Chapter 84 Seeking cooperation? Get out!
Sheng An was unaware that the name Sheng Yuan had already quietly spread among the upper-class circles of Qingzhou City.
The day after attending the Ye family banquet, someone came to his door seeking cooperation; it was none other than Manager Cao of Zuixianlou Restaurant.
Manager Cao arrived at the perfect time, stating his identity and purpose at the gate before being greeted by Shuqi and led to the hall specifically for receiving guests.
Through the half-open window, the view of the courtyard is unobstructed, showcasing the owner's taste in every detail.
Manager Cao secretly gasped. He had been full of confidence, but suddenly felt a little unsure about the cooperation they were going to discuss today.
Upon receiving news of Manager Cao's visit, Sheng An calmly continued sweeping the fallen leaves in the yard.
After cleaning every nook and cranny, she washed her hands and went upstairs to change.
Sheng An changed her usual plain style and put on a newly tailored maple red wide-sleeved gold-embroidered dress, which made her look more noble.
Manager Cao had already finished the whole pot of tea and was almost unable to contain his emotions, so he stormed off. Sheng An arrived late.
Upon seeing Sheng An, Manager Cao's expression changed. He clearly hadn't expected the owner of Sheng Garden to be such a young woman, which was completely different from his guess.
"I was too busy to come and greet you in time. Please forgive me, Manager Cao."
With a polite smile on his face, Sheng An, under the surprised gaze of Manager Cao, instructed Shuhua to bring another pot of tea.
Manager Cao quickly realized what was happening and forced a smile onto his face: "It was I, Cao, who suddenly came to visit and disturbed Boss Sheng."
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sheng An, not wanting to waste time, cut to the chase and asked, "May I ask what brings Manager Cao here?"
Seeing her being so direct, Manager Cao had no choice but to swallow his polite words and sit up straight, tentatively asking:
"The Fang and Yun families recently held lavish banquets, and one of the dishes was a special braised chicken with a secret sauce. It's said that Boss Sheng supplied it to both families. Is that true?"
Sheng An nodded in agreement: "That's right."
Manager Cao perked up, a hint of joy appearing on his face: "Drunken Immortal Restaurant would like to discuss a business deal with Boss Sheng. I wonder if Boss Sheng is interested in cooperating?"
If he were an ordinary small merchant, Manager Cao would never have been so polite.
But from the moment he stepped into Shengyuan, he put away his contempt for it.
Facing the powerful aura of Sheng An, Manager Cao felt immense pressure and momentarily forgot that the woman in front of him was someone he looked down upon from the bottom of his heart.
Sheng An picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said without revealing any expression, "Shopkeeper Cao, please tell me."
Manager Cao had always been proud of his position as the manager of Zuixianlou Restaurant, and over the years he had cultivated relationships with countless high-ranking officials and dignitaries. Now, as they formally discussed cooperation, a hint of arrogance unconsciously crept onto his face.
"Boss Sheng, Zuixianlou is one of the top restaurants in Qingzhou City. Countless customers come and go every day, many of whom are prominent figures in the city. I'm sure you've heard of it."
Sheng An just found it funny.
This person's boasting about how amazing Zuixianlou is is nothing more than an attempt to seize the initiative and pave the way for lowering prices later.
Ha, do you really think she's a three-year-old who can't see through it?
Looking at the smug-looking Manager Cao, Sheng An casually uttered a single word: "Oh."
Manager Cao couldn't keep his composure: "Boss Sheng, Zuixianlou has a history of two hundred years. It is an honor for Shengyuan to take the initiative to cooperate with the fledgling Shengyuan."
Sheng An shook his head, looking disapproving: "Are older people necessarily more capable than younger people? If so, I would like to ask Manager Cao's former employer to discuss this with me in detail."
Mr. Cao choked on his words, his face turning extremely ugly: "I came here with sincerity to cooperate with Mr. Sheng. Does Mr. Sheng look down on me or my current employer?"
Sheng An smiled and replied absentmindedly, "Manager Cao is overthinking it."
Manager Cao was seething with anger, and his gaze toward Sheng An grew increasingly hostile: "As the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. Boss Sheng, you must also hope that Shengyuan Private Kitchen can continue to thrive for a long time, right?"
