"It's so soft and delicious, with a wonderful egg flavor and just the right amount of saltiness! It's really good!" Aunt Zhao ate half an egg pancake in one go, nodding in praise repeatedly. She couldn't help but reflect on herself: "Compared to it, what I make doesn't even deserve to be called an egg pancake."
Comrade Old Zhou also ate half a pancake and said thoughtfully, "Zhou Yan's egg pancake is fragrant, but I think yours is just as good. Actually, I prefer a thicker one, as it's more chewy."
"You're just talking nonsense." Aunt Zhao rolled her eyes at him, but couldn't help but smile. She picked up another pancake from his plate with her chopsticks. "Since you don't like it anyway, my youngest daughter and I will each have half."
"Okay." Comrade Old Zhou grinned.
"Mom, I love you too!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up when she saw the half-pancake suddenly appear on her plate.
Zhou Yan smiled. A few simple pancakes were enough to make them so happy. This family was so easily satisfied.
He wasn't very good at cooking in his previous life, but he was quite good at making egg pancakes, which was one of the few things he could be proud of.
Of course, the main reason is that the recipe is simple, and the method is also simple. He could master it after a few practices.
With just eggs and flour in the refrigerator, Zhou Yan could easily make himself a decent egg pancake.
After quickly rinsing the pan, Zhou Yan wiped his hands and came out of the kitchen. He opened the cloth bag in the bicycle basket and took out the magazine.
"You went to the library to borrow books so late?" Comrade Old Zhou asked casually as he was about to clear the table.
"It wasn't borrowed; it was a gift from Editor-in-Chief He. He came to interview my Grandmaster Uncle today, and we just happened to run into each other." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "Our family's Cross-legged Beef is on the cover of the latest issue of the magazine, along with two pages of interview."
"Really!" Aunt Zhao's eyes lit up, and she stood up abruptly.
"That's wonderful!" Comrade Old Zhou stopped clearing the bowls, his eyes shining as he looked at the magazine in Zhou Yan's hand.
Only Zhou Momo possessed a steadfast Taoist heart, ignoring everything else and focusing solely on eating egg pancakes.
"Look, these are the photos taken that day." Zhou Yan placed the magazine on the table.
"Wow! Such a good and clear picture! Your grandma's bowl was well borrowed." Aunt Zhao exclaimed, rubbing her hands on her clothes before carefully picking up the magazine and examining it closely, her face full of joy.
"It looks amazing! The magazine cover is so impressive!" Comrade Old Zhou was also very excited.
Opening a small restaurant and being featured on a magazine cover is something they could never have imagined.
Aren't newspapers only for important people?
They don't understand magazines, but they're certainly not simple either.
"Zhou Yan, what are the benefits of being featured in this magazine?" Aunt Zhao asked, looking at Zhou Yan.
Comrade Old Zhou also looked at him.
"This magazine is the most professional cooking magazine in the province, and it has a wide influence throughout the country. It is loved and sought after by chefs and food enthusiasts." Zhou Yan introduced to them with a smile: "Generally speaking, those who can be published in the magazine are industry leaders, such as my Grandmaster Uncle who is a famous chef in Jiazhou."
Aunt Zhao and Comrade Old Zhou were stunned for a moment.
"Doesn't that mean you're a famous chef too?" Aunt Zhao asked excitedly.
"At most, I'm just a rising star." Zhou Yan waved his hand. "But if I can make our Cross-legged Beef famous, may be more customers will come to eat it. It's like advertising for us."
"That's great news!" Comrade Old Zhou couldn't help but clap his hands and cheer.
With Zhou Yan's analogy, they roughly understood the magazine's prestige.
They were overjoyed and couldn't stop laughing.
Aunt Zhao flipped through the magazine and quickly found the page with Zhou Yan's photo. She nodded repeatedly and said, "This solo photo is also very good-looking! You are really handsome, but the black and white print isn't as clear as the cover."
"That's relatively clear. Look at this old man over there, his face is so dark, you can't even see his features." Comrade Old Zhou said after glancing at him.
