Starting with vegetable greenhouses in 1988

Chapter 212 Restaurant Visit (Long Chapter)
Zhang Yuzhen's home in Daying Village.

Time flies, and before we knew it, it was dark.

Zhang Yuzhen and her daughter had also prepared dinner. Because the meat had been stewed in advance and the fried food was ready-made, the mother and daughter saved a lot of trouble in cooking.

Dinner was also very plentiful, with fish, meat, and all kinds of vegetables, filling the table to the brim.

Zhou Yongqiang said with a fawning expression, "Mom, thank you for all the trouble you've done, preparing such a delicious meal!"

"It's not hard work at all. I'm happy as long as you enjoy the food." Zhang Yuzhen laughed and pointed to the dishes, saying, "These meat dishes are all perks from Xiaohu. He gave us a lot this year, and the three of us can't possibly finish them all. Take some with you when you leave so you can take them home."

Lin Xiaohu pointed to several plates of green vegetables and said, "These green vegetables are from Old Li's greenhouse. They are not of the best quality, but they are all fresh and do not affect the taste. Outsiders can't get them even if they want to; only those who work for the Li family have this perk."

Lin Qiaomei placed a fried meatball in her daughter's bowl: "Huzi, I know about this. These are all considered spoiled food. But in a few days, you probably won't be able to eat them anymore, at least not as many as you're getting now."

Lin Xiaohu was a little puzzled: "Sis, why do you say that?"

Lin Qiaomei asked with a smile, "Did you know that Mr. Li owns a restaurant in Beijing?"

Lin Xiaohu shook his head. He hadn't heard about this before and didn't immediately realize what opening a restaurant had to do with them eating leftover vegetables.

Lin Qiaomei replied, "The reason Mr. Li wants to open a restaurant is to solve the problem of wasted vegetables. Once the restaurant officially opens, all the wasted vegetables will be cooked and sold at the restaurant. How can we possibly share them all with you?"

"Hey, Brother Li really knows how to do business!" Lin Xiaohu clapped his hands. "With the vegetables in the greenhouse piling up, we can barely finish them all. How come I didn't think of this!"

Lin Dingyuan took a bite of the green pepper strips, put down his chopsticks, and said, "Li Zhe is good at growing vegetables, so why did he go and open a restaurant? He's never run a restaurant before, isn't he afraid of losing money?"

Lin Qiaomei replied, "He found someone to co-own the restaurant. The person he co-owns the restaurant with has been in the catering industry for generations."

Moreover, with the off-season vegetables provided by Mr. Li, the restaurant will have the best selling point. There will definitely be no shortage of customers. I also plan to work at his restaurant this year.

I worked at his restaurant for a few days before the New Year, and he even gave me a red envelope. No wonder he's so successful; he really knows how to treat people properly!

At this point, Lin Xiaohu remembered something: "Dad, Mom, there's something I want to discuss with you. I'd like to apply for a plot of land for building a house in the north of the village."

Lin Dingyuan and Zhang Yuzhen exchanged a glance, completely baffled by their son's antics.

Lin Dingyuan guessed, "Xiao Hu, do you want to get married and move out to live alone?"

Lin Xiaohu had just eaten a piece of cured meat when he almost spat it out: "Cough cough... Dad, what are you thinking? What kind of marriage do you want! I just want to make some money."

Lin Dingyuan was a little puzzled: "How can you make money by applying for a homestead?"

"You wouldn't know this, would you!" Lin Xiaohu took a sip of tea and smoothed things over. "Brother Li wants to build a new house in the north of the village. He's thinking that as his business grows, more friends will come to visit, so he wants to build a bigger house. This plot of land isn't enough, is it?"

He wanted to buy the adjacent plot of land and build a house there too!

Lin Xiaohu paused for a moment, then continued, "Coincidentally, Secretary Wang came that day, and Uncle Li mentioned this matter to him, which I overheard. According to Secretary Wang, there is a piece of land next to the Li family's house that is vacant and has not yet been allocated."

I was thinking of just applying for it myself and then selling the land to Brother Li. Brother Li is always generous, so he definitely won't skimp on the money.

What do you think of my idea?

Zhang Yuzhen frowned and said, "Tiger, is your idea going to work? You're working for the Li family right now, don't offend them."

"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about? How could I have offended Brother Li! I'm not asking Brother Li for a high price; I'll take whatever he offers. Besides, I talked to Uncle Li about it. He's quite supportive of what I'm doing. In his words, it's better for family members to apply for that land than for outsiders to take it!"

Zhang Yuzhen pressed further, "Our family isn't short of money right now. If you sell your homestead to the Li family, where will you build a house when you get married?"

