Xiao Lei arrived as promised at noon, clearly displaying a deep obsession with creating a perfect serving of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver.
Zhou Yan was overjoyed to have his master, a man who was always ready to help. He not only took charge of the Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver but also helped with chopping the side dishes.
A top notch chopping board operator!
However, limits are always easy to approach but hard to surpass.
At noon, ten servings of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver were made, showing subtle improvement, but the description in Zhou Yan's eyes remained unchanged.
[An Extremely Good Serving Of Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver]
"Master, your Spicy Stir-fried Pork Liver is so delicious! Are you coming again tonight?" Zhou Yan asked tentatively. Obsessions are a very subjective thing. If he felt that he had succeeded, then the obsession would naturally disappear.
Wouldn't his task be complete?
"I feel it's still a little lacking." Xiao Lei put down his chopsticks and shook his head. "It's not quite the same as what you cook, and it's also not as good as what your Grandmaster cooks. Let's continue tonight, and I'll come again when I have time. I don't believe I can't do it just because of that tiny difference."
"Sure! Come on over, you're welcome anytime." Zhou Yan smiled upon hearing this. His Master's palate was truly discerning, he could taste even the slightest difference. He wasn't easily fooled.
"I saw your sign outside, you're accepting reservations for tomorrow at noon. You're trying to steal business from the state-owned restaurant." Xiao Lei said with a smile.
"There's no other way. The revenue from the textile factory's customers has already peaked. If we want to attract more customers, we have to find a way to expand our customer base and capture some of the weekend dining crowds." Zhou Yan looked at Xiao Lei and said, "Master, the state-owned restaurant won't be plotting against me behind my back, will it?"
"It's hard to say. If you try to make them go out of business, they'll definitely try to survive." Xiao Lei said with a smile, "Their head chef, Fan Qingfeng, is quite straightforward and has a strong sense of pride so he generally wouldn't do anything underhanded."
But the leaders of the state-owned restaurant are a different story. The number of people who go out to eat and socialize in Suji Town is limited, and the state-owned restaurant has to support so many employees and there's a survival limit."
Zhou Yan seemed to be thinking about what he heard. In a small place, it's not just about fighting and killing, but also about human relationships and social interactions.
Now that his uncle has become the Minister of Armed Forces, he is not so afraid of the other party using connections to pressure him in Suji.
But the state-owned restaurant has a dozen or twenty employees. If they lose their stable jobs, who knows what kind of trouble they might cause? His Master's warning did make some sense.
"What are you afraid of? There's a crackdown going on right now, what would they dare to do?" Seeing Zhou Yan's serious expression, Xiao Lei smiled and said, "Everyone is in business, and the quality of food is the original sin. If you're not good enough, just practice more. Do you think you can force customers to eat at your restaurant with a knife?"
"Those bastards in the state-owned restaurant are just having too good a life. They have no competitors, so customers have no choice but to invite friends or family to the restaurant."
"Those waiters, they're all arrogant. They ignore customers when they ask questions, and they even hit customers. Isn't that lawless?"
Xiao Lei became more and more agitated as he spoke, his words filled with disgust.
Zhou Yan listened, completely stunned.
As expected of his Master, he has remarkable insight!
And a bit wild.
"Work hard. If you're too busy on weekends, just call me and I'll help you. Just pay me the daily wage as a chopping board operator. If you're still too busy, I'll call Zheng Qiang over for you too." Xiao Lei said to Zhou Yan.
"Sure!" Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. There was really no way to refuse.
"By the way, the number of tables for the wedding banquet on the 8th has been finalized. They added two more, making a total of twenty two. I've written down the quantities of the braised dishes they requested, you just make them accordingly." Xiao Lei added with a smile, "I'll also promote it for you then, though I don't know how effective it will be."
"I can never repay my Master's kindness." Zhou Yan said gratefully.
Having such a master is truly his blessing.
A wedding banquet with hundreds of guests, all of whom have tasted his braised meat, this kind of promotion is incredibly effective.
In just the past few days, Zhou Yan has seen several familiar faces, coming specifically for his braised pig's head.
Zhou Yan added, "By the way, Master, three more people came to book banquets yesterday. One had a time conflict and was turned down, but the other two had suitable times, so I accepted them for you. They are..."
The master and apprentice, one running a restaurant, the other a village chef offering banquet services, both have bright futures.
...
After closing at noon, Xiao Lei went home for a nap.
Zhou Yan took off his apron and slumped onto a recliner by the door. A 28-inch bicycle with two large green bags hanging on it stopped in front of him.
"Zhou Yan, you have a package. Please sign for it." The postman stopped his bicycle and said, taking something out of his bag.
Zhou Yan jumped up. It must have come from Shancheng.
A package? Wasn't it a letter?
Xia Yao sent him something?
The postman handed him a long, narrow package wrapped in several layers of oil paper and had him sign for it.
Zhou Momo had already come running out of the shop and went up to Zhou Yan, looking up at the package in his hand with her big eyes full of anticipation: "Guo Guo, did Sister Yaoyao send this?"
Aunt Zhao, who was still holding a rag, also came over to take a look.
"Yes, it was sent by her." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, already recognizing Xia Yao's familiar handwriting and signature.
