Chapter 233

Chen Meimei Yi Ousheng started cooking as soon as Qing Mengzhu and the others went up the mountain.

Chen Meimei's cooking skills are naturally not as good as Zhou Yan's, who is a master chef, but the country-style firewood-cooked rice has its own unique flavor.

Zhou Yan tasted it and exclaimed with admiration, "Auntie's cooking is really good!"

Chen Meimei said a little shyly, "It's just ordinary food, I'm sure you like it."

Zhao Hexi: "I love it! I'm going to eat three bowls of rice today. Auntie, your cooking is so delicious, every dish is so appetizing, especially this tea-infused old duck soup, the chili peppers in it are the soul of the dish."

Chen Meimei: "Boss Qing brought us chili seeds. These chilies are better than the ones we have here; they're fresher and spicier. They're especially delicious when used to cook duck, stir-fried offal, or stir-fried dried fish."

Zhao Hexi gave a thumbs up. "Auntie, you already have your own culinary philosophy, that's amazing!"

Yi Yanbai proudly added from the side, "My parents apprenticed with a master chef who specializes in banquet dishes. After they've completed their apprenticeship, they'll start cooking for banquets themselves."

Upon hearing this, everyone gasped in surprise.

Qing Mengzhu said with a smile, "Auntie is awesome, and Uncle is awesome too!"

Chen Meimei was very embarrassed, constantly clutching the hem of her clothes, but her eyes were bright. "The head chef said we'll be apprentices, and once we've learned the skills, we'll have to cook with everyone. The two of us can't handle it all alone."

Qing Mengzhu: "That's impressive too, let's have a drink."

After Qing Mengzhu and the others finished lunch, they drank tea brewed from the freshly roasted tea leaves from the past few days.

Zhou Yan took a sip, looked down at the cup, and asked, "Who made this tea? Was it just randomly made?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and waved her hand, "The tea that's casually stir-fried doesn't have this quality. This was stir-fried by one of our new aunties."

The aunt who fries the tea for them is also from Zhaiqian Village. Her family only cooperates with them in growing tea and never thought they could help with processing the tea.

When Qing Mengzhu had just become Intermediate Grower, he gained a new understanding of planting and came to guide him in planting tea and bamboo.

He saw his aunt and discovered that she was "proficient" in tea-frying, so he asked her to help him fry some.

That auntie hadn't systematically learned tea-making; she was entirely self-taught. Now that she's starting to learn, her skills will improve further. Qing Mengzhu and the others have really gotten a lucky break.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yan couldn't help but remark, "This place is truly blessed with outstanding people; it has all sorts of talented individuals."

Zhao Hexi interjected, "There are many talented people out there, it just depends on whether someone notices them. Mengzhu is particularly good at judging people; he doesn't even know where he found many of the company's talented individuals. They are exceptionally professional from the moment they start working."

Qing Mengzhu laughed, "That's why they say a thousand-mile horse is easy to find, but a discerning eye is rare. I guess I'm just lucky."

Zhou Yan: "The tea leaves have started to grow, and the people picking and processing them are in place. Can the company start putting them on the shelves now?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, we've already put tea on the shelves. The premium grade tea isn't available yet, but the first grade tea is 299 yuan per half catty, and it's selling quite well so far."

Zhou Yan was a little surprised. "Your pricing this time is surprisingly affordable."

Zhao Hexi: "Right? I think so too. We said at the time that we could set the price a little higher, but Mengzhu said that the price should match the quality. This tea is only of 299 half a catty quality, so we can't set a random price, otherwise our reputation will be ruined very quickly."

Although Zhao Hexi complained, his face was full of pride. "Not many people are buying our tea now, but all the reviews are positive."

Zhou Yan smiled and said, "If I could buy tea of this quality at this price, I would also give it a good review."

Author's Note:

There will be an extra chapter around midnight!

Chapter 233

After returning home, Zhou Yan actually checked the reviews of Zhuxi Agricultural Technology Co., Ltd..'s online store.

