After dinner, Comrade Old Zhou rode his bicycle and took Zhao Tieying and Zhou Momo home.
"One hundred a day, four days off a month, and twenty six days left, that's two thousand six hundred!"
"How much a year? Thirty... over thirty thousand!"
"Oh my god!"
Zhao Tieying sat on the back of bicycle, her arm around Zhou Miao's waist, and couldn't help but exclaim.
That's too much!
She hadn't calculated the figures during dinner, but she figured a hundred a day was a lot. She was a bit stunned when she figured out how much she made in a year.
"That's sales, not net profit." Zhou Miao said with a smile. "But Zhou Yan is really doing well. Even if we make half the profit, that's still over ten thousand a year."
"Make a millionaire a year! This kid's gotta do something!" Zhao Tieying's face lit up, a touch of excitement.
Zhou Miao was a skilled butcher in Zhou Village. He could earn seventy or eighty yuan a month from slaughtering cattle and selling meat, or around a thousand yuan a year.
That's more than most workers in the textile factory.
But Zhou Yan's restaurant made over ten times what Zhou Miao did.
If they could earn that much everyday, their family would surely have a good life in the future.
"That's thanks to your cooperation as a mother. You shoulder the heavy responsibilities of cooking the Cross-legged Beef and keeping the cash register, holding up half the shop." Zhou Miao said seriously, "Without you, this shop wouldn't be able to survive."
"Yes, that makes sense." Zhao Tieying beamed. "You're quite perceptive."
"Tomorrow I won't be selling meat. I'll just go help the commune slaughter two cows morning. Old Huang asked me to go fishing. You see..." Zhou Miao said cautiously.
"Go ahead. You've been working hard lately." Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "If you catch any fish, we can have an extra food for dinner."
"I... I'll try..." Zhou Miao's voice trailed off, sounding somewhat unconvinced.
As an Air Force veteran, bringing home fish for extra food was a huge pressure.
The two chatted and laughed all the way back to Zhou Village.
The villagers, chatting under the trees at the entrance, greeted them warmly upon seeing them from afar.
The news of Zhou Yan Restaurant's booming business had spread throughout Zhou Village.
At 60 cents a bowl of noodles, they could sell dozens a day!
Earning dozens of yuan a day was bound to make people jealous.
Zhou Yan, the prodigal son targeted by the nightly public opinion storm at the village intelligence center, had suddenly become a promising child.
Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao, on the other hand, had gone from doting, reckless children to visionary, courageous parents.
Zhao Tieying has been acting quite cocky lately. She combs her hair perfectly straight and holds her neck high whenever she goes out, reminiscent of the Iron Lady of Zhou Village.
She chatted familiarly with the villagers, but didn't ask Zhou Miao to stop the bicycle, saying she needed to go back to shower and rest.
"They've been gossiping all the time. Wouldn't it be a bit uncomfortable for them if we didn't tell them a little?" Zhou Miao asked with a smile.
"If they're uncomfortable, they'll get jealous. We don't know how much trouble that will cause. Let's not cause Zhou Yan any more trouble." Zhao Tieying shook her head. "Our family's well being is more important than anything else. Those old ladies in the village are already having a hard time."
She told Zhao Hong not to tell anyone in the village about the restaurant's booming business, so as to avoid getting jealous and doing something bad.
"Okay, I'll do as you said." Zhou Miao replied.
…
Zhou Yan didn't rush to bed today. He locked the door and went for a run by the river in the little light of day.
Being a chef is physically demanding. Making noodles and cooking requires a combination of strength and skill.
Sweating profusely, Zhou Yan stripped off his clothes and jumped into the river for a swim. He also showered and felt refreshed.
Over the past two days, he'd gradually adjusted to the work rhythm, and his young, strong body allowed him to handle the workload with ease.
Zhou Yan looked thin because of his height, but when he took off his clothes, his toned muscles were perfectly defined, his eight-pack abs quite pronounced.
After returning home, he rinsed himself with well water, changed into clean clothes, and began to record his accounts.
Today, he sold one hundred bowls of noodles, earning sixty yuan. He also sold sixty nine bowls of Cross-legged Beef, earning forty one yuan and forty cents and fifty two servings of rice, earning five yuan and twenty cents.
The Cross-legged Beef cost about twenty yuan, but the Cross-legged Beef alone added twenty one yuan to the profit.
The Sichuan restaurant, once on the verge of bankruptcy, is now back on track.
Planned menu additions can quickly and effectively boost sales and profits.
Unplanned additions, however, can overwhelm the kitchen, disrupting the entire restaurant's order and causing chaos.
As usual, Zhou Yan counted his savings, finding 240.52 yuan.
That's no small amount. He'll work one more day tomorrow and keep 50 yuan for turnover. He'll pay off any uncles or cousins who need money urgently.
He can't stand debt.
He can't sleep well with debt on his shoulders.
