Hong Yanwu and Shui Qing have been doing their best to help and it's around seven o'clock in the evening, when the restaurant opens for dinner.
Although Hong Lucheng later behaved a bit unhumanly, claiming that only the restaurant staff could eat working meals, and insisted that they go home to eat.
However, Hong Yanwu and Shui Qing's admiration for the old man did not dissipate because of their hungry stomachs. Instead, they brought this sincere submission back home.
Until the two of them finished washing and lay on the bed at night, they were still talking about each other's feelings today.
If nothing else, the key is that the longer they stay in the old man's shop, the more unexpected discoveries and gains they will make.
That series of things I saw and heard was like a compressed biscuit, full of connotations.
The more we talk, the more people think about it, and the more they think about it, the more they are intriguing.
For example, when she was washing her hands later, she discovered that there was something special about the two washbasin stands in the store.
In front of the basin shelf, there is actually a gray painted wooden board one meter long and two feet wide.
The top of the board is not straight, but is laterally concave.
This thing made her think about it for a long time but she still didn't understand it.
It was Fang Bingsheng who noticed her curiosity and told her how to use it.
It turns out that Hong Lucheng specially asked Hong Yanzheng to do this.
It is used to allow guys to use the board to cover their lower bodies when washing their faces.
Because the slope of the board is right against the lower abdomen, this can prevent sewage from splashing on the trouser legs or shoes.
Otherwise, it will look unclean and look sloppy to customers.
Needless to say, there are always such troubles when using a washbasin stand, and almost everyone cannot avoid it.
When Shui Qing heard this, he was completely enlightened.
After trying it, I couldn't help but praise it immediately.
"This is really foreign and clever."
What does this mean?
It shows that people have many blind spots in their thinking. But in fact, there is room for improvement in everything, and it often starts from small things.
The key is whether you are willing or not, whether you want to do it, and whether you can do it in a down-to-earth manner.
She could only express her admiration for the old man's thoughts on doing business.
In addition, there are also the rules in the store and the treatment of the store staff.
These are all in the form of announcements, posted publicly outside the kitchen door, so that the store staff can learn and abide by them.
Shui Qingzai read it carefully, not to mention the surprise.
Because the rules set by Hong Yanwu for the service company are already very detailed, but they are still not as good as the old man's.
That is really too detailed and too strict.
It's almost as detailed as every move, and it's so strict that it even interferes with your way of life.
No smoking or drinking is allowed during working hours, no gambling is allowed at any time, and no staying up late at night is allowed.
They shave their heads and take showers every Tuesday, leaving only crew cuts and short haircuts.
Even if you go out to buy anything with your own money, you must go through instructions and sign before you can come back.
Even eating is governed by strict rules.
A dedicated person is responsible for serving meals, and no talking is allowed during meals.
There must also be a cloth plate on the table, and two types of chopsticks on the plate.
A pair of black ebony, a pair of bone.
The ebony is for putting vegetables on the plate, and the bone is for eating by yourself.
The store also expressly stipulates that the store staff cannot dine out on their own without asking for leave.
In addition, including Hong Lucheng himself, no matter who he is, he eats the same food in the store.
There are no exceptions or special treatment for anyone.
Such requirements are actually quite harsh.
If it were a state-owned factory, it would be difficult for anyone, including the leaders and employees, to do this.
Perhaps only the army is possible.
But on the other hand, the treatment in the store is also surprisingly good.
In addition to the agreed-upon salary, the shopkeepers will also receive different bonuses at the end of the year, depending on the situation.
In addition to providing food, shelter, clothing, haircut, and bathing, every first and fifteenth day of the Lunar New Year, there are also improved meals and food rewards.
The general standard is that the usual two meat dishes, one vegetable dish and one soup have been changed to three meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, plus braised noodles or fried noodles.
This is called stir-fried noodles in Beijing.
But the best part is that there are also snacks available.
It specifies the seasonal snacks purchased from the store after dinner every Sunday, one for each person.
Such rules are really unimaginable.
Not to mention private companies, no state-owned unit has this.
So Shui Qing has been thinking about it since he came back.
Is this old rule of private business good or bad? Is it a bit too strict?
Then in addition to thinking about which of these methods can be transferred to the "Polar Bear" service company.
I just think about how to get my employees to do it without compromising.
As for Hong Yanwu, his feelings were similar to Shui Qing's.
Just because of his professional characteristics, his focus is more on the kitchen.
Like today in the kitchen, through Li Fu's introduction, he learned about some of the secrets in the "big wine vat".
