Master Zhang and his apprentice worked efficiently, finishing the stove before the factory closed and cleaning the site spotless.
Taking his wages from Zhou Yan, Master Zhang smiled and said, "Boss Zhou, study hard at making braised dishes. If you master it, I'll definitely be a regular customer. My old man still talks about Aunt Zhang's braised offal all the time, but he only has three teeth left now, so he probably can't chew it anymore."
"Okay, I'll definitely study hard." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
Childhood sweethearts are like that—even the person in them can't change your mind.
Zhou Yan wasn't confident his braised dishes would satisfy Master Zhang.
After all, the best fried rice and wontons from the back gate of his high school, when he went back from university for vacation, just didn't have the same feeling as when he wolfed them down after evening self-study before.
There was no way around it; after eating so much of the fancy stuff outside, he'd finally broadened his horizons.
Looking at the once charming proprietress, she has lost some of her allure.
The new stove is sitting there, waiting a couple of days before it can be used.
He plans to take some time in the next couple of days to go back and visit the old lady, to let her know in advance so she can help him cook the braising liquid.
If he can finish cooking the braising liquid this Saturday, he can start trying to sell braised food next Monday.
Making money requires passion and drive.
The biggest advantage of braised food is that it's not limited to dine in service; you can order whatever you want, weigh and cut it fresh, and take it home for the whole family to enjoy.
There are actually three braised food stalls near the factory canteen. One is doing well, and the other two are also selling well. There's a market for braised food; this kind of food is a favorite for many people to have with alcohol, and children love to eat it too.
The two stalls mainly sell braised pork parts: pig's head, pig's ears, pig's tongue, and pig's trotters—all best-selling items.
The most popular stall mainly sells sweet-skinned duck, which costs 3.2 yuan per sweet-skinned duck. They sell several everyday, along with other duck parts and braised pig's head, making their business very successful.
Zhou Yan quickly cooked two dishes, and they finished their dinner before the factory closed.
They needed to eat well to have the energy to work.
As the factory closed, customers flocked in.
The Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts had spread like wildfire, quickly becoming a favorite among customers.
However, Zhou Yan had only prepared twenty portions today. Thirteen were sold at lunch time, and the rest sold out shortly after dinner service began.
"What? The twice-cooked pork is sold out already? We came specifically for it!"
"Boss, what happened? Twice-cooked pork is such a popular dish, and you only prepared so little?"
The customers who came in later, seeing the Twice-cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts hanging on the sold out section, were surprised and a little annoyed.
They'd been craving it after hearing about it from their colleagues at lunch time, only to find it sold out when they got to the shop?
"I'm sorry everyone, our twice-cooked pork uses only the second cut pork to ensure the best texture. It's a new dish today, so we only have twenty servings available." Zhao Tieying explained with a smile to the customers. She added, "We'll prepare more tomorrow, so customers who want twice-cooked pork can come earlier."
Since Aunt Zhao had said so, the customers didn't say anything more, secretly making a mental note to come earlier the next day at noon.
Seeing the tempting minced beef and braised crucian carp with perilla leaves on other tables, they couldn't resist.
Since they were already there, they sat down and ordered a few other dishes, enjoying them just as much.
Business was even better today than yesterday, thanks to the addition of the signature dish, Twice-Cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts.
Old Zhou didn't go fishing today; he came to help out at the shop early. He's Aunt Zhao's most obedient servant, always ready to do whatever she asks.
Even Zhou Momo wasn't idle. She sat on a small stool by the door, chatting with everyone she met, even greeting the passing dog.
Zhou Momo is small and cute, with a sweet mouth; everyone who sees her is charmed and enjoys chatting with her.
When they're having a good chat, the little one will even recommend dishes from her own restaurant, praising her Guo Guo's cooking skills and inviting them to come in and try them.
Some customers, unable to resist this sweet offensive, actually do come in and give it a try.
This task was assigned to her by Aunt Zhao.
Don't just look at Zhou Momo's petite figure; she's full of energy everyday.
She had endless things to say and countless "whys" to ask.
After a long day's work, she wanted to sleep as soon as her head hit the bed, not wanting to hear Zhou Momo's constant chatter: "Mommy, Mommy, why is that?"
Although her youngest daughter was adorable, she was truly exhausted.
She needed to burn off her energy before going home, so she could shower, wrap herself in her blanket, and fall asleep instantly.
The factory gate was crowded at this time of day, and they couldn't let her wander around.
So they gave her a workstation near the door, where she could chat with whomever she wanted.
Zhou Yan had even set a commission for her: one cent for each customer she brought into the restaurant.
Zhou Momo wasn't really after the money; she was a real chatterbox, and this was a convenient way to earn some extra cash.
"Sister, come again next time oh!" Zhou Momo waved her little hand, greeting the young female worker who was leaving after eating. "You're so good! Sister will come again next time." The female worker smiled brightly, feeling the afterglow of the meal linger even longer.
After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan gave Zhou Momo her 13 cents commission.
This little child laborer had already earned enough to buy candy with her own little mouth.
"Thank you, Guo Guo! I'll love you forever!" Zhou Momo jumped up happily, clutching the money in her hand.
"You're welcome." Zhou Yan said with a smile, patting her head.
