Zhao Dong had been thinking about this before. After eating the perfect steamed rice today, he couldn't help but imagine how delicious it would be to mix the rice with double pepper and minced beef.
Upon hearing this, the customers in the restaurant all looked at Zhou Yan.
Noodles are good in the morning, but lunch and dinner are more satisfying when it comes to eat rice.
Zhou Yan's spare ribs and beef are truly delicious, and the minced beef is definitely a great match. If it were affordable, sharing a meal with two or three people would be a great idea.
The cafeteria's small kitchen isn't cheap, yet there are still hundreds of people eating there everyday.
The textile factory is profitable, and senior workers and managers are paid well. Many people, like Zhao Dong, are willing to spend the money.
"It's almost there. Once the Cross-legged Beef is stable properly, I'll start preparing the stir-fried and cook dishes." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
This was part of his plan. The problem now was that he was too busy to handle the noodles, so he had to do the pulling himself, and it would be difficult for his sister in law to take over in a short period of time.
Once the Cross-legged Beef business stabilized, he would move the noodles to the morning, allowing him to sell stir-fried and cook dishes at noon and in the evening, making the restaurant truly worthy of its reputation.
The upper limit for selling noodles was 60 yuan per day, and the upper limit for stir-fried dishes was much higher.
Zhou Yan's target customers were clear: the people who ate stir-fried dishes in the factory cafeteria and the people of the Suji State-owned Restaurant.
To snatch the factory cafeteria's people was like digging up Wang Defa's roots, a work he was happy to do.
He still remembers little Zhou's suicide by jumping into the river.
"Okay, if you sell stir-fries, I won't eat stir-fries in the factory cafeteria anymore." Zhao Dong nodded, muttering quietly, "Ever since your master stopped cooking, the stir-fries have gotten worse day by day."
"Okay, then you guys eat first. I'll be busy." Zhou Yan said, then went into the kitchen.
Zhao Dong was a loyal customer of the factory cafeteria's stir-fries, eating them twice every three days. He used to love his master's stir-fried crispy intestines and liver and kidney dishes. Now even he's starting to dislike stir-fries. Wang Defa is unpopular.
Little Zhou's master, Xiao Lei, is the factory cafeteria's only second level chef, having previously been the cafeteria's head chef.
Don't underestimate a second level chef. In Suji Town, this is a top notch chef.
Another second level chef was the head chef at a state-owned restaurant.
Wang Defa demoted his master to a back up position, which was no different from cutting a major artery.
It was likely that the individual economy had just been liberalized, and people still valued work in state-owned factories; otherwise, his master would have been unable to bear the humiliation.
Zhou Yan had considered poaching his master. A second level chef so proficient in cooking, and with the authoritative image he had established among the textile factory employees over the years, Zhou Erwa Restaurant would undoubtedly see a surge in business.
This wasn't just poaching; it was directly undermining the factory cafeteria's foundation.
However, he soon realized a problem: his parents were unaware of his culinary skills, and he often used what he learned from his master as a cover up.
But his master knew his abilities all too well.
When little Zhou first wanted to open this restaurant, his master tried to persuade him three times, each time with increasingly harsh words.
But little Zhou refused to listen, and simply acted recklessly.
This incident nearly drove Xiao Lei to death, and he left a message:
"If anyone ever says your cooking is bad, don't tell them you're my apprentice!"
He nearly expelled little Zhou from the sect.
Later, when Zhou Erwa Restaurant opened, his master merely sent a red envelope through someone else and never visited the restaurant once.
If Zhou Yan invited his master over, he wouldn't be able to explain the sudden surge in his mastery of various dishes, as well as his dramatically improved seasoning and cooking techniques.
This idea had to be put on hold for now.
After the last customer paid and left, Zhao Tieying eagerly entered the kitchen. Seeing Zhou Yan stir-frying vegetables, she said, "We sold thirty servings of Cross-legged Beef for lunch today! A total of 18 yuan!"
The opening of the Cross-legged Beef had gone much more smoothly than she had expected. When she was selling soup pot, she used to sell 25 cents a bowl, and she could sell 20 to 30 bowls a day, which meant she could make 6 or 7 yuan a day. After deducting all costs, she was considered lucky if she could make 2 or 3 yuan.
This was thanks to the reputation and regular customers she had built up over the years; only during the peak winter season could she sell so much.
Today was the first day their restaurant was selling Cross-legged Beef, and even at the high price of 60 cents a bowl, they sold 30 servings!
Zhao Tieying felt a little dazed; the money in her hand felt unreal.
"Everyone says it's great! Zhou Yan's Cross-legged Beef is truly excellent!" Zhao Hong walked in, carrying a container of bowls, also with a smile on her face.
"This is just the beginning, business will only get better in the future." Zhou Yan smiled as he plated the stir-fried vegetables. With Lin Zhiqiang's sample, he'd expected the Cross-legged Beef to be a hit.
