"Impossible!"
"Absolutely impossible!"
"Is this right?"
"This doesn't make sense!"
Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng were exchanging barbs, practically jumping up and down in anger.
Zhu Feng's wife had just glanced at the price; the braised food was thirty cents more per jin than theirs.
Thirty cents more per jin is a lot. When they lowered their prices to target Zhao Minghui, they precisely targeted that thirty cents difference. No matter how much Zhao Minghui set his price, they were always thirty cents cheaper.
This dragged Zhao Minghui down, forcing him to stop stocking up on braised pig heads.
But Zhou Yan's current price is thirty cents more than theirs, so why are these workers so excited?
They weren't just eating for free; many of them went straight into the restaurant, sat down, and ordered cold chicken dish and braised dishes—all of which Zhu Feng's wife witnessed firsthand.
Seeing their sulking, Zhao Minghui and Zhang Xiuqin turned away, barely able to suppress their laughter.
Feels good!
It felt like they'd gotten their revenge.
Since those two moved in at the beginning of the year, they'd been a nightmare for them.
They were honest and simple-minded, and couldn't outsmart the two of them, so they could only settle for being sweet-skinned ducks.
Now, Zhou Yan was here, selling braised pig's head and pig's ears—hitting them where it hurts.
Judging by their sulking, they were genuinely scared this time.
"Zhou Yan is really something," Zhao Minghui said in a low voice. "Just a slight move and he's already got them all in a panic."
"He's quite impressive." Zhang Xiuqin nodded, but then asked with some concern, "If he sells cold chicken dish, won't our business be affected?"
"There will definitely be some impact. From now on, we won't sell pig's head meat or duck's head anymore; we'll focus on selling sweet-skinned duck, and may be try selling braised peanuts." Zhao Minghui grinned. "Their impact will definitely be much greater than ours."
Looking at her honest and upright husband, Zhang Xiuqin realized that he wasn't as calm as he had claimed to be.
As they were talking, some workers passed by and, seeing the sweet-skinned duck hanging on their stall, stopped to take a closer look. The duck was coated in a layer of sugar, its bright red color looking incredibly tempting.
Zhao Minghui grabbed a handful of braised peanuts and greeted them with a smile, handing a few to each person. He said with a smile, "Try these braised peanuts I just made today. Our family's sweet-skinned duck is also delicious, a genuine ancestral recipe from Muzhen Town, Jiajiang County, passed down for over a hundred years."
In these times of scarcity, everyone was reluctant to waste a single grain of rice, so it was truly rare and unusual for a vendor to hand out small handfuls of braised peanuts like this.
It's hard to refuse a smiling face, so the group stopped and peeled some peanuts to try.
"Mmm, delicious! The braised aroma is quite rich, and the saltiness is just right."
"Boss, your braised peanuts smell really good. How much is it per jin?"
The customers praised the braised peanuts and began asking about the price.
Zhao Minghui said with a smile, "Peanuts are 45 cents a jin. I use the best sandy grown peanuts, which are plump and become more fragrant the more you chew them. Dried peanuts are 30 cents a jin."
"It's cheap! The supply and marketing cooperative sells it for 62 cents a jin. It's transported from Jiazhou everyday, but it doesn't taste as good as yours." A customer said while peeling peanuts, "Give me 20 cents worth of peanuts, I'll eat it as a snack this afternoon."
"That's really good, give me 30 cents worth of peanuts too." a female worker added, then looked at the hanging sweet-skinned duck and asked, "Is this sweet-skinned duck good? How much?" "How much is it per duck?"
"Our sweet-skinned ducks are all authentic free-range ducks, braised in the same braising liquid as the peanuts. We scald the skin and then drizzle with maltose. The meat is fragrant and the bones are tender, suitable for all ages. Many of our regular factory customers buy half a duck every month." Zhao Minghui explained. "We sell them by weight, one yuan and sixty cents per jin (500g). This one weighs a little over two jin, so it's a little over three yuan."
The female worker nodded and said, "The same braising liquid, it's bound to be fragrant. I'll buy half a duck tonight to try. My son and mother love sweet things."
"Okay." Zhao Minghui's smile widened.
Zhang Xiuqin looked at Zhao Minghui, who was distributing braised peanuts to the workers and actively promoting his sweet-skinned ducks, with surprise, feeling a little unfamiliar with him.
Is this still the same husband of hers who wouldn't utter a fart even after three slaps?
Two or three jin of peanuts were given away, and ten jin were sold. All the braised peanuts for today were sold out.
The workers bought them for twenty or thirty cents at a time, eating them as a midday snack.
Of the customers who tried them, one in three would buy some.
Even after selling out, customers placed orders for tomorrow.
Everyone knows the price of peanuts, and since the braised ones were so delicious and cheap, everyone was naturally happy to buy them.
The sweet-skinned duck didn't sell out at noon, but three people placed orders, each wanting half a duck.
As the crowd dispersed, Zhao Minghui breathed a sigh of relief.
"Old Zhao, you…where did you learn all this?" Zhang Xiuqin looked at him, puzzled but also full of admiration. He was amazing!
"That's how business should be." Zhao Minghui smiled calmly, but his heart was pounding with excitement; he felt his back was already soaked with sweat.
Where did he learn that? From Zhou Yan.
These past few days, he'd noticed Zhou Erwa Restaurant was booming. Everyday, he'd diligently observe the restaurant's activities, watching Aunt Zhao's enthusiastic and cheerful greetings to customers, always giving off a warm and welcoming feeling. Gradually, he'd gained some insight.
