The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 273 No Need to Say Sorry
Before receiving Mr. Nanze's video call, Hu Biao was at the Deyuelou restaurant, tasting dishes with Annie and four of his employees, full of bright hopes for the future.

However, the types of dishes they are currently tasting are not the ones they obtained during their previous time travel.

Choose any one of the following three dishes: vegetable pancake, Tengxian braised pork noodles, or pickled bamboo shoots and pork stew.

More accurately, Annie was dipping a piece of pork head in minced garlic, Four-Eyes was holding a pig's trotter, Big Monkey was holding a piece of braised pork, and Sister Lin was holding a chicken foot.

Each person was bowing their head, savoring the food with utmost seriousness.

The reason for the above scene is that Hu Biao and Annie ran into the market early in the morning, covered in sweat, and began to make large-scale purchases.

Although there was a good quantity and variety of ingredients, it didn't matter that they didn't drive over.

As the owner of a famous online celebrity shop in Majuqiao, Hu Biao could simply ask any familiar vendor to deliver the goods for him.

As Annie passed by the braised meat stall and saw the reddish-brown pig's head meat on it, she instinctively swallowed.

It's impossible to say that the pork head meat from this kind of braised meat stall is better than the twice-cooked pork, spicy blood curd, or pork stew with vermicelli made from one's own pig's trotters.

The difference between the two is definitely not small.

The key issue is that while enjoying these delicacies at Hu Biao's restaurant, she felt something was missing because she didn't drink alcohol to maintain her image.

Unfortunately, Annie likes to have a drink or two in her spare time.

Not only do I enjoy pairing caviar with red wine, a relatively sophisticated way to drink it; I also adore pairing pork head with Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

The last time she drank was the night Hu Biao left Taierzhuang.

So when he saw the pig's head meat, he casually asked Hu Biao, "Boss Hu, have you ever braised pig's head meat before?"

Annie was already thinking that if Hu Biao could cook braised pig's head, she would ask him to make her a portion; then she could take it home, open a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), wouldn't that be wonderful?
Upon hearing this, Hu Biao replied, "I've never done that before."

Hearing this answer, Annie was somewhat disappointed, but Hu Biao then added, "But this is a possibility."

After being glared at by Annie, Hu Biao began to explain earnestly:
"No matter what kind of braised food it is, the key lies in the braising liquid. As long as the braising liquid is well-prepared and the braising time is long enough to allow the flavors to penetrate, most of the problems will be solved."

I already had experience making roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and that kind of braised meat.

This time, I also learned how to make Tengxian braised pork noodles, including the braising technique for the braised pork belly.

If we combine the experiences of both, I think the resulting braising liquid will be quite excellent; then it can be used not only for braising pig's head, but also for pig's trotters, chicken feet, and many other ingredients.

Even just braising a shoe sole would taste quite delicious.

Towards the end, Hu Biao became quite smug.

Annie's reaction after hearing this was to wave her hand and shout, "Then what are we waiting for? Let's quickly buy the braising spices, pig's head meat, and pig's trotters, and braise a pot of them when we get home to try it out."

So, after a flurry of activity, the scene that unfolded at the beginning—the entire staff of Deyuelou restaurant tasting the dishes together—came into place...

Simmered over low heat, before even being eaten, the irresistible aroma of these braised dishes already made Annie's mouth water.

After they started eating, she picked up a piece of pig's head and took a bite. Her eyes lit up. The rich but not greasy taste, which became more and more fragrant the more you chewed, made her give Hu Biao a thumbs up.

Then I picked up another piece, but this time it was coated with some minced garlic, creating another wonderful and complex flavor.

There's absolutely no doubt about it, and it's not like Annie is just bragging about her own husband; this is definitely the best pig's head meat she's ever eaten in her life, bar none.

Meanwhile, others, at the same time, were also giving high praise to dishes such as braised pork trotters, braised pork belly, chicken feet, chicken wings, eggs, and even vegetarian dishes like dried tofu, kelp knots, and lotus root slices.

Just as Hu Biao boasted, this pot of brine was indeed quite potent; it might even make shoe soles taste delicious.

Unlike Hu Biao and others, who only thought about how delicious the braised food was, Hu Biao was always thinking about how much money he could make so he could pay off his debts sooner.

Annie, who was then offered the option of taking her back to her hometown in Hunan Province, raised a different opinion:
"Boss Hu, it's time to prepare for business expansion! New products such as braised pork rice, pig's feet rice, braised dishes on a à la carte, and platter platters will be available soon."

