Plagiarism is shameful
It is already early February, and there are still about two weeks to the Chinese New Year. The streets are already filled with the festive atmosphere. Although people on the streets are rushing to work, they all look happy and full of energy, and a sense of hope for the new year arises spontaneously.
Su Qinxuan and Jian Yangping's experience of running around looking for dishes has now come to an end. The two have already communicated with the bosses of various suppliers and, together with Chef Zhang Dezheng's team, have finalized the menu for the Burning Tail Banquet, but it has not yet been announced to the public.
Jian Jianan was in the office on the second floor of the Nanbei Hotel, sitting on a tall swivel chair, listening to Su Qinxuan solving the problems that several waiters had reported recently.
Yang Tao said, "Xiao Wang said someone came in a few days ago to ask what else was on their New Year's menu, how much it cost, and how many people it would feed. Xiao Wang and his friends thought it was a willing customer and were about to explain things to him, but they discovered something was amiss."
Seeing that Su Qinxuan had taken her words to heart, Yang Tao continued, "It's normal for someone to ask, and it's also normal for them to hesitate after asking. After all, everyone has concerns. Either the price is too high for them, or they need to think it over and discuss it with the merchant before making a decision. But this person was strange. He asked extremely detailed questions, even asking about the origin of the ingredients. Xiao Wang labeled him a difficult customer and gave him a detailed explanation."
"Of course, the most surprising thing Xiao Wang and the others found strange was that he even wanted to copy down our various menus, saying he wanted to take them home to show his family. It's not uncommon for customers to take menus home to discuss with their families, but they usually just pick one from a few. He wanted all of them. Xiao Wang and the others felt something was amiss, so they made excuses, saying they couldn't share the menus right now and that his family could come over to look at them anytime."
"Is that true?" Su Qinxuan pondered for a moment. Hearing Yang Tao's words, he wondered if someone was trying to copy their menu? Was it a competitor? But the Nanbei Restaurant had only been open for a month, and there were no similar restaurants around. There were only snack shops, toy stores, fruit vendors, and typical general stores.
Could it be...
Su Qinxuan thought of Liang Kang, the original teacher in her daughter's school. After being transferred to a remote mountainous area as a rural teacher, he resolutely resigned and started his own business, opening a business in the location of their old shop.
Could it be them?
Thinking of the possible person, Su Qinxuan also made up his mind and told Yang Tao not to worry: "It's okay. The ingredients on our menu are not unique, but they are rare. It takes a lot of effort to find the ingredients every day, and some of them have to be ordered in advance. Even if someone wants to copy everything, they don't have time now. It's useless to copy. It's better to put more effort into your own restaurant."
The same conversation also happened between Jian Jianan and her brother. Jian Jiabei heard about it from somewhere and told it to his sister.
Jian Jianan also told him not to worry: "Don't pay attention to him, he's just imitating others."
She commented on this with an idiom she had just learned, then turned around and had a private chat with her brother: "If they want the same ingredients, they have to make do with other materials. For example, pretending that crayfish meat is lobster meat, or pretending that river crabs are sea crabs. It's not something they can't do. I have to tell mom about it, so they don't have any bad intentions to drag our restaurant into trouble." Jian Jianan is a man of action. When she thought of this, she said goodbye to her brother and rushed to tell her mother about it.
When Jian Jianan told Su Qinxuan her thoughts, she looked forward with a determined expression, as if she had just made a decision.
Jian Jianan pestered her with questions, trying to find out what decision her mother had made. However, Su Qinxuan, for once, stood up to the little spoiled brat and refused to say anything. She simply tapped Jian Jianan's nose and said, "You'll know in a minute!"
Just at this moment, there was a commotion outside the restaurant. No one knew what had happened. Jian Jianan was never the kind of person who would sit and wait for death. As soon as he heard the noise, he rushed out to find out what was going on.
When she went out, she found that during the few hours she had just spent in the office, a huge change had taken place outside.
The wall was completely renovated, with a festive poster plastered on it. Written in conspicuous handwriting were these words:
The Manchu Han Banquet is about to begin, and reservations are now accepted for a limited time!
Even the entrance of the restaurant was posted with the same signboard, and there was a stand as tall as a person with the same words written on it. It was very contagious and appealing, and it made people's mouths water at the sight of it, and they couldn't wait to rush into the store to make a reservation.
Not only that, in addition to the text sign, Nanbei Restaurant also has photos! The kind of real photos!
There are three levels of New Year's Eve banquet, namely sweet couple, family reunion, and four generations together. The menu for each level is different.
The similarity is that the dishes on the menu of each level are very auspicious.
Jian Jianan looked at them one by one.
Good luck - the golden pig brings blessings.
Jian Jianan looked at the picture. Isn’t this a roasted suckling pig?
Ample food and clothing - eight-treasure glutinous rice.
Abundance every year - steamed sea bass.
