A dimly lit bedroom.
Zhou Jie was lying on the edge of the bed, engrossed in writing tomorrow's purchase order.
His wife, Wang Manlin, sat on the edge of the bed knitting and said with a smile, "That's wonderful! Fourth Uncle and Fourth Aunt are living better and better lives. Zhou Yan is really amazing! He's only twenty years old and he's already supporting the family."
"Of course! Zhou Yan has been smart since he was little, Fourth Aunt and Fourth Uncle are so capable, and Momo is so good at talking. It would be strange if they didn't do something when the whole family runs a restaurant together." Zhou Jie closed his notebook and said with a smile, "We've benefited from his success, and our lives are getting better and better."
"Exactly!" Wang Manlin's hands didn't stop moving. "We must remember this kindness and find a way to repay it sometime in the future. This skill is enough for us to live on for a lifetime."
"We're brothers, no need for such formalities, we'll keep it in our hearts." Zhou Jie smiled and shook his head. "Weren't you knitting a sweater for Momo?"
"What's the big deal? Momo is such a good girl, I was planning to knit this for her anyway." Wang Manlin rolled her eyes at him.
Zhou Jie nodded and said, "That's right, Feiyang and Feihong are fine wearing their brothers' old sweaters."
The brothers, Zhou Feiyang and Zhou Feihong, who were sleeping soundly in bed, turned over, mumbled a few words, and fell asleep again.
Wang Manlin looked at Zhou Jie and said, "Let's make new clothes for Feiyang and Feihong for the Chinese New Year this year. I think the new clothes that Fourth Aunt went to that tailor Jia to make for Momo and Zhou Yan are so comfortable. The children are already six years old and are starting to understand things."
Zhou Jie looked at her and nodded with a smile, "Okay, I'll take you to the department store in Jiazhou to buy fabric and cotton later, and make you a new dress too. It's been two years since you've had a new dress made."
"Really?" Wang Manlin's hands gradually slowed down, and there was a hint of surprise in her eyes.
"Of course! We've saved up some money lately, so it's only right that make you some clothes for the Chinese New Year." Zhou Jie nodded with a smile, his voice softening. "You've been working so hard these past few days, taking care of the children and helping out at the stall."
"Brother Jie, you get up at three o'clock everyday to help slaughter cattle and set up the stall. You're the one who works really hard." Wang Manlin put down the yarn in her hand, reached out and cupped his round face, and said with a sob in her voice, "You should make one too. You haven't worn new clothes in many years. Your cotton coat is full of patches and the cotton isn't warm anymore."
"How could it not be warm? I feel perfectly warm. I can make new clothes for myself next year." Zhou Jie shook his head, looking at her tenderly. The atmosphere gradually became ambiguous, and he kissed her and fell onto the bed.
Creak.
The wooden bed, unable to bear the weight any longer, let out a sharp creak.
"The bed collapsed!"
"Earthquake!"
The brothers, Zhou Feiyang and Zhou Feihong, sat up simultaneously, looking completely bewildered.
Zhou Jie and Wang Manlin awkwardly separated, one pretended to be asleep, while the other hurriedly tucked the two little ones back into bed, saying, "Go to sleep! Don't go crazy in the middle of the night!"
The child woke up quickly and fell asleep just as fast, they were tucked back into bed and immediately fell asleep.
However, this sudden startle completely dampened their spirits.
"Tomorrow I'll clean up the storage room next door, put up a bed for them, and let those two bastards go sleep next door!" Zhou Jie said through gritted teeth.
Wang Manlin hugged him from behind and chuckled, "Okay, anyway, the two brothers aren't scared together, so we should probably sleep in separate beds from them. It's just that we don't have any extra quilts at home, so how about we buy some new cotton and mix it with the old cotton to make one?"
"We'll make a new quilt for ourselves, and let them sleep on the old one so they don't wet the bed and ruin the new one." Zhou Jie reached out and turned off the light, then began to grope her all over, whispering, "We have over two hundred yuan in savings now, and soup pot gets more than ten yuan a day. Let's save the money for your mother's medicine, we can still save quite a bit each month."
"Mmm~I.. I'll do whatever you say." Wang Manlin turned to the side, her voice trembling slightly. The wooden bed creaked softly.
...
The next day, at the crack of dawn, Comrade Little Zhou and Comrade Old Zhou went out to buy groceries.
Fearing they wouldn't be able to buy winter bamboo shoots if they went too late, Zhou Yan went to the morning market first.
