"I just finished warming up too." Lin Zhiqiang looked at the glass jar Zhou Yan handed him, filled with red radish strips, and took it with a smile. "You're so thoughtful. They've been asking me to get some more from you the other day, but I kept forgetting. Without your pickled radishes, they can't even swallow their morning porridge. I won't stand on ceremony."
Lin Zhiqiang put the pickled radishes in the security room of the family compound and came out to jog with Zhou Yan, chatting as they ran.
"Wang Wei is a good comrade. If she hadn't publicly reported Sun Meili for corruption and falsifying accounts today, the rent issue would only be temporarily shelved. They would definitely have found another way to get you. Now it depends on the amount the security department and the discipline inspection commission find. They might end up spending the rest of life in jail…"
Lin Zhiqiang gave Zhou Yan a general overview of the situation.
Zhou Yan was a little shocked after hearing this. He really hadn't expected Wang Wei to publicly report Sun Meili and bring her down.
Bold! That's incredibly bold!
This woman looked to be about his age, a recent vocational school graduate who had been working at a textile factory for a year, and she immediately sent her boss to jail.
He was indeed the one who sparked the fire.
Wang Wei took pity on him, which is why she decided to file a formal complaint on short notice. Her original plan was to collect evidence for a while longer and investigate the food suppliers.
"Comrade Wang Wei really graduated from a vocational school with a major in accounting, not a police academy?" Zhou Yan was a little confused and couldn't help but confirm with Lin Zhiqiang.
Lin Zhiqiang smiled and said, "The major is correct, but her father seems to be a veteran criminal investigator from the Rongcheng City Public Security Bureau."
"I see. Like father, like daughter. She's truly remarkable." Zhou Yan couldn't help but admire her. He owed her a favor; perhaps he could treat her to a meal later?
Lin Zhiqiang continued, "Actually, Yaoyao is also very talented. She's been ranked first in her major for three consecutive years, and she's won many awards for her paintings. She hasn't even graduated yet, and several provincial design institutes are already vying for her."
"Ah? Yes, yes, Xia Yao is very outstanding…"
Zhou Yan didn't know why Uncle Lin suddenly changed the subject to Xia Yao, but he still continued the conversation.
The conversation didn't last long before the topic shifted, and Lin Zhiqiang began talking about Deng Gong's southern tour at the beginning of the year, the opening of fourteen coastal port cities, and the large-scale wave of people going into business and the establishment of private enterprises.
Zhou Yan mostly listened. After all, these events were only briefly mentioned in books, but hearing them narrated by Lin Zhiqiang gave him a sense of participation; at least he was a grain of sand in this era.
"Little Zhou, do you agree?" Lin Zhiqiang asked, turning to look at him as he spoke with enthusiasm.
"I think Uncle Lin's judgment is correct. Coastal cities like Pengcheng, Shanghai, and Yangcheng are full of opportunities and will surely become the leaders of China's economic development in the future." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
"Great minds think alike. This is the general trend. Go with the flow, seize an opportunity, and you can take off." Lin Zhiqiang looked into the distance, his eyes shining.
Zhou Yan looked at him, a sense of admiration rising in his heart.
A thirty eight years old deputy director of a state-owned factory, with a limitless future, but he saw a much deeper national trend and was prepared to participate in it.
Uncle Lin's desire to go into business was stirring.
Zhou Yan had no doubt that, with his abilities and vision, he had the potential to become a trendsetter.
As for Zhou Yan himself, he didn't have that kind of ambition, nor that kind of ability.
Even a small wave of change could drown him. Right now, all he wants is to run Zhou Erwa Restaurant steadily, pay off his debts, and give his parents and Zhou Momo a better life.
Making money is important, but living life at a leisurely pace is another matter; he has his own rhythm.
Growing this small restaurant little by little, making more and more money each day—he loves that feeling.
…
"146.3 yuan!"
"Hehehe!"
"Another high record!"
Zhou Yan wrote down today's net profit on a piece of paper, his smile gradually turning villainous. After his run, he took a shower and began his favorite part of the day: bookkeeping.
Today's revenue hit a new record, reaching 288.6 yuan, an increase of more than 50 yuan compared to yesterday.
This is the effect of celebrity endorsement combined with riding the wave of popularity—it's truly remarkable.
After paying back the 20 yuan to his mother today, he had 388.74 yuan left.
He still needed 299.78 yuan to pay off all his debts.
Today is Wednesday, he has three more days; he'll stop once he earns 300 yuan.
After putting the bundled money into the cash register, Zhou Yan didn't rush upstairs. Instead, he took out a pen and paper and started calculating the price of the rice bowls.
