[Ding! The Wealth Mall is now open!]
Zhou Yan, who had just given himself a pep talk, closed his eyes, then instantly opened them again.
Hooray! The Wealth Mall is open!
The panel unfolded in front his eyes.
[Player: Zhou Yan]
[Occupation: Chef]
[Wealth Points: 1363.12]
[Occupation Skills]: Omitted
[Mastered Dishes]:
Twice-Cooked Pork With Garlic Sprouts (Advanced): 99999/100000
...
Cold Dishes Series:
Braised Pork Products (Advanced): 99999/100000
Braised Beef (Intermediate): 5333/10000
Cold Chicken Dish (Intermediate): 6666/10000
Smashed Cucumber (Intermediate): 1871/10000
...
Special Skill: Food Identification (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded)
[Main Quest: Dominate the Textile Factory: Quest Progress: 998/1000]
[Side Quest: The Legacy of Zhang Ji Braised Food! Quest Progress: 0]
[Wealth Mall]: Open!
Zhou Yan quickly glanced at the ratings of the braised food series. The pork products series, obtained from the system, was rated Advanced and had maxed out proficiency.
He learned how to make braised beef and cold chicken dish from old lady today, and he didn't expect to reach an intermediate level right away, instead of starting from scratch and gradually improving.
This point is quite accurate. Zhou Yan, skilled in braised pork products, is already a semi-master in the world of braised dishes, and he even has a master like the old lady personally guiding him.
His first attempts at braised beef and cold chicken dish were met with rave reviews from the guests; labeling it as beginner level, starting from scratch, would be absurd.
However, this also indicates that these two dishes still have considerable room for improvement.
He realized the missing word "quite" in the assessment. Even with the same pot of chicken and the same seasonings, there's still a difference between his work and that of a master. The difference likely lies in the technique.
Of course, this gap will gradually be bridged with more practice and experience.
The system has already given him a proficiency level; he just needs to go all in.
The icon for the Wealth Mall in the lower right corner changed from gray to gold.
Zhou Yan's mind raced, and the page opened:
[One Hundred Ways to Cut a Cucumber]—800
[Ten Tips for Seasoning a Pot]—800
[Ten Bargaining Tips for Groceries]—1000
[Methods and Techniques for Maintaining Kitchen Utensils]—1200
[Ten Advanced Hot Pot Dipping Sauce Recipes]—2000
[100 Practical Tips for Quickly Winning Over a Rich Woman's Heart]—8888
...
[Items in the Mall are randomly refreshed daily, please pay attention.]
Zhou Yan stared at the glittering skill packs, remaining silent for a long time.
This is a wealth mall?
It looks more like a life hacks mall!
This isn't right, is it?
He thought this hidden mall might contain special items like "Mighty Vajra Pill" or "Invincible Spear Elixir." Or perhaps a mall like Dongzi Mall with refrigerators, color TVs, and washing machines?
But this mall seems to be... full of strange skill packs?
Zhou Yan studied them for a moment and immediately took a liking to "100 Practical Tips for Quickly Winning Over a Rich Woman's Heart."
Who wouldn't want to be a kept man?
Unfortunately, he was short on funds; with only 1363.12 wealth points, he simply couldn't afford it.
His gaze swept over the remaining four skill packs he could afford several times before finally choosing "Methods and Techniques for Maintaining Kitchen Utensils."
Kitchen utensil maintenance is a required course for chefs, but Little Zhou's culinary training had been too short—two and a half years—and he hadn't yet mastered enough skills.
Even sharpening knives was only half-baked expert.
The wealth points he had painstakingly accumulated were completely depleted. His skill pack flashed with golden light, and his mind was filled with new information.
A minute later, Zhou Yan's eyes cleared, and a look of joy appeared on his face.
From routine knife maintenance to sharpening, sterilizing wooden cutting boards, and the daily care and cleaning techniques for cookware…
The content was rich, basically covering all kinds of kitchen utensils. And it wasn't just vague talk; it was knowledge and experience that had entered his mind.