The farmers had just put down their baskets and were spreading urea bags and tarpaulins on the ground when they took out the fresh vegetables and various dried vegetables from the baskets one by one and arranged them neatly.
The winter bamboo shoots have just come out this year, and there aren't many sellers yet.
Zhou Yan only saw three old men selling them along the way, they all looked quite fresh.
To be able to dig up winter bamboo shoots at this time of year and still be able to sell them, they must be experts.
[A single, high quality winter bamboo shoot]
[A young winter bamboo shoot]
[An old, overgrown winter bamboo shoot]
"You've dug up so many freshly picked winter bamboo shoots! Old man, you're really good at digging!" After looking around, Zhou Yan squatted down in front of a dark-skinned, lean old man, picked up the high quality winter bamboo shoot, and asked, "How much are winter bamboo shoots per jin?"
The old man piled up the winter bamboo shoots on the urea bag, there were about forty or fifty of them, and they were relatively uniform in size. He had dug up the most at today's morning market.
"This is nothing. When the harvest comes in large quantities in a while, one trip up the mountain will fill two baskets. I'll have to carry them down." The old man grinned and said, "Peeling the husks costs fifty cents, leaving them unpeeled costs twenty cents. As the old saying goes, a jin of winter bamboo shoots yields four liang of tender bamboo shoots flesh, half of which is the freshness and half is the husk."
The price was the same as what Zhou Yan had asked about yesterday, the normal market price. He then asked, "Can I choose?"
"Choose whatever you like, but the one you're holding is the best. It has lots of tender bamboo shoots. Just pick one that looks like this, you can't go wrong." the old man said.
"Alright." Zhou Yan replied with a smile. This old man was really honest. He immediately picked out the best quality bamboo shoots from the pile and quickly piled them up in front of him.
"You're young, but you have a keen eye for choosing winter bamboo shoots. You've picked only the best, not a single one is a mistake." the old man said with a smile as he lit his small bamboo root pipe, exhaled a puff of smoke.
"I run a restaurant, so having a good eye for ingredients is a basic requirement." Zhou Yan glanced at the pile of winter bamboo shoots in front of him, estimating that it weighed about ten jin. He couldn't find anything too good among the ones on the ground. He smiled and said, "Old man, that's all. Weigh it."
"No wonder you need so many." The old man took a basket out of his basket behind his back, weighed the basket in front of Zhou Yan, and then put the selected winter bamboo shoots into the basket and weighed them again.
"I deducted 1.3 jin from the basket, and the winter bamboo shoots are 10.3 jin, so let's say 10 jin, that's two yuan." The old man handed the scale to Zhou Yan, "Take a look at the scale."
"No mistake." Zhou Yan took a careful look, took out two yuan from his pocket and handed it to the old man, then took the basket and poured the bamboo shoots into his own basket.
Ten jin of winter bamboo shoots can yield four jin of winter bamboo shoot meat. Two liang of winter bamboo shoots can be added to one serving of Yu Xiang Shredded Pork, which can make about twenty servings.
Today he added Yu Xiang Shredded Pork to the menu, and prepared about twenty servings.
If the feedback is good today, he'll increase the quantity tomorrow.
"So many winter bamboo shoots, did you spend a long time digging them yesterday?" Zhou Yan asked curiously, not in a hurry to leave.
"I took a nap yesterday afternoon, went up the mountain around 2 PM, dug for three hours, and then went home for dinner. It wasn't long." the old man replied casually as he put away the money and rearranged the winter bamboo shoots.
"Your winter bamboo shoot digging skills are amazing! You managed to dig so many in three hours." Zhou Yan exclaimed with a hint of amazement.
There were still over ten jin of winter bamboo shoots left, which could sell for a little over two yuan. That meant the old man could earn a little over one yuan per hour digging winter bamboo shoots.
This was skilled work, and Zhou Yan felt it was his right to earn that.
"Winter bamboo shoots are easy to dig. As long as you know how to read the direction of the bamboo rhizomes, you can dig one with a hoe, without any effort at all." The old man sat down on a small stool, took a puff of his bamboo root pipe, grinned to reveal a set of old yellow teeth, revealing a bit of pride.
"Old man, are you coming again tomorrow? I run a restaurant near the textile factory, and I need at least this many winter bamboo shoots tomorrow. Could you deliver them to my restaurant? I'll pay you in cash." Zhou Yan asked, looking at him, "But I only want the quality I selected."