Everyone's reviews of their tea were positive. Not only the tea, but Zhou Yan also checked the reviews of several other products and found that they were all 100% positive.

As Zhou Yan was reading the reviews, his young apprentice Wu Yi, came up from behind, peeked in, and asked, "Master, what are you looking at? Are you planning to add some new dishes to the shop? The tea-infused vegetables and wild greens we've been selling these past few days have been getting great reviews; it seems like we can sell them for a while longer."

Zhou Yan turned around. "How did you know? Who said that?"

Wu Yi: "Don't we have a customer group? I heard it from customers when I was lurking in the customer group."

Speaking of this, Wu Yi couldn't help but show a proud expression. "Everyone gave the best review to the tea-infused duck soup, saying that the combination of tea and duck was simply a brilliant idea, and the garlic cloves and fresh chili peppers inside were the finishing touch."

Zhou Yan: "This isn't our specialty dish either; it's a traditional dish from Zhaiqian Village."

Wu Yi: "I explained it to the customers, and they really like this dish. It's the most popular dish among those who come to order. I didn't even know there were so many people who can handle spicy food."

"People tend to prefer more stimulating dishes these days," Zhou Yan commented. "The flavors have become more balanced, especially in the main dining area; we can offer more dishes with relatively strong flavors."

Their menu is updated every week, mainly featuring seasonal specialties.

However, if customers book a private room, they have the opportunity to order hidden specialty dishes that are not exactly the same as the main menu, which is also part of their marketing strategy.

Just then, Wu Yi arrived, and Zhou Yan began discussing next week's menu with him.

Wu Yi scratched his head, regretting his own tactless accomplice. However, since his master's assessment was already complete, he had no choice but to stand obediently to the side, recite the names of the dishes, and share his thoughts.

Ever since Zhou Yan read the customer reviews on Qing Mengzhu's online store, he has developed a new hobby: browsing the online store whenever he has free time.

He observed the online store for several months and found that its reputation was improving and its business was getting better and better.

Upon careful observation, he also discovered that not every product on the online store was 100% popular with customers. However, if a customer was dissatisfied with a product, customer service would promptly reassure them and provide feedback, and the online store would quickly remove the problematic product from the shelves.

When Zhou Yan was managing the restaurant, there were certain problems that he himself might not be able to react to.

Looking at the online store reviews and comparing them to the marketing and management of their restaurant, he has actually learned a lot.

It's easier to learn from other stores than to dwell on your own problems and reflect on them, and Zhou Yan quite likes this method.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye during Zhou Yan's observation.

From February to May, Qing Mengzhu and his team successively listed various kinds of vegetables and fruits on their online store.

At the same time, these fruits and vegetables are also supplied to their restaurant.

Zhou Yan could clearly sense that the quality of the vegetables supplied by the company in May was slightly better than before.

Not only he noticed it, but even employees with a sensitive sense of taste and customers noticed it, and everyone was amazed by the improvement in vegetable quality.

Zhou Yan asked Qing Mengzhu, Qing Mengzhu said that they had improved the soil with ryegrass and used improved planting methods, so the quality of this season's vegetables was better.

Qing Mengzhu: "This is just the beginning; our vegetables will only get better and better."

Zhou Yan tossed a tomato in his hand and said, "I can hardly believe it. For me, the vegetables I have now are good enough. I never knew that some vegetables could taste so rich."

Qing Mengzhu: "Have the flavors of vegetables become more diverse now?"

Zhou Yan nodded and showed the tomatoes in his hand to Qing Mengzhu: "Take tomatoes for example. Before, I mainly enjoyed their sweet and sour taste. Now, when I taste these tomatoes, I can taste their unique fruity flavor and the juicy, refreshing feeling of their juice."

After Zhou Yan finished speaking, he felt that he hadn't explained it clearly enough, so he added, "To use an imperfect analogy, the tomatoes I tasted before were just tomatoes, and they were quite delicious. But the tomatoes I taste now are like a nearsighted person suddenly putting on glasses. The world suddenly becomes clear, and I realize there are so many details."