Chapter 22: Chapter 16: The Sharp-Eyed Masses

"Alright!"

The customers replied with a laugh.

"Jie..." Zhou Yan looked at Zhou Jie with a complicated expression.

’What kind of businessman sends his own customers to someone else? This guy really doesn’t see me as an outsider.’

"Pull your bike over to the side and go watch your cousin Haizi. He’ll teach you about Fire Control and timing." Zhou Jie told him, then went to settle the bill with a customer, smiling.

"Zhou Yan, I’m clumsy with my hands and not a great talker. I just do whatever Jie taught me to do. You watch for now. When this rush is over, if there’s anything you don’t understand, have Jie teach you," Zhou Hai said to Zhou Yan.

"Okay, Haizi." Zhou Yan replied, watching as Zhou Hai deftly scooped out a section of beef intestine and cut it into small pieces. He swished some tripe for a few seconds before taking it out, then ladled out a few pieces of tender beef tendon and some slices of beef heart. He used boiled cabbage as a base, then poured a ladleful of rich bone broth into the ceramic bowl. A steaming hot bowl of soup pot was ready.

This was a single serving for forty cents. It had meat and vegetables, a big bowl of offal soup, and came with a dry chili dipping saucer. For another ten cents, you could get a bowl of rice.

Eating a hot bowl like this on a cold winter day would warm you from the soles of your feet to the tips of your hair. It was absolutely perfect!

Other stalls sold their soup pots for twenty or thirty cents a bowl, but none of them did business as well as Zhou Jie’s stall.

The people of the Ba and Shu Region were particular. They had to eat well and drink well. The flavor had to be spot-on, and the standards couldn’t be sloppy!

As long as they could make ends meet, they would never short-change their own mouths.

The fact that Zhou Jie’s soup pot sold well at forty cents meant that everyone felt it was worth the price. The difference in taste compared to other stalls couldn’t be bridged by a mere ten or twenty cents.

The soup in the pot was a milky white color. The aroma of the beef bone broth was rich and savory, and the gamy taste was very faint, making it much more tempting than the others.

Zhou Hai looked like a rough-and-tumble guy, but his work was neat and meticulous. Other stalls grabbed ingredients by hand, but he only used chopsticks and a ladle, never touching the food with his hands.

The stovetop was always wiped spotlessly clean, without even a stray splash of soup.

Standing in front of the soup pot at the open-air stove, steam washed over him, making him sweat profusely. He had a towel draped around his neck and another clean one hanging on a nearby rack for wiping his hands.

Watching from the side, Zhou Yan nodded to himself. ’Jie and Haizi’s success is no accident. They’re already doing their absolute best under these limited conditions.’

This pot mainly sold beef offal. Beef itself was too expensive and was usually only sold during the winter when business was at its peak. Otherwise, the losses would be unbearable.

After a busy half-hour, business finally slowed down around nine o’clock.

Zhou Yan helped clear the bowls and chopsticks and wipe down the tables and chairs.

His two sisters-in-law, having finished their housework, also came to help wash the dishes.

Zhou Jie drank a bowl of water to soothe his parched throat, then looked at Zhou Yan with a smile. "Business isn’t bad, right? Once winter sets in, it’ll get even better."

"It’s great. No other stall at this wharf does business as well as you guys." Zhou Yan nodded. He could also tell that many of the customers were regulars.

"Let me tell you, everyone in Zhou Village knows how to make a soup pot, but to make a good one, there are a lot of details to get right, starting with making the stock from beef bones..." Zhou Jie put down his bowl and began explaining to Zhou Yan how to make the soup pot. He was very detailed and even pulled him over to the pot to demonstrate.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened. The secret to Zhou Jie’s outstanding soup was his meticulous control over every detail.

It was actually quite similar to the Kneeling Beef recipe Zhou Yan had obtained. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"The biggest difference between this soup and the others is actually this seasoning packet. Inside, I’ve added..." Zhou Jie pointed to a used spice packet on the side, leaned close to Zhou Yan’s ear, and whispered a list of spices and medicinal herbs, including the specific quantities.

This was a true trade secret, the competitive edge that set them apart from other stalls.

Zhou Yan listened intently, committing everything to memory and comparing it to the secret recipe he possessed.

There were significant differences in the ingredients and quantities, mainly in the medicinal herbs. The spices used to remove gaminess and enhance aroma were quite similar.

"Here, try a sip of the soup." Zhou Jie got a small bowl and ladled some soup for Zhou Yan.

Zhou Yan blew on it to cool it down, took a sip, and savored it for a moment before nodding. "It’s so savory. The flavor is rich, the gamy taste of the offal is faint, and it’s very refreshing to drink."

"You really are a Chef, hitting all the key points." Zhou Jie looked at him with admiration. "My cooking skills aren’t as good as yours, but I’ve been making this soup for three years, so I have some experience. I’ll definitely teach you how to make it well."

Zhou Yan nodded with a smile.

"Doesn’t Zhou Yan have a restaurant at the textile mill gate? Why’s he bothering with selling soup pots? Is he really interested in this chump change?" The owner of the next stall, Zhou Liangliang, said while cracking melon seeds, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

"What’s wrong with selling soup pots? My fourth uncle is the best cattle butcher in Zhou Village. Zhou Yan is helping the family sell the offal. It’s a craft passed down through our ancestors. What gives you the right to criticize?" Zhou Jie said, staring at Zhou Liangliang, his tone quite harsh.

