Chapter 82: Prosperous But Not Returning Home

This menu was drafted by the previous rural cook, built around Three Steams and Nine Kows, making Nine Big Bowls.

Stuffed bowl, salted pork belly, sandwich pork, steamed pork with rice flour, Dongpo pork hock, pork ears, pork head meat…

They are indeed mainly pork dishes. There is one fish dish, which is also carp boiled in water and directly topped with sauce.

The focus is on large portions that fill you up. Steam them all in the steamer and the food can be served quickly.

Just looking at the menu, it does feel a bit monotonous and greasy.

But as soon as Zheng Qiang said this, the other four all turned to look at him. The old man and Second Uncle wanted to speak but held back, and their eyes unconsciously drifted to Xiao Lei.

“Master Zheng’s suggestion is very good. If we could add a camphor tea duck, plus Kung Pao chicken and dry-braised carp, so the guests at the banquet can also taste the Rongcheng Restaurant flavors that only foreign guests usually get to enjoy, then everyone would absolutely give unanimous praise.” Xiao Lei said with a smile.

“Mm, that makes sense.” Zheng Qiang nodded, the corners of his mouth already starting to lift.

“But, we are hosting an Outdoor Banquet. We cannot just think about having a rich spread and lots of variety, we also have to consider the host family’s capital.” Xiao Lei continued with a smile. “Look at this menu. From pig head to pig stomach to pig trotters, everything is used. Once that big fat pig over there is slaughtered, the Nine Big Bowls for these thirty tables of Outdoor Banquet are basically all set.”

“If you go and get thirty ducks, and thirty portions of chicken legs for Kung Pao chicken, calculate how much cost that adds.”

“One more thing, Kung Pao chicken and dry-braised carp have very high requirements for heat control and how quickly they are eaten. For thirty portions, are you confident you can get them all on the tables within a similar time?”

Zheng Qiang stopped smiling.

Because the smile had shifted onto Zhou Yan’s face.

Zhou Yan was starting to understand what people meant by the academic style. After staying in big restaurants too long, you really do get a bit detached from ordinary people.

Next to them, the old man and Second Uncle were also nodding repeatedly. Weddings cost a lot. A countryside Outdoor Banquet that can put on Nine Big Bowls and let the guests eat meat to their fill is already a very respectable banquet.

They knew Zheng Qiang was knowledgeable and had worked in a big restaurant in Rongcheng, but when it came to understanding Outdoor Banquets, Master Xiao was still the one.

Zheng Qiang understood what Xiao Lei meant, and he also felt the complicated looks from the old man and Second Uncle.

He fumbled for words for a long time, wanting to crawl into a crack in the ground.

Come on, how was it that he was being called Master Zheng with one breath and then scolded like an apprentice with the next?

“Master, change dry-braised to braised. Fry the fish first, then cook them in two big pots at the same time, and finally reduce the sauce and pour it over. I think that might taste better than just boiling in water.” Zhou Yan offered a suggestion.

“I was thinking the same.” Xiao Lei nodded, then looked at Zheng Qiang. “Master Zheng, this dish will be your responsibility tomorrow. No problem, right?”

Zheng Qiang straightened his back, regaining some confidence. “No problem, this is my specialty. Ten fish in one pot, I can handle it.”

“Excellent. Let everyone also taste braised fish with a Rongcheng Restaurant flavor. They will definitely be full of praise.” Xiao Lei complimented him with a smile, then added, “This afternoon you will be in charge of chopping minced meat and slicing meat. We have to make stuffed bowls, salted pork belly, steamed pork with rice flour and the rest. The knife skills required are very demanding. The helpers from the village do not have the knife skills. Such an important task has to be done by Master Zheng.”

“Alright, I will do it.” Master Zheng nodded with a confident and decisive smile.

Zhou Yan pressed his lips together and turned his face away in silence, afraid he would laugh out loud.

Suddenly he understood a little. Before, his master often scolded Xiao Zhou, and it felt rare whenever he praised him twice; right after praising him, he would order him to do this and that, go wherever he pointed, never mind dirty or tiring work, charging ahead like he had chicken blood in him.

Now this trick was being used on Master Zheng.

With Xiao Lei’s round of arrangements, all the helpers started moving. Pig slaughtering, chicken butchering, fire tending, each took their positions. Everything was well organized.

“Your master is really capable, Zhou Yan. Truly worthy of being a head chef, truly worthy of being a national second-class head chef.” Second Uncle held Zhou Yan, his smile full of satisfaction. “If it weren’t for you today, this would not be going so smoothly.”

“It is Hao Ge’s wedding. This is what I should do.” Zhou Yan smiled, pulled out a stack of money tied with rope from his shoulder bag, and handed it to Second Uncle. “Second Uncle, this is what I borrowed from you to open the restaurant before. Hao Ge’s wedding has many places that need money, so I am paying you back now.”

“Pay back what? Didn’t we say next year? You focus on running your restaurant well first. We are not short of this one hundred.” Second Uncle waved his hand again and again, unwilling to take the money.

Zhou Yan smiled and stuffed the money into his pocket. “I must have it, otherwise I would not repay you. Keep it safe, do not lose it. Count it later. If it is short, tell me.”

“You child…” Second Uncle could not help but smile, nodding with deep gratification. “Alright, then I will take it. I am happier that you can earn money.”

Zhou Yan chatted with him for a bit, then slung his bag and went to find the other creditors.

The old man, Third Uncle, and a few close relatives from the clan were all gathered today.

Zhou Yan went around once and paid them all back.

Zhou Hai and Zhou Jie were busy scraping pig bristles and could not free their hands, so Zhou Yan gave the money to their wives.

He had withdrawn the revenue from this morning and noon, a total of one hundred sixty, just enough to pay everything off.

