Chapter 17: Chapter 12: Kneeling Beef
Kneeling Beef? Zhou Yan was taken aback for a moment.
He was no stranger to the dish. In later years, Suji’s most famous delicacy would undoubtedly be Kneeling Beef. It wasn’t just a local specialty—even Rongcheng would be filled with Kneeling Beef restaurants.
A light, savory broth served with a dipping sauce, it was a dish that flourished all across Ba Shu, a testament to its unique appeal.
In his past life, he had visited Suji and even interviewed two of the intangible cultural heritage masters for Kneeling Beef.
The dish was said to have originated right here in Slaughter Ox Zhou Village. Legend had it that an ancestor of the Zhou Family, a cattle butcher, had invented the recipe. Others claimed it was an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor from Zhou Village.
Two of his older cousins were currently selling Kneeling Beef at the Qingyi River Pier. When beef and offal weren’t selling well, his mother would also set up a stall. It was practically a traditional family trade.
Of course, he didn’t know how to make it.
But now, he was about to.
Most importantly, while others selling Kneeling Beef had to worry about sourcing fresh ingredients, he could lean on his old man for a direct supply!
In the food and beverage industry, the supply of ingredients is a crucial link in the chain.
With Slaughter Ox Zhou Village behind him, he wouldn’t have to worry about a shortage of beef and offal at all.
"What are you spacing out for?" Zhao Tieying asked, waving a hand in front of his face.
"It’s nothing. Business is done for now, so I’m going to lie down for a bit. I got up way too early this morning," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he stood and headed for the stairs.
"Go on. I’ll call you in a little while," Zhao Tieying said with a nod.
’This kid woke up early to buy groceries, cook the toppings, and then he kneaded and pulled all that dough. He must be exhausted. He used to whine and complain after the slightest bit of work, but he hasn’t uttered a peep these last two days. He’s really becoming a man.’
Zhou Yan went upstairs, closed the door, and then mentally accessed the Kneeling Beef recipe. A massive amount of information flooded his brain, and he froze, stunned.
Three minutes later, clarity returned to Zhou Yan’s eyes. With a single thought, everything about Kneeling Beef integrated with his own memories, as if he had mastered it all along.
’If this sells well, it could be a nice new source of income. And it should barely affect noodle sales,’ Zhou Yan mused.
The textile factory had over two thousand employees, but very few would eat a sixty-cent bowl of noodles every single day. He’d be content if he could just consistently sell a hundred bowls a day.
But then again, he wasn’t satisfied with earning just thirty or forty yuan a day, and his afternoons and evenings were completely free.
It was late October, and the weather would be getting colder. A steaming pot of Kneeling Beef would become incredibly appealing then.
But to sell Kneeling Beef, he would need to get Comrade Zhou and Comrade Zhao’s support.
...
"Zhou Momo is so cute, and Zhou Yan is pretty interesting too," Xia Yao said with a laugh, sitting on the back of the bicycle with one arm around Meng Anhe’s waist.
"Polite, well-mannered, and mature for his age. Yes, he is quite interesting," Meng Anhe agreed with a small smile, but quickly added, "However, you two probably aren’t a good match."
"Huh?" Xia Yao froze for a second before she understood what Meng Anhe meant. A blush crept onto her cheeks. "Auntie, what are you saying!" she whispered urgently.
"I’m just giving you a warning. You can’t go falling for just anyone, or your mother will have my hide," Meng Anhe said, glancing back at her with a gentle tone. "Zhou Yan saved you. We will thank him and repay him, but you don’t need to feel burdened by it.
You’re going back to Hang City after graduation. You’ll be thousands of miles apart. He runs a restaurant in this small town while you’ll be working and living in Hang City. It’s unlikely you’ll ever see each other again."
"I know, and I wasn’t even thinking about that..." Xia Yao said, exasperated. She really hadn’t been thinking along those lines at all; she just thought Zhou Momo was adorable and Zhou Yan was fun to talk to.
"Then let’s just say I was overthinking things," Meng Anhe said with a laugh. "After lunch tomorrow, I have to go to Rongcheng for some business at the design institute. I can drop you off in the Jiazhou City District on the way. Your leave from school is up tomorrow anyway."
"Okay," Xia Yao agreed.
...
When the noon rush died down, Comrade Zhou rode up to the shop on his sturdy old bicycle. In his hand, he held a small, colorful pinwheel, its blades WHIRRING in the wind.
Zhou Momo, who was sitting by the door, saw him and came hopping and skipping over. "Pinwheel!" she babbled.
Zhou Miao stopped his bike and handed the pinwheel to Zhou Momo.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Zhou Momo cried out happily. Gripping the pinwheel, she started running around in front of the shop.
Zhou Miao watched from the side, arms folded, a brilliant smile on his face.
"He’s completely wrapped around his daughter’s little finger," Zhao Tieying grumbled to Zhou Yan inside the shop.
"Ain’t that the truth. I didn’t even get to play with it," Zhou Yan said, nodding in agreement.
"You’re a grown man and you still want to play with pinwheels? You’ve got some nerve," Zhao Tieying said with a laugh, slapping his arm playfully.
With no customers left in the shop, the family finally sat down for lunch. Today’s meal was steamed rice served with a bowl of braised beef, a plate of stir-fried minced beef with two kinds of peppers, a side dish of pickled radishes, and some sautéed greens.
"Did all the meat sell out?" Zhao Tieying asked casually.
"The meat’s all sold out. I let Zhou Jie take the offal to sell; he can move it since he sells hot pot," Zhou Miao said, shoveling a mouthful of rice into his mouth.
"That works. Better than letting it go to waste," Zhao Tieying agreed with a nod.
Listening to their conversation, an idea struck Zhou Yan. "How’s business for Jie and his crew, selling Kneeling Beef?"
"It’s decent. The weather’s about to turn cold, so business should get even better," Zhou Miao replied.
"Why don’t we try selling Kneeling Beef, too?" Zhou Yan suggested, seizing the opportunity.
"If you want to sell it, you could give it a try..." Zhou Miao began, but he hadn’t finished his sentence when—
"Your noodle business is just starting to pick up, and now you want to sell hot pot?" Zhao Tieying cut in, her brow furrowed. "It’s true that hot pot sells better when the weather gets cold, but the people who eat offal are mostly the manual laborers from the pier. I’ve sold it myself for a bit the last couple of winters, and I’ve rarely seen any of the textile factory workers come to eat."
