Zhou Yan smiled and said, "I took a look from a distance. The cow that man butchered today had meat fibers that were too long, and the color wasn’t red enough. That means the cow was too old and didn’t have much vitality. The meat will be tough and dry. If you use it for scalding, the texture will fall a bit short compared to good-quality sirloin."

Zhou Miao nodded. ’As expected of my son. He has a good eye.’

Today, Zhou Yan bought eight pig heads, two more than yesterday. Zhang the Third, ever the core supplier, had even brought him three extra from other Knife Makers.

"Zhou Miao, what are you doing here buying meat? Aren’t you butchering a cow and selling the meat today?" Zhang the Third asked in surprise as he helped load the pig heads into a back basket.

Zhou Miao was a well-known human dynamo. Aside from a three-day break for the New Year, he butchered cattle pretty much year-round without a day off.

Zhou Miao explained, "I’m not butchering and selling beef on my own anymore. I’m helping out at Zhou Yan’s shop now. I’ll only go if someone specifically asks me to butcher a cow."

"That makes sense. Your kid is really something. You and your wife are going to have a comfortable life ahead of you," Zhang the Third said with a touch of envy.

Lately, the amount of meat Zhou Yan bought from him had increased dramatically. He would take as much pork butt as he could get, his pig head order went from one to four, and today he’d even asked for eight pig trotters. ’Business must be booming.’

And that was just the goods from him alone. Zhou Yan was also buying meat from Xu the Second now, and the quantity was probably about the same.

Zhang the Third’s eldest son was about the same age as Zhou Yan, but he spent his days wandering the streets or catching fish and eels. He lived a carefree life, at least.

But it made his old man worry every day about how to get him a job at a factory.

’Look at that Zhou Yan, already able to arrange a job for his own father.’

’Nope, I’m going home to give that rebellious son of mine a beating!’

’Comparing your kid to another is enough to drive a father mad.’

He was still getting four chickens. The current demand for cold-dressed chicken was probably around that number. Zhou Yan would rather have a slight shortage than rashly increase the amount. If they didn’t sell, it would be a dead loss.

Additionally, Zhou Yan bought twelve catties of pork liver.

One serving of Stir-fried Hot and Spicy Pork Liver used six liang of liver, which was enough for twenty servings.

It was a new item on the menu today, so he was just testing the waters.

After buying the ingredients and returning to the restaurant, Mrs. Zhao was also up. Zhao Hong and Zhou Lihui had just arrived as well.

"Didn’t I tell you to sleep in and get some proper rest?" Zhou Miao asked, looking at Zhao Tieying with some confusion.

"I wanted to, but I just couldn’t sleep. For someone who gets up to work at this time every day, lying in bed staring at the ceiling is even more torturous," Zhao Tieying said with a laugh. "But I did get two more hours of sleep than usual, and it felt great. You go slaughter the chickens. Zhao Hong and I will handle the beef offal. We’re much more skilled at it than you are."

"Alright." Zhou Miao picked up the chickens and went outside to bleed them.

"Collect the chicken blood! We can make some spicy blood curd for lunch. That’ll be delicious," Zhao Tieying called, following him out with a large bowl that had a pinch of salt sprinkled inside.

"Then get the giblets out too! We can make stir-fried hot and spicy chicken giblets for lunch," Zhou Yan added.

From four large roosters, the collected blood and giblets would be enough for two whole dishes.

After mastering the Stir-fried Hot and Spicy Pork Liver, Zhou Yan was increasingly interested in trying the method with other ingredients.

Chicken giblets hold a special place in Sichuan Cuisine. He himself was a big fan of Qianjiang-style chicken giblets, which were especially good with rice.

Of course, pickled chili chicken giblets and stir-fried hot and spicy chicken giblets were also incredibly flavorful.

’Anyway, it’s just for our own staff meal. At worst, I’ll overcook it and the texture will be a bit off.’

