Novel Full Chapter 63 - 57: By No Means a Creature of the Pond
Chapter 63: Chapter 57: By No Means a Creature of the Pond
The signs on the wall were taken down one by one. By the time the sign for braised pork ribs was removed, Mrs. Zhao announced that all of today’s dishes were sold out. A customer who had just arrived let out a long sigh and could only look for another place to eat.
All the dishes Zhou Yan prepared today sold out, including the twenty carp Boss Gao had delivered later.
There were some scraps of Kneeling Beef left over. The fish Comrade Zhou had ’caught’ was made into Huo Xiang Carp, and a plate of cabbage stir-fried with lard rounded out their own dinner.
"Business was fantastic today! All the food we prepared sold out, and every customer said it was delicious," Mrs. Zhao said cheerfully, scooping some beef offal and tendon into Zhou Momo’s bowl.
"We’ve been open for over three months, and I’ve never seen this many customers," Zhou Miao added, sounding impressed.
Just half a month ago, they wouldn’t have dared to dream the restaurant could be this busy.
Back then, they were lucky to see a single customer all day. Zhou Yan would sit by the entrance with a permanent scowl, his temper so short he’d explode at the slightest provocation. Even Zhou Momo was afraid to go near him.
Now that business was getting better by the day, the kid was back to his old self, laughing and joking. The whole atmosphere at home had improved.
"Today’s revenue should have broken two hundred yuan. This will likely be our peak for a while," Zhou Yan said with a smile.
"It broke two hundred!" Mrs. Zhao exclaimed in surprise. She knew business was much better than yesterday, but she never imagined it would pass the two-hundred-yuan mark.
’Two hundred in a single day... Even if we only made half of that in profit, that’s still a hundred yuan!’
’We’re making money so fast!’
"A lot of today’s customers just came to see what all the fuss was about. For most of the workers, being able to eat out once or twice a month is considered a treat. But if we build up a good reputation, they’ll think of us when they need to host guests in the future. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. The money will come in steadily over time," Zhou Yan explained with a smile.
He also hoped the factory director’s "endorsement" would have a long-tail effect, but if he wanted business to keep growing, he needed either more blockbuster dishes or some cheaper options to attract more customers.
A single dish cost a full yuan. While this raised the average spending per customer, it also priced many people out.
"You’re right. We’ll earn it steadily," Mrs. Zhao said, nodding with a smile.
After dinner, Zhou Yan saw his parents out, locked the door, and went for a run along the river.
Partway through his run, he spotted a familiar figure jogging ahead. He picked up his pace to catch up and called out with a smile, "Lin, you’re out for some exercise too?"
Lin Zhiqiang was wearing a blue tank top with a towel draped around his neck, his head beaded with sweat from running.
"Ah, Zhou," Lin Zhiqiang said, smiling at him. "It’s been a while since I got any exercise. I decided to come out for a run tonight. If I don’t, your Mrs. Meng is always nagging me about my gut."
"You don’t look fat," Zhou Yan said, glancing at Lin Zhiqiang. He was actually quite tall and slender, just with a bit of a potbelly. ’Who doesn’t get a bit of a beer belly when they reach middle age?’
Lin Zhiqiang shook his head. He looked at Zhou Yan, who was wearing a white tank top that showed off his broad shoulders and narrow waist, and sighed wistfully. "You young folks are in great shape. I used to have a six-pack, you know. Now it’s consolidated into a one-pack."
Zhou Yan was surprised by Lin’s sense of humor. "Well, let’s run together then," he said with a laugh. "If we head up to Stone Slab Bridge and loop back, it’s about five kilometers."
"Sure. I’m a bit slow, though. I still need to get back into the rhythm. You should probably go on ahead."
"It’s fine. We can chat while we run. It makes the time pass more easily."
"Alright then." Lin Zhiqiang nodded with a smile. After just a few more strides, he asked with a laugh, "So, have you written to Xia Yao?"
"Huh?"
"Then she hasn’t written to you either?"
"I haven’t received anything yet."
"Do you want her address?"
"Uh, Lin..."
Zhou Yan and Lin Zhiqiang ran the five-kilometer loop, chatting the entire time. Their conversation drifted from textile factory gossip to national policies and international disputes—they talked about everything under the sun.
Lin Zhiqiang had gone to university in Beijing, studied abroad, worked in the countryside as a "sent-down youth," and had lived in Shanghai for two years. He was no sheltered academic; he was worldly, well-traveled, and an excellent conversationalist.
Zhou Yan, on the other hand, had come of age in the information explosion era and "seen the world" on TikTok. Though his knowledge on any given subject wasn’t deep, he could hold his own in any conversation.
By the time they finished the loop, Lin Zhiqiang already felt he had found a kindred spirit in Zhou Yan.
