The Sharp-Eyed Public

"Sure!"

The customers replied with smiles.

"Brother Jie..." Zhou Yan looked at Zhou Jie with a complicated expression.

What businessman would directly steer his own customers toward someone else? His brother really didn't treat him like an outsider.

"Pull your cart over to the side and watch by Haizi's side. He'll teach you how to control the heat and timing." Zhou Jie gave him instructions, then went off smiling to settle the customers' bills.

"Zhou Yan, I'm clumsy with my hands and tongue. I just do whatever A-Jie taught me. Watch for now, and when this rush is over, ask A-Jie about anything you don't understand." Zhou Hai spoke to Zhou Yan.

"Okay, Brother Haizi." Zhou Yan answered, watching Zhou Hai deftly scoop up a length of beef intestine and cut it into short pieces. He blanched the tripe for a few seconds before taking it out, then added several chunks of tender beef tendon and a few slices of beef heart. With cooked cabbage lining the bottom, he ladled a scoop of rich bone broth into a ceramic bowl. A steaming bowl of soup was complete.

That was a single serving, costing forty cents. It had meat and vegetables, plus a large bowl of beef offal soup. With a dish of dried chili dipping sauce, customers could add another ten cents for a bowl of rice.

On a freezing winter day, one bowl would warm you from the soles of your feet to the tips of your hair. It was downright blissful!

Other soup stalls sold their bowls for thirty or even twenty cents, yet none did business as well as Zhou Jie's stall.

People in Bashu wanted their food satisfying and their drinks lively. If the flavor wasn't good enough, no rules could make up for it!

As long as they could get by, they would never shortchange their stomachs.

Zhou Jie's soup sold well at forty cents because people believed it was worth the price. The difference in flavor compared with other stalls couldn't be bridged by one or two cents.

The broth was milky white, and the aroma of beef bone soup rushed straight at him. It was fragrant and fresh, with only a faint gamey smell—far more enticing than the others'.

Zhou Hai looked like a rough, burly man, but he worked neatly and meticulously. Other stalls grabbed ingredients with their hands, while he used only chopsticks and a ladle, never touching the food directly.

The stove was wiped clean at all times, without even a drop of spilled broth.

It was an outdoor stove, and standing in front of the soup pot meant getting blasted by steam. Zhou Hai was sweating all over, with a towel draped around his neck. A clean towel also hung on the rack beside him for wiping his hands.

Zhou Yan nodded to himself as he watched. Brother Jie and the others' success was no accident. Within their limited conditions, they had done their best to make everything as good as possible.

This soup mainly sold beef offal. Beef itself was too expensive, and they generally only sold it during winter, when business was at its best. Otherwise, the losses would be hard to bear.

After more than half an hour of work, business finally slowed down around nine o'clock.

Zhou Yan helped clear away the bowls and chopsticks, then wiped down the tables and chairs.

The two sisters-in-law finished their housework and came over to help wash dishes as well.

Zhou Jie drank a bowl of water to soothe his throat, which felt like it was on fire. Then he looked at Zhou Yan with a smile. "Business is pretty good, right? Once winter comes, it'll get even better."

"It really is good. There isn't a single stall at this dock doing better business than yours." Zhou Yan nodded. He could also tell that quite a few of the customers were regulars.

"Let me tell you, everyone in Zhou Village knows how to make soup, but making a good pot of it takes plenty of know-how. Starting with using beef bones to make the stock..." Zhou Jie set down his bowl and began explaining how to make the soup to Zhou Yan in great detail. He even pulled him over to the pot to demonstrate.

Zhou Yan nodded repeatedly as he listened. Meticulous control over every detail was the secret behind Zhou Jie's soup standing out.

It was actually quite similar to the Qiaojiao Beef recipe Zhou Yan had obtained.

"The biggest difference between my soup and everyone else's is actually this packet of seasonings. I added..." Zhou Jie pointed at the seasoning packet they had used that day, leaned close to Zhou Yan's ear, and quietly listed a string of spices and medicinal herbs, including their exact quantities.

That was the true trade secret, and the competitive edge that set them apart from others.

Zhou Yan listened carefully and memorized every detail, comparing it with the secret recipe he knew.

The ingredients and quantities differed quite a bit, mainly in the medicinal herbs. The spices used to remove the gamey odor and enhance the fragrance were relatively similar.

"Come on, have a sip of the soup." Zhou Jie took a small bowl and ladled Zhou Yan a spoonful.

Zhou Yan blew on it, took a sip, and savored it carefully before nodding. "It's very fresh. The broth has a rich flavor, the gamey taste of the offal is faint, and it tastes very clean."

"No wonder you're a chef. You got right to the point." Zhou Jie looked at him with clear approval. "My cooking isn't as good as yours, but I've been making this soup for three years, so I've got some experience. I'll definitely teach you how to make it well."

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded.

"Doesn't Zhou Yan run a restaurant outside the Textile Factory? Why does he still want to sell soup? Does he really care about such petty profits?" Zhou Liangliang said from the neighboring stall as he cracked sunflower seeds, his tone faintly sarcastic.

"What's wrong with selling soup? My fourth uncle is the best cattle butcher in Zhou Village. Zhou Yan is selling soup to help the family deal with the beef offal. It's a skill passed down from our ancestors. Who are you to gossip about it?" Zhou Jie looked at Zhou Liangliang, his tone quite forceful.

