Comrade Old Zhou turned on the light. In the kitchen, the enamel basin containing pork cracklings had rolled to the ground, spilling half a basin of pork cracklings all over the floor.
The situation was quite bad.
"These rats are too arrogant! They managed to knock such a heavy enamel basin to the ground!" Zhou Yan was furious, his teeth itching. There were at least three or four jin of pork cracklings in that basin, and pork cracklings were an important ingredient in stir-fried pork cracklings with cabbage.
He had originally planned to render lard next week, but now he has to buy lard to render lard tomorrow, otherwise the Stir-fried Pork Cracklings With Cabbage will be out of stock.
As the only stir-fried vegetable dish currently served at the restaurant, the Stir-fried Pork Cracklings With Cabbage sells very well due to its affordable price.
"What should we do with these pork cracklings?" Comrade Old Zhou asked Zhou Yan.
"Sweep them up and take them to Grandma's to feed her chickens and geese tomorrow. They definitely can't be used to cook for guests." Zhou Yan said, sounding slightly helpless.
"What a pity." Comrade Old Zhou was also a little heartbroken that the pork cracklings couldn't be used, but he still went to get a broom and started cleaning.
Zhou Yan quickly walked to the small stove and checked the two pots of brine. The lids were tightly closed, so it was safe for the time being.
But he wasn't entirely at ease, so he went and brought back two stone slabs, placing them over the pot lid to ensure the brine was safe.
The pork cracklings were gone, but he could render another pot of lard.
But his two pots of old brine are different. If the brine is spoiled, it's not something that can be done overnight to make another pot.
These two pots of old braising liquid are very precious.
Zhou Yan checked the shelves again and found that five or six potatoes had been bitten, all of them only half-eaten and left out.
The vegetable oil and lard were both fine when covered, and heavy objects were placed on top to ensure safety.
It's not uncommon for kitchens to have rats. This is something that even restaurants in shopping malls in later generations would find difficult to avoid, let alone his small kitchen in a rural town.
They don't stockpile food, and they usually cover up their oil and pork cracklings, so the situation wasn't too serious.
He hadn't expected the rats to be so brazen tonight, managing to knock over the pork cracklings and causing him considerable losses.
"Want to get a cat? If there's a cat in the house, the rats won't dare to come near. I heard that even state-owned restaurants keep one." Comrade Old Zhou asked Zhou Yan.
"We can't keep cats. It's not appropriate for us to keep cats in the kitchen of our restaurant." Zhou Yan shook his head, his attitude firm.
"The rats aren't necessarily cleaner than cats, are they?" Zhou Miao retorted. "Look at how these potatoes have been chewed up, what a waste. Your grandma kept cat precisely to keep mice away."
"It's different at home, you can raise whatever you want." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "If you're not careful about hygiene at the restaurant, it can get shut down. If someone reports it, it's guaranteed to happen. You can't be careless about this."
"Let's forget about it then." Zhou Miao didn't understand, but hearing that the restaurant would be closed, he didn't insist.
Zhou Yan shone his flashlight toward the window. The window was boarded up every night, but there was a hole chewed in the corner. The wood shavings were still fresh, so the rats must have crawled in through there.
There are also five or six holes at the top, which are meant for ventilation and to let out cooking fumes, but they have also become quick passageways for rats.
Inside the kitchen, the tall pile of firewood behind the stove was an excellent choice for rats to make their home.
The split oak logs were piled together, forming holes of varying sizes. Once a rat burrowed into one, it's like a clay ox sinking into the sea, there's almost no chance of catching it.
Zhou Yan didn't believe there weren't any rats hiding inside.
"Tomorrow I'll go to the supply and marketing cooperative and buy some wire mesh to seal up the windows and holes in the kitchen. This will keep the kitchen ventilated and prevent more rats from getting in." Zhou Yan said, his gaze falling on the pile of firewood. "I'll also ask Grandma's tabby cat to come and catch the rats for one night. Getting rid of the rats in the kitchen should hold out for a while."
The restaurant kitchen is too special, putting rat poison there is absolutely impossible, especially with little Zhou Momo at home.
In later generations, the method of preventing rats in kitchens was simply to use rat guards, which are physical barriers.
Their kitchen is made of cement, which is slightly better, they only need to seal the visible holes.
But the existing rats in the kitchen also needed to be dealt with, otherwise the hygiene risks would be too great.
