Chương 67: I spoke a little too loudly just now

After his failed attempt to enter the textile factory gate a few days ago, Zhou Liangliang hastily retreated to the dock. That evening, he brought noodles and meat sauce to the dock and sold them for two cents a bowl, managing to sell them all and recoup some losses. The dock area was quite receptive to cheap and good quality noodles, which gave him a glimpse of a business opportunity. The next day, he set up his noodle stall as well, selling only two kinds of meat sauce, charging three cents a bowl of noodles.

He could sell about twenty bowls a day, earning an extra two yuan. This made him and his wife extremely happy; although they lost several tens of yuan, it wasn't a complete loss. What he didn't expect was that Zhou Jie, after working at Zhou Yan's shop for three days, returned and changed the signboard, changing the soup pot to "Qiaojiao Beef," raising the price from four cents to six cents a bowl? Keep in mind that at the dock, Zhou Jie's original four cents a bowl of soup pot was already the most expensive.

"Zhou Yan sells for six mao, and he sells for six mao too. Doesn't that mean those two brothers are earning more than before?" Wu Guihua said sourly. They sold bowls for three mao, only twenty or thirty a day, earning a dollar or two. Zhou Jie and his brothers sold hundreds of bowls for four mao, earning ten or twenty a day.

"Hmph, I don't think so. From this failure, I've learned a lesson: sell the right thing in the right place." Zhou Liangliang snorted confidently.

"Zhou Yan could command a high price at the textile factory because the workers there were indeed wealthy. But here at the docks, most are manual laborers. Forty mao is already their limit. Those extra two mao could buy another bowl of soup at other places. Nobody's willing to be so greedy."

"That makes sense." Wu Guihua's eyes lit up.

"If they think it's too expensive, will they come to our house to eat?"

"Maybe, after all, it's right next to our house." Zhou Liangliang nodded, also looking forward to it. As noon approached, more and more customers came to eat at the docks. Many people headed straight for Zhou Jie's stall with a clear goal in mind.

"Zhou Jie, I haven't seen you for two or three days. What have you been up to?"

"Yeah, the day before yesterday, your stall wasn't even open. I came for hot pot but it was empty." A customer greeted Zhou Jie with a familiar smile. As they spoke, six or seven customers had already arrived. Zhou Jie smiled and said, "I've been learning the craft from a master chef these past few days. From now on, our hot pot won't be called 'Hot Pot,' it'll be called 'Zhou's Braised Beef.'" Hearing this, the customers noticed the changed signboard and price list.

"Six cents a bowl? You…you've raised the price too much!"

"Absolutely! It was originally four cents a bowl. Your kid's cooking is good, and we're happy to support you. But now you've raised it to six cents a bowl, who can afford it!" The customers were annoyed at the two-cent price increase. Zhou Liangliang and his wife, who had been listening intently, couldn't help but laugh. Zhou Hai looked at Zhou Jie, feeling a little uneasy. Zhou Jie, however, remained calm, smiling as he said, "Don't worry, everyone.

You all know my brother and I sell hot pot; we're dedicated to making good soup, we have no ulterior motives. This time, I really did go to my brother Zhou Yan to learn the traditional way of making hot pot, specifically the 'Qiaojiao Beef'. Why does our Qiaojiao Beef cost six mao? Because we add various spices and Chinese herbs to this soup, which has the effects of dispelling dampness, dispelling cold, nourishing the stomach, and tonifying yin and yang.

This is not just a delicious hot pot, but a medicinal dish passed down from the old Chinese medicine doctor of Zhoucun." Zhou Jie's words left the customers stunned.

"What Qiaojiao Beef? Never heard of it! These effects you're talking about are probably just hype."

"Exactly! If it were that effective, what would be the point of hospitals? They'd cure everything!" But the customers weren't easily fooled, and they were masters of argument. Zhou Jie raised his hand, and Zhou Hai, standing nearby, lifted the lid of the pot. Steam rose, carrying a rich aroma of meat that wafted towards the guests.

"Hmm? It smells good!"

"This tastes a bit different from before." The guests' eyes lit up, drawn by the aroma of the broth. Looking at the large pot, it was full of clear, pure broth, a truly comforting sight.

"Words are cheap. We're all regulars, so try the soup first. If you don't like it, I'll take the bowl back." Zhou Jie took earthenware bowls, ladled out a small portion of soup for each of the regulars, and handed them to them. With the bowls in their hands, the aroma of the hot soup filling the air, and Zhou Jie smiling, the guests couldn't refuse. They picked up their bowls, blew on the steam, and began to drink. The commotion attracted a crowd of onlookers. There were vendors and customers.

A pot of soup for six cents a bowl—quite a novelty! If regular customers couldn't accept it, Zhou Jie's reputation, built up over the past two years, would likely be ruined.

"Mmm! This soup is incredibly fresh! Much better than before!"

"So fresh it's making my eyebrows fly away! What did they add? There's absolutely no gamey smell from the offal, it's amazing!"