Zhou Yan felt like a seasoned knife sharpener now, and he couldn't wait to get up and find a couple of knives to test his skills.
The Wealth Mall truly lived up to its reputation!
Putting everything else aside, once he mastered this knife-sharpening skill, even if he was unlucky, he could still carry heavy loads and walk through the streets shouting, "Sharpening kitchen knives! Sharpening kitchen knives!"
Making a living would definitely not be a problem.
Zhou Yan happily closed his eyes. These wealth points were income points; he could accumulate as many as he earned, and once he had enough, he could exchange them for skills here in the system.
Although they were all minor skills, they were very practical!
For example, those "Ten Advanced Hot Pot Dipping Sauce Recipes"—wouldn't it be so much better to eat hot pot at home after learning them?
Or, if he wanted to open a hot pot restaurant someday, a good dipping sauce would be a core competitive advantage.
Of course, when he had extra wealth points later, he still wanted to see what that "100 Practical Tips for Quickly Winning Over a Rich Woman's Heart" actually contained.
He was indeed lacking in this area of knowledge.
Filling in the gaps in his knowledge—whether the woman was rich or not wasn't important; his main concern was his love of learning.
With longing for a better life in mind, he quickly drifted off to sleep.
…
In the next room, Zhou Miao carefully moved Zhou Momo, wrapped in a small blanket, into the big bed. The little one had played wildly all day and fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed.
Zhao Tieying stood at the door, carefully wiping two pairs of new leather shoes with a small towel in her hand, and said with a smile, "Everyone said my leather shoes look good today. Zhou Yan has good taste."
"They've been asking me where I bought those leather shoes, saying they want to buy a pair for the New Year too." Zhou Miao said with a smile. "They're all so envious when they hear Zhou Yan bought them. They say their sons are married now, and every penny goes to their wives; they can't even afford a pack of cigarettes, let alone leather shoes."
Zhao Tieying put the shoes on the shoe rack by the door, closed the door, climbed onto the bed, and snuggled into Zhou Miao's arms, smiling happily. "Before, we earned our face ourselves, but these past few days, Zhou Yan has given us so much face. Everyone says I'm so lucky to have such a filial son."
"Zhou Yan is lucky to have such a helpful mother like you. This restaurant can't operate without you." Zhou Miao said softly, holding her close.
Zhao Tieying turned around: "Oh right, I was too busy yesterday and forgot to tell you. Zhou Yan paid me my salary, thirty yuan a month. He also said that starting next month, he'll give me 20% of the profits from the cross-legged beef."
"The restaurant sells 120 servings of cross-legged beef a day now, with a profit of about half. That's over a hundred yuan a month just from the 20% profit!"
Zhao Tieying was stunned after calculating.
"That much?" Zhou Miao was also somewhat surprised.
In a rural town, thirty yuan a month is a high salary, so Zhao Hong was already happy with twenty yuan a month.
Zhou Miao is a skilled butcher who also sells beef. He earns about 70 or 80 yuan a month, which is considered high among butchers in Zhou Village.
Zhou Yan paid Zhao Tieying a salary of thirty yuan, plus an extra hundred yuan in commission. She didn't dare tell anyone about this income.
Zhao Tieying thought for a moment and said, "Then I'd better not take the commission. It's too much. Thirty yuan is already a lot. He works from morning till night everyday, it must be exhausting for him to earn that much."
"I think you should keep it." Zhou Miao said with a smile, shaking his head. "You should spend your salary as you see fit, but save the commission for him. Save it for two years, for his wedding. Young people don't always know how to save money."
Zhao Tieying nodded in agreement. "That's right. There's a whole line of people wanting to set Zhou Yan up today. We can have him go on blind dates during the New Year."
"Let him think about it slowly. He's only twenty. You've worked hard today. Let me give you a back massage so you can sleep early." Zhou Miao turned her over and began to massage her skillfully.
...
