1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 365 Record Highs in Revenue and Profit! (6.2k words combined)

"Yes, I agree." Zhou Yan glanced at the feather duster in the old lady's hand and answered quickly.

The old lady was so kind when she gave out candy, but when she scolded her grandson, she really did it.

"Okay, okay." The old lady put the feather duster aside, her smile growing even brighter.

"Then I'll go turn over the meat," Zhou Yan said, walking towards the room where the cured meat was kept.

Four large vats were lined up against the wall. When the bamboo baskets and gauze covering them were removed, the cured meat was piled up to the mouth of the vats, almost overflowing.

Turning the cured pork over is a crucial step in the curing process, ensuring the salt is evenly distributed. This step cannot be skipped or neglected.

Zhou Yan took a large basin and turned all four jars of cured meat over. Then he went to check on the smoking room in the corner of the courtyard.

As soon as you get close, the smell of burning cypress leaves wafts over, and wisps of white smoke drift out from the cracks in the door.

Zhou Yan took out his key, opened the door, and stood aside to let the smoke dissipate a little before stepping inside.

The sausages that were drying in the yard were sent to the smoking room yesterday to begin a two-week smoking process.

Rows of bamboo poles were hung with sausages, neatly suspended in the air. Looking up, it was no exaggeration to call it a meat forest.

After being smoked for a day and a night, the sausage skin had developed a slight sheen of oil, and each segment was plump and looked quite tempting, making one want to cut one off and try it.

Below, a simple stove was built with stones and mud, covered with a stone slab. The stove was stuffed with green cypress branches, and at the bottom was a large oak tree. The firelight was dim, and wisps of smoke rose slowly, filling the entire smoke room.

The aroma of cypress and oak, smoky and mixed with the scent of sausage, wafts in with the gentle warmth.

This fumigation room is quite professional.

Smoking should not involve open flames, otherwise the sausages and cured meats will be charred and the surface fat will dry out, resulting in a poor taste.

The temperature of the smoking room must be well controlled to allow the sausages and cured meats to dry slowly, infusing them with the smoky flavor. The process is slightly faster than air drying, but it still takes at least half a month of smoking.

This is the magic of time, allowing deliciousness to mature slowly.

In winter, the fumigation room was the core area of ​​the Zhou family's residence, and only the old lady could freely enter and exit it.

Adding cypress branches as needed is a time-consuming process.

The old lady lit a fire at the door to lure the old lady next door over to chat and play cards, all so she could keep an eye on the fire in the smokehouse.

Zhou Yan glanced at the sausage a few times, and after confirming its condition, covered her mouth and left.

It smells so bad!
In no time, tears started flowing.

"How did it turn out?" the old lady asked.

"They're grilled perfectly, the sausages are cooked to perfection, and the combination of cypress branches and oak wood really makes them fragrant," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"Of course! Fifty years of experience, no joke." The old lady's smile was full of confidence and composure.

“By the way, Grandma, I ran into Auntie and Laifu when I went grocery shopping the other day. Auntie can walk to the market in town by herself now, and her eyesight is much better. Laifu has grown taller and stronger.” Zhou Yan said.

The old lady's eyes lit up: "Really? That's great! I was just thinking yesterday about when I could go see Lihua."

"Wait until this Sunday, then ask my dad to come and take you. My mom can watch the fire then."

"Have it."

Zhou Momo played with the cat and walked the goose, and chatted with the old lady for a while before Zhou Yan took her back home.

As they came out of the courtyard, they saw Mr. Shu from Zhoucun squatting by the roadside, wearing a tattered coat and grinning foolishly at them.

"Zhou Qi, here's some candy!" Zhou Momo ran over and handed him a hard fruit candy.

Zhou Qi looked at the fruit candy in his palm, and saw Zhou Momo's smile grow even brighter.

Zhou Yan watched this scene with a smile on his lips.

Influenced by the old lady, Zhou Momo was not afraid of or bullied by the other children in the village. Instead, she would feed him some snacks.

"Brother, why is Zhou Qi still so happy every day even though he's grown up? I don't see any of the adults in the village who laugh as much as him." On the way back, Zhou Momo turned around and asked Zhou Yan.

"Maybe it's because he doesn't have to grow up, so he has no worries. All he needs to do every day is find food to eat," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

In this life, we all live, and it's not certain who will be happier than whom.

