The workers were practically rooted to the spot. Countless of them couldn’t help but swallow.

Those pig’s trotters... they just looked delicious!

No, watching the little girl eat them made them look even more appetizing!

The braised pig’s trotters had a glossy, reddish-brown sheen. The little one’s hands could sink right into the tender meat as she held one and gnawed on it.

A three-and-a-half-year-old girl could take a huge bite out of it. Just how soft and tender must those pig’s trotters be? The way she ate was just so incredibly mouthwatering.

Getting to gnaw on a whole braised pig’s trotter by yourself... that was something many people dreamed of.

And this little girl had achieved that dream at only three and a half. It was truly enviable.

"Mrs. Zhao, how much for one of these braised pig’s trotters?" Wang Wei, who had come to eat with her colleagues today, couldn’t resist asking.

The others also turned to look at Zhao Tieying, their eyes full of curiosity.

"The braised pig’s trotters aren’t for sale yet, so we haven’t set a price. We just made these for the family to eat today," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile. This was a line she had learned from Zhou Yan, and it was working wonderfully.

"So yummy, big piggy trotter," Zhou Momo exclaimed, getting into her food. She didn’t forget to offer a few words of praise, her little dangling legs swinging back and forth.

"Not for sale!"

"Why not? If the price is right, I’d love to buy one and try it!"

The workers let out a collective sigh of disappointment.

It was bad enough they weren’t for sale, but there wasn’t even a price!

’If they were expensive, we could just give up and stop thinking about them.’

Now, they were just left hanging in suspense.

Zhao Tieying thought for a moment before speaking. "How many people want to try one? I can take a count. If there’s enough interest, I’ll see if Zhou Yan can make a batch for everyone tomorrow. As for the price, it won’t be more than one-fifty yuan each. But pig’s trotters aren’t easy to buy, so the quantity will probably be limited."

When they were buying the pig’s trotters that morning, Zhou Yan had told her he planned to add braised pig’s trotters to the menu later, which was why she had her youngest daughter sit by the door and eat one on the fly.

The trotters cost thirty-five cents a jin, and each one weighed about one and a fifth jin, making the cost price around forty to fifty cents.

Zhou Yan hadn’t set a final price yet, only saying it would be around one-twenty yuan.

By quoting one-fifty, she gave Zhou Yan plenty of room to set the price, and if it ended up being cheaper tomorrow, the customers would feel like they got a bargain.

Hearing this, the workers fell silent for a moment.

One-fifty yuan for one?

That seemed a bit expensive.

It was more than a regular worker’s daily wage.

After all, a pig’s trotter didn’t have much meat. For that price, you could get an order of Double-Pepper Minced Beef and a bowl of Kneeling Beef.

In contrast to the crowd’s silence, Zhou Momo’s eating was a little too loud. The tendon was a bit sticky, and she chewed audibly. As she ate, she swayed her little head, taking one bite after another. It was as if in her eyes, in her world, nothing existed but the braised pig’s trotter in front of her.

"Mrs. Zhao, I want to pre-order one," Wang Wei said, raising her hand decisively.

’I don’t have a husband or a child to support, and my parents earn more than I do. What’s wrong with spending my own money on a big pig’s trotter?’

A day’s wage? She could afford it!

She couldn’t even imagine how blissful it would be to hold a whole trotter and just gnaw on it.

With Wang Wei taking the lead, a few other workers immediately followed suit and placed pre-orders.

’If it’s too expensive to eat alone, just find a friend to split it with.’

’Eating half would be just as satisfying!’

Zhao Tieying took out a small notebook and started making tally marks. In just a short while, she had six pre-orders.

Of course, most of the workers chose to wait and see. They would decide whether to buy one after the official price was announced.

Zhou Yan stood at the kitchen entrance listening for a while, surprised by what Zhao Tieying had said.

’Mrs. Zhao is a marketing genius! Limited supply, raising expectations... she’s perfectly executing President Lei’s playbook.’

His plan had been to sell the braised pig’s trotters for one-twenty yuan each. The profit margin would be about fifty percent, which was a good price that customers would find acceptable.

