Chapter 123 A Rising Star in the Catering Industry
When Song Xinran returned to the restaurant, it was dinner time. Song Ji Li was packed, but because the tables were spaced far apart, it didn't feel crowded.
She had barely stepped into the restaurant when someone called out to her: "Manager Song!"
The voice was surprisingly pleasant, clear and articulate, and somewhat familiar. Song Xinran turned her head and saw that it was actually Su Hang. Her eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had encountered him unexpectedly.
"Host Su, is there anything I can help you with?" As soon as she saw Su Hang, she thought of "Food Detective," and then she recalled the episode of Song Ji Private Banquet Hall that aired. She said that the content to be cut was not changed at all, only her words were cut.
This makes her look even more sassy, as if He Zhi is praising her from the side, and she keeps smiling, looking very pleased.
Song Xinran dared not recall the scene of watching the show with the shop assistants that day; it gave her goosebumps all over her body.
However, she has never been one to dwell on things internally. Since it has already happened, she tries to forget it, but she can't forget Su Hang whenever she sees him.
Song Xinran glanced around and saw Su Hang alone. She suddenly smiled and asked, "Why isn't Host Su going to the private room today?"
"Where are Su's colleagues? Aren't they here to record the show today? I watched the last episode, the cameraman did a great job, and Su's professionalism was top-notch. It's just a pity I didn't perform well. I thought I'd have a chance to make up for it today."
She kept referring to Su as "Host Su," which made Su Hang a little embarrassed. He lowered his voice and said, "I came here alone today, not for work, just to eat. Manager Song, you can just call me by my name, Su Hang."
Song Xinran slowly said "Oh," her eyes crinkling slightly with a beautiful smile. Today, she went to investigate Yuanben Xunwei and changed into a clean and neat outfit with a simple, professional style: a coat and black trousers, which was convenient, warm, and unlikely to make a mistake, unlike the chef's uniform she wore on the day of filming the show.
Su Hang's eyelashes fluttered involuntarily; he felt that Manager Song was acting a bit strange today.
Song Xinran's voice also contained a faint smile: "It is truly an honor for our humble restaurant to have Host Su grace us with his presence today. It is a great honor for our restaurant to receive his favor."
Su Hang felt even stranger, especially under Song Xinran's gaze. He felt uneasy and even the usually eloquent and persuasive Su Hang stammered, "Um, thank you... no, Manager Song, I genuinely like Song's dishes."
For some reason, he was a little afraid to look Song Xinran in the eye, as if he felt a little guilty, or something else entirely.
"Thank you for your kind words, Host Su. Now that it's just you here today, I feel a bit more relaxed, as I don't have to worry about saying the wrong thing during the recording," Song Xinran said with a smile.
Su Hang seemed to suddenly understand something: "The last time we recorded a program with Song, Manager Song did a great job. When we took the footage back to edit, everyone said it was very entertaining, so we kept it basically intact."
"I'm just a small-time host, I don't have much say in this matter." Su Hang became more and more shrewd as he spoke, not forgetting to play the victim and prove his powerlessness.
Song Xinran: "How can you call yourself a junior host? The show 'Food Detective' is so popular and has such high viewership. Host Su is too modest. How long have you been here, Host Su? Have you ordered yet?"
She changed the subject so quickly that Su Hang was stunned for a second before he reacted: "I ordered it. They just served a stir-fry dish, which tasted very good, but I still like Manager Song's braised pork the most. However, the waiter said that they don't serve this dish for dinner today."
Now they speak very honestly.
Song Xinran explained, "I had to go out today, so I can't make braised pork for the time being. If you still want to eat it, you can order it now, but you'll have to wait a little longer."
Su Hang: "Okay."
Song Xinran smiled at him and said, "Then I wish Host Su a pleasant meal."
The figure walked past him, upright and with light, quick steps.
