In the most luxurious private room of Tong's Private Kitchen, Pei Guangji, the prefect of Yuzhou, sat at the table with a hint of anger on his face, while the shop owner, Boss Tong, stood beside him with a half-bow and a bitter expression on his face.
Several exquisite dishes were laid out on the table. If this had happened two months ago, Pei Tong would have praised them highly.
But now, he didn't want to look at it a second time after just one glance.
"Get out of here, get out of here, what is this place!" He waved his hand irritably.
The shopkeeper quickly instructed the waiter to remove all the dishes from the table.
"Is this what you call foolproof? It's only been a few months, and you've already been suppressed to the point of being unable to stand up straight? Look at what you just saw, can you still call that a private kitchen?" Magistrate Pei roared, slamming his fist on the table.
"I didn't expect this either! It's been so many days, and they still have so much seafood. I wonder how they preserved it?" Teacher Tong asked, scratching her neck.
"Are you asking me, you fool? Don't you know why you didn't send someone to inquire? Business is about long-term gains, not short-term profits. I've told you countless times, don't be stingy with money. As long as we can bring down the Jiang family, it's worth any amount of money!"
Boss Tong stammered, "But brother-in-law, we still haven't met with the owner of Chengbang Logistics. If they can't provide us with goods, then Jiangshan will still be one step ahead of us!"
Magistrate Pei flung his sleeves and said coldly, "Hmph, what right do you think a mere merchant would have to go against the government? Tomorrow I will personally lead a team to see who they are supplying their goods to! If they dare to collude with the Jiang family, hmph, don't blame me for punishing them for hoarding goods and disrupting the market!"
The prefectural governor has the responsibility of overseeing the people's livelihood, and he has a hundred reasons to find fault with the city's logistics, which the governor cannot manage.
Boss Tong's eyes gleamed with delight as he said, "Brother-in-law is truly amazing! Why don't we retaliate in kind? Brother-in-law, have your men put pressure on City Logistics and prevent them from supplying goods to the Jiang family. That way..."
"Fool! Utterly foolish!" Magistrate Pei grabbed a cup and smashed it at Boss Tong, shouting angrily, "I have been an official for so many years, and I have always been conscientious and dared not make a single mistake. How can I give others a handle to use against me because of such a trivial matter? Do you want to ruin me?"
"No, no, brother-in-law, please calm down. I was just saying it casually, brother-in-law, don't be angry!" Boss Tong said with a smile.
Magistrate Pei stroked his goatee, his eyes narrowing slightly, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes. "Jiang's Private Kitchen's counterattack was swift and ruthless. Even if we have enough ingredients later, we won't be able to deal with them in a short time! We need to find a way to eliminate them once and for all, to prevent future troubles!"
After a three-month hiatus, Jiang's Private Kitchen has once again become a bustling and lively destination in Chongqing.
This time, the promotion is not only about Jiang's reputation, but also about the brand effect.
When it comes to inviting someone to hot pot, people will ask, "Is it the Jiang family or the Tong family?"
The Jiang family? Let's go!
The Tong family? No time! I'm not going!
Even more enduring and popular than the brand effect are the soy sauce and chicken essence produced exclusively under the Jiang family's brand.
They can manage to make a few knock-off versions of hot pot base that are passable, but they're completely helpless when it comes to soy sauce and chicken bouillon.
I can't buy it! I want to study its formula, but I don't even have a sample!
But what if your palate becomes picky after being fed Jiang's private kitchen?
When several of Jiang's suppliers came to his door, even Fu Wen was at a loss.
He had refused countless times, but these suppliers just wouldn't budge, pleading and begging until they finally came to Jiang Shan.
One of them is also a member of the Chongqing Chamber of Commerce.
Tea, snacks, and fruits were all served, and Jiang Shan smiled and acted as a hospitable host, creating a pleasant atmosphere at the table.
When the conversation got to the point, and after the suppliers tried everything to persuade Jiang Shan but failed, the councilor's expression turned sour.
"Boss Jiang, let's not beat around the bush. We've been cooperating sincerely for so long, and you won't even give us this much face? Isn't that going a bit too far? Manager Fu couldn't make the decision and kept making excuses, so we didn't hold it against him. Now that we've come to your door to discuss this, you're still so disrespectful and insist on pushing things to the extreme?"
Another supplier chuckled and tried to smooth things over: "Councilor Hu, please don't say that. We know that Jiang's soy sauce has a unique production process and formula. We don't ask for anything else, we just want to obtain a portion of the distribution rights. We will act as Jiang's distributor for the soy sauce, and we can split the profits 50/50!"
After saying that, he gave Representative Hu a wink.
Councilor Hu's expression softened slightly as he said, "We're doing this for Mr. Jiang's own good. It's not easy for a woman like you to manage such a large shop, and it's not appropriate for you to be showing your face in public like this. We're only helping you promote your products because we trust each other. Besides, we've promised you 50% of the profits, which is a rare opportunity!"
Jiang Shan smiled and said dismissively, "It seems everyone has been quite worried about me lately!"
That's right, they racked their brains to get the soy sauce distribution rights!
Councilor Hu said with a smile, "It's good that Mr. Jiang knows. We're not doing this for any other reason than to help Mr. Jiang. After all, we've been working together sincerely for so long, so it's only right that we help each other out!"
Jiang Shan put down his teacup and laughed, "If I really wanted to sell soy sauce, why wouldn't I contact Chengbang Logistics? I've heard they have a wider reach! Everyone in business knows this, but I've never mentioned it to you. Manager Fu has already made it very clear: we don't sell soy sauce, and we won't sell it to anyone. Please leave now!"
The smiles on the faces of the suppliers froze instantly, and Councilor Hu, enraged, slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "Boss Jiang, don't push your luck! Do you know that most of the rice, flour, oil, and grain delivered by Chengbang Logistics to Yuzhou City ends up in our Hu's Grain Shop? If you piss me off... humph!"
Jiang Shan raised an eyebrow, slowly looked up at Councilor Hu, and smiled, "Oh, are you here to beg me, or to scare me?"
Representative Hu seemed to realize that his deterrent power was insufficient, and quickly gestured with his eyes to the supplier next to him.
Before the supplier could speak, Jiang Shan waved his hand and said, "There's no need to say anything more. I'll tell you clearly that brewing soy sauce is not so easy. There are strict requirements and controls on raw materials, temperature, and humidity during the production process. If I can't develop a relatively stable shelf life, I won't produce it in batches. Forget about it!"
Everyone was stunned, unable to understand what "shelf life" meant in Jiangshan dialect.
Fu Wen explained from the side, "All ingredients have a shelf life. After that, they will spoil and rot, and become inedible. Soy sauce is also made from grains. If it is affected by temperature and humidity during storage, its taste will also be affected, and in severe cases, it will spoil. Would you dare to sell spoiled soy sauce to others? Aren't you afraid that people will die from it?"
What? Soy sauce can spoil? And it can kill people?
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