Rebirth of a Farmer's Dad

According to the agreement with Principal Chen, Luo Feng would conduct a trial operation of the high school cafeteria for the first three days after the start of the new semester in September.

Everyone knows that the high school cafeteria in D County is a lucrative business, so naturally, many people in the county want to take over the contract. According to the information Luo Feng gathered, almost every well-known restaurant in X County has come to apply.

Under such circumstances, Luo Feng naturally had to work even harder. He had prepared for this matter for so long, and he was unwilling to end up with nothing but disappointment.

To make a big splash on this day, Luo Feng made thorough preparations, driving his tractor early to take Biaozi and the others to school.

After asking around, he soon met Principal Chen. Principal Chen was somewhat displeased; he hadn't expected Luo Feng to arrive in a beat-up tractor without even a car.

Although he looked down on these bumpkins, Principal Chen didn't say anything because he had made a promise.

Then, led by Principal Chen, the group arrived at the school cafeteria. It must be said that it was quite large, three or four times larger than the kitchen at Luo Feng's restaurant.

This pleased the group greatly, and the three of them were in high spirits at the thought of working here in the future. After all, working here was something to be proud of.

Luo Feng had already prepared the menu for the high school cafeteria. Breakfast consisted of steamed buns, mantou (steamed bread), millet porridge, and pickled vegetables; these days, there wasn't much good food in school cafeterias.

Luo Feng had already found out that the competing restaurants all prepared basically the same breakfast, so there was nothing to say. It seemed that lunch was the key.

Luo Feng had also carefully prepared the lunch menu. Dishes like spicy and sour cabbage, spicy and sour shredded potatoes, cold seaweed salad, stir-fried greens, stir-fried green beans and eggplant, and scrambled eggs with tomatoes were all basic and served daily. Of course, slight adjustments would be made depending on the season.

As for meat dishes, Luo Feng didn't prepare such a wide variety. Generally, they would eat meat once every two days, and the dishes would mainly consist of meat dishes that would satisfy their cravings, such as braised pork belly with a secret recipe, braised chicken legs, stewed potatoes and eggs, and braised fish chunks.

Luo Feng had calculated that if they ate meat every two days, three yuan would be enough for each student's lunch.

Luo Feng has always believed that the principle of eating in the school cafeteria should be to eat until you are full, rather than to be particular about strange and unusual dishes.

However, the result was obviously beyond Luo Feng's expectations. The dishes offered by the other competing restaurants were basically large portions of meat and fish, and they even claimed that they were unlimited.

If that were true, it would be truly unbelievable. Luo Feng would never believe that, given the current economic climate, students could afford a meal costing five or six yuan.

If calculated according to this standard, each student's monthly food expenses would be at least two hundred yuan. These days, families tend to have many children, but everyone's monthly salary is generally low. Even if both parents are civil servants, they still can't afford to support them. Keep in mind, this is the early 90s.

However, the students did not seem to accept this, and many students protested in front of Luo Feng's stall.

"Hey boss, what's going on here? Look at other places, they have lots of meat and fish dishes, but there don't seem to be many meat dishes here," a boy shouted at Luo Feng.

"Yeah, aren't you just trying to fool us?" said a girl wearing glasses who looked quite refined.

“You’re right, it seems our dishes can’t compare to the ones next door. But have you considered what their standard is for each meal?” Luo Feng said to the group of students in front of him, pausing deliberately to observe their reactions.

“Think about it carefully. Is a meal costing five or six yuan really something you can afford? You’re still in school and don’t have your own income. You all rely on your parents for living expenses. I don’t understand what you’re thinking. As long as you’re full, that’s enough. Why don’t you do something with the rest of the money?” As he spoke, Luo Feng pointed at the boy who had just spoken.

"Hey kid, why don't you use the money you save to buy some study materials or a gift for the girl you like? Wouldn't that be better?"

"And ladies, use the money you save to dress yourself up nicely, take good care of yourself, and make yourself look even more beautiful and charming in front of the boys you like. Wouldn't that be better?"

Luo Feng joked with the students while introducing them to the dishes served at his restaurant.

"To be honest, our food isn't bad. Do you think they can sustain this kind of meat and fish supply for several days? You can't eat meat and fish every day at home, can you? And look at these vegetables, they're basically the same as the ones they supply, so we're very confident in the taste of our dishes. Besides, we'll have meat once every two days, so although there aren't as many other dishes, it should still be enough to satisfy your cravings."

"Besides, the money comes from the people. They're supplying us at such a high cost now, but they'll still have to make it back from you in the future. After all, nobody's stupid; nobody wants to do a losing business." Luo Feng was talking animatedly, surrounded by a large group of students who all seemed to agree with him.

These days, most people's living standards are just so-so. Unless it's a holiday or festival, let alone eating meat, many families won't even buy snacks. In comparison, the other shops are somewhat impractical. Since the main consumers of school cafeterias are students, deviating from this model will only result in them being abandoned by the majority of students.

And so, the three-day trial operation quickly came to an end. With Luo Feng's repeated assurances, the students chose to believe his promise. "The standard for each meal will not exceed three yuan, and the price will not increase."

Other vendors also found it strange. On the first day, their stalls were packed with people, but on the second and third days, students all chose Luo Feng's stall.

What were those merchants thinking under these circumstances? Luo Feng wasn't quite sure, but from the envious glances they frequently cast his way, he could tell that they were probably cursing him to death in their hearts.

"If looks could kill, I'd probably be riddled with arrows by now," Luo Feng thought to himself.

Seeing that most students had chosen his stall, Luo Feng was overjoyed. At this moment, they weren't holding banknotes, but ballots. Seeing his stall packed with people, while other stalls only had a few people in front of them, Luo Feng figured he had probably already secured half the votes.

With this result, Luo Feng was no longer worried at all; it seemed that he had victory in his grasp this time.