Aunt Zhao handed the magazine to Comrade Old Zhou. "Read it to me and see what it says."
As a survivor of a literacy class, Aunt Zhao doesn't know many characters, but she can barely draw her own family members' names clearly.
Comrade Old Zhou took the magazine and began to read it aloud with great emotion: ""A surprising new way to enjoy beef – Suji Cross-legged Beef! Suji Ancient Town, under the jurisdiction of Jiazhou, is a town with a long history..."
"Young chef Zhou Yan has replicated and optimized this long-standing dish of 'Cross-legged Beef' from the recipe, achieving a truly delicious and unique flavor. Its warming and dampness-removing properties are a continuation of the spirit of the old traditional Chinese medicine doctor who once practiced medicine on the banks of the Qingyi River.
With its unique flavor and touching story of heritage, Cross-legged Beef may become a new famous dish of Jiazhou in the near future.
Zhou Yan, a young chef who is only twenty years old, is admirable for his spirit of inheriting and carrying forward traditions and daring to climb to new heights.
Zhou Erwa Restaurant is located to the left of the main gate of Jiazhou Textile Factory in Suji Town, Jiazhou. Besides his signature Cross-legged Beef, Zhou Yan's dishes are known for their fresh, fragrant, and rich flavors, with his braised meat being particularly exceptional. The restaurant is always packed and definitely worth a visit."
"It's so well written! The story of Cross-legged Beef is even better now that they've written it like this." Aunt Zhao said happily.
Comrade Old Zhou also exclaimed with emotion, "The writing is excellent, and he even gave our restaurant a shout-out at the end. Editor-in-Chief He is truly a wonderful person!"
Zhou Yan hadn't actually finished reading the article while he was out today, but after listening to Comrade Old Zhou read it aloud, he nodded repeatedly.
The writers of this era were indeed remarkably talented, embellishing the story of Cross-legged Beef exceptionally well.
The part about his accidental discovery of the recipe and his replication of the "Cross-legged Beef" is given some dramatic flair, thus portraying him as a hardworking, ambitious, and highly skilled young chef.
Very good.
He's almost embarrassed to boast like this himself.
But hearing others praise him like this...
It sounds really good.
Editor-in-Chief He is a really good person!
He even gave them an ad in the end!
Putting everything else aside, just that last ad alone makes Zhou Yan think he should treat He Zhiyuan to a meal.
"Keep this magazine safe. We'll take it back to the village next time we go back and show it to them." Aunt Zhao carefully closed the magazine, her fingers gently stroking the picture of the cross-legged beef on the cover. Just thinking about the faces of those old women in the village made her want to laugh.
"I'm planning to go back to my mother's place tomorrow to get a hoe. Do you want to come with me?" Comrade Old Zhou asked with a smile.
"I'll go back with you!" Aunt Zhao nodded immediately. "I also want to go back and check if the geese I asked our mother to raise have grown up. I'll catch one and kill it."
Zhou Yan glanced at Comrade Old Zhou. He knew his mother all too well.
Zhou Yan took out the envelope again, and said as he opened it, "Oh right, Editor-in-Chief He also printed out the family photos of us and gave it to me as well."
The envelope was opened, revealing three photos.
There are two group photos, and another one is a solo photo of Zhou Yan standing at the entrance of the restaurant, the one printed in the magazine, but this one is in color.
Aunt Zhao picked up the family photo first. The four of them stood together, their faces beaming with smiles.
"It's a really good photo. This is our family's first group photo." Aunt Zhao said with satisfaction.
Comrade Old Zhou also smiled and said, "I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy two photo frames to put them in, so they won't get dirty."
Aunt Zhao picked up Zhou Yan's solo photo again, her smile growing even brighter: "Editor-in-Chief He is so thoughtful, he even printed a solo photo for you. This photo is great. If someone introduces you to someone, you can let the girl's side see the photo first, which will save you a lot of trouble."
"If the girl sees the photos, she'll probably want to come see the real person no matter what." Comrade Old Zhou said.
"That's right, he's my son, he's just that handsome." Aunt Zhao said with some pride. After thinking for a moment, she looked at Zhou Yan and asked, "Next time you write to Xia Yao, why don't you send her a photo?"
