"Deposit of 2158.82 yuan, 21% progress on the house purchase!"
Zhou Yan finished counting today's money, put it back in the box, and then noted the accounts in the ledger.
Business was stable with a slight increase this week, with the majority of the increase coming from braised meat orders from Feiyan Restaurant, and a smaller increase from non-textile factory worker customers.
Indeed, the frequency of meals for textile factory workers has begun to stabilize, while, as word of mouth spreads, the number of diners from relatively high income groups such as Suji Town government staff and teachers has increased.
This was easy to distinguish. On weekdays, textile factory workers wear uniform indigo work clothes, and even those not wearing work clothes can be roughly identified by their attire.
Clothing styles were so limited these days that what people wore on weekdays was generally similar for each profession, so it's not fair to blame Zhou Yan for having stereotypes.
Huang Chen came twice this week, once to entertain guests, and once to have noodles by himself in the morning.
Zhou Weiguo has eaten noodles here twice.
A deputy town mayor and a head of the armed forces department helped Zhou Yan's restaurant gain some recognition among the town's public officials.
Reputation is something that's built up little by little.
Zhou Yan took out some letter papers, thought for a moment, and then began to write quickly with his pen.
Qiu Qi and Wang Yu's experience had deeply moved him, and his writing flowed like a spring, filling four pages.
After the ink dried, he glanced at it, then put it directly into an envelope and skillfully wrote her address and name.
He felt a sense of relief after finishing; he realized that sharing good things with others could bring happiness.
Taking a wooden board from the cabinet, Zhou Yan wrote "Braised Beef—1.4 yuan per serving (4 liang)."
Without further ado, he'd braise 15 jin of braised beef tomorrow.
Zhou Yan has already made reservations for beef shank with his eldest, second, and third uncles.
Beef shank costs one yuan per jin (500g), yielding about six liang (300g) of braised beef per jin. Selling it for three yuan and fifty cents per jin, considering shrinkage and waste, the gross profit is around 50%.
Zhou Yan was quite confident about the three yuan and fifty cents per jin braised beef.
Five jin of it was for Huang He; he hadn't told him beforehand, but Zhou Yan didn't believe Huang He would refuse.
Lying back on the bed, Zhou Yan brought up the control panel and glanced at it:
[Player: Zhou Yan]
[Occupation: Chef]
[Wealth Points: 3162.36]
[Professional Skills]:
Knife Skills (Advanced): 5600/100000
Heat Control (Intermediate): 8488/10000
Seasoning (Intermediate): 8688/10000
Eloquence (Advanced): 88999/100000 (Striving for even greater heights!)
...
Quests:
[Side Quest: Master's Obsession! Incomplete]
[Side Quest: Zhao Shulan's Troubles! Incomplete]
Knife Skills, Heat Control, and Seasoning are steadily improving.
There's not much to say about his knife skills; his current level is sufficient to handle any dish his restaurant needs.
Heat Control and Seasoning have improved significantly and are progressing towards Advanced.
He'd been conducting experiments these past few days and discovered an interesting phenomenon.
The recipes provided by the system only showed relatively small improvements in seasoning and heat control.
However, the dishes he tries to cook himself, such as braised fish, fry fish, and stir-fried pork cracklings with cabbage taught by his Master, show a significant improvement in heat control and seasoning.
Zhou Yan deduced that this might be related to his subjective initiative.
The experience gained from the system will improve his knife skills, seasoning, and heat control all at once, but for dishes that have already reached a perfect level, the experience gained from cooking them multiple times will naturally be less.
Conversely, for a dish that he has only eaten or seen others cook before, he needs to be more careful in controlling the heat, as well as the combination and amount of seasonings. This is a process of trial and learning.
"That's interesting. It would be good to try and practice more dishes during working meals, thereby improving my professional skills." Zhou Yan seemed to have some new ideas.
Progress comes through practice.
Running a restaurant isn't about having as many dishes as possible.
The compatibility between dishes, profit margins, and whether they're presentable enough to be served at the table, and whether they'll cause chaos in the kitchen, are all issues that need careful consideration.
Even if the recipes provided by the system don't fit the current menu.
Even if the dish is perfect, Zhou Yan might not put it on the menu.