Grandma's tabby cat, which is good at catching mice, became the best choice.
Borrowing a cat to catch mice for one night and returning it the next morning—that's called mousetrap work, completely different from keeping a cat in the restaurant.
This kind of thing is quite common in rural towns.
Especially in villages where no cats are kept, if the rats infest their homes and rats get into the granary, they will bring fish to invite a tabby cat home to catch the rats.
His grandmother's tabby cat wasn't old, but its skills were already quite adept, and it had a very good reputation in Zhou Village.
It caught mice, but didn't like to eat them. However, it was quite enthusiastic about trading mice for fish.
"Alright! We'll patch up the hole tomorrow." Comrade Old Zhou nodded, agreeing with Zhou Yan's suggestion.
Zhou Yan loaded all the potatoes from the shelf into a bamboo basket and carried it to his room on the second floor for temporary storage.
His room was small and sparsely furnished, leaving no place for the rats to hide. If one dared to come, it would surely never return.
"Dad, you should go to sleep early too. Let them go tonight." Zhou Yan said to Comrade Old Zhou, then closed the door and went to bed.
He fell asleep the moment his head touched the bed.
The next morning, Zhou Yan first went to the bridgehead to order a slab of lard from Zhang Laosan. In the afternoon, he took some time to render the lard so that he could continue selling Stir-fried Pork Cracklings With Cabbage that evening.
Then he took the pork cracklings that the rats had spilled yesterday to the old lady.
"It's such a waste to feed such good pork cracklings to chickens." The old lady shook her head repeatedly, glanced at the tabby cat sleeping soundly on its back on the shelf by the door of the main room, and laughed: "If you want to catch mice, just catch it and take it home. It can catch all the mice in your restaurant in one night."
"Okay, I'll come back tonight after I close up restaurant and invite it to come back." Zhou Yan said with a smile, and the matter was settled.
The old lady spoke up again: "You shouldn't keep cats in your restaurant. Some people can't stand cats and dogs, and they might cause you trouble. If there are rats, just take my cat and catch them. Catching one rat will keep them away for a while."
"Okay." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, the old lady always thought things through so thoroughly.
After the restaurant closed at noon, Zhou Yan went to the supply and marketing cooperative and bought a roll of wire mesh. The mesh was so finely divided that only a little finger could fit through it, a mouse certainly couldn't get in.
They borrowed a ladder from the security department next door, and Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou, armed with hammers and iron pliers, nailed wire mesh inside and out to all the holes in the kitchen, making sure it was double-layered for extra protection and to ensure physical isolation between the kitchen and the outside environment.
This work looked simple, but the father and son spent half an afternoon working on it.
Comrade Old Zhou went to return the ladder, while Zhou Yan busied himself rendering lard in a wok. Quite a few customers had asked about Stir-fried Pork Cracklings With Cabbage for lunch today. As Zhou Yan's skills improved, this dish became quite popular.
"This wire mesh is installed very neatly. I wonder where the rats will be able to get in this time." Aunt Zhao looked at the newly added wire mesh on the window with a satisfied expression.
"Guo Guo, will you take me to pick up Hua Hua tonight?" Zhou Momo brought in a small stool, sat down to the side, and asked Zhou Yan with anticipation.
"Okay, I'll take you to pick up Hua Hua tonight." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.
That tabby cat never gave him a second glance, but it was very affectionate towards Zhou Momo. If she didn't go, it might be difficult to persuade it.
Tabby cats have their tempers.
After closing for the evening, Zhou Yan grabbed a crucian carp from the water tank, packed up the two remaining portions of braised pork ribs from the pot, and headed straight for the old house with Zhou Momo.
"Grandma! Uncle! Hua Hua~~" Zhou Momo skipped in, greeting them first.
As Zhou Yan entered, he saw the tabby cat rubbing its head against the little one's hand, making gurgling noises, as if it had an engine inside.
Only the little one gets this treatment, it's incredibly affectionate towards her.
Zhou Yan carried the lunchbox into the main room. The old lady and Zhou Weiguo were having dinner. There were two dishes on the table: twice-cooked pork with cabbage and shredded potatoes. It was clear that they had just started eating.
Zhou Yan smiled and placed the lunchbox on the table: "Just starting to eat? The braised pork ribs that weren't sold today are just right, still warm, no need to heat them up."