"I don't want to grow up either. I'm so happy every day now~~" Zhou Momo shook her little head, her smile bright.

Back at the hotel, I pushed open the door and went inside. The place was quiet; it seemed everyone had gone for their lunch break.

The sound of turning pages came from the corner.

Zhou Yan looked in the direction of the voice and said with some surprise, "Xiao Zeng, why are you still reading? Aren't you going to take a nap?"

"Professor Zhou, you're back." Zeng Anrong stood up, smiled and said, "I slept for half an hour. My nap time is always like this. I thought I could read a book after I got up."

"Quite self-disciplined," Zhou Yan nodded.

"Which book do you want to read? I'll just read the other one." Zeng Anrong picked up the book on the table.

“I’ve finished reading the first volume. You can read that first. I’m currently reading the second volume.” Zhou Yan glanced at the book in her hand.

“Okay.” Zeng Anrong nodded, sat down and continued reading, with an open notebook beside her.

Zhou Yan glanced at his watch, then went upstairs and dozed off for half an hour.

……

For the next few days, Tuesday's restaurant business was quite good.

The exposure and popularity brought by the cultural performance were greater and more lasting than Zhou Yan had expected. In order to satisfy the people's growing enthusiasm for food, Zhou Yan had to increase the supply of dishes, which resulted in him getting off work later and later.

It was cold and pitch black everywhere, so Zhou Yan didn't want to take Xia Yao out for a walk in the dark, which shortened their date time considerably.

The downside of dating in town is that there's nowhere to go at night.

If we were in the city, we could also go see a movie.

However, Xia Yao has been quite busy lately. She plans to complete as many design drawings and copy as much information as possible before the end of her internship to complete her graduation project, so as to free up more internship time for next year.

So apart from that half-hour walk in the evening, the two didn't have much contact.

……

On Saturday night, the last dish was brought out of the kitchen, and the three kitchen staff breathed a sigh of relief.

In addition to our regular customers, we also have four private banquet tables booked tonight; we're completely sold out.

Zhou Yan glanced at the alarm clock.

Goodness, it's already seven o'clock.

There were still about ten tables of guests outside, enjoying their meal. They probably wouldn't finish until eight o'clock.

"What a wonderful day! I'm off, I'm going home, bye-bye!" Awei took off his apron and walked out. A little while later, he came down from upstairs with a cloth bag on his back, pushed it onto his bike, grabbed a flashlight, and left.

Leaving get off work in a flash!
"Running so fast, looks like you really miss home," Aunt Zhao said with a smile as she carried in a plate.

Everyone laughed upon hearing this.

"Go go for a run, we'll take care of things here," Aunt Zhao said to Zhou Yan.

"I'm not going today, it's already dark outside. I'll take a day off." Zhou Yan shook his head. He knew there would be a lot of orders tonight, and he had already told Xia Yao at noon that she should just focus on drawing.

Tomorrow, Zhou Yan will be Lu Chuan's best man. He needs to leave for the groom's house at six o'clock to pick up the bride. He also needs to wash his old bicycle later.

Don't underestimate his old bicycle; it's one of the wedding cars tomorrow.

Zhou Yan asked Xia Yao if she wanted to go see the excitement together tomorrow.

Xia Yao was somewhat tempted, but she had already made plans to have dinner with her aunt and others and meet someone, so she had to give up the idea.

Of course, it was a rare Sunday, and Zhou Yan felt a little reluctant to wake her up at four o'clock to get dressed and go out.

Pushing the bicycle out the door, unloading the two baskets, Zhou Yan took a basin of water and an old towel, and carefully wiped the bicycle from top to bottom.

The dusty old bicycle has become shiny again, just like new.

Zhou Yan usually cherishes this bicycle quite a bit; it's a brand new bike, and so far it hasn't had any problems.

"Brother, are you going to pick up the bride tomorrow?" Zhou Momo asked curiously as she moved a small stool next to him to watch him wash the car.

“Yes.” Zhou Yan nodded.

"Can I come with you?" Zhou Momo looked up at him with her little face full of expectation.

“No, it’s too early. You’re definitely not awake yet.” Zhou Yan shook his head and refused. “Besides, I’m going to be a groomsman. I’ll have to help carry things, bang on doors, and fool the bridesmaids. There’s too much to do. I definitely won’t be able to take care of you.”

