Chapter 16: Cabbage Becomes a Hit

The contract was ready by Xiaoping's supermarket the very next day.

Li Chang'an still wholesaled the cabbages to them at the original price of 18.8 yuan per catty, but the vegetables produced by Xianshan Farm were only supplied to Xiao Ping'an's family in supermarkets in Ling'an City.

Moreover, the quantity of vegetables supplied was always determined by Li Chang'an.

Yang Hao specifically wrote this point because he believed that Li Chang'an must have put in a lot of effort to grow Chinese cabbage of this quality, and the quantity that could be supplied was probably not large.

But no matter how much, he can accept it.

Less is less, it just means earning less.

The two parties signed a contract, and Xiaoping'an Supermarket then began to set up a separate section for Li Chang'an's vegetables.

There were still more than a thousand Chinese cabbages left in the field. Li Chang'an had originally thought that the hope of selling them was very slim, but now he could rest assured that these Chinese cabbages would not rot in the field.

After signing the contract, Li Chang'an registered the trademark and drew a simple logo.

Five blue-green mountains are stacked on top of each other, with auspicious clouds floating on their peaks.

Three days later, the special area set up by Xiaoping'an Supermarket for Xianshan Farm was also completed.

Li Chang'an took a look.

The special zone is located in the most conspicuous place in the fresh food section, with his logo hanging from the ceiling and his brand and slogans written on the walls.

Fairy Mountain Farm.

Products from Xianshan are guaranteed to be of the highest quality.

Li Chang'an was very satisfied.

＊

On the first day the special area was set up, thirty large cabbages were placed on the shelves.

When someone comes to the fresh produce section, the first thing they see is the brightest and cleanest area.

"Fairy Mountain Farm? It sounds familiar, but I don't think I've ever heard of it before."

"Could it be referring to the Mysterious Spirit Immortal Mountain?"

"It's probably just someone trying to ride the coattails of his popularity. Didn't the new owner of Xuanling Immortal Mountain recently say he wanted to farm and raise pigs? But if he really wanted to, it wouldn't be mature that quickly. I guess some farm is just trying to capitalize on his popularity."

"Let me see, this cabbage looks pretty good... My goodness, 28.8 yuan per pound?!"

"How much?! It's eight cents more expensive than Linglan Sect's!"

"Are you trying to copy Anji Supermarket's tactics? Xiao Ping'an, you're just a local supermarket, boss, are you crazy?"

Even more surprisingly, some people went to the staff in charge of the special section and asked, "What's so special about this brand? Why are even cabbages so expensive?"

The person in charge smiled politely and introduced, "This is the test report for our Xianshan Farm's Chinese cabbage, and next to it is the test report for ordinary Chinese cabbage. Xianshan Farm's Chinese cabbage is richer in nutrients than ordinary Chinese cabbage, and it is also sweeter. The core of the cabbage is also very suitable for eating raw. It is free of insect eggs and harmful bacteria. We also have sample packs here, you can try them."

Two stamped test reports are hanging on the wall; the data speaks volumes.

The girl who asked the question looked at it carefully and found nothing wrong. The test report was official and there was no possibility of it being fake.

Guided by the staff, she then looked at the cabbage leaves on the side.

"Shall I try some?" The girl tentatively reached out and poked a small piece with a toothpick, putting it in her mouth.

People around looked over curiously.

She chewed it once, then her eyes widened: "So crunchy! So sweet!"

She looked up and asked excitedly, "Can I have another one?"

The person in charge smiled gently, then firmly shook their head: "Sorry, only one piece can be sampled per person."

The girl let out a regretful "Ah," and looked at the cabbages on the shelf.

Finally, she gritted her teeth and went forward to pick out a large cabbage.

Someone nearby chimed in, "Young lady, are you really going to buy it? This one must cost over two hundred, right?"

"I bought a head of cabbage for over two hundred yuan. Will eating it prolong my life or beautify my skin?"

"You wouldn't happen to be a plant hired by this farm, would you?"

