You are unlucky and I am tough

Chapter 199: Cooperation

Xie Zhiyou followed Cheng Shuang and the others back to their seats. All the ordered dishes had been served, and two maids were watching over them.

Wei Qinglang gestured to the seat next to him, "Master Xie, please take a seat."

Xie Zhiyou nodded, sat down, and called the waiter to bring a pot of peach blossom wine, the most suitable wine for women in the store.

After the wine was brought up, Xie Zhiyou poured it himself. "Brother Wei, Madam Wei, I want to apologize to you for what happened to my third brother. I know him too well. He would never run to the village down there for no reason. Please forgive me if I was disrespectful in any way."

Cheng Shuang picked up the wine glass and said, "Thank you for your courtesy, Young Master. That matter has passed. Don't take it to heart."

"This matter has nothing to do with you. Your brother is your brother." Wei Qinglang also picked up the wine glass and took a sip.

Xie Zhiyou smiled bitterly, "Alas, I am becoming less and less able to control him."

After the three of them finished their pleasantries, Qin Suyue said, "Let's eat, thank you, Master. I am able to treat you to dinner today thanks to my sister."

"Miss Qin is joking."

Qin Suyue picked up a piece of Drunken Immortal Duck and put it in Cheng Shuang's bowl. "Sister, try this. This is one of Taibai Tower's signature dishes."

Cheng Shuang was already hungry and immediately picked up her chopsticks. "Mm, delicious."

Xie Zhiyou looked at the two of them. "Mrs. Wei must have just moved here from Qushan County not long ago. I didn't expect that Miss Qin and I have become so close like sisters in such a short time."

The two looked at each other and smiled. Cheng Shuang said, "This is called hitting it off at first sight. It's a shame we didn't meet earlier."

Qin Suyue also smiled to show her agreement.

Cheng Shuang suddenly realized something was wrong and looked at Xie Zhiyou, "Master Xie, how did you know we moved here from Qushan County?"

Wei Qinglang also frowned and looked over. Yes, how did he know?

Xie Zhiyou laughed, "That Cheng Tongsheng just now is a regular customer of our store. They said you are from the same hometown."

"What caused the collective relocation of several villages in Qushan County? Although the court has blocked the news, our Xie family has our own channels to find out the news. He moved from Qushan County, so I can't help but ask a few more questions."

Cheng Shuang and Wei Qinglang both nodded. So that's what happened. They were shocked and thought that this local tyrant was hiring someone to investigate them.

Xie Zhiyou continued, "If I'm not mistaken, you two are the ones who work with Shopkeeper Meng of the Taibailou branch in Qushan County. The braised meat, pickled vegetables, watermelon, chili peppers, and the method for processing pig offal that Shopkeeper Meng sent me were all your work."

Cheng Shuang almost lost her grip on the chopsticks she was holding. "You know this again?"

Xie Zhiyou laughed, "I just heard that Miss Cheng say that you guys are in the vegetable and meat stewing business. Shopkeeper Meng told me that your partners are a young couple, so it's not hard to guess."

Cheng Shuang curled the corners of his mouth. Those who can do big business are indeed smart people.

Since he had guessed it, there was no point in denying it. Wei Qinglang nodded and said, "Yes, we are the ones cooperating with Manager Meng."

"As expected." Xie Zhiyou's eyes were full of admiration. "You two really opened my eyes. The braised meat and pickled vegetables have unique flavors. Even the chef of our Taibai Tower praised them highly. And the watermelon is sweet but not greasy. It is simply the perfect summer delicacy to relieve the heat."

"The most amazing thing is the way they prepare the pig offal. It's like turning something rotten into something magical. It's given our Taibailou a few more signature dishes."

Wei Qinglang coughed and said, "Thank you for the compliment, Young Master." He felt a little embarrassed by the compliment.

"Now that I've spoken out, I won't hide it anymore." Xie Zhiyou said, "I'd like to continue working with you two. What do you think?"

"How does Mr. Xie want to cooperate?" Cheng Shuang asked.

"The pickled vegetables we received last year are almost gone, and we can only supply them in limited quantities. There aren't many chili peppers left either. I've been thinking of sending a letter to Shopkeeper Meng these past two days, asking him to come with me to Chengjia Village to look for you two."

"To be honest, my main store is only thriving on the surface these days. With restaurants opening one after another in the city, our business has dropped by almost half compared to the past two years. This year, Yixian Restaurant opened up on the next street. If it weren't for the chili peppers, pickled vegetables, and pig offal that Manager Meng sent at the end of the year, we'd probably have lost even more customers."

"I need new dishes and new ingredients to retain old customers and attract new ones." Xie Zhiyou said, "Shopkeeper Meng also sent me some of the ingredients you grow, but it's too little to bring to the store. If we can cooperate, I'll buy as much as you grow."

