Xu An felt there was no need to think about the suggestion and rejected it outright.

Selling snacks in beverage shops was a trend four or five years ago, but today, this type of shop has become synonymous with 'cheap' in people's eyes.

Although Xu's Catering has always followed the route of "good quality and low price", the difference between "good quality and low price" and "cheap" is worlds apart!

Once Chen Feng's request is granted, the label of "cheap" will not only be attached to Xu's Lemon Tea, but also to Xu's Braised Food and Xu's Fast Food. It's easy to put on this label, but it will be difficult to take it off.

However, Xu An still gave Chen Feng a suggestion: to refer to the combination of Xu's braised food and Xu's lemon tea, and to arrange different types of food to be sold in different stores.

Ultimately, Chen Feng accepted Xu An's suggestion and planned to go back and rent a larger shop, dividing it into two smaller shops to sell Xu's lemon tea and crispy potato chips separately.

Both parties reached an agreement, and Chen Feng became the first franchisee of Xu's Catering to formally sign a franchise agreement!

Xu An escorted Chen Feng to the bus and watched it disappear from sight before turning to walk towards the Xu's Catering headquarters. Just as he reached the restaurant entrance, he bumped into Niu Daben, who had just gotten out of a taxi.

"Oh! Mr. Xu, I didn't expect to run into you as soon as I got off the car. I didn't even need to bother the receptionist to call you!"

When Niu Daben saw Xu An, he immediately went up to greet him in a very familiar manner. As he spoke, he raised his arm and tried to put his arm around Xu An's shoulder, but he suddenly realized halfway through the wave and slowly withdrew his hand, pretending to stretch.

"Boss Niu, what brings you here today?" Xu An immediately ushered Niu Daben into the meeting room, where the heat of the meeting had not yet dissipated.

"The second batch of potatoes is ready to be shipped; it's still 20 tons."

"If it's just a small matter like shipping, Mr. Niu, you don't need to make a special trip, do you?"

"Haha, Mr. Xu, you saw right through me," Niu Daben nodded and laughed. "There are indeed other things. I wanted to ask how many small potatoes are still in stock at Hezibao, and whether they can last until the first harvest next year."

As he spoke, Niu Daben chuckled, a hint of smugness creeping into his voice. He said with great enthusiasm, "The Jiangyuan City Food Festival was quite successful. Not only were the stall owners with mediocre businesses interested in the crispy rice crust and mini potatoes, but even some diners became interested. In just three days of the festival, I received nearly forty applications to learn from them."

"Mr. Niu, your business is booming! You initially estimated it would take about a month to sell all 20 tons of potatoes, but now it's less than half a month, and you're already shipping the second batch. Your business is getting bigger and bigger!"

Xu An launched into a tirade of praise, making Niu Daben beam with delight, his eyes practically disappearing from his grin. Only then did he stop and return to the main topic, saying, "The small potatoes from Hezibao and the surrounding villages have been almost completely harvested."

"Ah! This!" Niu Daben panicked immediately upon hearing this, his eyes widening as he stammered, "What about me? I just set up my stall! What am I going to do if the potatoes are all gone?"

Seeing Niu Daben's anxious and almost furious appearance, Xu An stopped teasing him and quickly said, "There aren't any here in Hezibao, but Hongshan Town and even Honghe Village are growing these small potatoes. They can last until the first potato harvest next year, and even until the summer after next. You can rest assured!"

"Mr. Xu, you really gave me a fright. I thought my business was about to close down as soon as it started to take off."

After being startled by Xu An, Niu Daben felt uneasy, as if his grand undertaking might be thwarted by the potatoes.

"I'll contact Honghe City to see how much inventory they have." Having made his own mess, Xu An said, taking out his phone and dialing the contact number for a staff member at the Honghe City Poverty Alleviation Office.

Ring ring—ring ring—

"Hello, this is the Poverty Alleviation and Development Leading Group Office of Honghe City. Mr. Xu, who are you looking for?"

"Hello, I would like to inquire whether you know the total potato harvest in Honghe City this year?"

"Small potatoes, wait a moment, let me check. This year, the yield of small potatoes in Honghe City is over 2,000 jin per mu, with a total harvest of nearly 6,000 tons, of which 2,800 tons have already been sold. Mr. Xu, are you looking to buy a large quantity of small potatoes?"

"Ah, we'll consider this once the braised food production base is built; for now, we're just looking into it."

Xu An glossed over the topic, exchanged a few pleasantries, and prepared to end the call. Before he could say goodbye, the poverty alleviation office staff member on the other end spoke first, but instead of saying goodbye, they delivered a piece of news that was extremely beneficial to Xu's Catering!

"Mr. Xu, a few days ago, Qingyan Province convened a meeting on poverty alleviation and agricultural assistance. The main content was to find suitable enterprises to provide one-on-one assistance to impoverished villages. Xu's Catering is highly compatible with this policy."

(End of this chapter)