Previous
Fiction Page
Next
Font Size:
Chapter 64
Eating people’s mouths are soft, but, “Sister, look, I’m just an apprentice here, washing dishes, washing vegetables, doing odd jobs.”
Sang Luo narrowed her eyes, took a clean pouch leaf from her basket, and skillfully scooped several large chopsticks full of the vegetarian tripe onto the leaf. After the appetizing vegetarian tripe was beautifully presented against the green leaf, it looked even more tempting.
With about half a bowl’s worth, Sang Luo put down the chopsticks and wrapped the pouch leaf. She handed it to the teenager and said, “You don’t need to help with anything else. Just pass a message to your boss for me. I just need to meet someone, and all this is for you as a thank you. How about it?”
How about it?
Of course, he was very tempted.
The taste he just experienced was great, but unfortunately, there were only two pieces. He wiped his hands and accepted the pouch leaf package, “Okay, wait here.”
The restaurant also served breakfast, but there were relatively fewer people in the morning. The teenager leaned against the back kitchen door and looked inside. When he saw the head chef with his back turned, he sneaked in and quickly came out again. He went to the main hall.
He stood next to a red pillar, his eyes scanning the hall and the stairs up and down. When he saw a waiter coming down from the second floor with a towel, he made a gesture and beckoned with his finger.
The waiter looked around, walked up to him, and asked, “Why aren’t you working in the kitchen? What are you doing here?”
“Brother, can you take me to see the boss?”
The waiter chuckled, “You want to see the boss too? You’ve grown some courage.”
The teenager’s face turned stern, “Who do you think you are, thinking the boss is as idle as you? Anyone can approach him? What nonsense are you thinking? Go back to work.”
As he was about to leave, the teenager grabbed him, “Brother, it’s not that. There’s something serious. A young lady came to the back kitchen and brought some food she made herself. She wants to ask if the boss wants it. I tried it, and it’s delicious, really, it should be added to the menu. It will definitely sell well.”
As he spoke, he took out the pouch leaf package and was about to open it to show his brother, but then his ear was grabbed by the older brother, “You’ve got some guts, bringing cooked food straight to the boss’s presence without going through the kitchen. Aren’t you afraid the head chef will make trouble for you later?”
The teenager grinned and protected his ears, while the older brother chuckled, “Stop pretending. I didn’t use much force.”
The teenager chuckled, “I’m not learning cooking from him. I’m just washing dishes and vegetables in the back. If I catch the boss’s eye, won’t I be able to work in the front hall in the future? What’s there to fear from the head chef?”
“And this thing really tastes good. Brother, try one. Our restaurant doesn’t have this kind of dish.”
This time, the pouch leaf package was finally opened and presented to his brother. He picked up a piece and offered it to his brother’s mouth, then looked at him with shining eyes and said, “Try it and see if I’m lying to you.”
The waiter chewed on the food, and hey, it really wasn’t bad.
Looking down, it was indeed a type of food he had never seen before. He looked left and right, not quite sure, and asked, “Is it some kind of beef tripe?”
It was similar but different.
The teenager nodded, “It’s similar, but it feels fresher and tastier.”
The waiter was serious this time. If it was this kind of food, it would be a good idea to introduce his brother to the boss. Nowadays, cows can’t be easily slaughtered. Even though they were a restaurant, they didn’t have many sources for beef, let alone beef tripe?
Thinking of this, the waiter smiled and said, “You silly kid, you’ve done the right thing this time.”
It would definitely leave a good impression on the boss.
“Let’s go, take your pouch leaf package, I’ll take you there. When the boss asks for your opinion, be clever.”
The teenager nodded repeatedly, and the two of them headed for the front desk.
The teenager had obviously been at Dongfu Restaurant for many years and was quite familiar with the boss. He said something to the boss and then pointed at his brother. The boss nodded, and the teenager called his brother over.
The pouch leaf package was taken out again, and the boss looked at it. The teenager quickly fetched chopsticks and presented them. The boss took a piece, tasted it, raised his eyebrows, nodded, put down the chopsticks, and asked, “Is the person outside the back kitchen door?”
The teenager smiled and confirmed.
The boss smiled and said, “Then let’s go. Lead me there and bring the person in.”
He was going to personally invite them in.
…
Shopkeeper Xu, the boss of Dongfu Restaurant, was in his forties, with faint eyebrows and small eyes, a square face, and a wide mouth. His features were not particularly attractive, but when Sang Luo first saw him, the phrase “kind eyes” came to mind.
With the help of the teenager’s recommendation, and under the scrutiny of several chefs in the back kitchen, Sang Luo was invited into a private room at Dongfu Restaurant, accompanied by the head chef.
The vegetarian tripe in Sang Luo’s pottery basin was placed on the table in the private room. Shopkeeper Xu invited the head chef to taste it as well, then asked Sang Luo, “Mrs. Sang, what is this dish called?”
Actually, what he wanted to ask was, what kind of dish is this?
Of course, neither the restaurant owner nor the chef could recognize it, and Sang Luo wouldn’t say. So, he phrased it differently.
