Zhou Si returned to the restaurant exhausted. Chen Xiaoru was standing behind the counter, fiddling with an abacus in her hand.

"Wife, I'm back!" Zhou Si walked quickly to the counter.

Chen Xiaoru looked up and saw that he looked serious, so she asked, "How's it going? What news did you hear?"

Zhou Si told Chen Xiaoru everything he had learned: "...Everyone says it's related to Mr. Li. It seems he's already acting in secret."

Chen Xiaoru didn't show any sign of panic after hearing this. Instead, she smiled faintly, as if she had expected this. She put down her abacus and said slowly, "This is all within expectations. He wants to force us to close down in this way. He really underestimates us."

Zhou Si looked at her with some concern: "Wife, what should we do now? If they really dump the goods at a low price, we might..."

"What are you afraid of?" Chen Xiaoru interrupted him, her tone firm. "If he can lower the price, so can we. I have a way to deal with meat. Don't worry. I don't believe he can keep selling at a loss!"

Zhou Si was stunned for a moment, then immediately felt relieved, but still a little puzzled: "But wife, this alone is not a long-term solution. We must find a way to solve this problem once and for all."

A shrewd look flashed in Chen Xiaoru's eyes: "Of course, we can't just sit there and wait for death. However, before we think of a solution, we have to stabilize our position first. So, you go..." She leaned close to Zhou Si and whispered a few words.

After listening to this, Zhou Si nodded repeatedly: "Okay! I'll do it right away!"

Chen Xiaoru watched him hurriedly leave with a slight smile on her lips. She thought to herself, "Mr. Li, since you want to play, I'll play with you! Let's see who has the last laugh!"

Chen Xiaoru looked at Zhou Si's departing back, tapped the counter lightly, and thought in her mind.

Mr. Li is coming at us aggressively, apparently intending to squeeze us out of the market with low prices. However, simply lowering prices isn't enough; we need to come up with a new approach...

Chen Xiaoru's eyes lit up and the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.

It's time to introduce hot pot! Hot pot is sure to be popular on this cold day. I just don't know if other restaurants can withstand Mr. Li's wave of low-price dumping.

She picked up the abacus and started clacking at it again, but in her mind she was thinking about all the details of the hot pot.

How to prepare the base? How to match the dishes? How to set the price? All of these need to be carefully considered. Also, I need to quickly prepare the stove and pot for the hot pot...

"Waiter!" Chen Xiaoru suddenly shouted.

"Hey, boss, what do you want?" A waiter ran over swiftly.

"Go and call Master Wang and tell him that I have something to discuss with him." Chen Xiaoru ordered.

"Okay!" The waiter responded and turned and ran out.

Before making hot pot, I have to go back and see how the vegetables at home are doing.

If there is no food for the hotpot, it will be useless and cannot be made.

The next day, Chen Xiaoru returned to Chenjia Village, while Zhou Si was in the county looking after the store.

Chen Xiaoru went straight to the greenhouse vegetables planted by Chen Laizi in the backyard.

Chen Xiaoru lifted the thick straw curtains, and a warm breeze mixed with the fragrance of earth hit her face. She bent down and walked into the greenhouse, which was filled with lush greenery, with various vegetables growing beautifully.

"This cabbage, this spinach, these greens... they're growing so well!" Chen Xiaoru happily stroked the fresh and tender leaves, feeling relieved. With these vegetables, she no longer had to worry about the ingredients for the hot pot!

"Xiao Ru, you're back!" Chen Laizi's voice came from behind.

"Dad, you take great care of these vegetables!" Chen Xiaoru turned around with a smile.

"Hey, this is all thanks to you, otherwise your father and I would have done it." Chen Laizi smiled naively.

"Dad, I came back this time just to discuss something with you." Chen Xiaoru said straight to the point.

"What's the matter? Tell me!" Chen Laizi said immediately.

"I want you to grow more vegetables suitable for hot pot, such as cabbage, spinach, Chinese cabbage, coriander, etc. The more the better. Also, I will teach you how to grow a few new varieties..." Chen Xiaoru told Chen Laizi her plan in detail.

After hearing this, Chen Laizi's eyes lit up: "Hot pot? That name sounds fresh! Okay, I promise to complete the task!"

"Well, I'll leave this matter to you. By the way, after these vegetables are ripe, you can send them directly to the restaurant in the county. I will go to Eryazi to buy a few people. The baby is grown up, and you and mother can't take care of it." Chen Xiaoru reminded again.

"Don't worry, Xiaoru, I've got it in mind! As for the child, I'll listen to you." Chen Laizi patted his chest and promised.

Chen Xiaoru stayed in Chenjia Village for another two days, arranging all kinds of vegetables needed for hot pot, and personally taught Chen Laizi the techniques of planting new varieties.

On the morning of the third day, Chen Xiaoru said goodbye to Chen Laizi and returned to the county town with full confidence.

When Chen Xiaoru returned to the county town, Zhou Si immediately came to greet her with a hint of anxiety on his face: "Wife, you're finally back! Mr. Li has been slashing prices over the past two days. Our business... Sigh!"

Chen Xiaoru patted his hand and comforted him, "Don't worry, I've made preparations. By the way, I asked you to find Master Wang, have you found him?"

Zhou Si nodded quickly: "I've found him! When Master Wang heard that you wanted to discuss something with him, he agreed without hesitation and is waiting in the kitchen now."

"Okay, let's go there now." Chen Xiaoru said, walking quickly towards the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Chef Wang was pacing back and forth. Seeing Chen Xiaoru come in, he quickly went to greet her: "Boss, are you looking for me?"

Chen Xiaoru nodded and got straight to the point: "Master Wang, I'd like to introduce a new dish in our restaurant called hot pot. This hot pot requires a special stove and pot, and I'd like you to help make it."

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!