Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

The pig head meat, just lifted from the braising pot, was still steaming faintly. Its surface glistened with a reddish, oily sheen, and it jiggled precariously in the strainer, looking utterly tempting.

He had switched to a deeper bamboo basket, one with edges about ten centimeters high. He first lined the bottom with a double-folded layer of cheesecloth to prevent the braised meat from being torn by the bamboo splinters, which would ruin its presentation.

Once the braised meat was out of the pot, it was time to arrange it like building blocks. The largest quantity, the pig head meat, was placed to the side. The pig ears and snouts were stood up one by one, with two pig trotters arranged in the center. The small basket was packed to the brim, looking incredibly enticing.

He had actually only brought out a portion of the braised meat. Sales were slower at noon, and if left outside, the wind could easily cause the meat to discolor. The peak sales period would be in the evening.

"Master Xiao and Master Zheng have a full set of equipment, and they even hired a helper. They look really professional," Zhou Miao said to Zhou Yan as he returned, helping to lift out the braised meat.

"My masters have four banquets to cater this month alone. The big ones are over thirty tables, so they definitely couldn’t do it without hiring help," Zhou Yan said with a smile. He himself had been a temporary helper at Zhou Hao’s wedding.

His master knew exactly how many people were needed to handle a job of any given size.

After being a head chef in Suji for half his life, finding an efficient helper was certainly not difficult.

Zhou Yan carried the basket outside and carefully placed it on the small square table by the door. Just then, he saw the Huang siblings approaching slowly on their bicycles.

"Boss Zhou!" Huang Ying called out with a smile.

Huang Bing simply nodded at him. He felt that calling him "Zhou" didn’t quite suit his own style; when he was out and about, everyone else called him "Huang."

"You’re early for lunch today," Zhou Yan said with a laugh, looking at the pair.

It was clear they weren’t in as much of a hurry today. Although their faces were still sweaty, it wasn’t as extreme as in the morning, when they’d looked like they had just been pulled out of the water.

Huang Ying’s gaze was already captivated by the basket of braised meat. Parking her bike, she immediately scurried over, her mouth slightly agape. "These braised pig trotters look so delicious! And the pig head meat... it just looks so fragrant!"

She loved braised meat, but their own family’s restaurant didn’t make it!

Normally, she had to buy it from outside, eating from Zhao’s Braised Shop in the south of the city several times a month.

Her old man loved braised meat too, but every time he ate from Zhao’s, he’d complain between bites, saying it wasn’t as good as the braised meat Mrs. Zhang made in Suji.

Huang Ying had never tasted anything from Zhang’s Braised Shop in her life, so she didn’t believe him. In any case, she loved Zhao’s.

’But this braised meat Zhou Yan made... it looks really good.’

’The color is a glossy red, and the braised aroma is rich.’

’Especially those braised pig trotters in the middle. They’re so plump and meaty, they look irresistible!’

"What’s so great about pig trotters? Let’s get a plate of pig snout and ears," Huang Bing suggested as he walked over, unable to stop himself from swallowing as he stared at the basket of braised meat.

Huang Ying nodded, then said to Zhou Yan, "In that case, I want one braised pig trotter, and a plate of sliced pig snout and ears."

"Alright. I’ll slice up two liang of each for you on a single plate." Zhou Yan nodded, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly. ’It’s a good thing they ordered. It would be even better if they got a portion to-go for their old man.’

’When it comes to collaborations, whoever makes the first move is at a disadvantage in the negotiations.’

The textile factory workers wouldn’t be off for a few more minutes, so the shop was empty for now.

The two entered the shop. Huang Bing paused at the entrance, his eyes on the large pot Mrs. Zhao was tending. "Mrs. Zhao," he asked curiously, "what’s this soup? It smells amazing."

"This is our shop’s specialty, Kneeling Beef soup," Mrs. Zhao replied with a smile. "It has beef intestine, beef tendon, tripe, and beef. The broth is savory and delicious, very nourishing and restorative. A small guy like you should have a bowl every day to build yourself up."

When Mrs. Zhao spoke with a smile, she had a charm that was impossible to refuse. Huang Bing said, "Then I’ll have a bowl to try."

’It’s not that I want to ’build myself up,’ I’m just thirsty after that long bike ride.’

’Besides, this was the hidden menu item we missed yesterday. I have to try it today.’

"You got it. Go ahead and find a seat," Zhao Tieying responded with a smile.

The two found a table near the menu on the wall. As soon as he sat down, Huang Bing stared at it. "What other two dishes should we order?"

Huang Ying looked at him and started doing the math. "Mom gave me twenty yuan for our food budget for three days. That averages out to six yuan and sixty cents a day. We spent one yuan and eighty cents this morning, so we have four yuan and eighty cents left.

The pig trotter is one yuan twenty, the braised ears and snout are one yuan twenty, and a bowl of Kneeling Beef soup is sixty cents. That leaves us with one yuan eighty. If you order two more dishes, what are we going to eat for dinner?"

"Mom is so stingy, isn’t she? She didn’t even give us enough for food." Huang Bing shifted his gaze from the menu to his sister’s face and thought for a moment. "You ordered the pig trotter for yourself, and you’ll be the one eating it. That shouldn’t count towards our food budget, right? That frees up one yuan twenty for dinner tonight, and we can order... the stir-fried cabbage with cracklings for forty cents!"

"So you’re saying you’re not having any of the braised pig trotter," Huang Ying noted, nodding happily. "Fine. The trotter is on me. And we’ll add an order of stir-fried cabbage with cracklings."

"But is this a new dish? I didn’t see it on the menu yesterday." Huang Ying stared at the stir-fried cabbage with cracklings at the bottom of the list. At 0.4 yuan per order, it was the cheapest item on the menu, even cheaper than the noodles.

’Well, with our tight budget, we can’t order any more meat.’

’But just eating the braised meat isn’t enough to go with rice. Ordering a cheap, half-meat-half-vegetable dish is the perfect solution.’

"That’s right, it’s a new dish we just added today." Mrs. Zhao brought over the Kneeling Beef, along with two small bowls and two dipping saucers for them.

Zhou Yan also brought out the pig trotter and the sliced braised pig ears and snout.