Lin Xiaohu said, "Mom, our house is only a few years old, it's still a new house. Even after I get married, I don't plan to move out. Besides, if it's not big enough in the future, we can add more floors. We can also do what my brother Li did and build a two-story house!"

Zhou Yongqiang gave a thumbs-up and exclaimed, "Hey, that's why Tiger is so clever!"

Lin Dingyuan thought his son made sense, but he was also reluctant to sell the homestead: "We'll talk about this later, let's eat first. Yongqiang, Huzi, it's been a long time since the three of us had a drink. Come on, let's have a drink!"

Zhou Yongqiang raised his glass: "Dad, I'd like to toast you. Happy New Year!"

After finishing one glass of wine, Zhou Yongqiang poured another and said to Zhang Yuzhen, "Mom, I also wish you a Happy New Year and all the best! I'll drink this, you can drink as you like!"

"Good, good, good, may everyone be happy!" Zhang Yuzhen also picked up her wine glass and took a sip.

The dinner was filled with wine and meat, laughter and conversation, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely.

……

night.

Lin Qiaomei's family of three lived in the west room. Zhang Yuzhen had put the new bedding on the kang (a heated brick bed) early in the morning, so it was warm and cozy when they lay down at night.

Yinyin, covered with a thick quilt, with only her little head sticking out, said, "Mom, this heated kang is so comfortable. Can we buy a kang for our house too?"

Lin Qiaomei laughed and said, "Silly girl, this kang wasn't bought, it was built by someone. Go talk to your dad, and if he agrees, we'll build a kang for you too, so you can sleep on a warm kang every winter."

Yinyin asked expectantly, "Dad, can we build a kang (heated brick bed) at home?"

Zhou Yongqiang patted his daughter's head and smiled, "Our house is too small now. When Dad makes more money, we'll move to a bigger house and build a heated kang bed for Yinyin, okay?"

"Okay, Dad, you'd better hurry!"

"Okay, Yinyin is the best girl, go to sleep." After Zhou Yongqiang finished speaking, he casually pulled down the light cord on the wall.

The couple also took off their clothes and lay down in the warm quilt. Zhou Yongqiang had been drinking and still felt a bit hot lying on the kang (heated brick bed), so he took off the quilt his wife had put on for him to keep warm.

Lin Qiaomei turned her head: "What were you talking about with Dad and Xiaohu while I was cooking?"

Zhou Yongqiang chuckled: "Hey, Xiao Hu asked about things in Guangzhou, and seeing that he was interested, I told him in detail. You didn't see it, the kid's eyes lit up when he listened."

Lin Qiaomei asked in a low voice, "Have you told Xiaohu that you plan to take him to Guangzhou to do business this year?"

"I didn't say. It depends on Xiaohu's own thoughts. If he's willing to go, he'll probably tell me on his own." Zhou Yongqiang touched his nose. The reason he didn't say anything was that he didn't want to make it too obvious.

In his view, a young man like Xiao Hu would definitely be eager to see what was new in Guangzhou. Just wait and see, tomorrow morning, the kid would be begging him to take him to Guangzhou. Inviting him along would be putting him at a disadvantage.

After all, there needs to be a hierarchy in a partnership. If you're too proactive, your brother-in-law might not take you seriously. It's better to keep him in suspense a little; that'll make him appreciate you more.

Only he, as the brother-in-law, could put on airs.

……

In the east room, Lin Xiaohu and his family of three slept together.

Lin Dingyuan lay on the kang (a heated brick bed), unable to help but think of what his son-in-law had said about Guangzhou. He turned to look at his son beside him and asked, "Xiaohu, what do you think about your brother-in-law going to Guangzhou to make money?"

“If Guangzhou is really as good as my brother-in-law says, I must go and see it when I have the chance.” He then looked at his parents beside him, “Dad, Mom, I’ll take you with me then. Let’s go to the South and broaden our horizons.”

When Lin Dingyuan first heard Zhou Yongqiang talking about things in Guangzhou, he just listened to the excitement. But as he listened, he felt that something was wrong.

The son-in-law's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, as if he was deliberately speaking to Lin Xiaohu. After thinking about it carefully, he vaguely guessed Zhou Yongqiang's thoughts.

Going to Guangzhou might not be a bad thing, and he might even be able to make money. But when Lin Dingyuan thought about his son's experience working at the fan factory and how Kuai Zui'er hadn't returned home for the Spring Festival while working in the south, he felt uneasy and didn't want his son to go to Guangzhou with Zhou Yongqiang.

