Chapter 160 - 158: Lin Feng Admits It Himself

Chapter 160: Chapter 158: Lin Feng Admits It Himself

When Lin Feng arrived at the Jade Vineyard, he noticed things were a little different. A few students were busy working in the fields beneath the Jade Grapes.

The two professors had shifted their focus from studying the Jade Grapes themselves to researching whether the fallen leaves, when made into fertilizer, had any effect on other crops.

"Senior, Boss Lin is here."

The dark-skinned Chen Mingming watched Lin Feng walk in and set down his notebook.

"Go inside and inform the professor."

"Okay, Senior."

Chen Mingming walked over to Lin Feng. Looking at this boss, who was a few years younger than him, he couldn’t help but think, ’Some people are just in a different league.’

"Boss Lin, are you here to see the professor?"

"Yes. Dr. Chen, has your research yielded any results?"

Lin Feng looked at the bok choy they were growing and saw that it was doing quite well.

"It’s not clear yet. We won’t know the results until this batch of bok choy is fully grown."

Zhou Yongqiang walked out of the nearby lab. Nowadays, there was usually only one professor here at a time.

Both of them had teaching duties. It was a bit easier for Zhou Yongqiang, as he was closer.

Qian Tu, on the other hand, had to go back every so often.

Besides, things were different now. Their contracts with the other bosses had expired, so their current research was completely dependent on Boss Lin’s goodwill.

If Lin Feng didn’t allow them to conduct their research here, they would have no choice but to pack up and leave.

If that happened, all their preliminary research would have been for nothing.

Moreover, researching the Jade Grapes in Lin Xian Village had brought them many unseen benefits.

It wasn’t that no one else had wanted to come and research during this time; Lin Feng had simply rejected all of them.

"Boss Lin, you’re here. Is there something you need?"

"I just came to ask if you, Professor Zhou, have any channels for buying matsutake mushrooms. I’d also like to purchase some matsutake spores."

Hearing that Lin Feng wanted to buy matsutake, he knew it was for the Restaurant. That stuff wasn’t easy for the average person to get ahold of.

"I can ask around about the matsutake for you. Are you buying the spores for cultivation?

This fungus is very difficult to grow. It usually takes three to seven years of cultivation before you might see any matsutake."

"I’d like to give it a try, Professor Zhou.

By the way, do you have channels for that? Could you help me buy seeds for some rare plants?

Also, fruit trees. If you have a source for those, Professor Zhou, I need to buy some of them as well."

Lin Feng suddenly realized that if he ever wanted to buy any plants, he could just come to these two professors.

Previously, when he bought fruit trees, he had to ask others to find them for him. Not only was it a huge hassle, but he also worried about getting problematic stock.

If he had come to ask the professors earlier, not only could he have gotten high-quality fruit trees, but he might have even been able to buy some new varieties developed by the agricultural college.

"No problem. You can give me a list, and I’ll make the contacts for you."

This was a good thing for Zhou Yongqiang. He would earn a favor from Lin Feng and another from the sellers.

After Lin Feng left, Zhou Yongqiang started making calls to source the matsutake for him.

"Hey, Old Wei, do you have any matsutake over there?"

"Professor Zhou, you’re buying matsutake too? A lot of people were buying it last night, which made the price jump by five percent today."

Zhou Yongqiang asked, puzzled, "A lot of people are buying from you? Do you know what’s going on?"

"A restaurant in a place called Lin Xian Village is buying them up. Oh, right, you mentioned last time that you were in Lin Xian Village too. Could you ask around and see what’s happening?"

Hearing that it was Lin Xian Village buying them, he grew even more confused. ’Is Lin Xian Village that short on matsutake? Even the boss himself came to me for help.’

"Chen Mingming, go over to the Restaurant and ask what’s going on with their matsutake purchases."

"Yes, Professor. I’ll go right now."

Chen Mingming gathered his things and headed toward the Restaurant.

"Old Wei, save some for me. The boss of Lin Xian Village wants to buy some from my end, too. Market price is fine."

"Got it. I’ll send over one hundred kilograms of the dried stuff in a bit."

"Thanks."

"With our relationship, there’s no need for thanks. You’ve helped me out plenty in the past."

Arriving at the Restaurant, Chen Mingming found a server and asked him about the matsutake situation.

"The matsutake? Our chefs in the back are developing a Medicinal Cuisine. I heard it tastes great and uses matsutake as an ingredient, so we started buying it."

"It’s for the Medicinal Cuisine. Thanks, I understand now."

Back at the Jade Vineyard, Chen Mingming reported what he had learned to Professor Zhou.

"It’s really for a Medicinal Cuisine?"

Zhou Yongqiang didn’t quite get it. ’Just for a Medicinal Cuisine, they drove the price of matsutake up by five percent? How much did they buy?’

He sent the information he’d gathered to Old Wei. The other man was also puzzled and decided not to hoard his stock, instead choosing to sell off his matsutake while the price was high.

Lin Xian Village’s large-scale purchasing of matsutake also attracted some attention in the culinary world. Many chefs began asking what was going on.

When they learned it was for a Medicinal Cuisine, most of them didn’t pay it much mind. They had thought Lin Xian Village was coming out with something new and revolutionary again.

After a busy day, the Restaurant staff finished cleaning up and all gathered in the main hall.

"Team Leader Qingqing, is the Medicinal Cuisine really that delicious?"

Wang Qingqing took off her hat and smoothed her bangs. "I’m not sure either. Manager Wan is here, you can ask her."

"Manager Wan, is the Medicinal Cuisine good?"