The little girl had called in thirteen customers, who ate about seven or eight yuan worth of food. He probably earned three or four yuan, taking a 13 cents commission. He wasn't sure if that counted as exploiting child labor.
Anyway, the child laborer was happy, her mother was happy, and he, as the capitalist, was even happier.
A win-win-win situation!
After washing the dishes, his parents went home first.
They ate dinner early today; it was still light outside.
Zhou Yan locked the door and went out to run with Uncle Lin.
"Uncle Lin, a friend of mine received a letter. The opening line was 'Seeing this letter is like seeing me in person; I hope it brings a smile to your face.' How should I reply in a way that sounds eloquent?" Zhou Yan asked Lin Zhiqiang while jogging.
"Is this friend of yours really you?" Lin Zhiqiang looked at him and laughed. "Xia Yao wrote you a letter? Then you've come to the right person. Back in Moscow, they all called me the 'Prince of Love Letters.'"
"I just received it today, and I'm still figuring out how to reply." Zhou Yan wasn't embarrassed at all; he was thick-skinned and humbly asked for advice. "What do you mean?"
"I used to write to Anhe, and I'd start with: 'My beloved Anhe, hello.'" Lin Zhiqiang thought for a moment and said, "I think that's pretty good."
"It is pretty good..." Zhou Yan nodded. What "Prince of Love Letters"? He was just as bad as him.
...
Back at the shop, Zhou Yan washed his clothes, soaked the dried bamboo shoots in a basin, bathed and changed, did his accounting, took out the Parker pen Xia Yao had given him, and sat down at the table, a new sheet of letter paper in front of him.
His expression went from solemn and serious → deep in thought → gradually becoming agitated → gradually calming down → drowsy.
The letter, with a dozen or so words written on it, was crumpled into a ball and precisely tossed into the trash can in the corner.
He felt sleepy and it was time for him to go to sleep!
He need to get up early tomorrow to buy groceries; he can't let writing letters interfere with earning money.
By the way, if he has time tomorrow, he should go to the town library and see if there have "A Letter to My Wife" or anything else.
Uncle Lin has a lot of Western learning, but the things passed down from ancestors are ultimately more moving.
...
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Comrade Little Zhou rode his 28-inch bicycle to buy groceries.
Twice-cooked pork was selling like hotcakes, so he rode early to grab some second cut pork.
Xu Laoer and Zhang Laosan each saved him five jin of second cut pork. Zhou Yan circled the market's meat stalls, bought two good pieces, and made an appointment with the owner to buy more tomorrow.
His bicycle back seat had been modified; he had installed a half-height bamboo basket on each side, which could hold quite a lot of things, and by tucking his legs forward, he could barely sit on the back.
This was the best solution at the moment.
"Uncle!"
Zhou Yan returned to the restaurant carrying Aunt Zhao and two full baskets of goods. Zhou Lihui immediately ran over to help put down the basket on which Zhou Momo had been sleeping.
"Looks like you've gotten stronger again." Zhou Yan patted Zhou Lihui's strong arm. These past few days, he'd been fetching water at the restaurant; his cooking skills hadn't improved, but his strength had certainly increased.
Zhou Lihui smiled, "I've memorized the multiplication tables, and I've learned quite a few characters too. Oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, Sichuan peppercorns, black pepper, star anise, cinnamon… I can write them all now."
"Good, keep it up. I'll test you during the holidays. If you can pass my test, you can come to the restaurant to learn cooking during winter break." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Okay! I'll definitely study hard!" Zhou Lihui nodded, his eyes filled with unwavering determination.
Zhou Yan started cooking the broth, while Zhou Lihui was in charge of fetching water. Bucket after bucket of well water was carried from the kitchen and poured into a large pot a meter high. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and calluses formed on his palms, but he didn't utter a single complaint of being tired.
After fetching the water, he went to the kitchen to tend the fire for Zhou Yan, watching him stir-fry the toppings and pull the noodles.
It was nearly 7:30 when Zhou Lihui, having already eaten breakfast in the kitchen, took his lunch box from his school bag, opened it, and looked at Zhou Yan, saying, "Uncle, could you pack some pickled radishes for me today? I want to take them to eat with my classmates."
"Boys or girls?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
"Boys, my deskmate." Zhou Lihui quickly replied.
Zhou Yan glanced at his lunch box; it contained braised beef brisket with potatoes. There were only three or four pieces of beef brisket, along with some offal. His mother had prepared a decent meal for him; the lunch box was overflowing.
"You'll need to take this lunch box to steam and reheat it later. Pickled radishes won't fit in there. I'll get you a small jar to put some in." Zhou Yan said, walking to a nearby shelf, picking out a small glass jar, and filling it with pickled radishes.
"Thanks, Uncle! I'm going to class now." Zhou Lihui packed the pickled radish and lunch box into his school bag, turned, and ran out the door.
"You reckless fellow! Listen to your teachers at school, eat your meals properly, and don't cause trouble, okay?" Zhao Hong called after him with a smile.
"Got it!" Zhou Lihui replied without turning his head.
Just as Zhao Hong was about to enter, she saw Zhou Weiguo ride up on a brand-new bicycle and stop in front of the restaurant. She smiled and asked, "Uncle, what brings you new clothes and a new bicycle today?"