Chương 59: The First Dish of Sichuan Cuisine

When asking for help, one should never arrive empty-handed. A pack of Yuxi cigarettes paves the way. Zhou Yan asked Comrade Xiao Wu on duty to pass on a message, asking him to help find Lin Zhiqiang. Uncle Lin was currently his strongest connection in the textile factory; they had a good relationship and had established a deep friendship yesterday. Asking him for help was reliable. It wasn't hard to tell from the finance department that her director's plan to open Zhou Erwa's restaurant was aimed at him.

Sun Meili, this glamorous, plump woman, left a deep impression on Zhou Yan. She was a subordinate in the finance department, the office director in charge of the canteen's accounts, and also managed the rental of over a dozen shops in the textile factory. Her husband was the deputy director of the silk reeling workshop, an honest man, but with a cuckolded wife. Sun Meili's relationship with Wang Defa was ambiguous, an open secret in the kitchen.

An apprentice said he had heard unspeakable sounds coming from the office. Of course, there was no concrete evidence. One managed canteen affairs, the other managed canteen finances; these two, working together, truly controlled everything in the factory canteen. Zhou Yan stole customers from the factory canteen's stir-fry business and ousted Huang Fusheng from his position. It's understandable that Sun Meili would try every means to get rid of him; raising the rent was indeed a ruthless tactic.

100 yuan a month—that's almost three months' wages for an average textile factory worker. This was in 1984, 1200 yuan a year! Not to mention Suji, even the best locations in Jiaozhou wouldn't cost that much. Sun Meili and Wang Defa wanted to drive him out, forcing him to close down because he couldn't afford the rent. But they ultimately lacked imagination. Zhou Erwa's restaurant's gross profit yesterday was enough to cover a month's rent; 100 yuan wasn't actually that much of a burden for him.

Based on the current business, he could conservatively estimate earning 20, 000 yuan a year, so 1200 yuan in rent was nothing. Comrade Zhou had invested nearly 1000 yuan in the restaurant. The tables and chairs could be moved, but the expensively built stove couldn't be; moving it would require rebuilding it. The restaurant was currently in its growth phase and couldn't afford to waste that time. Besides, how can a restaurant be the same no matter where it is? Even the best wine needs advertising.

If this shop were just ten meters away, Zhou Yan would still be struggling to find a market. Located near the gate of the most profitable state-owned factory in Jiaozhou, with nearly three thousand workers earning stable wages and among the highest income earners in Jiaozhou, even a shop in downtown Jiaozhou might not be better. As a food blogger, Zhou Yan has met many restaurant owners, and when discussing location, they all consider it the most important task in the early stages of opening a shop.

They wouldn't invest money recklessly if they didn't have a suitable location. They believe that as long as the food is good, customers will naturally come. Those who open shops in remote areas are either novice restaurateurs or can attract customers online. Zhou Yan's restaurant's reputation is just starting to take off; it needs a period of stable output to truly win people's hearts.

If he can't make customers feel that his food is irreplaceable, even walking an extra hundred meters will be a reason for them to give up. Zhou Yan is determined to protect this shop. But he won't accept this kind of rent increase; he needs to get justice from Lin Zhiqiang. Outsiders aren't allowed to enter and leave the textile factory at will. Not long after Xiao Wu notified him, Lin Zhiqiang came out.

"Xiao Zhou, Xiao Wu said you urgently needed to see me?" Lin Zhiqiang had inspected the workshop that morning and was free now.

"Uncle Lin..." Zhou Yan briefly explained the situation to Lin Zhiqiang.

"A sudden rent increase? And you even have to pay this month's rent?" Lin Zhiqiang frowned.

"Your shop is in a good location, but it's still less than 100 yuan. What the finance department is doing is too frivolous; it's definitely wrong!"

"If the factory raises rent uniformly and treats everyone equally, and other merchants agree, then I'll definitely cooperate," Zhou Yan said seriously.

"But I think this is deliberately targeting individual merchants, and I'm not happy about it." Lin Zhiqiang nodded.

"Okay, I'll go see the factory manager. After all, the finance department isn't under my jurisdiction, so I can't directly interfere in this matter." Zhou Yan added, "By the way, Uncle Lin, there's an accountant in the finance department named Wang Wei. Because she refused to increase my rent, Sun Meili retaliated against her and is going to transfer her to guard the warehouse and move goods. What do you think..."

"Wang Wei?" Lin Zhiqiang smiled upon hearing this and waved his hand.

"Don't worry about her. Sun Meili doesn't have the ability to transfer her to guard the warehouse." After saying that, he turned and walked into the factory.

"Huh?" Zhou Yan was stunned. What did that mean?... Outside the factory manager's office. Lin Zhiqiang knocked on the door.

