Chapter 120: Cooperation

Translator: Lonelytree

“Wow, it smells so good!” Jiang Tao could smell the fragrance from afar. He asked, “Uncle Chen, what are you cooking? I can smell the fragrance of your cooking from a distance away.”

“Tao Zi, you’re finally here!” Uncle Chen smiled and said, “I didn’t cook anything special. I just made a few ordinary vegetarian dishes.”

“Then, this proves how good of a cook Uncle Chen really is!” Jiang Tao praised, “You said they are simple vegetarian dishes, but the fragrance travels for miles!”

“Haha. Tao Zi, you’re such a sweet-talker!” Uncle Chen laughed. “Come in and have a seat. Lingyu is already here.”

Jiang Tao walked in. When he saw Xiao Lingyu, he called out with a smile, “Lingyu!”

Gu Ziye and Wang Zhimin, who were eating raw tomatoes, saw Jiang Tao walk in. They wanted to greet him, but their mouths fell open.

Director Jiang, who was famous for being cold and ruthless, was being so friendly to a girl. This was too strange.

Xiao Lingyu answered, “Brother Jiang!”

Jiang Tao looked at Gu Ziye. “President Gu!”

Gu Ziye suddenly choked, and he coughed violently. ‘Brother Jiang?’

When he calmed down, he greeted Jiang Tao. “Chief Jiang!”

“Now that everyone is here, we can start eating!” Uncle Chen said. Auntie Chen served the dishes.

…

“These dishes are so delicious!” Gu Ziye’s chopsticks moved quickly. He was eating busily, but his eyes never stopped moving. “Wang Zhimin, how can you steal my braised eggplant? Give it back to me.” Gu Ziye moved to grab the last piece of eggplant.

Wang Zimin immediately put the eggplant into his mouth. He exclaimed, “I’ve never eaten such a delicious eggplant before. It’s soft, delicate, and fragrant.”

Gu Ziye was rather angry with Wang Zhimin’s act of defiance. He wanted to scold him but joining the ongoing food war was more important.

Uncle Chen made a braised eggplant, dried lentil beans, tomato fried egg, mushroom and cole salad, cabbage stewed tofu, fried green pepper with garlic sprouts, and sliced cucumber. They were all ordinary home-cooked dishes.

However, these ordinary dishes were being fought over by the six people present. Soon, the eight plates were empty. Gu Ziye even used the sauces to mix with his rice.

“That was so satisfying!” Gu Ziye rubbed his bulging belly, “Master Chen, your culinary skill has achieved a whole new light! Even your vegetarian dishes are so delicious!”

Wang Zhimin concurred, “Master Chen, if you got on the television’s Master Chef, you’d bring back the trophy so easily. Why don’t you go on that competition, Master Chen?”

Uncle Chen laughed loudly, “Haha, I knew you’d say that. But you’re wrong this time. My cooking skill hasn’t changed. The biggest contributor this time is the ingredients. Didn’t you smell their fragrance when I was cooking earlier? You only need to place them in the pot, and the fragrance will come out immediately.”

Gu Ziye and Wang Zhimin immediately caught Uncle Chen’s intention. They were excited as they asked, “Master Chen, where did you get the ingredients…”

Uncle Chen pointed at Xiao Lingyu and said, “Lingyu brought me these ingredients. You’ll have to ask her where she got them!”

Gu Ziye looked at Xiao Lingyu with a serious and sincere expression. He asked, “Miss Xiao, where did you get these vegetables?”

Xiao Lingyu smiled and shook her head. “President Gu, I can’t tell you that.”

Gu Ziye and Wang Zhimin lowered their heads with disappointment.

Xiao Lingyu added, “However, I do sell them. I can provide the Gu Family Hotel with all the ingredients you need!”

Gu Ziye was so excited that he almost jumped up. He said, “Really? That’s great!”

Xiao Lingyu said, “However, I need to make something clear first. I get my stock from a friend, and they don’t have much to supply me. I can only sell a small portion to you for now.”

Gu Ziye frowned. “How much can you spare us, Miss Xiao?”

“How much do you need?” Xiao Lingyu asked.

Wang Zhimin said, “We need at least 500 catties of vegetables every day!” For a big hotel, this was not a big number.