The old man's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Of course I'll come. After I sell them in the morning, I'll go back for lunch, and then I'll go up the mountain to dig some more. What's the name of your restaurant? I'll pick out the best ones for you tomorrow morning and carry them to your restaurant. You can choose them again then."
"Zhou Erwa Restaurant, the first one at the entrance of the textile factory." Zhou Yan said, "Old man, what's your name?"
The old man nodded and replied, "My surname is Wan, everyone calls me Wan Laoliu."
"Uncle Wan, could you bring those to the restaurant for me around six o'clock tomorrow? If it's too early, I'll be out buying groceries and there won't be anyone in the restaurant."
"Okay!"
Zhou Yan slung his basket over his shoulder and left, buying cabbage, scallions, and garlic on the way.
He found a supplier who could provide a large and long term supply of winter bamboo shoots, and that was it.
Some people go hunting in the mountains as a hobby, while others do it professionally.
A skilled digger can find one with a single stroke of the hoe, an unskilled digger can empty the mountain and still not find a single one.
Professionalism is the key to ensuring both quantity and quality.
Every town has a few skilled people who are good at digging winter bamboo shoots. As long as Zhou Yan finds one of them, he will have a guaranteed supply of winter bamboo shoots for the winter.
Wan Laoliu's winter bamboo shoots are of better quality than the other two, which shows that in addition to his good skills, he also has a good bamboo forest.
Moreover, he is a very honest person, which is why Zhou Yan chose him.
"Why did you buy so many winter bamboo shoots? Are you making a new dish?" Comrade Old Zhou asked curiously on the way.
"Green bamboo shoots are out of season, so I'm using winter bamboo shoots instead to make Yu Xiang Shredded Pork." Zhou Yan explained.
"Winter bamboo shoots are much more expensive than green bamboo shoots, but they taste even better."
"It's alright, pork prices have dropped. Two yuan a serving, we'll make a profit no matter what." Zhou Yan said with a smile.
The two chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Yankantou Slaughterhouse.
Before dawn, lamps illuminated the dam, where dozens of butchers were slaughtering cattle.
After Comrare Old Zhou stopped butchering cattle, Zhou Yan's beef and offal were mainly provided by his uncles.
Third Aunt Ma Jinhua would prepare the beef offal well in advance on the banks of the Qingyi River, so he could just take it when he arrived.
Third Aunt's soup pot wasn't very tasty, but she cleaned the offal very thoroughly, washing it perfectly according to Zhou Yan's instructions.
Besides buying offal, Zhou Yan paid his third aunt fifteen yuan a month to help him wash the offal.
Sometimes, if his third uncle hadn't slaughtered a cow, he would buy it from another vendor.
In Zhou Village, dozens of households slaughter cattle, but not every family is willing to sell soup pot. He made arrangements in advance, and he was able to buy fresh offal of good quality.
After the offal is brought back to the restaurant, Aunt Zhao only needs to wash it again with well water, which saves her two hours of work.
Now Aunt Zhao gets a full night's sleep, gets up at six o'clock every morning, and looks much better than before.
Previously, when she helped Comrade Old Zhou slaughter cattle, she had to get up at three o'clock every morning.
And Zhou Momo's life of wandering and sleeping in her basket had come to an end.
"Zhou Yan, look, the tripe is really good today. The cattle your third uncle slaughtered is of excellent quality." Ma Jinhua came over carrying a large basket, her face full of smiles.
[A basket of top quality beef offal]
"These tripe pieces are quite good, and Third Aunt washed them very clean." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile, glancing at her red hands. "It's getting cold, Third Aunt, you should wear some rubber gloves while washing them, so you don't catch a cold."
"Okay, I'll check with the supply and marketing cooperative later to see if they sell it." Ma Jinhua nodded.
Zhou Yan paid for the offal and casually asked, "Did Brother Ming go to school?"
"He just came to the dam to say hello, saying he was running to school. Didn't you see him on your way here?"
"He ran there? I really didn't notice." Zhou Yan laughed when he heard this. Running more than ten kilometers to work is even more outrageous than Huang Ying and Huang Bing riding bicycles to eat.
Those who practice martial arts can indeed do whatever they want.
Ma Jinhua nodded: "He said he plans to buy a bicycle later. His work unit gave him a bicycle voucher, so it will be convenient for him to ride his bicycle home from Emei. Anyway, he will need to buy the 'three turns and one sound' (referring to a bicycle, a sewing machine, a radio, and a watch) for his wedding, so he might as well buy it sooner and enjoy it sooner."
