Chapter 130 - 116: Reservations for Sunday Dining Now Open...
Chapter 130: Chapter 116: Reservations for Sunday Dining Now Open...
After finishing the stir-fried pork liver, Xiao Lei didn’t hurry off. He stayed to help Zhou Yan finish cooking the last dish.
Zhao Hong also took back the two portions of pork liver where the Fire Control had been slightly off.
"Running a restaurant really builds character. I can tell you’ve been practicing hard these past four months. You’ve grown a lot," Xiao Lei said, a hint of admiration in his voice as he watched Zhou Yan wipe down the stove.
He knew Zhou Yan’s skill level all too well; there was no way he could have improved so much in such a short time without diligent, arduous practice.
He was the only person in the kitchen, cooking for over a hundred customers during a single meal service—a scale not much different from the stir-fry station at the old factory cafeteria.
Looking back twenty years, Xiao Lei had to admit that he himself, at Zhou Yan’s age, could not have been this good.
"Were you sandbagging back at the factory cafeteria?" Xiao Lei stared into Zhou Yan’s eyes. He hadn’t slept well last night thinking about it.
Zhou Yan wore a look of pure, frank innocence. "Master, how could you think that of me? Am I that kind of person?"
"Then have you been training with another master behind my back?"
"Heaven and earth as my witness! Besides my grandmother teaching me how to make cured meats, I have absolutely no other Master!" Zhou Yan said without a hint of guilt.
’The system is a cheat, not a master, so it doesn’t count.’
Xiao Lei clapped him on the shoulder and laughed. "Don’t be so rigid. It’s a new era. If you meet a skilled Grandmaster in the future, flatter them if you have to. Don’t you ever hesitate if you get a chance to learn a new skill. Once you’ve learned it, you can turn around and teach me, your master. I’d even call you Master Zhou then."
Zhou Yan: "Huh?"
Σ(⊙▽⊙"a?
’Master, are your principles really that flexible?’
"Times have changed. We have to keep up or we’ll be left behind." Seeing Zhou Yan’s dumbfounded expression, Xiao Lei smiled. "I may have studied under your grand-master for over a decade, but back in ’71, I also spent a year training at the Worker University. It was located at the Red Flag Restaurant, which is now Rongyuan Garden."
"I studied under many great and famous chefs there and learned a lot of techniques. It was only after I returned that I became a head chef."
"Great chefs today aren’t like the ones from the old days. They’re happy to share their techniques and willing to pass on their skills. Especially those old masters—as long as you’re diligent, they’re more than willing to give you pointers."
"As the training base for the Rongcheng Catering Company, Rongyuan Garden has trained many outstanding chefs over the past decade. It’s no exaggeration to call it the Huangpu Military Academy of Sichuan Cuisine."
"I wasn’t the most gifted, so I returned to Suji after graduating. Some of my classmates stayed at Rongyuan Garden, and now they’ve all become Special Level Chefs."
As he spoke of his experiences learning to cook as a young man, Xiao Lei’s gaze grew noticeably gentler.
Zhou Yan nodded. He’d heard of the Rong Sect before; it was quite famous among the various schools of Sichuan Cuisine.
’In that case, I guess I’m slightly connected to it too.’
’This era really is something special.’
"Have you subscribed to Sichuan Cuisine? The great chefs are always sharing techniques in there, and the articles are top-notch. You should get a subscription. It’s only one-sixty a year. Learning even a single trick from one of those grandmasters will benefit you for life," Xiao Lei urged Zhou Yan.
Zhou Yan’s eyebrow twitched. He grinned. "Master, so everyone who gets featured in Sichuan Cuisine is a Grandmaster?"
"Of course! Could you get in if you weren’t a Grandmaster?" Xiao Lei nodded, then added wistfully, "The editors of that magazine might not be the best cooks, but they have a real knack for finding Grandmasters. They even get them to write down entire recipes in the articles. I have no idea how they convince them."
