Chapter 149 - 125: You Say, Who Is She Still Waiting For?
Zhou Yan started with a plain shaomai. Its most defining features were the large filling and paper-thin skin. He popped one in his mouth. The wrapper was delicate and soft, the meat filling was succulent and tender, and his mouth filled with savory juices.
’This pork and scallion filling is incredibly savory!’
The farm-raised pork from this era had a much richer flavor.
The process for steaming these paper-thin shaomai was also far more complex than for buns. The fluted edges of the wrappers had to be sprinkled with cold water multiple times during steaming to guarantee the perfect texture.
Then came the specialty way of eating them: dipping the shaomai in chili oil. The moment a translucent white dumpling was dipped, it was instantly stained a brilliant red. The taste was fragrant, spicy, and invigorating—a truly unique flavor.
’Delicious!’
Zhou Momo finished one and was already reaching for a second. She looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Brother, these are even yummier than meat buns!"
"They’re absolutely delicious. The wrappers are so thin, and they’re packed with filling. So juicy." Mrs. Zhao nodded again and again. "How much is one steamer? They’re filled to the brim."
Zhou Yan said, "This is two steamers’ worth. It’s eight to a steamer for thirty-five fen."
"That’s... not too expensive, then," Mrs. Zhao nodded.
"Nope, not expensive." Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. ’Mrs. Zhao’s mindset is starting to change. In the past, she definitely would have thought thirty-five fen for a steamer of shaomai was expensive. That’s why she’d heard about them for so long but never bothered to try them.’
It wasn’t easy to earn money in the small towns. Most people saved every penny, only taking it out for emergencies.
’But who could have guessed that prices would skyrocket over the next few years?’
’The "fortunes" of a few hundred or a few thousand yuan, saved with so much effort, would see their purchasing power plummet in the blink of an eye.’
’When it came to what to buy, real estate was absolutely the best investment.’
’Housing reform was still a few years away, but Zhou Yan already had a plan. First, make money. Then, use that money to buy property.’
’Once he’s too old to work, he’ll just kick back and be a landlord, living the good life with a wife, kids, and a warm home.’
’He’d just slip on his sandals, a string of keys dangling from his belt. He’d be the sharpest guy on the whole street.’
’You only live once. The whole point is to live freely and with style.’
"Business is still better in the city. With so many people coming and going, you can make money doing just about anything." Mrs. Zhao gazed at the bustling East Main Street, a hint of wistfulness in her voice. She turned to Zhou Yan. "Are we going to open the restaurant by the factory gate, or do you have plans to move into the city eventually?"
"Eventually, we’ll definitely have to move into the city," Zhou Yan said, his own gaze fixed on the stream of people on East Main Street.
The Jiazhou Textile Factory was at its zenith now, but in the future he knew, when he’d passed through Suji to eat Kneeling Beef, the factory’s original site had already been demolished and turned into a residential complex.
The wave of layoffs in the 1990s had ultimately left it high and dry.
Zhou Yan Restaurant’s profits were tied to the textile factory. Ninety percent of its customers were factory workers, so he absolutely had to plan ahead.
Of course, it was only 1984. The factory was still expanding and hiring, the very picture of a booming enterprise.
He could keep making money here for a few more years, no problem. The only issue was that his revenue had stalled at five hundred yuan, and he needed to find a way to boost it. If an opportunity arose in Jiazhou, he could start laying the groundwork early.
East Main Street stretched all the way to the river, where the bustling Jiazhou Port was located, diagonally across from the Jiazhou Giant Buddha.
The Jiazhou Giant Buddha was already a very popular tourist attraction, with a constant stream of visitors taking sightseeing boats from Jiazhou Port to view it every day.
Furthermore, you could buy boat tickets at Jiazhou Port for direct water routes to places like Mountain City. It was a crucial mode of transportation for the people of Jiazhou at the time. Consequently, much of the hustle and bustle on East Main Street was due to visiting merchants and travelers.
The street was lined with shops and was incredibly prosperous.
In the future, East Main Street would become a trendy hotspot dotted with viral shops. Any business that managed to establish its brand there did incredibly well.
Zhou Yan knew very little about this era in general, but he did know a thing or two about Jiazhou.
’If I could buy a building on East Main Street, I’d have a foothold for when I want to expand the restaurant from Suji to Jiazhou.’
’I wouldn’t have to worry about renting, and there’d be no risk of a landlord changing the terms on a whim.’
’Plus, buying on East Main Street means I could rent it out immediately and start generating income.’
’Over the next few decades, that income would only continue to grow. It would be an incredibly cost-effective investment.’
Housing assigned by work units couldn’t be bought or sold yet, but private residences could be legally traded and transferred.
Most of the buildings on East Main Street still retained their Republic of China-era style and were privately owned.
The ground floors of most of these buildings had been converted into storefronts and rented out, providing their owners with a stable income.
Along the way, he saw photo studios, grain shops, hardware stores, and even small taverns. The most famous landmark was the Jiale Grand Theater, which hosted Sichuan opera performances. Every show drew a huge crowd, and tickets were notoriously hard to come by.
It was an extremely popular spot.
However, the core commercial district in Jiazhou was still over by the main department store intersection. Rents there were even higher. A decent storefront was said to cost twenty to thirty yuan a month.
Considering the foot traffic in front of the department store, that price wasn’t unreasonable.
Zhou Yan found the woman running a tofu pudding stall and asked a few questions. A thirty-to-forty-square-meter shop on Middle Street rented for about fifteen yuan a month.
"Renting a storefront isn’t worth it," the woman said with a smile. "You can do the same business from a tricycle cart, and every penny you make goes straight into your own pocket. Some of these folks with shops, they spend the first ten days of the month just working to pay the landlord. Only what they make after that is theirs."
"Ma’am," Zhou Yan asked with another smile, "you have your stall out here every day. Do you happen to know if any of the buildings on East Main Street are for sale?"
"Sell?" The woman shook her head, looking at Zhou Yan in surprise. "These houses are geese that lay golden eggs. I doubt anyone would be willing to part with one. If you own a two-unit storefront, you can make thirty yuan a month just lounging at home. A factory job isn’t that cushy." She continued, "You’re thinking of buying a building, young man? I heard someone sold a building over on Banchang Street a couple of days ago. It had a storefront, too. Went for over six thousand yuan."