Conversely, if he can figure out some dishes with higher compatibility, or learn some good new dishes from his Master, he can enrich the menu and increase revenue.
If it receives a rating of "pretty good", then it can be considered for inclusion on the menu.
For example, stir-fried pork cracklings with cabbage.
Of the two unfinished quests, his Master hasn't attended the master class for several days. When he sees him again, he'll have to urge him on.
Comrade Xiao Lei, you've become lazy!
As for Zhao Shulan's troubles, they probably won't be resolved in a short time.
Huang Ying's goal of losing sixty jin is not something that can be achieved overnight.
However, cycling seventy or eighty kilometers everyday has significantly improved both her and Huang Bing's complexions.
She successfully transformed from a weak, overweight person into a vibrant, overweight person.
Zhou Yan actually admires this level of exercise.
What excessive demands could he possibly have for a VIP who spends an average of six yuan and sixty cents per day?
Lights off, eyes closed, instantly asleep.
…
"Crunch!"
"Crunch..."
Sichuan Fine Arts Institute dormitory.
Zhu Yuyu and Deng Hong stood on either side of Xia Yao, one holding rice candy in one hand and peanut candy in the other, chewing them with gusto.
"These peanut candies are so delicious! Although they're harder than rice candy, they're so fragrant!" Zhu Yuyu said.
"I still prefer rice candy a little. It has a faint sesame oil flavor, quite unique compared to other places." Deng Hong added.
As they talked, their eyes were fixed on the painting Xia Yao was holding.
The painting depicts a kitchen, with a man in a chef's uniform standing in front of a large stove, holding a spatula; his back is to the viewer.
The kitchen, which should have been predominantly black, was surprisingly brightly and varied in color: colorful spice jars, bright red chilies, and a stove glowing red…
Xia Yao looked at the painting, a smile playing on her lips.
"Is this Zhou Yan's sister's painting of Zhou Yan? The colors are so beautifully used." Deng Hong exclaimed.
"Yes, what a bold color combination, yet it has a strange harmony. She has quite a talent for color." Zhu Yuyu also leaned forward and nodded.
"The composition is quite interesting. A three years old's perspective is different from ours. The painting is unpolished, full of inspiration." Xia Yao smiled and raised the painting a little higher so that both of them could see it clearly. With a touch of emotion, she said, "It's such innocent and romantic color."
"Did Zhou Yan have his sister paint this for him?" Deng Hong asked with a smile.
Zhu Yuyu laughed, "I think it's possible! A kitchen work photo, hahaha..."
"No, he said Momo drew it herself." Xia Yao said with a smile, "She's super attached to her brother."
"I feel like this is a bit like trying to hide something."
"Comrade Zhu Yuyu, we're beholden to those who feed us, we should definitely support Comrade Zhou Yan! I believe in him."
"That's right! Me too!"
Xia Yao rolled her eyes at the two of them and said irritably, "Alright, you two go brush your teeth. Eating rice candy in the middle of the night, be careful of cavities!"
"Okay, okay, we won't disturb you replying to Zhou Yan, remember to thank him for the snacks he gave us." The two left laughing.
Xia Yao smiled and shook her head. This time, Momo's painting was done on paper. Zhou Yan is indeed a good older brother.
She took out the sketchbook, put the drawing inside, and pressed two thick textbooks on top, flattening it.
She took out the letter Zhou Yan had written from the envelope and read it again, a smile always on her face.
"By the way, Yaoyao, did you sign up for the production internship next month? Yuyu and I are going to the Shancheng Printing Factory. Why don't you come with us? We might even be able to share a dorm room." Deng Hong asked Xia Yao as she returned carrying an enamel basin.
Zhu Yuyu, hanging a towel on the rope behind the door, chimed in, "Yes, it's related to our major. I heard a lot of people signed up; I don't even know if I'll get selected."
Xia Yao looked at the two of them and said, "There are quite a few internship units announced this time. It's not necessary to choose a printing factory. Printing factories themselves are not responsible for advertising design and book planning. They are downstream in the whole chain.
On the contrary, I think that wineries and machinery factories that want to build brands and advertise might offer more hands-on opportunities during production internships. I'm still considering which one to choose."