In addition to the Cross-legged Beef, they also sold 32 bowls of noodles at noon today, only four bowls less than yesterday.
This allayed Zhou Yan's concerns. The strong sales of the Cross-legged Beef didn't affect noodle sales; it was pure revenue growth.
After lunch, Zhou Yan moved a bamboo lounge chair to the tree by the door and lay down, enjoying the cool autumn breeze.
"Guo Guo, have some Ding Ding candy." Zhou Momo leaned over to him, tiptoed, raised her chubby hand, and offered a piece of candy to him.
Zhou Yan took it, smiling as he reached out and patted her head. "Good girl."
"Hehe." The little girl grinned. "Sister in law said Huihui and Fanwa won't have class tomorrow and will come play with me."
"So what are you planning on doing with them?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.
Huihui and Fanwa are the two sons of his eldest sister in law, Zhao Hong. The older one is fifteen years old and in the third year of junior high school, and the younger one is seven years old and has just started primary school.
Based on their generational status, they should call Zhou Momo "Sister", but since she's the youngest, she's usually called "Little Sister."
"I'll take them to play shuttle board, hopscotch, and seesaw!" Zhou Momo counted off the items on her fingers. "I even know a secret base where they can have fun!"
"Then Momo will still be a little sister, knowing so many fun things to do." Zhou Yan smiled fondly.
"That's right!" The little girl, growing even more elated, turned and ran to fetch a small stool, placing it next to Zhou Yan's recliner and chatting with him.
"Guo Guo, look, there's a caterpillar on that leaf."
"Guo Guo, look, there's a flock of geese in the sky. Where are they going? Will they come back for dinner?"
"Guo Guo..."
Zhou Momo was a chatterbox, her mind full of a million questions.
Zhou Yan responded intermittently, and soon fell asleep, listening to her soft, sweet voice.
"Guo Guo, Guo Guo..." Zhou Momo hadn't heard Zhou Yan speak for a while. She stood up, glanced at the sleeping Zhou Yan, and instead of waking him, she moved her small stool back and went off to play.
...
Textile factory, large conference room.
Lin Zhiqiang sat in the main seat, giving a sharing session to the factory's technical backbones, sharing his experience of attending a technical conference in Chengdu and some industry news.
Compared to the morning, his energy was noticeably better in the afternoon, his voice loud and passionate.
"Zhiqiang, that's a great point! Our factory really relies on young people like you who understand technology." After the meeting, the old factory director, Wang Hongliang, and Lin Zhiqiang left the conference room together.
"Director, you're so kind! Our factory's success is thanks to your leadership and management. I've only been busy researching technology." Lin Zhiqiang said with a quick smile.
"If it wasn't for your dedicated research, our factory wouldn't be as profitable as it is. I've submitted your improved and summarized skills for the Ministry of Light Industry's Technology Award, and the leaders are very optimistic." Wang Hongliang looked at Lin Zhiqiang, his eyes full of admiration.
"Thank you, Director. This isn't just my achievement; it's the work of all the technicians at the textile factory." Lin Zhiqiang's eyes lit up at the thought. The Ministry of Light Industry's Technology Award is a tremendous recognition for a technician.
"I noticed you were sneezing this morning, but you seem much better this afternoon. Did you go to the hospital to get some medicine?" Wang Hongliang asked with concern.
"I caught a bit of a cold. I had a bowl of Cross-legged Beef at Zhou Erwa Restaurant near the factory gate at noon. The sweating helped, and it felt better. It's more effective than medicine." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, "Director, how about we get some noodles? Zhou Yan's handmade noodles is incredible, and the Cross-legged Beef is also incredibly flavorful."
"Zhou Yan is the guy who saved your niece last time, right? But I can't today. My youngest grandson's birthday, and he told me to go back home for dinner." Wang Hongliang shook his head, then said, "Next time, call little Meng and the two kids over, and we'll have a meal together."
"Okay." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. He helped Wang Hongliang push his bicycle out of the shed, watched him ride off, and then headed towards the factory gate.
The Cross-legged Beef he had at noon was really good at dispelling the cold. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn't be able to conduct meeting at noon today. He'll have another bowl tonight to consolidate the benefits.
"Uncle Lin, you're here." Zhou Yan was teasing Zhou Momo at the restaurant entrance. Seeing Lin Zhiqiang approach, he greeted him with a smile.
"Little Zhou, your Cross-legged Beef really helped me out today." Lin Zhiqiang laughed heartily.
Lin Zhiqiang ate a bowl of Cross-legged Beef and drank two bowls of soup before heading back to the cafeteria to pack food for the two children.
He said that children don't need to eat extravagantly to grow, but they just need to be well-fed, with meat and vegetables.
He truly is a real dad.
Zhou Yan, watching Lin Zhiqiang's back, couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
"Guo Guo, when will Sister Yaoyao come over for noodles again?" Zhou Momo tugged at his shirt, her chubby face filled with anticipation.