"Why send photos?!" Zhou Yan shook his head repeatedly. He felt a little embarrassed when Zhou Momo drew him for Xia Yao last time, so sending photos would be even more outrageous.
"Then send her a magazine. You finally got published in a magazine, it doesn't matter if you don't send it to anyone else, but you must send one to Xia Yao." Aunt Zhao analyzed seriously, "It's not good for us to brag, but now everyone is praising you, and they're telling the truth. You have to show the female comrade your excellent side."
"Mom, don't worry about it." Zhou Yan smiled and put the photo back in the envelope. "Dad, I'll buy the frame tomorrow. I'm going to take a shower now. I'll be busy again tomorrow."
"Okay." Comrade Old Zhou nodded.
"Remember to buy a copy and send it to Xia Yao later. I'll keep this one." Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan's back.
"Okay~" Zhou Yan replied.
Aunt Zhao pulled Comrade Old Zhou to sit down and turned the magazine to the front, saying, "Read it to me again, teach me to read it word by word, so I'll know how to tell them later, and I won't look uncultured."
"Come on." Comrade Old Zhou smiled and pointed to the headline: "Shocking…"
"Shocking!" Zhou Momo, who had finished her egg pancake, also came over and read along in her childish voice.
A copy of the magazine "Sichuan Cuisine" brought a lot of joy and smiles to the Zhou family.
Zhou Yan took his clothes to the backyard to shower, already thinking about how to talk to the old lady about the interview tomorrow, wondering if she would agree.
...
Meanwhile, in a house in Suji Town, Xiao Lei was soaking his feet.
Two pairs of feet were placed in the steaming wooden tub. Sitting opposite him was his wife, Ma Dongmei, a slightly plump middle-aged woman. She stared wide-eyed, her mouth slightly agape, and exclaimed in surprise, "You mean, Zhou Yan was published in 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine, which even your Master Uncle has not yet been published in, and his dish was even on the cover of the magazine?"
Xiao Lei nodded and said, "Yes, today He Zhiyuan, the deputy editor-in-chief of the magazine, gave Zhou Yan a copy of the magazine, saying that it has been released in Rongcheng and should be available at newsstands in Jiazhou tomorrow."
Zhou Yan's Cross-legged Beef is indeed delicious. It's a traditional dish from Zhou Village, and the authentic recipe had almost disappeared. He's the one who revived the tradition, which is why He Zhiyuan interviewed him."
Ma Dongmei said happily, "This is great news! This kid was fired because of your conflict with Wang Defa, but now the restaurant is thriving, and he's even been interviewed by a magazine. Life is getting better and better for him."
"Yes, he was interviewed and featured on the cover at such a young age. His future achievements will definitely far surpass mine." Xiao Lei nodded with satisfaction. "His knife skills were only at an average level after practicing for more than two years. I didn't expect him to have such a high talent in controlling the heat and seasoning. I held him back a bit before."
"Knife skills are a fundamental skill, how can you say it's a delay?" Ma Dongmei looked at him with a smile and asked, "Are you telling me this because you want me to go to Jiazhou tomorrow to buy you a few copies of the latest issue of Sichuan Cuisine magazine?"
"Meimei, you're brilliant!" Xiao Lei said, shaking her hand with admiration.
"Don't be crazy." Ma Dongmei rolled her eyes at him. "Just tell me how much it costs? How many are you planning to buy?"
"I saw the price, it's fifty cents, so just buy me…" Xiao Lei hesitated for a moment, then held up two fingers: "Two copies."
"Okay." Ma Dongmei nodded. "I'll take the bus to Jiazhou tomorrow morning to buy them for you."
"Meimei, you're so good!"
"Zhou Yan is your apprentice, and he calls me 'Master's Wife' too. This kid is filial and responsible. He's promising, and I'm happy for him too."
"That's right."
"Leave me a copy later, so I can take it with me when I go out to play mahjong and show it to my fellow mahjong players, so they'll know we have such a talented apprentice."
"Okay!"
...