Zhou Yan happened to know a thing or two about that. ’First, you have to be stubborn as a mule, have the thickest skin imaginable, and a never-say-die attitude.’
"I hear there’s a very high-level Grandmaster being featured in next month’s issue. You have to remember to check it out," Zhou Yan said earnestly.
"Which Grandmaster?" Xiao Lei’s interest was clearly piqued.
Zhou Yan’s expression turned serious. "I can’t reveal too much right now. Just remember to read it. Who knows, I might even be able to arrange for you to have a meal with this Grandmaster."
"Are you kidding me? You have connections like that?" Xiao Lei was surprised.
"I’m not kidding!" Zhou Yan nodded. "This Grandmaster is from Jiazhou. We’re very close. He’s a humble, easy-going guy."
"Well, invite him over. It’ll be my treat," Xiao Lei nodded. "I’d love to see which Grandmaster from Jiazhou it is. We can talk shop, see if I can learn a thing or two."
"Deal!" Zhou Yan nodded. He untied his apron and saw his master out, arranging for him to come back at noon tomorrow to continue learning how to make stir-fried pork liver.
Once he was out of earshot, Mrs. Zhao finally couldn’t hold back her question. "Zhou Yan, is your master coming here to learn how to make stir-fried pork liver from you?"
Comrade Zhou, who was wiping a table, also looked over at Zhou Yan.
"It’s called professional exchange between chefs, for mutual improvement. My Master taught me everything I know; how could I possibly teach him?" Zhou Yan quickly clarified. He couldn’t be caught saying something so disrespectful to his master.
Zhou Momo, who had been drawing in the sand with a small stick, heard their voices and immediately scampered over. She hugged Zhou Yan’s leg and started to climb up, clinging to him like a little koala. Looking up, she coaxed in her sweet, childish voice, "Brother, take me to the slide~~"
Zhou Yan picked her up and, with a smile, passed her to Mrs. Zhao. "Mom, why don’t you take Momo out to play? Dad and I will clear the sand and plaster from upstairs. We’ll install the door tomorrow, and then you can move into the new room."
"That’s right. We can handle that bit of work," Zhou Miao nodded.
Zhou Momo wrapped her arms around Mrs. Zhao’s neck, her expression a mix of hope and anxiety. She said softly, "Mommy, please~"
"Alright, let’s go." Mrs. Zhao smiled, reaching back to untie her apron.
"Mwah!" Zhou Momo happily hugged her mom’s face and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Mommy! You’re the best mommy in the whole wide world!"
"Playtime is playtime, but we have to be home as soon as it gets dark, you hear? If I have to drag you home after dark, you’re not coming with me next time," Mrs. Zhao warned.
"Mm-hm!!" Zhou Momo nodded her little head obediently.
...
By the time Zhou Yan and his father finished cleaning the second floor and came downstairs, they saw Zhou Momo running back in, pouting and with red-rimmed eyes.
Mrs. Zhao followed behind her, a thin bamboo switch in her hand.
"Brother! Mommy’s being mean..." Zhou Momo threw herself into Zhou Yan’s arms, whimpering and blinking hard to squeeze out tears, the very picture of misery.
The little one was drenched in sweat from playing, her bangs plastered to her forehead.
Zhou Yan glanced at the completely dark sky outside and knew exactly what had happened without asking. She must have been having too much fun to want to come home.
"Come on, mean mommy is taking you for a bath now," Mrs. Zhao said, placing the bamboo switch on the counter and plucking Zhou Momo from Zhou Yan’s arms.
"Brother, save me—" Zhou Momo kicked her short little legs.
Zhou Yan silently turned his head away to hide his smile. As much as he loved her, he was powerless to help.
Zhou Momo was so tired from playing that she could have fallen asleep mid-bath. Once she was wrapped in a small blanket, Mrs. Zhao carried her upstairs to bed.
"More than one customer asked today if we’re open on Sundays. What are your thoughts on that?" Mrs. Zhao asked as she came back downstairs.
