Chương 8: Spicy Pickled Radish

Zhou Yan subconsciously squeezed the brakes. Food identification? What kind of skill is that? [Food Identification]: An excellent chef must master the ability to select ingredients. They must have an accurate grasp of the freshness, origin, and seasonality of ingredients to obtain the best quality. Quick analysis of food will help improve culinary skills. You have acquired this ability. The system then provided a note. Zhou Yan pondered, not expecting that besides recipes, the reward also included a skill.

"Brother, do you want some Dingding Candy too?" Zhou Momo turned around and asked, her little face full of anticipation. Zhou Yan glanced to the side and saw an old man with half-white hair carrying a bamboo pole on his shoulder. The copper hammer and iron chisel in his hands gently clashed, making a dingding sound, hence the name Dingding Candy.

"I think you want some, right?" Zhou Yan smiled. Zhou Momo swallowed hard, looked away, and firmly shook her head: "Mom said we can't waste Brother's money."

"Your brother can afford to buy you some candy." Zhou Yan smiled and moved his bicycle closer. The old man put down his bamboo carrying pole, broke the white sugar bricks into tiny, jade-like pieces, wrapped them in kraft paper, and the heavy package cost only five cents. Zhou Yan glanced at the sugar bricks; a label appeared: 【An ordinary sugar brick, the sesame seeds are slightly overcooked, but it doesn't affect its edibility.

】 Zhou Yan then looked at a basket of bright red oranges displayed in front of a woman selling oranges by the roadside. 【A basket of sour and astringent oranges, not yet ripe. 】 Zhou Yan's eyes lit up. This was truly a magic trick for buying groceries; he wouldn't have to worry about being ripped off anymore! After paying, he opened the package, pinched a piece of candy, and fed it to Zhou Momo. Then he popped a piece into his own mouth, and the sweetness immediately melted in his mouth, brightening his mood.

"Dingding candy is so delicious! So sweet! Guoguo is the best Guoguo in the world!" Zhou Momo happily swung her short legs, mumbling a little.

"Good girl, I'll buy you some more next time," Zhou Yan said with a smile, patting her head. He also has the world's cutest little sister. A five-cent candy, sitting on the front bar of his bicycle—that's all it takes to make her feel good! It has to be said, the new bicycle Lin Zhiqiang gave him is really easy to ride; the more you pedal, the more powerful it becomes. This morning's round trip, which usually takes over an hour, was completed in less than half an hour.

Back at the restaurant, Zhou Yan first lifted Zhou Momo and put her on the ground, then pushed the bicycle inside and parked it against the wall. This is Zhou Yan's most valuable possession right now, so it has to be stored carefully.

"Zhou Momo, did you get your brother to buy you candy again?" Zhao Tieying asked, suppressing a laugh, looking at her little girl's pouting cheeks.

"Okay." Zhou Momo nodded, a hint of pride in her voice.

"My boyfriend bought me Dingding candy! I love him the most!"

"Fifty cents, a big bag, enough for her to eat for a long time." Zhou Yan took the Dingding candy wrapped in oil paper from his basket, opened it, and handed it to Zhao Tieying.

"Mom, you should try some too."

"Business at the shop is just starting to pick up, so we need to spend the money wisely," Zhao Tieying instructed, picking up a small piece of candy and putting it in her mouth. Sweet, so sweet it warmed her heart!

"Okay, I'll go make the toppings," Zhou Yan replied with a smile, carrying his basket into the kitchen. Zhao Tieying had already washed and dried all the dishes, and the kitchen was clean.

"Mom, I'm going to play on the seesaw! Call me when it's time to eat!" Zhou Momo called out, skipping and jumping towards the door.

"Don't run around, okay? We'll have meat for lunch. Come back early when you've had your fun," Zhao Tieying raised her voice a few notches.

"Otherwise, I'll eat all the meat."

"Okay—" Zhou Momo agreed and ran off to the factory-run school next door with her short legs. Zhou Yan had bought a pound of minced beef, a pound of beef brisket, and a pound of pork ribs on his trip out—enough for thirty bowls of noodle soup. However, his father had cut him an extra three ounces of beef brisket, specifically requesting that he come back for braised beef noodles after they sold out of beef at noon.