He thought for a moment, "Tiger, when you told me last time that you wanted to take out a loan to build a greenhouse, was it a real idea or just a passing fancy?"

“Dad, I really want to do it! Brother Li explained it to us very clearly: take out a loan to build greenhouses, then sell the vegetable greenhouses to the company, and use the money from selling the vegetable greenhouses to invest in the company.”

"Brother Li is willing to help us make money, so why don't we seize this opportunity? Wouldn't we be fools? Once this opportunity is gone, it'll be gone forever!" Lin Xiaohu said eagerly.

Lin Dingyuan said earnestly, "Tiger, let me tell you this, building a greenhouse is no small amount of money. You need to think it through carefully. Don't end up doing all this work and then decide you don't want to continue. Our family can't afford to lose that much!"

Lin Xiaohu perked up and said confidently, "Dad, don't worry, I'll definitely work hard with Brother Li! Once I've made money building the greenhouses, you and Mom can just relax and enjoy our retirement!"

Lin Dingyuan then asked Zhang Yuzhen, who was standing to the side, "His mother, what are you thinking?"

Zhang Yuzhen also hesitated.

On the one hand, she didn't want to take out a loan, feeling that starting a business with a loan was risky;

On the other hand, the Li family has indeed made money, and it would be a lie to say I'm not envious. Take Wang Xiuying for example; before, she bought eggs by the piece. Now, she buys them by the basketful. "We still have some money, and Hu Zi can get some from selling the land. We can borrow less then, and the interest rate will be lower. What do you think?"

Lin Xiaohu suggested, "Mom, if you ask me, we should borrow more. It will be enough for our own expenses, and even if we don't spend it, it will increase our investment funds."

Zhang Yuzhen disagreed: "Tiger, nothing in this world is absolute. As the old saying goes, don't put all your eggs in one basket. The Li family made money from growing vegetables last year, but who knows what will happen this year? If you ask me, investing in one greenhouse is enough; we can't put all our savings into it."

She turned to her husband again, "What do you think, Dad?"

Lin Dingyuan nodded: "Tiger, listen to your mother this time. If it really makes money, we can invest more."

Lin Xiaohu gave a wry smile: "Dad, Mom, you can't just add more money whenever you want. Brother Li has to agree to it first. He already said he wants us to invest and become shareholders; he's doing us a favor."

He refuses all offers of investment from outsiders!

"What a load of bull! Someone who wouldn't take money offered to them?" Zhang Yuzhen felt Li Zhe was trying to trick her son and found it unreliable. She hesitated, then said, "Maybe we should wait and see how the others are doing?"

Lin Xiaohu was getting a little anxious: "Oh dear, Mom, why are you going back on your word! Okay, if you're worried about the risks, let's invest less first, just one greenhouse, okay?"

Lin Dingyuan made the decision: "Then it's settled. I'll take out a loan later and give you the money to invest."

In Lin Dingyuan's view, it was better for his son to work under his nose than to run around outside. After all, this was the only male in their Lin family, and if something happened to him, the family would be finished. The next morning, Zhou Yongqiang originally thought that after his brother-in-law got up, he would pester him to continue asking about things in Guangzhou.

They didn't see the other person at all.

I initially thought the other person was sleeping in, but when I asked, I found out that my brother-in-law was the first one to get up and went straight to work in the Li family's greenhouse. He also ate breakfast there, and apparently, he gets eggs and steamed buns every morning, which is better than what he eats at home.

Zhou Yongqiang suddenly felt a little disappointed: What kind of situation is this? Is the allure of Guangzhou less than that of a vegetable greenhouse?

……

It's approaching noon.

Li Zhe, Tan Jingya, and Master Yan rode their bicycles to Emei Restaurant.

Li Zhe had originally invited Master Han to come along, but Master Han's family had relatives visiting today and he needed to stay at their home to entertain guests.

As soon as I parked my bicycle in front of the hotel, I saw Wang Jianjun standing at the entrance waving. He had arrived early to reserve a spot. "You guys are finally here! I've been waiting for almost an hour!"

Li Zhe asked, "Where is driver Liang?"

“Master Liang’s family is hosting guests today, and a house can’t be without a male head of the household, so I sent him home.”

Li Zhe was somewhat amused and exasperated: "Master Han didn't come, and neither did Master Liang. It's just the four of us. Do you think they'll still let us use a private room?"

Tan Jingya suggested, "Since we're here to sample the dishes, let's order a few more. If we can't finish them, we can pack them up and take them home. They can't say anything then."

Li Zhe nodded: "Alright, let's each order two dishes. Chef Yan, you're an expert, so please order another soup."