"There are food at home. You could have kept them to cook noodles for your own family tomorrow. Why did you bring them over?" the old lady said with a hint of helplessness.
"Exactly." Zhou Weiguo agreed, but he had already picked up his chopsticks, taken a piece of pork rib, and put it in his mouth, nodding repeatedly, "Mmm! It tastes absolutely delicious!"
"I still have some left, I just brought some for you to try since I was on the way." Zhou Yan said with a smile, holding up a crucian carp tied with straw in his other hand. "Grandma, should I feed this crucian carp to it now, or should I keep it until it comes back tomorrow? Should I cook it?"
The old lady glanced in the direction of the main room entrance: "It won't even sniff the fish once it's cooked. If you put the fish in that plate by the door, it will eat it by itself, and only after it eats it will it work for you."
"Okay." Zhou Yan replied, placing the nearly dead crucian carp onto the plate.
Zhou Momo pointed and said, "Hua Hua, eat the fish! You can catch mice after you eat it~~"
"Meow~" The tabby cat meowed in a low voice, jumped down from the shelf, approached the plate, pressed down on the crucian carp that was trying to turn over with one paw, and then lowered its head to eat.
With a crunch, it chewed the fish meat with its sharp teeth, eating with great relish. In no time, the eight liang crucian carp was reduced to a single, intact fish bone. It ate it clean, and even licked its paws afterward, carefully cleaning them.
"Gulp~" Zhou Momo swallowed hard, looked up at Zhou Yan and asked, "Guo Guo, is raw crucian carp delicious?"
"Crucian carp is a freshwater fish, so you can't eat it raw." Zhou Yan said with a smile. She really is a little foodie, even watching a cat eat fish makes her drool.
"Grandma, should we leash this cat?" Zhou Yan asked.
"Just put it in the basket. With Momo here, it'll follow you." the old lady replied.
"I'll do it!" Zhou Momo stepped forward and picked up the tabby cat after it had washed its face.
The tabby cat stretched out its long legs, letting her hold it without moving.
Zhou Momo said in her childish voice, "Hua Hua, be good, I'll take you back to catch mice~~ If you catch them well, Guo Guo will give you a fish to eat!"
Once outside the yard, Zhou Yan placed the tabby cat in the bicycle basket.
It sized him up, a hint of wariness in its eyes.
Then Zhou Yan lifted Zhou Momo onto the front bar and sat her down. The tabby cat immediately relaxed, found a comfortable position to curl up in the basket, tilted its head to look at Zhou Momo, and even stretched out a leg to try to play with her.
"Hua Hua, let's go home~" Zhou Momo reached out and touched its white paw, then chattered away to it all the way home.
With her there, the tabby cat remained completely calm, bouncing all the way back to the restaurant in the bicycle basket without even trying to run away.
Some cats are timid and easily stressed in a new environment.
This is a hunting cat that spends most of its time catching mice for others. It's seen the world, so it's quite different.
The bicycle was pushed into the restaurant and parked against the wall.
Zhou Yan put Zhou Momo down on the ground.
The tabby cat then stood up from the basket, stretched, and jumped off. It strolled leisurely around the restaurant, its eyes scanning left and right with unusual sharpness, like a general inspecting his territory.
Aunt Zhao had finished washing the dishes and wiping the table. Looking at the tabby cat wandering around, she laughed and said, "It's really something. Last time, Aunt Wang's granary had a rat infestation, so she asked it to help catch them. It caught eight in one night, the biggest of which weighed about two jin (about 1 kg). I wonder how many rats we have in our restaurant."
After circling the dining hall, the tabby cat went into the kitchen, its eyes quickly locking onto the woodpile. It stared intently at the woodpile for a while, then jumped onto it, found a comfortable, flat spot, and lay down to sleep.
"Why isn't Hua Hua catching the mice?" Zhou Momo asked, puzzled.
"It's waiting for the mice to come out on their own. It's quite clever." Zhou Yan said with a smile. He went into the kitchen, carried upstairs a large pot of pork cracklings that he had cooked at noon, and threw a few pork cracklings on the ground as bait.
"Hua Hua, you have to be strong!" Zhou Momo encouraged it.
"Meow~" The cat raised its eyelids and responded with a meow.
To create a good environment for the cat to catch mice, he and Comrade Old Zhou postponed their chess game tonight until tomorrow night, and the whole family went upstairs to bed early.
