1984: Starting from a bankrupt Sichuan restaurant

Chapter 50 Labor and Capital on the Shu Road! (First Update!)

The guests had all left, and Zhao Hong had also gone home.

In the empty restaurant, Comrade Zhou was sweeping the floor.

Aunt Zhao leaned against the doorpost, rubbing her lower back. She hadn't felt it when she was busy, but now that she had a break, she felt a bit of back pain.

"Mommy, sit down, Momo will give you a massage." Zhou Momo moved a small stool over, pulled her to sit down, and gently patted her back with her little fist.

"Is it comfortable?"

"Yes, my youngest daughter is really capable; she even gives her mother a back massage now." Zhao Tieying nodded with a smile. "That feels good."

Zhou Momo listened and hammered even harder.

Zhou Yan simply stir-fried some greens and minced beef with two kinds of peppers, and then heated up the remaining beef intestines and beef tendon, which was his dinner.

He had specially reserved the three or two pieces of hanging dragon meat; if the guests were satisfied, he couldn't let his own people down.

"Many customers wanted to order the double-pepper minced beef, how come you hid a portion?" Aunt Zhao said with a smile, looking at the minced beef that Zhou Yan brought out from the kitchen.

“If the guests want to eat, we need to eat too,” Zhou Yan said with a smile. “The purpose of making money is to live a better life, and eating well is also very important.”

“We’ll just stir-fry some vegetables, heat up the soup, and eat it. Why be so fussy?” Aunt Zhao stood up and led Zhou Momo over to sit down.

“That won’t do. Momo is growing taller right now, and you’re so busy every day. She definitely needs to eat well.” Zhou Miao washed her hands and came over. “I think Zhou Yan is right.”

"Alright, alright, I'll do whatever you two say." Zhao Tieying nodded.

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever you two say," Zhou Momo said in her childish voice.

Everyone laughed.

One person scooped up a bowl of rice and filled their stomach first.

"I didn't expect business to be so good on the first day. The two factory managers have been a great help." Zhao Tieying said halfway through her meal, "That Deputy Factory Manager Lin is truly our benefactor. He has helped us open up sales channels time and time again."

"Yes, we should thank him properly when we have the chance." Zhou Yan nodded. Today, Uncle Lin invited Factory Director Wang to dinner, which was clearly intended to promote and introduce him to someone. This surprised and touched him.

They were not related by blood or marriage, but Xia Yao had saved his life, and they had already given him more than enough. He didn't feel that the other party owed him any favors.

"How about we send him something? We can't keep owing him a favor," Zhao Tieying asked Zhou Yan.

"Next time, bring him some pickled radishes. His two sons seem to like them quite a bit. He usually won't accept anything else." Zhou Yan said with a smile, "It's alright, there's plenty of time. We can repay him when we have the chance. It's all about giving and receiving."

"Okay." Zhao Tieying nodded, agreeing with Zhou Yan's point.

"Dad, I need 12 jin of beef brisket and 17 jin of hanging tenderloin for tomorrow. If you don't have enough hanging tenderloin, I just talked to Brother Fei and he will save some for me..." Zhou Yan ordered beef and offal from Old Zhou.

"So many?" Zhao Tieying was somewhat surprised.

“This will definitely spread throughout the textile factory tomorrow. We’ve made a name for ourselves. We need to seize the opportunity and take over all the customers for the stir-fries at the factory canteen,” Zhou Yan said with a smile.

He figured Wang Defa must be furious right now, and who knows what bad things he's up to.

But it doesn't matter. Thanks to Lin Zhiqiang's introduction, he has already made contact with Wang Hongliang, and they will be dining buddies to exchange ideas and learn from each other.

Zhou Yan could tell that Wang Hongliang genuinely loved cooking and highly appreciated his dishes; this kind of relationship wouldn't be tiring.

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Aunt Zhao nodded with a smile.

The factory manager said that Zhou Yan could be a good boss, and she always believed that he could.

Zhou Momo ate three bowls of rice and drank a bowl of soup while mixing the shredded beef, then put down her chopsticks with satisfaction and let out a burp.

Using a special little bowl makes cooking feel so satisfying.

"The food made by the pot is so delicious! I'm so full!" The little guy chuckled, a dimple appearing on his chubby cheeks, his eyes curving into crescents, and two grains of rice still clinging to his lips. He was adorable and heartwarming.

"Good girl~" Zhou Yan reached out and helped her wipe the rice grains from the corner of her mouth.

Zhou Momo moved closer to him, asking curiously, "Brother, just now Brother asked me why the beef has its legs crossed? Does beef get tired?"

Zhou Yan couldn't help but chuckle and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes, Niu'er must get tired standing all day, so he likes to cross his legs and rest when he has free time."

"Ah, I understand!" Zhou Momo nodded thoughtfully.

Aunt Zhao and Comrade Lao Zhou also laughed.

