Chapter 278 - 263: Boss, You’re Finally Back

Chapter 278: Chapter 263: Boss, You’re Finally Back

Soon after, the three of them had all finished their noodles.

Li You took a jug of liquor from the storage basket on his motorcycle’s rear rack and handed it to Lin Zhonghai.

Lin Zhonghai knew this was the liquor Li You sold at his restaurant. A jug this size should hold one catty.

’A whole catty?’

Lin Zhonghai quickly waved his hands, refusing the gift. It was far too valuable.

Li You said, "How is this valuable? I sell it for twenty yuan a tael, so this is only 200 yuan. That bag of plums you gave me yesterday was worth much more than that. Elder Lin, you see I didn’t hesitate to accept your gift, so please don’t you hesitate with mine."

Lin Zhonghai replied, "That’s not the right way to look at it. Those plums are worth a little over 200 yuan at most. But your liquor... even though you only sell it for 20 yuan a tael, or 200 a catty, its true value is far greater. Everyone says that if you sold it on the open market, it would go for at least 2,000 yuan a catty. Some people would even pay 20,000 for it."

Li You said, "Let’s not worry about what it might sell for elsewhere. The price I sell it at is 200 yuan a catty. That means this jug of liquor is worth 200 yuan, right? So, it’s not that valuable."

After some more persuading, Lin Zhonghai finally accepted the liquor. He then insisted Li You pick another bag of plums to take home today.

Li You waved his hands in refusal, saying he definitely wouldn’t take any more today. He then told Lin Xiao to get on the motorcycle, as it was time for them to head to Zhang Zongfu’s house.

Lin Xiao giggled and hopped on the motorcycle. "Well, Grandpa," she said to Lin Zhonghai, "we’ll be going now."

Lin Zhonghai had no choice but to nod. "Alright, you two drive safely."

"Okay!"

Li You and Lin Xiao replied in unison.

Then, they set off.

On the way, Lin Xiao said, "Oh, right, Boss, we’re coming to your restaurant for lunch today. My grandparents, Uncle Guodong, and Uncle Liu. I told them about your Chopped Pepper Fish Head, and none of them have ever tried it. Today’s the perfect opportunity for them to see what it’s like."

Li You smiled. "Of course, you’re all welcome. Since you’re coming for lunch, why don’t you just head over to the restaurant with me now?"

Lin Xiao grinned. "That’s what I was thinking, too. I’ll call Grandpa and tell him I’m heading over there with you on your motorcycle."

"Okay," Li You said.

Lin Xiao took out her phone to call Lin Zhonghai. She had her own cell phone now.

Over the phone, Lin Zhonghai told Lin Xiao to behave and not cause any trouble for Li You.

Lin Xiao readily promised she would.

A short while later, they arrived outside Zhang Zongfu’s courtyard.

Zhang Zongfu was in a patch of land not far from the courtyard, building a trellis for his cucumbers.

He was pleasantly surprised to see it was Li You. He immediately dropped what he was doing and hurried over.

"Boss Li You, welcome, welcome!" he called out as he walked.

Li You walked up to greet him with a smile. "Uncle Zhang, after I got back yesterday, I had an idea. I’d like to buy that Reishi mushroom from you to take home for my parents to make tea with. So, I’ll buy it. How about I give you 2,000 yuan for it?"

Zhang Zongfu was a little surprised, but he was also very pleased that Li You had taken an interest in his Reishi mushroom.

’However, if Li You is buying it for himself, that price is clearly too high.’

So, Zhang Zongfu said, "I’m delighted that you want to buy the Reishi, Boss Li You. But that price... 2,000 is too much, far too much. 1,000 yuan would be plenty."

’Half the price, just like that?’

Li You was once again struck by how generous and forthright Zhang Zongfu was.

’But Zhang Zongfu’s sentiment was more than enough. I can’t let him take a loss on this, can I?’