The girl rolled her eyes upon hearing this: "I'm just doing this because I have nothing better to do. There are samples over there, why don't you try them yourselves? It's free."

After she finished speaking, she put the cabbage into the shopping cart. Just as she was about to leave, she saw that there were 29 cabbages left on the shelf. After thinking for a moment, she went forward and took one.

Only then did he push the shopping cart away, completely satisfied.

The people around looked at each other, still somewhat doubtful.

But some people looked at the bok choy leaves for tasting, thinking it wouldn't hurt to try them, and went up to try a little.

Subsequently, they all reacted in a similar way to the girl.

So sweet! So crunchy! And so juicy!

"This is even sweeter than winter cabbage. Could it be that it's been injected with some kind of sweetener?"

The person in charge quickly explained with a smile, "Sister, no, the vegetables from Xianshan Farm are all natural. Our test reports are right here. Of course, if you really have doubts, you can buy some and have them tested by a trusted institution."

Since she said that, this cabbage must really be a bit different.

One by one, several more people bought a few more cabbages.

The cabbages taste really good, but they are too expensive. Very few people can afford to buy one, so after three hours, only eleven cabbages have been sold.

It tastes good, but it's just cabbage after all.

The customers who were originally crowded together gradually dispersed. A man wearing black-rimmed glasses walked into the special area, glanced at it, and adjusted his glasses.

He picked up a large cabbage and examined it carefully for a while.

The cabbage stalks gleamed with a glossy sheen, and the tender green leaves looked as if you could squeeze water out of them. The whole cabbage was plump and round, and it looked rather cute.

"The quality is indeed quite good," the man muttered to himself.

He looked at it again and again, and finally put the large cabbage in his hand into the shopping cart, and bought some other seasonal vegetables to pay for it together.

＊

The man's name was Ji Xuan, and he was the assistant to the boss of Bo'an Technology Company.

Our company recently wanted to discuss cooperation with a large company in Xiadu. After many days of negotiation, the company finally agreed to send representatives to Ling'an City for inspection today.

Ji Xuan had originally arranged to dine at a high-end restaurant, but last night the representative's assistant suddenly informed him that the representative wanted to eat some seasonal dishes, something light, preferably at a more ordinary place, and not to book a private room at a restaurant.

People in Ling'an City love spicy food, while people in Xiadu prefer milder flavors. Ji Xuan completely understood when Ji Xuan told her in advance that she wanted to eat something milder before coming here.

But what about seasonal dishes? Could it be seasonal vegetables?

It's June now, and many vegetables are in season, such as eggplant, green beans, cucumbers, and bitter melons, which can be found on people's tables. There's no need to specifically emphasize eating these.

Adding to that the company's initially somewhat difficult attitude... Ji Xuan found it hard to understand this "seasonal dish" as simply a seasonal vegetable.

It wasn't until outside the special zone of Xianshan Farm that he heard someone say that the cabbages sold in the special zone were sweeter than winter cabbages.

Winter cabbage is sweeter than cabbage grown in other seasons; isn't that a vegetable with seasonal characteristics?

So Ji Xuan went inside and took a large cabbage.

To avoid making a mistake and fearing that she might be over-interpreting, Ji Xuan simply took two things at once and also grabbed some seasonal vegetables.

Carrying large bags of groceries, Ji Xuan drove like a warrior to his boss's villa.

—Because the representative wanted to eat at a more ordinary place, his boss slapped his balding head and decided that they would eat at his house.

The goal was to make the representatives feel at home.

Ji Xuan brought groceries to his boss's house, and his boss couldn't wait to take a look at the groceries he had bought.

"Very good, very fresh."

After a quick glance, the boss instructed the chef to bring the dishes into the kitchen.

Ji Xuan expressionlessly produced the shopping receipt: "Reimbursement."

The boss chuckled and took it: "Okay, let me see, I'll transfer it to you right away."

He treated the representatives to dinner using his own money, having promised Ji Xuan beforehand that he wouldn't need to go through the reimbursement process; he could just give him the receipt and he would reimburse him directly.

