Chapter 248 - 156: More and More to Look Forward To
The fabric and new cotton they bought on their last trip to Jiazhou were sent to Tailor Jia by Mrs. Zhao as soon as they got back. After waiting for over a week, the clothes were finally ready today.
Over the past few days, Mrs. Zhao had been dropping by Tailor Jia's shop every day. She would sometimes bring along some leftover braised pig's head meat—a soft-pressure campaign that successfully let her cut the line.
For a regular customer, a stack of clothes this large would have meant a wait of at least a month.
"New clothes!" Zhou Momo's eyes lit up. She wriggled out of Zhou Yan's arms and dashed toward Mrs. Zhao, calling out, "Mama! Mama! Do I get some? Do I have new clothes?"
"Yes, we had a set made for you. I'll also knit you a sweater and a pair of woolen pants, and you'll have enough to wear for the winter," Mrs. Zhao replied with a smile as she walked into the shop.
When Zhou Yan came in, Mrs. Zhao had already untied the bundle, and the unfolded clothes were spread all over the counter.
"Mrs. Zhao, you had so many clothes made!" Zhao Hong exclaimed, leaning in for a closer look.
"When the house collapsed, that father and daughter duo couldn't save any of their winter clothes," Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "The weather is getting colder by the day, so I had to get them set up. And Zhou Yan, too—he doesn't have a single decent outfit. He's a restaurant owner now, big or small, and he needs to look presentable for certain occasions."
"That makes sense," Zhao Hong nodded.
Mrs. Zhao first picked up a small, red, floral-patterned padded jacket and slipped it onto Zhou Momo. The sleeves were a bit long, and the jacket was so thick it made her look round and chubby.
Zhou Momo spun around, grinning proudly. "The floral jacket is so, so pretty!"
"Mhm, the sleeves are a bit long, which is perfect. She'll be able to wear it again next year." Mrs. Zhao rolled up the sleeves for her and nodded in satisfaction.
She then held a pair of floral padded pants up to Momo; the length was perfect. Rolled up a couple of times, they could last for two years.
It wasn't easy to have clothes made in those days, especially for children. They usually wore hand-me-downs from the older kids in the family.
Zhou Yan was much older than Zhou Momo, so his childhood clothes had likely been passed down to Huihui and the other kids.
The Zhou Family had plenty of children, but they were all boys. Other than a few nice-looking knit sweaters, Mrs. Zhao usually didn't dress Zhou Momo in hand-me-downs.
Comrade Zhou always said that his own clothes could have extra patches, but his daughter and wife had to be dressed beautifully.
Next were Comrade Zhou's new clothes: a set of thick, indigo-blue padded garments. The style was simple, but they were very substantial. There was also a pair of thick, black trousers.
Comrade Zhou tried on the padded jacket, tugged at the hem, and broke into a wide, toothy grin. "Perfect! It fits great and it's so warm!"
Mrs. Zhao had only had a short, floral-patterned jacket made for herself. It matched Zhou Momo's, a true mother-daughter outfit. The style was simple and elegant, with a slightly tapered waist—likely a design Tailor Jia had come up with herself. The color was well-chosen, brightening her complexion.
"Here, Zhou Yan, these are yours." Mrs. Zhao handed a stack of clothes to Zhou Yan.
There was a white chef's uniform made of a cotton-linen blend, a pair of black trousers, and at the bottom of the pile, a padded corduroy jacket.
"You can wear this new chef uniform for special occasions. It'll look presentable if that editor-in-chief comes by again," Mrs. Zhao said to Zhou Yan with a smile. "I didn't have the trousers made with wide legs; a young man like you looks more sharp and energetic in a neater cut. Being fashionable isn't everything. As for this corduroy jacket, I saw one just like it at the department store. I was surprised to find that Tailor Jia had just learned how to make the pattern, so she agreed to make one. Try it on. If it doesn't fit, I'll take it back to her for alterations."
Zhou Yan held the clothes, his heart filled with warmth. Even though they weren't made by his own mother's hands, every garment was filled with Mrs. Zhao's profound care and love. It was a feeling he had never experienced in his past life.
"Alright, I'll go try them on." Zhou Yan's voice was a bit thick with emotion as he took the clothes and went upstairs to change.
The chef's uniform was a perfect fit, with a rather slim cut that still allowed him to move his arms freely. The cotton-linen blend was light and breathable, making it ideal for working in the kitchen.
The fabric of the black trousers was far superior to his old ones. It had a nice drape, and the straight-leg cut made his legs look particularly long. The waist was a perfect fit, too—he wouldn't even need a belt as long as he kept his pockets empty.
With the sleeves of his shirt rolled up to reveal his watch and the hem tucked into his trousers, he looked crisp and sharp.
He then slipped on the brown, padded corduroy jacket. It also fit perfectly and looked much more stylish and sharp than the old-fashioned padded coats. He really looked the part.
'This small-town tailor is the real deal!'
When Zhou Yan came downstairs, Mrs. Zhao walked up and circled him twice, nodding in satisfaction. "Perfect! You look great! Now you really look like a proper boss."
"At the department store, a padded jacket like this costs fifty-five yuan! I bought the fabric myself, used the best cotton filling, and including the tailor's fee, it only cost me fourteen yuan and fifty cents! What a bargain!"
"The style of the trousers is new, too. The material is soft and smooth, yet the pants came out perfectly crisp. You look so sharp wearing them."
Mrs. Zhao's gaze fell to the canvas shoes on Zhou Yan's feet. She laughed and said, "Next time we go to the department store, I'll buy you a new pair of leather shoes. You have to coordinate your outfits, or else people will make fun of you."
"Alright," Zhou Yan agreed with a smile. 'Mrs. Zhao is truly on the cutting edge of small-town fashion. She even knows about coordinating outfits.'