So Li You said, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang. But we really should go by the market price. Honestly, Uncle Zhang, a Reishi like that is a once-in-a-lifetime find. Being able to buy it for 2,000 yuan is incredibly lucky. And, to be perfectly frank, if I were to sell it through other channels, the final price would most likely be higher than 2,000. So at this price, I’m actually the one getting a good deal."

Zhang Zongfu replied, "Perhaps you’re right about all that, but I disagree with your last point. For me, if I were to sell that Reishi myself, I’d get five or six hundred yuan for it at the absolute most. So, getting 1,000 yuan from you is already a huge profit for me. I’d be more than satisfied with that."

Li You said, "Uncle Zhang, your kind thought is more than enough. I’m already getting a great deal as it is; I can’t take even more of an advantage. So, it really has to be 2,000 yuan."

Li You pressed an envelope into Zhang Zongfu’s hand. Inside was the 2,000 yuan in cash he had prepared that morning.

After taking the envelope, Zhang Zongfu tried to pull out half of the money to give back to Li You.

Li You quickly caught his hand, insisting that he had to pay the full 2,000, no matter what.

In the end, Zhang Zongfu accepted the full 2,000 yuan.

He then thanked Li You profusely.

After thanking him, he added, "Let me go dig up a bag of potatoes for you. And you should take some bitter melons home, too..."

Zhang Zongfu listed off several other vegetables, insisting that Li You take some of each.

Li You quickly refused, saying the restaurant was already well-stocked with vegetables. Any more and they might end up spoiling.

It took another round of persuasion to finally talk Zhang Zongfu out of his offer.

After that, Li You said his goodbyes and left, with Lin Xiao on the back of the motorcycle, of course.

Next up was Lin Guodong’s house.

Li You didn’t know the exact way to Lin Guodong’s house either, so Lin Xiao once again gave him directions.

Before long, the two of them arrived outside Lin Guodong’s courtyard.

Almost every house in the village had a courtyard.

Their sizes simply varied depending on the lay of the land.

Lin Guodong was also pleasantly surprised to see Li You and immediately invited him inside to sit for a while.

Li You said he couldn’t stay, as he had to hurry back to get things ready at the restaurant. He then took the other jug of liquor from the storage basket on his motorcycle’s rear rack.

Just like Lin Zhonghai earlier, Lin Guodong insisted it was too valuable and that he couldn’t possibly accept it.

Li You used the same line of reasoning, and after another round of persuasion, Lin Guodong finally accepted the liquor.

After chatting for a few more moments, Li You and Lin Xiao said their goodbyes and left. ℴ

On the way, Li You said to Lin Xiao, "Your grandparents, Uncle Guodong, and Uncle Zhang are all so incredibly warm and hospitable."

Lin Xiao replied, "That’s because you were good to them first, Boss. Plus, they really are just very kind people."

"It’s mainly because they’re good people," Li You said.

Lin Xiao giggled. "The boss is a good person, too."

"You think so?" Li You laughed heartily.

The two chatted all the way back, quickly arriving at the restaurant.

Ye Shengge was sitting in the rocking chair outside the restaurant entrance.

"Sister Ye, good morning!" Lin Xiao called out.

The little girl was quite the charmer.

Ye Shengge was also very happy to see Lin Xiao. She smiled faintly. "You’re here, too."

Lin Xiao said, "My grandparents are coming later for lunch, along with Uncle Guodong and Uncle Liu."

Ye Shengge said, "Ah, so that’s why you came ahead on the boss’s motorcycle."

Lin Xiao nodded. "Yup!"

Just then, Lu Yuan walked out of the restaurant. "Boss, you’re back," he said to Li You.

Li You looked a little surprised. "Mr. Lu Yuan, you’re here so early?"

Ye Shengge explained, "Mr. Lu Yuan arrived just a little while after you left. He was planning to have beef noodles for breakfast."

’Ah, so that was it.’

Li You was quick to apologize.

Lu Yuan waved his hand, indicating it was no problem.

Li You then asked, "Have you had breakfast yet, Mr. Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan replied, "Not yet. Miss Ye suggested I go back to town to eat, but I wanted to wait for you to get back. I’m set on having the beef noodles here."

...