Chương 22: God!

Heaven's Eyes! The guests eagerly awaited Lin Zhiqiang's scathing review. Zhou Yan stood at the kitchen door, also anticipating Lin Zhiqiang's comments.

"The soup is fresh and delicious, the beef is tender, the tripe is crisp, the intestines are soft, and the tendons are chewy. The perfect control of the heat brings each ingredient to its best state, making it incredibly satisfying to eat!" Lin Zhiqiang exclaimed.

"The dipping sauce is also superb, adding a spicy and fragrant flavor to the meat, a true finishing touch."

"Moreover, I think this soup really has a warming effect. After half a bowl, I felt warm all over, and the chill subsided considerably."

"Six cents a bowl, I think it's well worth it!" Lin Zhiqiang's evaluation made the onlookers' eyes light up. This was incredibly high praise! In Suji Town, anyone who said they didn't know about the soup pot from Zhou Village, where the cow was slaughtered, would be lying. The soup pot was bland, and the offal, if not properly prepared, had a gamey smell, which many people couldn't get used to. Moreover, a bowl of "Qiaojiao Beef" at Zhou Erwa's restaurant costs six mao (0. 6 yuan), which is prohibitive for most people. However, Deputy Factory Director Lin's comments overturned everyone's perception of "Qiaojiao Beef," increasing their desire to try it. Tripe is delicious in hot pot, but it's troublesome to prepare at home, and it's easy to overcook it. This bowl also contains beef intestines, beef tendon, and beef, weighing more than three liang (150 grams), so it doesn't seem too expensive.

"However, I think there's a better way to eat it. Boss lady, could you get me a small dish with some salt in it?" Lin Zhiqiang called out, taking out a bottle of Donghu vinegar from his briefcase.

"Old Lin, what are you doing…" Zhao Dong looked at Lin Zhiqiang, who had already unscrewed the vinegar bottle, his expression becoming somewhat strange.

"Old Zhao, let me teach you a new way to eat it." Lin Zhiqiang took the small dish Zhao Tieying handed him, poured some vinegar, then picked up a piece of beef, dipped it in the vinegar, and put it in his mouth, nodding repeatedly: "Mmm! That's the taste! So authentic!"

"Tsk!"

"Ew!"

"Good heavens!" A series of exclamations, tinged with disdain, erupted in the restaurant. If it weren't for the deputy factory director, he would have definitely thrown his vinegar at him! Who eats clear broth hot pot with vinegar?

"I want a plate of 'Qiaojiao Beef' and a chili dipping sauce," Zhao Dong said to Zhao Tieying.

"Sure," Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

"Aunt Zhao, I'd like a bowl of braised beef with chili peppers, and a bowl of rice too."

"Aunt Zhao, I'd like a bowl of braised beef with chili peppers, and double the amount of chili powder! I love spicy food! I eat spicy food every day."

"Me too! I feel uncomfortable if I don't eat spicy food for a day!" Spurred on by Lin Zhiqiang, several customers immediately ordered braised beef with chili peppers, just to prove the chili dipping sauce's worth. Zhou Yan smiled and went into the kitchen. Lin Zhiqiang was truly his benefactor; he had helped establish the reputation of the noodles, and now he was the one who helped build the reputation of the braised beef with chili peppers. He was practically the 'best taste tester'!

"Okay, I'll make it for you right away," Zhao Tieying replied with a beaming smile. Soon, bowls of braised beef with chili peppers were placed on the customers' tables.

"Wow! This beef is so tender! And this chili powder smells so good!"

"The tripe is so crisp! Only fresh tripe has this kind of crunchy texture! It's amazing!"

"The beef tendon is so tender, it melts in your mouth, so fragrant!"

"The soup is so delicious! So delicious it'll make your eyebrows fall off! This is different from other hot pots!" The guests praised one after another, showing their utmost satisfaction with the braised beef. What surprised most people, besides the soup, was the dipping sauce, fragrant and spicy, absolutely the finishing touch to the braised beef. With or without the sauce, it's like two different dishes.

A dish of chili powder transformed the originally bland braised beef into a dish that goes perfectly with rice, and paired with the delicious soup, the rice tasted incredibly good. Zhao Dong ate a couple of bites and then ordered a bowl of rice; it was indeed very appetizing. His favorite was the beef intestines. The intestines were prepared perfectly, with no odor at all, and coated with chili powder, they were fatty but not greasy—truly delicious!

He had a strong palate, and his favorite food was braised pork intestines. He loved the tender texture of the slightly fatty intestines and the sensation of the oil bursting between his teeth. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Of course, it had to taste good.

