"Huang Silang?" Zhou Yan shook his head. "The current owner of Feiyan Restaurant is named Huang He."
"Huang He?" The old lady frowned, thought for a moment, then her eyes lit up. "He's Huang Xiaoji!"
"Huh?" Zhou Yan stared wide-eyed. "What Huang Xiaoji?"
The old lady smiled. "Huang Silang's third son. His name has 'bird' in it, so his nickname is Xiaoji (Little Chicken). Of the four brothers, only he was interested in running a restaurant. The other three either became teachers or officials. The least capable one stayed behind to inherit the restaurant."
That's what his dad said himself. He used to come to Suji often to get braised meat. A couple of years ago, he even came to see me, wanting to buy my braised meat recipe, but I didn't agree."
"Then it's pretty much true." Zhou Yan laughed upon hearing this. "Grandma is wise! It's a good thing you didn't sell the recipe to him, otherwise how could I sell him the braised meat now?"
He hadn't expected that this accidental discovery would lead him to one of the old lady's old customers.
Feiyan Restaurant is great, a large restaurant, and with the foundation of their past cooperation.
He just wondered if Feiyan Restaurant had recruited a new braised food chef in the past two years.
"Are you planning to cooperate with restaurants in Jiazhou?" the old lady asked, looking at him.
"I've been thinking about that." Zhou Yan nodded honestly. "Right now, I can sell about fifty jin of braised meat a day near the factory gate, and it's unlikely I can make a significant increase in the short term. So I want to try selling my braised meat to restaurants in Jiazhou and earn some extra money."
"That's a good idea. I did the same thing when I sold braised meat." the old lady said with a smile. "Back then, I made a name for myself in Suji within a year. Suji was a major silk town at the time, with many silk shops, fabric shops, and dye houses, and quite a few wealthy people.
The courtyard houses near Yang Wharf were the residences of those wealthy merchants. The most famous was the Wang Family Compound, which had a huge silk business. Unfortunately, the family was later destroyed and its members perished.
The wealthy families in Suji mostly buy my braised meat, and I quickly reached my sales peak. So I started thinking about whether I could sell it in Jiazhou City. Jiazhou is a big city after all, with even more wealthy people and countless restaurants of all sizes.
Back then, we used the most basic method: after closing up stall at noon, I would take a box of sliced braised pig ears, braised pig head meat, and braised beef with your grandfather and go to restaurants in Jiazhou City to ask for orders. We received a lot of disdain, but we did manage to secure orders from several restaurants.
Later, as our reputation grew, more and more restaurants came to us wanting to buy our braised meat. During the two best years, those restaurants alone ordered over two hundred jin braised meat a day. Suji didn't have that many pig heads, they were all dragged back from Jiazhou City early every morning..."
Speaking of the past, the old lady talked eloquently, as if reminiscing about the glorious years gone by.
Zhou Yan listened with great interest. Although some details were already blurry, he could still vaguely see the prosperous Suji Town of yesteryear from the old lady's words, as well as the daring and enterprising spirit of the young woman.
Later, Suji became commercialized and built many imitation ancient buildings, but ultimately lost some of its ancient charm.
"There are more than a dozen restaurants and eateries of all sizes. I'll write down a list for you later, and you can find them yourself. But more than twenty years have passed, and I don't know how many of the old friends are still running restaurants. Their descendants may not be able to carry on the business." the old lady said.
Zhou Yan nodded: "Okay, I'll take some braised meat to Jiazhou later and try my luck, no matter what."
It has to be his own grandmother!
Time to build connections!
"Come on, caramelize the sugar. Four jin of white sugar. I'll caramelize two jin first to demonstrate, then you caramelize two more jin and I'll give you pointers. Next time, you can caramelize it yourself." the old lady said.
Zhou Yan nodded obediently and stood aside watching attentively.
"Use lard to caramelize the sugar. Since the braising liquid already contains a lot of oil, you don't need to worry about the caramelizing sugar containing oil. The heat must be low during the frying process, and you must ensure the heat is concentrated in the center of the wok, otherwise it will easily burn..."
The old lady explained as she demonstrated.