Cycling back from Emei Mountain is dozens of kilometers, and it's not exactly convenient, the gravel road would shake his buttocks to pieces.
Zhou Yan smiled and nodded: "It's good, having a bicycle is more convenient."
In this day and age, people dare to travel over mountains and valleys to visit relatives and friends on foot. With a bicycle, they feel they can go wherever they want.
After loading the beef and offal into the bicycle, Zhou Yan and Comrade Old Zhou rode their bicycles back to the restaurant.
Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui had just arrived and greeted Zhou Yan with smiles.
"Huihui, unlock it." Zhou Yan took the key out of his pocket and tossed it to Zhou Lihui.
"Okay!" Zhou Lihui took the key, stepped forward, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.
Aunt Zhao also got up and came downstairs. She took off her apron from the wall and helped unload the goods. She picked up the basket of beef offal and her eyes lit up: "The quality of this beef offal is good today. Your third uncle still knows how to choose beef. Your third aunt cleaned it very well too."
"Exactly." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. This family were all experts, they could tell the quality of beef and offal at a glance.
If the offal is sourced from elsewhere, the three uncles will inspect it together, and anything of poor quality simply won't meet their standards.
"I'll go get the tofu first." Comrade Old Zhou unloaded everything from the bicycle, padded the basket with thick straw, and then rode off.
Aunt Zhao carried the offal to be thoroughly washed, while Zhao Hong was in charge of washing the beef bones, preparing for making the broth.
Zhou Lihui had already gone to the kitchen to fetch water.
Everyone was busy with their own tasks.
Customers began to arrive, and the restaurant quickly filled with people eating noodles.
Zhou Lihui worked until 7:30, then, carrying his school bag, lunchbox, and a small jar full of pickled vegetables, went to class.
Zhou Yan left two servings of noodles. It was almost eight o'clock, and most of the customers had left the restaurant. Zhang Zhengping then slowly stopped the bicycle at the door. There was a canvas bag in the basket and a bulging urea bag tied to the back of the bicycle.
"Granduncle!" Zhou Momo was washing her face at the door, her little face distorted from being scrubbed, but she still managed to mumble, "Help me~"
"Hey!" Zhang Zhengping replied with a smile, "You still need to wash your face clean, otherwise you'll get pimples."
"Uncle, come inside and sit down. Zhou Yan saved your noodles." Zhao Tieying said with a smile, putting down the hot towel in her hand and picking up a comb to tidy up the stray hairs sticking up on Zhou Momo's head.
"Granduncle! I want noodles too! Let's eat together!" Zhou Momo said with a smile.
"Sure." Zhang Zhengping replied with a smile and walked into the restaurant.
"Granduncle, what kind of noodles would you like?" Zhou Yan came out of the kitchen and smiled at Zhang Zhengping.
Zhang Zhengping glanced at the menu on the wall for a while, then smiled and said, "I'd like a bowl of minced beef noodles. Last night I thought the minced beef rice was delicious. Let's see what the noodles taste like."
"Okay, sit down for a bit." Zhou Yan replied, turning to walk towards the kitchen.
"Guo Guo, I want braised pork rib noodles!" Zhou Momo called out from behind in her childish voice.
"Okay!" Zhou Yan replied.
A short while later, Zhou Yan came out carrying two bowls of noodles.
Zhou Momo's clear broth braised pork rib noodles and his granduncle's minced beef noodles.
The little one loves to eat clear soup noodles in the morning, so Zhou Yan cooked the noodles in pork bone broth for her, added some salt for seasoning, and also cooked a small handful of green leafy vegetables, which she loved to eat.
This dish wasn't on the menu. It's Zhou Momo's exclusive hidden menu.
"This clear broth noodle soup looks delicious. Your grandaunt will definitely like it. She can't stand strong flavors and oily food in the morning." Zhang Zhengping said with a smile, his eyes lighting up as he looked at the minced beef noodles in front of him.
The double pepper minced beef almost completely covered the top, and the portion was quite generous, with at least one liang of beef.
The essence of mixed noodles lies in the 'mixing' process. Insert chopsticks into the bottom of the bowl and stir it upwards. The red oil immediately dyes the white noodles a bright color. After a few more stirs, the minced beef is also evenly coated on the noodles. The green and red peppers, along with the slightly browned beef, cling to the oily noodles, making it look incredibly appetizing.
