Chapter 286 - 170: I Really Deserve to Die...

Chapter 286: Chapter 170: I Really Deserve to Die...

Huang Chen nodded thoughtfully at these words. He set down his chopsticks and asked in earnest, "You’re far more experienced than I am. What would be the best way to move forward with this? To be honest, the dozen or so stalls selling soup pots right now just can’t compare to the flavor of Zhou Yan’s Kneeling Beef.

Should we have Zhou Yan share his recipe? That doesn’t seem quite right. It’s his livelihood, and his business is just now finding its footing."

"Don’t even think about the recipe. That kid, Zhou Yan, is as sharp as they come. He ran circles around me and didn’t reveal a single secret. Instead, he got me to willingly give him free publicity." Huang Chen shook his head and smiled,

"But he’s not one to hog all the success. There’s also a ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef’ at the docks, run by two brothers. At first, I thought someone was just shamelessly piggybacking on Zhou Yan’s success by copying the name. But then I sat down, ordered a bowl, and found the taste was nearly identical to Zhou Yan’s."

"It was only after chatting with the owner that I learned the two brothers are Zhou Yan’s cousins, Zhou Jie and Zhou Hai. They learned the craft from him. Among the six or seven soup pot sellers at the docks, theirs is the most expensive, but their business is actually the best."

"My advice is to protect the ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef’ brand. You all should help Zhou Yan get it trademarked. Then, strictly crack down on counterfeit vendors. You don’t want ’Zhou’s Kneeling Beef’ popping up everywhere, only for customers to be tricked and deceived. Once the reputation is ruined, it will be very difficult to build it back up."

"Suji isn’t large. Two high-quality Kneeling Beef shops are more than enough to handle the tourist traffic for the next couple of years. The first step is to build up the brand. As long as the Kneeling Beef business is booming, other individual soup pot sellers in town will be motivated to improve their own skills, refine their recipes and methods, and constantly strive to reach the level of Zhou’s Kneeling Beef."

"I’ve checked out the other soup pots. Their ingredients are fine; it’s their technique that’s lousy. But as soon as they see there’s money to be made in Kneeling Beef, the working people will naturally rack their brains to study, improve, and raise their quality, benchmarking themselves against Zhou’s Kneeling Beef."

"Basically every cuisine that achieves widespread popularity goes through this process. Differences in ingredients lead to different flavors. In a few years, you’ll see a hundred flowers bloom, a state of variety that’s far more fascinating than cookie-cutter uniformity. During this process, providing the necessary oversight to prevent the bad from driving out the good is what you all should be doing."

At some point, Huang Chen had taken out a notebook and was scribbling away with a fountain pen, quickly filling half a page.

Closing his notebook, Huang Chen raised his cup. "Your advice is exceptionally professional and constructive. Riding on the coattails of your magazine, *Sichuan Cuisine*, I’ll submit this for discussion at tomorrow’s meeting and see what else we can do."

...

"Zhou Yan, I think we can add another twenty or thirty bowls of Kneeling Beef. The weather’s getting colder, and more and more customers are ordering it. One hundred and twenty bowls isn’t quite enough. We’re selling eighty or ninety bowls by lunchtime, and a lot of customers can’t get any in the evening," Mrs. Zhao said as she walked up to the counter where Zhou Yan was doing the books.

Zhou Yan looked up. "Okay. Let’s add twenty bowls starting tomorrow. If we get more customers ordering it, we’ll add more."

"Lately, aside from the factory workers, I’ve seen some local teachers and government employees coming in for Kneeling Beef." Mrs. Zhao was beaming. "I think our restaurant’s reputation is getting better and better!"

"Of course! With you and Dad holding down the fort at the door and in the dining hall, the customer experience is top-notch. Everyone leaves with a smile," Zhou Yan said with a laugh.

"All I do is slice meat, which is just grunt work. It’s all your mother’s doing," Comrade Zhou chimed in with a laugh as he came in from emptying the foot-washing water.

"Tsk, tsk. You two, father and son, are getting smoother with your words every day." The corners of Mrs. Zhao’s mouth lifted into a smile; she was in a fantastic mood.

"What about me? What about me!" Zhou Momo raised her little hand, looking at Zhou Yan with a face full of expectation, her expression screaming, ’Praise me! Praise me!’

"Little Miss Zhou Momo, our top sales champion!" Zhou Yan gave her a thumbs-up and pulled a ten-cent coin from the cash box. "Here, this is today’s bonus. We invite our sales champion to accept her award."

"Wow! Another ten cents!" Zhou Momo’s eyes lit up, and she cupped her little hands, holding them out to Zhou Yan.

With a solemn expression, Zhou Yan placed the coin in her hands and encouraged her, "Little Miss Zhou Momo, please continue your efforts and achieve even greater glory."

"Mhm!" Momo took the money, ran over, and hugged Zhou Yan’s leg, her smile especially bright. "Brother, I love you!"

"Good girl." Zhou Yan smiled and patted her head. ’A little sweetie like this, hugging your leg and telling you she loves you... how could anyone’s heart not melt?’

Mrs. Zhao and Comrade Zhou stood to the side, their faces also filled with gentle smiles.

"Alright, time for bed. Let your brother finish the accounts so he can rest." Mrs. Zhao came over and picked Zhou Momo up.

"Goodnight, Brother." Zhou Momo waved at Zhou Yan, then turned and wrapped her arms around Mrs. Zhao’s neck, whispering in her childish voice, "Mommy, I have lots and lots of money now. In the future, can I buy you a gold necklace? Just like the one Fangfang’s mom wears."

"Oh, my! My little girl is so thoughtful? Mommy is so happy." Mrs. Zhao grinned from ear to ear.

"Then will you still make me an egg pancake tomorrow morning? With a little extra sugar," the little one said.

"Okay, deal. You can promise me the world tonight, and I’ll make you a real egg pancake in the morning," Mrs. Zhao said as she carried Zhou Momo upstairs.