Zhou Yan finished making the accounts, picked up "How the Steel Was Tempered" from the head of the bed, took a deep breath, and decided to read ten pages today!
He had borrowed this book for too long, but he had been too busy during the day to read it. Every time he picked it up in bed, he would fall asleep after reading only a few lines.
He's only managed to get to page eight so far.
The main reason is that the content is so hypnotic. He doesn't have an iron will, but he has a good night's sleep that many people envy, falling asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.
The hypnotic effect was so strong that he was almost reluctant to switch to the next book.
"Pavel Korchagin from..."
Having just read ten lines, the book was gently placed over Zhou Yan's face, and he had already fallen peacefully asleep.
The next morning, Zhou Yan got up early, changed his clothes and went out, just in time to see Comrade Old Zhou and Aunt Zhao coming out.
"Mom, why are you up so early?" Zhou Yan asked Aunt Zhao, puzzled.
It was only five o'clock, she'd been sleeping until around six lately.
"I got up early to clean the kitchen and dining hall, so that no cat hair would drift onto the table unnoticed and make the guests uncomfortable." Aunt Zhao said with a smile. "And by the way, check how many mice the cat caught!"
"Okay, you've thought of everything." Zhou Yan nodded, and the three of them went downstairs.
As they descended the stairs, they were stunned to see two neat rows of rats lined up by the kitchen door.
A family of nine, from smallest to largest, all died in perfect unison, the cause of death being two bloody holes in their necks.
The smallest mouse weighed about two liang, the largest estimated to weigh two jin.
The tabby cat squatted on a stool to the side, licking its paws as if it was a victorious general wiping its blood-stained sword.
"Nine! So many rats hiding in this pile of firewood!" Aunt Zhao exclaimed in surprise.
"It's pretty impressive!" Comrade Old Zhou exclaimed in surprise.
"Good job, deserves a reward!" Zhou Yan went into the kitchen and grabbed the fattest crucian carp from the fish tank.
Hua Hua's gaze was immediately drawn to the lively crucian carp in Zhou Yan's hand. It followed him to the door and squatted down to enjoy its reward.
Comrade Old Zhou had already swept the whole family of mice into a dustpan and dumped them far away outside.
This tabby cat is good at catching mice, but doesn't like to eat them.
In contrast, it clearly prefers to eat fish.
"It doesn't make a mess. The kitchen is spotless, and the dining hall is fine too. I'll wipe everything down, and I think that'll be enough." Aunt Zhao said with a smile as she walked around, wearing an apron and holding a rag.
"Okay, wipe the whole thing down." Zhou Yan nodded.
This mouse-catching effect is remarkable, nine mice in one night. It's much more reliable than any animal trap or sticky mouse board.
No wonder it's the cat with the highest cat turnover rate in Zhou Village.
It's really good at catching mice.
Now that the rats are caught, he has no more worries, otherwise he would always be concerned about the safety of the brine.
Zhou Yan watched as it devoured the entire crucian carp before pushing the bicycle out the door, patting the basket and saying, "Hua Hua, let's go! I'll take you home."
Hua Hua glanced at him, then jumped onto the bicycle basket, found a comfortable position to lie down in, squinted its eyes, and made gurgling sounds.
After eating two of his crucian carp, Hua Hua's affection for him noticeably increased.
Zhou Yan got on his bicycle and first took the cat back to his grandmother's house.
"Did it catch any?" The old lady took Hua Hua out of the bicycle basket and petted it.
"Yes, it caught nine at once! This morning, they were neatly arranged at the kitchen door. Amazing!" Zhou Yan nodded, his tone full of admiration.
The old lady laughed when she heard this, and stroked the cat's head, saying, "Aiyo, catching nine in one go, you're quite something."
"Meow~~" Hua Hua responded in a high-pitched voice, purring loudly.
"Grandma, I'll go buy some meat now. If there are any more mice next time, I'll come back and invite it to catch them." Zhou Yan said.
"Go ahead." the old lady waved her hand.
After buying the groceries, he returned to the restaurant. Zhou Momo was squatting by the door brushing her teeth, her cheeks puffed out. Hearing the sound, she looked up, saw Zhou Yan, and immediately spat out the water. She said triumphantly, "Guo Guo! Hua Hua caught nine mice!"
Her smug little face made it seem like the two of them had caught the mice together.