The boss squinted, carefully checking the receipt.

"Three hundred and forty-five cabbages from Xianshan Farm?! Ji Xuan, are you sure you didn't buy a decorative cabbage, but an edible one?"

“It’s cabbage for eating.” Ji Xuan pointed to the kitchen. “You can go take a look.”

The boss hissed in pain, "Alright, alright, it's fine. I trust what you bought. It's just... this cabbage is so expensive. If it's not as good as what the Linglan Sect sells for, then..."

Anji Supermarket's headquarters are in Xiadu. The representatives of those big companies are probably tired of eating Linglan Sect's cabbage. Is it really okay for them to serve cabbage again when they invite us to dinner?

Ji Xuan adjusted his glasses: "No problem."

The boss sighed and said, "Alright, I believe you."

After reviewing the receipt, the boss transferred the money to Ji Xuan, even giving her a little extra to round it up.

Ji Xuan nodded in satisfaction.

Although my boss is sometimes unreliable, he's really generous and efficient when it comes to pay.

In the afternoon, representatives from the large companies arrived at the restaurant.

Inside the restaurant, around a large round table that could seat twelve people, sat representatives from Boan Technology Company and five representatives from a large corporation.

Among the five representatives, the leader was a man in his forties who was the vice president of a large company.

The cook and servants brought out the prepared food.

The boss smiled, his eyes crinkling, and kindly introduced the dishes to the representatives from the large company: "These are just some home-style dishes; I hope the representatives won't mind."

The vice president's face was expressionless, but his assistant next to him had some dissatisfaction in his eyes.

The boss pretended not to notice and continued, "These are all my chef's specialties. The ingredients were bought early this morning. Everyone should try them."

The boss had given the chef instructions several times before preparing this meal, and the chef had done his best to make it.

The boss believed there shouldn't be any problems.

However, as the dishes were served one by one, the assistant suddenly said, "Is this all Boan Technology Company can offer?"

It might sound like they're just saying these home-cooked dishes are ordinary, but upon closer inspection, it seems to suggest that Boan Technology Company wants to cooperate, but their sincerity is lacking.

The boss's smile remained unchanged: "Since the delegates have come from afar, we must certainly do our best to be hospitable. The dishes were prepared with utmost sincerity, and we will not let the delegates down."

Just as the chef brought out a dish of boiled cabbage in clear broth and a stir-fried cabbage, the assistant sneered.

"Is this Boan Technology's sincerity?"

Another assistant chimed in, "We've seen this kind of sincerity a lot."

Sure enough, they used the cabbage as a pretext to cause trouble.

The boss looked nervously at the vice president, but couldn't read anything from the other's face.

At this moment, Ji Xuan calmly spoke up: "Although the sincerity of the Bo case is common, it is also innovative. I believe that the representatives have extraordinary taste and will be able to taste its difference."

He stood up and handed chopsticks to the vice president: "President Wang, please."

After the vice president took the table, he introduced each dish: "Although this meal consists of home-style dishes, each dish has its own unique characteristics for spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Spring dishes are fresh and wild, summer dishes are refreshing, autumn dishes are bountiful, and winter dishes are rich and flavorful."

"This represents the boiled cabbage in winter, which is prepared in a simple way, just boiled in water to retain its own flavor. Representatives, please try it, the novelty is hidden in it."

The vice president gave Ji Xuan an approving look.

This table of home-cooked dishes, simply because it contains wild vegetables, cold dishes, meat, and cabbage, can be described by him as having the flavors of all four seasons.

The vice president smiled and picked up a piece of boiled cabbage with his chopsticks.

Since this person highly recommended it, he decided to see what was new about it.

This boiled cabbage dish uses the tenderest heart of a Chinese cabbage. Instead of using broth, it is simply boiled in water. The cooked cabbage heart unfolds into a lotus flower shape and is placed in the center of the soup bowl.

