Novel Full Chapter 229: Drugging Old Xia?
Chapter 229: Chapter 229: Drugging Old Xia?
The older folks were already rubbing their hands together, eager to get started.
Inside the shop.
Xia Changzhi frowned, a strange sense of unease settling over him.
Halfway through his meal, Wang Cheng finally remembered the matter at hand. "Boss Jiang," he said, picking up more food with his chopsticks, "your business license for the new shop should be ready before Saturday."
"The commerce bureau is swamped on Mondays, but it’s not too bad after Wednesday. I pulled a few strings, so we got it fast-tracked."
"That fast?" Jiang Liu was surprised. "You mean I can officially open for business tomorrow?"
Wang Cheng was still busy stuffing his face with twice-cooked pork and tuna sashimi.
He nodded. "Technically, yes. You could open tomorrow."
"But Boss Jiang, I feel like you should do some promotions for the grand opening. Otherwise, you won’t get much foot traffic."
"After all, you’re not using the old restaurant’s name, so a lot of customers might not recognize the place."
Jiang Liu crossed his arms, thought for a moment, and nodded.
"Thank you for the suggestion, Lawyer Wang. But I don’t think any promotion is necessary. From the start, I wanted to use this shop to test one of my ideas. It doesn’t matter whether the new shop makes money. If it does, that’s great, of course."
"I’m not in a hurry. We can take it slow."
He wasn’t concerned about the new shop making a profit right away.
With the original shop to support him, Jiang Liu wasn’t worried at all.
Beside them, Xia Changzhi shook his head and sighed, feeling humbled by comparison.
Xia Changzhi turned to Wang Cheng and said,
"Wang Cheng, do you see that? That’s the kind of vision Boss Jiang has. You’re not even in the same league."
"Huh?"
Wang Cheng felt like he’d just been caught in the crossfire.
Once he processed it, he felt a bit indignant. He was almost fifty, after all.
He admitted he admired Jiang Liu, but to say he was ’not even in the same league’ was a bit of an exaggeration, wasn’t it?
"You must be joking, Master?"
Xia Changzhi chuckled and explained,
"I can tell you from experience that people who go all-out right from the start usually give up halfway through. They burn up all their passion at the beginning."
"It’s like what you suggested—advertising and heavily promoting from the very beginning. Why do that? You want to see results quickly, right?"
"Yes, that’s right." Wang Cheng frowned and nodded, admitting it frankly.
He felt like he was starting to get it, but the idea was still a bit hazy.
Before he even realized it, Jiang Liu had become an imposing mountain in his mind.
Wang Cheng’s gaze toward Jiang Liu was now filled with reverence.
’What a master!’
’A master so profound that even my own Master can’t figure him out!’
Xia Changzhi looked proudly at Jiang Liu. "Boss Jiang, I’ve figured out your strategy, haven’t I?"
???
Jiang Liu was completely bewildered.
He didn’t even know he was capable of such profound strategic thinking.
After a moment’s pause, Jiang Liu remarked casually, "I’m not sure what you two are talking about, but I’ve always believed that a steady pace is better than a frantic sprint. Sometimes, being steady is the faster way to go."
Take his current shop, for instance. Jiang Liu hadn’t done any advertising. He just took it one step at a time and always put his customers first. In return, his customers would find ways to repay him.
The two of them nodded thoughtfully.
"’A steady pace is better’... What a great saying! I’ve learned something today!"
Wang Cheng said with admiration, "Boss Jiang, you’re a true grand strategist. I can’t believe someone so young already has such a profound understanding of business."
"It’s true what they say: you’re never too old to learn."
Jiang Liu: ...?
While Wang Cheng was lost in his admiration,
Xia Changzhi had already devoured eight or nine slices of sashimi, his cheeks bulging.
"Master, leave some for me!!"
Snapping back to reality, Wang Cheng’s lips quivered in frustration.
Truly, the older the ginger, the spicier the bite!
’I only had two slices, and it’s all gone??’
In just a few minutes,
the food on the table was wiped clean. The two had even devoured all the millet chilis mixed in with the twice-cooked pork.