"There's a slight herbal flavor, but it enhances the freshness and aroma. Drinking it really makes me feel warm all over." Several regular customers finished their soups, beaming with pride and full of praise. The Zhou brothers' soup pots were absolutely top-notch at the docks; the offal was cleaned meticulously, and the soup was delicious, so customers were willing to pay an extra penny. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

But today's soup tasted so much better than before! These were regulars who came two or three times a week, and they could tell the difference in just one sip. The customers' reactions surprised and intrigued the onlookers. Was the soup really that fresh? That delicious?

"The soup tastes good, but your price has gone up too much," an uncle said, his tone softening as he held a bowl. The other customers nodded in agreement; two cents more per bowl was too much.

"Actually, it's only one cent more per bowl than before. Look, this is fifty cents a bowl, with beef intestines, beef tendon, tripe, and beef heart. The portion is the same as before, but the ingredients are even better. Plus, the Chinese herbs I added are all top-quality, so the cost is much higher than before." Zhou Jie immediately cooked a regular serving of braised beef and showed it to the customers. As he spoke, he picked up four more slices of beef and tossed them into the pot to blanch briefly.

The beef was still slightly pink when he immediately removed it and placed it on top of the soup pot.

"This serving of 'Qiaojiao Beef' with extra beef is only six cents. To be honest, I didn't make a penny from that extra cent. It's genuinely fresh 'Qiaojiao Beef,' and I cut it into four large slices so you can enjoy fresh 'Qiaojiao Beef' for just one cent."

"You all know how much beef costs per pound, right? Even if you have money, you might not be able to buy 'Qiaojiao Beef.' The supply and marketing cooperative has never put it out; it's all pre-ordered by people with connections."

"Now tell me, is six cents a fair price for this serving of 'Qiaojiao Beef'?" The room fell silent. Everyone was calculating in their minds, and they were busy doing their own calculations. The latest novel is first published on 69shu. com!

"I admit, I spoke a little loudly just now. Give me this bowl of braised beef first, I need to go to Jiaozhou for business." The uncle who spoke earlier handed over his earthenware bowl.

"Just turn it upside down, I've used this bowl before, so you don't have to wash another one."

"I want a bowl too, with beef! I'll use this bowl."

"I don't think it's expensive, I want a bowl, also with 'diaolong' (a type of beef cut)." The others couldn't sit still any longer and handed their bowls to Zhou Jie. Was it worth it? Need I say more? Absolutely worth it! The soup was indeed delicious; they could accept an extra cent just for the taste. Adding Chinese herbs and spices increased the cost, which was understandable. But adding another cent for four slices of 'diaolong'? Was there any need to hesitate? How tender and pink the 'diaolong' was!

Who wouldn't want to try it! The scene suddenly reversed. What began as angry questioning turned into a group of people eagerly ordering food, each holding an empty bowl. This stunned the nearby vendors and passersby. A soup pot costing only six cents a bowl, so popular? But that hanging tenderloin looked really good! Several passersby immediately came over to order as well.

"I've collected the bowls, everyone come inside and sit down. The 'Qiaojiao Beef' is freshly cooked and served right away; it tastes the best." Zhou Jie collected the bowls and put them directly into the wooden bucket beside him. He gave the bowl of cooked beef to the uncle first, smiling and saying, "Uncle, if you're in a hurry, you eat first."

"Okay, you're really good at business, kid." The uncle happily took the bowl of Qiaojiao Beef and sat down, nodding as he ate, "The 'diaolong' (beef tenderloin) is really fresh and tender, sliced thinly enough, and cooked for just the right time. With the dipping sauce, the taste is simply unbeatable."

"Boss, give us two bowls of Qiaojiao Beef too, six cents each."

"One bowl here, I want to try it too." In no time, the eight small tables were almost full, all ordering the six-cent bowls. Zhou Jie was busy serving customers while cutting beef intestines and cooking tripe with Zhou Hai.

"Zhou Yan is amazing! Following his method, the customers immediately accepted the price." Zhou Hai was overjoyed and muttered to himself.

"That's right, Zhou Yan is much smarter than us. Work hard, and we'll make big money with him in the future. We can't hold him back." Zhou Jie's mouth was practically stretched to his ears as he whispered the same thing....

"Wait, isn't that right?"

"How come it's only six cents a bowl? Why are people fighting over it at the dock?"

"Are you guys messing with me?" Zhou Liangliang clutched his head, looking utterly bewildered.

"How about we add two cents?" Wu Guihua whispered. Zhou Liangliang rolled his eyes at her: "Silly woman, why should you add anything?"

"Silly woman? You think I'm being nice to you?!" Wu Guihua jumped up and gave him a headbutt!

"Hiss..."... Zhou Yan was unaware of the situation at the dock and was currently busy cooking.

"One serving of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts!"

"Another serving of twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts!"

"Twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts..." Zhao Hong kept going back and forth to the kitchen, bringing out the new orders. The newly added twice-cooked pork with garlic sprouts had become a new favorite among the guests, a must-order dish for large tables. The king of Sichuan cuisine, truly deserving of the title! Please vote with monthly tickets and keep reading! (End of this chapter)