Master Yan replied with a smile, "Mr. Li, then I won't stand on ceremony with you."

At the top of the restaurant is written the words "Emei Restaurant" in large characters, and below it in slightly smaller font, it says "China Time-Honored Brand".

The sign above the door reads "Main Store".

The group of four entered through the glass door. Several rows of tables and chairs were set up in the middle, and they were already full. To the left was the cashier's counter, and directly in front was a row of glass windows through which the chefs could be seen working.

It was just past noon, and the restaurant lobby on the first floor was already packed with customers. It was so noisy that you had to shout to order.

Led by Wang Jianjun, the group went up to private room 205, with Li Zhe and the other two entering first.

Wang Jianjun stood at the door and greeted the waiters in the corridor, "Comrade, we'd like to order."

A waitress with short, shoulder-length hair entered the private room and looked at Li Zhe and his group of four: "Comrades, how many of you are there in total?"

"We've arrived four of us first, and more people will be here soon. Let us order first." Wang Jianjun had been in Beijing for some time and had improved his interpersonal skills, managing to appease the other party with a single sentence.

"Then take a look at the menu first, and write down the dishes you want on the slip." The waiter left the menu and a small notebook, and then left the private room.

Li Zhe handed the menu to Chef Yan and Tan Jingya: "Chef Yan, Sister Tan, you're experts, you order first."

Without looking at the menu, Chef Yan directly ordered the dishes: "I want a braised mandarin fish, a boiled sliced ​​pork, and a hot and sour soup."

Tan Jingya took the menu and flipped through only the first two pages: "Their signature dish is Kung Pao Chicken, so I'll have some Kung Pao Chicken and Emei Tofu." After saying that, she handed the menu to Li Zhe.

Li Zhe ordered a dish of sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce and a casserole of beef cubes.

Wang Jianjun ordered a dish of shredded pork with garlic sauce and a roasted duck with camphor tea. "Hey, let's see how it differs from Quanjude's."

After everyone ordered, they wrote the names of the dishes on a blank notebook. But after a while, no waiter came in.

Wang Jianjun went out with the written menu and saw the waitress standing in the corridor chatting with another waitress.

He said with slight dissatisfaction, "Waiter, I'd like to order."

The waitress took the menu, glanced at it, and turned to leave.

Wang Jianjun called out to her, "Comrade, is there any water? Bring us a pot of water."

She pointed to the tea room in the corridor: "There's a kettle over there. You can pour your own water, but tea is charged separately; it's listed on the menu. Would you like tea or plain water?"

Seeing her attitude, Wang Jianjun lost interest in ordering more tea: "Plain water is fine."

"There are teapots over there, you can take them yourself." The waitress said and left.

Wang Jianjun carried the water bottle into the private room and said to Li Zhe, "I remember you said before that after dinner you would talk about three shortcomings and three advantages, right?"

Li Zhe replied, "That's right. Isn't the reason we come here to eat to identify and address our shortcomings? We should learn from others' strengths and take their weaknesses as a warning."

"Alright, then I'll start by pointing out three bad things."

The first downside: To avoid the lunch queue, I arrived at the restaurant before it officially opened. Even though I was there first, as soon as the doors opened, the person behind me in line jumped in front of me. The staff didn't care and just led that person into the restaurant, which infuriated me.

There should be a first-come, first-served order when eating, right? This is already making me feel uneasy before I've even started eating.

Tan Jingya said, "It's true that some waiters are irresponsible and don't care who came first before bringing guests into the restaurant. But there are also situations where the waiters don't know who came first, and these situations are difficult to resolve properly."

This situation is all too common in later generations. Li Zhe said directly, "That's simple. In the future, if there are already people queuing before opening, just give them number plates. Call out their numbers according to the plates, and whoever's turn it is their turn. That way, we can tell who's first and who's last."

Tan Jingya thought for a moment and said, "This is a good idea. I think we can give it a try."

Li Zhe then asked Wang Jianjun, "What are the other two shortcomings?"

Wang Jianjun frowned: "The second drawback is that their floor is very sticky, and I almost slipped when I went down the stairs just now. The floor looks like it hasn't been cleaned for a week, which makes me uncomfortable."

Li Zhe took out his notebook and wrote down some notes as he said, "Hygiene is indeed a big problem, and we need to pay attention to it when the time comes."

Wang Jianjun continued, "Thirdly: I went out just now, and the waitresses were chatting. They had absolutely no sense of service. I asked her to get me some water, and she told me to carry it myself. I felt the service was not as good as that at Quanjude Roast Duck Restaurant."

