1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 71 Which idiot is lying through his teeth!
"Going to work today." Zhou Weiguo parked his car and walked into the store with a smile.

Today he wore a brand-new navy blue Zhongshan suit, with a white polyester shirt underneath, all buttoned up to the top, meticulously.

His leg was slightly lame, and his empty left sleeve swayed slightly, drawing people's attention. However, he walked with his upper body ramrod straight, and the scar at the corner of his eye gave him an imposing and dignified presence.

Many customers in the store were stunned when they saw his face.

He looks just like Zhou Yan!

A buzz cut makes him look more mature. Although he has a scar near his eye, his upright appearance doesn't make him repulsive.

"Going to work? Weiguo, your work arrangements have been finalized?" Zhao Tieying came out with a bowl of noodles, served the noodles to the customer, and asked with some surprise.

“Yes.” Zhou Weiguo found an empty seat and sat down, smiling slightly. “Fourth Sister-in-law, order me a bowl of double-pepper beef jerky noodles.”

"Okay." Zhao Tieying replied. There were many customers in the shop, so she didn't ask any further questions. She went into the kitchen and said with a smile, "Your uncle is here. He ordered a bowl of noodles. He said he got a job. He rode a brand new bicycle and changed into a new outfit. Your grandma must have dressed him up. He looks so dashing."

"Really?" Zhou Yan's eyes lit up upon hearing this. If he hadn't been holding noodles, he would have definitely run out to take a look and ask his uncle what kind of work he had been assigned.

My uncle's resettlement has been delayed for more than three years. Every year when his superiors visit during the holidays, they talk to him about this matter and ask his family to do ideological work. So they have some idea of ​​what rank he can be assigned.

Before his demobilization, Zhou Weiguo was a captain and company commander. He received preferential treatment upon demobilization due to his first-class merit during the war. When he returned to civilian life, he was assigned the job of deputy director of a state-owned factory, in charge of the security department, and would enjoy the treatment of a deputy section chief, but he refused.

Zhou Yan estimated that the arrangements this time should be similar.

Bowls of noodles were brought out of the kitchen, and things gradually calmed down at this time.

"Fourth Aunt, what are those people doing? What are they checking?" Zhao Hong stood at the door and saw a group of people in uniforms checking the stalls. She asked in a low voice.

"They look like health department people, doing a routine inspection. They come every month." Zhao Tieying glanced at them and whispered, "Quickly, let's collect the dishes and chopsticks, wipe the table clean, and tell Zhou Yan too."

"Okay." Zhao Hong nodded and immediately got to work.

Actually, the hygiene of Zhou Erwa Restaurant is already excellent.

Zhou Yan set strict hygiene standards for them. In addition to sweeping, the restaurant also had to mop the floor twice a day. There were two rags, one to wipe the oily tables and the other to wipe the second table, to ensure that the table was clean and tidy when every guest sat down.

Even state-run restaurants can't do this.

Customers have their own standards; after visiting twice, they will naturally be able to sense the difference.

"It's nothing, just a routine check. We'll treat it normally." Zhou Yan remained completely calm after hearing this.

Zhou Yan was cooking, keeping the countertop spotless. He wiped away any oil stains with his hand. Now that the noodles were done, he tidied up the side dishes, washed his hands, and came out of the kitchen when he saw a group of three people from the health and epidemic prevention station enter the room.

Not only were there epidemic prevention workers, but there were also two uncles wearing hats following behind them.

This setup is quite different from routine inspections on ordinary days.

The health and epidemic prevention work in Suji is mainly undertaken by the health center. Two of the three are staff members of the health center, and the one in charge is a staff member of the county health and epidemic prevention station. He was the one who was with Gao Tianlei last time. I think his name is Zhu Liqiang.

"Who is the restaurant owner?" Zhu Liqiang asked.

“Yes, that’s me,” Zhou Yan stepped forward and said.

All eyes fell on Zhou Yan, scrutinizing him and somewhat surprised by his youth.

Zhu Liqiang narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling that the young man looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen him before. He nodded slightly and said, "It's a routine inspection. Please bring out your health permit and the purchase ledger for the past month for inspection. The staff will also inspect the hygiene of your shop."

"Okay." Zhou Yan replied, took out the documents and ledgers from the counter, and handed them to Zhu Liqiang.