Only after Song Xinran's figure disappeared from sight did Su Hang breathe a sigh of relief, clutching his heart, which had been beating rapidly but was now slowly calming down. When he came to film last time, he only felt that Song Xinran was a very skilled chef. It seemed that no matter what ingredients she used, they would become obedient. She could tame and blend all the seasonings into a unique aroma. He never imagined that Song Xinran's aura was so powerful.
When she spoke with a slight smile, Su Hang felt his heart race and his face flush, and he didn't dare to look her in the eye.
He was a little confused about why he was reacting so strongly. He thought it might be because he felt guilty. He had promised Song Xinran during filming that he would cut out everything she asked for, but when the footage was sent back to the station, it was all kept.
Su Hang picked up the cup and slowly sipped the tea. The tea was sweet and refreshing, with a slightly sweet aftertaste, which barely calmed Su Hang's restless mind. Song Ji did a great job in these details, and this tea was quite amazing.
After slowly eating a piece of stir-fried pork, Su Hang felt that the braised pork from last time was still more delicious.
After filming the last program, he brought back the braised pork he had packed up. Each piece was a perfect balance of lean and fat, with an enticing color. The three of them ate three pieces halfway through the trip. The pork was soft and tender, rich but not greasy, and seemed to leave an unforgettable impression after just one bite.
Finally, they brought the braised pork back to the production team, and everyone who tasted it was amazed by its deliciousness, so they worked even harder.
The supervisor in charge was shocked when he learned that they had spent nearly 400 yuan on this meal, and asked them how they could eat so much? The program's budget had been used up by them!
Su Hang thought to himself that this was the most worthwhile expenditure on the program, as the food was delicious despite its high price.
"Hello, sir, here's your meal." Just as Su Hang was eating, the waiter suddenly served him a dish of mixed fried pork and fried mushrooms.
Su Hang was puzzled: "I didn't order this dish."
The waiter smiled and said, "This is a gift from our store manager to thank you for visiting Song Ji with the Food Detective program team, which has made more people aware of Song Ji."
Su Hang: "...You're welcome."
What's going on? Wasn't Song Xinran a little unhappy just now? Why is she bringing food now?
It wasn't until he took a bite of the dish that Su Hang suddenly realized that perhaps this was a matter of one thing at a time?
He couldn't help but laugh. Song Xinran really was a person who clearly distinguished between gratitude and resentment.
Song Xinran entered the kitchen and saw He Zhi bustling about. He Zhi spoke faster than usual: "Manager, you're back."
Song Xinran hummed in agreement, changed her clothes, looked at the dishes on the menu, and started heating the oil in the wok.
The two of them found their work in the kitchen much easier, and He Zhi finally had a chance to ask, "Manager, how did the supplier we visited today go?"
Song Xinran said, "Not bad, we've basically decided on their place."
He Zhi was surprised: "So fast? Should we check out a few more to compare and choose a good one?"
He Zhi recalled that when he was working at Rongxia Xiaochu, it took a long time to determine the suppliers, even though the boss was an industry insider. He was genuinely afraid that something like what happened with Chengrun Foods would happen again.
Song Xinran said, "I made this decision after consulting with other suppliers, and I have already spoken with them about the trial supply of ingredients for the next week."
Upon hearing this, He Zhi stopped talking. Very few suppliers were willing to provide a week's trial supply. He thought to himself that Song Xinran was a real bargainer. Indeed, these days, bosses are almost omnipotent.
He Zhi was finally relieved. He had been worried that Song Ji's inability to find a suitable supplier would affect the restaurant's business, and he was also uneasy, fearing that his insistence on staying here would drag Song Ji down.
The next morning, Lin Jingyuan sent fresh ingredients as promised. Since it was the first day of cooperating with the new supplier, Song Xinran also arrived at the store early.
He Zhi and Fan Lei inspected the ingredients together. He Zhi was pleasantly surprised: "Manager, these vegetables look even fresher than those from Chengrun."
