Zhou Yan bought thirty seven jin of meat, over twenty jin of beef offal and tendon, several bundles of green vegetables, and two cabbages today, filling his basket to the brim.
Looking at Zhou Momo, who was sleeping soundly in the basket next to him, he was a little troubled.
"I'm done here. Give me the basket, I'll take it back for you. You take Fourth Aunt." Zhou Jie said with a smile, taking the heavy basket from Zhou Yan and casually hoisting it onto his back.
"Okay, be careful." Zhou Yan greeted with a smile, then carried Aunt Zhao and followed behind Zhou Jie.
The 28-inch bicycle was good, but carrying both people and goods was a bit too much.
On the way, Zhou Yan pondered: either get Aunt Zhao a bicycle too, or modify the back seat like those peddlers, fixing two baskets directly to the sides. The back seat would be a bit uncomfortable, but it could hold a lot of things.
A tricycle could carry goods, but the village roads weren't very smooth to ride; a traditional bicycle was more practical.
He couldn't entrust the task of purchasing groceries to someone else.
With his keen eye for quality, he could instantly distinguish the quality of ingredients—a skill honed through countless trials and tribulations by seasoned chefs.
High quality ingredients were also one of the restaurant's competitive advantages, a crucial element differentiating it from other restaurants and street vendors.
Back at the restaurant, Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui were already there, helping to lift the basket on his back.
"Little sister can sleep so well! She can even sleep on the way." Zhou Lihui said, peeking into the basket where Zhou Momo was peeking out.
"When you're child that time slept even more. You ate and slept all the time, then woke up and ate again." Zhao Hong laughed.
"Wouldn't I be a pig then?" Zhou Lihui scratched his head.
"Brother Jie, are you managing things with Brother Haizi these past few days while you've been learning?" Zhou Yan asked casually as he lifted the basket from Zhou Jie's bicycle.
"Your two sisters in law can help, and my mom can help with the dishes too, no problem at all." Zhou Jie laughed. "But this morning he's taking my mom to the county to buy wedding candy and stuff, not to set up a stall. If he comes back early at noon, he said he wants to come over and learn."
"If there's anything you need me to do, just let me know. As younger brother, I'll definitely do my part." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
The most important thing for the Zhou family right now is Zhou Hao's wedding, and Zhou Hai, Zhou Fei, and the other brothers are all very enthusiastic about running errands.
They probably thought Zhou Yan was too busy at his shop and hadn't asked him to do anything yet.
"Nothing much, everything's almost ready. We're just a little short on wedding candy and other odds and ends. My mom went to buy them today." Zhou Jie waved his hand, then said earnestly, "Your restaurant business is just picking up. You just need to manage the restaurant well. Any of us brothers can handle the errands."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded.
"Did you sell all the dishes you prepared yesterday? How was business last night?" Zhou Jie asked with concern. He had gone home after finishing his work at noon yesterday, and Zhou Yan hadn't sold a single crucian carp yet.
"Yes, it's all sold out, that's why I brought so many ingredients today, ready to make a big splash." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "I guess business will be even better today."
"Great! People still know how to appreciate good food!" Zhou Jie clapped his hands, beaming. "Let me help you wash the ingredients. I washed the offal very thoroughly on the second wash."
Zhou Jie was a skilled worker, helping to clean the cow tails, bones, and offal, greatly improving efficiency.
Apprentice Zhou Lihui was also full of energy, carrying buckets of well water to pour into the large pot, becoming increasingly proficient.
Today, for making this pot of broth, Zhou Yan directly let Zhou Jie do it, while he provided guidance.
Zhou Jie was a seasoned broth maker with two and a half years of experience. He had diligently studied the instructions in his notebook yesterday, and today he immediately started making it quite well, requiring almost no prompting from Zhou Yan.
"Zhou Jie learns much faster than me; he's almost mastered it in just one day." Zhao Tieying remarked, watching from the side.
"It's because Master Zhou teaches so well, explaining things in such detail; I understood immediately." Zhou Jie said with a smile, skimming the foam.
"Then you stay here and skim off the foam, I'll go stir-fry the toppings and meat stew." Zhou Yan smiled and turned to walk into the kitchen, calling Zhou Lihui, who was reciting multiplication tables nearby, into the kitchen as well.
"Little Uncle, when can I start learning to cook?" Zhou Lihui looked at Zhou Yan with expectant eyes.
"You've been learning since you stepped into the kitchen." Zhou Yan said seriously. "First, learn how to start a fire. This will help you control the heat, and it will be very useful when you practice cooking with the fire."
"Oh!" Zhou Lihui's eyes lit up, and he immediately crawled behind the stove. "Then I'll light the fire!"
"No rush. Come watch me chop ingredients. Today I'll teach you how to cut beef." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Can I cut beef too?"
"No, every piece of beef here is very useful. When radishes, which cost only a few cents a pound, are in season, you can practice your knife skills with radishes."
"Oh…"
It wasn't that Zhou Yan was stingy; he was just really poor.
