Zhou Yan held the painting for a long time, until a small head popped out from under it, tilted its head up, and asked with a smile, "Guo Guo, what did Sister Yaoyao say in her letter? Did she mention Momo?"
Aunt Zhao poked her head out of the restaurant, also looking on with a gossipy expression.
"Yes, she told me to say hello to you and Aunt Zhao." Zhou Yan said with a smile, reaching out to lift Zhou Momo onto his lap. He put away the two sheets of paper and showed her the drawing: "Nah, this is a sunset drawn by Sister Yaoyao, isn't it beautiful?"
Zhou Momo's eyes sparkled as she nodded, "Beautiful! So pretty! Sister Yaoyao is so amazing!"
"Let me see." Aunt Zhao also came over, stared at the painting for a while, and exclaimed, "It's so beautiful! Xia Yao is truly talented, no wonder she's a university student!"
Aunt Zhao's admiration for university students reached its peak at that moment.
Zhou Yan took the drawing back to the shop, found two pieces of wood, carefully sandwiched it between the boards, and placed it on the second floor.
The envelope was too small, and the drawing was folded in several places. He planned to smooth out the creases first, and then find a box to store it.
Oh right, he also needs to put a lock on it to keep out the kids.
He didn't understand what it meant before: "In the past, carriages and horses moved slowly, and letters took a long time to arrive..."
Now he understands a little.
This is much better than a WeChat message popping up in the middle of the night: "Brother, are you free tonight? I can have ice cream today."
Coming downstairs, Zhou Yan thought about how to reply to Xia Yao.
A lot has happened at the shop these past few days, and there are many things he can share with her.
But when he thought of her fresh and elegant writing style, he was a little confused.
The last time he wrote a letter was probably in elementary school?
How should he write the opening to match that phrase: "Seeing this letter is like seeing me in person; I hope it brings a smile to your face."
"Xia Yao: Hello?"
Zhou Yan scratched his head.
You only realize how little you know when you need it.
A man who strives for excellence throughout his life must never lose to a woman in writing!
Even a simple letter of everyday exchange must be written with the necessary intensity!
Poorly written letters are not just a disgrace to himself, but to his Chinese teacher.
"I've put the envelope, letter paper, and stamps on it all for you. Remember to write back when you have time." Aunt Zhao suddenly appeared and stuffed a bunch of things into his hands.
"Huh?" Zhou Yan looked at the things in his hands, surprised that Aunt Zhao was even more anxious than he was.
However, he could definitely use these things, so he smiled and nodded, "Okay."
If he couldn't write now, he would put it aside and write it later when it's dark and quiet at night.
Zhou Yan, clutching the spice list that Grandma Zhang Shufen had given him, pushed his bicycle out to buy some.
These past few days, the restaurant had been serving braised and stir-fried dishes, keeping him incredibly busy and neglecting to prepare the braising liquid.
The old lady promised to teach him how to make and maintain brine, so it's time to move forward with that.
If he couldn't get his hands on some old brine, he'd start making his own.
The old lady was right; homemade brine was the best for the flavor, and it made him appreciate its quality more.
To make braised dishes, he first needed a large brine pot.
An iron pot wouldn't do; it rusted easily, the brine would turn black, and a pot of brine would be ruined in just a few days.
A stainless steel pot would be suitable, but unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found now; an aluminum pot was the best choice.
Back then, aluminum pots weren't universally hated; every household used them.
When Zhou Yan rented a room in Chengdu, his landlady's 98 years old mother used an aluminum pot everyday for cooking and soup—a small, well-maintained 1982 Yu Niao brand aluminum pot.
Zhou Yan first bought all the spices, spending eight yuan and twenty cents, buying extra as a backup in case he didn't make it right the first time.
Anyway, during the braising process, spices would need to be constantly added to the braising liquid to ensure sufficient flavor.
He rode his bicycle to the dock to find Zhou Jie. He had connections and knew many people; perhaps he could find him a large and cheap aluminum pot.
It was past lunch time, but there were still two or three scattered customers eating the cross-legged beef at the stall.
Zhou Hai was squatting to the side washing dishes, while Zhou Jie stood behind the stove counting money.
"Brother Jie, Brother Hai." Zhou Yan stopped his bicycle and greeted them.
"Zhou Yan, you're here." Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai both stopped what they were doing and greeted him with smiles.
"Looks like business is good today." Zhou Yan said, looking at the two men.
Zhou Jie nodded: "I listened to you, business is indeed good. We sold over seventy bowls at noon today, and almost everyone ordered the sixty cents one potion."
"Everyone who ate it praised the soup's delicious flavor, the beef's tenderness, and the offal's aroma." Zhou Hai chuckled.
"That's good." Zhou Yan nodded, then told Zhou Jie his purpose.