After Xie Zhiyou finished speaking, the dinner table fell into a brief silence.

Wei Qinglang signaled Cheng Shuang with his eyes to ask her how she would respond, and she seemed quite sincere.

Cheng Shuang coughed lightly and said, "We have indeed planted the vegetables, but they have only been planted for a short time and need time to grow. As for cooperation, we will talk about it later."

What she wanted was not just to provide ingredients to the restaurant, she wanted a partner to open a new restaurant together.

There is a Chamber of Commerce in the capital city. A small fry like her who has no roots, no foundation, and no connections to support her cannot enter the Chamber of Commerce. If she opens a restaurant on her own and the business is successful, she will be eaten up by the people in the Chamber of Commerce and the local tyrants in the capital city.

So she had to find a big tree to rely on. Just like selling soap, she could open a shop and sell it herself, but after the business got better, there would definitely be troubles and it would also attract the attention of the Chamber of Commerce.

Now they can still make money safely and without any trouble, all because the business is openly owned by the Qin family.

As for money, no matter how much you make, it is never enough. The key is to keep your business going for a long time.

Xie Zhiyou was a little confused about what the two were thinking, but he didn't refuse directly because there was still a chance to talk. He smiled and said, "Okay, we'll talk about the ingredients later. As for the braised pork and pickled vegetables, can you provide them now?"

"The sauerkraut needs to be pickled. It's still in the field and can be picked in a few days, but it will take another twenty days to pickle. If Master Xie needs it, I'll have someone notify you and you can send someone to move it. As for the braised meat..."

Cheng Shuang paused for a moment and said, "Actually, people from our village have come to Taibailou to sell braised meat."

"Oh?" Xie Zhiyou asked in confusion. "I only knew you were collaborating with Yixian Tower and Wangjiang Tower, but I didn't know you'd been to our building, too?"

"I handed the braised meat business over to an elder from the same village," Cheng Shuang said slowly. "He previously worked with Shopkeeper Meng in Qushan County. When he arrived here, the first shop he visited was Taibailou. But the shopkeeper only wanted to buy our recipe and was arrogant. The elder got angry and turned around to look for two other shops."

"Oh...so that's how it is."

Xie Zhiyou sighed helplessly after hearing this. "The shopkeeper in my building is related to my family. He has been traveling with my grandfather since he was a child. When he got older, he helped manage the Xie family's business. He asked my grandfather to let him be the shopkeeper two years ago. He is indeed a hot-tempered person and is not suitable for the position of shopkeeper."

Wei Qinglang said, "Master Xie is an ambitious and intelligent man. He shouldn't be nepotistic."

"Brother Wei is right. I should find him a suitable job and arrange for him to move elsewhere."

Xie Zhiyou put down his chopsticks and raised his wine glass. "This was my negligence. I hope you two will forgive me. If your elder is still angry, I can personally come to apologize."

"That's not necessary." Wei Qinglang said, "Now that everything has been made clear, Master Xie is still a friend worth making. Let's go back and tell them to come back another day."

"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, Brother Wei."

Wei Qinglang also raised his glass and clinked it with his, and then they both drank it all in one gulp.

Cheng Shuang drank her soup and glanced silently at the opposite side. She felt that Wei Qinglang seemed to get along well with Xie Zhiyou.

She guessed right, the two of them really got along well, drinking and chatting one cup after another, the conversation started right away. Fortunately, this peach blossom wine was usually a non-intoxicating drink that girls liked to drink, otherwise the two of them would have been drunk.

Xie Zhiyou was full of helplessness when talking about the business in the building. The college entrance examination was approaching and students from all over Dongzhou who were preparing for the exam would gather in the city. The various restaurants had various ways of attracting customers. In comparison, Taibai Tower seemed old-fashioned.

Wei Qinglang hooked his shoulder and said, "Brother Xie, don't worry. I'm giving you an idea. Isn't it just to attract a group of nerds? I'll teach you how to make a staple food. I guarantee those nerds will rush over."

"Brother Wei is also a chef?" Xie Zhiyou was surprised. "What kind of dish is it?"

"Zhuangyuan Jidi Congee."

"Zhuangyuan Jidi Congee." Xie Zhiyou repeated it and said with a smile, "This name is auspicious. How can we make it? Can it really attract students from the city?"

"The name is just a gimmick, the main thing is that it tastes good. After dinner, borrow the kitchen and I'll teach your chef how to make it."

"Okay, let's go to the kitchen together later."

Seeing the two of them hugging each other like brothers, Cheng Shuang turned around and picked up a piece of pork ribs for Qin Suyue, "Let's go to the kitchen later."

There is nothing wrong in making friends with Xie Zhiyou. The cuisine of Daxia has been passed down for thousands of years. She can cook so many dishes in the future that she can't even count them. It's such a good deal to make friends with Xie Zhiyou with just a dish of Zhuangyuan Jidi Congee.