The little guy is truly a source of joy in the family.

Zhou Momo lay on the stool, carefully placing her left foot on the ground first, making sure her toes were touching the ground before putting her right foot down. She walked to Zhou Yan's side and took his hand: "Guoguo~ take me to play, I want to play on the sled."

"It's almost dark, why are you still playing with the seesaw? You can play with it tomorrow morning!" Comrade Zhao Tieying issued a divine decree.

"No, I want to play, just for a little while..." Zhou Momo shook Zhou Yan's hand and acted coquettishly.

"Labor and management on the Shu Road! One, two..."

"Fine, let's play tomorrow then..." Zhou Momo pouted, ultimately backing down.

Zhou Yan smiled but remained silent, afraid of getting into trouble.

Aunt Zhao wasn't a spoilsport, but she didn't indulge Zhou Momo in everything either.

It'll be completely dark soon, and riding my bike home won't be safe or convenient. Kids will be kids; if they cry a little, they might just agree.

Zhou Momo isn't stubborn; it's the kind of person who throws a tantrum and rolls on the ground that's really troublesome.

Zhou Yan volunteered to wash the dishes. When he saw them off, he noticed a pedicab parked across the street, with Zhou Liangliang and his wife looking dejected as they loaded things onto it.

"You hand out toilet paper when others are taking a dump, and you lick the plates when others are eating. You set up your stall looking quite professional, and you went bankrupt in a day. That's incredibly fast," Aunt Zhao said with a smile.

Zhou Liangliang and Wu Guihua's faces darkened even more, and they wished they could disappear into nowhere.

Zhou Miao rode away with the mother and daughter, a smile on his face.

Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile. In terms of lethality, Aunt Zhao's sarcastic remarks were the most effective.

After locking the door, he still ran a lap along the riverbank, working up a sweat before going back.

The stalls at the entrance were back to their original state, empty except for two piles of ashes.

The couple came and went in a hurry.

Zhou Yan actually admired their ability to take action.

Upon discovering a business opportunity at the entrance of the textile factory, they immediately moved their stall there and even added noodles to their menu.

Finding that this money was hard to earn and even opening a business was difficult, they moved their belongings and left overnight.

With this level of action, more than 90% of people are just lacking in vision and intelligence, and they make business decisions based on wishful thinking.

After taking a shower, Zhou Yan wrote down the expenses.

Today we sold eighty bowls of noodles, one hundred bowls of braised beef, and other dishes, bringing in a total income of 160.8 yuan.

Revenue hit a new high, even higher than the day last Saturday when students from the Sichuan Fine Arts Institute had a group meal.

The profit margin for stir-fried dishes is relatively low, but the profit margin for braised beef is high, with a total profit of about 86 yuan, which is about 50%.

Tie the ten-yuan notes together with a rope and put them all into the money box.

He has already paid off 180 yuan of the debt, and still owes 678.52 yuan. He currently has 144.24 yuan in cash on hand.

If business goes as expected tomorrow, Zhou Yan estimates he can pay off all his debts this week.

On Sunday, my cousin Zhou Hao held his wedding banquet, and the entire Zhou family, along with the elders and villagers of Zhoucun, gathered together.

He wanted to pay off the debt so that Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou could hold their heads high in front of others and enjoy the outdoor banquet.

Running this restaurant has made them the subject of a lot of gossip and pointing fingers.

The restaurant has now been revitalized and has established itself through word of mouth.

If they can gradually eat up all the stir-fried dishes from the factory canteen, their family will be able to have a prosperous New Year.

……

"We've sold at least 150 today, and there are still many customers who wanted to eat but didn't get to. They were even scrambling to order the two-yuan crucian carp with mint. How come business is suddenly so good? I feel like I'm dreaming!" Aunt Zhao said with a smile, her arm around Old Zhou's waist.

"That shows that Zhou Yan has grown under your tutelage," Zhou Miao said with a smile.

“Yes, that makes a lot of sense. He’s already capable of handling things on his own now.” Aunt Zhao nodded, her smile growing even brighter. “You didn’t hear it today, but the factory manager praised Zhou Yan so much that he called him Master Zhou. The workers in the shop were all stunned.”

As she spoke, her mood soured again, and she sighed, "This kid must have suffered a lot when he was learning to cook, otherwise how could he make such delicious dishes?"

“He learned your spirit of hard work and perseverance. You set a good example as a mother.” Zhou Miao said with a smile, “Boys should endure some hardship, otherwise they will not become talented or accomplish anything.”

"Oh my, how come you're so good at saying nice things? You never say a word in front of strangers." Aunt Zhao patted Zhou Miao's stomach and said with a coquettish smile.

"I'm only saying nice things to you; I don't need to care about anyone else," Old Zhou said seriously.

"Hmm, you're conscientious. Why don't you go fishing tomorrow?"

"Have it."

……

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(End of this chapter)