"Yes, I rewarded it with another fish this morning, and then took it back to Grandma's house." Zhou Yan said with a smile and a nod.
"Hmph~ Why didn't you call me, Guo Guo? I wanted to see it catch mice too..." The little one put down her toothbrush, put her hands on her hips, and her chubby little face immediately puffed up, like an angry little pufferfish.
"I see you're still sleeping. I'll definitely wake you next time." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"Okay!" Zhou Momo nodded, a happy smile spreading across her face. "Then I forgive you this time."
Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle into the restaurant. They not only wiped the tables and kitchen again, but Zhao Hong also mopped the floor twice after she arrived, giving the restaurant a very thorough cleaning.
Don't let the small size of their restaurant fool you, it may not be very well-decorated.
But when it comes to cleanliness and hygiene, their restaurants are among the best, not just in Jiazhou, but throughout Sichuan.
That evening, the downstairs area was indeed quiet, the squeaking and fighting of the rats, and the rustling of them gnawing on the wood, were no longer heard.
It was indeed a complete rat massacre, not a single one was spared.
Physical isolation has been quite effective. This afternoon, Comrade Old Zhou also checked and repaired the dining hall to minimize the paths for rats to enter.
The dining hall was empty, with only nineteen eight-person tables and a counter, even if a mouse got in, it would have nowhere to hide.
The next few days were quite busy at the restaurant.
Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang were extremely busy, having hosted both a wedding banquet and a birthday banquet.
Saturday morning.
Zhou Yan was taking the braised vegetables out of the pot.
The sounds of his Master, Senior Brother Zheng, and Aunt Zhao talking could be heard outside.
"Master Zhou is busy braising vegetarian dishes?" Xiao Lei appeared at the kitchen door, smiling.
"It smells so good! Master Zhou's skills are as consistent as ever." Zheng Qiang peeked out and swallowed hard, looking at the freshly cooked braised dried bean curd sticks on the side.
"Master, Senior Brother Zheng, don't try to brainwash me." Zhou Yan looked at the two of them and said with a smile, "You two have no work today, so you've volunteered to be my chopping board operators?"
"That's right, we're here to assist Master Zhou." Xiao Lei nodded.
"I can only be a chopping board operator and do some assisting as well." Zheng Qiang nodded.
"Come on, Master Xiao, the pork liver over there is yours." Zhou Yan pointed to the pork liver in the basin next to him.
Xiao Lei laughed and said, "To be honest, we don't have that much free time. We just bought the side dishes and called a tractor to take the pots, pans, and tableware to Linjiang Town."
"Master, are you going to help Mr. Qian organize a banquet?" Zhou Yan asked in surprise.
"That's right. Qian Siyuan came to see me personally yesterday, and I happen to be free these two days, so I definitely can't refuse." Xiao Lei nodded and added, "Fifty tables. All the relatives and friends of the Kong family in Linjiang Town have been invited. You're in charge of the braised meat. Braised pig ears and braised pig snouts will be served together on one plate, and braised pig head meat and braised beef are served one serving each at each table, so this is three servings in total."
"A big order!" Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. He hadn't gotten the big sum of money last time, but now he had earned it back.
"There's another matter. The Jiazhou Daily has heard about Qian Siyuan's long journey to find his relatives. Reporters will be coming to cover the event on the day of the family banquet. They say they want to combine the long journey with the Kong Sect to do an in depth report to commemorate your grandmaster." Xiao Lei continued, "Your grandmaster uncle thinks this is a good opportunity to promote the Kong Sect, so he has already sent a notice to all my fellow senior brothers and junior brothers. If they can get back to Linjiang that day, they must cook a signature dish to showcase the style of the Kong Sect."
"One dish? Or one dish per table?" Zhou Yan asked thoughtfully.
"That will definitely be a dish on the main table. Even if they wanted a dish for every table, with such a big wok, they still couldn't make it taste the same." Xiao Lei laughed. "Zheng Qiang and I are going to hold that banquet, and we'll be too busy to handle fifty tables. So we can only send you as our representative to cook a dish for everyone. The more unusual the better, to showcase the style of our Kong Sect and to commemorate your grandmaster."
Zhou Yan looked at him and said, "Master, stop keeping me in suspense, just tell me what dish I'm going to make?"
"Snowflake Chicken, have you learned how to make it?" Xiao Lei asked, looking at him.