"Okay then~~" Zhou Momo stopped fussing and thought for a moment, "Then remember to bring me wedding candy~"

"Okay, I'll sneak you an extra bag." Zhou Yan nodded.

"Honey! You're truly my best honey!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up. "I will always, always be loyal to you!"

"Okay, I believe you." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Zhou Fei stopped his bike at the entrance, looked at the four or five tables of customers still inside, and said to Zhou Yan with a smile, "Zhou Yan, business is really good today, it's still not over even though it's dark."

"Yes, we have a few tables booked for banquet today." Zhou Yan looked at Zhou Fei and asked, "Brother Fei, have you guys had dinner yet?"

"We've already eaten. Your sister-in-law said she'd be busy today, so she told me to take the two kids to my mom's house for dinner," Zhou Fei nodded with a simple smile.

Zhou Momo ran inside, then came out a moment later, holding her woven straw dragonfly in her hand and showing it to Zhou Fei: "Fei-gege, look at my Dingding Cat~"

"Wow, this Tintin Cat is really cute!" Zhou Fei took it, looked at it, and said with a smile, "Next time, how about I make you a little bird?"

"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded, very happy.

Zhou Yan and Zhou Fei chatted for a while at the door. Later, Li Lihua's husband, He Yong, and Comrade Lao Zhou also joined the group chat. The topic gradually shifted from the beef supply in Zhoucun to the international situation, from the capture of Luding Bridge to the Normandy landings.

It was truly a thoroughly enjoyable and lively chat among men.

There's no way around it; that's just how pure the relationships between men are.

Midway through, Comrade Lao Zhou took Aunt Zhao and Zhou Momo to their literacy class.

After washing the dishes and mopping the floor, Zhao Hong and Li Lihua officially went home. "That's enough! We'll do it again next time," Zhou Yan said, ending the long chatter.

Back at the shop, Zeng Anrong was copying "Chef Professional Skills Examination Review Outline".

"The book is right here, why do you need to copy it?" Zhou Yan asked.

“It’s easier to remember if you copy it once, and it’s also convenient to look at it whenever you want. The outline doesn’t have many words, so it’s quite fast to copy,” Zeng Anrong explained with a smile.

"Alright, you can copy whatever you want." Zhou Yan nodded, took out "Sichuan Cuisine Cooking" and found a table to sit down and start reading.

For the Level 3 chef exam, a written test must be taken first, and only those who pass the written test can participate in the practical skills test.

Furthermore, Kong Guodong stated that those who perform exceptionally well in the Level 3 exam can participate in the Level 2 chef exam next year.

His standard can no longer be just passing; he should strive to achieve a higher ranking in the Level 3 chef examination in Jiaozhou and even in Sichuan.

People should still have aspirations.

After all, he was a highly educated individual who stood out from hundreds of thousands of applicants in Zhejiang Province and was admitted to a public second-tier university!
We're facing a group of chefs with generally low levels of education, so what's there to be afraid of!
"Sichuan Cuisine Cooking" is a textbook with a particularly strong practical focus. The content is very detailed and differs from general simplified recipes.

For example, in Section 4: Preliminary Processing of Poultry, regarding slaughter: Before slaughtering chickens and ducks, prepare a bowl with a little salt and some water. When slaughtering, hold the chicken's wing with your left hand, hook your little finger around the chicken's right leg, bend the chicken's neck, and use your thumb and forefinger to pinch only the skin behind the neck bone. With your right hand, pluck a small amount of neck feathers at the incision point (usually at the first neck bone)...

The details are so rich that they create a vivid visual experience.

That's right, this is a simple and unpretentious text tutorial, the culmination of many years of experience accumulated by a group of master craftsmen.

Zhou Yan watched intently, and couldn't resist the urge to catch a chicken to practice his skills.

Chef certification exams require chefs to demonstrate their ability to handle ingredients.

In the canteen of a large hotel, the division of labor is clear: some people are responsible for slaughtering, some for chopping, and some for preparing the dishes. The head chef only needs to stand in front of the stove and cook the dishes.

However, a qualified chef must be proficient in chopping, preparing ingredients, and cooking.

Apprentices learn everything from scratch when they first enter the kitchen.

For example, in the top-level exam, to make roast suckling pig, the chef must start by catching piglets from the cage and slaughtering them.

That's right, butchering pigs is considered a basic skill for chefs.