Zhou Hai was wiping down a cleaver beside them. He turned his head and stared at Zhou Liangliang as well, his gaze unfriendly.

Zhou Liangliang felt as if a black bear had fixed its eyes on him. The sunflower seeds in his hand instantly lost their appeal. With an awkward laugh, he stuffed them into his pocket and waved his hand. "We're all from the same village. I was just asking..."

There were seven brothers in their family, each sturdier than the last. They had always protected their own. He had only made that one careless remark.

Zhou Jie did not argue with him and instead continued talking with Zhou Yan about making broth.

"Brother Jie, I actually learned to make soup from my mother. Later, while studying cooking, I learned a medicinal cuisine dish from my master. I've been thinking about combining that medicinal cuisine method with our soup, and I was planning to make a pot to try today." Zhou Yan finally spoke after Zhou Jie had finished.

"Really?" Zhou Jie's eyes lit up. "You're a professional chef. If you can really improve our soup into medicinal cuisine, maybe the Textile Factory workers will like it too!"

Zhou Yan smiled and nodded. "If we can open up the market, this soup will have great potential."

"Good, good, good. Then give it a try first. Tell me anytime if you need anything. We're family, so don't stand on ceremony." Zhou Jie patted his arm. "If it works out, Haizi and I will follow you."

"All right." Zhou Yan nodded. After chatting a little longer, he rode his bicycle home.

Zhou Yan detoured through Suji Farmers' Market and glanced from afar at Wang Qi's meat stall. Half of the pork had been identified as diseased pork, so there was a good chance Wang Laowu bought his supplies from him.

The report Zhou Yan had submitted last time seemed to have vanished without a trace. Wang Qi had been selling meat in the market for years, so he surely had some connections.

Just as Zhou Yan was wondering how to bring the matter to light, he saw market management staff walking over with two men in Zhongshan suits. The middle-aged man leading them wore black-rimmed glasses and had his hair combed perfectly neatly. He stopped and went along the way, occasionally asking stall owners questions. Whenever he passed a meat stall, he would pick up pieces of meat and inspect them closely.

"Who are those two? They look pretty impressive." Zhou Yan bent down to pick up a bunch of greens, casually asking the vegetable seller as he paid.

"Those two? They're leaders from the higher-up health and epidemic prevention station. They come for inspections once a month. The one in front is Gao Tianlei. They say he's the deputy station chief. Last year, he led the team that caught two butchers selling diseased pork. Everyone says he's impartial and incorruptible." The vegetable seller took his money and spoke with a smile.

"Oh." Zhou Yan looked thoughtful. He said nothing more and left carrying his greens.

It would be difficult to prove Wang Laowu had used diseased pork, since no one else could see the identification results. Starting with Wang Qi was a good opening. If they could find proof that Wang Laowu had bought diseased pork from him, Wang Laowu would not escape responsibility.

Besides, Wang Qi sold diseased pork every day and endangered the community. As an enthusiastic member of the public, Zhou Yan could not simply turn a blind eye.

He found a secluded spot, took out paper and pen, and wrote a strongly worded report. Then he went to wait by the market entrance.

Before long, Gao Tianlei and the other man came out surrounded by market staff and rode away on their bicycles.

Zhou Yan immediately followed on his bicycle. Once they had left the market town, he pulled up his collar to cover half his face, accelerated ahead, stopped his bicycle, and blocked their path. He spoke directly. "Station Chief Gao, I want to report someone for selling diseased pork!"

Gao Tianlei and the other man hurriedly braked. Looking at the young man with half his face covered, they asked in confusion, "Who do you want to report?"

"Wang Qi, the pork seller at Stall Number Five in Suji Farmers' Market. He sells diseased pork every day and endangers the community. Please, Station Chief Gao, get rid of this menace for the people." Zhou Yan handed over the prepared report.

"The diseased pork he sells may also end up in restaurants and noodle stalls, posing a tremendous threat to the lives and safety of the public. Please investigate thoroughly and do not allow even a tael of diseased pork onto the people's dining tables."

Gao Tianlei accepted the report and looked at Zhou Yan. "Who are you?"

"A sharp-eyed member of the public!" Zhou Yan pedaled away without looking back.

Gao Tianlei opened the report with a grim expression. By the time he finished reading it, his face had darkened. He said in a low voice, "Go. Have someone bring the equipment over. I want to see just how bold this Wang Qi is!"

Zhou Yan rode around by the river before returning to the restaurant. Even if the epidemic prevention station investigated Wang Qi, they would not trace it back to Wang Laowu so quickly.

But Wang Laowu's downfall came even faster than Zhou Yan had expected.

"Wang Laowu! Why does this beef smell sour and rotten? You bastard, did you mix in leftovers from yesterday?"

"I was wondering why the minced meat topping smelled strange today. It's gone sour! You even added so much pepper and chili oil to cover up the smell!"

"You've got some nerve doing business like this. We came to support you, and you treat us like fools? Even dogs would turn their noses up at the leftovers you're serving!"

"Fuck your ancestors!"

"Motherfucker..."

Not long after the lunch crowd arrived, customers at the noodle stall were already slamming the tables hard enough to shake the place, their curses full of mothers.