Only then did I realize that even the three staple dishes ordered by the old man were not random.
There is a special emphasis on building a stove, and it contains wonderful features that only experts can understand.
In fact, according to what Li Fu said, the "Big Wine Tank" in the capital should be a place for pure drinking.
They have always only provided ready-made food and wine, without using woks, let alone selling rice.
This is because the small business operation limits its business content.
If you don't use the stove, you don't need a cook, saving coal, land and labor, which is similar to the advantages of opening a hotpot restaurant today.
But there are exceptions in this industry, and that is the "big wine tank" opened by Shanxi people.
In Jiujing, Shanxi people are deeply involved in the wholesale business of Beijing’s liquor industry.
Later, when someone saw that the "big wine tank" was making money, they simply arrested wholesale and retail businesses, and opened a "big wine tank" themselves.
You know, Shanxi people's attitude towards food is quite simple, and they are as well-known throughout the country as their thrift.
They can often eat pasta for half the year.
In this way, sometimes when the drinkers catch up with the boss and the waiters for dinner, they can order a bowl of "sliced noodles" to fill their stomachs.
Think about it, wouldn’t it be nice to have a bowl of hot shaved noodles with a big clove of garlic after drinking?
Especially good quality and low price.
So this noodle became very popular. One person said he liked it after eating it, and others also wanted it.
Gradually, providing "cut noodles" has gradually become the unique business feature of Shanxi "Big Wine Tank".
Of course, other "big wine tanks" must also be able to meet the guests' requirements for food and drinks.
Otherwise, wouldn't all the business be taken away by the "Old Westerners"?
In fact, although other people are not as good at making noodles as Shanxi people, they still have their own methods.
That is to rely on the vendors in front of the store to provide support.
In the past, there was a rule that no vendors would be turned away at the entrance of the "Big Wine Tank".
In the evening, as soon as the lights are hung up, vendors with carts and burdens will come uninvited.
Grilled cakes, sausages, wontons, steamed buns, sesame cakes, hot noodle dumplings, pork head meat, braised and roasted...
A snack night market can be formed spontaneously, which is not only a business for pedestrians, but also a tavern.
When the time comes, all the drinkers in the room have to do is say hello, and that's all there is to eat.
But it must be mentioned that in terms of popularity, the "Tiedangpao Mutton" run by the Hui people ranks first.
Because just a few hot pancakes or grilled with hot mutton, it is the most satisfying dish to fill your stomach with wine.
Without this, no matter who opened the "big wine tank", the business would be a bit colder.
So as a general rule, there is still a convention.
The best spot at the entrance of the "Big Wine Tank" is reserved for the "Pao Mutton" cart.
It is precisely for this reason that it is considered impossible to have this kind of snack gathering scene anymore.
Only Mr. Hong would decide to turn on the stove and start the kitchen.
In order to provide the three most popular dishes of noodles, soaked mutton, and white fire roast to the drinkers.
But in this case, you have to hire someone to take care of it, and it must be an expert.
Otherwise, if it doesn't taste good, what's the point?
Let’s talk about noodles first.
At first, Hong Lucheng originally wanted to ask his eldest daughter-in-law, Xu Manli, to find someone from among the chefs in their factory’s cafeteria to make noodles part-time.
This is because the printing and dyeing industry in Beijing was also controlled by Shanxi people at that time, so Shanxi people accounted for half of the "Hongqi Factory".
Their canteen is also run by people from Shanxi, and its specialty is that the cooking is terrible, but the pasta is authentic.
But then the matter never came to fruition.
It's not a matter of price, it's mainly because the owner can only come at night, and he's a little too proud of his craftsmanship.
He refused to teach the clerk in the store, which was inappropriate.
When the old man is doing business, he knows that he must never let others take it.
In this case, it can only be regarded as a lack of fate and it is difficult to force it.
But it didn't matter, because Li Fu later had a new idea.
He said that the reason why noodles are so popular is because they are hot, delicious and inexpensive.
We also have affordable noodles like this in Beijing, so I know how to make them.
Why don't I teach Bingsheng how to do it, and let him take charge from now on, so we don't need to invite outsiders.
What does Li Fu know? That's rotten pork noodles.
This thing is quite famous in old Beijing. In Lao She's "Teahouse", "Yutai Teahouse" sells rotten meat noodles.
This can be said to be a special food in big teahouses. It is cheap and easy to make.
Rotten meat includes not only pork, but also beef, mutton, donkey meat, etc.