The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Zhou Yan was awakened by noises in the courtyard.
He pulled the cord of the bedside lamp, and with a click, the dim light came on. Zhou Yan rolled over and sat up.
It's great to be young and healthy. After a good night's sleep, he feels full of energy, all fatigue is gone, and he's ready for another energetic day.
Zhou Yan pushed open the door and stepped outside. The chilly morning wind made him shiver. Comrade Old Zhou was sharpening a knife in the corner of the yard, his flashlight hanging from a nearby tree branch, swaying gently in the breeze. The hunched-over Old Zhou pushed and pulled rhythmically.
"Did I wake you?" Comrade Old Zhou asked without turning around.
"I usually wake up around this time." Zhou Yan walked over, looking at the row of butcher knives laid out beside him. His hands itched, and he said, "Dad, let me help you sharpen it for a bit. I learned the technique from my master; I can sharpen knives very well."
"A butcher's knife can only be sharpened by himself. That way, you'll know exactly what to do when you're cutting." Comrade Old Zhou said slowly, without stopping his work. "No matter how fast someone else sharpens it, it might not be suitable for you."
"Alright, then I'll go make breakfast." Hearing this, Zhou Yan said nothing more and turned to walk towards the kitchen.
He'd heard this from his master too: "The sharpener's knife can only be sharpened by himself; no one else is allowed to touch it."
There was practically nothing else at home. The eggs were from their own hens, and there was some flour left in the kitchen, so Zhou Yan quickly made a pot of noodles.
The eggs, fried in lard, were then boiled in hot water to create a milky white broth. A handful of freshly picked green vegetables from the yard were tossed in, vibrant green and lush.
On a chilly early autumn morning, a bowl of hot soup, drunk clean, warmed him from the inside out, making him feel cozy all over.
"Delicious! I'll make it like this next time, it's so convenient." Aunt Zhao said with satisfaction.
Today, Comrade Old Zhou went to the next village to help slaughter a cow. He packed his bag and rode off on his bicycle.
Aunt Zhao picked up Zhou Momo, who was sleeping soundly, from the bed, carefully put her in her backpack, tucked her in with a small blanket, leaving only half of her face exposed, and then got on bicycle and went out.
When buying beef, Zhou Yan hesitated for a moment and didn't buy beef shank.
He ordered three pig heads. Yesterday, Zhou Yan had asked Zhang Laosan and Xu Laoer to help him debone them. The deboned meat was charged at 60 cents per jin. Each pig head would yield about 6 jin of meat, so the three pig heads cost 10.8 yuan.
Zhou Yan also took the pig's head bones that had been removed; they didn't charge him, and he used them to make noodle soup, which made the broth whiter and richer.
Then he went to the market and bought two live roosters, each weighing about six jin (approximately 3 kg), for 9.6 yuan.
On the way, he also bought two small, round bamboo winnowing baskets and a thin bamboo stick.
The bicycle stopped in front of the restaurant, and Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui, who had arrived earlier, went to help unload the goods.
"Why are there so many ingredients today?" Zhao Hong asked, somewhat surprised, carrying two large roosters.
"We're starting to sell braised food and cold chicken dish today, so I bought pig's head and chickens." Zhou Yan took the pig's head off and looked at Zhao Hong, saying, "Sister in law, you'll be responsible for killing these two roosters this morning, draining the blood, and plucking the feathers but you don't need to cut open their bellies."
"Okay." Zhao Hong nodded.
They were going to start selling at noon, so the braised food had to be in the pot in the morning, making the already busy morning even more rushed.
However, the braising and soaking time for pig's head meat and pig's ears wasn't long. As long as the pre-treatment was done well, it wouldn't be a problem to start braising after the morning rush.
The impact of the Wang Defa case, which had been brewing over the weekend, hadn't dissipated yet, and this morning there was a noticeable increase in customers coming to Zhou Erwa Restaurant for noodles.
Zhou Yan had actually anticipated this and prepared twenty extra servings of noodles, but they still sold out by 7:40.
