his retreating figure with a smile.

"Understood!" Zhou Lihui replied without turning his head.

Just as Zhao Hong was about to enter, she saw Zhou Weiguo ride up on a brand-new bicycle and stop in front of the restaurant. She smiled and asked, "Uncle, what brings you new clothes and a new bicycle again today?"

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(End of this chapter)