Aunt Zhao's shout drew the attention of many workers emerging from the factory gate. Their eyes lit up at the sight of the braised pig's head and cold chicken dish.
"Zhou Erwa Restaurant is selling braised food now!"
"That cold chicken dish looks really good! The red oil color is perfect!"
"Free samples of meat? The boss is so generous! Let's try a piece!"
The customers gathered around curiously, knowing that Zhou Erwa Restaurant was expensive, and naturally, they couldn't miss the chance to get something for free.
The advantage of being the first storefront at the factory gate was immediately apparent.
The shout also attracted the attention of the vendors at the factory gate, especially the three adjacent braised food stalls. The owners almost simultaneously looked towards Zhou Erwa Restaurant.
"What's this?! He sells braised food too?" Yang Laosan, the owner of Yang Ji Braised Food, frowned, his bald head forming a deep frown.
Zhu Feng, the owner of Zhu Ji Braised Food on the right, also looked dissatisfied: "Selling everything and trying to make money from everything, Zhou Yan is too greedy!"
The lunch time business for braised food was already bad enough, but this made it even worse.
They'd seen Wang Laowu's noodle stall go bankrupt because of Zhou Yan, and then Zhou Liangliang came along selling soup pot, but he also failed after a day's work and ran away.
Now that Zhou Yan was selling braised food, how could they not be worried?
They, the vendors, had seen firsthand how booming Zhou Yan's restaurant business had been these past few days. Everyone was saying he could sell two or three hundred yuan a day, earning over a hundred!
These vendors, on a good day they could earn seven or eight yuan, on a bad day they'd earn one or two yuan. A couple running a stall could earn a hundred or so yuan a month, more than farming, and not worse than a textile factory worker.
But compared to Zhou Yan, it was a far cry.
Moreover, everything he sells becomes a hit. Noodles sell well, soup pots sell well, and now he's selling braised food…
Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng were a little afraid to even think about it.
Compared to the worried faces of the stall owners on either side, Zhao Minghui in the middle was calmly pouring braised peanuts from a basket into an enamel basin. Seeing their flustered appearance, he almost wanted to laugh.
When the two of them conspired to mess with him, he was thoroughly tormented, unable to sleep for days. He never imagined people could be so treacherous.
Now that Zhou Yan has started selling braised food, they think he's become greedy.
Anyway, Zhou Yan said he won't sell duck anymore, so it won't affect him too much.
A group of textile factory workers would come every ten days or so to buy half a sweet-skinned duck to take home for their elderly parents and children. The meat was fragrant, the bones tender, and coated in malt syrup—the elderly and children loved it.
Thanks to these customers, the couple could earn over a hundred yuan a month, even more during holidays. This Mid-Autumn Festival, they sold thirty sweet-skinned ducks and earned over forty yuan.
A family recipe, after all, isn't so easily imitated.
He's selling very little braised pig's head now; even if he didn't sell any, it wouldn't have much of an impact.
He's honest, but not stupid.
At least he can tell the difference.
Zhang Xiuqin's face showed some worry, but seeing Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng's anxious expressions, she felt a surge of joy.
"Do you think Zhou Yan's braised food will sell well?" Zhang Xiuqin whispered. "I've never heard him mention he could make braised food before."
"He's a professional chef, so it shouldn't be bad..." Zhao Minghui was also a little unsure. He hadn't known Zhou Yan for very long, but they'd chatted quite a bit, and he'd indeed never heard him mention making braised food before.
Knowing Zhou Yan's personality, if he knew how to make braised food, he would definitely be eager to teach him.
Thinking this way, his confidence waned considerably.
Would Zhou Yan be up to his old tricks again?
After all, he had previously felt like his talents were going to waste; his food was so delicious, yet customers wouldn't even try it.
To support his brother, Zhao Minghui went to the restaurant twice and ordered food. After they finished eating, both he and Xiuqin remained silent.
There's a reason why some restaurants are deserted; don't be stubborn and insist on sitting down to taste the food.
"Don't worry, Zhou Yan doesn't know how to make braised food at all. Otherwise, he would have done it long ago, and wouldn't be waiting until today." Yang Laosan loudly reassured Zhu Feng, also reassuring himself.
Zhu Feng nodded in agreement: "That's right. Braised food isn't easy to make. Just this one pot of braising liquid alone isn't something he can master in a short time."
The two exchanged a knowing glance and smiled enigmatically.
Even if Zhou Yan was alright, they had ways to deal with it.
Zhao Minghui's braised food stall opened earlier than theirs, but they'd still managed to squeeze him out and force him to sell only sweet-skinned duck.
It's a pity they haven't found a place to learn how to make sweet-skinned duck. Otherwise, if they learned how to make it, they could completely drive Zhao Minghui out and monopolize the braised food business outside the textile factory.
They were very envious of the dozens of sweet-skinned ducks sold a day during holidays.
At the restaurant, workers gathered around, skewering pieces of pork head meat and cold chicken dish on bamboo sticks for tasting.
Seeing that it was inconvenient for everyone to get the food while crowding around, Aunt Zhao took the initiative, grabbed a handful of bamboo sticks, skewered pieces of pork head meat and cold chicken dish on them, and handed them directly to the workers who couldn't squeeze in from the back.
"Thank you, Auntie!" the female workers said sweetly.
"You're welcome, have a taste! It's our Zhou family's ancestral braised food recipe." Zhao Tieying said with a smile.
"Mmm! This braised pig's head meat smells so good! It's soft and tender, rich but not greasy, and the more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes!"
"Exactly! The braising aroma is rich, the taste is superb, this braised pig's head meat is amazing! It's perfect with alcohol!"
