"Got it." Zhou Yan said with a smile, putting the cigarettes away in the cabinet. He didn't smoke, but they were great gifts, even fetching over twenty yuan in the black market.
After carefully placing Zhou Momo on the bed, Zhou Yan noticed she was wearing a blue sweater. The sleeves were rolled up three times, and the hem almost reached her knees—clearly the style for little boys.
It wasn't unusual for her to wear clothes from her older brothers or sisters. Zhou Yan's clothes never fit him when he was in the orphanage.
But the Zhou family wasn't poor, and Zhou Momo, the youngest daughter, was the most favored. Her father was a daughter slave, willing to give his daughter new clothes even if his own were patched up.
Comrade Little Zhou's restaurant has truly caused his family's quality of life to plummet.
His parents' clothes are also covered in patches.
Pulling the quilt over Zhou Momo, Zhou Yan went downstairs, secretly resolving that once he'd paid off his debt, he'd first dress his family completely in new clothes!
Today, Zhou Yan ordered a few extra beef bones, split them to reveal the marrow, and soaked them in cold water to remove the blood. He then lit a separate coal stove and set up a pot of beef bone broth for making Cross-legged Beef.
The essence of Cross-legged Beef lies in this broth; as long as it's cooked well, the Cross-legged Beef will be excellent.
In addition to the beef bones, the soup also includes beef intestines and cow tail, which are stewed together. The rich fats blend into the broth, enriching its flavor. The spices and Chinese herbs are wrapped in gauze and placed in the pot, where they continue to simmer for a full eight hours. The soup is ready.
"You're quite particular about making this broth." Zhao Tieying observed.
She also used to sell soup pots at a street market, having learned the technique from her mother in law. She simply dumps the bones and spices into a pot of water, covers the pot, and leaves it alone.
For a soup pot that costs only two or three cents a bowl, there's no need for such elaborate preparations. Dock laborers just want a hot bowl, and no one would mind if it's a little tough.
"A great chef's focus on detail. Brother Jie them can sell over a hundred bowls a day, but you can only manage twenty or thirty. That's the difference." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"If you want to learn, you'll have to put in the hard work. I'll be busy making noodles and stir-fries, and you'll have to watch over the pot of Cross-legged Beef. Let's try to sell a hundred bowls a day from the soup pot as well."
"A hundred bowls!" Zhao Tieying perked up. "Can we really do it?"
Her business was peaking in the winter, when she could only sell fifty or sixty bowls, and that was only during festivals and when there were many people.
"I'll make it for you guys to try at noon, and let you, the old soup pot master, give us your opinion on it." Zhou Yan said as he skimmed off the foam. "See this foam? Use a spoon to skim it off. This way the soup will be clearer and taste better..."
The recipe for Cross-legged Beef is actually very simple, a skill passed down from our ancestors, and every butcher in Zhou Village knows how to make it. The difference lies in the spices and herbs. The varying amounts and ingredients give the resulting soup a distinct flavor.
Of course, careful attention to detail during the cooking process can also enhance a soup's flavor.
As the soup simmered over low heat, Zhou Yan began to stir-fry the stew and knead the dough, preparing the noodles he would sell today.
The best selling dish at the moment is the double pepper beef noodles. Yesterday, several customers wanted to try it, but the stew was sold out, so they had to order other noodles instead.
So today, Zhou Yan added an extra pound of sirloin, effectively adding ten more bowls of double pepper beef noodles.
After finishing the preparations, it was already bright outside.
Zhou Yan and his mother had a simple bowl of noodles before opening the shop. Zhou Momo missed breakfast today, and she was the only one in the family who could sleep in peacefully until she woke naturally.
As Zhou Yan opened the restaurant door, he noticed that Wang Laowu's noodle stall across the street had a new sign. It wrote: Large Braised Beef Noodles 40 cents! Large Pork Rib Noodles 40 cents! Large Minced Pork Noodles 40 cents! ...
Wang Laowu stood in front of the noodle pot, shouting, "No extra charge for larger portions! No extra charge for larger portions! A bowl of noodles with a little over 100g of meat, only 40 cents a bowl! 40 cents a bowl!"
After he called out, some customers who had been heading to Zhou Erwa Restaurant to actually head over to Wang Laowu's stall.
A little over 100g of meat a bowl of noodles—that's as much meat as at Zhou Erwa Restaurant, and it's 20 cents cheaper. It's worth a try.
Affordability is always a surefire win.
Wang Laowu's noodle stall had customers again.
"What's that idiot Wang Laowu up to? Isn't he making money anymore?" Zhao Tieying stood at the door, hands on her hips, staring at Wang Laowu.
"Look at him, it seems like even if he's not making any money, he doesn't want us to make any either." Zhou Yan smiled. The war of words among the noodle vendors was escalating, entering a price war.
"This bastard is being incompetent, like chasing a tiger with his pants off—shameless and desperate, I'm going to tear his mouth off!" Zhao Tieying rolled up her sleeves, like a general about to go to war.
"Leave it, leave it. A low price may attract some bargain-hunting customers, but it's only the flavor that keeps them coming back and keeps the business going." Zhou Yan smiled, pulling Old Zhao aside. "We rely on the flavor to win. If he keeps doing this, he'll be broke in two days."
As they spoke, a customer arrived.
Zhao Tieying also put on a smile again, ignoring the other side.
Wang Laowu, keeping a constant eye on this side, smiled even brighter when he saw Zhao Tieying's exasperated expression.
This was the advice Wang Defa had given them last night when the couple went to see Director Wang for advice.
Didn't Zhou Yan rely on generous stew to attract customers? So he'd increase the amount, and even more than Zhou Yan! With prices lower than Zhou Yan, customers would naturally come.