"I’ve been thinking about that for the past few days. I’m planning to try a reservation system. We’ll open for lunch on Sundays, but not for breakfast or dinner. Also, we won’t be selling Kneeling Beef or cured meats for the time being," Zhou Yan began. "Customers who want to eat here will have to book in advance, and we’ll prepare ingredients based on those reservations. We won’t take walk-ins. This will prevent food waste, and I’ll also be able to get half a day off."
Zhao Tieying thought it over for a moment and understood. "That’s a great idea!" she nodded.
"I’ll put a notebook at the front counter tomorrow. Just have the customers write down their orders when they make a reservation. If they can’t write, call me," Zhou Yan added. "And for every reservation, we’ll collect a deposit of one-third of the total bill, rounded. No deposit, no reservation."
"Why’s that?" Zhao Tieying asked, a little confused.
"Our business is good, so there’s bound to be some jealous people out there. What if someone hires a troublemaker to book a huge feast and then doesn’t show up? All the ingredients we prepared would go to waste. We’d go from making a profit to taking a loss just like that," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.
"You’re the smart one. We’ll do it your way," Mrs. Zhao nodded.
Zhou Yan went to write up a notice. He would post it by the door tomorrow morning so all the factory workers heading to work could see it.
Opening reservations for Sunday lunch wasn’t just about making more money for Zhou Yan. More importantly, it was his entry into the Suji Town banquet scene.
The daily business from the textile factory workers had already peaked. Revenue for the past few days had been hovering around five hundred yuan, and it was proving difficult to break past that ceiling.
Banquets were a less frequent type of business, but because of their social nature, the average check size was generally much higher.
After all, when you’re treating someone, you want them to eat well.
When the factory workers hosted banquets, many of their guests weren’t from the factory. For the restaurant, this would serve as excellent promotion and a way to attract new customers.
Previously, this part of the market had been monopolized by the state-owned restaurant.
The other small eateries and street stalls weren’t fancy enough; they couldn’t possibly compare to the state-owned restaurant, which had a Second-Level Chef overseeing its kitchen.
Zhou Yan was ready to test the waters. As a challenger, he was going to snatch a piece of that meat right out of the state-owned restaurant’s mouth.
His ambitions were modest for now, however. He would only be open for lunch.
Not selling breakfast, cured meats, or Kneeling Beef would allow him to sleep in. Everyone needed to sleep in at least once a week; otherwise, life would be too stressful.
And not serving dinner meant getting half a day off, giving them time to visit Jiazhou or the surrounding areas if they wanted.
There’s no end to the money one can make. You have to set aside time to spend it. Only by balancing work and leisure can you keep your energy up.
These last couple of days, Comrade Zhou had become obsessed with Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He no longer played Chinese chess with Zhou Yan, instead sitting under the lamp to read for two hours every night before bed.
Zhou Yan couldn’t help but worry. ’Has Comrade Zhou reached middle age and suddenly developed aspirations of conquest?’
’What if he reads the line: "How can a true man remain long in servitude to another?"’
’Will he get ideas about challenging Mrs. Zhao’s imperial authority in the family?’
In fact, Zhou Yan had already finished reading Three Kingdoms. Once Comrade Zhou was done, he planned to go swap it for another book from the old man.
’That old man is a pretty interesting character.’
...
The next morning, Zhou Yan posted the notice about Sunday lunch reservations by the door, with the detailed rules written out below.
Sure enough, customers began to inquire and make reservations that very morning. Most were for small gatherings of three to five people, though there were also family get-togethers of eight or nine.
"Zhou Yan, you’re finally opening on a Sunday! My sister and brother-in-law are coming to see my mom tomorrow. I was going to take them to the state-owned restaurant, but eating here will be so much better!" Zhao Dong said with a grin. He had arrived late and ran right into Zhou Yan. "My brother-in-law runs a restaurant in Jiazhou, the Feiyan Restaurant. He’s always bragging that his chefs are the best in all of Jiazhou. He’s incredibly picky. This time, I’m going to show him that there’s always a higher mountain to climb."