Unlike stir-fried dishes such as twice-cooked pork and spicy blood curd, which require you to cook them yourself to ensure quality, this dish is different.

We couldn't keep up with the demand even if we wanted to expand our business, so we could only operate at this scale.

All you need to do with these braised dishes is prepare the braising liquid and check the heat occasionally; you can have someone else do the rest of the preparation.

Once you're more familiar with the four-eyed guys, you won't even need to check the cooking time.

"I'm sure even if we only braise three to five hundred catties a day, we won't have to worry about selling them; but the turnover and profits will at least double or triple." Faced with the future boss's suggestion, before Hu Biao could say anything, Big Monkey hesitated and said:

"Boss lady, we're short-staffed right now, and the store isn't big enough either. Should we start offering delivery?"

It's not that the monkeys are worried about the increased workload, but they are already quite busy when it's time to open; the store is always packed with customers, and some customers are even sitting on the sidewalk.

If we expand our business further, we can't expect customers to sit on the street, and the neighborhood committee staff probably wouldn't allow it either.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Hu Biao spoke, saying with great bravado:

"The problems you mentioned are all minor issues. If we don't have enough store space, we'll just add more."

The stationery store next door has also been closed for a while, and it happens to share the same landlord as our store; I'll call her later and talk to her, and we should be able to rent it.

We can open up the wall and do some minor renovations to start operating.

If we don't have enough manpower, then we'll hire four more people.

However, this means you'll be considered long-term employees, and even if we, Lao Hu, make money, we won't let you down; starting this month, everyone's salary will increase by 2000 yuan.

This is just the beginning. In the future, when Deyuelou grows bigger and stronger, you will all be managers and supervisors.

The small shop can expand its business, and business is expected to continue to be booming.

In summary, this means that Mr. Hu will earn more, his wife can go to Hunan Province sooner, and the employees will have higher salaries and better career prospects.

Instantly, all six people in the shop wore genuine smiles.

With a brighter future to look forward to, what could be better than that?
Then, at that moment, Hu Biao's phone rang. When he picked it up, he found it was Mr. Nan Ze. After answering, Mr. Hu walked out of the shop...

******
"I have an urgent matter to attend to today, so the shop will be closed for the day; Four-Eyes and the others, please clean up the premises."

Then leave one person in the store to watch over the business. If someone applies for a job, leave their information and contact number. The others can go home first.

These ingredients can be taken home and eaten by ourselves, or given away as gifts.

After hanging up the phone, Hu Biao, who had been squatting on the curb making the call, walked into the store and addressed the group of people who were still full of enthusiasm and ready to make a big splash.

As they spoke, they took out two A4 sheets of paper from the cashier's drawer, on which they wrote: "The owner has something to do and will be taking a day off."

And: Recruitment. Due to business expansion, our store needs to recruit four people. Requirements are as follows...

During this process, as Annie cautiously approached, Hu Biao quietly explained the reason for the matter and Mr. Nanze's request for him to go to Bozhou.

After hearing this, Annie immediately said, "I'll go with you."

After saying that, he picked up his phone and started searching. After some operations, he said to Hu Biao:

"Give me your ID card so I can book a plane ticket; there are no direct flights to Bozhou today, nor are there any direct high-speed trains, but there is a flight to Fuyang in an hour and a half."

It's only a little over 100 kilometers from Bozhou, so it should be the fastest way to get there.

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao said with an embarrassed expression, "I'm sorry! I'm on the list of dishonest persons, and I probably won't be able to take a plane or high-speed train until I pay off all the money, so I can only drive there today."

"If it's too much trouble to go back and forth, you might as well not go."

Shaking her head, Annie rejected Hu Biao's suggestion:

"I'll go with you! Firstly, to see off my comrade-in-arms, Nanfeng, and to express my own sentiments."

Secondly, it's over 700 kilometers from the capital to Bozhou, and you'll probably have to rush back after you're done. Driving alone is too tiring.

Then, with an unprecedentedly solemn attitude, he said to Hu Biao:
"Remember! Aside from ever going out and flirting with vixens again, never apologize to me."

So what if I'm on the blacklist? It's not like I committed murder or arson.

Life is long, and there are always smooth sailing times; there will always be low points. Let's work hard to earn money, and I believe we can pay off our debts soon and get off the list.

"Yes, yes! We'll pay you back soon." Touched, Hu Biao nodded vigorously...

(End of this chapter)