"The quality of this raw meat is also quite good. Which supplier is it? I used to think that Chengrun was a leader in the high-end raw material market."
Before Song Xinran could speak, another voice rang out: "Thank you, these were all provided by our company."
Lin Jingyuan also came over. He was wearing a simple work uniform, with a faint smile on his face, looking radiant and bright-eyed. He handed his business card to He Zhi: "This is our company's business card."
He Zhi looked at it and realized he had never heard of this company before.
He Zhi is a local and has been working as a chef. He knows a lot of food suppliers, and those he hasn't heard of must be unknown.
Some thoughts inevitably arose in my mind. Because of him, Songji went from being a leading supplier to an unknown small company, and I felt a bit resentful.
However, he glanced at the ingredients and thought that the quality was good, so hopefully it would stay that way.
"Why is President Lin here too?" Song Xinran was somewhat surprised. She knew about Yuanben Xunwei. This company had a wide range of businesses. In the past, it mainly sold high-end food ingredients and gifts, but later it gradually got involved in supplying ingredients to restaurants.
Yesterday, Song Xinran went to the site to investigate and gained a better understanding of Lin Jingyuan's work. He not only needs to handle company affairs, but also serves as a crop doctor, helping farmers solve some problems in crop growth.
Just from hearing this, it's not hard to imagine that Lin Jingyuan must be very busy with work.
Delivering goods to restaurants is a very simple matter, and the company manager does not need to go with them. However, to put it bluntly, among the restaurants that Yuanben Xunwei has partnered with, Song Ji is probably the most famous.
Before appearing on "Food Detective," Song Ji had a good reputation and high popularity in a small circle. After appearing on the TV show, its popularity expanded, and now it can be said to be very popular. If we were to use a futuristic novel, it could probably be described as a "rising star in the catering industry."
Lin Jingyuan smiled faintly and said in a clear voice, "Mr. Song is now a major client of our company. He has to be extremely careful when delivering goods for the first time. I just happened to have some free time, so I came along."
The driver, who also works as a loader, said, "Mr. Lin went to the fields before six o'clock today to help us prepare these vegetables and deliver them here."
Lin Jingyuan said, "I'm used to getting up at this time."
As he spoke, he helped the unloaders carry the vegetables into the restaurant.
He was efficient and decisive, and he put all the vegetables in the kitchen neatly.
Song Xinran said, "Thank you for your help, Mr. Lin. The company's demonstration field base is so far away from Songji. You don't need to come here every day."
Lin Jingyuan's eyes crinkled into a smile, and he said in a relaxed tone, "Boss Song has misunderstood me. I have ulterior motives for coming here today."
"It's been so long since I've had anything from Song's. I've been thinking about it. I came here today seemingly to deliver vegetables, but actually I'm here for a meal. Can I have breakfast here, Mr. Song?"
His tone was naturally humorous, and Song Xinran laughed as well: "What a coincidence, Mr. Lin. Song's Restaurant only serves lunch and dinner. Mr. Lin has been here once before, but you probably didn't see the sign at the door."
Lin Jingyuan: "That's really unfortunate. I'll just have to make do with a bowl of noodles over there."
He seemed about to leave, only to return disappointed once again.
Song Xinran then changed the subject: "However, our store has always provided breakfast for our employees. If President Lin doesn't mind, he can eat with our employees."
Lin Jingyuan paused slightly, turned around, and smiled slightly: "Did Manager Song make it? If Manager Song made it, the porridge and congee must taste exceptional."
Song Xinran: "Today is."
"Thank you very much, Manager Song!"
While He Zhi was counting the dishes, he overheard this conversation and suddenly realized that Manager Song and this General Manager Lin seemed to know each other quite well...
He felt a little wary and glanced at Lin Jingyuan, his eyes scanning him from head to toe. This President Lin was quite handsome.
Could it be that they got the opportunity to work with Song's through back channels?
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