Li Zhe noted down another point and said to Tan Jingya, who was standing next to him, "Before our waiters start their jobs, each of them must undergo training, and their service awareness must be excellent."

Sometimes customers come to dine not only because the food is delicious, but also because of the excellent service. Only with good service are customers willing to pay a premium.

Tan Jingya nodded: "Then I'll say a few words too. The bad thing is that they didn't wipe the table clean. I touched it just now, and there was a layer of oil on it, which really makes me uncomfortable."

Another point is that I think you should serve guests water as soon as they arrive. This isn't just about service attitude. When a guest is sitting down and you serve them water, it shows they've accepted your service, and they're less likely to leave easily.

Otherwise, if the food takes a long time to arrive, customers might get impatient and leave.

Master Yan laughed and said, "Since everyone has spoken, I'll say a few words too. That waitress's hair was fluffy and short, but it actually falls out easily. If a strand of hair falls into the plate, the customers will definitely complain."

"Our restaurant used to have a lot of arguments about this, and once we even got into a fight, which required the police to come."

Li Zhe noted this down as well, and said with a smile, "Wow, the food hasn't even been served yet, and we've already found six flaws. How come that restaurant is still so popular?"

Tan Jingya took a sip of water and put down her cup: "It's very famous! Emei Restaurant is a long-established state-owned restaurant. Even the master Mei Lanfang wrote an inscription for this restaurant. Moreover, their Sichuan cuisine is indeed authentic. In my father's words, they have preserved the original flavor of Sichuan cuisine."

Just then, the door to the private room was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and a waitress came in carrying a wooden tray with two dishes on it. She placed the dishes on the table and then left the room.

Li Zhe glanced at it: a plate of sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce, and another plate that looked like Mapo tofu.

Li Zhe sampled two dishes. The sliced ​​beef and tripe in chili sauce was spicy and fragrant, and the seasoning was quite good. He then took a bite of the other dish, which had a strong Sichuan peppercorn flavor and was very appetizing. He smiled and said, "Isn't this just Mapo Tofu?"

Tan Jingya smiled and said, "It's Mapo Tofu, but people call it 'Emei Tofu'."

Then the other dishes were served one after another. Chef Yan took a bite of Kung Pao Chicken and said, "His Kung Pao Chicken is indeed very well made. The chicken thigh meat is very fresh, the sauce is just right, and the layers of flavor are very obvious."

Tan Jingya put down her chopsticks and said, "The taste is indeed very authentic, and the wok hei (wok aroma) is very strong. Moreover, the prices are not high. This plate of Kung Pao Chicken is only two yuan, and the portion is very generous. I guess that's the main reason why this restaurant can keep customers."

In Tan Jingya's view, a big reputation, good food, and cheap prices are enough to keep customers coming back, even if the service is a little lacking.

Li Zhe savored the boiled pork slices. The slices were tender and smooth, with a fragrant aroma and a strong spicy flavor—a perfect dish to eat with rice. However, he felt that the cabbage underneath would make it even better, and that this would be a competitive advantage for their restaurant in the future.

The last dish was braised mandarin fish. Chef Yan explained, "This is the most expensive dish of all, costing over twenty yuan, and it's also quite difficult to cook."

Chef Yan took a bite of the fish and tasted it: "This should be a fresh mandarin fish. To make it quick and flavorful, he made deep cuts in the fish, then fried it first and then stewed it. The outer skin is crispy, and the inside is tender and juicy. It's spicy with a hint of sweetness, really good."

Li Zhe also took a bite and nodded: "I also think this braised mandarin fish is quite good. Plus, this dish is expensive, so the profit margin is very high. Could you introduce it to your restaurant?"

Chef Yan ordered this dish with a similar idea in mind, saying, "When we get back, Chef Han and I will study it together."

Li Zhe then pointed to the hot and sour soup: "There's also this hot and sour soup. It contains shredded pork, tofu, winter bamboo shoots, wood ear fungus, and shiitake mushrooms. It's sour, spicy, and savory, very appetizing. I think our restaurant could also serve this dish."

This was also the purpose of Li Zhe bringing them to explore the store—to steal vegetables.

Of course, "stealing" is just a metaphor.

To put it simply, it means learning the signature dishes of other restaurants, thoroughly researching them, replicating them, or even making them better, and then turning them into dishes for your own restaurant.

Only through continuous improvement can the restaurant's business get better and better.

During the meal, everyone mentioned several advantages and disadvantages of the restaurant, which Li Zhe carefully noted down. He had no experience running a restaurant and wanted to quickly learn about the strengths and weaknesses of other establishments by visiting them.

(End of this chapter)