A spoonful of lard was poured into the wok. Without waiting for it to fully melt, two jin of pre-crushed rock sugar were added and stirred continuously.
The granulated rock sugar slowly melted in the lard, gradually turning into a thick, caramel-colored syrup.
"When it turns this color, it's almost done. Take it out of the heat and don't burn it." The old lady scooped up a spoonful of syrup and slowly poured it out, the syrup dripping down and leaving a bright red color.
Two jin of rock sugar yielded about half a small enamel basin of caramel.
"You do it, I'll keep an eye on it for you." the old lady said.
Zhou Yan washed the wok, then reheated the fire and began his first attempt at caramelizing sugar.
This was no easy task. If it burned easily, two jin of rock sugar would be ruined, a significant loss.
If the heat wasn't right, the caramel color wouldn't be right either; it would be wasted.
A pot of braised meat relies entirely on the coloring of caramelized sugar; even a little bit less will ruin the flavor.
Fortunately, Zhou Yan's control over the heat has become increasingly proficient. He imitates the old lady, constantly stirring the rock sugar with a spoon to ensure even heating and prevent it from burning.
The white rock sugar gradually turned reddish-brown, and bubbles rose and simmered in the wok.
Zhou Yan scooped up the syrup with a spoon and poured it over the wok. After confirming that the color was right, he immediately turned off the fire under the stove. Before taking it out of the wok, he glanced at the old lady.
"Almost there, the color is perfect." the old lady nodded with a smile.
Zhou Yan then felt relieved and ladled all the caramelized sugar out of the wok, putting it together with the small half basin from before.
The colors were almost indistinguishable, blended together seamlessly.
[An extremely good caramelized sugar]
The assessment result came instantly.
Zhou Yan was quite encouraged.
Caramel coloring isn't just for making braising liquid, it's also useful for braised pork.
It's a pity Zhou Yan doesn't know how, otherwise, this caramel coloring would be excellent for braised pork.
He'd ask his Master for a lesson someday.
Even if what he make can't be on the menu, it's still good as a homestyle dish.
Zhou Momo would definitely like it.
With the caramel coloring ready, it's time to start making the new braising liquid.
The old lady entrusted everything to Zhou Yan, only offering a few pointers from the sidelines, and saying less than ten sentences throughout the entire process.
At first, Zhou Yan was a little apprehensive, but seeing that the old lady didn't say anything, he became increasingly confident.
An hour later, two pots of bright red braising liquid were ready.
It looked almost identical to the original pot.
Zhou Yan scooped up some brine with a spoon and slowly poured it back into the pot. The brine was a bright red, with a rich aroma.
"You've been very careful with it." the old lady said with a smile. "This old brine hasn't spoiled at all. The more you braise, the better the flavor. Dividing it into two pots won't affect the taste. For today's second batch of braised meat, you should braise half in each of the two pots. Braising it twice will make the flavor even better."
"Okay!" Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
These two pots of brine were enough to meet the occasional surge in demand for braised meat at the market banquet, and also prepared for future expansion.
With supplies in hand, there was no need to panic.
Zhou Yan started braising the meat, while the old lady left the kitchen to go shopping with her youngest granddaughter.
Having rarely come to town, she wasn't in a hurry to go back, she planned to have Comrade Old Zhou take her home after finished work at noon.
…
Huang Ying and Huang Bing returned to their doorstep. Huang He and Zhao Shulan were just coming out to go to the restaurant when they saw the two people, both covered in sweat, and looked surprised.
Before Huang Bing could even speak, Huang Ying caught up with him, pinned him against the wall, and punched him twice.
Huang Bing grimaced in pain, but still managed to say to Zhao Shulan, "Mom! Look, I brought Huang Ying back!"
"Huang Ying, let go." Zhao Shulan stepped forward and separated the two, smiling as she asked, "Did you eat the noodles at Zhou Erwa Restaurant?"
"Yes, I ate them!" Huang Ying nodded.
"Was it good?" Huang He couldn't help but ask. He liked noodles, and having stayed up late playing mahjong last night, he had also gotten up late today, planning to find a noodle shop for breakfast on the way.