"Come in," Wang Hongliang's voice rang out. Lin Zhiqiang pushed the door open and went in. Wang Hongliang was sitting behind his desk, a short-haired girl standing beside him, her eyes slightly red, as if she had just been crying.

"Zhiqiang, did you need something?" Wang Hongliang asked, looking at Lin Zhiqiang.

"Factory Manager, I'm here for Xiao Zhou," Lin Zhiqiang nodded.

"Xiao Zhou, Zhou Yan?" Wang Hongliang smiled upon hearing this.

"Why are you all here for Zhou Yan today? Are you here because of the rent increase for his restaurant?" Wang Wei, standing beside him, also looked at Lin Zhiqiang with some surprise.

"Sit down, sit down and let's talk," Wang Hongliang invited. Lin Zhiqiang walked to the table and sat down, smiling as he said, "It seems Wang Wei has already told you. I think this situation is a bit strange—a sudden rent increase, and such a large one at that."

"See? Deputy Factory Manager Lin and I think the same thing. Sir, Sun Meili is deliberately causing trouble, trying to make Zhou Yan's restaurant go out of business!" Wang Wei added.

"Okay, okay, I understand. Seeing how anxious you are, anyone would think it's your shop that's being targeted," Wang Hongliang said with a smile, getting up to hand Wang Wei the glass of water on the table. Lin Zhiqiang, hearing this, glanced at Wang Wei, a growing sense of unease creeping into his heart.

"Thank you, sir." Wang Wei took the water and drank a sip, calming herself down.

"I believe there should be justice in the world. Zhou Yan finally managed to revive the restaurant, gaining everyone's recognition through his culinary skills, and the business is slowly improving."

"Aunt Zhao is such a good person, accompanying Zhou Yan in opening the restaurant, busy with everything, her voice hoarse from shouting all day, but she always maintains a smile for the customers."

"Why would anyone think they're making too much money and want to target them? They were operating at a loss for the first three months."

"If we're talking about the loss of state assets, I think the factory canteen's accounts are a mess. The factory allocates so much money to subsidize the canteen every year so that the workers can eat well and feel at ease."

"Now the workers are complaining and cursing the canteen every day. You should send someone to investigate!" Wang Hongliang nodded slightly, lost in thought. Lin Zhiqiang looked at the stubborn Wang Wei and felt a bit of admiration. This young woman, unexpectedly, is a passionate young woman who cannot tolerate injustice and unfairness.

"You mentioned problems with the cafeteria accounts, do you have any evidence?" Wang Hongliang asked, looking at her. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"Yes!" Wang Wei opened the cloth bag she was carrying and pulled out a red notebook.

"This is a record of all the accounts I think are problematic this year. Many of them don't match up. Sun Meili will try to balance them at the end of the month, every month."

"The canteen's supplier is also problematic. Their vegetable prices are about 20% higher than the daily prices at the supply and marketing cooperative. And when I went to the finance department to submit my accounts before, they made me reconcile them with the supply and marketing cooperative's accounts, and those accounts were also problematic."

"Factory manager, today I'm making a formal complaint against Sun Meili for falsifying accounts. I originally wanted to collect more evidence for a while longer to conduct a more in-depth investigation, but I have to make this complaint today." Wang Hongliang's expression became serious. He stood up, took the notebook with both hands, and began to examine it. Lin Zhiqiang also came over to look at it for a while. Wang Wei was a vocational school graduate majoring in accounting.

She marked the dates and problems one by one, doing it very systematically and clearly.

"Comrade Wang Wei, you did a great job." Wang Hongliang said to Wang Wei with a serious expression, "This matter is extremely serious. I will immediately have the security department take control of the canteen's accounts and detain the relevant personnel for investigation. We will get to the bottom of this." This matter is no longer just about the 100 yuan rent for Zhou Erwa's restaurant. Lin Zhiqiang didn't speak, but he knew that Sun Meili was about to be in trouble.

Or rather, not only Sun Meili, but others might also be in trouble.... Sun Meili was still signing and stamping the notice, while Wu Lili stood to the side with a fawning expression. Just then, the security department officers, led by Luo Weidong, filed in.

"Section Chief Luo, what are you doing here..." Sun Meili looked at Luo Weidong with some confusion.

"Sun Meili, someone has filed a formal complaint against you for falsifying accounts, embezzlement, and misappropriation of canteen subsidies. Now, please come with us to the security department for investigation." Luo Weidong interrupted her.