Yesterday, hearing Zhou Yan's suggestion to give the workers peanut samples, he saw Aunt Zhao's shout immediately draw the workers in.
With a determined effort, he went all out, greeting guests with a smile and proactively introducing the sweet-skinned duck. He won over the guests with his sincerity, and sure enough, he reaped great rewards.
When he has time, he'll treat Zhou Yan to a drink; this guy is truly a benefactor.
Yang Laosan and Zhu Feng, standing nearby, were stunned. Where did this guy learn this method? How did he suddenly have such a breakthrough?
What kind of peanuts sell so well? Selling over ten jin in just one lunch break? At 45 cents a jin, even if they only make half, they still earn over two yuan this afternoon!
Yang Laosan, beaming, stepped forward and said, "Brother Zhao, what kind of peanuts do you have that taste so good? Give us a couple to try."
"That's right, give us some, we can have some too." Zhu Feng chimed in.
"Sold out, not a single one left." Zhao Minghui covered the enamel basin with the remaining two handfuls of peanuts, saying indifferently.
The two men, having received a rebuff, returned looking displeased.
Zhang Xiuqin's lips curled into a smile. Old Zhao has made something of himself!
...
Zhou Erwa Restaurant was indeed bustling with business at noon. Ten portions of cold chicken dish were sold out, leaving less than a chicken.
About ten portions of braised pig's head meat were sold in take out, all from regular customers who were afraid they wouldn't be able to buy any if they came late in the evening.
The funniest thing was the three-person group of Zhao Dong and his friends who had shared a meal. While eating, they insisted on trying the take out pig's ear, and ended up taking a piece from each of them, showing off until the entire pig's ear was gone, forcing them to pack another one.
Because they didn't trust the other party to eat it in the afternoon, they left the pig's head meat and pig's ear with Zhou Yan, planning to pick them up after work in the evening.
Three people, three hundred schemes.
"The tasting was really effective! Our braised food's reputation has spread like wildfire. Many people have told me they're coming to take some home tonight." Aunt Zhao said happily, looking at Zhou Yan with admiration in her eyes.
If it wasn't for Zhou Yan's idea, she doesn't know how they would have sold out of these three pig heads and two chickens today.
This kid is so clever.
"It's mainly because Zhou Yan's braising is so good, it's almost as good as Grandma's." Zhao Hong said with a smile.
"But it's still far from good. Grandma's is much better." Zhou Yan said with a smile, shaking his head. He knew better than anyone the difference between himself and the old lady.
Zhou Momo leaned closer, tilting her head up to look at him, her face full of anticipation. "Guo Guo, can you braise pig's trotters? I want to eat some~~"
Yesterday afternoon, the old lady rewarded her with half a pig's trotter, which left her hands and face covered in oil, and she was completely dazed by the delicious aroma.
Aunt Zhao said she dreamt she was still gnawing on pig's trotters last night, and when she woke up this morning her arms were covered in drool and two rows of tiny teeth marks.
"The ones you ate yesterday was the ones I braised. How about I braise some for you tomorrow?" Zhou Yan said with a smile. This stuff needs to be ordered in advance from the butcher; not only was Zhou Momo craving it, but he was craving it too.
"Great!" Zhou Momo jumped up excitedly. "Guo Guo, you're so kind!"
"I want half too." Aunt Zhao decisively requested. She'd been craving braised pig's trotters for years, but with so many younger family members, it was always the adults who never got a chance.
Now that Zhou Yan knew how to braise them, she definitely wanted to try some, even if she had to pay for it herself.
"Everyone gets some. I'll make sure everyone gets braised pig's trotters tomorrow." Zhou Yan said with a smile and a wave of his hand. Just wanting pig's trotters? Arranged!
Pig's trotter tips have little meat and are difficult to prepare, so they're much cheaper than the rest of the meat—only 35 cents a jin. A large pig's trotter costs 60 or 70 cents. He'll just throw the pig's trotters into the braising liquid when he's braising the meat tomorrow morning; consider it an extra treat for everyone.
Comrade Old Zhou helped clear the table and said to Aunt Zhao, "It's getting dark; it might rain tonight. I'll go back this afternoon and reinforce the house, and replace a few tiles in the kitchen and main hall to prevent leaks."
"Go ahead, be careful on the roof." Aunt Zhao nodded.
"Does the house still need reinforcement?" Zhou Yan glanced outside; the sky was indeed rather gloomy today.
"This house was built when your father and I separated from the family after we got married. We carried mud back ourselves, added straw, and rammed it into mud walls. It's two years older than you. It was shaken twice by earthquakes in the 1970s, and the walls were full of cracks. Even the outhouse collapsed. Your father patched it up himself with mud and small stones." Aunt Zhao said with a smile.
"We've patched it up over the years, and we've managed to live here. If we make money in the future, we'll tear it down and rebuild."
"I saw a family in town with a brick house; it looks so nice, no drafts or leaks. We'll build one like that too in future."
Aunt Zhao's face was full of anticipation when she talked about building a new house.
"Okay, we'll build a brick house in a couple of years." Comrade Old Zhou nodded.
"In a couple of years, when we have money, why build a house in the countryside? We can take the money to Rongcheng and buy a house. Wouldn't it be better to be a city dweller?" Zhou Yan laughed. He wanted to mention the capital and Shanghai, but those were too far away; Aunt Zhao and Comrade Old Zhou certainly couldn't imagine it.
Zhou Momo's eyes lit up when she heard "Rongcheng" and she immediately ran over, tugging at his clothes and asking, "Guo Guo! Guo Guo! They say all the kids in Rongcheng have giant pandas. Can I keep one giant panda as a pet?"