But it seemed his mom had moved up the launch plan for the pig’s trotters.

This marketing push was no worse than if he had done it himself.

’Mrs. Zhao learns so fast!’

Customers began to file in. Zhou Momo had become a living advertisement; workers passing by couldn’t help but take a second look, and before they knew it, they were walking into the restaurant.

Once inside, the dishes on the other customers’ tables were just too tempting. How could anyone resist sitting down and ordering a couple of things to try?

Zhou Yan’s kitchen quickly became a hive of activity.

Two middle-aged men in Zhongshan suits rode their bicycles to the outside of the textile factory, glancing left and right.

"Mayor Huang, Zhou Yan Restaurant is over there!" Ma said with a smile, pointing.

Huang Chen saw it too and smiled. "Quite a crowd. Let’s go, Ma. We’ll have lunch here today."

The two of them parked their bikes and saw Zhou Momo, happily devouring a half-eaten pig’s trotter.

"Isn’t that the old lady’s granddaughter? She’s certainly enjoying that pig’s trotter," Huang Chen said with a chuckle. The little girl was adorable and had left a deep impression on him the other day.

"Mayor Huang, you’re here." Zhao Tieying was a bit surprised and nervous to see Huang Chen. ’Don’t tell me the town leadership is here for another inspection.’

"Comrade Zhao, we’ve come for lunch," Huang Chen said with a smile.

Zhao Tieying breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Please, come in. We have one table left."

Huang Chen and Ma entered the restaurant and found it was already full. Judging by the customers’ uniforms, they were almost all workers from the textile factory. Business was booming.

The two sat down, and Zhao Tieying pointed to the menu on the wall. "Have a look at the menu first, and just let me know what you’d like to order."

"Alright," Huang Chen nodded and studied the menu carefully.

"The prices are a little steep," Ma muttered under his breath after a quick glance.

"Private businesses have to pay more for their meat, so these prices aren’t actually that high. The big restaurants in Rongcheng, now *that’s* expensive," Huang Chen said with a smile. As he was in charge of the economy, he knew more about these things.

The prices were reasonable, but the menu was a bit small. Excluding the cold dishes, there were only six main dishes, all of which were common staples in any Sichuan Cuisine restaurant.

Only one dish, ’Kneeling Beef,’ piqued his curiosity.

He didn’t ask about it right away. Instead, he looked around and saw a customer at the next table slurping soup from an earthenware bowl. The way he drank was so satisfying, beads of sweat had formed on his forehead.

The table to his right also had an earthenware bowl, steaming hot and filled to the brim with beef, offal, and beef tendon. The broth looked quite light, but once the meat was dipped into the chili powder, it immediately turned a brilliant red and looked incredibly tempting.

Without a doubt, this was the so-called Kneeling Beef.

Zhao Tieying was manning the large pot by the entrance, and that was exactly what she was making: Kneeling Beef.

A quick glance around told him that quite a few customers had ordered it.

After last night’s heavy rain, the temperature had dropped significantly today.

Looking at the steaming beef soup, he really felt like having a bowl to warm himself up.

Ma looked over as well and couldn’t help but swallow.

Huang Chen had a good idea of what to get. "Comrade Zhao, we’re ready to order."

"Okay!" Zhao Tieying answered, walking over quickly.

Huang Chen ordered Twice-Cooked Pork, Minced Beef with Peppers, and a bowl of Kneeling Beef. After observing the other tables, he noticed these were the three dishes ordered most often by regulars.

In his experience, ordering this way meant you usually couldn’t go wrong.

"You got it, one moment!" Zhao Tieying said as she headed to the kitchen.

"Mayor Huang, what made you suddenly decide to eat here?" Ma asked with a smile as he poured him some water.

The mayor was a foodie but was known to be frugal, always eating his three meals at the canteen on workdays. But today, after returning from an inspection in the countryside, he had dragged him to a restaurant for lunch and ordered over three yuan worth of food. This was a real splurge.

"A friend of mine is passing through Suji tomorrow and staying for a night. I’m scouting out a place to eat so I can treat him well." Huang Chen took a sip of water and added with a smile, "I tried Zhou Yan’s braised items and cold dishes the other day, and they were quite good. So today, I’ve come to see how his stir-fried dishes are."