“Shopkeeper Xu, you can call it Vegetarian Tripe.”
Chef Yu had been looking at it for a long time and had tasted three pieces. Hearing the name, he nodded, “The texture, similar to tripe, and the taste are quite similar as well. It’s aptly called Vegetarian Tripe.”
As he spoke, he tried to visualize the original appearance of this dish in his mind, but while knife skills could be replicated, the ingredients were impossible to discern.
Meeting Shopkeeper Xu’s gaze, he silently shook his head.
Shopkeeper Xu understood and smiled at Sang Lou, “I don’t want to inquire about the ingredients, but as a restaurant, food safety is our top priority. So, Sang Lou, there should be no worries in this regard, right?”
Sang Lou assured him immediately, “That’s natural. I wouldn’t sell anything unfit for consumption. I can’t afford that kind of trouble.”
Shopkeeper Xu nodded with a smile, “That’s good to hear. With your assurance, I feel much more at ease.”
He then asked with a smile, “I wonder, how much does Sang Lou value this Vegetarian Tripe?”
Sang Lou’s palms were sweating, but she maintained her smile as she met Shopkeeper Xu’s smiling gaze. There was no sign of nervousness on her face as she replied, “Let’s sell it by the pound. I won’t ask for much, just 18 cents per pound. How about that?”
She had originally intended to jar it and sell it in the pastry shop, but after looking at the pastry shops in the county today and seeing that they were all selling very traditional pastries, her Vegetarian Tripe would be out of place there and might not sell well. That’s why she shifted her focus to this restaurant.
The items delivered to the restaurant naturally didn’t need to be jarred. However, Sang Lou was currently in dire need of money, so she was sweating profusely as she set a price comparable to that of meat, overpricing it significantly.
Shopkeeper Xu chuckled. People who offered high prices often followed up with a remark like “I won’t ask for much.” He smiled at Sang Lou and said, “Sang Lou, the price of this Vegetarian Tripe is almost as high as that of premium pork.”
Sang Lou also smiled, “Meat has its own taste, and Vegetarian Tripe has its own charm. Each has its own merits, don’t you think? Besides, you can buy pork from any butcher, but Vegetarian Tripe is not so easily obtained.”
Furthermore, she continued, the people who could afford to dine in this restaurant were not likely to be pork eaters; those who ate mutton were more fitting to their status.
That’s right, wealthy people in this time and space rarely ate pork because, similar to ancient China, pigs were not castrated here. Uncastrated pigs had a certain unpleasant smell or sour taste in their meat, which was difficult to remove. Skilled chefs could mitigate this with certain cooking or seasoning techniques, but most people couldn’t or didn’t have the means to do so.
As a result, pork was mostly consumed by the poor.
Sang Lou’s Vegetarian Tripe was priced the same as premium pork, which couldn’t be considered expensive.
However, Shopkeeper Xu’s focus was on her last sentence. Merchants were the most adept at seizing opportunities. Sang Lou only mentioned that it was difficult to find Vegetarian Tripe elsewhere. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Would Sang Lou be willing to grant me exclusive sales rights?”
Sang Lou neither agreed nor denied. After a moment of contemplation, she said, “That depends on the quantity. After all, I rely on this for a living, don’t I? How about granting an exclusive deal for three to five pounds per day? My family might end up with nothing otherwise.”
In fact, at the price Sang Lou had quoted, three to five pounds a day would be a huge income for a small farmer in the countryside. Fifty-four to ninety cents a day, what wasn’t considered a huge sum?
Where could they find so much money in the fields?
But for Shopkeeper Xu, who runs a restaurant in the county, asking for exclusive sales rights for a few dozen cents a day would be too much.
So Shopkeeper Xu also smiled, exchanged a glance with Chef Yu, then looked at Sang Lou and said, “I can’t promise more. After all, it’s just a dish. We won’t sell it to other places if you agree not to. How about that? We can reassess based on the sales volume later?”
Ten pounds.
That’s one hundred and eighty cents a day, and in ten days, it adds up to one thousand eight hundred cents.
With the money earned from selling tofu, it shouldn’t be a problem to pay rent and taxes within twelve days.
Sang Lou wasn’t greedy. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t produce that much. Making konjac tofu was extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the money wasn’t easy to come by.
Moreover, konjac in the mountains was abundant, but not unlimited. The konjac near the village had been cleared, and only deeper into the mountains could it be found. Even with snake repellent powder, it could only offer some protection against insects and snakes. There were dangers in the mountains beyond just wild animals, and she didn’t dare to go too deep.
Fortunately, konjac had amazing water-absorbing properties. One pound of konjac could produce eight pounds of konjac tofu. Supplying ten pounds a day to East Fortune Restaurant, Sang Lou felt that there was no pressure for now.
So she nodded, “Alright, verbal agreements aren’t binding. Should we draw up a contract?”
Making contracts in business negotiations was common for Shopkeeper Xu, but looking at Sang Lou’s appearance, she clearly looked like a poor country girl. He was a little surprised. Could Sang Lou even read?