"Yesterday, the kid who jumped into the Qingyi River to save Deputy Factory Director Lin's niece really did! Today he brought her a new bicycle to thank him. He's a real hero!"

"That kid's a living Lei Feng! He dared to jump into Bailatuo; he's lucky to be alive."

"I heard Zhou Yan switched to selling noodles today, and business is booming! Old Wang is furious."

"With business so good, he probably doesn't need to sell hooks anymore. What a pity..."

"Second Sister-in-law Lin, you still remember him?"

"I'll try Zhou Yan's noodles sometime and support his business too."

"You probably want to try his..." Zhou Yan was preparing ingredients in the kitchen. Outside the window, the laughter of the old women washing clothes at the dock drifted in, both amusing and exasperating. Zhao Tieying came in with peeled garlic, overheard a few words, spat, and rolled up her sleeves: "That widow Lin's foul mouth, I'll tear it to shreds!" Zhou Yan managed to persuade her to stop. His reputation and fame were steadily improving; the trend was good.

As he had predicted, the restaurant experienced a small peak in customer traffic after the factory closed at noon, mostly workers who had come because of its reputation. Fortunately, Zhao Tieying was there, handling everything from tending the fire and serving dishes to clearing tables and handling the cash register, all without any chaos. After two hours of work, the silk factory closed for the day, and with no more customers, Zhou Yan finally closed the door.

Zhou Yan let out a long sigh of relief, shaking his slightly sore hands. Making noodles wasn't just a technical skill, but also physically demanding.

"We sold twenty-eight bowls at noon, earning 16. 8 yuan," Zhao Tieying said, handing Zhou Yan the counted money, her smile impossible to hide. Zhou Miao quietly collected the bowls, also smiling. This wasn't Zhou Erwa's restaurant's highest-grossing day, but it would be the most profitable, because the prepared ingredients wouldn't go to waste. Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. They hadn't expected that noodles costing six mao a bowl would sell so well!

"The remaining toppings are only enough for about ten bowls of noodles. Should we stir-fry more toppings this afternoon?" Zhao Tieying asked, full of energy.

"No need. It would be good if we could sell a dozen more bowls tonight. Most of the workers go home for dinner." Zhou Yan shook his head with a smile. The noodle business is actually the best in the morning. Today, he prepared toppings and sauces for sixty bowls of noodles. If they can sell them all, it will be far beyond his expectations.

"Mom, go and call Momo back for dinner. I'll cook noodles for you." Zhou Yan smiled, put the money in the cabinet, and turned to go into the kitchen.

"Okay." Zhao Tieying responded, turned and went out. Standing at the entrance of the restaurant, she put her hands on her hips and shouted loudly in the direction of the school: "Zhou Momo! Come home for dinner! I'm from Shudao Mountain! One, two…" Before she could finish the three, Zhou Momo had already come running out of the gate, shouting: "Coming! Coming!"

"Poor pot, tummy, hungry." Zhou Momo ran into the kitchen as soon as she entered the restaurant, looked up at Zhou Yan with pleading eyes.

"Go wash your hands, and we'll eat right away." Zhou Yan looked at her chubby little hands and said with a smile.

"Okay!" Zhou Momo obediently replied, walked to the water vat, tiptoed, scooped a ladle of water into a small basin, and began to wash her hands. After a while, Zhou Yan brought out four bowls of braised beef noodles, and the family sat together to eat the noodles. They were all hungry after being busy until this late hour. The latest novels are first published on 69shu. com!

"Try the pickled vegetables I made yesterday. They'll taste even better tomorrow." Zhou Yan brought out a plate of pickled radishes. The red-skinned radishes, cut into long strips, had been pickling for a day and looked crystal clear.