The vice president put a piece of cabbage into his mouth, and suddenly his eyes lit up!

The original version of boiled cabbage in clear broth is all about enjoying the flavorful broth that bursts out when you bite into the cabbage.

The cabbage that has absorbed the broth will be sweeter and will have the meaty flavor from when the broth was made, making it rich and satisfying to eat.

However, once you bite into this boiled cabbage, all you taste is the sweet flavor of cabbage.

It doesn't rely on the rich flavor of broth; its own fresh and sweet juices and crisp texture are enough to conquer people's taste buds.

The vice president pondered the matter carefully, remaining silent for a long time.

The boss was so nervous that his breathing became shallow.

Ji Xuan was also a little nervous, but it wasn't visible on her face. She remained calm and confident as she looked at the other person.

After a moment, the vice president chuckled and said, "Not bad, this cabbage is the best I've ever eaten. You should all try it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Xuan and his superior both breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief.

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of excitement in each other's eyes.

The boss smiled and said, "Okay, everyone, let's start eating."

The other four representatives from the large company were somewhat bewildered after hearing the vice president's words.

But the next second, they saw the vice president reach for the cabbage with his chopsticks again.

Is it really that delicious?

The four representatives glanced at the people from Boan Technology Company, said nothing, picked up their chopsticks, and started eating with the vice president.

Then, they all reacted much like the vice president, speeding up their chopsticks and constantly picking up cabbages from the table.

The two assistants who had initially voiced their dissatisfaction fell silent, focusing instead on speeding up their serving of cabbage.

They didn't miss the stir-fried cabbage next to them either, and it was quickly gone.

Stir-fried cabbage is made with lard, and no other seasonings are added except for salt. The flavor of the cabbage even overpowers the greasiness of the lard, making it refreshing, sweet, and crunchy. Even the chopped cabbage leaves have a sweet taste, without any bitterness.

With this cabbage, the meal was finally enjoyed by both host and guests.

The vice president was clearly very satisfied.

Seeing this, the boss took the opportunity to lead the five representatives to the living room for a casual chat and tea.

Before he could even take a couple of sips of tea, the vice president got up and went to the restroom.

Soon, the group saw the vice president emerge with a slightly shocked expression.

He looked at his superior and asked, "Excuse me, but where did you buy all the ingredients for today's meal?"

The boss became uneasy again.

Is something wrong?

Ji Xuan replied, "I bought it at Xiaoping'an Supermarket in this city."

Knowing that the vice president was very satisfied with the cabbage, he added, "The cabbage is produced by Xianshan Farm, and there is a special section for it in Xiaoping'an Supermarket."

A more obvious smile of satisfaction appeared on the vice president's face.

He looked at Ji Xuan approvingly: "Young and promising."

He then turned to look at his two assistants: "If the inspection goes well tomorrow, you two should learn more from this assistant during future cooperation."

Both assistants were startled, then nodded: "Yes, Mr. Wang."

Across from them, their superior also looked shocked.

If tomorrow's inspection goes smoothly, then during future cooperation...

Does this mean the vice president is interested in a collaboration?

The boss looked at Ji Xuan uncertainly, and Ji Xuan nodded excitedly.

That's right, that's exactly what he meant.

"That's wonderful! Tomorrow, all employees of Boan Technology will be waiting for General Manager Wang to come and inspect the facilities."

The vice president nodded and left with the four representatives.

On the way to the hotel, the vice president said, "Let's go to Xiaoping'an Supermarket tomorrow morning and buy some of those Chinese cabbages."

Even without him saying it, his two assistants had the same idea.

...

Have you all eaten the cabbages from the Qingfeng faction?

[I ate it. I declare that Qingfengpai's cabbage is a constipation savior! My mom was constipated for a week, and after eating that cabbage at Qingfengpai, she was cured.]

[If you get sick from eating bad food, so be it; it's supposed to be a constipation remedy.]

