"Wang Laowu's noodles cost thirty cents a bowl, but I've outsold them at sixty cents, haven't I?" Zhou Yan placed the cow tail bones at the bottom of the pot and said with a smile, "Besides, our soup pot is rich in ingredients. Not only does it have offal, but we also have beef, and the Chinese medicinal herbs we add are quite valuable."
"Of course, the most important thing is that it tastes good. It's worth the sixty cents."
"That's right! This soup pot Zhou Yan makes is so delicious, it's sure to be popular!" Zhao Hong said as she brought out two buckets of well water and poured it into the big pot.
Zhao Tieying had been learning how to make the Cross-legged Beef for the past two days, and Zhao Hong had been eating it along for two days, so she had a lot of say.
Zhao Tieying smiled and nodded, saying, "Okay, I'll do as you say. You're the boss, so you have the final say."
By the time the shop opened in the morning, the beef bone broth in the pot had been simmering for two hours. The aroma of the broth, mixed with the fragrance of spices and traditional Chinese medicine, seeped out through the cracks in the wooden lid and drifted into the stream of bicycles going to work at the textile factory gate.
"What a nice smell! Is beef soup being made so early in the morning?"
"It smells like beef soup, but it's so unique. It's making me hungry this early in the morning."
The workers sniffed the air and looked towards Zhou Erwa Restaurant.
A large, eye-catching big pot stood at the entrance of Zhou Erwa Restaurant. Everyone had seen it for the past few days, but today, a few words were painted in large red paint on the exterior side.
"Cross-legged Beef? What is that?"
"It's probably the soup pot from Zhou Village. Many butchers in Zhou Village sell beef offal soup, but it smells different. It doesn't have that fishy odor I had last time."
"Isn't it written below? It's a beef offal soup pot made with Chinese herbs. It's a secret recipe passed down from ancestors."
Some workers came over to take a closer look, while others came to eat noodles.
"Miss Zhao, what exactly is this Cross-legged Beef? Can we eat it this morning?" a female worker asked Zhao Tieying, who was standing at the door.
The workers also looked at Zhao Tieying.
"Cross-legged Beef is a medicinal dish passed down from our ancestors in Sha Niu Zhou Village. It's not only delicious, but also has the power to dispel cold and dampness." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, "You can't have it this morning. This pot of soup needs to simmer for a full eight hours. Come by today after get off work at noon, and you'll be able to enjoy the first batch of soup, when it's at its peak flavor. It's incredibly delicious. You'll understand once you try it."
"Simmer for eight hours?"
The workers were a little stunned by the words.
But Miss Zhao's words certainly piqued their curiosity.
Medicinal food sounds quite high-end.
Customers who came to the restaurant for noodles would casually ask about it.
Miss Zhao answered every question, following the same sales pitch Zhou Yan had trained her on for the past two days, talking only about the Cross-legged Beef and never mentioning the soup pot.
This piqued the customer's curiosity.
Zhou Erwa Restaurant's Cross-legged Beef had its first wave of publicity.
After closing the morning business, they began preparing for the afternoon business.
"Miss Zhao, well said." Zhou Yan emerged from the kitchen and gave Comrade Zhao Tieying a thumbs-up.
"Get lost!" Zhao Tieying rolled her eyes at him, her lips curled upward with a hint of pride.
…
"Deputy Director Lin, are you feeling unwell? You seem to be sneezing constantly." Zhao Dong hurried over to Lin Zhiqiang outside the textile factory's conference room and asked with concern.
Lin Zhiqiang sniffed, his nose reddening from rubbing it with tissue paper. His face was tired, but he forced a smile. "I've been traveling around the province these past few days, and then I was in Chengdu for two days of meetings. I'm really tired. I caught a cold last night, but it's nothing serious."
He then turned his back and sneezed, covering his mouth and nose.
"You don't look okay. Go to the infirmary to get some medicine, then go back and get some rest. Your health is important." Zhao Dong said quickly.
He patted his black briefcase and said, "I brought something nice."
Zhao Dong's eyes lit up at that, but he murmured with embarrassment, "It's not good to do it during work hours, is it?"
"What did you think it was?" Lin Zhiqiang laughed, pulling out a glass bottle labeled 'Donghu Vinegar' from his briefcase.
"Vinegar?" Zhao Dong scratched his head awkwardly. "I thought it was wine."
"This is authentic Shanxi aged vinegar. A fellow villager of mine brought it to me. He say this is the vinegar used at state banquets." Lin Zhiqiang placed the vinegar back into his briefcase, a look of cherishment on his face.
"I just can't handle this sour taste. I need chili peppers to taste it right. If I don't eat spicy food for a day, I get really anxious." Zhao Dong shook his head.
"I'm the exact opposite of you. If I don't eat vinegar for a day, I get really anxious too." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile.
The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the main entrance. It was lunch time, and many workers were heading towards the factory entrance, preparing to grab something from the stalls.
"Why is there a stove right outside the door?" Lin Zhiqiang spotted the stove and looked down, surprised. "Cross-legged Beef? A new dish?"
"Looks like they're serving a new dish. Zhou Village's soup pot has always been quite famous. There's a Zhou Ji Soup Pot place over by the dock that's pretty good. Zhou Yan is from Zhou Village, and it smells quite nice." Zhao Dong had come here the day before yesterday for a bowl of noodles, but there wasn't a sign over the stove back then.
