Chapter 447 - 346: Dry-Fried Green Beans? Yu Guohua Is Stunned

Chapter 447: Chapter 346: Dry-Fried Green Beans? Yu Guohua Is Stunned

Jiang Liu took the green bean his daughter fed him.

Tongtong’s eyes curved into crescent moons as she smiled.

’Daddy’s so obedient!’

"Honey, have some shredded potatoes."

Jiang Liu opened his mouth to eat the shredded potatoes Jun Qingmeng offered him.

His eyes were still glued to his phone.

He looked just like a baby who still needed to be fed.

He was looking at WeChat.

Ren Qingqing had sent him a message.

"President Jiang, are you busy? I’ve met with the owner of the first property. We’ve settled on a price. The storefront is 231 square meters with no fine finishing. They quoted 28,000 per square meter, and I negotiated it down to 25,000."

"The contract isn’t signed yet. What do you think?"

"(Photo)"

Jiang Liu finished reading.

He thought for a moment.

’That’s not a bad price.’

’Granted, it works out to be more expensive than my current shop, but Yangzhai Street isn’t exactly a major commercial district.’

’The only thing close to a commercial hub is the street with Xinxiang City, about five hundred meters away.’

Seeing the multi-million contract reminded him of something.

Jiang Liu suddenly remembered that he still owed his wife two million.

’I need to start making money fast. Once the new shop opens, it’s going to burn through cash like crazy.’

’And besides, it would be terrible to burn through my wife’s nest egg.’

Jiang Liu could already picture Jun Qingmeng’s pitiful, aggrieved expression.

No more high-end skincare, no more nice clothes, and she’d have to ask him for spending money.

’I almost forgot. I need to link my bank card to Qingmeng’s phone.’

Jiang Liu zoned out for a moment,

then replied to Ren Qingqing: "Okay, sign it. Use the company account I gave you for the funds. And get a move on with the renovations."

"As for the power of attorney, I’ll have it ready today."

Wang City had sent him a message last night.

He said he would come over for lunch today.

He continued discussing the details with Ren Qingqing.

Employee uniforms, ID badges, the general style of the shop’s decor, tableware, and a whole host of other things.

For many of the minor items, Jiang Liu told her to find an industry professional to handle the procurement.

They couldn’t skimp on appliances and tools for the new shop’s opening.

The priority was to get everything ready; as for the legal procedures, he’d have Wang City or someone from the company handle them.

Ren Qingqing: "How should we set our prices and target demographic? I suggest we raise the prices and focus on a high-end clientele."

She had gone to Jiang Liu’s current shop yesterday,

and was surprised to find that the baozi were actually quite good. Paired with stir-fried dishes and rice porridge, the meal had been incredibly comforting.

Ren Qingqing was suddenly eager to prove herself to Jiang Liu.

To put it bluntly, she wanted to suck up to him.

Jiang Liu: "Keep the prices normal. We’ve already bought the shop, what’s the rush? The ingredients are sourced from the countryside, so they’re not expensive. Aside from labor, utilities, and miscellaneous expenses, the monthly operating costs aren’t high."

"What I want to build is a customer base and a reputation. Don’t worry about high-end or mid-range target customers. I want them all."

"Since it’s in a commercial district, we can try raising the price of baozi by one and stir-fries by five..."

Jiang Liu still felt a bit uneasy.

He ran a shop for everyday people. Whether they were ordinary folks, white-collar workers, or whoever else, he welcomed them all.

As long as there was a profit to be made, he’d do it.

If you build a good reputation and attract a lot of customers, it’s hard not to make money.

Just like his current shop. At first, he sold baozi for a few apiece and made several thousand a day.

Now, he was offering a ham dish for three thousand a plate, and it still sold out instantly. The taste of the food, the reasonable profit margins, the customers’ trust, the sheer number of customers, and Jiang Liu’s reputation—all these things created a viral hit of a shop.

Ren Qingqing sounded resigned: "Alright then, President Jiang. We’ll do it your way."

’Oh, whatever.’

’In any case, I’m just here to play along with the Prince Consort. Why should I get so worked up about it?’