Zhou Jie pondered, "You probably can't buy a large aluminum pot at the supply and marketing cooperative. I'll take you to see Old Qian again; he can always get some good stuff, though it'll be more expensive."
"Let's go take a look first, and we'll negotiate the price if we find something suitable." Zhou Yan said.
Zhou Jie took Zhou Yan to the black market, found Old Qian who had bought the large iron pot last time, and after some haggling, they got a sixty diameters aluminum pot for eighteen yuan.
It was Yu Niao brand, very sturdy, but it has been putting for over a year and has a layer of dust on the surface, which can be wiped clean and makes it shiny again.
Small household aluminum pots, if have coupons, cost only a little over two yuan each at the supply and marketing cooperative.
These large diameter commercial boilers are usually only purchased by company canteens. They are made with high quality materials and can boil 140 liters of water at a time, or stew 70 jin (35 kg) of meat.
You might not even be able to buy one in Jiazhou, and Zhou Yan gritted his teeth and bought it even though it was expensive.
When doing business, you have to think long-term.
There are so many kinds of braised food: braised duck parts, braised chicken parts, braised goose, braised pig's trotters, braised pig's head, braised beef, braised meat…
Vegetables can also be braised: lotus root, bamboo shoots, bean curd sheets, dried tofu…
These are all areas where can expand.
Even if he only sell a few items, if they sell well, even a hundred jin (50 kg) wouldn't be too much.
If this pot is too small, he'll not only have to replace the pot later, but also the matching stove and everything else.
Zhou Yan tied the pot to the back of his bicycle and, on the way back, found a bricklayer and had them make a special earthen stove to fit the pot's dimensions that day.
He had also considered using a honeycomb briquette stove, which would be cheaper and easier, but he abandoned the idea because the heat was difficult to control.
This alone cost him thirty six yuan and twenty cents, not even counting the bones and free range chicken he needed to add to the braising liquid.
Starting a braised food business requires a significant initial investment.
In times of scarcity, farm produce was worthless, but manufactured goods were expensive.
Question Little Zhou, understand Little Zhou, become like Little Zhou.
"Are you really going to make braised food? Did your grandma promise to give you her braising liquid?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan as she watched the bricklayers build the stove.
"My grandma wouldn't give me the old braising liquid, but she promised to teach me how to make it, how to maintain it, and how to braise beef and others." Zhou Yan replied casually as he helped move bricks to speed up the process.
Aunt Zhao said with a touch of nostalgia, "Your grandma's braised food was the best in Suji. Even state-owned restaurants couldn't match the taste. A couple of years ago, during market days, more than one person came to ask if she still sold braised beef and pig's head. If you could learn how to make it, you'd definitely have a lot of customers."
"Are you talking about Aunt Zhang who used to sell braised beef and pig's head under the tree by the stone bridge?" Bricklayer Master Zhang stopped what he was doing, turned around, and asked with a smile.
"Yes, that's my mother in law." Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile. "Master Zhang, you've eaten there too?"
In Sichuan and Chongqing, artisans and craftsmen are usually addressed by their surname followed by "Master," a term that is both affectionate and respectful.
"When I was a teenager, my father would take me to buy her braised pig's head and braised beef offal every few days to go with our drinks. It was so delicious, I still remember it until now." Master Zhang smacked his lips, a hint of nostalgia in his expression. "Especially the braised pig's ears—soft and chewy with a bit of cartilage, the aroma was so rich, the taste was simply unbeatable, just thinking about it makes my mouth water."
"Master, is it really that good?" the apprentice asked, swallowing hard.
"You know nothing! Back then, Zhang Ji's braised food was incredibly famous. Not only in Suji, but people from Jiazhou would come specifically to buy it. Restaurants in Jiazhou even came to buy it to resell. Business was booming." Master Zhang smiled, then looked at Zhao Tieying and Zhou Yan and asked, "Why did she stop selling it later? Aren't individual businesses allowed now?"
"My mother in law is seventy five years old. She's too old; she doesn't have the energy to do this anymore." Zhao Tieying said with a smile.
Actually, there was another reason: her sons were all grown up and had their own families, so she no longer needed to sell braised food to support family.
As for Zhou Weiguo, his disability allowance was high, so he wasn't short of money.
The old lady's worry was about him getting married, which selling braised food couldn't solve.
Zhou Yan persuaded him to accept a job offer; once the job was secured, this matter would probably be resolved quickly.
Zhou Yan listened with some emotion. Hearing the old lady say it herself, he felt there was a hint of exaggeration.
But hearing the bricklayer's words, it felt different. His grandmother had indeed been a sensation in the braised food industry back in the day.
The taste memories from childhood were so vivid that even at forty, Master Zhang was still reminiscing about them. How many people like that are there in Suji?
These braised food.
Selling well!
…