"Old Zhao, want to try some?" Lin Zhiqiang pushed the dish of vinegar a little closer to him.

"You eat it yourself, I like to dip it in a dry dipping sauce." Zhao Dong quickly pushed the vinegar back and straightened the dry dipping sauce: "Braised beef with chili powder is the only way to enjoy it."

"I think it's better with vinegar." Lin Zhiqiang still insisted on his opinion. Well, everyone has their own preferences, and no one can convince anyone else. Zhao Dong's rice arrived. He took a bite, chewed a few times, swallowed, and nodded repeatedly: "This rice is really well-steamed!" It was soft and delicious, with each grain distinct and not sticky at all, and the moisture was just right—better than the rice steamed in the cafeteria. He loved rice more than noodles.

When he was a child, his family was poor, and he rarely had the opportunity to eat rice. Every year on New Year's Day, what he looked forward to most was his mother steaming rice in a wooden bucket. His mother steamed rice in a large pot for everyone at the village canteen. Her rice-steaming skills were the best in the village. The rice she steamed was just like this—each grain distinct, not sticky at all, yet perfectly preserved in its aroma, with a faint woody scent.

Later, he started working, went to a textile factory, and even became a workshop foreman. Life got better day by day, and he could eat rice every day. But these past two years, his mother's mind had become a bit foggy; she was forgetful, and sometimes she wouldn't even recognize him. Even her best skill—steaming rice—had burned twice, and once she almost set the kitchen on fire. They were afraid to let her into the kitchen. Unexpectedly, the rice Zhou Yan steamed today brought back that childhood feeling.

The moisture and heat were perfectly controlled. It was exactly the same as the perfect steamed rice he remembered.

"Old Zhao, what are you thinking about? You haven't made a sound." Lin Zhiqiang asked with a smile.

"Eating this steamed rice reminded me of my mother. She used to steam large pots of rice for the village communal meals, enough for over a hundred people. Everyone who ate it praised it." Zhao Dong said with a smile, "Xiao Zhou's steamed rice is quite good, comparable to my mother's."

"You should be secretly happy that your mother is still alive. I think my mother has nowhere to go." Lin Zhiqiang said with a hint of envy and emotion, then pouted and said, "What's so great about rice? This isn't even a side dish. Even if it's delicious, can it be as good as Xiao Zhou's ramen?"

"Old Lin, you don't understand." Zhao Dong shook his head with a smile. Just then, Zhao Hong brought over their two bowls of noodles.

"Did you hire a new waitress?" Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile,"That means the restaurant's operations have improved and the scale has expanded."

"My daughter and I are too busy, so we asked my niece-in-law to come and help out." Zhao Tieying replied with a smile.

"That's good." Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile, first drinking the beef soup in his ceramic bowl. After finishing that big bowl of soup and a few ounces of offal, Lin Zhiqiang felt warm all over, broke out in a sweat, and felt much more energetic, no longer sneezing.

"This 'Qiaojiao Beef Soup' is really good, it really makes me feel much better," Lin Zhiqiang exclaimed.

"Then let me ladle you another bowl of soup." Zhao Tieying picked up the earthenware bowl and added another bowl of soup for him.

"How could I accept this? I still have a bowl of noodles to eat," Lin Zhiqiang waved his hands repeatedly.

"Don't be embarrassed, when you eat 'Qiaojiao Beef' at our restaurant, the soup is free to refill, no extra charge." Zhao Tieying put down the earthenware bowl and said with a smile, "Everyone is treated the same."

"That's good." Lin Zhiqiang nodded.

"Great!" The customers who had ordered 'Qiaojiao Beef' also smiled. The soup was so delicious, you could easily drink another bowl, it was much better than plain water. Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong spread the word about 'Qiaojiao Beef,' and many customers ordered it, enjoying it immensely. Later customers casually asked their colleagues, and many of them also ordered it. Taking advantage of serving noodles to the guests, Zhou Yan made a point of coming out to greet Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong.

"Little Zhou, your braised beef is really good! Not only does it taste great, but it even cured my cold!" Lin Zhiqiang gave a thumbs-up, looking at Zhou Yan with admiration.

"I've eaten hot pot at several places in Zhoucun, but none of them are as good as Little Zhou's. It seems the recipe is truly yours," Zhao Dong said with a smile.

"And your steamed rice is really good, much better than the cafeteria's."

"You two are too kind," Zhou Yan replied modestly with a smile.

"When are the stir-fries and braised dishes coming out? Putting aside everything else, the braised pork ribs, beef with bamboo shoots, and minced beef—these three toppings could easily be a dish on their own, perfect with rice," Zhao Dong asked with concern.