Chapter 20: Chapter 14: Top Seller’s Sacred Body

"Got it." Zhou Yan replied with a smile, putting the cigarettes away in a cabinet. He didn’t smoke, but they were certainly good for giving as gifts. He could even sell them on the black market for over twenty yuan.

After carefully placing Zhou Momo on the bed, Zhou Yan noticed she was wearing a blue sweater. The sleeves were rolled up three times, and the hem reached nearly to her knees. It was clearly styled for a little boy.

It wasn’t strange to wear hand-me-downs from older siblings. When Zhou Yan was in the orphanage, his clothes had never fit properly.

But the Zhou Family’s situation wasn’t bad. Zhou Momo, as the youngest daughter, was the most doted on. His father was a total softie for his daughter; he’d wear clothes full of patches just to buy her new ones.

’Comrade Zhou opening this restaurant really has caused the family’s quality of life to plummet.’

His parents’ clothes also had quite a few patches.

He pulled the blanket over Zhou Momo and tucked her in. As Zhou Yan went downstairs, he made a silent vow. ’Once the debt is paid off, the first thing I’ll do is buy everyone in the family a new set of clothes, from the inside out!’

Today, Zhou Yan had asked for a few extra beef bones. He split them to expose the marrow, soaked them in cold water to remove the blood, then set up a separate coal stove and put on a stockpot to simmer a bone broth for the Kneeling Beef.

The essence of Kneeling Beef was all in this pot of soup. As long as the broth was good, the Kneeling Beef wouldn’t be bad.

Besides beef bones, beef intestines and oxtail were also added to the pot to stew. The rich fats melted into the broth, making it more mellow and full-bodied. Spices and medicinal herbs were wrapped in cheesecloth, placed in the pot, and left to simmer for a full eight hours until the broth was ready.

"You’re quite particular about making this stock," Zhao Tieying remarked, watching from the side.

She had also sold hot pot soup from a stall before. The technique was learned from her mother-in-law: a pot of water, throw in the bones and spices all at once, put the lid on, and forget about it.

For a bowl of soup that cost twenty or thirty cents, who would be so picky? The laborers at the docks just wanted a hot meal. No one would complain if it was a bit tough or a bit hard.

"A great Chef’s mastery is in the details. Jie and his crew can sell over a hundred bowls a day, while you can only sell twenty or thirty. The difference lies right there," Zhou Yan said with a smile.

"If you want to learn, you’ll have to put in some real effort. In the future, while I’m inside busy making noodles and stir-frying dishes, I’ll need you to watch over this pot for the Kneeling Beef. Let’s aim to sell a hundred bowls of this soup a day, too."

"A hundred bowls!" Zhao Tieying’s spirits lifted. "Can we really do that?"

Even during her best days in winter, she only sold fifty or sixty bowls, and that was only during holidays or market days when crowds were large.

"I’ll make some for you to try at noon, and you, the old hot pot soup master, can give me your critique," Zhou Yan said while skimming the scum off the top. "See this foam? Take a ladle and skim it all off. It makes the soup clearer and the flavor better..."

The method for making Kneeling Beef was actually quite simple. It was a trade passed down through generations, and every Cow Slaughterer in Zhou Village knew how to make it. The difference lay in that sachet of spices and herbs. Variations in quantities and the choice of ingredients gave each final pot of broth a unique flavor.

Of course, attention to detail during the cooking process could also greatly enhance a pot of soup.

While the soup simmered on low heat, Zhou Yan began to stir-fry the toppings and knead the dough, preparing the noodles for the day.

Currently, the bestseller in the shop was the Double Pepper Beef Noodles. Yesterday, a few customers had wanted to order it, but the meat sauce had already sold out, so they had to order other noodles instead.

So today, Zhou Yan added an extra catty of sirloin, which was enough for ten more bowls of Double Pepper Beef Noodles.

By the time the prep work was done, it was already bright outside.

Zhou Yan and his mother had a quick bowl of noodles before opening for business. Zhou Momo missed mealtime today; she was the only one in the family who could afford the luxury of waking up whenever she pleased.