The package wasn't big, but it was still a bit heavy. Zhou Yan found the edge and peeled off layer after layer of kraft paper, revealing a beautiful box of .... crayons?
"Is it delicious? The box is so pretty." Zhou Momo leaned over to take a look.
"It's not food, it's crayons for drawing. Xia Yao must have sent them to you." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Really? Sister Yaoyao is so kind!" Zhou Momo's eyes sparkled, and she almost jumped for joy.
"Xia Yao is so thoughtful. She saw Momo drawing for her with charcoal and even spent money to buy crayons and send them to her. That must have cost a lot of money." Aunt Zhao remarked with a sigh.
There was also a letter under the crayons, in an envelope, but without a stamp.
This girl is smart, she knows when to save and when to spend.
Zhou Yan handed the crayons to Zhou Momo, smiling as he instructed, "Put them on the table and let Mom open them for you. These are crayons for drawing, you absolutely cannot eat them, understand?"
"Yes! I understand!" Zhou Momo nodded, took the crayons with both hands, and turned to hand them to Aunt Zhao: "Mom, please open them for me!"
"Come here." Aunt Zhao took the crayons, placed them on the table, and opened them for her. There were twenty four crayons in two rows, looking very exquisite.
"Wow! So pretty!" Zhou Momo climbed onto the long bench, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the crayons, and she swallowed hard. "They look so delicious!"
"Zhou Momo, I'm warning you! You can't eat these, they'll give you diarrhea." Aunt Zhao moved the crayons back a little, her expression serious as she warned.
"Aww..." Zhou Momo nodded, then leaned forward, her eyes shining. "So many colors! This is the color of a persimmon, this is the color of the sky, this is the color of the roof, this is the color of Grandma's hair..."
Outside the door, Zhou Yan had already opened the envelope.
"Zhou Yan:
Qing Xi Yu Zha, Ru Jian Gu Ren.
A few nights ago, a heavy rain fell in Shancheng, the weather turned cool, and it finally felt like autumn.
In the artificial hill behind our dormitory, a stray cat gave birth to a litter of kittens. The cat was too thin to raise six kittens, so Deng Hong secretly took one back to the dormitory and raised it, and it survived. The little orange kitten is so tiny and adorable.
I've read your suggestions and advice several times. Your insights and deductions regarding advertising were truly enlightening, giving me a clear direction for my future career planning..."
Zhou Yan leaned back on his recliner, looking at the delicate handwriting, as if he could hear Xia Yao's voice echoing in his ears, and a smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.
Her writing was still lively, recounting many interesting things that had happened in university, and expressing gratitude for the suggestions he had made in his previous letter.
At the end of the letter, she mentioned Zhou Momo.
"Momo's drawings are so cute, full of childlike fun and love. I think she has a talent for drawing, so I sent her a box of crayons, hoping she can use them to create even more interesting drawings.
I drew a picture with crayons and gave it to her. Please pass it on for me. I added colors to it based on her drawing.
Yesterday, I went for a walk along the Yangtze River with my roommate, and I couldn't help but miss the breeze along the Suji River.
May everything go smoothly and may all your wishes be fulfilled.
Xia Yao."
Zhou Yan stared at the last third line for a while, trying to analyze the emotions the author wanted to express.
Unfortunately, his reading comprehension skills were too poor so he couldn't analyze it.
Perhaps it's because the wind in Suji cooler than the wind in Shancheng that it evokes nostalgia.
Shancheng was practically an oven in the summer.
Turning to the next page, he saw a folded drawing. It depicted a small courtyard with a little girl in double ponytails, an orange cat at her feet, and a large goose with outstretched wings nearby.
The drawing was done with crayons, and the overall layout was based on the drawing that Zhou Momo sent her.
The blurred lines and abstract people and animals in the charcoal painting become clear and lifelike, especially Zhou Momo in the painting, who is painted so realistically.
The charming and childlike atmosphere of the village courtyards is fully displayed.
Zhou Yan unconsciously sat up straight and stared at it for a while.
"Wow! Isn't this the painting I gave to Sister Yaoyao? It's gotten even prettier!" Zhou Momo exclaimed excitedly, appearing behind him without him noticing.
"This was redrawn by Xia Yao, right? It's really well done! That girl is so thoughtful." Aunt Zhao also praised, feeling even more satisfied with Xia Yao. It's a pity, alas.
"This is a drawing Sister Yaoyao gave you. She said she received your drawing and really liked it. She thinks it was amazing, so she gave you a box of crayons so you can draw with them next time." Zhou Yan smiled and handed the drawing to Zhou Momo.
"Okay!" Zhou Momo carefully took the drawing, her eyes shining as if she was looking at a treasure. She muttered as she walked into the restaurant, "Crayons, colors, so pretty! But why are the flowers orange?"
Zhou Yan's lips curled up slightly, because Xia Yao and the others had hidden a little orange cat in the dormitory, and she probably thought that the cat at Grandma's house was also an orange cat.
"It's so pretty! I'll stick it on the wall with rice so you don't tear it apart in no time." Aunt Zhao's voice came.
Zhou Yan jumped up from the recliner, turned around and rushed into the restaurant: "Please spare the painting!"