Chapter 5: Chapter 3: It’ll Definitely Work This Time
Most noodles require lye water and salt. While this gives them a springy texture, some people just can’t stomach the alkaline taste.
But the noodles Zhou Yan made were different. They weren’t just springy and smooth; they were refreshingly delicious. Not only was there no strange aftertaste, but if you chewed them slowly, you could even taste the faint, sweet aroma of the flour itself. The average noodle shop owner would never be willing to use such high-quality refined flour.
The seasoning for the base was perfectly balanced—not too salty, not too bland. But of course, the real star was the double-pepper minced beef topping. It was numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant, with a texture that was crispy on the outside yet tender on the inside. Better still, it clung beautifully to the noodles. A simple toss was all it took to mix everything together, and the tiny morsels of beef would stick to the noodles as you lifted them.
At many noodle shops, the topping and the noodles in their dry-mixed dishes never seem to fully combine. You only get to taste them together in the last few bites.
’This is, without a doubt, the most delicious bowl of mixed noodles I’ve ever had!’
Zhou Miao took several bites in a row, nodding in admiration. "Son, these noodles are amazing. From now on, whenever I come to town for market day, I’m coming here for a bowl of your Double Pepper Beef Noodles."
"Of course you should," Zhou Yan chuckled.
[Customer Approval +1]
[Customer Approval +1]
Two lines of notifications flashed in his vision.
’Looks like the system only recognizes customers, regardless of whether they’re family. How considerate.’
Seeing her parents already eating, Zhou Momo grew impatient as she struggled to mix the noodles with her chopsticks.
Zhou Yan went ahead and mixed them for her. Zhou Momo accepted the bowl with a wide grin. "Thank you, Brother!"
She eagerly slurped a couple of noodles into her mouth, and her little eyes instantly lit up.
She was too busy to speak, simply burying her little head and slurping away with gusto! SLURP! SLURP!
’This is so yummy!’
’It’s savory and spicy, and the little bits of meat stick to the noodles. They’re so tiny and yummy too!’
’I love noodlies!’
’From now on, I love Brother’s noodlies the most!’
[Customer Approval +1]
Zhou Yan looked down at Zhou Momo, who was happily swinging her short little legs as she ate, and his smile grew even wider.
’My sister is super cute!’
Zhou Yan lowered his head and started on his own bowl. If anyone at the table truly knew noodles, it was him.
He’d tried all sorts of mixed noodles—the weirder the name, the more he felt compelled to eat them. Double Pepper Beef Noodles were a fairly common variety, one he ate on a regular basis.
But this was his first time eating a bowl of mixed noodles he’d made from scratch. In the past, the only noodles he’d ever "mixed" were the instant kind.
When it comes to noodles, the noodles themselves are paramount.
If the noodles are bad, it doesn’t matter how good the topping is; the dish is a waste.
Most places in Sichuan serve noodles made with lye water, which have their own distinct flavor. He didn’t mind the taste, but his old roommate from Shanxi had scoffed at the practice, considering it heresy to add anything but water to the dough. According to him, a truly skilled noodle master only needed water.
The hand-pulled noodles he made today used only water, relying entirely on his kneading technique to achieve the right consistency.
’These noodles have no alkaline taste, yet they’re just as springy and smooth. They cling to the sauce perfectly, too. Coated in the seasoning and topping, they don’t slip from the chopsticks. One mouthful... pure satisfaction!’
’Of course, the double-pepper beef is the real masterpiece!’
’The beef is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant. It has absorbed the unique flavors of pickled peppers and pickled ginger, and it’s so rich and aromatic. It’s more delicious than any double-pepper minced beef I’ve ever had!’
’Forget about resource-scarce 1984—even in 2025, I would absolutely post a video to hype these Double Pepper Beef Noodles to the moon!’
’Delicious!’
’The king of all mixed noodles!’
Zhou Yan mentally composed a five-hundred-word rave review, but after waiting a good while, no system notification appeared.
’Sigh, what a waste of anticipation. Looks like the system doesn’t count me as a customer. Maybe it doesn’t even count me as a person.’
The bowl of piping hot, spicy noodles satisfied their cravings and filled their empty stomachs. By the end, the family of four was sweating, completely and utterly satisfied.
After they finished, Zhao Tieying collected the bowls and went into the kitchen to wash them.
Zhou Yan didn’t fight for the chore of washing dishes. Instead, he brewed a cup of tea in a gaiwan for his dad and sat down across from him. "Dad, there’s something I need to ask you."
Zhou Miao lifted his teacup for a sip. At his son’s words, he set the cup down, glanced toward the kitchen, and whispered, "Out of money again?" He was already reaching into his pocket as he spoke.
"It’s not about money," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "I’m planning to start by selling noodles for a while. But not just this one—I also want to sell Braised Beef Noodles and Braised Pork Rib Noodles. Those two are noodle soups, so they require a bone broth. Plus, I’ll be needing a lot more beef. So, I was hoping to set up a regular order for meat from you and Uncle."
He knew his father had secretly slipped him money many times before. It was just a few yuan at a time, but for a henpecked husband, that was a huge risk.
"How much beef and beef bones will you need each day?" Zhou Miao asked.
Zhou Yan thought for a moment. "To start, I’m planning to prep ingredients for thirty bowls a day. I’ll need a pound of sirloin, a pound of beef brisket, a pound of pork ribs, and ten pounds of beef bones."
"Beef bones aren’t worth much," Zhou Miao said in surprise, "but three pounds of meat for thirty bowls of noodles? Isn’t your initial cost a bit high? How much are you planning to charge per bowl? Can you even make a profit?"
"Let’s break down the costs," Zhou Yan began, unhurried. "Meat is about 2 yuan per pound, so three pounds will be 6 yuan. Flour is cheap, only 0.17 yuan per pound. Based on my recipe, I’ll need about 7.5 pounds of flour for thirty bowls, which comes to 1.3 yuan. Add in oil, garnishes, spices, and firewood... a generous estimate is another 2 yuan. So, the total cost is 9.3 yuan." He continued, "I plan to sell each bowl for 0.6 yuan. If I sell all thirty, that’s 18 yuan in revenue. After costs, that’s a profit of 8.7 yuan. And if sales pick up, so will the profits."
Zhou Miao listened, then mentally ran the numbers. He might not have had much formal education, but after years of butchering and selling meat, he certainly knew how to do accounts.
