He Zhiyuan listened, somewhat bewildered. It made sense, yet something felt off.
However, he understood one thing: he needed to focus on the key points when writing about Cross-legged Beef!
For a writer, Zhou Yan's words were like a wake-up call.
Since he wanted to explore the history of Cross-legged Beef, delve into its culinary culture, and tell its story of inheritance, that was the focus.
To delve into the cooking methods, techniques, and recipes would be putting the cart before the horse.
Moreover, Zhou Yan's attitude was very clear: the recipe was not going to be revealed; it was a family heirloom, and they relied on it for their livelihood.
He Zhiyuan wasn't stubborn; he dared to ask, but he never pressed for details.
He had experienced this kind of thing far too many times, from initial frustration to later acceptance and understanding, and now he didn't care at all.
Besides, this time, he had gained a great deal. Jiazhou is so close to Rongcheng, yet he visited more than ten times a year, traveling to almost every town and village.
He was truly excited to be able to discover a representative dish from Suji.
Even better, he met an interesting chef.
Zhou Yan is truly a fascinating person.
"Comrade Zhou Yan, your suggestions are excellent. I will carefully consider them when I get back. I have benefited greatly from them. Thank you very much." He Zhiyuan cupped his hands to Zhou Yan and said with a sincere smile.
"You're welcome." Zhou Yan replied, also cupping his hands in a gesture of respect.
He Zhiyuan added, "I'll bring Xiao Li over to take some photos before you open tomorrow at noon to use as illustrations. Would that be suitable?"
"Of course, no problem. Just let me know if you need anything, Editor-in-Chief He." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Great! That's perfect!
He Zhiyuan's gaze swept around the restaurant, then he stared at Zhou Yan for a moment before saying, "Tomorrow, move the table to the entrance to take close up photos of the 'Cross-legged Beef'. The daylight outside needs to be brighter; the lighting in your restaurant is too dim, it won't look good."
"By the way, it would be best if you could wear a newer chef's uniform. You have a good image and are tall. I'll take a full body photo of you standing in front of that big pot, and include the 'Cross-legged Beef' signboard too. The effect will definitely be great."
"Okay, whatever you say." Zhou Yan nodded.
See? That's what you call professional!
He Zhiyuan got up and walked to the stove. He picked up the earthen bowl from the basket next to him, frowned and looked at it for a while, then shook his head and said, "Although this earthen bowl is practical, it is not very good looking. The color is too dark, so it cannot capture the clarity of the beef soup, the tenderness of the beef, or the crystal clearness of the tripe. If it could be replaced with a clean and large bowl, the effect would be better, and it might even make it onto the magazine cover."
"A bowl…" Zhou Yan followed and said, "How about I go to the supply and marketing cooperative tomorrow morning to see if they have any suitable ones? This shop really only has earthenware bowls left."
Zhao Tieying said, "No need to buy it. Your grandma has a set of blue and white porcelain bowls, they're very beautiful. Just borrow a large bowl tomorrow morning and return it to her when you're done."
Zhou Yan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. Blue and white porcelain? Is it a family heirloom?
Their family has impeccable revolutionary credentials and many brothers. During those turbulent times, no one dared to cause trouble at their door. The old lady might actually have kept some valuable things in her possession.
"That's wonderful!" He Zhiyuan's eyes lit up, and he said with a smile, "A couple of years ago, when the Japanese magazine 'Women's Friend' came to film 'A Collection of Famous Chinese Dishes', our comrades even went to the museum to borrow furniture and antiques to highlight the dishes. The results were fantastic!"
"The Japanese really know how to take pictures. They photographed our Sichuan cuisine so beautifully and appetizingly. We were responsible for accompanying them and translating, and we learned a lot from them."
"After the magazine was launched, we followed that standard to photograph food and delicacies, and the readers' response was excellent."
Speaking of this, He Zhiyuan became quite excited: "Do you know how much this nine volume 'A Collection of Famous Chinese Dishes' costs?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"A whopping 1800 yuan!" He Zhiyuan's voice rose. "Damn capitalist country! Our 'Sichuan Cuisine' magazine only costs 40 cents a copy! Just 1.6 yuan a year!"
Everyone gasped.
1800 yuan for a set of books!
That money could build a house in the countryside!
"Damn capitalist country!"
Everyone cursed inwardly.
It's so extravagant! It should be severely criticized!
Seeing everyone listening with interest, He Zhiyuan then told some amusing stories about the 'Women's Friend' magazine's photo shoot in Sichuan, incorporating criticism of the Japanese, which was quite humorous and interesting.
The tea party lasted for an hour before it ended. He Zhiyuan and Zhou Yan made an appointment, and then he rode his bicycle away with Huang Chen and the others.
"These cultured people are really interesting to talk to." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, her opinion of He Zhiyuan somewhat changed.
She realized Zhou Yan had tricked him; the man wasn't stupid, but he didn't seem to mind and was still willing to take photos for Zhou Yan's publicity.
Being featured in a magazine or newspaper is a great honor that brings glory to one's ancestors!