"What kind of friend is so important to you? If you wanted to play it safe, wouldn’t a state-run restaurant have more options?" Ma was a little confused. Then a thought struck him. ’Could it be some high-ranking official?’ He immediately felt he’d spoken out of turn.

"This friend of mine is the deputy editor-in-chief of a magazine. He’s eaten all sorts of fine food, and his palate is both discerning and harsh. The food at ordinary restaurants can no longer impress him," Huang Chen explained with a laugh. "The last time he came, I took him to a state-run restaurant, and not a single dish satisfied him. He even wrote me a letter later, joking that Suji has no good food. I’ve been holding a grudge about that. I’m determined to prove him wrong and redeem Suji’s culinary reputation."

"Well, Zhou Yan’s braised items and cold dishes are certainly high-quality," Ma said with a smile, now understanding the friendly rivalry at play.

It was a matter of pride among men, just as they say: "Men fight for face, not for bread."

As they were talking, the Kneeling Beef was served first. Zhao Tieying also brought them two small bowls and two dipping saucers.

The steam from the beef soup wafted into their faces, fragrant and savory. Floating on top were a few slices of freshly blanched, pinkish beef, their texture clearly visible, looking exceptionally tender.

"Let’s try the soup first." Huang Chen used the serving spoon to ladle half a bowl of soup into his small bowl. He blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and his eyebrows shot up.

So fresh!

The beef broth was clear, yet its flavor was incredibly rich and savory. One sip of the hot soup sent a comforting warmth spreading from his stomach. Wonderful!

He finished the half-bowl of soup in just a few gulps and then tried the meat.

The beef slices were large, thin, and soft. The tripe was crisp, the tendon was tender and glutinous, and the intestines were smooth. Each had its own unique flavor, and dipping them in the specially prepared chili powder elevated the taste to a whole new level.

Delicious!

Huang Chen never expected to be so amazed by a simple bowl of clear-broth beef offal soup.

He had worked in Suji for ten years and had, of course, tried the Zhou Village hot pot soup before.

Zhou Yan was from Zhou Village, but after he renamed the hot pot soup, how did the flavor become so completely different?

’This is something else entirely!’

"Excellent, truly excellent!" Huang Chen was beaming. Forget everything else; he felt this Kneeling Beef alone would be enough to astound his friend.

Next, the Minced Beef with Peppers and the Garlic Sprout Twice-Cooked Pork were served.

Huang Chen picked up a slice of the Twice-Cooked Pork. It was curled like a "lantern socket" and glistening with oil—a textbook-perfect slice.

When he visited Rongcheng, this friend had taken him to many fine restaurants, so he had developed a decent ability to appreciate good food.

He picked up a piece with some garlic sprout. It was soft and tender in his mouth, the lean meat still slightly springy to the bite, and the flavor of the garlic sprout blossomed through the middle. The fatty part was rich but not greasy, fragrant but not heavy.

’Incredible!’

This was in no way inferior to the Garlic Sprout Twice-Cooked Pork from Rongyuan Garden!

After swallowing, he immediately shoveled a mouthful of rice.

Mmm!

This Zhenzi Rice was steamed to perfection. The grains were distinct, fluffy, and fragrant, with a subtle hint of the wooden steamer. It had a sweet aftertaste as he chewed, bursting with the aroma of rice.

He then scooped up a spoonful of the brightly colored Minced Beef with Peppers, placed it on his rice, and took a big bite of both together.

The crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside beef granules collided with the fresh, spicy peppers between his teeth. The rich, savory flavor was truly a taste of heaven on earth!

"Zhou Yan is incredibly talented! The village banquet didn’t even begin to show his true skill," Huang Chen exclaimed with emotion.

"Exactly," Ma agreed wholeheartedly.

This meal.

Huang Chen ate three bowls of rice and drank two bowls of beef soup, leaving him with a perfectly round belly and a deep sense of satisfaction.

Ma was in a similar state, rubbing his slightly protruding stomach and letting out a contented burp.

’This is it!’

’I’m booking this place for tomorrow!’