After the group entered the private room, Meng Zhao offered Qiao Yanhe the seat of honor. Once everyone was seated, a waiter brought in a tray with damp cloths. After everyone washed their hands, a waiter poured freshly brewed pre-rain Longjing tea for each guest. The tea was clear and bright, exuding a delicate aroma.
Meng Zhao presented the menu with gold foil stamping. "Here is the menu. Please take a look and see if there's anything you like."
Qiao Yanhe reached out and pushed the table back: "Your restaurant is newly opened, and we don't know which dishes are your specialties. Why don't we trouble Manager Meng to arrange a table for us?"
Meng Zhao did not refuse. He glanced at the seven people at the table and had already made a decision. The number of dishes could not be less than the number of people, but seven was an odd number. So Meng Zhao took the initiative to order eight dishes: six hot dishes and two cold dishes, five meat dishes and three vegetable dishes, plus a soup and a staple food.
After ordering, Meng Zhao turned to Qiao Yanhe at the head of the table, "Would you like some drinks to liven things up?"
Qiao Yanhe shook her head. "I don't like the taste of alcohol."
She didn't say she didn't drink, but rather that she didn't like the taste of alcohol. Today, as the hostess, she naturally didn't need to ask the other guests. Meng Zhao smiled and handed the menu to the waiter, and then gave him a few more instructions.
While waiting for the dishes to be served, Qiao Yanhe picked up her teacup and introduced the guests to Meng Zhao one by one: "This is Manager Li of Li's Pharmacy, specializing in precious medicinal herbs. This is Manager Yan of Xinglin Hall, whose family's traditional medicine-making skills are among the best in the capital..."
Meng Zhao greeted everyone with poise, a perfectly timed smile on her face: "It is truly an honor to have you all grace my newly opened Yingke Restaurant with your presence."
The shopkeepers returned the greeting with clasped hands. Shopkeeper Li stroked his beard and smiled, "Shopkeeper Meng, you're too kind. We've come here because we've heard so much about you."
"Indeed," Manager Song chimed in, "Even before Yingkelou opened, it had already gained a great reputation, so naturally we had to come and see for ourselves."
After everyone exchanged pleasantries, Qiao Yanhe slowly revealed her purpose: "As you know, I recently traveled to the Western Regions and discovered that the demand for our medicinal herbs among the various kingdoms of the Western Regions far exceeded my expectations."
As fate would have it, I met many merchants in the Western Regions who were eagerly anticipating trading in the capital. However, they needed a wide variety of medicinal herbs in large quantities, and a single pharmacy could not possibly gather all the necessary supplies, let alone guarantee a long-term supply.
Manager Li nodded in agreement: "President Qiao is absolutely right. Although there are many herbal medicine shops in the capital, they are scattered in various places. The Western Region merchants need large quantities, and one or two shops certainly cannot handle them all." He then glanced at the people at the table, "So we must work together as one. Otherwise, such a good opportunity will be lost because of internal strife, and it will be too late to regret it."
Qiao Yanhe's eyes gleamed even brighter. "That's exactly why I was thinking of setting up a medicinal herb bureau in the capital and inviting major pharmaceutical merchants from the capital to participate. That way, when merchants from the Western Regions come, they can purchase all the medicinal herbs they need in one place."
After listening to Qiao Yanhe's explanation, Meng Zhao's eyes flashed with understanding. It was actually similar to a modern expo.
She first praised the idea, saying, "President Qiao's idea is truly brilliant. Bringing together merchants in the same industry to showcase their goods to customers from all over the world not only makes it easier for customers to purchase goods, but also allows each company to exchange goods and services."
Then, with a hint of doubt, he asked, "However, you all came to see me today, is there perhaps something I can do for you?"
At this moment, the very enthusiastic Manager Li chimed in, "Manager Meng, you may not know this, but when it comes to setting up this medicine shop, location is of paramount importance. We've discussed the routes that merchants from the Western Regions take to the capital. Once the new city gates open, Zhuque Street will be the only way for these merchants to enter the capital!"
Meng Zhao already knew the purpose of their visit. He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and quickly began to calculate in his mind.
At this moment, Manager Yan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up, "To be honest, we have our eye on a shop that happens to be owned by Manager Meng. We heard from the brokers that Manager Meng is interested in selling it, so we came here today specifically to inquire about the price."
Meng Zhao raised an eyebrow slightly. "I was indeed planning to sell two shops, but they've already been sold through a brokerage firm. Didn't you gentlemen receive the news at the time?"
Upon hearing this, Manager Li hurriedly waved his hand: "We've looked at those two shops, but they're far too small for a medicine shop. There are many medicine merchants in the capital, so if we're going to set up a medicine shop, the space will definitely need to be larger."
A hint of hesitation flashed in Meng Zhao's eyes. "Well, why didn't you all take a look at other shops? I'm sure you'll find something suitable there."
Qiao Yanhe stated directly, "Now, half of the larger shops on Zhuque Street are in your hands. The remaining shops are either in mediocre locations or have no intention of being sold. After much thought, we naturally had no choice but to come to you."
The atmosphere in the private room froze for a moment, with the eyes of the innkeepers all focused on Meng Zhao. Fortunately, a waiter came over to serve the dishes, and Meng Zhao greeted him with a smile, "After talking for so long, you must all be hungry. Why don't we eat and chat at the same time, and try the dishes from my Yingkelou restaurant?"
The first two dishes served were vegetarian: stir-fried seasonal vegetables and crystal sashimi (fish jelly).
Looking at the plate of fresh green vegetables, Manager Li exclaimed in surprise, "This is truly remarkable! It's still not warm enough to see such fresh seasonal vegetables!"
Meng Zhao replied with a smile, "These are all grown in greenhouses specially built by Yingkelou to meet the needs of its diners, and then transported from Quyang by fast horse. Please try them and see if they are any different from fresh summer vegetables."
Manager Hang of Songlingju, who originally focused on medicinal herb cultivation, couldn't help but exclaim in admiration upon hearing this: "Madam Meng actually possesses such cultivation skills? Truly admirable! Moreover, the leaves are so vibrant in color; they must have been cultivated using a special method."
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