"Delicious! Absolutely delicious!" Huang Ying nodded. "Their noodles are different from others. They must be handmade noodles. They taste just like the noodles we had when we went to Shanxi to visit my second uncle at the beginning of the year. The soup is very fresh, made from pork bone broth. The seasoning is just right, spicy and refreshing. Absolutely amazing!"
After hearing this, Huang He couldn't help but swallow hard. He thought that Huang Ying is just like himself! It's not just her physique, she's equally fond of food, knows how to eat, and understands good food!
The surprise Zhou Yan gave him yesterday had a huge aftereffect, he couldn't sleep soundly all night, feeling like he'd missed out on a great chef, yet powerless to do anything about it.
His father had invited Kong Huaifeng three times, but to no avail, which became a lifelong regret for him.
Zhou Yan is different. This young man is not just a chef, but also an ambitious young boss.
He's already built a thriving business in small Suji, he'll surely not be content with the three thousand workers in the textile factory and will eventually move to Jiazhou.
Huang He isn't afraid of Zhou Yan, on the contrary, he has high hopes for this young man and would even like to invest in him if the opportunity arises.
Feiyan Restaurant, with its century old heritage, is positioned for mid to high end banquets and catering services. Its reputation and ambiance have been built up over generations and cannot be easily replaced.
Zhou Yan's restaurant, on the other hand, caters to the budget friendly Sichuan cuisine market, the two have different target customers.
However, with Zhou Yan's abilities, he will quickly build a reputation and become a booming Sichuan restaurant.
Many chefs can cook, but lack social and management skills, making it impossible to run a restaurant.
Unlike Zhou Yan, after a brief encounter, he concluded that Zhou Yan had a talent for business and a limitless future.
He planned to maintain a closer relationship with Zhou Yan if the opportunity arose.
He glanced at Huang Bing, his brow furrowing slightly. If he possessed half of Zhou Yan's abilities, he could already be considering retirement.
Huang Bing grinned carefree, "It's really delicious! Even though I don't like noodles, I had his double pepper minced beef noodles today and thought they were absolutely amazing. The noodles cling to the broth, and after just a couple of stirs, the minced beef coats the noodles perfectly. The chili oil is incredibly fragrant, and it's so addictive. If he was to open a shop in Jiazhou, all the noodle shop owners there would be crying!"
"Double pepper minced beef noodles? That must be amazing!" Huang He's eyes lit up at the mention of it.
They had minced beef yesterday which was excellent with rice. Hearing Huang Bing mention it, he was really tempted. He tentatively said to Zhao Shulan, "Wife, how about we go to Suji for a bowl of noodles before coming back?"
"Are you crazy or am I crazy?" Zhao Shulan rolled her eyes at him. "The restaurant has to do inventory checks and settle accounts today, where would we find the time to go to Suji for a bowl of noodles!"
Huang He awkwardly scratched his head.
"Dad, don't even think about it. Zhou Yan's noodles are only sold for a little over an hour in the morning. When we went, we only got one bowl each, and that was specially reserved for us. We couldn't even get an extra liang." Huang Ying poured cold water on his enthusiasm, offering him a way out.
"Aiya, that's a pity. We'll go again next time." Huang He nodded, accepting the offer.
"Only sold for one hour in the morning?" Zhao Shulan was a little surprised, and said with a smile, "Then he is indeed very smart. Although the shop sells a variety of things, he has a method. He sells noodles in the morning and focuses on selling Chinese food in the afternoon and evening. The whole family has managed to run the business. Apart from being a bit tired, he can indeed make a lot of money. No wonder he looks down on the three hundred yuan salary you offered."
Huang He nodded. He naturally understood this principle. Three hundred yuan in salary—not only did Zhou Yan not react at all, but even his parents didn't seem to care. It was clear that this amount was significantly less than their profits.
"Mom, you have to give me my meal money. Huang Ying paid for my breakfast this morning, and I have to pay her back double." Huang Bing leaned closer, reaching out to Zhao Shulan for money.
Huang He frowned. "Didn't your mother just give you thirty yesterday? Did you spend it all on your bunch of cronies?!"