[The person upstairs is clearly ignorant. It really wasn't food poisoning causing diarrhea. Diarrhea is usually accompanied by weakness and fatigue, but after eating the stir-fried cabbage at Qingfeng Pagoda, everything was normal when I went to the toilet.]

I used to belch easily, and I don't know if it's because I ate cabbage at Qingfengpai for three days, but it's basically gone now.

At the entrance of Qingfeng Sect, a burly man was scrolling through his phone, occasionally letting out a disdainful sneer.

"These netizens are really bold, turning an ordinary dish into a panacea."

His assistant nodded and said, "It's probably Qingfengpai's marketing. Aren't they afraid of it backfiring one day?"

The queue moved slowly forward, and soon the two of them had their tickets checked and entered Qingfeng Sect.

The burly man left the discussion thread and instead opened a short video app called "Muyin" (Mu Yin) and started a live stream.

"Brothers and sisters, I've been scrolling through local videos lately and I keep seeing people saying that Qingfengpai's cabbage is delicious. Today, I'm going to check it out and see if it really lives up to the hype!"

The burly meat guy is a food review livestreamer on Yin Fu, whose name is "Only Loves to Eat Meat".

He has a large appetite and eats with great relish, which has earned him over 100,000 fans on the music platform.

As soon as the live stream started, some longtime fans clicked in.

[Qingfengpai? I heard their cabbage dish is really popular lately. Is Brother Meat skipping meat and going vegetarian today?]

"Isn't it because I saw someone say that cabbage tastes better than meat?" Meat Bro chuckled. "I don't believe it. How can vegetables taste better than meat?"

[Meat Bro's "Only Loves Meat" persona remains intact.]

I've tried it too, and it's actually quite delicious.

Is it really that amazing? Let's see if Brother Meat will be proven wrong today.

Seeing the last comment, Meat Bro quickly shook his head: "That's impossible."

More and more people entered the live stream room, and the number of online viewers in the upper right corner showed more than a thousand.

Meat Bro held up his phone, replying to the comments on the screen as he walked toward the Qingfeng Sect's dining hall.

"Let's get straight to the point and see what this cabbage that everyone's been raving about is really like."

After he finished speaking, he shifted his gaze from the phone screen to what was in front of him.

Surprisingly, even though there were hardly any people outside, the dining hall was packed with people.

A disciple bowed and took out a number plate: "Sir, the dining hall is currently full, you will need to wait in line for a while. There are eight groups of guests ahead of you."

Meat Bro took the number plate: "Okay, I'll wait."

He sat outside the dining hall and looked into the hall through the wooden window, then noticed that every table had ordered cabbage.

That's true. There's a lot of hype surrounding cabbages lately, and people are just following the crowd, so they're sure to sell well.

Meat Bro looked at him with disdain.

After waiting for about ten minutes, Brother Meat and his assistant were finally ushered into the dining hall.

"One serving of every dish on the menu that contains cabbage, and one serving of each of these meat dishes as well."

The disciple peeked over and said regretfully, "I'm sorry, sir, our cabbage is limited. Since there are two guests at your table, we can only order one serving of cabbage."

Meat Bro frowned and slapped the table: "Limited edition? So all this time, your Qingfeng Sect's cabbage has been so popular because of scarcity marketing?"

He had a fierce look and a muscular build, and he spoke very loudly.

The disciple, who looked no more than a teenager, froze in fright and said, "I'm sorry, sir..."

A nearby diner, unable to bear it any longer, said, "Such delicious cabbage should be limited, otherwise it would have been eaten up by the early birds long ago, leaving nothing for you and me. Besides, why are you making things difficult for that young disciple?"

While the live stream was in progress, Meat Bro didn't want to leave a bad impression by being too fierce, so he quickly said, "Okay, I didn't mean it, little brother, don't take it to heart. Then I'll have a plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, plus these meat dishes."

"Okay." The disciple quickly took the menu he had selected and left.

Meat Bro set up his phone and said to the viewers in the live stream, "That's just how Meat Bro is. Hope I didn't scare you guys."

