Chapter 129 This gossip is truly satisfying...
Su Hang was a little confused. He still remembered the scene when he met the two children at Song Ji's last visit.
Fu Fu always clung to him, wanting to hug him and saying he liked him the most; she was incredibly enthusiastic.
Song Yu took out his books and asked him to sign them. They were neatly arranged. He kept calling him "Brother Su Hang" and had a lovely smile.
But this time when he came, it seemed that both children had found someone they liked more. Although they responded to him, their minds were not on him at all.
Su Hang still wanted to salvage the situation, so he made eye contact with Lin Jingyuan and smiled as a greeting, then asked, "Fufu, Xiaoyu, have you eaten today? What did you eat?"
That's a very cliché statement.
Fu Fu, without looking up, said, "We're eating right now."
Mingming was overjoyed to meet Su Hang for the first time and insisted on having dinner with him and sitting next to him.
Song Yu was very self-aware of being a young restaurant owner, and patiently introduced the restaurant to Su Hang in his childish voice: "Brother Su Hang, today we ate sauerkraut stir-fried with pork, vegetable soup, and egg fried rice."
He climbed off the stool, picked up the menu from the table, and handed it to Su Hang: "Brother Su Hang, please order."
Song Yu was very familiar with everything about the restaurant and knew how Pang Ru worked, so he was now imitating Pang Ru in serving guests.
The child couldn't concentrate on his work like an adult. Although he was standing in front of Su Hang, he was secretly listening to Lin Jingyuan talk about the process of making wooden products, demonstrating his ability to multitask perfectly.
Su Hang could easily understand the child's thoughts. He felt a little disappointed because of the stark difference between the two times, but seeing Song Yu's expression, he couldn't help but tease him. He deliberately said in a low voice, "Golden Sand Corn, Dry Pot Cauliflower, Wind-blown Ribs."
I thought that Song Yu, who was distracted, wouldn't hear me, but to my surprise, he actually looked at the menu seriously, muttering the names of the dishes he was talking about. He ticked the name of the Golden Sand Corn, but couldn't find the other two. He said a little embarrassedly, "Brother Su Hang, I don't know many words. Which ones are Dry Pot Cauliflower and Wind-blown Ribs?"
Su Hang's body trembled slightly, as if he were exploiting child laborers.
Damn it.
Lin Jingyuan wanted to take the menu from Song Yu and teach him to read, but Su Hang simply took the menu and neatly ticked off the items: "That's all."
Su Hang initially thought he was just teasing him, but then he realized that the child was working hard and that it would be a waste of the child's efforts if he said it was just teasing. So he not only ordered the food himself, but also took the menu to the front desk.
Pang Ru was surprised to see the new menu: "Didn't we just order?"
Su Hang said, "It's the same, keep it."
Pang Ru looked puzzled, wondering why Su Hang seemed like a different person today, even though he hadn't been around for just over a month.
Su Hang turned and walked towards the dining table, where he saw Song Yu sitting down next to Lin Jingyuan. There was a menu on the table, and Lin Jingyuan was pointing at it, clearly teaching the two children to recognize characters.
Learning is usually quite boring for children, but the two kids looked quite happy at that moment.
Su Hang sighed inexplicably.
After the meal, Su Hang chatted with Pang Ru alone: "Who was the person playing with Xiao Yu and Fu Fu? I've never seen them before. Are they a relative of the shop manager?"
Pang Ru said, "No, they are our restaurant's food supplier."
Su Hang felt incredulous and deeply puzzled: "Just a food supplier?"
Pang Ru: "It's similar to yours. I like Song Ji's food and often come to the restaurant to eat. Xiao Yu and Fu Fu also come to the restaurant every day. We often run into each other and have become familiar with each other. President Lin even taught Xiao Yu how to ride a bicycle and gave him a wooden gourd. President Lin is quite popular with children."
Hearing Pang Ru's words, Su Hang felt something was strange. If he was just a business partner and a customer, then what President Lin was doing was going too far.
Unless there is another purpose...
"What about the store manager?" Su Hang asked.
Pang Ru asked, puzzled, "Manager? What happened to the manager?"
Su Hang: ...
How exactly do we explain this clearly?
