Chapter 16: The Discerning Masses

"You got it!"

The customers replied with smiles.

"Brother Jie..." Zhou Yan looked at Zhou Jie with a complex expression.

In business, who would directly divert their own customers to someone else? This brother truly didn't treat him like an outsider.

"Pull the car to the side and go stand by your Brother Haizi. He'll teach you how to control the heat and the timing," Zhou Jie told him, then smiled and went to settle the bill with the customers.

"Zhou Yan, I'm clumsy and not much of a talker. Just do exactly as Ah Jie teaches you. Watch for now, and once this rush is over, if there's anything you don't understand, have Ah Jie teach you," Zhou Hai said to Zhou Yan.

"Okay, Brother Haizi," Zhou Yan responded. He watched as Zhou Hai deftly scooped up a section of beef intestine and cut it into small pieces, blanched some tripe for a few seconds before pulling it out, grabbed a few pieces of tender beef tendon and some slices of beef heart, laid a base of boiled cabbage, and then ladled a spoonful of rich bone broth into the ceramic bowl. A steaming bowl of soup pot was complete.

This was a single serving, costing forty cents. It had meat and vegetables, along with a large bowl of beef offal soup, served with a dry chili dipping sauce. For an extra ten cents, one could add a bowl of rice.

Eating a hot bowl like this in the dead of winter, warming you from your soles to your hair, was absolutely wonderful!

Other places sold their soup pots for thirty or twenty cents a bowl, but none of their businesses were as good as Zhou Jie's stall.

The people of the Bashu region wanted to eat heartily and drink refreshingly; the flavor had to be top-notch, and the standards couldn't be lax!

As long as life was manageable, they would never mistreat their palates.

The fact that Zhou Jie's soup pots sold well at forty cents meant that people felt he was worth the price; the difference in flavor couldn't be bridged by a mere ten or twenty cents.

The broth in the soup pot was pale in color, with the aroma of beef bone soup hitting you instantly. It was quite fresh and fragrant, with very little gamey smell, making it even more enticing than other places.

Zhou Hai looked like a rough man, but he worked with precision and care. While others used their hands to grab ingredients, he only used chopsticks and spoons; his hands never touched the food.

The stove was wiped clean at all times, without even a drop of broth.

Standing in front of the stove in the open air, the steam hit his face, making him sweat profusely. He had a towel draped around his neck, and a clean towel hung on a nearby rack for wiping his hands.

Zhou Yan watched from the side, nodding inwardly. Brother Jie's success was no accident; under limited conditions, they had done their utmost to achieve excellence.

This pot primarily sold beef offal. Beef was too expensive and was usually only sold during the peak winter season; otherwise, the losses would be unbearable.

After being busy for half an hour, business finally slowed down around nine o'clock.

Zhou Yan helped clear the bowls and chopsticks and wiped down the tables and chairs.

The two sisters-in-law finished their housework and came to help wash the dishes.

Zhou Jie drank a bowl of water to moisten his parched throat before looking at Zhou Yan and smiling, "Business is good, right? Once winter truly sets in, it'll be even better."

"It is quite good. No one else at this pier has business as good as yours," Zhou Yan nodded, noting that many of these customers were regulars.

"Let me tell you, Brother, everyone in Zhou Village knows how to make soup pots, but there's a lot of technique involved in making a good one, starting from using beef bones to simmer the high broth..." Zhou Jie set down his bowl and began pulling Zhou Yan aside to explain how to make the soup pot. He was very detailed and even pulled him to the stove to demonstrate.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened. This extreme control over every detail was the secret to why Zhou Jie's soup stood out.

It was actually quite close to the recipe for Qiaojiao Beef that Zhou Yan had obtained.

"The biggest difference between this broth and others is actually this seasoning pack. In here, I add..." Zhou Jie pointed to a seasoning pack that had already been used today and leaned into Zhou Yan's ear, whispering a string of names of spices and traditional Chinese medicines, including the specific quantities.

This was a true commercial secret and the competitive edge that set them apart from others.

Zhou Yan listened intently, committing everything to memory and comparing it with the secret recipe he possessed.

There were significant differences in the ingredients and quantities, primarily in the medicinal herbs; the spices used to remove the gamey smell and enhance the aroma were quite similar.

"Here, try a sip of the broth." Zhou Jie took a small bowl and ladled a spoonful for Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan blew on the heat, took a sip, and after savoring it carefully in his mouth, he nodded. "It's very fresh. The broth is rich, the gamey smell of the offal is very faint, and it's very refreshing to drink."

"As expected of a chef, you hit the nail on the head," Zhou Jie looked at him with full appreciation. "My cooking isn't as good as yours, but I've been simmering this broth for three years, so I have some experience. I'll definitely teach you how to simmer this broth well."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded.

"Isn't Zhou Yan opening a restaurant in front of the textile factory? Why is he selling soup pots too? Is he really after such small change?" Zhou Liangliang, the owner of a nearby stall, said while cracking melon seeds, his tone somewhat sarcastic.

"What's wrong with selling soup pots? My fourth uncle is one of the best cattle slaughterers in Zhou Village. Zhou Yan is selling soup pots to help the family process the offal. It's a skill passed down through generations; do you have a right to talk trash?" Zhou Jie said to Zhou Liangliang, his tone quite firm.

