1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 47 They've all been caught and turned into mandarin ducks (First Update!)

Wang Hongliang and Li Meiling looked at Zhou Yan upon hearing the voice, both somewhat surprised by his youth.

Zhou Yan was wearing a white cotton shirt. He was tall and thin, with short, neat hair. He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old and still had a youthful air about him.

Most of these young men are still apprentices in the factory canteen.

I never imagined I'd become the owner of a small restaurant.

Seeing that Zhou Yan's clothes were clean and tidy, without any old grease stains, and that his nails were trimmed short with clean gaps between his fingers, Li Meiling felt a sense of goodwill towards him.

Many chefs spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and their whole bodies give off a greasy feeling. Their fingers are either yellowed from smoking or full of dirt between their fingers, which makes people feel uncomfortable.

"Factory Director, this is Xiao Zhou. He's the one who hosted the teachers and students from Sichuan Fine Arts Institute last time. The students ate there twice and said it was delicious," Lin Zhiqiang introduced with a smile.

"Then your cooking must be really good, otherwise those kids wouldn't want to eat it again after just one meal," Wang Hongliang said with a smile.

"Factory Director, you flatter me. It's my honor that my classmates and teachers are willing to come and support us. I'm also very happy that they enjoyed the meal," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Wang Hongliang nodded. Zhou Yan spoke humbly and politely, and was poised and generous, which made him feel more favorably toward Zhou Yan.

When young people of his age in the factory see him, they often become so nervous that they can't even speak coherently.

Zhou Yan then greeted Lin Zhiqiang and Meng Anhe. Lin Zhiqiang addressed them as Uncle Lin, and Meng Anhe as Sister Meng.

Lin Zhiqiang didn't react much, but Meng Anhe smiled a little more after hearing it. Who doesn't like to be called younger, especially when adults call her "Auntie"? It always makes her feel old.

Xiao Zhou is indeed a good person, sweet-talking and sensible.

As everyone entered, Wang Hongliang first looked at the stove by the door. He had previously noticed the sign "Qiaojiao Beef" written in front of the stove. The large pot, about a meter in size, still contained half a pot of broth. The broth was clear, but the aroma of the beef was exceptionally rich.

The stovetop was wiped clean, without a single water stain.

"This 'Qiaojiao Beef,' is the soup pot from your Zhoucun, right?" Wang Hongliang paused and asked Zhou Yan.

He worked at the Jiaozhou Textile Factory for over twenty years, and he was very familiar with Zhoucun hot pot.

"This is our family's traditional soup pot from Zhoucun. I studied the secret recipe passed down from my ancestors and made a few minor innovations. I simmered it for eight hours with more than ten kinds of Chinese herbs and spices to make this broth. It's a bit different from other families. You'll know once you taste it." Zhou Yan explained with a smile, "Soup pot, also known as 'Qiaojiao Beef,' is a name that has been used for a long time. I think this name is more distinctive."

“It sounds even more intriguing and makes me want to try it than a soup pot.” Wang Hongdian nodded, and Zhou Yan didn’t try to be mysterious. “Young man, you’re really quick-witted.”

Everyone took their seats. The octagonal table with long benches was just the right size for two people on each side without feeling cramped. There were four adults and three children, and the seating was just right.

The seats Zhou Yan arranged for them were perfect for seeing the wooden menu hanging on the wall.

The store is simply decorated, but clean and tidy, making people feel comfortable.

"Your menu is quite interesting. It's the first time I've seen one like this in Suji. It's just that there are only five dishes, which is a bit limited." Wang Hongliang looked up at the menu.

“Yes, restaurants in Chengdu are quite common,” Meng Anhe said, noting that the menu was different from the one she had seen last time.

"We just started selling braised and stir-fried dishes today, so the menu is still relatively small. We'll gradually add more later," Zhou Yan explained with a smile. "Right now, I'm the only one in the kitchen. If we add more dishes, we won't be able to handle it all. My mom said she's going to sculpt a huge Buddha out of a lot of clay. We need to make sure every dish is delicious and that our customers are satisfied."

"Well, you only know if a chef is good after you've tasted him, but having this awareness shows he can be a good boss." Wang Hongliang looked at Zhou Yan with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Meng Anhe also glanced at him a few more times. Zhou Yan's speech was indeed much better than that of an average cook, and he seemed more mature and reliable than his peers.

"Factory manager, since there aren't many dishes anyway, why don't we order one of everything to try?" Lin Zhiqiang suggested, as he was very satisfied with Zhou Yan's performance.

“Okay, I’ll go with whatever you say.” Wang Hongliang nodded.

"Please have a seat, everyone. The dishes will be served shortly," Zhou Yan said, turning and going into the kitchen.

By this time, many workers had already noticed Wang Hongliang and Lin Zhiqiang sitting in the shop.

These are the factory director and deputy director; I never expected them to come to Zhou Erwa's restaurant together for dinner.

The textile factory managers saw them and came over to greet them, and then sat down in the shop.

Both factory managers came to eat, and they wanted to try it out to see if the restaurant was any good.

This made Zhao Tieying extremely happy; she had been worried that the vegetables she had prepared for today would not sell out.

However, no one ordered the crucian carp with agastache; everyone was waiting for the factory manager's table to try it first.

Two yuan a serving, not cheap.

While the adults were ordering food, the three little boys had already set their sights on the little girl sitting on the high stool behind the counter, their faces full of curiosity and their eyes shining.