When Zhou Yan opened the restaurant’s main doors, he saw that Wang the Fifth’s noodle stall across the street had a new sign. It read: Large Braised Beef Noodles, 40 cents! Large Pork Rib Noodles, 40 cents! Large Dry-Mixed Noodles with Minced Pork, 40 cents!...

Wang the Fifth stood in front of his noodle pot, yelling at the top of his lungs, "More for the same price! More for the same price! A bowl of noodles with over a tael of meat, only forty cents a bowl! Forty cents a bowl!"

His shouting worked. Some customers who were originally heading for Zhou Yan Restaurant actually turned and walked toward Wang the Fifth’s noodle stall.

A bowl of noodles with over a tael of meat... that was no less meat than at Zhou Yan Restaurant, and it was twenty cents cheaper. It was worth a try.

Affordable prices were always a killer move.

Wang the Fifth’s noodle stall had customers again.

"What the hell is that idiot Wang the Fifth up to now? Has he decided he doesn’t want to make money anymore?" Zhao Tieying stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, glaring at Wang the Fifth’s stall.

"From the looks of it, even if he doesn’t make a profit, he doesn’t want us to make one either." Zhou Yan wore a slight smile. ’The noodle-selling business war is starting to escalate. We’ve entered the price war stage.’

"That son of a bitch doesn’t do anything decent! It’s like ’taking off your pants to chase a tiger’—shameless and reckless! Watch me go tear his damn mouth off!" Zhao Tieying rolled up her sleeves like a general heading into battle.

"Forget it, forget it. Low prices might attract some bargain hunters, but only flavor can win people’s hearts and build a lasting business." Zhou Yan smiled and held back Comrade Zhao. "We’ll win with our taste. If he keeps this up, he’ll go under in a couple of days."

Just then, a customer arrived. Zhao Tieying immediately put her smile back on to welcome them, ignoring the scene across the street.

Wang the Fifth was watching them closely. Seeing Zhao Tieying’s furious expression, the smile on his face grew even wider.

This was the idea Wang Defa had given them when he and his wife went to ask Director Wang for advice last night.

Didn’t Zhou Yan attract customers with generous portions of toppings? Well, he would increase his portions too, and make them even bigger than Zhou’s! With prices lower than Zhou Yan’s, customers would naturally come to his stall.

It didn’t matter if they didn’t make a profit, as long as they could break even.

But if Zhou Yan’s restaurant lost its customers, with fifteen yuan a month in rent, plus various management fees and the pressure of his outstanding debts, how long could he last?

Once Zhou Yan Restaurant collapsed, he could change his noodle prices back and keep making money. He had saved up some money over the past two years; he had the reserves to wear Zhou Yan down.

Zhou Yan was about to go inside when he saw a portly, middle-aged man with a Mediterranean hairline stop his bicycle in front of Wang the Fifth’s noodle stall. He paused.

He recognized the bald man. It was the factory canteen’s Director Wang, Wang Defa. He was the one who had fired Comrade Zhou.

Besides the immense pressure from his debts, the verbal assault he’d received from this damn bald man the day before had been the final straw that led to him jumping in the river.

"Director Wang! A rare guest! What a rare sight!" Wang the Fifth spotted Wang Defa and immediately rushed out to greet him, his face plastered with a fawning smile.

His shout also attracted the attention of many workers. When they saw the new sign, their interest was piqued.

"Ah, Fifth, I heard you make good noodles. I came by specially to give them a try today," Wang Defa said with a hearty laugh.

"Then please, have a seat inside! Your presence truly brings honor to my humble stall," Wang the Fifth continued to flatter him.

"Alright," Wang Defa replied. He glanced back toward Zhou Yan Restaurant and happened to see the back of Zhou Yan as he turned to enter the shop. His brow furrowed. ’Why isn’t the kid being impulsive today?’

But Zhou Yan wasn’t the hot-headed young man that Zhou was. The passion of his youth had long been ground away by life. He wasn’t going to have a meltdown over some old man. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’A gentleman’s revenge is never too late.’ He would remember this grudge on behalf of Zhou. Sooner or later, he would make him pay the price.

Wang the Fifth’s low-price strategy drove a huge amount of traffic to his failing noodle stall and stole away half of Zhou Yan Restaurant’s customers.