Zhou Yan had done it before, so he could be considered to have slaughtered a pig, but he wasn't skilled enough. He should learn more from Comrade Zhou in the future.

Deboning and separating the meat are all steps that require careful attention.

An hour and a half later, Aunt Zhao and the others returned to the hotel and started doing their homework.

Old Zhou closed the door, looked around, saw Zhou Yan engrossed in his book, put the chessboard back in the cabinet, and silently took out "Romance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties" to read.

Half an hour later, Zhou Momo finished her homework first and was about to slip off the stool to play when Aunt Zhao called out to her, "Momo, come here, Mom has a question for you."

"What's the question?" Zhou Momo moved closer.

"This is it. Kneel down and explain properly."

"Tieying, you definitely didn't pay attention in class. This is so easy..."

"I'll give you a chance, so speak properly."

……

Zhou Yan scribbled down the key points on the paper, a smile playing on his lips.

Who would have thought that the atmosphere of studying at Zhou Erwa's restaurant would be so intense at night?

After finishing her homework, Aunt Zhao walked over to Zhou Yan's desk and said, "Zhou Yan, when you go so early tomorrow morning, remember to change the batteries in your flashlight. The dew is heavy and it's especially cold in the morning, so remember to wear a hat and gloves to avoid getting frostbite."

“Okay.” Zhou Yan looked up at Zhao Niangniang: “Mom, I told Grandma that you can take Momo back to the countryside for a day tomorrow. You can help watch the fumigation room for a day, and I’ll take Grandma to visit Aunt Sun for half a day.”

Aunt Zhao nodded with a smile: "That's a good idea. I was planning to go back to the village for a day. Tomorrow I'll warm myself by the fire in the yard and invite a few of my sisters over to play cards and chat."

Zhou Yan stuffed the book back into the cabinet, took a shower, and then carried the money box upstairs.

"Let's see how much revenue we have today. Let's see if we broke the record." Aunt Zhao followed her upstairs, her voice filled with anticipation.

"Come on, let's count together." Zhou Yan turned on the room light, and everyone took a small stool and started counting money around the money box.

They made money in small amounts, mostly in denominations of one, two, five, or one yuan, with large sums of money being the least common.

The mother and son counted out a hundred-yuan bill from a box, tied it with a rubber band, and put it aside.

First, count the five-cent and one-cent bills. Then, you get to a stack of ten-cent bills. You gather the one-cent and two-cent bills together, and the ten-cent bills form a thick stack.

After counting everything, there were only a dozen or so five-cent bills left.

Zhou Yan counted the bundled money, which totaled 865.6 yuan. After deducting the cost of ingredients of 402 yuan, the gross profit was 463.6 yuan.

"Great! You can earn over four hundred yuan a day! That's enough to buy a TV!" Aunt Zhao counted the money again, beaming.

"Yes, both revenue and profit have reached record highs." Zhou Yan also had a big smile on his face.

"This banquet was a great success. The guests who ate at the banquet today were all very happy. The food was delicious, and for only thirty yuan, they thought it was a good deal," said Aunt Zhao.

"This shows that our banquet packages are indeed cost-effective." Zhou Yan put the money into the large money box under the bed. When he pulled it out, the box was already full, and he had to hold it down to put more money in.

Aunt Zhao swallowed hard as she looked at the money in the box, and whispered, "There's so much money here! The box is full! It's not safe to leave it like this. We should find some time to deposit it."

Zhou Yan said, "There are more than 12,000 here. On Monday, I'll have the old man come with me to Jiaozhou to open an account and deposit the money."

“Okay! I’ll go too. Armed escort. We can also open an account and deposit the money. I don’t feel safe leaving it in the shop.” Aunt Zhao said, getting up to leave. “Then you should get some rest. We have to go up early tomorrow morning.”

"Okay." Zhou Yan replied, closed the door, and noted down the bill.

Today's four banquet tables boosted both revenue and profit.

Booking a private room is really good; it immediately increases the average order value.

He removed twice-cooked pork from the banquet menu, but kept Kung Pao chicken.

Twice-cooked pork is too common and doesn't really fit into a banquet menu.

Of course, the banquet menu will be constantly adjusted. When we arrive in Jiaozhou, we will try to create a banquet menu with tiered pricing.

For example, there are price tiers of 30 yuan, 50 yuan, and 80 yuan.