The braised pig's head meat was the first to receive praise, especially from those who enjoy drinking; they were overjoyed.
The sign next to it displayed the prices: pig's head meat and cold chicken dish were 2.5 yuan per jin (500g), pig ears and pig snouts were 3 yuan per jin. This price was thirty cents more per jin than the three braised food stalls at the entrance.
Eating in the restaurant is done by portion, the price is the same as when sold by weight, and the weight is clearly stated, which is much better than many restaurants.
After finishing his meal, Zhao Dong turned to Song Yang and Zhu Zhe beside him and said, "Old Song, Old Zhu, hurry up and get half a jin of meat. Let's go to my place for drinks tonight. You two provide the meat, I'll provide the liquor. I'll open a bottle of 60-proof Yanghe liquor for you to try."
The two men's eyes lit up.
Song Yang said, "Really? We only drink at night, so we come to buy meat after get off work because it's inconvenient to bring it in now."
"You don't know anything! Their business has been booming lately. If we don't get some at noon, you won't get any after get off work tonight!" Zhao Dong rolled his eyes at him.
"Sure!" Zhu Zhe said to Aunt Zhao without hesitation, "Boss lady, cut me half a jin of pig's head meat and a pig's ear to go!"
Zhao Dong nodded repeatedly: "Old Zhu, you really lived up to expectations. These pig ears look pretty good too."
"You've already opened a Yanghe liquor, I can't be stingy." Zhu Zhe grinned, turning to Song Yang and saying, "Old Song, let's split the bill."
"Sure, why not?" Song Yang nodded in agreement, and the three of them went straight into the restaurant, finding an empty table to sit down.
"Sure! I'll cut it for you right away!" Aunt Zhao replied with a smile. She hadn't expected business to come so quickly, and quickly asked Zhao Hong to tell Zhou Yan to cut the pig's ear slices and pig's head meat.
"This cold chicken dish is also very good! Crispy skin, tender meat, and chewy texture. The more you chew, the more fragrant it becomes. The flavor has all seeped in; it's so delicious!"
"This chili oil is so fragrant! The chicken is spicy, savory, and slightly sweet and sour. It's not spicy at all; it's just incredibly fragrant! Delicious!"
The cold chicken dish received unanimous praise from the customers. After finishing a piece, there were still sesame seeds in their mouths, bursting with flavor between their teeth, leaving a lingering fragrance.
"I told you it was delicious, I wasn't lying!" Zhou Momo said smugly, taking a bite of the last piece of cold chicken dish on the bamboo stick. She shook her little head and said in a sweet, childish voice, "My Guo Guo made it, it's super delicious!"
"Yes, the little boss is absolutely right." the customers replied with smiles.
The little girl was so adorable, with red chili oil still on her lips, munching on chicken pieces with great relish.
"Boss, could you please order us a cold chicken dish to eat in the restaurant, and also a twice-cooked pork?" A customer sat down and immediately ordered.
"Another one for us, and add one double pepper minced beef." Another customer chimed in.
"Sure, please sit down, I'll take your order." Aunt Zhao immediately took out her order book and began taking orders.
Aunt Zhao didn't know many characters, but she had her own way of ordering. For example, for twice-cooked pork, she wrote the character "twice", and for double pepper minced beef, she wrote the character "double". She chose the simplest character to represent each dish, so Zhou Yan could understand it immediately.
Braised food doesn't go well with rice, so not many people order it at lunch time. Apart from regular customers like Zhao Dong who are worried about not being able to get it in the evening, other customers who like it will wait until after get off work in the evening to buy it and take it home to eat.
But cold chicken dish is different. Not only is it delicious, it's also great with rice.
Spicy, savory, and slightly sweet and sour, it's a flavorful dish that many people love and order at lunch time.
And there was more than one such guest.
"One serving of cold chicken dish!"
"Another serving of cold chicken dish, please make it extra spicy."
…
Orders poured into the kitchen. Even Zhou Yan hadn't expected the tasting program to be so successful, generating effective conversions by noon.
Indeed, when you have enough confidence in the taste of your food, tasting is the best weapon.
Braised dishes and cold dishes are the most suitable categories for tasting. A single bamboo stick is enough to reassure customers and encourage them to try, and the cost is relatively controllable.
A tasting cost of just over three yuan resulted in more than ten direct orders and a surge in positive word of mouth—it was incredibly cost-effective.
However, it was peak dining time. Zhou Yan was busy chopping chicken to make cold chicken dish, slicing pig's ear and pig's head meat, while a stack of stir-fry orders piled up.
His cleaver was smoking from all the slashing, but he was still a bit overwhelmed.
The desire for a reliable butcher reached its peak at this moment.
If someone could take over the task of cutting the braised dishes, he could free up his hands to mix the cold chicken dish.
If the cold dish chef was at the restaurant entrance, weighing and cutting the meat in front of everyone, that would be a living advertisement, likely increasing sales significantly each day.
Good butchers are hard to find; these things can't be rushed, so he had to suppress this thought for now.
Fortunately, Comrade Old Zhou returned early today after slaughtering the cow, helping with serving and packing, keeping overall efficiency within the customers' tolerance.
…
While Zhou Yan was bustling about in the kitchen, Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng outside were somewhat dumbfounded.
A group of workers were gathered outside Zhou Erwa Restaurant, tasting the food, their praise increasingly exaggerated.
"The braised dishes are absolutely delicious!"
"The skin is so crispy, it's breathtaking!"
"If I weren't afraid of getting fired, I'd buy a two liang of liquor to go with it!"
The two looked at each other, shocked and bewildered:
"These are all shills hired by Zhou Yan, right? How is that possible?!"
...