Seeing him rambling on and on, just bragging and lecturing in a fatherly tone, Sheng An became a little impatient: "Manager Cao, you're here seeking cooperation, so what exactly do you want to cooperate on?"
Manager Cao choked again, but was secretly delighted.
Women are just women, all talk and no action. They don't even understand the rules of business; they're simply not cut out for business.
This also has its advantages; it will definitely lead them astray, allowing Zuixianlou to gain greater benefits.
Manager Cao grew increasingly excited as he thought about it, and said in a condescending tone, "Boss Sheng, Zuixianlou would like to order two hundred roast chickens from Shengyuan every day, at one hundred and fifty coins each. How about that?"
Sheng An's lips twitched.
One hundred and fifty coins each? You really dare to ask for that much!
Sheng An gave a cold laugh: "Not so much."
Buying a live chicken costs at least eighty coins. Not to mention the labor and time invested from raw to cooked, the cost of feed and charcoal alone is not a small amount. How can he have the nerve to ask for it?
Manager Cao seemed to know that Sheng An would refuse, and a hypocritical smirk appeared on his face: "Boss Sheng, this purchase price is not low. You know, Su Ji's roast duck only sells for three hundred coins a piece."
After saying that, he looked at Sheng An with a "don't be ungrateful" look.
Sheng An stood up abruptly, about to retort, when Shu Qi's voice, neither too loud nor too soft, suddenly came from the doorway: "Reporting to Master, a customer just ordered thirty roast chickens and has already paid a 50% deposit of thirty taels."
That's a slap in the face, a blatant slap in the face!
Sheng An laughed out loud, looking at Manager Cao's old face, which looked as if he had swallowed a fly:
"Excuse me, Manager Cao, Shengyuan Roast Chicken has no shortage of customers. You can keep the 150 coins for Zuixianlou to buy Suji Roast Duck! Someone, show them out!"
The man with the calligraphy and painting at the door immediately walked in, and said coldly to the visibly angry Manager Cao, "Please leave."
Manager Cao gritted his teeth in anger, staring at Sheng An with a sinister look: "Boss Sheng, if you refuse to cooperate, are you going to oppose Zuixianlou?"
"Oppose me? Sheng An chuckled coldly, his words ringing with conviction: 'Drunken Immortal Pavilion is not worthy!'"
Manager Cao's face flushed red, and his eyes glared as if he wanted to devour someone:
"You...you dare to look down on Zuixianlou? You're just a lowly private restaurant with no background. Zuixianlou is giving you a huge favor by cooperating with you. Don't be so ungrateful!"
Sheng An laughed: "You can keep this face for yourself to slap. Goodbye and don't come back."
Manager Cao gritted his teeth, his face flushed and his neck thick: "Fine, fine, I'll remember Boss Sheng's hospitality!"
After saying that, he turned and left angrily.
Looking at Manager Cao's retreating figure, Sheng An felt as disgusted as if he had eaten dog shit.
This damn Drunken Immortal Pavilion, I thought it had some real skill to become the number one restaurant in Qingzhou City.
I never expected that the head manager would be such a scoundrel. She had overestimated Zuixianlou before.
She will definitely teach her four children well so that they can open a restaurant in the future and crush Zuixianlou.
Sheng An waved to Shu Qi by the door, a smile appearing on his face: "He's a clever one."
One sentence was a slap in the face to Manager Cao, and he'll probably be too angry to sleep tonight.
Shuqi said excitedly, "Master, we really have business coming in!"
As he spoke, he took out three small silver notes from his pocket and handed them to Sheng An, along with an order form that clearly listed the orderer, the order address, the quantity ordered, and the delivery time.
Sheng An took it and examined it carefully. After confirming that it was correct, his smile widened: "Not bad, not bad. Sheng Yuan has finally received its first order."
After saying that, she praised Shuqi generously: "You did a good job."
Shuqi is not only responsible for greeting guests, but also for handling food orders, since he is the only literate one of the four male waiters.
Upon receiving praise from his master, Shuqi blushed with excitement: "It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Master!"
Sheng An encouraged him, "Work hard, and I'll give you a bonus at the end of the month."
Shuqi became even happier and left cheerfully.
