Free Web NovelChapter 11: Chapter 6: So Savory Your Eyebrows Fall Off
As a Shanxi native, Lin Zhiqiang absolutely loved noodles.
But the noodles in Jiazhou were almost all made with lye water, and they never tasted like the hand-pulled noodles from his hometown.
But the moment he tasted the noodles today, he found it.
The taste of home!
Hand-pulled noodles made without lye water, with only the pure fragrance of wheat. They had soaked up the bone broth and were chewy yet smooth.
Savory! Fragrant!
Refreshing!
Lin Zhiqiang’s thoughts drifted back to his childhood—
The noodle shop on the street corner, its balding owner tirelessly pulling noodles day in and day out. The pot of bone broth on the coal stove bubbled away, its aroma wafting halfway down the street. His father often took him there for noodles and always added a lot of vinegar.
After growing up, he went to study in Moscow, started a family in Jiangnan, and then transferred to Jiazhou for work. With his parents having passed away, he hadn’t returned to his hometown in many years. Some memories had faded, but this mouthful of noodles still stirred ripples within him.
After swallowing the noodles, he took a sip of the broth and nodded repeatedly.
’Eating noodles without drinking the broth is like not eating at all!’
"These hand-pulled noodles are made without lye water, yet they’re exceptionally chewy and smooth. Comrade Zhou’s noodle-pulling skills are truly impressive, on par with the old masters in Shanxi," Lin Zhiqiang said, his face full of admiration. "And this broth must be made from beef bones. It’s savory and delicious, with a rich, meaty aroma. A sip of this in the morning warms your whole body. It’s simply divine!"
"I’ve eaten at all the noodle shops in Suji, from the state-run restaurants to the factory canteen, and none of their beef noodles can compare to this bowl."
"Of course, it would be even better with a pot of aged Shanxi vinegar."
Hearing this, the onlooking workers all chuckled. They all knew Lin Zhiqiang was from Shanxi and loved his vinegar.
But it was clear he was genuinely satisfied with the Braised Beef Noodles. After making a few comments, he went back to slurping them down. A thin sheen of sweat soon broke out on his forehead.
Meanwhile, Zhao Dong had also mixed his noodles evenly. The spicy fragrance of the double peppers and the aroma of beef rushed to greet him. The noodles were coated in the oily sauce and laden with minced beef topping. From his many years of noodle-eating experience, he could tell these mixed noodles would be anything but disappointing.
SLURP!
The moment the noodles entered his mouth, a symphony of numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant flavors took the stage. The crispy-on-the-outside, tender-on-the-inside beef morsels, coated in the fresh spice of green and red peppers and the tang of pickled vegetables, danced on his tongue. The rich, smooth, and exceptionally chewy hand-pulled noodles were indeed different from lye-water noodles. The seasoning was perfect, a sublime experience of texture and taste.
One bite after another, he simply couldn’t stop.
In no time, he had already eaten nearly half of the large bowl of mixed noodles.
"Director Zhao, how are the mixed noodles?" someone asked impatiently.
"To be honest, I’ve eaten at Comrade Zhou’s restaurant before, and his cooking was definitely lacking a bit in Fire Control." Zhao Dong swallowed the noodles in his mouth and said with emotion, "But these Double Pepper Beef Noodles today have truly blown me away. He’s mastered the numbing, spicy, savory, and fragrant elements. It’s so good I could swallow my own tongue."
"The stir-fried minced beef at the state-run restaurant in town is pretty good, right? But if you ask me, compared to this noodle topping, it’s lacking in both flavor and Fire Control."
"If this double pepper minced beef were served as its own dish, I would definitely order it. It’s absolutely fantastic!"
"And the portion of noodle topping is so generous! I’m afraid there’s at least a ’liang’ of beef alone. For such a big bowl of noodles, even after mixing, you get beef in every bite. Selling it for sixty cents a bowl really isn’t expensive."
"I won’t say much more about the noodles. Vice Director Lin has already summarized it perfectly. They are indeed chewy and smooth, and they hold the sauce well. If mixed noodles don’t hold the sauce, they’re not good mixed noodles."
After his summary, Zhao Dong turned to Zhou Yan and said, "Zhou, I’ll have another bowl, Braised Beef Noodles this time. Watching Vice Director Lin eat with such gusto has made me crave it."