"Zhou, your analysis of where the Soviet Union is headed is fascinating, and it aligns perfectly with my own thoughts. Let’s continue our chat on our run tomorrow." Standing at the entrance to the staff living quarters, Lin Zhiqiang, clearly not done talking, made plans with Zhou Yan to run together again.
"Sounds good. We’ll run again at the same time tomorrow," Zhou Yan agreed with a smile, then continued jogging back toward the restaurant.
He had also benefited greatly from his conversation with Lin Zhiqiang.
He only had a vague understanding of this era. He’d learned about its general historical trajectory from textbooks, but the concepts were too broad. As a former food blogger, it was hard for him to pull out any information he could actually use.
Lin Zhiqiang was a true intellectual. His grasp of current developments and the opportunities he perceived were incredibly forward-thinking; his perspective was far broader than Zhou Yan’s.
He’d mentioned that with the economic reforms and opening-up policy, the country was now strongly supporting individual and private enterprises. Special economic zones like the one in Peng City were being built. Anyone who could seize this opportunity could ride the tide of the new era.
As he spoke, Zhou Yan saw a look of yearning and a spark of light in the man’s eyes. He knew right then that Lin was destined for greater things. ’This small textile factory won’t be able to hold a man with his ambitions.’
Lin Zhiqiang returned home, his steps light, and grabbed a towel and washbasin to go clean up.
"Did you find money on your run? What’s got you so happy?" Meng Anhe asked, walking out of the study with a ruler in hand as she looked at a beaming Lin Zhiqiang.
In the study behind her, the two brothers, Lin Jingxing and Lin Bingwen, were grimacing and blowing on each other’s hands to soothe the sting.
"Something even better than finding money," Lin Zhiqiang said with a laugh. "I ran into Zhou Yan just now. He was out for a run, so we did a five-kilometer loop together and chatted the whole time.
"His knowledge is incredibly broad; he seems to know something about everything. Plus, his insights into future developments are remarkably forward-thinking. He’s destined for bigger things. A small place like Suji Town won’t hold him for long."
"Seems you’re growing quite fond of him," Meng Anhe said, smiling as she pushed the washbasin in his hand down. "Wait a little while before you wash up. You’ll get sick if you douse yourself with cold water when you’re all hot from running."
"It’s rare to see a young person with his kind of insight and foresight. Zhao Dong is leagues behind him. I believe he can make a real success of himself, even just by running a restaurant," Lin Zhiqiang remarked.
"That, I believe," Meng Anhe agreed, nodding. She looked at him with a playful smile. "But why the sudden interest in running and exercise?"
"I can’t just rely on eating Kneeling Beef. Exercise is the real solution. It requires a two-pronged attack, and both prongs must be strong," Lin Zhiqiang declared with a perfectly straight face.
...
Back at the restaurant, the first thing Zhou Yan did was settle the day’s accounts. Today’s revenue hit 234.6 yuan, a new record.
They’d sold twenty extra portions of Kneeling Beef. Braised Beef with Bamboo Shoots and Double-Pepper Minced Beef each sold thirty portions, Braised Pork Ribs sold twelve, and Huo Xiang Carp also sold thirty.
After deducting the cost of ingredients, the gross profit was approximately 118.2 yuan.
After breaking one hundred yuan in revenue, their profit had now broken one hundred yuan for the first time!
Counting the stacks of five-fen and one-mao bills, Zhou Yan felt a deep sense of security.
This money had been earned sixty fen or a yuan at a time.
His savings now totaled 262.44 yuan, bringing him closer and closer to paying off all his debts.
After taking a shower, Zhou Yan didn’t go straight to bed. Instead, he took out a pen and paper to organize and jot down the information he’d gleaned from Lin Zhiqiang.
Mrs. Zhao and Comrade Zhou were wonderful, but their world was limited to Suji.
He could learn a great deal from Lin Zhiqiang.
’Besides, if I can build a good relationship with Lin, maybe he’ll take me with him when he finally decides to go into business for himself.’
He closed his notebook and pulled the cord to switch off the light. As the room plunged into darkness, an image of Xia Yao surfaced in his mind.
’She said she’d write to me after she got back to school. I wonder if she’s mailed it yet?’
’During the run today, Lin gave me her address: Sichuan Fine Arts Institute, Department of Art and Design, Interior Design major.’
’Should I take the initiative and write to her?’
Zhou Yan quickly dismissed the thought.
’What would I even write? I haven’t written a single letter in two lifetimes!’
’Instead of worrying about that, I should be thinking about how much stock to buy for tomorrow, estimating how many customers we’ll have, and deciding if I need to adjust the quantities of each dish.’
’Thinking about women will only slow down my money-making.’
His mind raced furiously, then his vision went black, and he was fast asleep.
...
The next day, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, young Comrade Zhou rode his bicycle out to buy ingredients.
...