Chapter 58: Chapter 52: He Really Eats the Pie
Today, Zhou Yan had bought thirty-seven jin of meat, over twenty jin of beef offal and tendon, a few bunches of leafy greens, and two heads of cabbage. His back-basket was completely full.
He glanced at Zhou Momo, sleeping soundly in the other back-basket, and found himself in a bit of a bind.
"I’m finished over here. Give me the basket, and I’ll haul it back. You can take Mrs. Zhao and Momo." Zhou Jie walked over with a smile, took the heavy basket from Zhou Yan, and effortlessly slung it onto his own back.
"Sounds good. Be careful," Zhou Yan said with a smile. He helped Mrs. Zhao onto his bike and followed behind Zhou Jie.
The old roadster was a good bike, but carrying both a passenger and cargo was pushing its limits.
On the way, Zhou Yan considered his options. ’Either I get Mrs. Zhao her own bicycle, or I modify the back rack. I could attach two large baskets to the sides, like the street vendors do. The seat would be less comfortable, but I could carry a lot more stuff.’
A tricycle could carry cargo, but the current country roads weren’t smooth enough to ride on, making it less practical than the roadster.
He couldn’t entrust the task of procuring ingredients to anyone else.
With his Identification talent, he could discern the quality of ingredients at a glance—an expert eye that most old chefs only developed after making countless mistakes.
High-quality ingredients were one of his restaurant’s "moats," a key factor that differentiated it from other restaurants and food stalls.
Back at the restaurant, Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui had already arrived and came forward to help with the baskets.
"Wow, our little aunt can really sleep. She even sleeps through a bike ride," Zhou Lihui said, peeking into the basket where a small part of Zhou Momo was visible.
"When you were a baby, you slept even more than her," Zhao Hong said with a laugh. "All you did was eat and sleep, then wake up and eat some more."
"So I was basically a little pig?" Zhou Lihui asked, scratching his head.
"Jie, you’ve been coming here to learn for the past two days. Is Haizi managing okay on his own?" Zhou Yan asked casually as he lifted the basket off Zhou Jie’s bike.
"Your two sisters-in-law went to help, and my mom is helping with the dishes, so it’s no problem at all," Zhou Jie said with a smile. "But this morning, he had to take my mom into the county to buy wedding candy and things, so he didn’t open his stall. He said if he gets back early this afternoon, he wants to come over and learn too."
"If there’s anything you need me to do, just say the word," Zhou Yan said with a smile. "As one of the younger brothers, I should definitely be helping out."
Right now, the Zhou family’s number one priority was Zhou Hao’s wedding, and his older brothers like Zhou Hai and Zhou Fei were all busy running errands.
They probably figured Zhou Yan was busy with his restaurant, so they hadn’t asked him for help yet.
"There’s not much left. It’s almost all prepared. We were just a little short on wedding candy and a few other odds and ends, but my mom’s gone to buy it all today," Zhou Jie said, waving his hand. He added seriously, "Your restaurant business is just starting to take off. You just focus on that. Any of us brothers can handle the errands, no problem."
"Alright," Zhou Yan nodded.
"Did you sell out of everything you prepped yesterday? How was business in the evening?" Zhou Jie asked with concern. He had gone back after the lunch rush yesterday, and at that point, Zhou Yan hadn’t sold a single carp.
"Yeah, we sold out completely. That’s why I bought so much food today. I’m preparing to go all out," Zhou Yan said, nodding with a smile. "I have a feeling business will be even better today."
"That’s great! People really can appreciate good food!" Zhou Jie clapped his hands, beaming. "I’ll help you wash the vegetables. I’m really good at the second wash for the offal; I get it sparkling clean."
Zhou Jie was a capable worker. Helping to wash the oxtail, beef bones, and offal, he greatly improved their efficiency.
The apprentice, Zhou Lihui, was also full of energy, becoming more and more practiced as he carried bucket after bucket of well water to pour into the large pot.
Today, when it was time to simmer the stock, Zhou Yan had Zhou Jie take the lead while he stood by to offer guidance.
Zhou Jie was an old hand, with two and a half years of experience making soup. After studying diligently with his little notebook yesterday, he took to the task today with a practiced air, barely needing any reminders from Zhou Yan.
"Zhou Jie really is a faster learner than I am. He’s practically mastered it in just one day," Zhao Tieying remarked with a sigh as he watched from the side.
"It’s because Master Zhou is a good teacher. He explains things so clearly that I understood right away," Zhou Jie said with a smile, skimming the scum off the soup.
"Alright, you keep skimming the pot then. I’m going to stir-fry the toppings and sauces." Zhou Yan smiled and turned toward the kitchen, calling over Zhou Lihui, who had been reciting his multiplication tables off to the side.
"Uncle, when can I start learning how to cook?" Zhou Lihui asked, his eyes filled with anticipation.
"You’ve been learning ever since you stepped into this kitchen," Zhou Yan said with a straight face. "First, learn how to manage the stove. This will train your ability to control the heat, which will be a huge advantage when you start practicing your Fire Control."
"Oh, I see!" Zhou Lihui’s eyes lit up, and he immediately scrambled behind the stove. "I’ll get the fire started then!"
"Not so fast," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. "Come over and watch me. Today, I’m going to teach you how to slice beef."
"Can I try slicing the beef, too?"
"No. Every piece of this beef has an important use. When radishes are back in season and dirt cheap, you can practice your Knife Skills on them."
"Oh..."
It wasn’t that Zhou Yan was being stingy; he was just genuinely poor.
