Food Intelligence King

Chapter 10 Ancient Methods and Modern Technology
After leaving the Ancient Culture Street, Chen Zhou went straight to the Haibin City Comprehensive Service Center.

The business tips that can be obtained by spending 3 points mention:

He is about to go to window number 8 to process his "food vendor registration application". The recommended time to go is from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Chen Zhou arrived at 10 o'clock.

I reckon the clerk inside was at the peak of his work efficiency.

Upon entering the lobby,

The slogan "Reduce the burden on the public" on the wall is particularly eye-catching. Besides that, there are information about the different services offered at each window and their working hours.

"Is it from 9 AM to 12 PM?"

This working time differs slightly from my "business tips".

But thinking about it, it makes sense. When Chen Zhou is at work and it's almost noon, he's basically thinking about what to eat for lunch.

Take a number and wait in line.

There weren't many people at window number 8 today.

Only two people were ahead of Chen Zhou in line.

Judging from the conversation, they must be in the same industry as me, both running small food stalls.

Chen Zhou had already prepared his one-inch blue background photo, ID card, and a paper application form printed out online in advance, following the application guidelines.

However, the two companions didn't bring as many items as they did.

It's not that staff came over to verify the materials one by one.

Instead, it was the older brother in front of Chen Zhou who had the loudest voice—

"Oh dear! I need to bring my ID card too."

"Oh, a photo? I have a photo of my ID card, that should be fine, right?"

"Oh? A filing application form? What's this for? Aren't they provided inside?"

Chen Zhou finally understood.
Every time the driver in front of me yells "Ouch!", I have to wait an extra 5 minutes.

Out of a desire to do something simple, Chen Zhou patted the man on the shoulder:

"Okay, Master, to save you the trouble later, let me tell you what materials you need first."

"Hey~ This is great, thank you so much, buddy."

Just then, the person in front of me who was handling their business was also asking about the process.

This queue will gradually form.

The staff were talking inside, while Chen Zhou was talking outside about the situation.

In the end, even the older man in front turned around to listen to Chen Zhou explain how to save the PDF to his phone.

"Like this, once you've downloaded the application form, go to the print shop, send it to them via WeChat, and they'll print it out."

After Chen Zhou finished speaking, the group suddenly fell silent for a few seconds.

The young lady in the window blinked her big eyes.

She broke the silence first, saying to the person in first place, "Just do as he says; he explained it more clearly than I did."

Because the person in front of Chen Zhou, known as "Master Hey," went out to have their photo taken, Chen Zhou was able to complete his business quickly.

The young woman inside the window filled out all the registration forms almost without saying a word.

Only the keyboard was being pounded away.

As she slipped the documents under the window and returned them to Chen Zhou, she thought to herself:

'If all of them were like this, things would be much easier.'

'Chen Zhou, thirty years old, is this photo from before?'

The people setting up stalls are all different kinds.

There are people like Chen Zhou who have gone to school, worked, and faced unemployment, so they started their own business by setting up a stall.

There are also those who, like the experienced technician mentioned earlier, are not good at operating the phone.

After leaving home, Chen Zhou edited a text and video, sharing his detailed experience of handling the filing application on Douyin.

"Maybe whoever sees this will save themselves some trouble."

Chen Zhou took a good nap in the afternoon, and then picked up his wife and daughter to go out to eat.

During mealtime, Tao Tao clung to Chen Zhou, insisting that her father feed her.

Chen Zhou pinched his daughter's little cheek and said:

"You're five years old now, you need to eat by yourself." "No, no!"

The little girl buried her face in Chen Zhou's arms.

The ends of her jet-black hair brushed against Chen Zhou's chin, making him feel itchy.

Although the damage wasn't high, this tactic was incredibly effective. The old father was completely defenseless and obediently entered the feeding state.

But upon closer reflection...
This was the first time the family had eaten dinner together since Chen Zhou started his stall.

Chen Zhou silently reminded himself:

"Even though we have intelligence, we can't just focus on making money."

Today it was security guard Xiao Liu's turn to work the night shift again. When Chen Zhou passed by, he rolled down his car window and greeted him.

After seeing Chen Zhou, Xiao Liu asked curiously:
"Brother Chen, did you move your steamed buns to a different location?"

"No, I just completed some business registration procedures. I'll continue tomorrow."

Hearing Chen Zhou's reply, Liu Song felt inexplicably relieved. "I thought I wouldn't be able to eat it."

Chen Zhou smiled and said, "I've pickled some cucumbers. I'll bring you some to try tomorrow. Are you there this afternoon?"

"Yes, yes, I can work shifts, but I can't take it for free."

Chen Zhou didn't try too hard.

Nodding to Xiao Liu, he said, "Then let's buy steamed buns and give away pickled vegetables!"

"Alright, Brother Chen, look to the west. A car just drove out."

Back home, Chen Zhou began preparing to pickle cucumbers according to the ancient method in the Suiyuan Shidan (隨園食單).

Knowing that vegetable prices would rise slightly in a few days, he bought so many cucumbers that they almost filled the refrigerator.

Of course, it hadn't been put in yet.

I simply washed it clean and let it air dry in a cool place.

Next, you need to cut off the ends of the cucumber and split it in half.

Then use the blade to scrape off the tender inner layer.

Cut it into suitable small pieces.

Finally, add salt to draw out excess moisture and ensure the pickled cucumbers remain crisp.

Salt was absolutely controlled by the government in ancient times and was an essential commodity.

Now, it's two yuan a bag.

These pickled cucumbers are probably not a dish that ordinary families eat regularly.

Chen Zhou put on sanitary gloves and started stirring in the basin.

As he stirred, the salt grains gradually dissolved on the surface of the cucumbers, and a pool of green liquid appeared at the bottom of the basin.

Drain the water and set aside.

Next came the side dishes for the pickled cucumbers.

Chop ginger, garlic, and chili into small pieces and place them at the bottom of a food storage container.

Arrange the cucumbers in the center, and sprinkle a little brown sugar between each layer of cucumbers to enhance the flavor.

The vinegar, rice wine, and light soy sauce cover the top layer of cucumbers.

Finally, add a dot of sesame oil to seal the surface of the liquid.

Chen Zhou held the food container, gently stirred it with his hand, and smelled it.

"I must say, the taste is really good."

Among them, the vinegar aroma is the most prominent, mixed with the rich flavor of the sesame oil on the surface, as well as a faint wine aroma and the spiciness of ginger and garlic.

These seasonings temporarily mask the fresh aroma of the cucumber.

I believe time will bring them together.

Modern technology has made it possible for all kinds of food to enter every household. But people in the past were also quite adept at researching food.

The next step was to press the stone into the yin area. Chen Zhou didn't use a large vat; he simply packed it tightly into a food storage container and then put it in the refrigerator.

Ready to eat the next day: It can be served at the stall tomorrow. Even better after three days: The flavor is superior after three days.

Chen Zhou stuffed the small boxes into the refrigerator, barely managing to squeeze in the last bit of space.

"The kitchen at home is still a bit small."

(End of this chapter)