The broth had been simmered for eight hours, and the aroma of meat wafted through the steam, tempting everyone.
"This is a traditional Chinese medicine recipe passed down from ancestors. It can also dispel cold and dampness. Interesting." Lin Zhiqiang carefully read the small print below and teased, "I'll order one to try later to see if it really works. If it does, I won't even need to go to the hospital."
Zhao Tieying, standing behind the stove, had already spotted the two of them and greeted them with a smile, "Leaders, please take a seat inside."
"Okay." Lin Zhiqiang replied. He and Zhao Dong entered the shop and found an empty table.
The workers seated inside greeted them upon seeing them.
Lin Zhiqiang was the factory's technical leader. Although he was deputy director, he held a low profile and was well-respected by the workers.
"Leaders, what would you like to eat today?" Zhao Tieying approached, looking at Lin Zhiqiang, whose nose was red and whose complexion was displeased, she asked with concern, "Do you have a cold?"
Zhao Tieying had a very good impression of Xia Yao. The Lin Zhiqiang family was humble, grateful, and easygoing.
"Nothing, just a slight cold." Lin Zhiqiang forced a smile. "I think your new Cross-legged Beef dish is good for keeping the cold away? Give me a bowl, and a bowl of braised pork rib noodles."
"I'll have a bowl of double pepper beef noodles." Zhao Dong said.
He didn't rush to order the Cross-legged Beef. He'd had hot pot soup before. The Zhou Ji stall at the dock was only 40 cents or 60 cents a bowl, which was a real rip-off.
Let Lin Zhiqiang try it first. If it tasted good, he could order later.
"Okay, I'll make it for you right away." Zhao Tieying walked towards the large pot, saying, "As for warding off the cold, my husband caught a cold a few days ago. He ate a bowl of Cross-legged Beef and broke out in a sweat. He was cured the same day. It works really well."
A new dish has been added to the menu on the wall: Cross-legged Beef, 60 cents a bowl.
The price is comparable to a bowl of noodles.
If you order rice, you have to add another 10 cents.
That's not cheap.
So, the customers in the restaurant haven't ordered anything yet, they've all ordered noodles.
Upon hearing that Lin Zhiqiang had ordered the Cross-legged Beef, everyone looked over at him, their faces lit with anticipation.
Someone had to be brave enough to try it for everyone first.
Lin Zhiqiang noticed everyone's gazes and said with a smile, "I see you all are not very confident about this new dish. So, I'll try it for you all. If it's good, you all can order."
"Okay!" the workers replied with a smile.
Zhao Tieying, who had originally been delighted with the opening, became a bit nervous upon hearing this. This was a chance to boost sales!
She first used tongs to scoop up a handful of lotus root and blanch it in the broth. Then, she fished out a piece of beef intestine and a piece of beef tendon from the bubbling broth and chopped them into small pieces. She then removed the raw lotus root and placed it under the ceramic bowl, covering the beef intestine and beef tendon.
She then scooped up a handful of tripe, blanched it briefly, and then scooped it directly into the ceramic bowl. She then took three thinly sliced pieces of sirloin and blanched them in the broth for a few seconds before removing them from the pot.
She used a large spoon to scoop a spoonful of broth into the ceramic bowl, sprinkled it with a little chopped green onion, placed a soup spoon in the bowl, and served it directly.
"This is the dipping sauce. The Cross-legged Beef tastes even better with a dip." Zhao Tieying brought out the dipping saucer and stepped aside with a smile.
The guests craned their necks to gaze, their eyes brightening.
"This bowl of Cross-legged Beef looks quite substantial! It looks like at least three taels."
"Other places primarily use worthless offal like liver and lungs, but they use intestines, tripe, tendons, and even sirloin!"
"I'm not sure how it tastes, but it smells delicious."
Lin Zhiqiang also surveyed the bowl of Cross-legged Beef in front of him. The broth was clear, free of any impurities. The thinly sliced beef was pink and visibly tender. A fragrant aroma, mingled with the aroma of spices and Chinese herbs, was quite potent.
He picked up a spoon and took a sip. The moment he sipped, his eyes lit up.
This broth was incredibly delicious!
The beef bones and offal were stewed together, the flavor perfectly balanced by spices and Chinese herbs. Surprisingly, there was not a trace of mutton smell, only an exquisitely delicious flavor.
This was different from the umami flavor created by MSG. The broth, simmered for so long with the beef bones, had a refreshing aftertaste.
He drank several sips in quick succession, his body instantly warming up. A light sweat broke out on his forehead, and his tired spirits lifted considerably.
"This soup is so delicious!"
Lin Zhiqiang exclaimed in admiration, picking up a piece of beef, thinly sliced beef with his chopsticks. The beef was comparable to the beef in Lanzhou ramen he'd had on business trips.
Dipping it into the dipping sauce, it was immediately coated in chili powder. He was astonished the moment he took a bite.
The beef slices were large, thin, and soft, incredibly tender!
The chili powder was the perfect finishing touch, creating a layered spicy flavor, with the main focus being the aroma. It was a perfect match with the beef.
He sampled each piece of beef intestines, tripe, and tendon, one by one, and gulped down several mouthfuls of soup.
Zhao Dong, sitting beside, couldn't help but gulp. Lin Zhiqiang was enjoying the delicious food so much that he couldn't help but ask, "How does it taste?"