"Who... who filed the complaint! Nonsense, how could I do such a thing..." Sun Meili's face changed drastically as she argued. Luo Weidong waved for the staff to take Sun Meili away and to seal up the account books in her office. Wu Lili trembled with fear, standing motionless by the table. Luo Weidong glanced at the notice on the table, frowned slightly, looked at Wu Lili, and ordered, "Take her back for questioning too." Stacks of account books were carried away from Sun Meili's office.

The two remaining accountants in the canteen's finance office watched this scene, somewhat frightened.

"Don't be afraid, this has nothing to do with us," Wang Wei returned, smiling and comforting the two. She had felt so good watching Sun Meili being taken away! The canteen's finance office was next to the factory canteen, and when the people were taken away, the canteen's chefs all came out to watch the commotion. When the news reached Wang Defa, he slumped into his chair, his face pale, completely lost. The security department arrested Sun Meili. And they even checked the accounts!

That means they must have evidence of them taking kickbacks. What to do! What to do? It was just adding 100 yuan to Zhou Yan's rent, how did things turn out like this? Knock knock. There was a knock on the office door. Wang Defa was startled and looked up to see Luo Weidong and two security officers walking in.

"Director Wang, there's something we need your cooperation with in an investigation. Please come with me to the security department," Luo Weidong said, looking at him.

"Wh... what is it?" Wang Defa stood up, trying to remain calm.

"It's about the factory canteen's accounts. As the canteen director, you should know the situation better. Please cooperate with our work," Luo Weidong said, his attitude relatively polite.

"Okay, I'll go with you." Wang Defa nodded and followed them out, his steps somewhat heavy. Who reported them? Now he could only hope that Sun Meili would keep quiet.... The news that Sun Meili and Wang Defa had been taken away quickly spread like wildfire throughout the textile factory. Rumors about the two of them spread quickly, some quite detailed.

Xu Rui, the deputy director of the silk reeling workshop, squatted by the flower bed near the wall, smoking one cigarette after another, leaving a trail of cigarette butts at his feet.

"Old Xu, forget it, life goes on," Zhao Dong patted his shoulder to comfort him. Xu Rui looked up, his eyes bloodshot, and smiled bitterly: "Three kids, what else can we do?" Zhao Dong offered him a red plum cigarette, but the words he was about to say remained unspoken. He didn't even know if the kids were his. This family was definitely broken up....

Zhou Yan didn't receive Wu Lili's notification, but instead received a call from Xiao Wu, the security officer, who told him that Sun Meili had been arrested and Wang Defa had been called in to cooperate with the investigation. (｀Д)！！

"Ah? One hundred yuan, and this is such a big show?" Zhou Yan was shocked. He hadn't even considered sending Sun Meili and Wang Defa to jail! Uncle Lin was truly his uncle! He really cared about him when he was in trouble. Zhou Yan felt it was necessary to write a letter to Xia Yao tonight, even if it was just because of their dear uncle. Aunt Zhao was also somewhat surprised after hearing this; she hadn't expected that a mere hundred yuan could lead to the arrest of two directors.

Lunchtime arrived, and the workers who came to eat were all discussing the matter. Women made up 80% of the textile factory's workforce, and they loved gossip. Multiple sources confirmed the news's veracity. The gossip was huge, and everyone in the gossip field was enjoying it immensely. Zhou Yan's feelings were somewhat complicated. Comrade Zhou's grand ambition might not be fulfilled. The factory canteen hadn't collapsed, but Wang Defa was about to fall. He felt a slight sense of satisfaction and happiness.

Rumors circulated that Zhou Yan was the catalyst for this incident, stemming from the 100 yuan rent increase imposed on Zhou Erwa's restaurant. Because of this, many gossip-loving people came to the restaurant specifically to eat and get the latest gossip. The booming business continued until the work bell rang.

"These women are crazy!" Zhou Jie lay down on a bench and let out a long sigh. Zhou Yan shook his aching hands, picked up the enamel mug beside him, and gulped down several mouthfuls of cold tea. The spatula had practically sparked from the wok at lunchtime. [Ding! Side Quest: Inheritance of Braised Beef with Pork Knuckle Completed. Zhou Jie, Learning Progress: 3/3] [Reward: Sichuan Cuisine's Number One Dish—Twice-Cooked Pork] The system suddenly popped up two notifications....

A long chapter of four thousand words. I wrote the second chapter overnight, so everyone wouldn't be dissatisfied. Actually, Qingyu handled the villains very quickly and without excessive stretching; the writing was all in a lighthearted and humorous direction. Characters need to be established through conflict; constant daily life would make the characters too flat and the plot bland and uninteresting. I understand everyone's aversion to this kind of plot, so I've tried to create unconventional storylines.

Next, I'll focus on the food theme, emphasizing the heartwarming interactions between food and diners. Twice-cooked pork, the number one Sichuan dish, is here! That's all! (End of Chapter)