He had watched his master make stir-fried hot and spicy giblets before and still had some memory of it. He had a rough idea of the cutting technique, the order of adding ingredients, and the general Fire Control, so it wasn’t likely to be a complete disaster.

Comrade Zhou was an expert worker. He slaughtered the four chickens cleanly and, while he was at it, processed all sixteen pig trotters and eight pig heads, saving Zhou Yan a great deal of effort.

Zhou Yan was starting to understand why all great Chefs wanted an excellent prep cook.

’It’s such a huge time-saver!’

’For a Chef to be able to focus solely on cooking without worrying about the basic prep of ingredients... what a blissful thing that is.’

"Dad, there’s nothing else for you to do this morning. Take your fishing rod and go sit by the river. Just remember to come back for lunch." After breakfast, Zhou Yan slipped a Great Unity bill into Comrade Zhou’s hand and added in a low voice, "Use this to buy some hooks and line. You have to spend money to make money—we can’t skimp on the necessary expenses. Otherwise, how are you supposed to catch a big fish?"

"Alright." Comrade Zhou immediately pocketed the money. After getting permission from Mrs. Zhao, he happily headed out with a small bucket and a little hoe.

A man’s happiness can be so simple.

’An outstanding employee is worth a deep investment.’

"Mom, you’re not going to stop Dad from going fishing?" Zhou Yan asked with a smile.

"Your father doesn’t slack off one bit when he’s working. When he’s done, it’s his time to relax," Mrs. Zhao said with a smile. "Fishing doesn’t cost anything, so just let him have his fun."

"Mom, you’re a wife who never spoils the fun," Zhou Yan said, giving her a thumbs-up.

’It’s not that fishing is completely free... it’s just that his son is secretly paying for it.’

Before the factory workers got off for lunch, Zhou Yan cut half a pig trotter for Zhou Momo, brought out her special little stool, and had her sit and eat at the restaurant entrance.

Then he placed a sign behind her that read: "New! Braised Pig Trotters! Explosive price: 1.2 yuan each! Each weighs approx. 1.2 catties."

Then he drew a small arrow pointing to Zhou Momo with the text: "She’s eating half of one!"

And at the bottom, a final note: "Total of 15 available today. 8 already reserved."

When the workers saw the sign, they immediately went into a frenzy.

"One-point-two yuan for a braised pig trotter! That’s thirty cents cheaper than what Mrs. Zhao said yesterday!"

"Half of one is that big? That would really hit the spot! Wu, want to go in on one together?"

"They just went on sale and there are only seven left?"

"Mrs. Zhao, I’ll take a pig trotter!"

With limited quantities available on a first-come, first-served basis, someone immediately placed an order without hesitation.

The price of 1.2 yuan shattered most people’s expectations.

They had already wanted to buy one at 1.5 yuan, and now it was only 1.2. The price created the illusion that buying one was like earning thirty cents.

And these braised pig trotters weighed 1.2 catties!

This price was a true bargain!

Then there was Zhou Momo, focused on gnawing her braised pig trotter, making it look absolutely delicious.

The seven remaining braised pig trotters were snapped up almost instantly.

Zhou Momo had barely taken a few bites of her trotter, and the ones she was "endorsing" were already sold out.

The speed of the sales stunned Zhao Tieying.

’What in the world?’

’Seven pig trotters, all gone in a minute?’

Zhou Yan came out and wrote on the board: "Braised Pig Trotters - Sold Out for Today."

The customers who arrived a step too late stared at Zhou Momo, who was engrossed in her trotter, and then at the words on the board. They felt like their world was collapsing.

’What happened?’

’What did we miss out on this time?’

’How could they be sold out right after we got off work?!’

’It feels like we’ve been played.’

"Mrs. Zhao, isn’t there still half a trotter left?" a female worker asked quietly, pointing at Zhou Momo.

Mrs. Zhao looked at Zhou Yan, who hadn’t gone back into the kitchen yet. There was indeed half a trotter left.