The other two epidemic prevention workers began to inspect the hygiene of the store, from the stove at the entrance to various corners of the store, and then to the kitchen. Each of them held a flashlight and inspected very carefully.

Zhu Liqiang carefully checked the health permit and purchase invoices, placed them on an empty table, and then personally inspected them with a flashlight.

Today, Deputy Station Chief Gao led a team to conduct an inspection. They had just come from the state-run restaurant and inspected many vendors along the way.

State-run restaurants are slightly better, since they have daily cleaning regulations and the overall hygiene is acceptable.

The problem of washing rags and mops together persists, and they refuse to change their ways despite repeated warnings, which is truly arrogant. The hygiene conditions of the roadside stalls are even worse; the tables and chairs are filthy, and the stoves and pots are extremely greasy. The deputy station chief's face had turned black as he walked along the way.

We're still outside. I'm explaining to the wonton stall owner why you can't cut scallions directly on a cutting board that's been used to cut meat. I'll have him lead the team to check out Zhou Erwa's restaurant first.

My fingers brushed across the empty table beside me; they were clean and dry, without a trace of oil.

A large pot stood by the door, the stove was spotless, without a single water stain, and the ashes under the stove were also cleaned out. A dozen or so oak logs were stacked neatly next to the stove.

The store wasn't closed for the morning yet, but the floor was quite clean, without any sticky, old grease.

Zhu Liqiang walked towards the kitchen, already somewhat surprised by the hygiene standards of this privately owned restaurant.

The kitchen had just been busy, and the noodle soup in the pot was still steaming, but the whole kitchen looked clean and tidy, with all kinds of kitchen utensils neatly arranged, and even the stove was wiped clean.

The sauce was served in large enamel basins, all covered with lids.

The two epidemic prevention workers looked at him with somewhat strange expressions.

Clean and hygienic—that's probably what they're thinking right now.

Can't fault it at all.

Let alone outside, even in their own homes, they wouldn't do it this way.

Today's inspection was very sudden and without prior notice, so this is probably the norm for this restaurant.

"The hygiene standards are indeed very high; you won't find another place like it in Suji." Zhu Liqiang nodded slightly.

Not to mention Suji, even in Jiaozhou, it would be hard to find a restaurant with better hygiene than this small eatery.

With this level of cleanliness, it's good enough to be a model restaurant for hygiene!

This puzzled Zhu Liqiang. They had been notified by the police station to assist in the investigation, but would a restaurant that demanded such high hygiene standards from itself really use diseased pork?

"Comrade, is there anything else we need to cooperate with?" Zhou Yan asked Zhu Liqiang.

Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong were also looking at him, slightly nervous. This seemed different from the previous routine inspections.

Zhou Weiguo, who was standing to the side, had finished his noodles and was sipping the soup while also watching the scene.

Zhu Liqiang glanced at the dozen or so customers still eating noodles in the shop, then looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Our epidemic prevention station received a notice of assistance from the Suji Police Station. Someone reported that your restaurant used diseased pork, so we are here to investigate. We need your cooperation. If the report is true, you will be punished. If it is a false accusation, we will clear your name."

"Pork infected with disease!"

Heavenly Bodhisattva!
Does Tuesday's restaurant also use pork from pigs with disease outbreaks?!

As soon as those three words were uttered, the customers in the shop stopped eating and turned to look at Zhou Yan in shock.

"Which idiot is lying through his teeth! He's spouting nonsense and fears divine retribution!"

“Our family buys our spare ribs and pork belly from Zhang Laosan at the bridgehead every morning for 1.8 yuan a pound. What kind of reckless kid would sell diseased pork for 1.8 yuan a pound?!”

Zhao Tieying stood up abruptly, her eyes red with anger, and said, "You officials, without any evidence, just spout nonsense. Do you know how difficult it is for us individual business owners to build a reputation?"

"You can ruin my son's life's work with just one sentence!"

Zhu Liqiang subconsciously took half a step back. At this moment, the woman was like a fierce mother tiger protecting her cubs, and the ferocity in her eyes was chilling.

He moved a little closer to the two men in hats before speaking, "Miss, we haven't reached a conclusion yet. We're just asking you to cooperate with the investigation. Please calm down."

Zhou Weiguo frowned and stood up.

Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh, and looked at Zhu Liqiang, saying, "Comrade, it was Wang Qi and Wang Laowu who reported me, right?"

(End of this chapter)