To put it bluntly, the raw materials are not good pieces of meat, but scraps, but the taste is equivalent to today's beef noodles.
Therefore, the price is very cheap and it is enjoyable to eat. It is a "happy pill" for the poor to satisfy their greed.
Isn't Li Fu a waiter?
In the past, in order to learn tea and food, he practiced diligently and asked for advice, and by the way he mastered this skill.
So although this thing has been closed down in batches along with the teahouses in Beijing, it has been extinct in Beijing for a long time.
As an expert, he can bring this dish back to the world.
As a result, the Hong family's "big wine tank" changed the "sliced noodles" into "rotten meat noodles".
Not only does it save trouble, but it also makes you more confident.
Because there are many old people in the capital who still want to talk about this.
After the above is solved, it's time to think about "fired mutton" again.
Needless to say, this dish is authentically halal.
But the problem is that it is impossible for a Han Chinese restaurant to hire a halal chef.
What to do?
According to Hong Lucheng's idea, he had to find a halal chef to ask for advice and leave a recipe for the ingredients.
Later, let Hong Yanwu and Chen Liquan try the recipe, and then bring the "big wine vat" guy.
From now on, Fang Bingsheng will cook the noodles and let the other cook the mutton. That will be enough in the kitchen.
Unexpectedly, things happened by coincidence,
"Zhang Dashao" learned from Hong Yanwu that the Hong family was going to open a "big wine tank" and came here to take care of it.
There is no need to worry about even this little thing.
Don’t forget, who is “Zhang Dashao”?
That's a real famous chef, he knows the cook.
Master Ai, the apprentice of "Ya Hu", is also engaged in fried, roasted and boiled "Youyishun".
So this man knows how to make authentic halal "pao mutton".
With just a few hints, he can make the waiter cook it quickly, and the level of this dish is higher than that of ordinary restaurants.
In this way, the problem of "cannon mutton" is solved.
At this point, it's all gone in the end.
To be honest, this is the easiest thing to do because there is a breakfast shop opposite the store.
There is no need to make it yourself, just make some from breakfast every day.
But what Hong Lucheng was thinking about was how to solve the problem of heat.
If the drinker is allowed to eat it cold, the taste will be much worse.
But if you use a single stove to heat the fire, the efficiency is low and the time is slow, which is not a problem.
If you really want to build a large oven for making pastries according to "Yanmei Zhai", it will be killing a chicken with a sledgehammer, which is too wasteful.
As a result, after much thought, the old man remembered that when he was doing business in the Shanghai Concession, he came across the Western-style stove that Master Huhai had given him.
That seems to be the most suitable thing.
So I drew a picture based on my memories and asked the master in charge of building the stove to "stove rice", and also changed the stove for cooking noodles.
What happened to the stove in the end?
A large burner on one side can cook noodles, and a small burner on the top can boil water.
Then the space between the three fire eyes was hollowed out and an iron box was embedded in it.
Okay, relying on the energy of these three stoves, this becomes a clay oven.
Go back and bake it from the breakfast shop, just use it and heat it up.
Think about it, what is the effect of combining these three things?
The juicy and meaty "rotten meat noodles", freshly grilled and hot-roasted "mutton with iron pan".
Absolutely attractive, right?
Even in modern times, these three things are enough to make this store popular.
This is called delicious and inexpensive food.
It's really much more competitive than those restaurants that cook dozens of home-cooked dishes.
And the most important thing is that with Hong Yanwu's knowledge, he suddenly discovered that once he had the big iron grill and this earthen oven for "fired mutton".
The "big wine tank" also has the potential to infinitely expand the capacity of new dishes.
Because with these equipment, he can make almost all iron plate and baked foods.
It's no wonder that he fell into deep thought, couldn't control his excitement, and thought about it.
All in all, before lights out that day, the discussion between the couple ended with these few words from Hong Yanwu.
"I can't say whether old rules like this are too far or too far, but it's my skill to make people obey them without losing their shape."
"I have thought about it over and over again. If the business can really continue like this, as long as there is no internal chaos, there will be no shortcomings. Anyone who wants to defeat the old man will be like meeting a fox and a hedgehog, and they will have nothing to say."
"Qing'er, if you want me to open such a business across the street, I will definitely not be able to compete with our dad. In the end, either my dad will take care of me, or I can't bear it and get out."
"I can only say that the old man is still the hotter one, so I won't accept it. Compared with the old man, both in terms of knowledge and brains, we are far behind even if we are tied together."