Zhou Yan walked to the courtyard gate, slowly raised his hands, and stretched his whole body.

Ah—

This is what it feels like to be free of debt!

So good!

“Zhou Yan is really capable. In just three short months, he has paid back all the borrowed money!”

“This young man not only knows how to earn money, he also knows how to save. Look at Zhou Yan, he is a role model. He saved up and repaid the borrowed money first. What a good child.”

“Of course. We watched him grow up. He has been obedient and sensible since he was little. Tie Ying is blessed.”

The praise from the helper aunties drifted out from the yard with the wind.

The corners of Zhou Yan’s mouth lifted wider and wider without him noticing, and he started to grin.

This was what it felt like to return home in success. It was a pity Auntie Zhao was not here. At such a joyful moment, she was not there to share it.

Comrade Old Zhou was the main butcher. After letting the blood out, he let a few youngsters scrape the pig bristles. He would come back later to open the pig’s belly and portion the meat. He had been resting for a while on the long stone bench at the doorway.

He heard all of Zhou Yan’s repayments and the discussions in the yard.

He could not hide the smile on his face, but still asked in a pretend-casual tone, “All repaid?”

“Yes, all repaid.” Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. “Now there is only your five hundred left.”

“Your mother already said you don’t need to pay it back.”

“No, I must.” Zhou Yan glanced at Comrade Old Zhou’s patched cloth shoes and casually said, “Your feet are the same length as mine.”

“Exactly. This pair of shoes your mother originally made for you, but you would not wear them, so they suit me just right.” Comrade Old Zhou stamped his foot and said with a smile, “See? They are so comfortable. Your mother’s craft is excellent, even better than what the supply and marketing cooperative sells.”

“Mm, your wife is the best.” Zhou Yan said with a smile. Whenever his mother came up, the usually stern Comrade Old Zhou’s eyes would soften.

One pig only has two ears. One pig head is definitely not enough for thirty tables. Second Uncle and the others had already booked with a professional pig slaughterer in advance, and would go to each household to pick up goods early tomorrow morning.

Zhou Jie had already taken this job. Early tomorrow he would go pick up the pig heads and deliver them, together with the beef, to Zhou Yan’s shop.

Zhou Yan was in charge of braised pork ears, braised beef, braised pork head meat, and one cold chicken salad, four cold dishes in total.

Strictly speaking, the cold chicken salad was the old lady’s responsibility. They had kept four roosters in the coop. Roosters do not live as long as old hens, their meat is more tender, suitable for cold chicken salad.

He was done with his work for today.

“Then I will go back to the restaurant to get busy. I will come home to sleep tonight. You do not need to come pick anyone up. Just eat here.” Zhou Yan said to Comrade Old Zhou.

“Alright.” Old Zhou glanced toward the pig-slaughtering bench and got up to get back to work.

Zhou Yan said goodbye to his master, glanced at Master Zheng, who was sitting on a small stool carefully peeling garlic, then turned and left with a smile.

On his way back to the restaurant, Zhou Yan stopped by the stalls at the bridgehead selling general merchandise and clothing. After some bargaining with the vendor, he spent 2 yuan on a pair of “83-style” leather shoes.

He tried them on. They fit just right. They were not exactly more comfortable than his cloth shoes, but they looked polished and made him look much sharper.

The department store price was set at 19 yuan, but you had to go to Jia Zhou to buy them. Zhou Yan did not have time to run to Jia Zhou today, and in the evening when he got off work, the Jia Zhou department store would also be closed.

Zhou Yan then picked out a pair of women’s leather shoes. After a round of bargaining, he got them for 5 yuan.

“You are way too good at bargaining, comrade. These two pairs are basically a giveaway. I am not even making one jiao of profit.” The boss put the shoes into Zhou Yan’s bicycle basket and said with a wry smile.

“Thank you, boss. You are generous. May you make a fortune.” Zhou Yan paid and pushed his bike toward the other stalls.

Of course the boss was making a profit. Zhou Yan had bargained based on the department store’s price, about one yuan more.

Business owners never tell the whole truth. They just want you to feel like you got a bargain so you will come back to buy shoes from her next time.

In these years, department store pricing was very fair, with very low profit margins.

These two pairs of leather shoes were high-end goods from Shanghai. The price was indeed a bit high, but the leather was breathable and more comfortable than Liberation Shoes.

For tomorrow’s wedding banquet, Zhou Yan did not have enough money in his pocket to buy full new outfits for Auntie Zhao and Comrade Old Zhou, so he could only get them leather shoes first.

After circling a few stalls, Zhou Yan spent eighty cents on a pair of little tiger-head cloth shoes for Zhou Mo Mo.

The red uppers were stitched with golden thread into a tiger’s head. They looked chubby and adorable.

They were hand-sewn by a local auntie, who only made a bit of labor money.

Zhou Yan got on his bike and headed for the restaurant. It was already close to factory shift end.

Auntie Zhao was sitting at the doorway keeping watch, anxiously waiting. Only when she saw Zhou Yan appear did she breathe a sigh of relief.

“Why were you gone so long? I thought you were not coming back to do the stir-frying.” Auntie Zhao stood up and asked with concern. “Are your Second Aunt and the others managing over there?”

“My master has taken charge. Everything is arranged perfectly. Not a single problem.” Zhou Yan pushed the bike into the restaurant, then took out the pair of women’s leather shoes and handed them to Auntie Zhao, who had followed him in. “Try them and see if they fit. If not, I will go exchange them.”

“Leather shoes?” Zhao Tie Ying looked at the shoes he held out. The black leather was smooth and fine, the buckle was made of copper, shining golden. She hesitated and asked softly, “You… bought leather shoes for me?”

…

(This chapter is finished.)