"There are so many people eating noodles today! Should we prepare more tomorrow?" Aunt Zhao suggested to Zhou Yan, her face beaming.
Zhou Yan chuckled and shook his head: "This is all temporary, a false prosperity. A bowl of noodles costs sixty cents; once they try it, they'll come back for a while. If we rashly increase the stock, we might not sell it all and end up losing money."
He'd be satisfied if he could maintain this volume long term, increasing from eighty to one hundred servings.
Aunt Zhao nodded, then smiled and said, "The pork bone soup smells so good today! Many customers have praised it, saying the soup noodles are even better than before."
"That's good." Zhou Yan replied with a smile. The bone broth was a minor improvement he'd made; the original recipe used pork bone broth, but he hadn't had that before, so he used beef bone broth.
Zhou Yan began preparing the pig's head and chicken.
Braised dishes don't sell very well at lunch time. Many people like braised pig's ears and head meat to go with alcohol, but these dishes don't go well with rice.
Now that he'd launched braised food, he needed to find a way to break through the competition from the three other braised food stalls near the entrance, first securing a share of the textile factory's market, and then gradually building his reputation.
He planned to let customers know that Zhou Erwa Restaurant sold braised food at lunch time, hoping to gain a foothold in the market more quickly in the evening.
After all, the rush hour after get off work only lasts for half an hour, and they need get the customers. Once the workers disperse, he might end up with nothing but three pig heads and two chickens.
It was 11:30.
The textile factory was about to close.
Zhou Yan sliced two jin (approximately 1 kg) of pig's head meat and spread it out in the small bamboo basket he had bought that morning, filling it completely.
He also prepared a jin (approximately 500 g) of cold chicken dish, placing it in an open enamel basin.
He took a bamboo tube, inside which were stuck hundreds of bamboo sticks with sharpened tips.
Another small basket was lined with a new gauze cloth, on which he placed half a chicken, two pig ears, a whole piece of pig's head meat, and two pig snouts, crammed full.
He moved a long bench and placed it next to the stove where the cross-legged beef was cooked, arranging the four items in a row on the bench.
It was conspicuous and easily visible, allowing Aunt Zhao to keep an eye on things.
"These two jin of pig's head meat and more than a jin of cold chicken dish are just for everyone to try for free?" Aunt Zhao felt a little distressed. The cost alone was three yuan. If everyone just ate and didn't buy anything, wouldn't it be a complete loss?
"You can't catch a wolf without risking your cub. If you don't let them try it first, how will they be willing to buy a jin of braised pig's head meat and cold chicken dish for 2.5 yuan?" Zhou Yan smiled, placing the price list he had written in advance to the side. "Let everyone have a free sample at noon today, to build up a reputation. Only then can we sell those dozen or so jin of pig's head meat by the time they get off work tonight."
"Okay, whatever you say." Aunt Zhao nodded.
As they spoke, the factory's closing bell rang, and workers poured out of the factory gates one after another.
Upon reaching the restaurant entrance, their eyes were immediately drawn to the braised dishes and cold chicken dish displayed on the long benches.
The sliced pig's head meat was a bright red color, spread out on the winnowing basket, looking incredibly tempting. The cold chicken dish, served on an open bowl, was coated with chili oil and sesame seeds; the aroma of the chili oil was intoxicating—it looked so delicious!
The winnowing basket beside it held whole pig ears and pig head meat, their colors so beautiful, a bright red, glistening with oil, making one's mouth water.
"Come on, come on, be good, workers! Our restaurant has just launched some new braised dishes and cold chicken dish. Everyone can try a piece for free! Free to taste, free to eat! Grab a bamboo stick and grab it yourself!" Aunt Zhao called out with a beaming smile.
"Come on, come on, it's so delicious~~" Zhou Momo stood to the side, mumbling along, a bamboo stick of cold chicken dish in her hand, her mouth dripping with oil, her delicate eyebrows almost reaching the sky.
—