The diners at the next table rolled their eyes, then lowered their heads and continued eating.

Meat Bro and his assistant waited a few minutes before the dishes they ordered started arriving one after another.

The assistant filmed close-up footage with a camera, which will be edited into the video later.

After he finished, Brother Meat picked up the plate of golden-brown stir-fried cabbage with vinegar and held it up to the phone camera.

"A small plate costs 68 yuan. Brothers and sisters, do you think it's worth it?"

[68?! What kind of rare cabbage is so expensive? Is it the kind produced by the Linglan Sect?]

I've eaten there before. I haven't tried the cabbage from Linglan Sect, so I don't know how it is, but the cabbage from Qingfeng Sect is really worth it.

[A plate of cabbage for 68 yuan, just a gimmick to sell to you rich fools.]

[...How can you talk like that? Is this the kind of manners the streamer's fans have?]

Seeing that the comments were going in the wrong direction, Meat Bro quickly said, "Everyone, please don't argue. Everyone has a different opinion."

"Come on, let me taste this cabbage and see what it's like."

After putting down the plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar, Brother Meat picked up his chopsticks, took a little bit, and put it in his mouth.

[Waiting for Qingfengpai to crash and burn; Brother Rou is known for his sharp tongue when it comes to food he doesn't like.]

[It's inappropriate for a streamer who likes meat to comment on cabbage; it's bound to be biased.]

What's the rush? It's not your turn to wash yet.

The chat was in an uproar, and the number of online viewers in the upper right corner gradually increased, reaching over five thousand.

In the video, Meat Bro froze, his brows gradually furrowing.

[Haha, this backfired! Looking forward to the nitpicking and insightful comments.]

However, the witty and critical remarks that fans were waiting for did not materialize.

Brother Rou swallowed the cabbage and took a sip of water.

He remained silent throughout, his eyes darting around, unable to look at the comments section.

Then, he picked up a large bowl of rice and placed a large piece of cabbage on top of it:

"The host needs to eat first, we'll talk later."

Under the watchful eyes of more than 5,000 people, he raised his eyebrows and began to eat his meal in large mouthfuls.

His assistant, sitting opposite him, also noticed something was wrong and quietly picked up a piece of cabbage with his chopsticks.

Then, a strange scene unfolded in the live stream:

Two pairs of chopsticks were competing to pick up the cabbage from the plate. When there was only a little left, the host, who was known for his sharp tongue and was called "Only Loves to Eat Meat," suddenly grabbed the plate and poured all the remaining cabbage into his bowl.

"Hahaha." He even looked at his assistant across from him with a victorious air.

[It did indeed backfire, but it was Rouge's persona that backfired.]

[Oh no, Brother Meat, if you dare to eat this, I can't even bear to watch.]

The number of viewers in the live stream continued to increase, with comments flooding the screen.

Brother Meat buried his head in his food and ate three large bowls of rice with just one plate of stir-fried cabbage with vinegar.

He didn't touch the meat dishes on the side.

He then wiped his mouth before awkwardly looking at the camera.

"Uh, it's just okay, not that delicious."

After saying that, he gave a dry laugh twice: "Haha."

Do you think we believe it?

Meat Bro sighed in frustration. After paying the bill, he pursed his lips and couldn't help but ask, "Little brother, what kind of cabbage do you Qingfeng Pagoda use? How do you stir-fry it? It's so delicious, no, I mean, just generally delicious."

The disciple honestly replied, "It's just a regular stir-fried dish with vinegar, and the cabbage is from Xianshan Farm."

Fairy Mountain Farm?

I remember Xiaoping'an Supermarket had a special section for this brand of cabbage, but the prices were quite high.

Seeing this comment, Meat Bro suddenly stood up: "The streamer has something urgent to attend to, so I'm going to end the stream now. See you all tomorrow."

After saying that, he prepared to end the live stream.

Before closing the chat, he saw the last comment: "What urgent matter is the streamer in? So hard to guess. *winking emoji*"

Meat Bro: ...