Chapter 23: If someone says your cooking is bad in the future

Chapter 23: If someone says your cooking is bad in the future...

Zhao Dong had been thinking about this for a while. Having eaten the perfect Zizhi rice today, he couldn't help but imagine how satisfying it would be to have rice mixed with minced beef and dual peppers.

Hearing this, the customers in the shop also turned to look at Zhou Yan.

Noodles are good for breakfast, but rice feels more substantial for lunch and dinner.

The ribs and beef Zhou Yan cooked were truly fragrant, and the minced beef would definitely go well with rice. If the price wasn't expensive, it would be wonderful to share a meal with two or three people.

The canteen's private kitchen wasn't cheap, yet there were still over a hundred people eating there every day.

The textile factory was performing well, and the salaries of skilled workers and management were not low. There were many people like Zhao Dong who were willing to spend on good food.

"Soon. Once the Qiaojiao Beef business stabilizes, I'll start preparing stir-fried and braised dishes," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

This was also part of his plan. The current problem was that he was too busy; the hand-pulled noodle work could only be done by him, and it would be difficult to let his sister-in-law master it in a short time.

Once the Qiaojiao Beef business stabilized, he would move the noodle sales to the morning. This way, he could sell stir-fried and braised dishes during lunch and dinner, making the restaurant live up to its name.

The ceiling for selling noodles was sixty yuan a day, but the ceiling for stir-fried dishes was much higher.

Zhou Yan's target customers were clear: the crowd that ate stir-fry at the factory canteen, as well as the customers of the Suji State-run Restaurant.

Stealing customers from the factory canteen meant digging up Wang Defa's roots, and he was more than happy to do it.

He still remembered the grudge regarding Xiao Zhou jumping into the river.

"Alright, if you start selling stir-fry, I won't eat at the factory canteen anymore," Zhao Dong nodded, complaining in a low voice, "Ever since your master stopped cooking stir-fry, the quality has gone downhill day by day."

"Alright, you guys carry on. I've got work to do," Zhou Yan called out before turning into the kitchen.

Zhao Dong was a loyal customer of the factory canteen's stir-fry, eating there twice every three days. He used to love ordering the spicy intestines and liver-kidney stir-fry made by his master. Even he had started to dislike the stir-fry; Wang Defa was losing the people's hearts.

Xiao Zhou's master, Xiao Lei, was the only second-class chef at the factory canteen and was previously the head chef.

One shouldn't underestimate "second-class." In Suji Town, he was a top-tier red-kitchen master.

The other second-class chef was serving as the head chef at the state-run restaurant.

Wang Defa demoting his master to a prep worker was no different from cutting off a main artery during layoffs.

It was only because the private economy had just opened up and everyone still valued jobs in state-owned factories that his master hadn't snapped yet; otherwise, he certainly wouldn't have endured such an insult.

It wasn't that Zhou Yan hadn't thought about poaching his master. A second-class chef proficient in the red kitchen, combined with the authoritative image he had built among the textile factory employees over the years, would cause the business of Zhou Erwa's Restaurant to rise exponentially.

That wouldn't just be poaching; it would be digging out the very foundation of the factory canteen.

However, he soon realized a problem: his parents didn't know his cooking skills, and he could use things he learned from his master to bluff his way through.

But his master knew exactly what he was capable of.

When Xiao Zhou wanted to open this restaurant, his master had earnestly advised him three times, with the scolding getting harsher each time.

Unfortunately, good advice is hard to give to a fool determined on his own path. Xiao Zhou simply wouldn't listen; he was just reckless.

Because of this, Xiao Lei had nearly died of anger, leaving behind a single sentence

"If anyone says your cooking is bad in the future, you are not allowed to say you are my apprentice!"

He had nearly expelled Xiao Zhou from his lineage.

Later, when Zhou Erwa's Restaurant opened, his master only sent a red envelope through an intermediary and never once visited the shop.

If Zhou Yan invited his master, he wouldn't be able to explain the sudden mastery of various dishes, or the leap in his seasoning and heat control skills.

He could only set the idea aside for now.

After the last customer paid and left, Zhao Tieying rushed into the kitchen. Looking at Zhou Yan, who was currently stir-frying vegetables, she said, "We sold thirty portions of Qiaojiao Beef this lunch! That's 18 yuan in total!"

The Qiaojiao Beef launch had gone much more smoothly than she had expected. When she used to sell soup pots, a bowl went for 25 cents, and she would sell twenty or thirty bowls a day. After a hard day's work, she'd make six or seven yuan, and after deducting costs, she'd be lucky to make two or three yuan in profit.

And that was based on reputation and old customers accumulated over years; she could only sell that much during the busy winter season.

Today was the restaurant's first time selling Qiaojiao Beef, and even at the high price of 60 cents a bowl, they had sold thirty portions!

Zhao Tieying felt a bit dizzy; even holding the money felt surreal.

"The customers all said it was delicious. Zhou Yan, this Qiaojiao Beef is truly excellent!" Zhao Hong entered carrying a basin of bowls, her face also full of smiles.