"He is quite interesting, not at all pretentious, just a passionate love for food." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
It was getting dark, so Zhou Yan decided not to go for his run today and instead carried back the wooden planks that had been drying all day with Comrade Old Zhou.
"The sun was strong today, so it's completely dry. We can make a bed with it tonight." Zhou Miao said, hefting the plank in his hand.
"No, it won't work. It needs to be aired out for another day to prevent moisture from ruining the quilt." Zhao Tieying shook her head. "The boards that have been soaked in the rain all night won't dry so easily."
"It's okay, I'll sleep downstairs again tonight." Zhou Yan said with a smile. "But we have to work overtime tonight to clean up the second floor first. I've arranged for a bricklayer to come and build the walls tomorrow, so can make a room for you all."
Zhao Tieying said, "Why bother making a room? What's the point of wasting money? It's just us family anyway. You can have the small room, we can just put the bed against the wall and sleep."
"Your mother is right." Zhou Miao nodded in agreement.
"That won't do. In a room that's nearly 200 square meters, the wind will seep in through the cracks in winter and freeze people to death." Zhou Yan shook his head, his attitude firm: "I'll get you a room near outside with a window facing the river. The view is good, and everyone will have some privacy. It will be more comfortable for you to stay."
"You're not here for just a few days; if you're a little more particular about your living conditions, you'll feel much happier."
Aunt Zhao and Comrade Zhou are just approaching forty. In this day and age, there isn't much entertainment, so they both have some adult needs.
Therefore, building two brick-walled rooms upstairs should provide decent sound insulation and avoid any awkward situations.
They'll each occupy one side, leaving the middle area empty. Later, when they have more money, they can add a sofa and a TV—that'll be their living room.
Zhou Yan had already drawn up the design drawings last night. It's a large single level space of nearly 200 square meters. The initial plan is for two bedrooms and one living room. Apart from being a bit spacious, it's really perfect.
"This…" Zhao Tieying hesitated.
"This time, I think we should listen to Zhou Yan." Zhou Miao changed his mind.
"Let's go! Let's work." Zhou Yan picked up a broom and dustpan and headed towards the stairs.
"Let's work!" Zhou Momo followed eagerly behind, carrying a feather duster.
Seeing this, Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao also grabbed their tools and went upstairs.
Zhou Yan's room was near the top of the stairs on the second floor. It was small, only a dozen square meters, but thankfully, it didn't have much stuff—just a bed, a clothes rack, and a bedside table. Now, with the addition of two wooden chests, it actually felt quite spacious.
After Aunt Zhao's thorough tidying yesterday, it was now spotless and neatly arranged; even the blankets were folded into perfect squares.
The self-discipline of this model militia member was truly remarkable.
This was a prefabricated house built by the textile factory, and the second floor is also made of cement. For that era, the conditions were considered quite good.
However, having been unused for a long time, a layer of dust had accumulated on the floor, and cobwebs and dust covered the walls and ceiling.
Comrade Zhao Tieying first assessed the situation and quickly concluded: "Zhou Momo, go downstairs and play with your dolls; there's too much dust."
"I want to do some work too!" Zhou Momo raised a feather duster to show her stance.
"I don't want to wash your hair in the middle of the night. You'd better go downstairs and play by yourself, and come back up after we've swept the dust clean." Zhao Tieying turned to look at her: "I'll count to three, one, two…"
"Okay! I'll go! I love playing with my dolls the most!" Zhou Momo shoved the feather duster into Zhou Yan's hand and ran off in a flash.
Zhou Yan couldn't stop laughing. The little one wanted to join in on everything, but it was all dusty when they cleaned it up, so it really wasn't suitable for her to stay up there.
Aunt Zhao rummaged through a box and pulled out an old cloth, covering her hair and face, leaving only her eyes showing.
Comrade Old Zhou had already brought up a basin of water and sprinkled it all over the place, then picked up a bamboo broom and started sweeping.
Zhou Yan was tall and was in charge of using a feather duster to remove dust and cobwebs from the walls and ceiling. After only a few swings, dust immediately filled the second floor, blinding him and making his mouth sticky. He rushed to the window and coughed for a while before he recovered.
Aunt Zhao was certainly worldly-wise; she had already anticipated everything.
The three of them were quite efficient, cleaning up the dust in an hour. They opened both windows to let in fresh air and blow the dust out.
The floor revealed its original color; the simply polished cement floor looked much more comfortable than the rammed earth floor.
Zhou Momo had already come upstairs, running around in the spacious room, overjoyed, constantly exclaiming, "New home! Our new home!"
Zhou Yan walked over, gesturing with a feather duster as he said, "Look! I plan to build two walls in this corner for you. The door will be here. The room is about 25 square meters. We can put a wardrobe and two bedside tables in there, so it won't feel so empty."
"I plan to turn this place into a small study room. It will have a view of the river and be bathed in sunlight. It will be very comfortable to sit here and read."
"In the middle is a huge living room. When we have money, we'll put a sofa against the wall, build a TV wall here, and put the TV in this spot. Then our whole family can sit here and watch TV in the evening."
Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao's eyes lit up with anticipation, and they couldn't help but smile.
Yes, it's home.