Fortunately, he didn't need to ask her in detail before Pang Ru had already figured it out: "The store manager should think it's good. Xiao Yu and Fu Fu both like President Lin, and President Lin also likes children. Besides, President Lin and the store manager are friends."
Su Hang's eyes widened slightly, feeling as if a lot had happened in the past month. He hadn't even seen Lin Jingyuan when he came to Song Ji a month ago.
Seeing that he looked somewhat lost, Pang Ru quickly asked, "Are you not feeling well today?"
"without."
Pang Ru: "Have you been too busy with work lately? It's been so long since I've been to Song Ji."
Su Hang sighed softly, "I am quite busy."
"I'm leaving now. Thank you, Pang Ru. I'll come earlier next time."
Pang Ru watched his retreating figure, feeling a little strange. She wanted to tell Su Hang that if he was busy with work, he didn't need to come to Song Ji so often. The journey from the TV station to Song Ji was quite far. Song Ji had many customers and didn't lack money from each customer. Su Hang's health was more important.
However, since that day, Pang Ru noticed that Su Hang came to the store much more frequently, which often made Pang Ru wonder: Is Su Hang really a host of a popular program? Why does he seem so free?
Pang Ru was quite happy, as she had never dared to dream of such a thing before, given that Su Hang had once been a fan of hers.
Although the episode recorded by Song Ji has been airing for quite some time, Song Ji's reputation has not faded among the general public. Many customers still call to make reservations to dine in, and the takeout business is booming.
Grandma Fufu and Aunt Rong still maintained their habit of frequently eating at Song Ji's restaurant, but on this day, it was Aunt Rong's daughter-in-law, Xiaomei, who brought a young woman and mentioned Aunt Rong's name.
Xiaomei said, "Can I borrow my mother-in-law's reservation slot? It's for two people."
Shen Hui recognized these regular customers, especially Aunt Rong, who was not only Song Ji's landlord but also a long-time customer who had supported Song Ji since its opening. She welcomed Xiao Mei and her companion in with a smile and seated them in an empty table.
Her friend looked around and said admiringly, "Xiao Mei, you really know how to do things. Song Ji is now impossible to get a seat at."
Xiaomei smiled and said, "I also owe it to my mother-in-law. She loves to eat at Songji with her friends in the neighborhood, and she is also familiar with the manager of Songji."
My friend became very excited. It turned out that he had connections, and these connections were particularly strong. As the saying goes, food is the foundation of life. Song Ji's reputation in the city was widespread, and everyone wanted to try it.
"This place isn't as big as Rongxia Xiaochu, but the interior design is just as good." My friend works in design and found that Songji's interior design is aesthetically pleasing and the small details are very innovative. Although the decorative paintings on the walls aren't by famous artists, they fit the atmosphere perfectly, making the overall feel very comfortable.
My friend's eyes revealed admiration: "In terms of style, I still prefer Song's."
I always felt that Rongxia Xiaochu was too flamboyant. It looked expensive, but the styles were a bit of a hodgepodge.
Xiaomei scolded playfully, "Did you come here to eat or to work?"
My friend said, "It's an occupational hazard, but let me tell you, you can really tell whether a store can last long from its interior design. Like when Rongxia Kitchen first opened, the scene was so grand and impressive, but I didn't think it would last long. Look at the outcome now, doesn't it match my prediction? You even said I was workaholic back then."
“Hey, let’s not talk about those things,” Xiaomei said. “At first, I also thought that Song’s restaurant wouldn’t last long, but I fell in love with it after the first time I ate there, and I dreamed about eating it when I got home.”
My friend was taken aback for a few seconds, then laughed, her tone full of anticipation: "Then I want to try it too!"
When the food arrived, my friend took the first bite, her pupils dilated involuntarily, and with something still in her mouth, her eyes sparkled: "Mmm, mmm, so delicious!"
"Don't talk, just eat!" Xiaomei gave the most sincere and helpful advice.
The two girls ordered two dishes and a soup. The portions were just right at Rongxia Xiaochu, but at Songji they were so full they could hardly contain themselves.
My friend couldn't eat anymore, but looking at the leftovers on the plate, she felt it was a waste: "Xiaomei, aren't you a regular customer? You should have stopped me when I ordered. There was absolutely no need to add soup!"