Besides, when he was an apprentice in the factory cafeteria, his own master had made him practice on shredded radishes and potatoes. No one let a beginner waste good beef.
Zhou Lihui, however, had an excellent attitude. He stood ramrod straight at the side, watching intently and occasionally asking questions.
Each time Zhao Hong passed through the kitchen, she lightened her steps, a smile playing on her lips.
Today, Zhou Yan once again prepared eighty servings of noodles, but he increased the portion count for Kneeling Beef by twenty bowls.
He also prepared enough ingredients for thirty portions each of Braised Beef with Dried Bamboo Shoots and Double-Pepper Minced Beef, twenty portions for the carp, and twelve for the pork ribs.
The eight portions of pork ribs he’d prepared yesterday had sold out, but Zhou Yan believed that was just a compromise from customers who had no other choices. It didn’t mean Braised Pork Ribs was a bestseller.
At one yuan per serving, the Double-Pepper Minced Beef and the Braised Beef with Dried Bamboo Shoots seemed like a much better value.
Or, for just forty cents more, customers could get the Huo Xiang Carp, which was a generous portion and perfect with rice.
The Braised Pork Ribs were savory with a sweet aftertaste that kids loved—the factory director’s table yesterday had already proven that. Once more families started dining out, it would likely sell well.
Flexibly adjusting the daily supply of each dish was something any competent restaurant owner should do.
The reason the previous ’Comrade Zhou’ had lost so much money was that he’d been too honest and had zero restaurant management experience. The daily losses from wasted ingredients alone had been substantial.
The morning business was similar to the previous day. All eighty bowls of noodles sold out. The number of daily noodle customers had stabilized, and it would be difficult to see another major breakthrough anytime soon.
Zhou Yan was quite satisfied with these numbers. Customer wait times weren’t too long, there was enough seating, and the overall dining experience was positive.
After the workers had all left for their shifts, Zhou Jie helped clear the bowls and remarked, "Business is really great. I didn’t realize so many people loved noodles."
"Want to learn how to make them?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"Not a chance." Zhou Jie shook his head so hard it was a blur. "Let’s not even talk about your miraculous noodle-pulling skills; I could never handle frying the toppings and sauces. That Double-Pepper Minced Beef you make is just out of this world. I’m not worried about embarrassing myself—I’m worried I’d embarrass you if I told people you were my teacher."
"I’ll be perfectly happy if I can just master the soup pot. Quality over quantity, right?" Zhou Jie grinned, full of confidence. "One lifetime, one pot of soup. As long as I make it well, I believe I can make a good living."
"That makes sense. From now on, you’ll be the King of Kneeling Beef," Zhou Yan joked.
"No, no," Zhou Jie said, shaking his head and pointing to the pot by the door. "This is the Kneeling Beef that you improved. You’re the King of Kneeling Beef. I’m just the Grand General, ready to charge wherever you command."
"Everyone’s lives are getting better these days. If we save up money for the next two years, we can open Kneeling Beef restaurants in Jiazhou, then in Rongcheng. We’ll buy cars and live in modern apartments, too," Zhou Yan said, painting an ambitious picture for the future.
"Cars? Apartments!" Zhou Jie’s eyes lit up. "Let’s do it!"
He was completely sold on the dream.
...
The story of the factory director eating at Zhou Yan Restaurant yesterday and giving it high praise had already become the stuff of legend. It was even juicier when consumed alongside the gossip about the cafeteria drama from that same afternoon.
Gossiping is a timeless pastime, and this was some quality gossip.
The factory’s decision on how to handle the cafeteria hadn’t been announced yet, and its food was as terrible as ever. The idea of Zhou Yan Restaurant single-handedly taking down the factory cafeteria became a running joke among workers while they slacked off.
Meanwhile, the old story of Zhou Yan getting fired for beating up Wang Defa to defend his master was also dug up. It quickly spawned multiple rumors, each more outrageous than the last.
When lunchtime service began, quite a few customers showed up, drawn by the restaurant’s reputation.
Zhao Dong was one of them.
"Comrade Zhou, you’re finally serving proper stir-fries and braised dishes!" Zhao Dong exclaimed, grabbing Zhou Yan’s hand the moment he walked in the door.
As the one who had sparked yesterday’s cafeteria incident, he had since been reprimanded by Vice-Director Liu Yusheng, called out for criticism in a meeting, and forced to write a thousand-word self-criticism essay. He was feeling pretty down.
Of course, it was a universally acknowledged fact that the cafeteria’s stir-fries and bulk-cooked dishes were terrible; even the vice-director had to admit that.
He was mainly reprimanded because, as a workshop director, he had led the protest, demonstrating a lack of organization and discipline. The self-criticism was a light punishment; he only avoided a formal demerit on his record because no one voted to issue one.
Publicly, his colleagues disapproved of his actions, but after the meeting, they were secretly giving him thumbs-ups.
Who wasn’t fed up with the cafeteria food?
When he heard this morning that Zhou Yan Restaurant had new dishes that even the old factory director praised, how could he possibly resist?
The moment the closing bell rang, Zhao Dong grabbed a lunch buddy and high-tailed it over to the restaurant.
When it came to the mission of taking down the factory cafeteria, he, Zhao Dong, was more than willing to lead the charge!
"After the director finished eating yesterday, which dish did he say was the best?" Zhao Dong asked, looking at Zhou Yan.
The other customers who had just walked in also turned to look, their faces full of the same eager anticipation.