’It was just so frustrating. A location this good should be for high-end products!’

’What money do ordinary people have?’

*

Jiang Liu put down his phone.

"Daddy, open your mouth, ahhh—"

Tongtong fed Jiang Liu another green bean.

"Why do you keep feeding me green beans?" Jiang Liu snapped out of it and realized something was off.

"Daddy, eat more green beans. Green beans are nutritious!" Jiang Tongtong said with a straight face.

’I don’t like to eat green beans!’

’If I make Mommy and Daddy eat more, then I won’t have to eat them, right?’

"Right. You eat. The rest are all yours. Green beans are nutritious!"

Jiang Liu simply pushed the plate in front of Tongtong.

He would watch his daughter eat!

’If she doesn’t eat, she’s getting a spanking!’

"Daddy..."

"Green beans are nutritious. Are you sure you don’t want to eat them?"

Jiang Liu playfully raised his hand.

Jun Qingmeng let out a snort of laughter.

’My husband looks so cute when he’s trying to be scary.’

’I love it.’

"Sob... okay, fine!"

Jiang Tongtong had shot herself in the foot.

All she could do was obediently eat every last bite with a pained look on her face.

’Stupid green beans!’

’I’m going to lock up all the farmers in the world who grow green beans and send them to kindergarten!’

The shop opened at 7:20.

Jiang Liu announced that he was adding fifty orders of a dry-fried green bean set meal for the morning.

The regulars at the front of the line got excited, yelling as they rushed in.

"Good thing I came early today! I finally get to eat Boss Jiang’s special for the day, haha!"

"Dry-fried green beans! I’ll have something to brag about when I get back. I have to take some pictures to post!"

"Damn it, those locals are so annoying."

"Boss Jiang, one order of dry-fried green beans, and a portion of yak meat!"

"Dry-fried green beans are my absolute favorite! Boss Jiang, can I pay extra to buy two portions?"

Jiang Liu shook his head. "One per person."

"Alright." Zhao Chuan was a little disappointed.

Yu Guoguang was a little dumbfounded as he got in line and entered the shop.

"Boss Jiang, you know how to make dry-fried green beans too?"

"A little. Not much."

Yu Guoguang: ...

"Give me an order. I happen to have been making dry-fried green beans for several decades, so I’m in a good position to give you an evaluation!"

Yu Guoguang was unwilling to give up his pride as a veteran Sichuan chef.

"Yes, of course, Master Yu. Thank you."

"Haha, no trouble, no trouble at all. I’ve just cooked a lot of Sichuan food, so I have a little insight."

Being called "Master Yu" by Jiang Liu really tickled Yu Guoguang’s ego.

The CEO of Meidi Company, Fang Hongbo, asked with a smile, "Elder Yu, how do you think your dry-fried green beans would compare to Boss Jiang’s?"

He had a smile on his face.

Elder Yu was a living legend in the world of Sichuan cuisine; he had absolute confidence in him.

Besides, he’d had the good fortune to eat Elder Yu’s dry-fried green beans before, and it was a taste he would never forget!

Yu Guoguang said with false modesty, "I might have a slight edge. Master Jiang’s skill is formidable, after all. It’s just... I didn’t expect that besides boiled fish, he also knows how to make dry-fried green beans. It seems I’ll have to give it a taste test for Master Jiang’s sake."

After he spoke, he maintained a faint, deceptively modest smile.

If Master Jiang cooked dishes from other cuisines, he wouldn’t be qualified to comment.

But when it came to Sichuan cuisine... heh. Last time with the boiled fish, Yu Guoguang had admitted defeat, but this time he refused to believe Jiang Liu could pull another rabbit out of the hat with a Sichuan dish!

He refused to believe it. Absolutely refused!

The older folks at the door heard that there was a new dish today.

And it was dry-fried green beans, a dish that had never appeared before.

Every single one of them looked as though they’d swallowed a fly.

It was simply because, from their position in line, it was impossible for them to get any!

Xia Changzhi smiled faintly and stepped out of the line. "You all wait here for a bit. I’m going to go buy an order of dry-fried green beans. Don’t worry, when I get back, I’ll be sure to share... the taste with you."