"She's so small."

"so cute!"

"Cuter than the girls in our class!"

Li Meilin followed her grandson's gaze and her eyes lit up.

Zhou Momo was tiny, with a delicate, sculpted face, big, round eyes, and still had baby fat on her face. Her cheeks looked softer than dough, making you want to pinch them. She was tilting her head and staring at them, looking so cute and playful that you couldn't help but exclaim, "This little girl is so well-behaved!"

"Pretty Auntie!" Zhou Momo slid down the chair leg to the ground and ran over to Meng Anhe, calling out in a clear voice, "Where's Sister Yaoyao? Did she come?" She remembered this pretty auntie; Sister Yaoyao had come to eat noodles with her last time.

Meng Anhe was surprised that the little one still remembered her. She smiled and pinched her cheek, which was indeed soft. Her heart skipped a beat. She shook her head and said, "Yaoyao didn't come. She'll come next time."

"Oh..." Zhou Momo was a little disappointed.

However, she still greeted all the adults at the table.

The way he called out "Grandma" and "Grandpa" filled Li Meilin and Wang Hongliang's hearts with joy. Their grandson was so sweet, but his voice wasn't as sweet as a little girl's.

"These parents have raised their children well; both kids are poised and polite," Wang Hongliang said with a smile.

Meng Anhe nodded slightly in agreement.

Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen had already come over from the left and right, stretching out their little fingers, wanting to poke her chubby little face.

"Brothers." Zhou Momo looked at the two of them and asked in confusion, "What are you two going to do?"

The two paused, somewhat embarrassed, and withdrew their hands.

Wang Hao also slid off the stool and moved closer: "I'm also a guy, you should call me too."

Zhou Momo turned to look at him and nodded: "You're Little Pot."

"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Hao nodded, took three candies out of his pocket, and stuffed them all into Zhou Momo's hand: "Little sister is giving you candies, all of them are for you!"

"Thank you, little brother." Zhou Momo smiled sweetly.

The adults burst into laughter at the sight.

"He finally managed to get three candies from his mom before leaving home. They were such a treasure. He didn't want to eat them on the way. Just one word, 'little pot,' and he emptied his pockets. I wonder what kind of girls will be obsessed with him when he grows up." Li Meilin couldn't stop smiling.

"I have candy too!"

"I have one more chocolate."

Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen scrambled to reach into their pockets.

Soon, Zhou Momo held out her two little hands, which were filled with snacks.

The four children quickly became friends and started playing together.

"Is Xiao Zhou Master Xiao Lei's apprentice?" Wang Hongliang asked Lin Zhiqiang.

“Yes, Xiao Zhou learned his craft from Master Xiao,” Lin Zhiqiang replied.

"Xiao Lei's cooking skills are not bad." Wang Hongliang nodded, no longer having high expectations.

His family had been cooks for generations. He served as a cook in the army when he was young, and after being discharged from the army, he went to work in a textile factory on the production line.

When Xiao Lei was an apprentice in the cafeteria, he had already become a production line leader. Among his fellow apprentices, his talent and culinary skills were considered good, but he was still a step behind his master and was only a level two chef.

After becoming a factory leader, Wang Hongliang frequently traveled on business trips. He ate at many famous Sichuan restaurants such as Rongcheng Restaurant, Rongleyuan Restaurant, and Yulong Restaurant, and witnessed the culinary skills of first-class chefs and even master chefs. Naturally, his horizons broadened.

Xiao Lei's culinary skills are quite good among second-level chefs. If he can make further breakthroughs, he will have the opportunity to be promoted to first-level chef in two years.

But Zhou Yan is too young. I estimate he has only been learning from Xiao Lei for two or three years. In that short time, he might not even have mastered knife skills, let alone learned much of Xiao Lei's culinary skills.
He knew that Zhou Yan had saved Lin Zhiqiang's niece and was intentionally giving him pointers, which Wang Hongliang could completely understand.

Moreover, he also greatly admired Comrade Xiao Zhou's heroic act of risking his life to save others, as well as his humble attitude shown today.

Giving young people some tolerance and opportunities is something he has always been willing to do.

However, he is quite particular about food. Over the years, unless there is an emergency at the factory, he always goes home for meals.

His wife bought the groceries, and he went home and cooked. His son, daughter-in-law, and grandson all loved his cooking, saying it was better than the state-run restaurant in town.

He'll definitely give a good critique of today's meal, as a way of offering some pointers to the young people.

As for cooking, he's quite skilled; he could easily be rated as a level two chef.

The group chatted casually. Lin Zhiqiang and Wang Hongliang were discussing technology at length, while Meng Anhe and Li Meilin were talking about the latest clothing styles at the Rongcheng Department Store.

While eating tripe, Zhao Tieying listened intently to Meng Anhe's conversation. When she heard that Meng Anhe's wool coat cost 120 yuan, she couldn't help but gasp.

Really expensive!

Zhou Miao would have to slaughter a cow for almost two months to afford one.

But it really is beautiful!
Wearing it and sporting a perm, Meng Anhe looked incredibly stylish and beautiful.

Zhao Hong came out with a tray and presented them with the first dish on the table: minced beef with double peppers. She placed it in the middle of the plate and put a spoon next to it.

Wang Hongliang sat up straight, looked at the bright and oily bits of beef with its green and red hues, sniffed it, and his eyes lit up: "Wow, this bit of beef looks pretty good!"
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(End of this chapter)