Xiaomei said, "I like the dishes you ordered too. It's okay, we can pack up the leftovers."
My friend was a bit hesitant when he saw the leftovers. He felt it wasn't appropriate to pack them up because there wasn't much left, and they were mostly just some seasonings. But he couldn't bear to throw them away. Song Ji's seasonings were also very delicious, and my friend thought they were even better than the main courses at Rongxia Xiaochu.
"Never mind." My friend gently rubbed his stomach, slowly picking up the last bit of food and putting it in his mouth. "Now I know why Rongxia Kitchen went out of business. Before it closed down, they even tried to copy Songji, changing some of the dish names to be more common, but what's the use?"
“The essence of Song Ji is clearly the taste!” My friend looked around. “Of course, there’s also the decor.”
Xiaomei laughed: "Didn't you used to go to Rongxia Kitchen all the time?"
My friend quickly defended himself: "Good heavens! It wasn't me who wanted to go, it was my friends who wanted to visit. They've all heard of Rongxia Kitchen and really wanted to check it out. I couldn't just say it was so-so. That's what you call effective marketing! But Rongxia Kitchen's decor and style are quite impressive to outsiders."
"But now it's all good. Rongxia Kitchen has closed down. From now on, I'll take my friends to Songji for dinner!"
Seeing her friend's enthusiasm, Xiaomei couldn't help but pour cold water on her enthusiasm: "Are you sure you can get a table?"
These words broke his friend's composure, and he sighed heavily: "Song Ji is only inferior to Rongxia Xiaochu in this respect. The restaurant is too cramped. It would be better if it were more spacious."
Xiaomei said, "You don't understand. The reason why Songji doesn't expand its area is because the dishes are all made by the manager. To ensure the taste of the food, it's natural not to expand blindly."
Xiaomei knew Songji very well, and upon hearing her friend's comment, she couldn't help but exclaim, "No wonder Rongxia Xiaochu went out of business!"
"Actually, the taste was pretty good at first, it was the best of a bad bunch, but it gradually changed later, and the dishes weren't as fresh anymore. They've completely forgotten their roots!"
When her friend complained vehemently, Xiaomei smiled slightly and listened attentively.
Shen Hui led the new guests to their seats and happened to walk past Xiao Mei. She overheard their conversation and her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
Has Rongxia Kitchen gone out of business?
Shen Hui found the news hard to believe. When she left Rongxia Restaurant, the business was booming and the owner had a lot of experience in running large restaurants. How could it have gone bankrupt in just a few months?
Shen Hui still remembered the scene when Gu Hong came to Song Ji. He even tried to poach her and He Zhi, promising them all sorts of generous treatment. At that time, Rongxia Xiaochu hadn't run into any problems, so how could it be so fast...?
Shen Hui found a moment to ask He Zhi, who also looked blank: "It went bankrupt? I didn't know that."
Then, with an expression of righteous indignation, he exclaimed, "Serves him right! Manager Chen was a scourge; he deserved to fall! Heaven has eyes, and good and evil are rewarded accordingly!"
Shen Hui didn't ask him any more questions, but she knew in her heart that if Rongxia Kitchen really went out of business, something must have happened to make a restaurant with such good prospects suddenly close down. There were still two months until the Chinese New Year, a time when restaurants make a lot of money, and to close down before the New Year...
Shen Hui sensed something amiss.
Shen Hui quickly contacted her former colleagues at Rongxia Xiaochu, where she had maintained a good relationship with them.
Upon receiving her call, her former colleague immediately began telling her, with great enthusiasm, what had happened at Rongxia Kitchen.
During the phone call, Shen Hui's heart rate increased, her eyes widened, and she felt incredibly excited. It turned out that Rongxia Kitchen, which seemed calm and peaceful, was hiding so many things.
Shen Hui shared the gossip she had heard about during dinner that day.
"It turns out that Rongxia Xiaochu's business has been declining slowly for the past six months. Manager Chen even spent money to invite people to eat there, putting on a false impression of booming business."
Pang Ru listened with great interest and raised her hand to ask, "Does Manager Chen spend his own salary?"
