Chapter 125: The Culinary Tycoon

Internal Relations Breakdown

Master Hu was efficient in his work. The next day, he sent one of his managers to Hongyun.

At that time, Hongyun had just finished delivering a batch of goods, and the round-faced boss was happily counting money in a small room. After counting, he planned to go to the bank to exchange it for silver ingots or banknotes.

“Boss, the manager from Huihai, is here,” the manager from Hongyun came in and informed the round-faced boss.

“Manager Zhou from Huihai?” The round-faced boss was quite surprised and asked, “What is he here for?”

The manager shook his head and said, “I don’t know. He’s just looking around.”

“Let’s go, we’ll go out.” The round-faced boss quickly put the money back in the drawer, locked it, and closed the door before heading out.

“Oh, Manager Zhou, it’s a bit inappropriate to not properly welcome your arrival. Do you have something to discuss?” The round-faced boss greeted Manager Zhou as soon as he saw him.

This Manager Zhou was the right-hand man of Boss Hu, the owner of Tongshan’s largest shipping company, Huihai Shipping. He was highly regarded by Boss Hu, and many times he represented Boss Hu in handling affairs.

The round-faced boss didn’t know why Manager Zhou had come this time, whether he represented Boss Hu or himself.

“Boss Yuan, you’re here.” Manager Zhou walked to a small barrel and saw that there was still some seafood left inside. He asked, “It’s nothing, I just came to take a look. Hey, how do you sell this seafood?”

The round-faced boss smiled and said, “If Manager Zhou wants to taste the seafood, you can take it directly. This was just delivered this morning, and there’s still some left. I’ll have someone scoop it up for you.”

“Hey, Boss Yuan, no need to be polite. I’m not here to eat seafood,” Manager Zhou waved his hand.

The round-faced boss then asked, “Then why are you here?”

The Manager Zhou glanced at the round-faced boss and smiled, saying, “Our boss likes to eat seafood, especially the shrimp made by Boss Yu from House of Prosperity. He went to House of Prosperity for dinner yesterday and heard that seafood prices have doubled compared to before. House of Prosperity might not be able to afford making shrimp anymore, so he sent me to take a look.”

Upon hearing this, the round-faced boss’s heart skipped a beat, and he cautiously asked, “Boss Hu likes to eat seafood?”

Manager Zhou nodded and said, “Yes, he enjoys it. Previously, there weren’t any good chefs who could make it delicious. But now House of Prosperity’s seafood suits his taste very well, so he goes there to eat about every two or three days. Therefore, if House of Prosperity stops making shrimp, it will give him a headache. That’s why he asked me to check it out. According to the boss’s idea, if seafood is so profitable, why don’t we, Huihai, open a dedicated seafood line? We can sell it cheaply to Boss Yu and let him continue making seafood. Then the boss will always have delicious food to eat. What do you think, Boss Yuan?”

Upon hearing this, the round-faced boss felt a chill down his spine. If Huihai starts doing seafood, how can his small wooden boat compete with Huihai’s large ship?

He swallowed nervously, rubbed his hands anxiously, and said, “Has seafood prices increased in the market? We have always maintained the same price here, and we only raise it once a year, maybe by a penny or two.”

“Is that so? But how come Boss Yu and the others have seen seafood prices double?” Manager Zhou asked in confusion, and then added, “Oh, by the way, I heard that the price of flour at Yu’s Snack Shop has also increased. Boss Hu and his family like to eat their dim sum, and they are worried that dim sum might also become more expensive in the future.”

The round-faced boss wiped the sweat off his forehead and quickly replied, “Flour has also gone up? Flour prices are usually stable. It must be the grocery stores trying to make some extra money for the Lunar New Year.”

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

Manager Zhou glanced at him and then continued to look around Hongyun’s warehouse, inspecting it from top to bottom and left to right. He then said, “Boss Yuan, you’ve made these wooden barrels quite well. How many prawns can one barrel hold? Oh, Boss Yuan, Huihai also wants to start a grain line for flour and wheat. I’d like to learn from you. Among the northern states of Taizhou, Qinzhou, and Yuzhou, which one has lower grain prices? If I remember correctly, you source your goods from Yanshan County in Qinzhou, right?”

Opening a grain line too? And he even knows where they source their goods from?

Upon hearing this, the round-faced boss understood that Manager Zhou had come for the price increase of seafood and flour. He didn’t dare to play any tricks and said, “…Yes. Manager Zhou, I think the increase in seafood and flour prices in the market is probably a misunderstanding. Even if they increase, it won’t be doubled.”

“Is that so?” Manager Zhou stared at the round-faced boss and asked.

The round-faced boss nodded, confidently saying, “Definitely.”

Manager Zhou casually picked up a fish and seemingly casually asked, “Do you know the owner of Xiang Man Yuan, Boss Yuan?”

The round-faced boss’s heart sank as he replied, “He is… my nephew.”

