1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 74 Zhou Yan, stop the car!
Zhou Yan paused, his eyes suddenly lighting up.

This game is pretty good!
He hadn't even expected to complete the task, and he couldn't possibly take away all of the old lady's old brine.

That's incredibly filial.

Surprisingly, the ingenious system can also track progress and evaluate the task.

"What does 'Complete Collection of Braised Dishes (Incomplete)' mean?" Zhou Yan carefully put down the jar, glanced at the empty doorway, and chose to open the reward.

In an instant, countless messages flooded into his mind and surged rapidly.

In a daze, he saw that small dark room again.

In front of a large pot of braising liquid, he was putting various ingredients into it. The steam carrying the rich aroma of the braising liquid wafted over him, gradually blurring his vision.

The next moment, Zhou Yan opened his eyes, his gaze clear again.

And his mind was filled with various ways to make braised dishes, mastering all kinds of pork products: braised pig's trotters, pig's ears, pig's snout, braised pork, pig's hock, pig's tail, braised ribs, braised pork intestines...

In addition, there are braised vegetarian dishes: lotus root slices, potatoes, dried tofu skin, dried bean curd, kelp, bamboo shoots...

Basically, all the classic vegetarian dishes are included, with lotus root slices, dried bean curd sticks, and bamboo shoots being his favorites.

Then Zhou Yan also saw the missing part of the list in the Braised Food Encyclopedia: Braised duck products, braised chicken products, braised beef products, advanced braising liquid cooking methods, advanced braising liquid maintenance methods...

Zhou Yan gritted his teeth; this system was too damn awful.

He clearly already got half of the old brine, so this is way too much missing!

Moreover, the most crucial "Advanced Brine Cooking Method" and "Advanced Brine Maintenance Method" are also missing.

If it weren't for his reliable grandmother, even if he had mastered the techniques of braising pork and vegetables, he would still be like a skilled cook without rice.

Looking at the dull-colored chicken, duck, and beef products, Zhou Yan was genuinely a little tempted.

But then he thought about it again and felt relieved.

There are no large-scale chicken and duck slaughterhouses in Suji Town, so it is impossible to obtain fresh chicken feet, chicken legs, duck heads, etc. in bulk. The only thing that can be done is to make braised chicken and braised duck.

A braised duck costs more than three yuan, and it's good if you can sell three to five a day. It's not easy to make it a bestseller.

In comparison, the market for braised pork products is clearly larger, appealing to all ages.

Braised pig ears and braised pig snouts are popular snacks to enjoy with drinks.

As for braised beef, he could learn from Grandma Zhang Shufen; it was her specialty.

When it comes to braised food, the most important thing is the braising liquid, followed by the braising temperature.

There's no need to worry about the braising liquid now. As for controlling the braising time and heat, Zhou Yan decided to buy a watch sometime.

Experience is often less reliable than science.

Zhou Yan went out for a walk and brought back a strong man.

Zhou Hongwei is nineteen years old this year. He is a generation younger than him and has to call him uncle. He is not tall, but he is very strong and muscular. He is wearing a vest and has a lot of muscles.

He dropped out of junior high school and worked with his father at the Suji Wharf, carrying and sorting goods. He was quite strong.

"Hongwei, how much weight can you carry on one load?" Zhou Yan asked curiously.

“350 pounds is no problem for me. Even my old man might not be able to carry it as well as me.” Zhou Hongwei grinned, showing off his muscles to Zhou Yan with a proud look on his face: “Now I’m not afraid of anyone at the dock.”

"Impressive." Zhou Yan was somewhat impressed by the sense of power in that.

Zhou Yan is actually quite strong, and cooking is physical work, but it's still no match for porters. Their work is purely physical and can't be simply described as manual labor.

"Zhou Yan, is that pickled cabbage in the jar?" Zhou Hongwei asked curiously as he effortlessly sat in the back seat, carrying the jar.

Although Zhou Yan was a generation older than him, the two were only a year apart in age and had grown up playing together since they were little. He would only pretend to call him "uncle" in front of elders. Even if he did call him that normally, Zhou Yan would be too embarrassed to respond.

"It's not pickled cabbage, it's old brine." Zhou Yan carefully avoided the potholes and pebbles on the road. In those days, the village roads were still dirt roads, full of potholes and in poor condition.

"You dare take Zhang Zuzu's old brine! You didn't steal it, did you?" Zhou Hongwei's face turned pale upon hearing this. "You...you stop, I won't help you carry it!"

Zhou Hongwei, who was fearless at the dock, was now genuinely a little scared.

Zhang Zuzu is a respected elder in Zhoucun, and everyone in Zhoucun knows that her braised food is top-notch.

During the Lunar New Year, relatives and neighbors who got along well would bring beef and pig heads to Zhang Zuzu's door, asking him to help them braise a pot of meat.

Zhang Zuzu doesn't charge money; at most, he'll charge a pig's ear or a piece of beef shank as a processing fee.

His grandfather and father's favorite treat every Chinese New Year was Aunt Zhang's braised pig's head and pig's ears. They would divide it into several portions and eat it sparingly, enjoying it with wine from the first day of the lunar new year to the fifteenth. Whenever there was a problem with Zhang Zuzu's family, they would come without hesitation, never refusing a request.