"You’ll know once you try it. It’s much more delicious than the food we normally eat."

"If Manager Wan says so, then we’re really in for a treat."

Knowing that Matsutake and Bamboo Pith Chicken Soup was on the menu tonight, Zhao Shiyun and Hu Xia arrived quickly, with Hu Zhiming following behind them.

In the back kitchen, all the chefs, except for those cleaning up, were standing in front of the clay pots, staring at the Medicinal Cuisine.

The ten kilograms of matsutake that Huang Yi had ordered were all rehydrated. This time, he was prepared to let everyone eat their fill.

Geng Changxin, standing beside him, patted his shoulder and said, "Don’t feel bad about it. I bought a lot too. I’ll give you some later."

"I’m not worried about the cost of the matsutake, but this stuff isn’t easy to buy. I’m thinking we’ll need to acquire more in the future."

If the Medicinal Cuisine really had those effects, then they would need to keep matsutake in stock at all times. It would become a daily necessity.

"True. It looks like I’ll need to order some more, too."

With that, he started making calls, contacting his old suppliers to help him buy more matsutake.

The other chefs in the kitchen all decided to buy some as well—those with money bought more, those without bought less.

Everyone knew that if the Medicinal Cuisine was proven to be effective, drinking a little every day would be of immense benefit to them.

Lin Feng also brought his father to the Restaurant, mainly so his father could take some back for his mother and sister.

"Dad, I want you to bring some of this Medicinal Cuisine back for Mom and my sister every day. It strengthens the body, remedies deficiencies, regulates immune function, and fights fatigue."

Lin Dongyue said, a bit skeptical, "Does it really have all those effects you mentioned? It’s not like I haven’t eaten it before. I didn’t feel much of a difference."

"That was the stuff from outside. How can it compare to the Medicinal Cuisine here? Just remember to come to the Restaurant every day and have the chefs prepare some for you to take back. I’ve already told Mom."

"Fine, fine! Don’t use your mother to pressure me. I’ll take it, alright?"

The eavesdroppers nearby all had expressions of sudden understanding.

Now everyone understood. Since the boss himself had said it, the Medicinal Cuisine definitely had those effects. There was no need for them to keep guessing anymore.

Hu Xia ran over and asked, "Are those effects you just mentioned real?"

"In any case, drinking it once a day is definitely beneficial. Just remember not to drink too much—one pot at most per day."

Seeing that Lin Feng didn’t want to explain further, Hu Xia understood. This Medicinal Cuisine was definitely something special, and she knew there were some things Lin Feng couldn’t explain.

This made everyone even more certain. Now they were wondering, how would they secure their supply of Medicinal Cuisine in the future?

Hu Zhiming said, "Sis, should we send some back home for our family?"

"Let’s skip today. We can send some to the family tomorrow, after the matsutake I had Dad order arrives."

Zhao Shiyun was already off to the side, secretly calling her mother to explain the situation.

Compared to the rarity of the Jade Grapes, this Medicinal Cuisine was much easier to obtain, though its effects might not be as potent.

However, the Medicinal Cuisine wasn’t scarce. If you wanted to drink it every day, you just needed to have a chef prepare it.

"Shiyun, are you sure?"

"Mom, I’m sure. The boss said so himself, and after we drank it yesterday, we felt great too."

"Alright, I understand. It’s matsutake, right? You don’t need to worry about it."

Overhearing the phone call, Hu Xia instantly realized what was happening and hurriedly called her own father to tell him the news.

"I understand. If your boss said so, it must be something good. I’ll have people start acquiring it right now."

All the quick-witted people in the hall caught on and started making calls or buying matsutake online.

"Master Huang, it looks like we don’t need to verify it anymore. The boss has said it himself.

And the effects are even greater than we guessed. The benefits of this Medicinal Cuisine are truly immense!"

"Then what are you all standing around for? Hurry up and figure out how to buy some matsutake, or you won’t be able to drink it even if you want to later."

After saying that, he also picked up his phone to contact his own teachers and friends.

The chefs in the kitchen weren’t fools. Matsutake can’t be cultivated, and the annual yield is limited.

As soon as word of the Medicinal Cuisine’s effects got out, there would likely be a rush to buy up matsutake. The price would soar, and they would have to spend much more to get it.

For a moment, the kitchen was filled with the sounds of phone calls and text messages. Even if they didn’t consume it themselves, they could brew a pot and sell it for a profit.

The matsutake wholesalers, having gone through the rush last night, were puzzled when another wave of large-scale purchasing began this evening.

As they shipped out their orders, some of them asked around to find out who was buying up so much matsutake. They thought someone was trying to corner the market.

After asking around, they learned it was all because Lin Xian Village needed matsutake for a Medicinal Cuisine. They were left speechless.

The commotion had seemed like a big-shot capitalist was making a play to manipulate the matsutake market. They had gotten their hopes up for nothing.

Still, the massive demand from Lin Xian Village allowed them to raise their prices for a bit.

However, when Hu Yousheng and Wang Yuwan got involved, some people in Wuyuan County were the first to notice that something was amiss.

It was just for one type of Medicinal Cuisine. Was it really necessary to purchase matsutake in such large quantities? The annual yield was over ten thousand tons; it wasn’t exactly that rare.

Because so many people knew about the Medicinal Cuisine, the news spread quickly.

When everyone learned that the Restaurant in Lin Xian Village had a new Medicinal Cuisine—a top-quality product vouched for by the boss himself—they could no longer remain calm.

Anything that Lin Feng personally endorsed had already proven to be an absolutely premium product. You couldn’t go wrong buying it.