Fatty Wang said, "Duoduo, look, a lot of privately owned restaurants have opened up in our county. Our state-run restaurants are not as popular as they used to be, especially after your Uncle Nan retired due to illness. The skills of the new head chef are no match for your Uncle Nan's!"
Qian Duoduo looked around at the customers and realized that the place was indeed quite different from the bustling crowds of the past.
Qian Duoduo said, "Is the difference that big?"
Fatty Wang nodded and said, "Well, I just got yelled at by the county leaders, and I'm really upset about it!"
Qian Duoduo asked, "Uncle Wang, besides meat and vegetables, what else do you have here?"
Fatty Wang sighed and said, "This new chef doesn't know any of Uncle Nan's signature dishes. And the ones he knows, he can't even cook them well. And they won't admit it. Isn't that infuriating?"
Qian Duoduo laughed and said, "Okay, I'll have my brother Qian Xiang send you some vegetables that my family grows. They're from seeds I brought back from university, and I used the knowledge and methods I learned there to grow them. They taste completely different from those cabbages and potatoes that have been stored for a long time. These are things that aren't commonly seen around here now."
Fatty Wang immediately looked up and said with a smile, "Duoduo, no wonder Uncle Wang likes you so much. As soon as you came back, you gave Uncle Wang some advice. Okay, I'll have Qian Xiangxian send some over tomorrow so I can try it."
Qian Duoduo nodded and ate a meal prepared by the new chef at the state-run restaurant. Well, Uncle Wang's summary was still quite accurate; the university cafeteria chefs were indeed very good at cooking.
Fatty Wang was waiting at the restaurant early in the morning. When he saw Qian Xiang come over to deliver the tofu, his eyes lit up. He immediately went up to him and asked, "Qian Xiang, did you bring those dishes that Duo Duo mentioned yesterday?"
Qian Xiang smiled and said, "I brought it. Let me move it in first."
Fatty Wang nodded immediately and helped carry the things inside. Just then, a young man came out from the kitchen. When he saw Qian Xiang carrying a plate of tofu in, he frowned. He thought that the tofu he always delivered was the best-selling item, while his other dishes didn't sell well. He was also a little unhappy about this. He thought about telling Fatty Wang that there was a tofu maker in his hometown, and that person was a relative of his. He didn't want to miss such an opportunity.
He had heard that Fatty Wang had arrived early in the morning and prepared the food in the kitchen, so he came to the front and saw Fatty Wang following behind Qian Xiang, carrying a willow basket wrapped in a tattered quilt. What good stuff was that? Seeing Fatty Wang go into the kitchen, he immediately followed him in.
Seeing Fatty Wang put down his willow basket, he went over and asked, "Uncle Wang, what's this?"
Fatty Wang looked at him and said irritably, "If your cooking skills were as good as Lao Nan's, I wouldn't be having such a headache."
Qiao Xin immediately smiled and said, "Master Nan's banquet is on par with state banquets, which is something we can match!"
Fatty Wang said, "Qiao Xin, don't say I didn't tell you. These things took me a lot of effort to get. If you continue to waste them like before, don't blame me for talking to the boss."
Qiao Xin immediately chuckled and said, "Uncle Wang, look, how can you say that? I did try my best."
Fatty Wang watched as Qian Xiang took out the contents of a triangular bag and asked, "Is that all?"
Qian Xiang said, "Uncle Wang, it's such a hassle to give you so little. If you hadn't asked for more, do you think my second uncle would have agreed?"
Fatty Wang nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go have a drink with your second uncle later."
Qiao Xin said, "What are all these?" and reached out to untie them.
Qian Xiang didn't say anything. He was just a deliveryman, and these things were between them. He could also see that the popularity of the state-run restaurant had plummeted since the chef was changed.
Qiao Xin casually opened the triangular bag, and the green inside made his eyes light up. He immediately looked at Fatty Wang with surprise. He didn't expect that he could actually find leafy greens in such cold weather. Impressive! It's just that there weren't enough of these. If there were more, maybe he could take some home and let his mother try them!
He saw that Fatty Wang's eyes were shining when he saw the vegetables, and he figured that if he could get them the first time, he could get them the second time, so he didn't say anything.
Qian Xiang left with the signed form from Fatty Wang. Qiao Xin walked over and said, "Uncle Wang, you're really amazing for not being able to get these leafy greens. Uncle Wang, you seem to have quite a few greens. Could I take some home for my mother to try?"
Fatty Wang glanced at him and said, "These dishes are to maintain our restaurant's reputation. You can take them, but if we run out of vegetables, we can always find a new chef, right?"
Qiao Xin's expression darkened: "Uncle Wang, isn't it a bit pointless for you to say that?"
Fatty Wang sneered, "Master Qiao, you only get paid for working here for one day. If this place goes bankrupt, what benefits do you think you'll get? Go home and live off your savings?"
Qiao Xin's expression also turned sour, but thinking about his cooking skills, well, he figured he might as well stay put!
When Qian Xiang returned home, he saw Qian Duoduo and Guo Ni looking after the child. Sitting on a stool, he said, "Ever since Chef E'nan from the county's state-run restaurant went home and was replaced by Chef Qiao, the county's orders have been decreasing. I think Comrade Wang's job is getting harder and harder."
Qian Duoduo said, "I heard from Uncle Wang and I also tried Chef Qiao's cooking. It's really worse than our cafeteria food. No wonder business is bad."
Qian Xiang nodded: "Comrade Wang is a good person, quite responsible."
Qian Duoduo nodded and said, "Brother, the country is developing its economy now. Have you ever thought about whether our village's tofu workshop could be expanded?"
Qian Xiang shook his head in confusion: "It's just tofu, how can you make fancy things out of it?"
Qian Duoduo sighed and said, "Brother, have you thought about going to the county? Or the city?"
Guo Ni's gaze also fell on Qian Xiang. After graduating from university, she still didn't know where she would be assigned. However, given the country's current talent needs, the possibility of her returning to Beian Village was zero. If a couple were to stay together, someone would have to give up their spouse. Now it seemed that this person was most likely Qian Xiang.
Qian Xiang looked into Guo Ni's bright eyes and said, "I know what you're thinking, but right now there's no one in the village more suitable than me to take over as village chief."
Qian Duoduo said, "Brother Qian Xiang, it's not impossible for you to pursue a political career. Besides, Third Brother is now a seventh-rank official in front of the Prime Minister. Even the county party secretary has to be polite to Third Brother."
Qian Xiang laughed and said, "With my level of education, it would be difficult for me to become an official!"
Qian Duoduo said with a smile, "Then let your sister-in-law work hard, get a college degree, and then take a test to see if she can get your third brother to get you a job in a government department!"
Guo Ni was taken aback, looked at Qian Xiang and said, "Wouldn't that cause trouble for Mayor Lu? No, no!"
Qian Duoduo laughed and said, "Hehe, I was just saying!"
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