Zhou Hongwei didn't even dare to think that if Zhou Yan really stole Zhang Zuzu's old brine, he would be severely beaten as an accomplice after the matter was exposed!
"Zhou Yan, stop the car!!!" Zhou Hongwei shouted, his hands trembling as he held the jar.

"Don't scream. This old brine was given to me by my grandma so I could use it in the shop. Am I crazy? I would steal her old brine. My mom and dad would beat me to death." Zhou Yan laughed. "Hold on tight, or you'll be done for if you drop or spill it."

"What?" Zhou Hongwei was still a little skeptical.

"Erhu!"

"Okay, I believe you then. Ride slowly, don't shake me off." Zhou Hongwei hugged the jar tightly, believing Zhou Yan's words.

Zhang Zuzu was too authoritative; no matter how unruly Zhou Yan was, he wouldn't dare to act recklessly in front of her.

"Are you going to start selling braised food? Have you learned how to do it yet?" Zhou Hongwei asked, his face showing more anticipation.

Zhang Zuzu's braised food is delicious, but he can only snatch a couple of pieces from his father and grandfather during the Chinese New Year. If Zhou Yan learns how to make it, he can buy it anytime!
"I guarantee you will. Come and try it next week," Zhou Yan said confidently with a smile.

We returned to the hotel without any major incidents.

Zhou Hongwei carried the jar into the shop and placed it in the kitchen, then shook his slightly numb hands.

"Didn't you say you could easily carry 350 pounds? Why are you grimacing while trying to lift a jar?" Zhou Yan laughed, picking up a bottle of Tianfu Cola he had bought on the way and handing it to him.

"I was holding you too tightly, I was afraid you'd fall the whole way, it's a little numb." Zhou Hongwei took a sip of the cola, burped, and let out a long sigh of relief.

Zhou Yan smiled and patted his shoulder: "You've worked hard. Have lunch at the shop before you leave."

"No need, it's still early for dinner. I was going to the dock to unload goods anyway, and this place is conveniently located. I'll be going now, I'll come back for dinner next time." Zhou Hongwei took his Coke and walked towards the door, saying goodbye to Zhao Tieying and Zhao Hong as he went.

"I'll take you there." Zhou Yan moved the jar to a corner and followed him out the door.

"Delivering the hammer is just a short walk, you can go about your business." Zhou Hongwei waved his hand and walked away without looking back.

"What did you ask Hongwei to bring back with you?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan as she skimmed the foam off the broth.

Zhao Hong, who was mopping the floor, also looked at him.

"Grandma's old brine," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"What?"

"You stole it?!"

They both said in unison.

As daughters-in-law and granddaughters-in-law, they knew all too well how much the old lady treasured this pot of old brine.

They wouldn't even dare touch it, let alone use it; the old lady could really get angry.

Zhou Yan just brought it back like that?

"Hurry up and bring it back to your grandma! I'll go with you!" Aunt Zhao said anxiously, beads of sweat forming on her forehead.

"This half-pot of old braising liquid was given to me by my grandma. She told me to bring it back first, and she'll come over tomorrow morning to help cook it." Zhou Yan smiled and stopped Aunt Zhao, who was running towards the kitchen. "She wants to pass on this skill to me."

Aunt Zhao was a little shocked after hearing this. After thinking for a moment, she still couldn't quite believe it: "Huh?"

"Oh dear." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, letting go of his hand and saying, "I'm not a reckless person. Would I do something like stealing the old brine? If you don't believe me, go back and ask Grandma yourself tonight."

"That's good." Aunt Zhao breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart had been in her throat just now, and she didn't dare to think about how to explain it to the old lady when she got back.

Although the old lady never made things difficult for her daughters-in-law, her authority was undeniable, and they dared not do anything that crossed her bottom line.

Zhao Hong also laughed and said, "That means Grandma trusts Zhou Yan's cooking skills, which is why she entrusted the braised dishes to him."

"I'm not going to put it down anymore. I'm going to boil this old brine first. If it goes bad in the next couple of days, Grandma will beat me to death." Zhou Yan went into the kitchen, took out the large aluminum pot that had already been boiled, and pondered how to make a makeshift stove.

After closing at noon, Zhou Miao and his companion used stones and bricks to build a makeshift stove on the riverbank. They set up a large aluminum pot to boil the brine, then carefully carried it back to the restaurant, put it back into the jar to cool, and covered it with a gauze to keep out mosquitoes. They dared not touch it again.

"Now we're just waiting for Grandma to come and help cook the braising liquid." Zhou Yan rubbed his hands together.

He couldn't wait to see Zhang's Braised Food revitalized and become famous in Jiaozhou again!

　Um... I realized I forgot to include one day when I was doing the accounting, so I changed inviting the old lady the day after tomorrow to inviting her tomorrow. The previous chapter has also been patched.

　　Please forgive me.

　　The last two days! Please read on and vote with monthly tickets!
　　I'm already two chapters behind!
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(End of this chapter)