Chapter 117 : Sky-high Price Cabbage

Fang Xiaoluo kneaded a large batch of dough. Fang Qiang and Fang Jie wouldn’t be home for lunch, but Fang Yamei and Fang Yating would still return.

The lunch Fang Xiaoluo had in mind was very simple: hand-rolled noodles with a soup made of shredded cabbage. It would definitely taste good.

As Fang Xiaoluo placed the noodles into the pot, Tang Jingxian took Shen Haiping outside.

She simply stood quietly, watching Fang Xiaoluo as she worked. She thought Fang Xiaoluo was going to make something more complicated, but in the end, it was just a clear, light soup with shredded cabbage.

However, when the noodles were ready, a delicious fragrance filled the air.

Tang Jingxian felt her heart stir.

Before Fang Yamei and Fang Yating returned, Fang Xiaoluo cooked a portion and they ate first. The most important thing was that Fang Xiaoluo couldn’t let Tang Jingxian wait until lunchtime after all, she’s a big boss and might have other things to attend to.

After serving the hand-rolled noodles, Fang Xiaoluo called out, “Sister Tang, come try it.”

Tang Jingxian took the chopsticks and tasted the shredded cabbage. It was fragrant, refreshing, and had a hint of sweetness, something ordinary cabbage didn’t possess.

She took another sip of the noodle soup. The combination of the noodle’s aroma and the cabbage’s fragrance created a truly unique flavor.

The simplicity of the dish made the taste linger in her mouth. If it was cooked by the chefs at her restaurant, it would be even more refined.

She had been thinking about this over the past two days. If the cabbage’s taste was as special as this, she would sign a one-year contract with Fang Xiaoluo.

As for the pricing, the cabbage and cucumber, if sold as a single dish, could be priced higher. However, if they were used as side dishes, the price would be adjusted to suit customers with varying budgets.

This was something Fang Xiaoluo had reminded her of quality is more valuable than quantity.

After the meal, Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun’s eyes lit up.

They simply couldn’t believe this was cabbage they had grown themselves. Where had this amazing taste been in previous years?

It seemed the potion Fang Xiaoluo had prepared really worked wonders.

Fang Xiaoluo could tell Tang Jingxian was very satisfied with the cabbage’s taste, so she asked directly, “Sister Tang, how is it?”

Tang Jingxian put down her chopsticks and smiled. “The taste is indeed unexpected.”

She stood up, took two draft contracts from her bag, and asked, “What price will you sell your cabbages for?”

“One dollar and fifty cents per pound,” Fang Xiaoluo replied.

As soon as Fang Xiaoluo finished speaking, Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun were stunned.

One dollar and fifty cents per pound for cabbage? Had they heard it correctly?

When had cabbage become so expensive?

But then, they realized that this so-called friend of Fang Xiaoluo might be the boss who would buy the cabbage.

Just when they thought Tang Jingxian might start negotiating, they were shocked to hear her say, “Okay, no problem.”

Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun were utterly dumbfounded.

A pound of cabbage costing $1.50, and there were still people willing to buy it?

Tang Jingxian placed the contract on the table. “I drafted two contracts before coming here. The prices for cucumbers and cabbages are both according to your request. You will provide me with 10 kilograms of cucumbers a day. What about the cabbages? I see you have a lot of them on your land, and judging by the current size, each cabbage weighs at least 5 or 6 kilograms. By the time of harvest, they could weigh 7 or 8 kilograms, maybe even 10 kilograms.”

In fact, Fang Xiaoluo hadn’t asked Zhang Xinyan and the others to water the cabbages excessively this time, as she only wanted to test the results.

Although cabbage is easier to store than other vegetables after harvest, it loses its freshness after being stored for a long time.

Fang Xiaoluo didn’t have much space right now, so she couldn’t keep the cabbages fresh.

“Sister Tang, how much do you want?” she asked.

Tang Jingxian replied, “Two hundred kilograms a day.”

Fang Xiaoluo thought about the feasibility of this request.

It wouldn’t be a problem to supply 200 kilograms a day now, but what about in the winter?

It seemed like Tang Jingxian was planning to set up a greenhouse.

“Sister Tang, two hundred kilograms is too much, at least for now. Scarcity makes things valuable,” Fang Xiaoluo said.

Tang Jingxian asked, “So how much are you offering?”

“One hundred kilograms a day,” Fang Xiaoluo replied. “I can also supply one hundred kilograms a day in winter, but not at this price.”

Tang Jingxian thought for a moment before agreeing, “Okay, deal.”

Right in front of Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun, Fang Xiaoluo and Tang Jingxian signed a one-year contract.

Tang Jingxian immediately paid Fang Xiaoluo a deposit of one thousand yuan, and Fang Xiaoluo guaranteed that fresh vegetables would be delivered to the back door of Dongfeng Hotel at seven o’clock every morning.

For Tang Jingxian, this was a done deal.

After finishing the meal, Tang Jingxian said, “I’ll drive over today and take away 100 kilograms of cabbage directly. Is that convenient now?”

It was certainly convenient. Fang Xiaoluo and Tang Jingxian went to the vegetable field and loaded the cabbages into Tang Jingxian’s car.

After all, one hundred kilograms of cabbage might sound like a lot, but in reality, it wasn’t that much.

When Fang Xiaoluo returned home, Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun had also finished their meal.

Fang Shijun asked, “Xiaoluo, we don’t have too many cabbages, but it’s not a small amount either. You mentioned giving Boss Tang 100 kilograms a day, how long will it take to sell them all? They’ll be harvested in a few days, and if we leave them too long, they’ll lose their freshness.”

Fang Xiaoluo explained, “Dad, that’s true, but if I sell her too much, our cabbage will lose its value. Let me put it this way, even if I have to throw it away after it spoils, I can’t sell so many.”

Fang Shijun didn’t fully understand, but he somehow felt that Fang Xiaoluo’s reasoning made sense.

Besides, the amount of cabbage Fang Xiaoluo had asked them to water this time wasn’t too large, so it wouldn’t have a big impact.

Since the dish tasted particularly good this time, she would definitely have all the other dishes watered with diluted spiritual spring water.

“Also, we still have to eat some cabbage at home. Aren’t you going to pickle it later?” Fang Xiaoluo added.

Zhang Xinyan and Fang Shijun exchanged a look and said, “Xiaoluo, your cabbage is 1.5 yuan per pound. We should just use the cabbage that hasn’t been watered for pickling sauerkraut. Using this stuff for pickling is simply wasting money. No, no, no, this jar of cabbage is too expensive.”

Fang Xiaoluo laughed, “It’s just Chinese cabbage after all. Mom, you can pickle the sauerkraut. I want to see what it tastes like. Who knows, I might even sell it for a good price.”

Zhang Xinyan thought about it and said, “That’s right. This way, we don’t have to worry about the extra cabbages going bad.”

Fang Xiaoluo sighed, wishing they could build a cold storage right now, but unfortunately, the technology wasn’t there yet.

“Mom, we can’t let anyone see the cabbages in the field for now. Don’t tell anyone that we sold the cabbages to Dongfeng Hotel. Just think of it as a gift to a friend. No one will be suspicious,” Fang Xiaoluo instructed.

Zhang Xinyan asked, “Are you worried that others will try to destroy our crops?”

Fang Xiaoluo nodded. “We need to be cautious. Besides, my price is sky-high for everyone, so we must keep it a secret. This is not just to protect our crops, but also to protect ourselves.”