The two looked thoughtful upon hearing this: "That seems to make some sense..."
...
Just as dawn was breaking, Comrade Little Zhou took Comrade Old Zhou to buy groceries.
The price of meat had indeed dropped!
With the abolition of meat ration coupons, the prices at all the butcher stalls had fallen significantly, mostly by half.
Zhou Yan and his companion had left early enough, but they had already encountered several passersby on the way home with their meat.
The fine pork belly that was usually impossible to buy even if they queued up at the supply and marketing cooperative early in the morning was readily available today at the butcher's stall for the same amount of money.
This was a huge boon for consumers!
Passing by the butcher's stall, it was surrounded by customers buying meat; one wanted pig's trotters, another wanted pork belly, and the butcher's smile never stopped.
Having sold pork for over a decade, this was the first time the butchers felt selling meat was so simple.
"This time they can really make money selling meat. They used to only be able to sell half a pig, but today they can sell at least a whole pig." Comrade Old Zhou said with some emotion. "The butchers have finally turned the tables and become masters of their own destiny."
"Beef prices have halved, and the butchers will probably sell out of beef today." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "However, this situation won't last long. Meat from the supply and marketing cooperatives is just hard to get, not impossible to buy. Now they can find better quality meat at the butcher's. Short-term impulse buying will increase sales, but for most families, buying meat is a fixed expense every month, and once it's used up, it's gone."
Comrade Old Zhou nodded thoughtfully, then added, "But the butcher's business will definitely be better than before; they are stealing customers from the supply and marketing cooperative."
"That makes sense." Zhou Yan agreed.
After buying beef in Zhou Village, he went to Zhang Laosan and Xu Laoer's stall at the bridge to get some pork.
"Dad, you watch the bicycle, I'm going to buy two bunches of bok choy." Zhou Yan propped up the bicycle, greeted Comrade Old Zhou, and walked towards the row of vegetable vendors at the head of the stone bridge.
The bok choy in the noodles needs to be bought fresh everyday, along with two more cabbages, and some fresh garlic sprouts for stir-fried twice-cooked pork.
Purchasing ingredients is such a tedious and troublesome task. Fortunately, Comrade Old Zhou is here to lend a hand, otherwise he would have to make two trips, which would have taken even more time.
The vegetable vendors are actually farmers from Suji Town. They go out early in the morning to pick the vegetables, still glistening with dew, and carry baskets on their backs to town to sell. With the money, they buy some daily necessities at the supply and marketing cooperative.
With the current low prices of vegetables, farmers can only earn a meager hard-earned income.
However, with the implementation of the Household Responsibility System[1], farmers' lives have improved significantly compared to before. Jiazhou has abundant water resources, making farming relatively easier.
Zhou Yan walked forward unhurriedly, his gaze sweeping over each stall.
[A pile of pesticide-free cabbages riddled with wormholes]
[A cabbage that is not yet fully mature]
[A pile of high-quality bok choy]
Lines of appraisal results floated past Zhou Yan's eyes, he stopped, bent down, and picked up two bunches of small bok choy tied with straw. Each bunch weighed more than a jin and cost only ten cents.
He continued forward.
[A bunch of misshapen and cracked white radishes]
[A perfect piece of tofu]
Zhou Yan paused, looking at a small folding table tucked away in the corner, on which were two squares of tofu.
[A perfect piece of tofu]
[A decent piece of tofu]
Two pieces of tofu that looked identical, yet the appraisal results were completely different.
Between "perfect" and "decent" are two levels apart: [pretty good] and [extremely good].
Zhou Yan glanced at the stall owner. Behind the small table sat a boy of about sixteen or seventeen years old. He looked very thin and was wearing an obviously ill-fitting indigo Zhongshan suit. It was washed and faded, with several patches on the pants. He was also wearing straw sandals, and his big toes, which were exposed, were red from the cold.
The boy looked up and met Zhou Yan's gaze, then lowered his head shyly.
Zhou Yan couldn't help but shake his head. This guy wasn't cut out for business. He was shy around men, and if he saw a young woman, he'd probably bury his head in his crotch.
He glanced ahead and saw three more tofu stalls, so he walked towards them.
