Chapter 223 - 146: Silent Tofu
And in large letters: Twenty cents per jin!
Below that was a line of smaller text: I am deaf and mute. I can’t hear your voice, but I can understand your smile.
Zhou Yan placed the sign he had written next to the tofu.
The boy stared at the words on the paper, stunned. When he looked up at Zhou Yan, his eyes were already glistening with tears.
Clearly, he could read.
’That makes things much simpler.’
Zhou Yan pulled a notebook from his pocket, flipped to a new page, and quickly scribbled a line for the boy to read: This isn’t how you sell tofu. I’ll teach you.
The boy looked up at him and nodded.
Zhou Yan put away his notebook. His first move was to shift the boy’s small table so it was aligned with the vegetable stalls on either side. Then, he stood before the stall and called out, his voice full and resonant, "Get your tofu—get your tofu! Twenty cents a jin! White tofu with no tough skin, shines bright when you slice it in! Good tofu, fragrant tofu! Ladies who eat it become as lovely as Xi Shi, and fellas who eat it will never fall flat...!"
He was tall and well-built, and dressed in his white Chef’s uniform, he was already eye-catching. Coupled with his booming voice, he immediately drew plenty of attention, and people began to gather around.
"Miss, how about some? You can see for yourself how good this tofu is. The cut is so smooth, you can tell just by looking how fine and tender it is."
"Don’t you worry, ma’am. This tofu is delicious whether you pan-fry it, stew it, or use it to make Mapo Tofu."
"Oh, I’m not taking any money. I’m just here to buy tofu myself. This kid here can’t hear or speak, and he couldn’t sell a single block. It’s just a shame. If I didn’t help him hawk his wares a bit, I’m afraid he’d be here all day and not sell anything."
Zhou Yan put on a friendly smile and chatted people up, and in no time, more than half of the tofu was sold.
His silver tongue was one thing, but once customers saw the sign on the table and then looked at the quiet, handsome boy, they were more than willing to pull out twenty cents.
’Besides, they were planning to buy tofu anyway, so what difference did it make where they bought it?’
Once a crowd formed, the customers came one after another.
Watching the boy bustling about—slicing and weighing the tofu, taking money, and making change—Zhou Yan smiled and turned to leave.
’What could he do?’
’It was just a matter of writing a sign and hawking for him a bit.’
’Hopefully, the customers who bought his tofu will be satisfied with it and come back for more.’
[Perfect Tofu] shouldn’t be lost to the world due to a lack of voice. That was his philosophy on food.
"What were you up to?" Zhou Miao asked, watching the smiling Zhou Yan walk over.
"Just helped a kid sell some tofu," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he swung his leg over his bike and started pedaling. "Come on, we’re running a little late. We need to hurry."
"Selling tofu?" Zhou Miao was completely baffled but pedaled after him on their own bike.
Back at the restaurant, Zhou Yan took out the two blocks of tofu he had, placing each in an earthenware bowl.
Side by side, the difference between them was still not obvious, and both had a faint, beany aroma.
After setting the tofu aside on a counter, Zhou Yan began to prepare the toppings and sauces.
As usual, the siblings Huang Bing and Huang Ying arrived early.
The two ordered noodles. Huang Bing noticed a new sign on the wall and exclaimed, "Braised beef?! Yan, you made the braised beef?"
"That’s right. It’s officially on the menu today," Zhou Yan said, nodding with a smile. "Go tell your Old Man and ask if he wants any today. I’ve set aside five jin for him."
"Got it," Huang Bing nodded. His Old Man had repeatedly instructed him to keep a close watch for when Zhou Yan started selling the braised beef and to report back the moment it happened.
After braised pig’s head had been added to the menu last week, many of Feiyan Restaurant’s regular patrons had come to eat, specifically ordering the braised meat.
But what they asked about most was still the braised beef.
His Old Man could only put them off by saying it wasn’t available yet, but inwardly, he was more anxious than anyone.
After the morning noodle service was over, Mrs. Zhao got busy boiling the broth for the Kneeling Beef, while Zhou Yan started on the braised meats.
Pork trotters, beef, pork head, pig ears... he added them to the pot one by one, letting them braise slowly over a low heat.
The fire in the stove had just died down.
A motorcycle already rumbled to a stop outside.
"Boss Zhou! Boss Zhou! I’m here!"
Huang He rushed in the door, his expression a mixture of haste and excitement.
...