Beside them, Zhou Hai was wiping a kitchen knife and also turned to glare at Zhou Liangliang with unfriendly eyes.

Zhou Liangliang felt as if he were being stared down by a black bear. The melon seeds in his hand suddenly lost their flavor. He gave a sheepish smile, stuffed the seeds into his pocket, and waved his hands. "We're all from the same village, I was just asking..."

This whole family of seven brothers were all sturdy men who were notoriously protective of their own; he had simply been too big-mouthed.

Zhou Jie didn't argue with him and instead continued talking to Zhou Yan about simmering the broth.

"Brother Jie, actually, I learned how to make soup pots from my mother, and later when I studied cooking, I learned a medicinal diet recipe from my master. I was thinking of combining that medicinal recipe with our soup pot. I planned to try making a pot of it today." Zhou Yan only spoke after listening to Zhou Jie finish.

"Really?" Zhou Jie's eyes lit up. "You're a professional chef. If you can truly improve our soup pot into a medicinal dish, maybe the workers at the textile factory will love it too!"

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "If we can open up the market, there's great potential for this soup pot."

"Good, good, good! Then you try making it first. If you need anything, tell me anytime. We're brothers, don't be a stranger." Zhou Jie patted his arm. "If it goes well, Brother Hai and I will work with you."

"Alright." Zhou Yan nodded, chatted for a few more moments, and then rode his bike back.

Zhou Yan detoured through the farmers' market, casting a distant glance at Wang Qi's meat stall. Half of the pork testing results had come back as diseased pork; there was a high probability that Wang Laowu was sourcing from him.

The report he had submitted last time seemed to have vanished without a trace; Wang Qi had been selling meat in the market for years and surely had some connections.

Just as he was pondering how to escalate this matter, he spotted the market management staff walking with two men dressed in Zhongshan suits. The leading middle-aged man wore black-rimmed glasses, his hair combed meticulously. They walked with frequent stops, occasionally questioning stall owners, and would pick up meat to inspect it closely when passing meat stalls.

"Who are those two? They look quite imposing," Zhou Yan asked the vegetable vendor casually while bending over to pick up some green vegetables and paying.

"Those two? They're leaders from the upper Health and Epidemic Prevention Station. They come back once a month for inspections. The leader is named Gao Tianlei; they say he's the deputy station chief. It was him who led the team to catch two butchers selling diseased pork last year. Everyone says he's incorruptible," the vendor said with a smile after taking the money.

"Oh." Zhou Yan was lost in thought and didn't respond further. He picked up the vegetables and headed out.

It would be difficult to prove that Wang Laowu was using diseased pork since others couldn't see the test results, so starting with Wang Qi was a good entry point. If he could prove Wang Laowu bought diseased pork from him, then Wang Laowu couldn't escape responsibility.

Furthermore, Wang Qi was selling diseased pork every day, endangering the village. As a concerned citizen, Zhou Yan could not turn a blind eye.

He found a quiet spot, took out paper and a pen, and wrote a vehemently worded report, then went to wait near the market entrance.

Before long, Gao Tianlei and the other man emerged, surrounded by market staff, and rode away.

Zhou Yan immediately followed on his bike. Once they were out of the town, he pulled up his collar to cover half his face, accelerated, pulled up alongside them, and stopped. He spoke directly: "Station Chief Gao, I want to report someone selling diseased pork!"

Gao Tianlei and his companion braked quickly. Looking at the young man with half his face covered, they asked with confusion, "Who are you reporting?"

"Wang Qi, stall number five at the Suji Farmers' Market. He sells diseased pork every day, endangering the village. Please, Station Chief Gao, eliminate this harm for the people." Zhou Yan handed over the prepared report

"The diseased pork he sells might also flow into restaurants and noodle stalls, posing a massive threat to the lives and safety of the public. Please investigate strictly to ensure not a single piece of diseased pork reaches the people's tables."

Gao Tianlei took the report and looked at Zhou Yan. "And you are?"

"A citizen with sharp eyes!" Zhou Yan pedaled away without looking back.

Gao Tianlei opened the report with a solemn expression. After reading it, his face darkened. He said deeply, "Go, tell someone to bring the testing equipment. I want to see just how much nerve this Wang Qi has!"

Zhou Yan took a loop around the river before returning to the restaurant. The Epidemic Prevention Station would investigate Wang Qi, but it wouldn't reach Wang Laowu that quickly.

However, the speed at which Wang Laowu's business collapsed was even faster than he had anticipated.

"Wang Laowu! Why does this beef smell sour and stinky? You bastard, did you mix in yesterday's leftovers to sell them again?"

"I was wondering why this minced meat sauce smelled strange today—it's sour! You even added all that pepper and chili oil just to try and cover the smell!"

"You're doing quite well for yourself, aren't you? We support your business, and you treat us like enemies? Take these leftovers and feed them to a dog; even a dog would reject them!"

"Holy sh*t!"

"Motherf—..."

It was only shortly after the lunch rush began, but at the noodle stall, customers were already slamming the tables with thunderous force, their language extremely foul.