"Haha, in that case, I’ll have another bowl of Double Pepper Beef Noodles," Lin Zhiqiang also laughed heartily.
People in this era didn’t have much fat or oil in their diets. For two strapping men, eating two bowls of noodles was no problem at all.
[+1 Acknowledgment from Customer]
[+1 Acknowledgment from Customer]
Zhou Yan saw the notifications flash by, and his smile grew even brighter.
[Ding! Side Quest triggered: Lin Zhiqiang’s niece, Xia Yao, is suffering from a loss of appetite due to the shock of falling into water. She has not eaten for a day, and Lin Zhiqiang and his wife are very worried. Please help Xia Yao regain her appetite and resume a normal diet. Mission Reward: Unknown. Accept: Yes/No.]
The system’s notification sound echoed in his mind.
Lin Zhiqiang had just mentioned Xia Yao’s situation, but it seemed to be worse than he’d let on. ’And it even triggered a Side Quest.’
Having just accepted the man’s bicycle, Zhou Yan couldn’t just ignore this, especially since there might be a recipe reward.
The repeated praise from the two leaders, Vice Director Lin and Director Zhao, plus the fact that they were ordering another bowl while still eating their first, was the best endorsement possible.
Among the workers who had been crowding the restaurant entrance just to watch, a few immediately walked in.
"Boss, I’ll have a bowl of Double Pepper Beef Noodles too."
"I want a bowl of Braised Beef Noodles."
"I haven’t had pork ribs in forever. I’ll have a bowl of Braised Pork Rib Noodles."
With a few people leading the way, those who were still hesitating couldn’t hold back any longer. They streamed in, found seats, and started ordering noodles.
In no time, more than a dozen customers were seated inside, and more were still coming in.
They had to be at work by eight o’clock, so there wasn’t much time for deliberation. If they sat down and ordered right away, they could still eat. Otherwise, they’d have to wait until lunch or dinner.
Zhou Yan jotted down the customers’ orders on a piece of paper and turned to hurry back to the kitchen.
Eighteen bowls of noodles ordered just like that. The celebrity effect was obvious!
Lin Zhiqiang and Zhao Dong’s endorsement had completely dispelled the workers’ doubts and served as a powerful recommendation.
’You can always count on the leaders. They’re really something else, so eloquent.’
But he had to hurry up and cook the noodles; he couldn’t make the workers late for clocking in.
Many others wanted to come in, but they were worried about the wait. They had no choice but to grab a quick bite at the factory canteen and plan to come back and try the noodles at lunchtime.
A dozen or so bicycles were parked in front of Zhou Yan Restaurant, and most of the tables inside were occupied. Such a bustling scene hadn’t been seen since the first three days of its opening.
"Are the noodles at Zhou Yan’s place really that good? Why did everyone go in?"
"They must be pretty good. If my noodles weren’t already in the pot, I’d want to go try them too."
Listening to his customers, Wang the Fifth’s expression soured. He said sarcastically, "How good could they possibly be? The leaders are just saving face by supporting him. The dishes Zhou Yan used to cook were so bad even dogs would turn their noses up. If you fed them to pigs, the pigs would go on a hunger strike. How could he possibly become a master chef in two days?"
His worst fears had come true. Although he had no faith in Zhou Yan’s cooking skills, with the vice director backing him and the workers willing to give him business, Zhou Yan’s new start selling noodles was going far better than he had anticipated.
’Still,’ he thought, ’Zhou Yan Restaurant’s business was good for three days when it first opened, too. But a restaurant’s success is built on reputation and taste. If you don’t have it, you don’t have it. It doesn’t matter who endorses you.’
’Just you wait. This noodle shop won’t last long either!’
「Not far away, Zhao Tieying was walking toward the restaurant, holding Zhou Momo’s hand.」
"Mama, look! There are so many bikies in front of Brother’s restaurant!" Zhou Momo said in a childish voice, swinging Zhao Tieying’s hand.
Zhao Tieying looked over, a surprised expression on her face. "Why are there so many bikes?"
’Business improving is a good thing.’ Zhao Tieying scooped up Zhou Momo and quickened her pace. As she entered, she saw a dozen or so textile factory workers sitting inside. The two men eating near the entrance looked like leaders, while the other customers’ tables were still empty.
"Mrs. Zhao, you’d better hurry and help in the kitchen! We’re all waiting to eat so we can get to work," a female worker from Zhou Village who recognized Zhao Tieying said with a smile.