He didn't know what the mentality of those guys who owed money was. They thought they were the boss even though they owed money.
Noodles and Cross-legged Beef are the restaurant's core offerings, but until its influence expands, sales will likely cap at around a hundred orders a day, making it hard to break even higher.
Furthermore, with a business of a hundred yuan a day, it's foreseeable that others will soon become jealous.
After one Wang Laowu leaves, another Huang Laowu or Zhang Laowu will come along.
Cooking noodles is not a technical work in the eyes of ordinary people.
After Zhou Yan opens up the market for soup pots at the textile factory, people from Zhou Village will undoubtedly set up stalls at the factory gate, selling their soup for 20 or 30 cents a bowl to compete for business.
Taste and the medicinal benefits of his food were his defenses. He wasn't afraid to face competition head on, as long as they didn't play dirty tricks.
Furthermore, Zhou Yan never considered the small vendors at the entrance to his restaurant to be his rivals.
What good would it do to snatch a few yuan or eighty cents from those vendors?
His only goal was the factory cafeteria.
[Ding! New main quest released: [Take Control of the Textile Factory]: Reach 1000 influence for your restaurant (Each customer's recognition earns 1 point of influence). Gain 1000 influence and become the most popular restaurant near the textile factory!]
[Quest Progress: 380/1000]
[Quest Reward: Unknown]
[Accept Quest: Yes/No]
Zhou Yan had just stuffed the money back into the cash box when a task bar popped up on the screen.
"1000 Influence! That's really going to take the factory cafeteria down!" Zhou Yan couldn't help but laugh.
The Jiazhou Textile Factory was quite large, with 2800 or 2900 employees.
To gain these 1000 Influence points, he had to wrestle food from the factory cafeteria.
Luckily, the factory wasn't far from Suji Town, which had a population of around 20,000, providing a potential source of customers for the restaurant once its reputation spread.
The 380 people in the progressing mission are the restaurant's current regular customers at the textile factory.
To further expand the clientele, he must develop dishes that attract even more customers.
This is a long term mission, and it's quite challenging to complete.
Zhou Yan estimated that the rewards for this mission would be higher.
This main mission is a cumulative achievement based one. Operating normally everyday and progressing step by step, he'll eventually complete it. The rewards are guaranteed, and happiness is guaranteed. There's no need to rush.
Zhou Yan chose to accept.
After a few days of research, he found the game interface quite user friendly. There weren't too many fussy mandatory requirements, and the level of freedom was very high. System tasks were not mandatory, and there was no abnormal punishment of running naked if the task was not completed.
Isn't this the perfect auxiliary tool?
Zhou Yan didn't like being driven around like a donkey; being able to control his own life was crucial.
Of course, the system rewards held the key to a better life, and he wasn't about to resort to trickery.
Actively complete all possible tasks. The more new dishes he unlock, the easier it will be to expand and operate his restaurant.
His current goal is to save money and pay off the over 800 yuan he owes.
…
At dawn, master little Zhou went out early to buy groceries.
Today, he once again prepared the ingredients for 100 bowls of noodles and 100 bowls of Cross-legged Beef, aiming to sell them all.
Zhao Hong arrived early again.
Zhou Yan stopped the bicycle, glanced around, and asked with a smile, "Where are Huihui and Fanwa? Didn't you say they were coming over to play with Momo today?"
"Those two little piggies are still asleep. I told Huihui to wake up and then bring Fanwa up. Besides, the restaurant is busy this morning, and seeing them dancing around like monkeys is annoying." Zhao Hong explained.
"Boys are all like that. There's no boy who isn't naughty." Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.
The restaurant is indeed busy this morning.
Sichuan people love to eat noodles in the morning. It's a bit cold in the morning now. Eating a bowl of delicious soup noodles and drinking the hot bone soup will make people feel warm and comfortable.
As word of mouth grew, business at Zhou Erwa Restaurant saw a noticeable increase.
He sold sixty three bowls of noodles this morning.
He sell more everyday.
"Guo Guo, I'm hungry! I want some noodles. Pork rib noodles!" Zhou Momo rubbed her sleepy eyes and appeared at the kitchen door, her voice soft and childish.
"Sure, I'll make it for you right away." Zhou Yan replied with a smile.
Zhao Tieying had already arrived with a hot towel.
"Mom, I love you!" Zhou Momo took a step aside, trying to summon her motherly love.
But Miss Zhao remained unmoved.
Zhou Momo raised her head, closed her eyes, clenched her teeth, and wore a fearless expression.
A hot towel was applied to her face, rubbing until her flesh was chubby and deformed. It took a while before stopped.
Zhou Momo opened her eyes, her cheeks flushed and her eyes clearer.
She pursed her lips, hesitant to speak, and whispered, "Mom, be gentler next time..."
"If too gentle, pinching and rubbing won't work. I know what I'm doing." Zhao Tieying replied.
"My face is clean. There's no need to pinch it." Zhou Momo pouted.