The aroma of the beef wafted up with the rising steam, making Zhang Zhengping swallow hard. It truly looked and smelled delicious!
Let's taste it!
"Slurp!"
Zhang Zhengping picked up a mouthful of noodles with his chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and slurped it down in one go.
The numbing, spicy, fresh and fragrant burst on the tongue, perfectly balanced!
The noodles are not the alkaline noodles commonly found in noodle restaurant. They have an incredibly chewy and smooth texture and are especially good at holding onto meat sauce. Each bite is filled with double peppers minced beef, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with a numbing and spicy flavor. It's an absolute perfect match with the noodles!
So delicious!
Zhou Yan's double pepper minced beef noodles are simply the benchmark for mixed noodles.
He also prepared a bowl of bone broth for him, with a base flavor and a few tender green scallions floating on top. After a few bites of noodles, he felt a bit dry, but a sip of hot and delicious bone broth immediately warmed him up, making him feel incredibly comfortable.
"Delicious! Did you make this ramen yourself? It tastes a bit like Shanxi ramen, with a really chewy and smooth texture." Zhang Zhengping looked at Zhou Yan and exclaimed, "The double pepper minced beef and mixed noodles are a perfect match. The bone broth is also very flavorful. This soup with dry noodles is so delicious, it's perfect for breakfast."
"Yes, it's homemade ramen." Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. Mixed noodles are usually not served with bone broth. Young people usually slurp down a bowl of mixed noodles in no time, without waiting for the bone broth to cool down and eat it slowly, which would delay their work time.
After finishing a bowl of noodles and drinking all the bone broth, Zhang Zhengping put down the empty bowl and let out a satisfied burp.
What a wonderful breakfast!
To end this trip to Suji with this bowl of dry noodles is simply perfect.
"Alright, I'm leaving now." Zhang Zhengping took out sixty cents (0.6 yuan) and placed it on the table, then slowly stood up.
Zhou Yan knew his temperament, so he didn't refuse.
Zhou Momo had just finished her noodle soup when she looked up at Zhang Zhengping and asked in her childish voice, "Granduncle, are you going home?"
"Yes, I'm going back to cook for your grandaunt." Zhang Zhengping said with a smile.
"But I can't bear to part with you." The little one looked at him longingly, her big eyes already brimming with tears. "Can you play a little longer..."
"Aiyoyo, Momo is so good! I'll bring your grandaunt to come play again later, okay?" Zhang Zhengping patted his pockets again and again, but there was nothing suitable. He could only smile and say, "Next time, I'll bring you something delicious and fun to play with, okay?"
"Okay." Zhou Momo nodded obediently.
"Granduncle, you have a lot of things, let me take you there. You can return the bicycle to Dr. Ji, and I'll give you a ride to the bridge to catch the bus." Zhou Yan pushed his bicycle towards the door, took the urea bag off the bicycle and put it in the basket on his bicycle, and also put the canvas bag in front of the basket.
"Okay, sure." Zhang Zhengping replied with a smile.
"Uncle, take care on your journey, come visit again next time." Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao saw him to the door.
"Granduncle, you have to bring grandaunt next time, okay?" Zhou Momo added.
"Okay." Zhang Zhengping nodded with a smile, got on the bicycle, and rode off with Zhou Yan.
The bicycle was returned to Ji Hongtao, and Zhou Yan drove Zhang Zhengping to the stone bridge to wait for the bus.
"What's in it? This bag is quite heavy." Zhou Yan lifted the urea bag from the basket.
"I'm taking everything with me. My third sister insisted on packing this whole sack for me. It has all sorts of things: sweet potatoes, pumpkins, red beans, and she even braised a beef shank last night. She also got up early this morning to kill a chicken. She put it all in there." Zhang Zhengping's expression was a mix of helplessness and a smile.
At his age, being pampered by his older sister was naturally something to be happy about.
Zhou Yan saw Zhang Zhengping onto the bus before returning to the restaurant.
Braising meat, braising vegetables, preparing ingredients… there was still endless work waiting for him.
…
Around nine o'clock.
A car with the words "Jiazhou Hotel" printed on it slowly pulled up in front of the textile factory.
Lin Zhiqiang stood smiling at the factory gate, accompanied by two textile factory managers.
A middle-aged man in a black suit and white shirt stepped out of the car. He had a square face, his hair was neatly combed to the left, and he was accompanied by a tall secretary.