"You're so good at managing the household," Zhou Miao praised with a smile. "You saved us over a hundred yuan just like that, and the clothes are both good-looking and warm."
"You bet," Mrs. Zhao said, her smile tinged with pride. She looked at Zhou Yan and added, "If we make good money by the New Year, I'll get you a leather jacket. Now *that's* what's really stylish."
"I'll pass on the leather jacket. You can get one for the old man instead," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. He'd seen the leather jackets at the department store before—they were all styles for middle-aged men and wouldn't suit a handsome young guy like him at all. The corduroy jacket was much more crisp and clean-cut.
As the weather grew colder, the family, dressed in their new clothes, felt warm both inside and out.
"Life just keeps giving us more to look forward to." Mrs. Zhao carried the rest of the clothes upstairs, a radiant smile on her face.
…
For the next few days, Xiao Lei and Zheng Qiang came by every day at noon to practice making stir-fried pig liver, helping Zhou Yan with prep work on the side.
Zhou Jie's daily sales of braised pig's head meat had already surpassed ten jin, and he'd successfully established a solid reputation. He planned to start gradually increasing his stock by one or two jin next week to find the market's ceiling.
Selling ten jin a day earned him five yuan, which amounted to one hundred and fifty yuan a month.
This extra income made both their families very happy, and they received the enthusiastic support of their wives.
Just yesterday, Zhou Jie had come to ask Zhou Yan to write a sign for him, advertising his wares under the brand "Braised Dishes from Zhou Yan Restaurant," which directly drove traffic to Zhou Yan's business.
Talk about returning sincerity with sincerity.
'Jie was a man you could count on.'
After rising for three straight days, the restaurant's sales of braised vegetables dipped slightly before stabilizing.
Potatoes and lotus root were each selling at a rate of fifty jin per day. The amount of tofu skin Mrs. Sun and Lai Fu could supply was limited to six jin per day, and it was unlikely that production could be increased significantly anytime soon.
Sales of dried tofu rose from five to ten jin, becoming incredibly popular for its delicate texture and flavor.
The braised dried bamboo shoots were discontinued. He hadn't been able to find any suitable small dried bamboo shoots in Suji, and the larger ones were too tough, resulting in a subpar texture when braised. Even though they sold decently, they didn't meet Zhou Yan's standards and were temporarily removed from the menu.
Kelp remained a steady seller. Mrs. Zhao and Zhao Hong were now tying ten jin of kelp knots a day, their movements growing increasingly deft.
The braised vegetables were a huge success, pushing daily revenue past 80 yuan and successfully boosting braised meat sales by ten percent.
The low-price strategy was a resounding success, tapping into a wider customer base of female workers from the textile factory.
"Half a jin of the original flavor dried tofu, and a full jin of the original flavor potatoes and lotus root, mixed."
"I'll take three liang of the five-spice tofu skin and three liang of the mala tofu skin. And add four liang of the mala dried tofu. I'm off work tomorrow, so I'm treating myself tonight!"
"Is the tofu skin already sold out? Oh, come on, Boss, you need to make more! This is the second time I've come and missed out. In that case, I'll take half a jin of dried tofu and weigh me out three liang of braised pig's head meat."
On Saturday evening, after closing time, workers from the factory crowded around the braised meat stall, forming three long lines.
After a busy week, they had finally reached their day off, and everyone was eager to spend.
Comrade Zhou had to slice the braised meat and bag the braised vegetables, and he was so busy he was practically spinning in circles.
The ever-confident Comrade Zhou came up with an idea: instead of weighing each order of braised food, he would measure it all by feel, relying on his experience.
However, he kept a scale right next to him. If any customer suspected they were being short-weighted, they could have their order reweighed on the spot. If it was off by even a single qian, the entire order was free.
At first, customers still lined up to have their orders reweighed. But after three straight days without a single mistake—in fact, the vegetable dishes often weighed an extra two or three qian—people gradually stopped asking.
And so, Comrade Zhou's reputation as the "Human Digital Scale" was firmly cemented among the textile factory workers.
Not having to weigh each order drastically improved efficiency.
Without any extra help, Comrade Zhou somehow managed to sell over a hundred more jin of braised vegetables.
Even Zhou Yan was stunned by this.
'If the restaurant ever lost Comrade Zhou,' he thought, 'it would truly fall apart.'
Watching the long lines in front of Zhou Yan Restaurant, Yang the Third and Zhu Feng squatted by the roadside, chain-smoking as their faces grew as dark as the bottom of a wok.
New signs hung at both of their braised food stalls: "Braised Vegetables 3 Jiao per Jin! Free Samples!"
But they remained completely ignored.
"How are we supposed to compete? We're selling for less than him and we still can't win!" Yang the Third sighed.
"We were already losing on the braised meat. Now that he's selling braised vegetables, our business is completely dead," Zhu Feng said, scratching his head. "I only made five yuan yesterday. That doesn't even cover my costs."
In recent days, the two of them had exhausted every scheme and trick in the book: price cuts, imitation, hawking, free samples—they had tried it all.
And yet, their business only got worse day by day.
It was no longer a question of making a profit, but of how to even break even each day.
"Screw this! I'm done!" Yang the Third threw his cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "Tomorrow, I'm moving my damn stall to Stone Bridge Head! I'm sick of dealing with his crap!"
"If you're leaving, so am I! It's impossible to make a living in front of this textile factory anymore." Zhu Feng spat on the ground, his eyes, full of nothing but envy, lingering on the three long lines.
'Fucking hell, just how much money is he making a day?!'
Their dicks were practically purple with envy.
They had originally ganged up to drive Zhao Minghui out of business. They never imagined that one day, Zhou Yan would be the one to completely decimate their sales, forcing them to find a new way to survive.