"Sorry, we offer a service to help cut it for you, but we don’t sell half-trotters," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

Half a pig trotter was the hardest to sell. You could never cut it into two perfectly equal halves, and customers would always feel like their half was smaller, which could lead to disputes with the restaurant.

’But letting customers split it among themselves is different.’

’Once the cut trotter is on their table, who eats which half is an internal conflict among the people.’

"Alright..." The worker was a little disappointed.

Zhou Yan smiled. "If you’d like one, you can pre-order for tomorrow. I’ll decide how many to braise based on the number of pre-orders, and priority will be given to those customers."

The worker’s eyes lit up. "Okay! Then I’ll pre-order one for tomorrow at noon!"

"Got it. I’ll put you down," Zhao Tieying replied.

The customers began ordering other dishes, and Zhou Yan headed back into the kitchen to get busy.

Wang Wei arrived quite early today. All morning at work, she had been thinking about the braised pig trotter she had pre-ordered.

She was surprised when she saw the sign at the entrance. ’Braised pig trotters are only 1.2 yuan each?’

’It feels like I’ve already made thirty cents before even taking a bite.’

"Momo, your little braids look so cute today," Wang Wei said, greeting Zhou Momo.

Zhou Momo looked up and gave Wang Wei a greasy smile. "Big Sister is very good today, too."

Her little face was a mess, all shiny with grease, but her smile was still adorable!

Wang Wei entered the shop and said to Mrs. Zhao with a smile, "Mrs. Zhao, I pre-ordered a braised pig trotter yesterday. I’ll also have a small bowl of rice and a plate of pickled radishes."

"Got it, sweetie. Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll get that sorted for you right away," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

Wang Wei sat down, and a glossy, reddish-brown braised pig trotter was quickly brought out from the kitchen and placed in front of her, still steaming.

It was followed by a bowl of rice and a plate of pickled radishes.

’Now that’s a meal with some real taste.’

The customers at the surrounding tables immediately cast envious glances her way!

’One of the fifteen lucky ones!’

’A delicious braised pig trotter has fallen into her hands.’

’As expected, a woman with guts gets to enjoy the braised pig trotter first!’

Wang Wei paid no mind to the other people’s stares. Her own gaze was completely captivated by the pig trotter in front of her.

’This trotter... is huge!’

The glossy, red color, the steam rising from it, the intermingling scents of braising spices and meat washing over her... they must have ladled a spoonful of sauce over it right out of the pot. It was glistening with oil and looked incredibly tempting.

A pool of braising liquid shimmered in the middle of the plate. ’It would be amazing mixed with rice!’

She picked up her chopsticks, planning to break the trotter apart and eat it in pieces. It would probably be a more elegant way to eat.

After all... this was a restaurant right at the factory gate, and she was surrounded by her colleagues and supervisors. As an accountant, and a young woman, she still needed to be mindful of her image.

But when her chopsticks touched the trotter, the wobbly, jiggly sensation made her stop in her tracks.

’Wait!’

’What am I doing?!’

’Am I actually about to eat a whole braised pig trotter—one that belongs entirely to me—with chopsticks?’

’If I eat it like that, will it even feel like I’m eating a braised pig trotter?’

’It would be soulless! What’s the point of being elegant!’

’This is a braised pig trotter that cost me nearly a full day’s wages!’

The nearby customers’ eyes went wide. ’How could you possibly enjoy a pig trotter without grabbing it and gnawing on it!?’ They almost wanted to go up and take a bite for her.

Wang Wei put down her chopsticks. Then, with great ceremony, she gripped both ends of the trotter with her hands, lifted it, and took a huge bite.

The skin slid off the bone with the slightest pressure from her lips. The tendons between the bone and meat were soft and glutinous. The flavor of the braising liquid had soaked through completely. With that one bite, her very soul seemed to tremble.

’So fragrant! So satisfying!’

The trotter was perfectly warm, having been heated up specially before being served.

It wasn’t greasy at all!

’A hot braised pig trotter!’

’Who could possibly understand this bliss!’

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