Half an hour later, Zhou Yan put down his pen, crumpled the two sheets of paper, and threw them in the trash.
The pricing system was chaotic. Without low-priced dishes as toppings, the rice bowls couldn't offer good value.
Without lowering the prices, he couldn't attract more customers.
Even if customers who originally ordered stir-fries were willing to eat rice bowls, it wouldn't significantly increase revenue; instead, it would lead to confusion in the restaurant's positioning.
Rice bowls tend to be fast food, and the restaurant's current prices are relatively high compared to the cafeteria's large-scale meals, relying on the taste to retain a portion of its customers.
What Zhou Yan needs to do now is to lock in these high value customers with the taste and dining experience, and rely on the relatively high average order value to ensure turnover.
Simply chasing customer numbers will only make the kitchen busier and more chaotic, and may not necessarily increase profits.
Currently, he's handling everything in the kitchen by himself, which is a problem he must consider.
Zhou Erwa Restaurant has been able to establish itself not through low prices, but through delicious food.
The canteen's ingredient purchase price is half that of his, and they also receive subsidies from the factory. They dare to sell a serving of twice-cooked pork for 55 cents—how can he compete?
Of course, if he can develop some more cost-effective dishes later, and hire suitable helper in the kitchen, it's not too late to expand into rice bowls as a new growth point.
What Zhou Yan needs to do is create a large bowl topped with three different dishes, priced at around 60 cents, satisfying customers while still making a 50% profit for himself.
Currently, no matter how the dishes on the restaurant's menu are combined, the price will never be lower than one yuan, making it essentially unsolvable.
He tossed the ledger into the cash box and carried it upstairs.
The most important aspect of opening a restaurant is cost and profit calculation; trade-offs must be made to run a successful restaurant.
The seasoned restaurateurs Zhou Yan interviewed became his most valuable experience in running a restaurant.
Lying on bed, he pulled up the system panel and glanced at it:
[Player: Zhou Yan]
[Occupation: Chef]
[Wealth Points: 342.08]
[Occupational Skills]:
Knife Skills (Advanced): 2600/100000 (A decent level)
Heat Control Skills (Intermediate): 4488/10000 (Like a tortoise walking – unable to stay at school)
Seasoning Skills (Intermediate): 4688/10000 (Like an old lady climbing stairs – you can't refuse to help — 'you have to admire her')
Eloquence Skills (Advanced): 88890/100000 (Like a sparrow pecking at a cow's rear end – a sparrow eating a cow's ass)
Zhou Yan's gaze paused. This damn system, so many cliched ideas.
After breaking through to Advanced level, his knife skills continued to improve steadily, and his heat control skills and seasoning skills also showed significant improvement.
These were actually things Zhou Yan could perceive himself; the system just provided quantified data.
He can slice pork belly into even, 2 millimeters thin slices, as well as pig ears, pig tongues, cucumbers, and potatoes. His knife skills don't disappear with the ingredients; rather, it truly become his expertise.
The same applies to improvements in heat control and seasoning.
For example, the vegetables he stir-fried these past two days were noticeably tastier than those he stir-fried last Monday.
This is the change brought about by improvements in heat control and seasoning.
The dishes rewarded by the system are not separate skill packs.
Zhou Yan will definitely learn similar dishes much faster.
For example, having mastered Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts, he doesn't need to learn the recipe again to make Twice-cooked Pork With Green Peppers. He only needs to adjust the ingredients and continuously test the heat control and seasoning.
Moving his gaze downwards, he saw familiar dishes; apart from the smashed cucumber, they were all still high-level.
[Mastered Dishes]:
Double Pepper Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000
...
Twice-Cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts (Advanced): 99999/100000
Smashed Cucumber (Intermediate): 1871/10000
...
Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded)
[Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 712/1000]
[Side Quest: Collect the initial braising liquid and begin your braising culinary journey! Quest Reward: Braised Delicacies Grand Ceremony, Quest Progress: 0]
[Wealth Shop]: Unlocked when Wealth Points reach 1000.
...
"This Wealth Shop is almost open!" Zhou Yan couldn't help but feel a little excited.
...
The next day.
The dock.
Zhou Jie had put up a new sign; the "Zhou Ji Qiao Jiao Niu Rou" sign replaced the old "Zhou Ji Soup Pot."
The soup pot, which used to cost forty cents a bowl, was now advertised as: Cross-legged Beef—fifty cents a bowl! Cross-legged Beef (with extra beef)—sixty cents a bowl!
Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua, who had moved back from next stall, stared at the new sign, their eyes wide with disbelief.
"What the hell?! They're selling it for sixty cents at the dock?!"