However, Zhou Yan Restaurant had already started to build a reputation over the past two days. Customers who had eaten there spread the word, whetting the appetites of many others. As more and more workers arrived for their shifts, a good number of bicycles were still parked in front of the restaurant.

[Ding! Side Quest issued: Wang the Fifth has initiated a business war against you. A true Kitchen God does not fear a challenge. Accept the challenge and crush Wang the Fifth’s noodle stall! Mission Reward: Unknown; Accept Mission: Yes/No]

Zhou Yan was in the middle of pulling noodles. Seeing the system mission pop up, he made a decision in his mind and chose to accept.

’Wang the Fifth and Wang Defa are clearly cut from the same cloth. They made the first move. Since this can’t be settled peacefully, I’m certainly not going to back down.’

’Besides, there’s a system reward! So far, the system’s rewards have all been excellent. How could I miss out?’

The sound of customers chatting in the shop woke Zhou Momo up. The little girl rubbed her sleepy eyes, came to the kitchen doorway, and looked up at Zhou Yan, saying in a cute, childish voice, "Brother, hungry, noodles."

"Okay, I’ll make you some right away," Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

Zhou Yan made Zhou Momo a bowl of pork rib noodle soup. Zhao Tieying took a hot towel and wiped her face, her chubby little cheeks getting squished out of shape by the rubbing. She set up a stool for her by the door, letting her sit and eat her "stool noodles."

The little girl’s face was rosy from the hot towel. Two cowlicks stuck up from her un-tied hair. She gripped her chopsticks with chubby little hands, buried her head in the bowl, and ate with loud SLURPS. She was clearly enjoying it.

Passing workers couldn’t help but glance over a few times. The little girl was so cute, and the way she ate was truly enticing. The braised pork ribs fell off the bone at the slightest touch, and she drank the rich bone broth in big GULPS.

They hadn’t planned on eating noodles, but somehow their bicycles found their way to the restaurant’s entrance.

"Big sister, are you here for noodles?"

The little girl didn’t forget to look up and ask while eating her noodles.

Meeting her innocent gaze, how could the customer have the heart to leave? They could only steel themselves, step into the shop for a look, and upon seeing the other customers slurping away, they couldn’t resist ordering a bowl too.

’Mmm, this is delicious!’

Zhou Momo sitting at the entrance eating noodles brought in several orders. She was a natural-born sales champion.

Xia Yao came out with her drawing board, looking for subjects. Passing by the factory gate, she saw Zhou Momo sitting at the restaurant entrance, holding a big bowl and drinking soup. The passing workers all turned their heads to look at her. A smile unconsciously lifted the corners of Xia Yao’s mouth. She felt she had found the perfect scene for the day. She immediately set up her easel and took out her pen.

Zhou Momo drank every last drop of the soup before putting down her bowl. She patted her slightly bulging tummy and let out a satisfied burp. "All full~"

She quickly spotted Xia Yao. Her eyes lit up, and she immediately hopped off the stool and ran towards her, shouting, "Yaoyao!"

Xia Yao put down her pen. She had only just finished a rough sketch on her paper. Watching the toddling Zhou Momo run over, she broke into a smile, opened her arms, and swept her into a hug. "Momo, did you miss me?"

"I did," Zhou Momo nodded repeatedly.

"Such a good girl." Xia Yao let her go and pulled a glass bottle from her pocket, asking with a smile, "Have you ever had a Coke?"

"A Coke?" Zhou Momo tilted her head, looking at the glass bottle, and shook her head.

"Let me open it for you. You go sit back down nicely, and let me draw a picture of you, okay?"

The glass bottle glinted in the sun, fizzing with bubbles. It seemed to have a mysterious magic that made Zhou Momo nod without a second thought.

FZZT!

Xia Yao took out a bottle opener and opened the Coke. Bubbles rushed to the mouth of the bottle, fizzing as she handed it to Zhou Momo.

Zhou Momo held the bottle with both hands, brought it to her lips, and took a sip. Her eyes lit up. "So many bubbles! It’s sweet! It’s yummy!"

Then, holding the Coke, she obediently went back to her seat by the door.