[A decent piece of tofu]
[A pretty good piece of tofu]
[A decent piece of tofu]
Zhou Yan, carrying two cabbages, turned back and stopped in front of the young man's tofu stall.
Tofu wasn't unusual; Sichuan people loved tofu and were skilled at making it.
Therefore, there were quite a few tofu vendors.
But Zhou Yan had to taste a piece of tofu that was identified as [A perfect piece of tofu] to find out what it was all about.
The best rating from other stalls was only "pretty good."
Perfect—what a rare and unusual description!
While other vendors practically set up their stalls in the middle of the road, his tofu stall was shrunk back half a meter, just enough to clear the way for them.
The boy was well-behaved, but too shy. The two squares of white tofu, neatly arranged on the small table, hadn't sold a single piece.
"How much is the tofu per jin?" Zhou Yan asked.
The boy looked up at him and pointed to his ear.
"Hmm?" Zhou Yan frowned.
"He's mute and deaf; he can't hear or speak." the woman selling vegetables next door sighed as she looked at the boy.
It turned out he was deaf and mute. Zhou Yan was stunned for a moment, looking at the handsome young man behind the table, and suddenly felt a pang of unease rising in his heart.
However, the boy looked up at him, grinned, revealing a set of neat teeth, and held up two fingers.
Even so, does he still have to give life a thumbs up? Zhou Yan was moved by his optimistic and positive spirit.
"He means tofu costs twenty cents a jin." the woman selling vegetables translated for him, a hint of pity in her voice. "The price is the same, but his tofu is a bit more delicate than others. He's suffered because he can't speak; he's come three times, and each time he hasn't sold half."
Zhou Yan pursed his lips, so embarrassed that he could dig out a three bedrooms, one living room shape out of the ground with his big toe.
"This piece, one jin." Zhou Yan pointed to the piece of tofu in front of him, holding up one finger.
He had to taste the perfect tofu to know what it tasted like.
The boy picked up the tofu knife, made two light cuts, and cut off a square piece of tofu. He wrapped it in oil paper, tied a straw around it, and weighed it on a small scale, raising the scale high.
The skills still need practice, and this is at least one liang more.
The boy handed the tofu to Zhou Yan, still holding up two fingers.
Zhou Yan thought for a moment, then pointed to the piece of tofu behind him and held up one finger: "This piece also costs one jin."
The boy paused, shook his head, pointed to the piece of tofu in front of him, and showed a hint of anxiety on his face. His slender fingers moved as if in sign language.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yan couldn't understand it; it was like playing the lute to a cow.
"I want this one." Zhou Yan said firmly.
Clearly, the boy knew which piece of tofu was better and wanted him to buy it.
But Zhou Yan wanted one good piece and one that wasn't so good.
Otherwise, how could he taste what made perfect tofu perfect?
Even experiments need a control group.
Zhou Yan's aura was stronger. Although the boy didn't understand, he still cut a piece from the second square of tofu for Zhou Yan.
This time, the scale lifted even higher.
He definitely needed more practice; this piece was at least two liang more.
Zhou Yan took the tofu, took out fifty cents, handed it over, and turned to leave.
The boy, holding the money, hesitated for a moment, then got up to chase after him.
"He's kind-hearted, you should accept it." the woman selling vegetables said, pulling him back.
The boy clutched the money but shook his head.
Zhou Yan walked back to his bicycle, first putting the vegetables into the basket, then carefully placing two pieces of tofu on top.
"Tofu for lunch?" Comrade Old Zhou seemed a little surprised.
"Yes, this tofu is very good." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, his hand on the handlebars, still feeling uneasy.
"Dad, wait for me for ten more minutes." Zhou Yan said, turning back.
The boy's vision blurred, and he instinctively looked up. Seeing it was Zhou Yan, a smile spread across his face, and he immediately held up ten cents to hand him.
"I'm not here for this ten cents. I'm here to teach you how to sell tofu." Zhou Yan said with a smile, waving his hand. He pulled his Parker pen from his pocket and then a sheet of brown paper the boy was using to wrap the tofu.
On the back, he quickly wrote two words: Silent Tofu.
Outline it, thicken it.