It didn't matter if they didn't make money, as long as they could break even.
But if Zhou Yan's restaurant lost customers, with fifteen yuan a month in rent, plus various management fees, and the pressure of external debt, how long could he survive?
When Zhou Erwa Restaurant collapsed, he could adjust the price of his noodles back to normal and continue to make money. He had made some money in the past two years, and he had enough to spend with Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan was about to enter when he saw a portly, middle-aged man with a bald, Mediterranean appearance, stop his bicycle in front of Wang Laowu's noodle stall and pause.
He recognized the bald man: Wang Defa, the factory cafeteria director. He'd fired Comrade Little Zhou.
The reason for jumping into the river before was not only the pressure of debt, but also the mocking he got from that bald guy the day before.
"Director Wang! A rare guest! A rare guest!" Wang Laowu, upon seeing Wang Defa, immediately shouted out to greet him, a fawning smile plastered across his face.
His shouting attracted the attention of many workers, who, upon seeing the sign, piqued their interest.
"Laowu, I heard your noodles are excellent, so I came here today to try them." Wang Defa said with a hearty laugh.
"Then please come inside and sit down. Your presence truly brings honor to my humble noodle stall." Wang Laowu continued to praise him.
"Okay." Wang Defa replied, turning back to glance in the direction of Zhou Erwa Restaurant. Just in time, he saw Zhou Yan turning and entering. His brow furrowed. Why wasn't this kid so impulsive today?
Zhou Yan wasn't that young brat like little Zhou. Life had long worn away his youthful passion, and he wouldn't easily give in to an old man like Bidden.
A gentleman's revenge is never too late. He's keeping this grudge for little Zhou, and he'll make him pay for it sooner or later.
Wang Laowu's low price strategy significantly boosted traffic to his now almost bankrupt noodle stall and snatched away half of Zhou Erwa Restaurant's customers.
However, Zhou Erwa Restaurant has become quite famous these past few days. Word of mouth has spread among customers who've eaten noodles there, whetting the appetites of other diners. As more and more workers arrive for work, a number of bicycles are parked outside the restaurant.
[Ding! Side Quest Announced: Wang Laowu has challenged you to a business war. A true chef is not afraid of a challenge. Accept it and take down Wang Laowu's noodle stall! Quest Reward: Unknown; Accept: Yes/No]
Zhou Yan was making noodles when he saw the system quest pop up. On a whim, he accepted it.
Wang Laowu and Wang Defa were clearly birds of a feather. The other party had made the first move, and since there was no peaceful resolution, he naturally wouldn't back down.
Besides, the system has rewards. So far, the rewards have been excellent. How could he miss them?
Zhou Momo was woken by the sound of customers chatting in the shop. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, the little girl came to the kitchen door, looked up at Zhou Yan, and said in a baby voice, "Guo Guo, I'm hungry. Noodles."
"Okay, I'll make it for you right away." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
Zhou Yan made Zhou Momo a bowl of pork rib noodle soup. Zhao Tieying wiped her face with a hot towel, her chubby face deformed by the rubbing of the towel. A stool was set up by the door for her to sit on while she ate her noodles.
The little one's face was flushed from the hot towel, and two hairs stuck up from her untied hair. Chubby little hands grasped chopsticks and buried herself in the noodles, slurping them with delightful gusto.
Passing workers couldn't help but take a second look. The little one was so adorable, and the way she ate was truly enticing. The braised pork ribs fell off the bone with a single sip, and she gulped down the rich bone broth with long gulps.
Some people hadn't planned on eating noodles, but somehow their bicycles had veered right in front of the shop.
"Sister, are you coming for some noodles?"
The little one asked, looking up from between bites.
Meeting her innocent gaze, the customers felt hesitant to leave. They forced themselves go inside to take a look. Seeing the other customers slurping their noodles, the customers couldn't resist ordering a bowl themselves.
Mmm, so delicious!
Zhou Momo sat down at the entrance to the shop, eating her noodles, and she secured several orders, a natural born sales star.
Xia Yao, drawing board in hand, had come out to look for material. Passing by the factory gate, she saw Zhou Momo sitting at the entrance of the restaurant, sipping soup from a large bowl. Passing workers glanced sideways at her, and her lips curled up, feeling she had found the perfect image for the day. She immediately set up her drawing board and took out her pencil.
Zhou Momo finished her soup, then put the bowl down, rubbing her slightly swollen belly and letting out a contented burp. "I'm full~"
She quickly spotted Xia Yao, her eyes lighting up. She leaped from her stool and ran towards her, calling out, "Sister Yaoyao!"
Xia Yao put down her pencil, having just sketched a sketch on her drawing paper. A smile crossed her face as she watched Zhou Momo, who was running towards her, and she threw her arms around her, saying, "Momo, did you miss me?"
"Yes." Zhou Momo nodded repeatedly.
"You're so sweet." Xia Yao released her, pulled a glass bottle from her pocket, and smiled, "Have you ever had Coke?"
"Coke?" Zhou Momo tilted her head, looking at the bottle, and shook her head.
"I'll open a bottle for you. Just sit back down and let me draw you a picture, okay?"
The glass bottle shimmered in the sunlight, bubbling with bubbles, as if possessing some mysterious charm that drew Zhou Momo's nod without hesitation.
Sizzle!
Xia Yao took out a screwdriver and opened the Coke. Bubbles surged to the top of the bottle, sizzling as she passed it to Zhou Momo.
Zhou Momo held the bottle in both hands, brought it to her lips, and took a sip. Her eyes lit up. "So bubbly, so sweet, so delicious!"
Then, holding the Coke, she obediently returned to the doorway and sat down.