Xiao Lingyu lowered her head to think. Then, she said, “President Gu, I can supply with you a portion of that. However, I need to warn you that my prices are very expensive. In fact, some would say they are sky-high. For example, the tomatoes. They cost about 2 RMB per catty on the market, but my tomatoes cost 2 RMB each. But my tomatoes are larger, and they weigh around 4 taels each. Regardless, my tomatoes are almost twice as expensive as the ones on the market. For another example, we can take the cole. The market sells them for eighty cents but mine cost around 10 RMB.”

“How can they be so expensive?” Wang Zhimin exclaimed in disbelief.

Xiao Lingyu said very seriously, “Because they are worth the price.”

Gu Ziye thought for a moment and asked, “Is there no discount for us to buy in bulk?”

Xiao Lingyu nodded, “Of course. I’ll sell the tomatoes for 1.50 RMB each, and the other vegetables and fruits will go for 6.5 RMB per catty. President Gu, I’m only giving you this discount because of Uncle Chen.”

Jiang Tao listened attentively and said nothing. However, he was surprised. ‘How can Lingyu’s vegetables be so expensive?’

Gu Ziye put one hand on the table and frowned as he thought deeply.

Xiao Lingyu said again, “President Gu and Manager Wang, you’ve tasted the vegetables yourself. Uncle Chen’s cooking skill is amazing, but the ingredients are fresh too. Do you really think they wouldn’t bring in customers?”

Customers at big hotels wouldn’t be short of money. It was rare for people to complain about prices at high-end hotels. As long as the food was delicious, the clients were willing to pay. This was the difference between an ordinary restaurant and a high-end hotel. Customers at ordinary restaurants wanted affordable food, while clients at high-end hotels wanted good service and exceptional experience. They were looking for different things.

While Gu Ziye was thinking, Wang Zhimin cut in with some hesitation. “But they are still too expensive! Will the hotel turn a profit?”

Xiao Lingyu wanted to roll her eyes. ‘Can’t you people raise the price of your food?’ However, Xiao Lingyu didn’t say anything and waited for Gu Ziye’s decision. As the president and a foodie, he should be aware of the value her products could bring to his hotel.

Moments later, Gu Ziye asked, “Miss Xiao, how much you can provide me now?”

Xiao Lingyu answered, “300 catties per day!”

“Okay, I’ll take your offer! Manager Wang will discuss with you the exact type of vegetables and their quantity!” Gu Ziye then asked, “When can we sign the contract? And when will you deliver the products?”

Xiao Lingyu shook her head, “We won’t sign the contract for the time being! But, don’t worry, I’ll deliver you 300 catties of products daily. Instead, we’ll sign the contract in a month!”

Gu Ziye was a little confused, “Why do we have to wait for a month?”

Xiao Lingyu said half-jokingly. “Of course, it’s for you to verify the quality of my products. I want to make sure they can really help with your hotel’s business!” The main reason was that Xiao Lingyu wanted to spread her name on the high-end market. This connection would help her greatly in the future.

Gu Ziye nodded. “That’s wonderful!”

Wang Zhimin narrowed his eyes and did not say anything. It would be great if Xiao Lingyu’s vegetables could really boost the hotel’s business. But what if it couldn’t?

He was worried, but the president had made the decision, so he didn’t say anything.

“Do you have more products with you today? Can you give me 100 to 200 catties?” Gu Ziye wanted to see the results among his clients already.

Xiao Lingyu said, “I sold around 300 catties this morning, and I have around 130 catties left. I’ll deliver them to your hotel later, okay?”

“It’s okay. We’ll go to take them now!” Gu Ziye asked, “Miss Xiao, how about the payment?”

Xiao Lingyu said, “You can pay me monthly. In any case, I’m not afraid that you’d scam me. I have Director Jiang’s support, right?” Of course, Xiao Lingyu was only joking. But this was also a signal that she was not easily bullied.

Jiang Tao nodded very seriously and said, “That’s right!”

Gu Ziye, “…” Do they really think I’m going to run away for the sake of a few vegetables and fruits?

Uncle Chen, “…” When did Tao Zi learn how to joke?

Gu Ziye and Wang Zhimin followed Xiao Lingyu to her place. When they arrived, they were surprised.

Xiao Lingyu said, “Manager Wang, you can have people come here to get the stock in the future. But the roads are only accessible by tricycles!”

“Noted!” Wang Zhimin nodded.

After Gu Ziye and Wang Zhimin got the vegetables, they couldn’t wait to return to the hotel.. They wanted to see the results as soon as possible.