Shen Hui: "It's my own salary."
Zou Xiaoguang clicked his tongue: "They're working too hard." Who pays to work anymore?
Shen Hui: "It was kickbacks from the food suppliers, and they received a lot of money."
Zou Xiaoguang spat and said, "Serves you right!"
Shen Hui continued, "The most interesting part isn't that. It's that General Manager Gu was planning to transfer Manager Chen to another restaurant, but when Manager Chen found out he was only being offered a supervisor position, the two couldn't reach an agreement and started arguing. Manager Chen even recorded the conversation and threatened to hire a lawyer for labor arbitration. But General Manager Gu wasn't someone to be trifled with, and it seems he threatened Manager Chen. The next day, Manager Chen exposed all of General Manager Gu's dirty secrets in the restaurant."
Shen Hui has a natural talent for storytelling; her voice is melodious and varied, and she knows how to draw out key phrases to keep the audience in suspense. However, she doesn't quite have that phrase that storytellers often use: "To find out what happens next, stay tuned for the next episode!"
She recounted the whole story of Rongxia Kitchen in one breath, and everyone heard it clearly and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoying the gossip.
He Zhi was furious; he never imagined that Gu Hong was such a person!
He went to see Gu Hong that day, and Gu Hong spoke with righteous indignation. He thought Gu Hong was being deceived by Manager Chen, but now he sees that they were completely in cahoots.
He Zhi asked, "What about Rongxia Kitchen now?"
Shen Hui said, "It went out of business, but President Gu still hasn't given up on the high-end private kitchen route. I heard he brought a new team to open a store in the provincial capital."
He Zhi felt it was really unfair. How could someone as hypocritical as Gu Hong make so much money? Even after one store went out of business, he could just move to another place and open another one.
“I don’t really like the provincial capital,” Pang Ru said. “Yongyan is pretty good. The rent is cheaper, there are more delicious foods, and the transportation is about the same as the provincial capital.”
Due to its geographical location, Yongyan had a similar economic scale to the provincial capital, and at this time it already demonstrated its superiority in development.
"If Rongxia Xiaochu goes out of business, will Songji be the only high-end private kitchen restaurant in the city?" Zou Xiaoguang's eyes were shining brightly. He could already imagine the future when takeout orders would surge and he would make a fortune.
Song Xinran said, "I don't know yet, but there will definitely be restaurants of the same type in the future."
"I hope the rivals will appear later," Zou Xiaoguang prayed, his hands clasped together.
"What about Chengrun Foods?" He Zhi asked. Shen Hui had just mentioned that Chengrun gave Manager Chen a kickback.
However, Chengrun Foods and Gu Hong's restaurant have been cooperating for many years. When Gu Hong opened his restaurant, Chengrun Foods was the first food supplier he selected. Logically speaking, the cooperation established by the big boss would not be easily changed, so Chengrun had no need to give Manager Chen a kickback.
Shen Hui said, "I don't know either, but according to reliable sources, Chengrun Foods has lowered the standards for ingredients supplied to Rongxia Xiaochu. Manager Chen said it was Chengrun Foods' requirement, but I don't think so. Chengrun is such a big company, it wouldn't risk such a small profit. Maybe Manager Chen wants a kickback, and Chengrun doesn't want to lose money, so they can only make up for it by lowering the ingredients. You do the first day, I'll do the fifteenth."
"However, this is just my guess."
Opinions on this vary, but what they all have in common is that they thoroughly enjoyed this piece of gossip.
Song Xinran did not express her opinion, but she agreed more with Shen Hui's view. Songji had also cooperated with Chengrun for a period of time. When the client had sufficient funds, the high-end ingredients provided by Chengrun remained unchanged, which showed that it was not a short-sighted company.
But it wasn't entirely righteous either, otherwise they wouldn't have suddenly severed their cooperation with Song's, leaving Song's with no buffer.
Now that this has happened, it's unclear how Gu Hong will treat his old business partner.
Song Xinran didn't care about these things; she just listened to them as gossip, believing that listening to gossip in life was good for her physical and mental health.
*
One day before the Lunar New Year, Wei Dong brought a potential partner from Fresh Braised Food Workshop to Songji.