Nearby, Zhou Hai, who was wiping a kitchen knife, also turned to glare at Zhou Liangliang with a hostile look.

Zhou Liangliang felt like he was being stared down by a black bear. The melon seeds in his hand suddenly lost their appeal. He gave an awkward laugh, stuffed the seeds into his pocket, and waved his hand. "We’re all from the same village, I was just asking casually..."

This family had seven brothers, each one more robust than the last, and they were known for being fiercely protective of their own. He really shouldn’t have run his mouth.

Zhou Jie didn’t bother arguing with him and went back to talking with Zhou Yan about making the soup.

"Jie, actually, I learned how to make soup pots from my mom. Later, when I was learning to be a Chef, I learned a medicinal cuisine recipe from my master. I’ve been thinking about combining that recipe with our soup pot. I was planning to make a test batch today," Zhou Yan said after Zhou Jie finished talking.

"Really?" Zhou Jie’s eyes lit up. "You’re a professional Chef. If you can really improve our soup pot into a medicinal dish, maybe the workers at the textile mill will love it too!"

Zhou Yan nodded with a smile. "If we can open up that market, our soup pot business has a lot of potential."

"Good, good, good. You go ahead and try it out. If you need anything, just tell me. We’re family, don’t be a stranger." Zhou Jie patted his arm. "If you do well, Haizi and I will work for you."

"Deal." Zhou Yan nodded. After chatting a bit more, he rode his bike back.

Zhou Yan went over to the farmers’ market and glanced at Wang Qi’s meat stall from a distance. The Identification result for half of the pork was that it was diseased. There was a high probability that Wang the Fifth was sourcing his meat from him.

The report he submitted last time seemed to have vanished without a trace. Wang Qi had been selling meat at the market for years; he definitely had some connections.

Just as he was pondering how to expose this matter, he saw staff from the market management office walking with two men in tunic suits. The leader, a middle-aged man with black-framed glasses and meticulously combed hair, walked with a stop-and-go pace, occasionally asking stall owners a few questions. When he passed by the meat stalls, he would even pick up the meat to inspect it closely.

"Who are those two? They look pretty important." Zhou Yan bent down to grab a handful of bok choy, asking the vegetable vendor casually as he paid.

"Those two? They’re leaders from the health and quarantine station. They come to inspect once a month. The one in the lead is named Gao Tianlei. I hear he’s the deputy station chief. Last year, he led the team that caught two Knife Makers selling diseased pork. Everyone says he’s impartial and incorruptible," the vendor said with a smile as he took the money.

"Oh." Zhou Yan was lost in thought and didn’t reply, simply leaving with his bok choy.

The matter of Wang the Fifth using diseased pork was hard to prove, since other people couldn’t see the Identification results. Therefore, starting with Wang Qi was a good entry point. If it could be proven that Wang the Fifth was buying diseased pork from him, then Wang the Fifth couldn’t escape responsibility.

Besides, Wang Qi was selling diseased pork every day, endangering the local community. As a concerned citizen, Zhou Yan couldn’t just turn a blind eye.

He found a secluded spot, took out a pen and paper, and wrote a strongly worded report. Then he went to wait by the market entrance.

Before long, Gao Tianlei and the other man came out, surrounded by the market staff, and left on their bicycles.

Zhou Yan immediately got on his bike and followed. Once they were out of the market town, he pulled up his collar to cover half his face, sped up, and stopped his bike to block their path. He spoke directly, "Station Chief Gao, I want to report someone for selling diseased pork!"

Gao Tianlei and the other man quickly braked, looking at the young man with his face half-covered, their expressions puzzled. "Who are you reporting?"

"Wang Qi, the pork seller at stall number five in the Suji Farmers’ Market. He sells diseased pork every day, endangering the community. I ask Station Chief Gao to eliminate this public menace." Zhou Yan handed over the prepared report.

"The diseased pork he sells might also be flowing into restaurants and noodle stands, posing a huge threat to the lives and safety of the people. Please investigate this strictly and don’t let a single ounce of diseased pork end up on the public’s table."

Gao Tianlei took the letter and looked at Zhou Yan. "And you are?"

"A member of the public with sharp eyes!" Zhou Yan pedaled his bike, turned, and left without looking back.

Gao Tianlei opened the report with a solemn expression. After reading it, his face darkened. He said in a low voice, "Go, have someone bring the equipment. I want to see just how brazen this Wang Qi really is!"

Zhou Yan took a ride along the river before returning to his restaurant. The quarantine station investigating Wang Qi wouldn’t lead them to Wang the Fifth so quickly.

But Wang the Fifth’s downfall came even faster than he had anticipated.

"Wang the Fifth! Why is this beef sour and stinky? You son of a bitch, did you mix in yesterday’s leftovers to sell?"

"I knew this minced meat topping smelled weird today, it’s gone sour! And you added so much pepper and chili oil to try and cover up the taste!"

"Some fine business you’re running here! We come to support you, and you treat us like we’re from Japan? Even a dog would turn its nose up at these leftovers!"

"Fuck your ancestors!"

"Motherf..."

Lunch service had just started at the noodle stall, but the customers were already slamming the tables loud enough to shake the heavens, with a high concentration of mother-related curses.