“Oh…” Manager Zhou loosened his grip on the fish, and it slipped into the wooden barrel with a splash, creating a few splashes of water.

He flicked off the water from his hand and said, “Boss Yuan, you’ve been in Tongshan City for several years now. Usually, we mind our own business, and there’s no conflict between us. We get along well. You’ve had it tough too. So, I’ll kindly remind you, Tongshan City, it’s not big, but it’s not small either. There are quite a few big and small families here, and losing one or two every year isn’t a big deal, especially if they are outsiders. Do you understand?”

Upon hearing this, the round-faced boss quickly nodded and said, “I understand.”

Manager Zhou stared at the round-faced boss for a while, making sure he truly understood. Then he stood up, took a cloth from someone nearby, wiped his hands, and patted the round-faced boss on the shoulder, saying, “Good that you understand. I’ll take my leave then. Just make sure I don’t have to make another trip.”

The round-faced boss nodded heavily.

After Manager Zhou left, the round-faced boss was drenched in sweat, with cold sweat running down his back. His shirt was wet.

“Boss, are you alright?” the manager asked with concern.

The round-faced boss weakly waved his hand and said, “I’m fine. Send someone to make a trip and tell the seafood vendors and grocery stores not to raise prices for Yu Qingze anymore. They should revert to the original prices.”

“Understood, Boss.” The manager quickly responded and went to find someone to carry out the task.

The round-faced boss entered the room, opened a drawer, and looked at the silver coins inside. He let out a deep sigh and couldn’t find any joy anymore.

At noon, Jia Xiaoren received the news. He rushed to his uncle’s house and asked, “Uncle, what’s going on? My men saw your people telling the seafood vendor not to trouble Yu Qingze anymore. And, didn’t I tell you not to sell to them? Why did you allow them to raise the prices?”

The round-faced boss had been frightened by the events of the morning, and he believed that Manager Zhou wasn’t just making empty threats. If he didn’t handle the situation quickly, Boss Hu might really start two separate lines. In that case, his small fleet wouldn’t be able to survive and would eventually be swallowed up.

The round-faced boss looked at Jia Xiaoren and advised him with a serious tone, “Xiaoren, listen to your uncle’s advice. Focus on running your restaurant well and don’t bring the ways of your hometown here, especially with Yu Qingze. We can’t afford to provoke him.”

Jia Xiaoren frowned and asked, “Uncle, what’s going on with you?”

The round-faced boss wiped his face and said, “The people from Huihai Shipping came to see me this morning. They warned me that if I continue to trouble Yu Qingze, I won’t be able to stay in Tongshan anymore.”

“Huihai Shipping?” Jia Xiaoren furrowed his brow and asked, “What do they have to do with this?”

The round-faced boss explained, “BossHu from Huihai Shipping loves seafood very much, and his family also enjoys the pastries and dishes from Yu’s. Moreover, he has a good relationship with the Cai Family, and Yu Qingze also has a good relationship with them.”

Jia Xiaoren chuckled and said, “Isn’t it just a small shipping company? It’s making you so scared, Uncle?”

The round-faced boss replied, “A small shipping company? Huihai is the largest shipping company in Tongshan. They can swallow up any of our other shipping companies at any time. If you’re not in this business, of course, you don’t care. Can’t you think about your uncle?”

“So, Uncle is refusing to help me then?”

“I have the willingness but not the ability. Xiaoren, listen to your uncle’s advice. Your uncle won’t harm you. Don’t confront them. Although your uncle has connections above, the Cai Family is not someone to mess with.”

Jia Xiaoren snorted and said, “Uncle, aren’t you afraid that in the future, when you return to Qingzhou, you won’t even have a place to settle?”

“You!” The round-faced boss became angry. His nephew was actually using their hometown matter to threaten him. He waved his sleeve and said, “Whether you listen or not is up to you! Let me tell you, in May this year, I already transferred the household registration of my whole family to Tongshan. I don’t care whether we go back or not!”

Jia Xiaoren narrowed his eyes. He had forgotten about this. His uncle did indeed go back once in May and transferred the household registration. He snorted coldly and left, waving his sleeve.

Without the help of the round-faced boss, Jia Xiaoren had been thinking for two days about how to deal with House of Prosperity. But then he received news that House of Prosperity had introduced a new dish – Drunken Duck.

And it happened to be Xiang Man Yuan’s signature dish.

(T/N: Drunken Duck is not the same as Beijing Duck. Drunken Duck typically refers to marinated duck meat that is cooked or braised in a flavorful liquid or sauce, often containing alcohol such as Shaoxing rice wine. The dish gets its name from the marinating process, where the duck is soaked in a mixture of seasonings and alcohol, allowing the flavors to infuse into the meat.)

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Thandar: Way to go, Brother Yu. Put all that Jia guy’s signature dishes on your menu and let him close his failure of a restaurant already.