Asking such a question would be impolite. Shopkeeper Xu simply called the waiter to fetch the accountant, who dipped his brush in ink and prepared to write. He and Sang Lou discussed and began to draft the contract.
Contracts were a guarantee for both parties. Shopkeeper Xu wanted exclusive sales rights, while Sang Lou wanted a guarantee of daily sales volume. Of course, she didn’t box herself in; she only guaranteed exclusive sales rights to Shopkeeper Xu during the contract period and didn’t promise to supply at least ten pounds every day.
This requirement had to be clearly noted in the contract.
Shopkeeper Xu was stunned by this statement.
But Sang Lou smiled and said, “There are times when manpower falls short. This contract guarantees your exclusive sales rights and ensures that I meet the sales volume requirement. As for other aspects, I can’t promise too much.”
Would she have to compensate if she couldn’t supply the goods?
Sang Lou wouldn’t make such a guarantee for the goods from the mountains. She simply said to Shopkeeper Xu, “If I can’t supply the goods, I’ll notify you one day in advance. You can remove that dish from the menu then.”
Alright, Shopkeeper Xu understood. This girl not only could read but was also quite shrewd in setting up contracts. She even pointed out some unspoken risks in advance.
He gestured for the accountant to write it down according to Sang Lou’s words. After discussing and revising other details, Sang Lou then requested to add a six-month term to the exclusive sales contract.
“No other implications. All cooperation should have a time limit. Let’s gather while it lasts, and part ways if it doesn’t work out. It adds another layer of security for both of us, right? If the cooperation goes well, we can renew it after the expiry.”
Shopkeeper Xu and the accountant, who was writing beside him, and Chef Yu, who was observing, were all surprised.
It’s said that sellers are not as astute as buyers. Shopkeeper Xu had been running East Fortune Restaurant for twenty years. Although he was kind, he was indeed a savvy businessman. Today, he had met his match.
This young girl was only in her twenties, but she was very experienced in business.
Shopkeeper Xu smiled and nodded, “Absolutely. Sang Lou, you’re right. Let’s set it for six months. I believe that after six months, we’ll still be able to continue our cooperation.”
As for whether Sang Lou’s family would offer a higher price, that was Sang Lou’s guarantee to herself. There was nothing more to say. They could discuss it later.
He then instructed the accountant to add the time limit.
Afterward, he said to Sang Lou, “Just one thing, the Vegetarian Tripe you brought today, we’ll buy them all.”
Sang Lou heard that the supply wouldn’t start until three days later, and she calculated that she would be missing out on five hundred and ten cents.
But after giving it some thought, she understood. After all, it was a restaurant. How could Shopkeeper Xu dare to serve such unfamiliar food directly to customers? Buying what she brought today and waiting for new goods three days later meant that she and the restaurant’s staff would try them first. Well, maybe some small animals had tried them first, but trying them was definitely necessary.
If there were no issues after three days, then the new dish would be introduced.
Sang Lou readily agreed. Missing out on over five hundred cents wouldn’t stop her from reaching three thousand three hundred and eighty-eight cents. There were other ways to earn money besides these two, like continuing to make and sell sour jujube cakes. Sang Lou wasn’t worried.
With the deal settled, the snacks Sang Lou brought today were taken away by the waiters to be weighed. The total weight was twenty-three and a half pounds, which Shopkeeper Xu accepted. According to the price of eighteen cents per pound for the cold dishes, the accountant was instructed to fetch four hundred and twenty-three cents.
Two copies of the drafted contract were then transcribed, and Sang Lou and Shopkeeper Xu signed and stamped them together. Once the ink was dry, they each kept a copy.
The accountant had fetched the money by now, and Sang Lou felt embarrassed as her purse was full. She was about to stuff the coins into the pockets of her sleeves when Shopkeeper Xu noticed and kindly instructed the accountant to fetch a proper money pouch. Once it was filled, he handed it to Sang Lou.
The money pouch he provided was far superior to the one Sang Lou used herself. The material was better, and the weight of the copper coins made her worry about damaging it.
Of course, that was unlikely to happen, but the thought crossed her mind, so she complimented, “This is much more exquisite than the one I use. With such a fine item from you, it’s only fair I give you something in return.”
Saying so, she went to rummage through her basket.
Sang Lou’s basket was truly a treasure trove. Despite its small appearance, it held many items. Underneath the pottery basin where she had placed the konjac tofu earlier, there was a square board. Removing the board revealed another pottery basin, in which Sang Lou had intentionally brought a few pieces of tofu.
Shopkeeper Xu, upon seeing the tofu, chuckled, “So you also sell the tofu from Dongshi and fairy tofu. Do you sell this too?”
Previous
Fiction Page
Next
Sang Luo is definitely savvy when it comes to business, lol. I wonder if she’ll also sell her tofu at the same restaurant because both sides can only profit from such a deal. From Shopkeeper Xu’s words, though, she’ll finally know that tofu does exist elsewhere, which should only increase her sales pitch because it’s such a rare item that few have access to at the time.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