"That was so delicious... Pure bliss~"
Wang Cheng groaned, rubbing his belly.
Jiang Liu emerged from the back kitchen. "The buns are steamed. Want me to grab some for you two?"
Buns?!
The two of them were suddenly hungry again.
Xia Changzhi nodded brazenly. "In that case, Boss Jiang, could you pack up ten Three-Delicacy Buns and five Fennel Buns for me? I’ll eat them at home."
"Same for me, Boss Jiang."
Jiang Liu nodded.
A moment later, he came out of the kitchen again.
"I packed twenty buns and a cob of corn for each of you. Take them home and share them with your families."
These buns weren’t from the daily limit of 1,200. Jiang Liu knew his customers kept a precise count, so he always made close to a hundred extra buns to have on hand.
The two of them were ecstatic.
They hadn’t expected to get corn, too.
"Thank you, Boss Jiang! You’re too kind. The wife at home is always clamoring to eat your food. The pressure on me is immense, I tell you,"
Wang Cheng said jokingly.
Both of them were overjoyed. Helping Jiang Liu was the best decision they had ever made.
Jiang Liu smiled. "If you like the food, just come by more often."
"You two should hurry back. The buns won’t taste as good if you let them sit too long. And thanks for your help today, Lawyer Wang."
"It was no trouble at all, no trouble at all."
"We’ll get going, then. We won’t hold you up from your work."
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before saying their goodbyes.
Once Xia Changzhi saw Jiang Liu return to the back kitchen, he quickly said to Wang Cheng, "Calculate how much we owe. Send the payment to Boss Jiang, and then we’ll go."
Wang Cheng nodded and took out his phone. "We have to pay what we owe. We can’t keep taking advantage of Boss Jiang."
After the two of them left,
the speaker on the counter made an announcement.
"Payment received via PayTreasure: two thousand three hundred yuan."
At twelve-thirty, Jiang Liu announced he was open for business.
"I have an announcement! We’ll be selling another fifty orders of the twice-cooked pork set for lunch today. Also, the first hundred customers to arrive will receive half a cob of corn for free!"
All the customers’ eyes lit up with excitement.
"Holy shit! Brother Jiang is giving out more freebies?? Brother Jiang is a legend!"
"And there’s more twice-cooked pork! This is awesome! I thought I’d never get to eat it again."
"Hurry, hurry! Hey, don’t pull on me, dammit!"
"Why the fuck are you pulling my hair?!"
The customers in line sprinted into the shop as if their lives depended on it.
"Quick, quick, quick! I can’t take it anymore, Boss Jiang! One twice-cooked pork set, ten shrimp buns, and a bottle of juice! I’m starving to death!"
"I’ve been in line for three damn days and I can finally eat! Brother Jiang, give me an order of the beef and one twice-cooked pork, thanks. I wrote it down for you, alright? Don’t forget."
"For the two of us! Fifteen shrimp buns, ten Three-Delicacy Buns, five Fennel Buns, two bottles of juice, and an order of twice-cooked pork to go!"
"Little Boss Jiang, I’ve got a bottle of laxatives here. Could you maybe slip it into Old Xia’s buns for me? I’ve got a feud with him—we’re talking cuckold-level hatred here. Just help me out, please?"
Hearing someone ask him to spike the food, Jiang Liu’s eyelid twitched.
He replied with a smile, "Uncle Liu, if it were any other favor, I might be able to help. But I really can’t help you with this. I suggest you two settle this privately!"
Uncle Liu muttered jealously, "Boss Jiang, you and Old Xia must be really tight."
Jiang Liu pretended not to hear and kept his head down, packing the order.
An older woman ordering nearby started gossiping, "Isn’t that the truth? Boss Jiang always repays a kindness. He remembers all the good we’ve done for him. But look at that Old Xia—just because he helped Boss Jiang a little, now he gets to eat here for free every day. The nerve of that man!"
"Alright, alright, stop crowding around here to chat. You’re going to slow Xiao Jiang down."