"Crunch." Zhao Tieying picked up a radish and took a bite, nodding repeatedly: "It's so crisp! It's sour and spicy, with a hint of sweetness. Delicious!" Zhou Miao also tried one, smiling and nodding: "Hmm, it's very refreshing. It's perfect with noodles." Zhou Momo tried to pick one up with her chopsticks for a while but couldn't manage it, so Zhou Yan simply picked one up for her to hold.

The little guy held the radish to his mouth and took small bites, his big eyes lighting up, but soon he started munching and exclaiming, "Smack, smack!" as he ate, "Such delicious radish, just a little spicy..." There were indeed fewer customers for dinner, but eleven bowls of noodles were still sold out. A few latecomers hadn't gotten any and would have to come back the next morning.

Zhao Tieying helped Zhou Yan tidy up the restaurant before getting on the back of Zhou Miao's bicycle, humming a little tune as she rode away. She was clearly in a good mood, and what impressed Zhou Yan even more was her energy. She'd gotten up early to prepare the offal, cook, feed the pigs, and then helped out at the shop all day, yet she could still hum a little tune on her way home. Zhou Yan, busy with the shop, was now so tired he wanted to lie down. He took out the money from the cabinet and counted it.

He'd sold 60 bowls of noodles today, earning 36 yuan. Yesterday's starting capital was 16. 4 yuan. Ingredients cost 16. 9 yuan, and candy cost 0. 5 yuan. He now had 35. 5 yuan left! The timber, oil, and seasonings used so far were all purchased by the restaurant previously; these expenses can be accounted for at the end of the month. Comrade Zhou is quite ambitious when it comes to purchasing; he's clearly planning something big.

There are still dozens of kilograms of rapeseed oil in the oil vat, a wall of neatly stacked oak wood behind the stove, and plenty of salt, dried chili peppers, and other seasonings—enough to last for a while. Although he's spending money lavishly, it's all going towards the restaurant, and the quality of the supplies is quite good. After soaking the dried bamboo shoots and quickly washing up, Zhou Yan went to bed.

Before falling asleep, he glanced at his interface: 【Player: Zhou Yan】 【Occupation: Chef】 【Wealth: -822.

52】 【Occupational Skills】: Knife Skills (Intermediate): 9604/10000 (Your knife skills are sufficient for most dishes) Cooking Techniques (Intermediate): 1668/10000 (You still need to practice) Seasoning (Intermediate): 1695/10000 (Please be gentle, Salt King) Eloquence (Advanced): 88889/100000 (Like a pig trying to eat a delicious meal – all it takes is a silver tongue) [Mastering Dishes]: Double Pepper Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Beef Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Braised Pork Rib Noodles (Advanced): 99999/100000 Pickled Cabbage (Advanced): 99999/100000 Cucumber Salad (Intermediate): 1871/10000...

Special Skill: Food Appraisal (Master): 999999/1000000 (Cannot be upgraded) [Main Quest: Become a Master Chef! Become Famous Throughout the World!] [Main Quest: Restaurant Influence Reaches 100 (61/100)] [Wealth Shop]: Unlocked when wealth reaches 1000. After one day of business, the panel changes significantly. Wealth increased from -858. 52 to -822. 52, the increase of 36 should correspond to today's revenue, one to one.

Zhou Yan was quite looking forward to the Wealth Mall, wondering what it would sell, especially recipes. Secondly, his knife skills, heat control, and seasoning proficiency had all increased by 1000 points, likely related to mastering three noodle dishes: Beef with Bamboo Shoots, Double Pepper Beef Mince, and Braised Pork Ribs. Mastering these three dishes gave him a better understanding of braising, stir-frying, and stewing. Knowledge entering his mind wasn't stored in isolation.

He could cut beef into even cubes and mince pork just as easily. Beef with Bamboo Shoots was delicious, but replacing the bamboo shoots with radishes and potatoes—potato and beef brisket stew, or radish and beef brisket stew—wouldn't be too bad, just not quite perfect. Zhou Yan was like a blank canvas; now, a bold stroke had been made. What culinary masterpiece would he create next? Who could predict?

He himself didn't know, but he knew that tomorrow he would have even more customers, more noodles to make, and, most importantly, more money!