Shengyuan was in high spirits when business came in. He hummed a tune as he went to the main kitchen to teach his four children how to cook.
Of the four treasures, the youngest, Baoxiu, is the most talented and has made the fastest progress; he learns almost instantly.
The other three children also performed well; they were diligent, hardworking, and eager to learn. Although they lacked natural talent, Sheng An was willing to spend time and effort to teach them carefully.
After the lesson ended, the four children went into practical exercises, while Sheng An watched from the side.
After the practical training was over, Sheng An tasted the dishes they made one by one and pointed out their shortcomings in detail.
The four treasures were silently remembered, like parched soil desperately absorbing moisture.
Reminding them to go to the market to buy chickens early the next morning, Sheng An took the food back to the small building.
The two elders of the Sheng family and Xu Chenglin were in the main hall. Sheng An directly showed them a thirty-tael silver note: "Our first customer at Sheng Garden has ordered thirty roast chickens in one go. This is the deposit."
Grandma Sheng's eyes widened in surprise. She hurriedly took the silver note and examined it closely: "Thirty taels? Is this really thirty taels?"
Good heavens! Two taels of silver for a roast chicken, and people actually buy it.
It's one thing for someone to buy them, but to buy thirty at once? Is it really that easy to make money off city gullibles?
Grandpa Sheng shared the same thought, gazing at the three silver notes with a look of delight, his smile even brighter than the day the wonton shop opened.
The granddaughter is clever; she knows that it's easier to make money from rich people. That's why she sold a roast chicken for two taels of silver!
The family lived happily in the small building, dreaming of making a fortune every day.
Manager Cao was in a terrible mood. The first thing he did upon returning to Zuixianlou was to find his brother-in-law, Chen Peisheng, the owner and head chef of Zuixianlou.
“Brother-in-law, that Boss Sheng is no pushover. He’ll definitely try every means to go against Zuixianlou and compete with them for those important customers. We have to be careful.”
Chen Peisheng was in his early thirties, an ordinary-looking man with a somewhat cold demeanor.
After listening to his brother-in-law's words, he frowned slightly: "Zui Xian Lou is cooperating with Sheng Yuan with sincerity. Did you mention the conditions I offered?"
Manager Cao felt a little guilty, but he said aloud:
"Of course I told her. I said I would order two hundred of them every day, at a price of eight hundred coins per piece, with payment settled every ten days. The condiments and charcoal would be supplied by Zuixianlou. But she didn't listen to the end and kicked me out."
Chen Peisheng did not blindly believe what he heard. After thinking for a moment, he stood up and said, "I will personally go to Shengyuan to pay a visit and have another talk with Boss Sheng."
Just one dish of braised chicken with secret sauce is enough to show that Boss Sheng is a master chef who is passionate about cooking.
Such a person of high status would naturally be arrogant and unlikely to be petty about pricing. It's probably because his brother-in-law offended him with his words that he kicked him out in a fit of anger.
The more Chen Peisheng thought about it, the more he felt that this was the truth. He couldn't sit still any longer and got up to leave.
Manager Cao was terrified and hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "Brother-in-law, you mustn't! That woman looks down on Zuixianlou and won't treat you well either. If we kick you out too, where will we put Zuixianlou's reputation?"
We can't let my brother-in-law go there. If he does, we'll expose his "good deeds."
Upon hearing this, Chen Peisheng felt that his brother-in-law's concerns were not unreasonable, so he could only suppress his idea of going to Shengyuan himself and instructed Manager Cao: "Tomorrow, bring gifts and talk to Boss Sheng about cooperation again. Be sure to show the utmost sincerity."
After thinking for a moment, he instructed, "The order price is negotiable."
The cooperation with Tongshengyuan is a win-win situation, and it is clearly more beneficial to Zuixianlou.
Manager Cao's eyes darted around, and he immediately replied, "Yes, I'll go first thing tomorrow morning."
Chen Peisheng trusted his brother-in-law fairly well, so he gave him a few instructions and sent him out. But in his heart, he was thinking about finding an opportunity to exchange cooking skills with Sheng An.
Qingzhou City has not seen a chef who can rival him for a long time, which makes him, who is passionate about cooking, somewhat itchy to show off his skills.
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