Once they entered the city, they worked in catering, earning money from the wealthy.

Therefore, we cannot focus on cost-effectiveness.

The more cost-effective you are, the less face the host can maintain.

Conversely, elevating the menu with elaborate, high-quality dishes that require advanced techniques, ensuring guests can't find them elsewhere, and then setting a reasonable price range, allows the host to save face and demonstrates the importance placed on the meal—that's the smart approach.

Of course, this way he can earn more.

In the vast city of Jiaozhou, there's no end to the money you can make.

The lobby on the first floor caters to mass consumers, with prices set by Feiyan Restaurant and Leming Restaurant. They don't engage in price wars, but rely on the taste to capture the market.

If you're looking for a private room on the second floor for a dry banquet, then you should aim for the most popular banquet restaurants right now.

Tomorrow I'll go check out Wanxiu Restaurant to get a feel for it, so I'll know where to focus my efforts when I get back.

Once Zeng Anrong and Awei are able to handle the tasks, the shop won't be so busy anymore. He plans to hone his culinary skills and seek out his grandmaster to learn some proper, presentable, and banquet-worthy techniques from the Kong school.

Ultimately, the system is just an aid. If the recipes provided by the system are too random, you still have to make your own plans and arrangements.

Zeng Anrong is making rapid progress. Zhou Yan has now completely handed over the work of kneading and mixing the dough to her, and only provides guidance on preparing the fresh meat filling.

Based on the current progress, achieving "extremely good" is only a matter of time.

Pushing the heavy box back under the bed, the sense of accomplishment from earning money brings a feeling of happiness.

With his savings growing quite fast, Zhou Yan estimated that he would have a considerable amount of disposable funds by the Chinese New Year, enough to have a prosperous holiday.

"When the year is over, buy a TV for Zhou Momo..." Zhou Yan paused, then added, "Buy one for the old lady too."

dong dong.

There was a knock on the door.

Zhou Yan opened the door, and Aunt Zhao handed him a black sweater: "This new sweater was knitted for you. Try it on and see if it fits. Wear this as a base layer when you're a groomsman tomorrow. Don't wear that thin chef's uniform anymore."

"Huh? Mom, when did you knit this sweater? I haven't seen you do it before." Zhou Yan took the sweater and put it on his head. It fit perfectly. It was a simple black round neck sweater with a new design. It was quite warm to wear.

"I bought the yarn and had Wang Yanhong knit it for me. I paid her two yuan for her work. Her skills are much better than mine. The yarn only cost two yuan, so it only cost four yuan in total. But in a department store, a sweater made of this material costs eight yuan and fifty cents." Aunt Zhao smiled proudly.

"Mom, you're getting better and better at business, knowing how to make good use of resources." Zhou Yan gave a thumbs up.

"Remember, if people ask about it when you go out, just say that my mother knitted this yarn," Aunt Zhao instructed.

"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, touching the woolen fabric on his body; it was so warm.

After washing his hands, Zhou Yan lay back in bed, set an alarm clock and placed it on the bedside table. He closed his eyes and fell asleep immediately.

The next morning, Zhou Yan turned off the alarm clock the second time it rang.

For Zhou Yan, five o'clock was already considered a twenty-minute nap.

I got dressed, washed up, and went out; it was only 5:10.

This is the difference between men and women. If it were a woman, even getting up an hour early to do her makeup and get dressed for an important occasion like a wedding might not be enough.

Before dawn.

Zhou Yan was wearing a woolen hat and a glove with an extra finger. He was carrying a flashlight and riding his bicycle towards Jiaozhou.

Zhou Yan remembered visiting Lu Chuan's house once before. Lu Chuan had given him the address. He arrived at the Lu family's building right before six o'clock. The "double happiness" characters were pasted all the way in from the gate of the courtyard. He shone his flashlight and followed the "double happiness" characters in, and he was sure he was on the right track.

"Here! Zhou Yan!" Lu Chuan spotted Zhou Yan at a glance and waved to him.

"Coming!" Zhou Yan responded, and as soon as he stopped his bicycle, a steaming bowl of glutinous rice balls was shoved into his hands.

"Have a few glutinous rice balls to fill your stomach. We're about to set off to pick up the bride. I know you haven't had breakfast yet," Lu Chuan said with a smile.

　There will be another update later~~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)