Besides, when he was learning to cook in the factory canteen, his master had him practice by chopping radish and potato shreds, not beef right away. Zhou Lihui, on the other hand, had a proper attitude. He stood upright to the side, staring intently and looking carefully, and occasionally asking a few questions.
Zhao Hong entered and exited the kitchen several times, her footsteps lighter each time, a smile playing on her lips.
Today, Zhou Yan had prepared eighty servings of noodles as usual, but twenty more bowls of cross-legged beef.
In addition, thirty servings each of braised beef with bamboo shoots and stir-fried minced beef with double peppers were prepared, along with twenty servings of crucian carp and twelve servings of spare ribs.
The eight servings of spare ribs prepared yesterday sold out, but Zhou Yan believed that was a compromise made by most customers who had no other options, and did not mean that braised pork ribs were a best selling dish.
The one yuan servings of stir-fried minced beef with double peppers and braised beef with bamboo shoots seemed to offer better value.
Or, for an extra one yuan, one serving of crucian carp with perilla leaves was an option—a large portion that goes well with rice.
The braised pork ribs were savory and sweet, appealing to children, as evidenced by the factory director's meal yesterday. Once there were more family gatherings, they should sell well.
Flexibly adjusting the daily menu supply is something a competent business owner should do.
The reason why Comrade Little Zhou suffered such heavy losses was because he was too honest and had no experience in restaurant management. Everyday, he wasted a lot of ingredients.
Business this morning was similar to yesterday; eighty bowls of noodles sold out. The number of customers eating noodles each day has stabilized, and it's unlikely there will be a significant increase in the near future.
Zhou Yan was quite satisfied with this number. Customers didn't have to wait too long, the shop had enough seating, and the overall dining experience was good.
The workers had all gone to work, and Zhou Jie helped clear the tables, remarking with some emotion, "Business is really good. I didn't expect everyone to love noodles so much."
"Want to learn how?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"I can't learn a thing." Zhou Jie shook his head vigorously. "Let's not even talk about your amazing noodle making skills; I can't even make the stir-fried meat stew and toppings. Your stir-fried minced beef with double peppers is simply divine. I'm not afraid of embarrassing myself; I'm afraid of losing face if say people that you taught me."
"I'll be content as long as I can make a good soup pot. Quality over quantity." Zhou Jie grinned confidently. "A lifetime, one pot of soup—if I do it well, I think I can make money."
"That makes sense. From now on, you'll be the King of Cross-legged Beef." Zhou Yan laughed.
"No, no." Zhou Jie shook his head, pointing to the pot by the door. "This is your improved version of Cross-legged Beef. You're the King of Cross-legged Beef. I'm just a general; I'll go wherever you point."
"Everyone's life is getting better and better now. If we save money these next two years, we can open our 'Cross-legged Beef' restaurant in Jiazhou and Chengdu. We'll buy cars and live in apartments." Zhou Yan said with a smile, painting a rosy picture.
"Cars? Apartments!" Zhou Jie's eyes lit up. "Great idea!"
He was really interested in the rosy picture.
...
The fact that the factory director ate at Zhou Erwa Restaurant yesterday and gave it high praise has become anecdote, and it's even more interesting to enjoy it alongside the gossip about the canteen farce yesterday at noon.
Gossip knows no era; we should still enjoy it.
The factory's decision on the factory canteen is still pending, and the food there remains terrible. The fact that Zhou Erwa Restaurant has ruined the canteen has become a source of amusement for everyone slacking off at work.
The old story of Zhou Yan standing up for his master and beating up Wang Defa, resulting in his dismissal, was also brought up again, spawning multiple versions of rumors, each more outrageous than the last.
At lunch time, the restaurant was bustling with customers who had come specifically to try it.
Zhao Dong was one of them.
"Comrade Little Zhou, you've finally served the stir-fries and braised dishes!" Zhao Dong greeted Zhou Yan with a handshake as soon as he entered the restaurant.
As the instigator of yesterday's canteen incident, he had been reprimanded by Deputy Factory Director Liu Yusheng afterward, and then singled out for criticism at meeting, forced to write a thousand words self-criticism. He was feeling rather depressed.
Of course, it was common knowledge that the canteen's stir-fries and communal cooking were terrible; even the deputy factory director admitted it.
The main reason he was criticized was that he was the workshop director who led the trouble, showing a lack of organization and discipline. Writing a self-criticism was considered a light punishment. He wasn't given a demerit because everyone didn't raise their hand when voted.
While everyone outwardly disapproved of Zhao Dong's actions, they secretly gave him a thumbs-up after the meeting. Who doesn't get angry after eating the cafeteria food?
This morning he heard that Zhou Erwa Restaurant has new dishes, and even the old factory director said they were good. Who can stand that?
As soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the workday, Zhao Dong grabbed a lunch buddy and hurried over to eat.
He was determined to be at the forefront of the effort to ruin the factory canteen!
"After the factory director finished eating yesterday, which dish did he say was the best?" Zhao Dong asked Zhou Yan.
The customers who followed him in also looked at him, equally expectant.