Food Intelligence King

Chapter 188 Renovation complete, new seasonal flavors about to arrive.

Reselling snow pears was just a small episode in running the shop.

From the time we stocked up until the cold wave arrived, almost a week passed, and the pears we bought were basically all sold out.

Chen Zhou and Lao Zhang only made a profit from the price difference.

It wasn't fully integrated into retail either.

Because of their long-standing business partnership, both of them were very satisfied with the profit-sharing arrangement.

After a quick calculation, Chen Zhou realized he had made a profit of nearly 22,000 yuan.

My wallet is quite bulging.

As for the remaining ten or so boxes of snow pears, Chen Zhou has no intention of selling them all.

After the supply of high-quality Zhaozhou snow pears was interrupted, the last batch was actually quite popular.

He was thinking of giving some to relatives and friends, just following the trend.

Then, with the renovations and opening imminent, we can hold a small promotional event.

Lately, customers in the group have been frequently asking about the community canteen's situation.

While verbally offering to help, they were secretly planning when they could eat steamed buns and small portions of dishes again.

Chen Zhou certainly didn't actually ask people to come over and shovel mud and move bricks.

However, he was very grateful for the support from his customers and neighbors.

The remaining snow pears will be given to our customers as a thank you.

Around noon on Friday, the store's renovation was completely finished, and Chen Zhou and Tian Tian's father came over to inspect the work.

As originally planned, the kitchen is now larger, with a dedicated area for serving food. The walls of the main dining room at Gate 2 have also been fitted with panels in a style similar to those at Gate 1.

The decor is definitely not luxurious, since it's a shop that Chen Zhou rented.

But it looks quite pleasing to the eye.

Chen Zhou learned from his junior sister that Lao Liu was very concerned about the decoration of his shop, so after the two paid the bill, he also brought a box of pears for Tian Tian's father.

"Brother Liu, take this and give it to the child. Don't be shy with me."

Old Liu smiled and said, "I really didn't stand on ceremony."

The quote he gave Chen Zhou was based on the prices offered by relatives and friends; it was almost entirely just the cost of labor and materials.

The relationship between the two children is clear.

Liu Tianyu would occasionally mention to him how delicious Tao Tao's father's cooking was.

As a father, Lao Liu can't let his partner down.

There must be give and take, right?

He smiled and said:

“Brother Chen, if you don’t have time to pick up the kids, just let me know. Your sister-in-law is home every day, she’s available.”

"Okay, thanks. You guys too, let Tiantian come over to play again when you have time, so the two little girls will have company."

Dad always takes advantage of the situation.

"Okay, I'll ask my child when I get back."

Tian Tian would definitely be overjoyed.

In the evening, Chen Zhou first took his wife and children to visit the newly renovated store.

After the two sides were opened up, the space was indeed much more spacious.

When the lights are turned on, it looks particularly bright.

Chen Taotao ran back and forth several times, enjoying the kind of behavior that other children were forbidden from doing.

Looks very happy.

I'm just a little hungry.

After moving around a bit, I got even hungrier.

So she stopped after running two laps.

I sat in the seat right next to the kitchen, watching my parents busy in the kitchen.

The gas stove in the kitchen burns hotter than the stove in the house.

Cooking and stir-frying become much easier.

Chen Zhou quickly stir-fried two simple dishes and they were ready to serve.

Ms. Lin also brought out the new winter buns, so we could try them while they were still hot.

Chen Taotao looked at the familiar steamed buns with excitement in her eyes.

"Dad, I haven't had steamed buns for days!"

The shop was closed for renovations, so Chen Zhou was indeed not making steamed buns at home.

He laughed, "Then you should try it! Cabbage and cockle filling, a new flavor!" "Wow!"

After taking a bite, Chen Taotao realized that she didn't know what cockles were.

So, while eating, I asked my mom for some information.

Clams, also known as clams, have two shells with meat inside.

There are many varieties, which can be further subdivided into several types based on the pattern and direction of the markings on the shells.

Chen Taotao is no stranger to seashells; she has even found some while beachcombing in the summer.

Chen Zhou then brought out the clams left over from making steamed buns.

I just added scallions, ginger, garlic, and a little dried chili pepper, and stir-fried it simply.

He pointed to the clam shells in the basin and said:

"This is it. You saw something similar at the beach back then."

Chen Taotao nodded.

"I remember now, Dad, can we still go beachcombing in winter?"

Ms. Lin promptly interrupted the little girl's whimsical idea: "No way!"

There's stock available at the beach in winter, but the wind is too strong, making it clearly unsuitable for Chen Taotao's activities.

Chen Zhou smiled and sat down next to his wife, finishing his meal with her and their daughter.

Back during the Frost's Descent solar term, the intelligence report mentioned seasonal ingredients: cabbage and white radish, both of which are vegetables suitable for winter.

With winter fast approaching, this year's "Flavors of the Four Seasons" has been updated with a cabbage and cockle filling.

The method is no longer difficult at all:
Live clams should be soaked in salt water to expel the sand. After boiling them in water until they open, take them out and remove the black sand sacs when removing the shells and meat.

Doing it in large quantities might take some effort.

But tonight, Chen Zhou only made a basket of steamed buns, which he finished in just a few minutes.

The other main ingredient in this dish, cabbage, is prepared in an even simpler way.

The stalks of Chinese cabbage are fresh and juicy. After chopping them up, salt them to draw out the moisture and prevent them from becoming watery.

Mix the above two ingredients with some minced pork, wrap them in dough, and you have a steamed bun with cockles and cabbage.

The flavor is quite unique.

These buns are quite different from the ones the shop usually makes.

The food sold in the community canteen is mainly meat-based. This is the first time seafood has been wrapped in a bun.

After one bite, the fresh and delicious taste of the sea is vividly highlighted.

Its subtle saltiness and unique mineral flavor immediately evoke the image of a sea breeze.

No wonder Chen Taotao thought of going to the beach after taking a couple of bites of the steamed bun.

Following the seafood flavor comes the aroma of minced pork and its fat, which, combined with the cockles, creates a deeper and more satisfying umami flavor.

Chinese cabbage, as the finishing touch, makes the steamed buns taste fresh without being fishy, ​​and oily without being greasy.

This steamed bun has a very authentic, rustic flavor, typical of the seaside.

The familiar positive review rating of +1.5 has reappeared.

Both mother and son love to eat it.

The family eats and chats.

Ms. Lin, unusually, started playing with her phone and seemed somewhat distracted.

Chen Zhou turned his head and saw that she was processing the withdrawal of her housing provident fund.

That's true, I still have to pay my mortgage in November.

Although we did make a small fortune recently, and the store's business has been doing well.

But we are still far from achieving financial freedom.

He still has at least several hundred thousand yuan in mortgage debt.

This is real debt.

Chen Zhou said to his wife, "Let's pay off another large sum. Let's try to pay off the mortgage in the next two years."

Ms. Lin nodded. Analyzing the situation:
She had considered the matter, but still felt that her husband's business operations should take priority.

Then, her job was relatively stable, and her housing provident fund was always able to cover some of the costs.

The pressure isn't that great anymore.

Under the current circumstances, keeping some of the mortgage payments and gradually paying them off can also exempt some personal income tax.

When it comes to managing one's life, Ms. Lin truly deserves admiration.

(End of this chapter)