Chương 62: May Your Bowel Movements Always Be Smooth!

A plate of twice-cooked pork was devoured, even the garlic sprouts were eaten clean, leaving only a pool of bright red oil on the plate.

"Delicious, I love it! Next time I'll buy the pork, and you can cook it. Cook a lot, so I can eat an extra bowl of rice." Zhou Jie was still not satisfied and had already started making reservations for the next time.

"This twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts is really delicious. Should we put it on the menu?" Aunt Zhao asked Zhou Yan. She had now completely accepted the fact that she had lost control of the cooking and was starting to think about how to let her guests also enjoy delicious twice-cooked pork. The same twice-cooked pork, but Zhou Yan's version was truly delicious, incomparable to the home-style version. The ingredients were almost the same, the difference lay in the cooking time and seasoning.

Not only was it delicious, but it was also especially good with rice. The guests would definitely love this dish.

"I'll serve it tomorrow. I've already spoken to the butcher and asked them to save the second cut of pork for me." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, casually plucking two grains of rice from the corner of Zhou Momo's mouth.

"Brother, are we having twice-cooked pork again tonight?" Zhou Momo looked at him expectantly, blurting out, "Delicious!"

"Sure, we have about four ounces of pork left over from tonight, enough for another plate." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Brother, you're so good to me, I'll love you forever! May you live to be a hundred!" Zhou Momo snuggled closer, nuzzling her head against Zhou Yan's hand like a docile lamb.

"Momo, what about me? What about me?" Zhou Jie asked with a grin.

"Brother Jie..." Zhou Momo tilted her head and thought for a moment, "May your poop always be smooth!"

"Huh?" Zhou Jie scratched his head, "That's a nice blessing, too." For most adults, this blessing is just as comforting as living to be a hundred. After dinner, Zhou Jie and Zhou Yan sat under a tree by the door. He said, "Zhou Yan, I've almost mastered your 'Qiaojiao Beef' recipe. If I were to make it the way you do, I'd price it six cents a bowl."

"If you were to sell it at the docks for six cents a bowl, you probably wouldn't sell twenty bowls a day. You'd earn less than you used to," Zhou Yan shook his head. Zhou Jie got a little anxious: "Then I can't possibly sell it cheaper than you, can I? If I sell it cheaper than you, wouldn't that be deliberately undermining your business?" Zhou Yan smiled and said, "I've actually considered this. How about you create a price tier?

Sell the beef without beef for 50 cents, which is 10 cents more than before, but the taste is significantly improved. We've also added Chinese herbs, which increases the cost, but customers will be more willing to accept it. Sell the beef with beef for 60 cents, four slices of beef for 10 cents, and we won't make a penny profit. Customers who know their food will definitely choose the 60-cent beef option after eating it a couple of times, but those price-sensitive customers will also have the 50-cent option."

After listening and thinking about it carefully for a while, Zhou Jie clapped his hands and said, "That's a good idea! Zhou Yan, you're so clever!"

"Let's go, let's go to Jiaozhou now to buy spices and Chinese herbs, so we can have a good meal and digest our food." Zhou Yan got up to push the cart.

"There are also Chinese medicine shops in Suji, why go to Jiaozhou?" Zhou Jie asked, puzzled.

"If our braised beef broth fetches a good price and sells well, within three days someone will want to learn our recipe. Anyone interested can ask at a traditional Chinese medicine shop and find out what we use; adjusting the dosages will make it almost identical. It's just a pot of soup, how much skill is involved?" Zhou Yan explained with a smile.

"We'll go to Jiaozhou, and the two of us can buy it from two different pharmacies. That'll give them plenty of time to figure it out, and by then you'll have built up a good reputation."

"Understood," Zhou Jie nodded.

"Actually, even if they roughly know how to use those spices and Chinese herbs, it doesn't matter. In the end, the same dish stands out because of the details. Customers are very discerning; they can tell which restaurant is better after just one taste. Your hot pot stands out at the docks because of your control over the broth flavor, so no one in Zhoucun can outsell you." Zhou Jie nodded repeatedly, sighing, "What you said makes so much sense."

