Chapter 484 - 229: You’re Too Young to Indulge in Being a Kept Man

Chapter 484: Chapter 229: You’re Too Young to Indulge in Being a Kept Man

Xiao Lei took Zhou Yan on a tour of the dry goods market in the south of the city, explaining the ins and outs of each spice shop as they went. "The Sichuan pepper from that last shop is the real deal, genuine Han Yuan Pepper. Their quality has always been solid, and the owner has a real knack for storing them. I’ve been using their peppers for years; they’re perfectly numbing and spicy. But their chilis are no good, not as high quality as Sun the Fifth’s up ahead. You have to keep your wits about you when dealing with these owners. When you’re picking chilis, you need to pay attention to..."

Zhou Yan listened with great interest.

In his master’s telling, this small dry goods market with its rows of little storefronts took on the air of a bustling, secret world.

Owners and chefs relied on each other, but also schemed against one another.

"Master, I think this shop’s Erjingtiao chilis are even better than Sun the Fifth’s." Zhou Yan stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on a small basket of dried Erjingtiao chilis at a nearby stall.

[A basket of extremely good dried Erjingtiao chilis]

In contrast, the dried Erjingtiao chilis they had seen at Sun the Fifth’s were rated as [Very good].

"How is that possible? Sun the Fifth has the best dried chilis in this whole market." Full of confidence, Xiao Lei walked over, picked up a dried Erjingtiao to look it over, then broke it open to smell it. He pinched off a tiny piece and chewed it carefully.

Xiao Lei’s expression grew noticeably more serious. He grabbed a handful of the dried chilis to inspect them, then nodded. "You’re right, Sun the Fifth’s aren’t as good as these. These are excellent. Full of fragrance, with a mild heat. Picture-perfect dried Erjingtiao chilis."

Zheng Qiang looked a bit awkward. "Master Xiao, what about all those dried Erjingtiao chilis we just bought and put in the basket...?"

"It’s fine. Sun the Fifth’s aren’t bad, they’re just not as good as these. We’ll buy five jin of these Erjingtiao and mix them in. Next time, we’ll just come here to buy them," Xiao Lei said calmly. "Sun the Fifth’s other chilis are still decent. Look at this Shizhu Red chili over there—its skin is dull, and it feels a bit damp when you squeeze it. Not as good as the ones we just bought."

Zhou Yan walked a few steps ahead, then turned back. "Master, what do you think of this shop’s Shizhu Red chilis? The second bag over there."

Xiao Lei walked over, picked up a Shizhu Red chili to examine it closely, then broke it open and sniffed. His expression became a bit complicated.

"These Shizhu Red chilis are seriously good. Fragrant and spicy." He looked up at Zhou Yan, then at the unfamiliar shop owner, and laughed. "Master Zhou, are you here to give me a masterclass?"

Zhou Yan put on an innocent look and spread his hands. "Master, why would you say that? I just thought these Shizhu Red chilis looked really red and shiny, quite nice, so I asked you to take a look. Isn’t this all stuff you taught me?"

Zheng Qiang pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh.

Xiao Lei shook his head and smiled, a hint of helplessness mixed with his pride.

He had originally planned to bring Zhou Yan to the dry goods market today to give him a lesson on how to select high-quality ingredients, and to pass on the network of contacts he had built up over the years.

He never expected his apprentice to be the one giving him a lesson instead.

The ingredients Zhou Yan picked out were all top-notch, even better than the ones he would have chosen himself.

What could he do?

’He’s my own apprentice, after all. And he even said I was the one who taught him.’

All he could do was be proud.

Xiao Lei looked at the owner and said, "Boss, how much for these Shizhu Red chilis? We run a restaurant and cater ’baba’ banquets, so we use a lot and will be a long-term customer. Give us a better price."

"Master Xiao, I know who you are. If you want them, I’ll give them to you for the same price as Sun the Fifth’s." The owner was a slightly chubby young man. He lowered his voice and said with a smile, "You’re a Grandmaster; you can tell good stuff from bad with a single glance. My Shizhu Red chilis are absolutely the best in the market. I have special sourcing channels; the others can’t get their hands on quality like this."

"Deal. Bag up five jin for me. I’ll be back for more," Xiao Lei nodded. He added, "As long as the quality stays this good, I’ll be buying from you from now on."

"Why don’t you take a look at my Sichuan pepper? Red Han Yuan Pepper. I went to Qingxi Town in Han Yuan to source it myself this year and had it dried. It’s purely aromatic with no off-smells, numbing without any bitterness—absolutely incredible." The owner opened another sack and said with a grin, "My shop’s only been open for half a year, so I don’t have many regular customers yet. If you want it, I’ll give you a price that’s five cents cheaper than the others."

Zhou Yan leaned in for a look:

[A sack of extremely good red Han Yuan Pepper]

"This Sichuan pepper looks pretty good, and it smells very fragrant," Zhou Yan commented.

Xiao Lei scooped up a small handful to look at, then brought it to his nose and sniffed. He nodded. "It is quite good. Alright, we’ll take five jin of this too."

"You got it! I’ll weigh it out for you!" The owner beamed and nodded.

Zhou Yan spoke up, "Weigh some out for me separately, too. Five jin of the Shizhu Red chilis and five jin of the Sichuan pepper."

"Oh, you’re not together?" the owner asked, a little surprised.

Zhou Yan said, "My name is Zhou Yan. I run a restaurant. This is my master."

The owner’s face lit with understanding. "Oh, so you’re Master Xiao’s prized apprentice! A pleasure to meet you. My name is Wan Hao, but everyone calls me Fatty Wan. I’ll get yours bagged up right away."

As long as you knew how to choose, the quality of the dry goods at this market was indeed much higher than at the Suji Supply and Marketing Society.

The dry goods at the Supply and Marketing Society were usually stored for a long time, and the quality was inconsistent.

Today’s trip hadn’t been for nothing. Zhou Yan had managed to pick out plenty of dry goods and spices that his restaurant could use.

After a full tour of the market, the two large back-baskets on the back of Zhou Yan’s scooter were already full.

The stable supply chain that Xiao Lei had spent years building was just poached by Zhou Yan in a single trip.

"Each generation brings forth new talent. There are more and more young people starting their own businesses these days. The ones with real skill and connections can get their hands on some truly good spices and ingredients, and they’re straightforward with their prices," Xiao Lei said with a sigh of emotion. "Looks like I’ll have to start shopping around at other stalls more often. You really can find some amazing things."