"On it!"
Zhao Tieying agreed, put Zhou Momo down, and glanced at the brand-new bicycle leaning against the wall. She grabbed an apron from behind the counter, tied it on, and rushed into the kitchen like a whirlwind.
Zhou Yan was in the middle of pulling noodles and was a bit surprised to see Zhao Tieying come in. "Mom, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be selling beef?"
"Your father was worried you’d be too busy selling noodles, so he told me to come and check. Looks like I came at the right time," Zhao Tieying said with a smile. "Why are there so many customers today? And what’s the deal with that new bicycle in the shop?"
"Mom, it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it after the rush," Zhou Yan said with a smile as he dropped a large handful of noodles into the pot. "Add a couple of logs to the fire. They’re all in a hurry to get to work."
"Alright!" Zhao Tieying replied. She didn’t ask any more questions and went behind the stove to add wood to the fire.
"Brother, I’m here!" Zhou Momo ran into the kitchen, stood on her tiptoes to grab a piece of wood from the firewood pile, and huffed and puffed as she carried it to Zhao Tieying’s feet, her little face red with effort.
"Momo is such a good helper," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. ’The little one is barely taller than the log, but she already knows to pitch in.’
"Hehe." Praised, Zhou Momo shook her head proudly, her high ponytail swinging back and forth.
Zhao Tieying gave Zhou Yan a surprised look. ’This boy never used to like his little sister much, but today he’s actually praising her.’
"Little sister, you watch the fire." Zhao Tieying closed the stove door, then picked up Zhou Momo and set her on a small stool. "Don’t move. Call me if the fire gets smaller."
"Okay," Zhou Momo nodded obediently. Then she turned to the stove and earnestly instructed, "Stovey, you have to be a good fire, okay!"
Noodles for eighteen people were boiling in two large pots. Zhou Yan lined up the large bowls on the countertop and began preparing the seasonings.
Zhao Tieying didn’t say much, just stood to the side watching intently, her eyes fixed on the order and amount of each seasoning Zhou Yan added. She did whatever he asked of her.
The nickname "Iron Maiden" wasn’t just because Zhao Tieying could be fierce when scolding someone; she was also an incredibly capable worker. Back when she worked on the production team, she always earned the most work points, and she could still keep the house spotlessly clean.
She could learn low-skill tasks like mixing noodles and ladling toppings with just one look. Although she was illiterate, as long as Zhou Yan told her which table got which noodles, she never got them mixed up.
Bowl after bowl of noodles was quickly delivered to the customers’ tables. The efficiency was so high that the workers, who had been worried about being late for work, all breathed a sigh of relief.
Throughout the restaurant, the sounds of slurping noodles and exclamations of praise rose and fell.
[+1 Acknowledgment from Customer]... freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
And in the kitchen, Zhou Yan was reaping a stream of positive feedback.
"Based on these three types of noodles, Zhou’s restaurant will be able to stay open," Zhao Dong said while eating his second bowl, a little puzzled. "Why didn’t he just open a noodle shop from the start?"
Lin Zhiqiang smiled and said, "I don’t think Zhou’s cooking was as bad as you said. This braised beef with bamboo shoots and the double pepper minced beef could both stand alone as individual dishes. Maybe he was just trying to do too much before. It’s rare for a young person to have the ability to correct their mistakes."
"You’re right. This young man is really something," Zhao Dong agreed with a smile.
The workers quickly finished their noodles, paid, and rushed off to work.
"Boss, your noodles are absolutely fantastic!"
"The pork ribs are so fragrant, way better than the canteen’s!"
"The broth is so savory, it could make your eyebrows fall off!"
Even as they left, the workers didn’t forget to offer a few more words of praise.
"Take care now, come again soon," Zhou Yan said, a handful of change in his hand and a wide smile on his face as he saw the customers out.
"Comrade Zhou, come and take our money as well," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile.
"I’ll get it, I’ll get it," Zhao Dong said, hastily pulling out his wallet.
"Vice Director Lin, Director Zhao, today’s meal is on me. If it weren’t for the two of you promoting my place, my little shop wouldn’t have had any business today." Zhou Yan quickly waved his hands in refusal, then suggested, "How about I pack up a serving of Braised Pork Rib Noodles for you to take back to your niece? The pork rib noodles are a bit lighter. Maybe she’ll have the appetite to try some."