And in large words: Twenty cents a jin!
Below is a small note: I am deaf and mute. I can't hear your voice, but I can understand your smile.
Zhou Yan placed the advertisement next to the tofu.
The boy stared blankly at the words on the paper. When he looked up at Zhou Yan, tears were already glistening in his eyes.
Clearly, he could read.
That made things much simpler.
Zhou Yan took out his ledger from his pocket, opened a new page, and quickly wrote a line for him to see: This is not how to sell tofu. Let me teach you.
The boy looked up at him and nodded.
Zhou Yan put away his ledger. His first step was to move the boy's small table to be level with the vegetable vendors on either side of the stall. Then, he stood in front of the stall and shouted in a booming voice, "Buy tofu—buy tofu—twenty cents a jin! White tofu, no grease, a cleaver's touch and your eyes will light up! Good tofu, fragrant tofu, beauties who eat it will become Xi Shi (a legendary beauty), handsome guys who eat it won't break down..."
Tall and burly, dressed in a white chef's uniform, he was already conspicuous. His loud voice immediately attracted attention, and a crowd gathered around.
"Sister, buy some! Look how good this tofu is, the cuts are neat, and it looks so tender."
"Auntie, don't worry, this tofu is delicious whether pan-fried, stewed, or used to make Mapo Tofu."
"I won't take your money. I'm also buying tofu too. This little boy is deaf and can't speak. He can't sell a single square of tofu, what a tragedy! If I don't help him promote it, he probably won't sell any in a day."
Zhou Yan put on a smiling face and chatted about this and that, and soon most of the two squares of tofu were sold.
His sweet talk was one thing, but when customers saw the paper on the small table and then looked at the handsome, reserved boy, they readily pulled out twenty cents.
They were going to buy tofu anyway, so it didn't matter which stall they bought from.
People crowded around, one after another.
Zhou Yan watched the boy busily cutting, weighing, collecting money, and giving change, then he smiled and turned to leave.
What could he do?
Just help him write a sign and call out a few times.
He hoped that customers who ate his tofu would be satisfied and come back to patronize his business again.
[A perfect piece of tofu] shouldn't be buried by noise; that was his attitude towards food.
"What were you doing?" Zhou Miao asked, watching Zhou Yan walk towards him with a smile.
"I helped a kid sell some tofu." Zhou Yan smiled, hopped on his bicycle, and pedaled forward. "Let's go, it'll be a bit late getting back today, we need to hurry."
"Selling tofu?" Zhou Miao was completely bewildered, but also pedaled his bicycle to catch up.
Back at the restaurant, Zhou Yan took out two blocks of tofu and placed them in two earthenware bowls.
Comparing them, the difference was still not obvious; both had a faint bean aroma.
Zhou Yan placed the tofu on the cabinet nearby and began to stir-fry the toppings and meat stew.
Huang Bing and his sister Huang Ying arrived early again today.
They ordered noodles, and Huang Bing noticed a new sign on the wall, exclaiming, "Braised Beef?! Brother Yan, you made braised beef?"
"Yes, it's officially on the menu today." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "Go back and tell your father if he wants some today; I've saved five jin for him."
"Okay." Huang Bing nodded. His father had repeatedly instructed him to keep a close eye on when Zhou Yan would serve braised beef and report it immediately.
After braised pig's head meat was added to the menu last week, many regular customers of Feiyan Restaurant came to eat and specifically ordered braised meat.
The most frequently asked question was still about braised beef.
His dad could only make up an excuse that it was not yet available on the menu, but in reality, he was more anxious than anyone else.
After selling out of noodles in the morning, Aunt Zhao busied herself preparing broth for the cross-legged beef, while Zhou Yan started making braised meat.
Pig's trotters, beef, pig's head meat, pig's ears… were added to the pot in that order, simmering over low heat.
The fire in the stove had just gone out.
The sound of a motorcycle could be heard outside.
"Boss Zhou! Boss Zhou! I'm here!"
Huang He rushed in, his expression filled with excitement.
…
[1] This system allowed farmers to contract land, manage production independently, and decide how to use surplus products after completing the tasks assigned by the state. It was an important symbol of China's rural reforms in the 1980s.