"Why don't you change the signboard too, and call it Zhou's Braised Beef? Maybe we can make this business bigger and stronger in the future, and by the millennium, it will be a decades-old brand," Zhou Yan suggested.

"I don't know anything about brands, but if you're willing to let me use your signboard, I'm definitely willing." Zhou Jie grinned.

"In that case, I won't use yours for free. I learned how to make Qiaojiao Beef from you. From now on, I'll give you 20% of the profits from this stall."

"I don't want your money. How much can you make from a stall? You'll have to split this with Hai Zi. Our two families rely on this income for expenses."

"But…"

"If you want to open a shop in Jiaozhou or Rongcheng in the future, then you can talk to me about sharing my shares." Zhou Yan interrupted him with a smile.

"However, I will still invest in it then, acting as a hands-off boss and waiting for the year-end dividends."

"Okay." Seeing his firm attitude, Zhou Jie didn't insist anymore.

"Once we figure out how to do business, we'll find a store to run. Then we brothers will partner up and make it bigger and stronger!" The two rode their bikes towards Jiaozhou, chatting along the way. Zhou Yan actually thought highly of Zhou Jie. He was reliable, worldly-wise, and his ability to stand out among the numerous hot pot stalls at the docks and build a stable customer base was proof of his competence. What he lacked was vision and a grasp of future direction.

Qiaojiao Beef was a dish capable of supporting a restaurant, and in later generations, it became one of Jiaozhou's signature dishes, on par with sweet-skinned duck, bobo chicken, and mala tang. Zhou Yan wasn't content with just running a Qiaojiao Beef shop, but he could let Zhou Jie handle it. He would invest and provide advice, while Zhou Jie would manage the operations, receiving a share of the profits at the end of the year.

Once Jiaozhou's tourism industry developed, the time-honored Qiaojiao Beef could earn a considerable amount annually. This was the best way he could think of to maximize resource utilization, helping trusted people around him grow and improve their lives, while also reaping substantial returns from their growth. After returning from Jiaozhou, Zhou Yan divided up the spices and Chinese herbs, and Zhou Jie carried them back to prepare for tomorrow's business upgrade.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. Today's gossip was explosive! Through a series of lively conversations, Zhou Erwa's restaurant became incredibly famous, attracting many customers who came specifically for it that evening. Zhao Dong grabbed a lunchbox to pack up some braised pork ribs, saying he wanted to take them home for his two kids and his mother. While waiting for his food at the door, he kept talking:"Try it!

Even the factory manager said the food here is great."

"Old Qian, have a bowl of braised beef before you go home, and I guarantee your wife will bring you foot bath water tomorrow."

"Which dish is good? There's really no difference! If you want something to eat with rice, order the crucian carp with mint and the double-pepper minced beef; if you like braised dishes, the beef with dried bamboo shoots is amazing; if you have kids at home who are craving something sweet, order some braised pork ribs..."

"The factory canteen? Even a dog wouldn't eat there if they didn't change the chef!" The workers: "..." You're so high and mighty! What about them eating at the factory canteen every day? But after Zhao Dong's enthusiastic promotion, quite a few people actually decided to eat at the restaurant on the spur of the moment. Zhao Dong was all smiles. He was overjoyed that Sun Meili and Wang Defa had been taken away today; he felt a sense of satisfaction, like he'd finally gotten his revenge.

Zhou Yan, who had been the catalyst for the incident, was now his friend, so it was only right that he give his friend's restaurant a shout-out. Of course, Old Xu was in a bit of a predicament; it was uncertain whether he'd be able to come to work tomorrow. He'd mentioned it today, and if Old Xu was really in a bad mood, he'd be given a day off tomorrow. Anyone would be upset in this situation.