Standing at the entrance of Song's Restaurant, Wei Dong was filled with mixed emotions.
The potential business partner laughed and said, "Manager Wei is really going to spend money today, treating us to dinner at Song Ji. I heard that the seats here are in high demand, and it's not easy to get a reservation."
Wei Dong said, "It's rare for President Liao to grace us with his presence, so of course we have to invite him to try our food here. To be honest, I'm an old acquaintance of the owner of Song's Restaurant!"
Wei Dong never expected that he would come to Song Ji's restaurant on his own initiative.
He had heard of Song Ji's reputation before, but he never associated it with Song Xinran. He never imagined that the owner of a trendy high-end restaurant would be a guest chef at Xianlufang.
The title of "specially invited chef" sounds impressive, but he's just an employee. How can an employee compare to being a boss? Besides, Song's restaurant is doing very well.
Wei Dong still remembers talking about Song Ji to the staff at the braised food shop, praising it highly. Song Xinran seemed to be there at the time...
Wei Dong felt ashamed every time he thought about this, and at the same time he couldn't understand how Song Xinran could be so low-key, and how she had never revealed that Songji was her shop for so long.
It wasn't until Wei Dong saw Songji and its owner on a TV program that things changed.
To be honest, Wei Dong's legs went weak at the time. How could it be possible! But since it all happened on TV, it's also true that it's impossible now.
After that, Song Xinran still came to Xianlufang once a week as usual. On Monday, when Songji was closed, Wei Dong really wanted to ask her why she still cared about this fixed salary when she was already making a lot of money.
But I'm too embarrassed to ask.
At first, Wei Dong thought he was very impressive as the store manager. Even though Song Xinran was a specially invited chef, she was still an employee, and he was the store manager. Wei Dong always felt a sense of superiority. But this incident completely destroyed Wei Dong's sense of superiority.
He recalled his speculations and attitude towards Song Xinran when the braised food shop first opened...
Wei Dong doesn't want to see Song Xinran now, and even wishes she wouldn't have to go to the braised food workshop once a week, since the big boss pays her salary anyway.
The store employees also learned about Song Ji's situation and became even more enthusiastic and respectful towards Song Xinran, completely overshadowing Wei Dong, the store manager. However, Wei Dong no longer had any objections. Whenever Song Xinran came to the store, he would avoid her, not wanting to see her, always feeling that his self-esteem would be damaged in front of her.
but……
Wei Dong glanced at Mr. Liao beside him. Mr. Liao was the owner of a local specialty goods store. The store was located in the city center. It was not a big place, but the business was very good.
Fresh Braised Food Shop is planning to expand its business and wants to launch braised food gift boxes. If they could be sold in Mr. Liao's store, that would be the first step. Given that Mr. Liao's store is a one-of-a-kind business and not particularly large, there's a good possibility of cooperation between the two companies.
Wei Dong learned that General Manager Liao had a great fondness for Song Ji's food, so he catered to Liao's tastes and invited him to dinner there, where they could also discuss cooperation.
Wei Dong had originally been avoiding Song Xinran, but unexpectedly, he was now the one who had to come forward. It was truly an irony of fate.
However, General Manager Liao found his words quite interesting: "Does Manager Wei actually know the owner of Song's Restaurant?"
Wei Dong laughed and said, "Yes, yes, we're old friends. I even came to support Song's when it opened!"
As soon as they entered Song Ji's restaurant, they bumped into Song Xinran, who was about to leave.
Song Xinran happened to hear Wei Dong's words, paused slightly, and said with a half-smile, "Manager Wei."
She raised an eyebrow slightly, unaware that she and Wei Dong had become old friends, and even less aware that Wei Dong had ever patronized Song's Restaurant.
When Wei Dong saw her, his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost, but he quickly recovered and put on a fawning smile: "Manager Song, it's been a long time! I had to go out last time you came to the braised food shop, so I didn't get to see you. What a pity!"
After speaking, Wei Dong wanted to introduce them to each other, but before he could speak, General Manager Liao had already taken the initiative to approach him, his voice warm: "Manager Song, this is my business card. I've eaten at Song's before, and to put it bluntly, I'm a fan of Song's!"
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