"Mr. Qian Siyuan, I am Lin Zhiqiang, the deputy director of Jiazhou Textile Factory. Welcome." Lin Zhiqiang stepped forward with a smile, greeted him in English, and extended his right hand.
Qian Siyuan shook hands with him and smiled, "Director Lin, you can speak Chinese with me. I learned Mandarin before I returned to China, so I can communicate with you."
"That's wonderful, Mr. Qian, please come in. I'll show you around our Jiazhou Textile Factory." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, leading Qian Siyuan into the factory. He continued, "This is our newly built factory. The facilities and equipment are all new, top notch in China, and it's known as the 'Garden Factory'..."
"It is quite beautiful." Qian Siyuan nodded slightly. Most of the time, he listened to Lin Zhiqiang's explanation, and sometimes he would interrupt to ask a few questions. After visiting the workshop and looking at the samples, they went to the conference room to discuss cooperation matters. The factory director was also present to discuss the matter.
Lin Zhiqiang gulped down a glass of water, his throat was parched from talking all morning.
If he had known the other party could speak Mandarin, he would have had someone else receive him. It was really putting him, a technical person, in a difficult position to handle business.
"Mr. Qian, when would you like to discuss the specifics of the contract?" Factory Director Wang Hongliang asked.
Qian Siyuan picked up the tea cup on the table, took a sip, and put it down, saying leisurely, "Director Wang, your factory's silk is indeed excellent, and Jiading Silk is also very famous. However, I just came from Guocheng yesterday. Guocheng Silk Factory is also a major silk factory in Sichuan, and their white silk is of very high quality, and their prices are more favorable than yours.
Based on current international silk prices, the terms you've offered aren't very attractive to me. We need to discuss the specifics of the cooperation carefully after returning to the Jiazhou Hotel before making a decision, we can't sign a contract immediately."
Wang Hongliang and the other leaders' smiles faltered slightly, but they had no choice but to nod and say, "Alright, then we'll wait for Mr. Qian's good news."
"Thank you for your hard work." Qian Siyuan nodded and stood up to leave.
"Zhiqiang, it's lunch time. Why don't you take Mr. Qian out for a meal before he goes back to Jiazhou?" Wang Hongliang said.
"No need to trouble Director Lin. He's been walking with me all day and must be tired. Let's just eat at the Jiazhou Hotel." Qian Siyuan said, shaking his head.
Lin Zhiqiang stood up and said with a smile, "Mr. Qian has come from afar and hasn't even had a meal. It makes us, Jiazhou Textile Factory, seem to have neglected our overseas Chinese.
Although Suji is a small town, but it has some local delicacies. Let's put business aside for now. As a friend, I'd like to invite you to lunch. Would you do me the honor?"
Qian Siyuan smiled upon hearing this and nodded, saying, "Alright, then I'll trouble Director Lin."
"Please follow me." Lin Zhiqiang led Qian Siyuan outside.
"Director Lin, are you going to show me your factory canteen?" Qian Siyuan asked, looking at him.
When he visited the Guocheng Silk Factory, he had lunch in the factory canteen, and it tasted quite good, much better than the canteens in the factories he ate in America.
"It's not a canteen, but a small restaurant located at the entrance of the textile factory." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. "I'll take you to try some authentic Sichuan cuisine. Even if you go to Chengdu (Rongcheng), you might not be able to find food this delicious."
"Authentic Sichuan cuisine?" Qian Siyuan became interested and walked alongside Lin Zhiqiang, then asked curiously, "Does Sichuan cuisine have regional differences? Can you tell where someone is from just by looking at a dish?"
Lin Zhiqiang paused, looked at him, and smiled, "Sorry, I'm from Shanxi."
Qian Siyuan was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, "I was wondering why your accent is so different from theirs, and your Mandarin is surprisingly standard."
Lin Zhiqiang smiled and said, "I don't know, but the chef definitely does. The restaurant owner and I are very close. If you have any questions, you can ask him after you finish eating."
"Okay." Qian Siyuan nodded. "You're such an interesting person."
The factory had already finished its early shift, and there was a dozen people queuing outside the restaurant to buy braised dishes, the restaurant was almost full.
"Is this a restaurant? Not a canteen?" Qian Siyuan asked, somewhat surprised, looking at the dimly lit restaurant filled with customers.
"In China, when it's meal time, you can't go wrong by choosing a restaurant frequented by locals, it's the people's choice." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, leading them inside.
"The people's choice..." Qian Siyuan repeated, then smiled and entered the restaurant.