"This is just the beginning. Business will get even better," Zhou Yan smiled as he plated the stir-fried vegetables. With Lin Zhiqiang's tasting, the popularity of the Qiaojiao Beef was within his expectations.

In addition to the Qiaojiao Beef, they also sold thirty-two bowls of noodles this lunch, only four fewer than yesterday.

This eased Zhou Yan's worries; the success of the Qiaojiao Beef did not affect noodle sales—it was pure additional income.

After lunch, Zhou Yan moved a bamboo lounge chair under the tree at the entrance and lay down, enjoying the cool autumn breeze. It was quite pleasant.

"Brother, eat candy!" Zhou Momo approached him, standing on her tiptoes and holding out a piece of candy with her chubby little hand toward his mouth.

Zhou Yan opened his mouth to take it, smiling as he reached out to pat her head. "Good girl."

"Hehe." The little one grinned. "Sister-in-law said Huihui and Fanwa aren't in school tomorrow, so they're coming to play with me."

"Then how are you planning to play with them?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

Huihui and Fanwa were Zhao Hong's two sons. The eldest was fifteen and in his third year of junior high, while the youngest was seven and had just started primary school.

By seniority, they would call Zhou Momo "Auntie," and since she was the youngest, they would usually call her "Youngest Aunt."

"I'll take them to play with the shuttleboard, hopscotch, and the seesaw!" Zhou Momo counted on her fingers like a little expert. "I even know a very fun secret base!"

"Then Momo will definitely be a good Youngest Aunt, knowing so many fun things," Zhou Yan smiled dotingly.

"Of course!" The little girl became even more proud. She turned around, ran to grab a small stool, and placed it next to Zhou Yan's lounge chair to chat with him.

"Brother, look, there's a caterpillar on that leaf."

"Brother, look, there's a flock of geese in the sky. Where are they going? Are they coming back for dinner?"

"Brother..."

Zhou Momo was a little chatterbox with a head full of "why" questions.

Zhou Yan responded intermittently. Listening to her soft, sweet voice, he soon fell asleep.

"Brother, Brother..." After a while, Zhou Momo realized she hadn't heard Zhou Yan speak. She stood up to look at the sleeping Zhou Yan, but she didn't wake him. Instead, she carried her stool back and went off to play by herself.

...

Textile Factory, Grand Conference Room.

Lin Zhiqiang sat in the main seat, holding a sharing session for the factory's technical backbone, discussing his insights from his recent trip to Chengdu for the technical conference, as well as some industry news.

Compared to the morning, his state in the afternoon had clearly improved; his voice was loud and passionate.

"Zhiqiang, that was a great talk. Our factory still relies on young people like you who understand technology," after the meeting ended, the old factory director, Wang Hongliang, left the conference room with Lin Zhiqiang.

"Director, you flatter me. The factory's success is due to your wise leadership and management. I only know how to bury my head in technical research," Lin Zhiqiang said quickly with a smile.

"If it weren't for your hard work, our factory wouldn't have such good performance. I have already reported the techniques you improved and summarized for the Light Industry Department's technical award evaluation. The leaders think very highly of it," Wang Hongliang looked at Lin Zhiqiang with eyes full of appreciation.

"Thank you, Director. This isn't my achievement alone; it belongs to all the technical personnel of the textile factory." Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up upon hearing this; the Light Industry Department's technical award was a massive validation for a technician.

"I saw you sneezing all morning, but you look much better this afternoon. Did you go to the hospital for medicine?" Wang Hongliang asked with concern.

"I caught a bit of a chill. I had a bowl of Qiaojiao Beef at Zhou Erwa's Restaurant by the factory gate at lunch, and after breaking a sweat, I felt much better. It felt even more effective than medicine," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. "Director, how about we go grab a bowl of noodles? Zhou Yan's hand-pulled noodles are superb, and the Qiaojiao Beef is full of flavor."

"Is Zhou Yan that young man who saved your niece last time? But not today. It's my youngest grandson's birthday, and I was told early this morning that I must go home for dinner," Wang Hongliang shook his head and added, "Next time, bring Xiao Meng and the two children along, and we'll have a meal together."

"Alright," Lin Zhiqiang agreed with a smile. He helped Wang Hongliang push his bicycle out of the shed and watched him ride away before heading toward the factory gate.

The Qiaojiao Beef at lunch really did have a good effect on dispelling the cold; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold the meeting this afternoon. He would go back tonight for another bowl to consolidate the effect.

"Uncle Lin, you're here." Zhou Yan was teasing Zhou Momo at the restaurant entrance. Seeing Lin Zhiqiang approaching, he greeted him with a smile.

"Xiao Zhou, your Qiaojiao Beef really helped me out a lot today!" Lin Zhiqiang laughed loudly.

Lin Zhiqiang ate a bowl of Qiaojiao Beef and drank two bowls of soup before heading to the canteen to pack meals for his two children.

According to him, children were growing and didn't need to eat too fancy, but they needed to eat their fill, with meat and vegetables.

He truly was a devoted father.

Watching Lin Zhiqiang's receding figure, Zhou Yan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Brother, when is Sister Yaoyao coming back to eat noodles?" Zhou Momo pulled at his hem, her chubby little face filled with anticipation.