Huang Bing guiltily moved closer to his mother, whispering, "If I said I lost it, would you believe me?"
"My belt doesn't believe such nonsense!" Huang He reached for his belt.
"Mom! Help!" Huang Bing quickly dodged behind Zhao Shulan.
"Magic Cloak." Zhao Shulan raised her hand to hold Huang He down, looking at Huang Bing and saying, "Starting today, you'll eat at Suji with your sister for all three meals. I'll cover the cost, but I'll give that money to Huang Ying. As long as you come for all three meals, I'll give you ten yuan a day for pocket money."
"Mom, wasn't it supposed to be thirty?" Huang Bing was getting anxious.
"Li Laosan, a top level chef, is the head chef at the restaurant, and his monthly salary is only three hundred and sixty! You brat, think three hundred yuan a month is too little?" Huang He swiftly pulled out his belt.
"Ten yuan it is! That's enough!" Huang Bing panicked and shouted hurriedly.
Zhao Shulan pressed Huang He down again and said, "Then it's settled. I'll give you an extra ten yuan for oil for your motorcycle today."
"Thank you, my dear mother! I'm going to take a shower now!" Huang Bing grinned, dodging Huang He around the pillar, and hurried into the house.
Zhao Shulan took out five ten yuan bills and handed them to Huang Ying. "Huang Ying, this is you both food allowance for three days, plus your pocket money for three days. I'll give you your pocket money all at once, you can manage it as you see fit, but you have to come back and clock in with me everyday, okay?"
Huang Ying casually stuffed the money into her purse, smiling and nodding. "Okay, Mom, I think going to Suji for meal everyday is a happy thing."
Zhao Shulan smiled and nodded. "Good, go change your clothes too, so you don't catch a cold."
Huang Ying nodded, parked the bicycle in the yard, and followed Huang Bing inside.
"Huang Ying should be given pocket money, but you shouldn't have given Huang Bing so much. We never see him all day long, and don't know where he's messing around." Huang He pushed the bicycle and went out with Zhao Shulan, complaining in a low voice.
"You don't know anything! Look at them, they ride their bicycles more than 20 kilometers round trip just to eat breakfast, and they have to do it three times a day to earn that ten yuan. It's much harder than before, isn't it?" Zhao Shulan said with a smile. "Look, when he comes back tonight, even if he gets the money, he won't have the energy to go out and have fun."
Huang He paused, his eyes lighting up instantly: "Wife! You're amazing! You even came up with such a scheme!"
"That's called an open plan." Zhao Shulan pinched the soft flesh on his waist, "Not a scheme!"
"Right, right, right! You're Zhu Ge Shulan!"
…
On the living room sofa.
After changing their clothes, Huang Ying and Huang Bing each slumped to one side, staring blankly at the color television playing "The Legendary Fok" both feeling completely drained.
Huang Ying peeled a gold coin chocolate, held it in her hand for three minutes, and finally stood up and stuffed it into Huang Bing's mouth.
With a chocolate in his mouth, Huang Bing stared at Huang Ying, his eyes wide with fear and suspicion, not joy: "Hmm? Did you drop the chocolate on the ground? Or is it expired? How could you give me your favorite chocolate? Did you poison it?"
They usually at odds, but he was most afraid of his sister's sudden concern.
Huang Ying rolled her eyes. "Eat it or not, it's up to you. I just feel like I've lost a bit of weight, and eating this chocolate feels a bit unfair to myself after all that cycling."
Huang Bing, hearing this, chewed with relief, staring at Huang Ying for a while, then said uncertainly, "You don't actually like Zhou Yan, do you? It's been three years, and this is the first time I've heard you say you want to lose weight! That's so strange."
Huang Ying replied frankly, "Everyone has a love for beauty. I'm not a lecher, but the flowers are in full bloom, and if I don't appreciate them, I'll seem unromantic. I patronize his business everyday, it's not unreasonable for me to glance at him and chat with him a bit, is it?"
"In that case, it doesn't seem unreasonable." Huang Bing nodded, then thought for a moment and felt something was off: "Hmm? But how come you, a young girl, seem to know more than I do?"
—