Zhou Yan, having heard from Zhao Hong, who brought in lunchboxes, about Zhao Dong's help in promoting the food, packed a few extra ribs for this enthusiastic salesperson. Just past six o'clock, only braised pork ribs and crucian carp with mint were left on the menu; all other dishes were sold out. Zhou Yan had ordered eighty crucian carp today; even if a few were left over, they could be kept in the tank overnight. Twenty servings of braised pork ribs were prepared today, with six left over.

This dish was popular with female workers and children, but it was a bit pricey and not very appetizing, so fewer people ordered it. However, the peak customer flow had passed, and the factory workers who were supposed to go home for lunch had already left. The few remaining customers hesitated when they saw that only these two main dishes were left. At this moment, two men in black Zhongshan suits entered, chatting casually, followed by two little boys. The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com!

"Factory Director, Deputy Factory Director, you're here!" Aunt Zhao greeted them immediately upon seeing them.

"Yes, Sister Zhao, the Factory Director, two kids, and I are just having a quick meal," Lin Zhiqiang replied with a smile.

"Aunt Zhao," Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen greeted politely, though their eyes were already glancing into the shop.

"Little buddy!" Zhou Momo waved at them from her high stool.

"Momo-mei!" The two boys immediately ran over, one grabbing candy, the other oranges, very generous.

"Thank you, Little buddy." Zhou Momo accepted the candy and oranges, then turned and took out a bag of Dingding candy from the cabinet, picking out the two largest pieces and handing them to the two boys: "Here, have some Dingding candy."

"Thank you." The two little boys took the candy and immediately popped it into their mouths.

"So sweet!"

"Momo's Dingding candy is so delicious!" The two boys ate the candy, praising it as they ate. Lin Zhiqiang watched his two sons surrounding the little girl, a smile on his face. He never expected that at thirty-eight, his two sons would still be urging him to have a third child. Not to mention that the current policy doesn't allow it, what if they had another son? Of course, he loved the sweet and soft little girl. When Meng Anhe was pregnant with their second child, they both dreamed of having a daughter.

Now, the couple were frequently away on business trips, and Meng Anhe was even busier than him, leaving their two sons in a semi-free-range environment. Meng Anhe had gone to Rongcheng this morning, and when he took them to school, they insisted on eating at Zhou Yan's restaurant. They couldn't stop thinking about Zhou Yan's braised pork ribs, just like their cousin.

These two little guys were very observant; last night when they got home, they even pried open his mouth to smell if he was secretly eating outside, repeatedly warning him not to eat alone. Their mother had already paid, so Lin Zhiqiang naturally couldn't leave them out. It just so happened that the factory manager was also an hour late leaving work because of the canteen's accounting, so Wang Hongliang invited him to have a casual meal together. Normally, Wang Hongliang would have refused.

But when he heard they were going to Zhou Yan's restaurant, he agreed without hesitation. The two found an empty table and sat down, both frowning as they looked at the menu on the wall.

"Only two dishes left?" Wang Hongliang had wanted to try the beef and bamboo shoot stew again; the bamboo shoots were so delicious, he'd been craving them all day at work. Hearing the commotion, Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen and explained with a smile, "Factory Manager, Uncle Lin, there are quite a few workers eating today, so we've almost sold out of the dishes. We only have a few servings of braised pork ribs and a few crucian carp left."

Wang Hongliang looked at Zhou Yan and smiled, "The crucian carp with mint and the braised pork ribs are good dishes. How about you stir-fry some simple vegetables for us?"

"Yes, Xiao Zhou, we'll have a crucian carp with mint, a serving of braised pork ribs, and a vegetable dish." Lin Zhiqiang nodded in agreement. Although it was a simple meal, two dishes weren't enough for four people. One plate of ribs wasn't even enough for the two teenagers.

"There's also a piece of pork belly in the kitchen. How about I stir-fry some twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts for you? I plan to put this dish on the menu tomorrow." Zhou Yan guessed their thoughts and said with a smile, "There's not much meat, only a little over three ounces. Please taste and give your feedback." Wang Hongliang's eyes lit up, clearly showing interest. The other diners nearby looked over upon hearing this.