Good luck and good fortune - fresh fruit platter.
At the Burning Tail Banquet, these are not just ordinary dishes. They are all given greater meaning by the Nanbei Restaurant - a good outlook for the new year. After all, who doesn’t like a good start?
In addition to common ingredients, there are also expensive seafood such as large abalone and lobster. Nanbei Restaurant has really spent a lot of money this time!
The more Jian Jianan looked at it, the more he liked it. This was a new thing that no one had ever seen before. Nowadays, everyone would just close the door and eat the New Year’s Eve dinner at home.
Now when you encounter this new thing, you will definitely be surprised!
Just when Jian Jianan was feeling very excited and was carefully reviewing the achievements of his parents during this period, an unexpected person came to visit.
Liu Yang was amazed as soon as he walked in. Because of his prejudice against Su Qinxuan and the Nanbei Restaurant, he had never visited them. But now that he had entered, he was surprised to find that this restaurant was really different from ordinary restaurants. It was several times higher in grade and was worthy of being the rival that other restaurants were proud of.
As soon as Liu Yang entered the room, he shouted, "I want to see Boss Su."
Yang Tao had seen this person before and recognized him as a supplier she had worked with before, so she quickly introduced him to Su Qinxuan.
Jian Jianan, who was standing at the door, followed curiously.
Liu Yang got straight to the point: "Boss Su, your Burning Tail Banquet is really famous. I've known about it even when I'm sitting at home lately. Many people in the streets and alleys are talking about it!"
Liu Yang laughed it off. After Su Qinxuan finished dealing with the important matters at hand, he also spoke to him in a roundabout way.
"Really? Really? Hahaha, I've been preparing the materials and didn't know so many people were discussing it! Boss Liu must be well-informed!" Su Qinxuan said with a smile.
Liu Yang: "Hey, that's right. Yesterday, when I got home, my neighbors, who hadn't spoken to me in ages, suddenly started chatting with me. They were asking about this very thing. And as their supplier, I didn't even know what dishes would be on the table. What a dereliction of duty!"
When Liu Yang said this, his true intention became clear. He wanted to know the inside story of the Burning Tail Banquet at the Nanbei Hotel.
Ever since the incident of withholding someone's lion-head goose on New Year's Day, Su Qinxuan and her husband immediately expanded their channels and found new suppliers. They have not used the Liu family for a long time. They knew they were in the wrong, and apart from Mr. Liu personally coming to apologize, nothing happened. The culprit Liu Yang was even hiding from their home. No one knew what had happened to him today, but he actually came to their door and asked Su Qinxuan for some inside information.
When people do something, they always have a purpose and are driven by internal factors. Liu Yang came to inquire about the news because he was asked to do so.
What inside information can Su Qinxuan give?
She smiled, pointed at the door, and said calmly, "It's better to arrive at the right time than to arrive early. Boss Liu, we just finished planning and posted flyers an hour before you came. Look, the dishes and price ranges for the Burning Tail Banquet are all outside. If you're interested, you can take a look. If you like it, come and try it with your dad!"
Liu Yang was stunned, then he quickly took a few steps back in disbelief and went out to look. He had just hurried in and had not paid attention to the scenery outside.
Only after taking a look did he realize the difference. Liu Yang's eyes were almost immediately glued to those dishes that looked very noble and high-end. He immediately calculated in his mind, if they handed over the business of purchasing dishes to him, how much profit could he get from it and how much money could he make?
Liu Yang turned his greedy gaze towards Su Qinxuan and said with a wry smile, "Boss Su, um, who did you get this stuff from? I think these things are hard to come by. I have a few connections here. Otherwise, just leave it to me and I'll definitely get you some good stuff!"
Su Qinxuan smiled politely, "That's not necessary. The person I found has already prepared everything for me. They've prepared everything carefully and won't leave anything out." She hinted at something, and Liu Yang's expression froze for a moment, but soon, Su Qinxuan said politely, "If you need anything next time, I'll tell you."
"Okay, okay, Boss Su, come to me next time if you need anything!" Liu Yang knew that this deal could not be done now, and nodded hurriedly, his heart aching. Oh, this huge amount of money was lost in vain, his heart was bleeding!
Seeing this, Liu Yang knew that he had no reason to stay, so he quickly wrote down a few main dishes, thinking that he should be able to go back and report to that person. Knowing that he was not welcome here, he left quickly.
Jian Jianan looked at Liu Yang's back as he left, and always felt that his behavior of coming to his house today was strange.
Su Qinxuan had already made up his mind, "Don't worry about him."
This time it was Jian Jianan's turn to give his mother a thumbs up, "Mom, you are so generous. You wrote out the list of the most important dishes just like that!"
Su Qinxuan smiled proudly: "So what? If it's written down, everyone can see it. Customers who are interested can naturally choose it according to their needs. If some people want to copy it, then let them copy it. It's a waste of time to imitate!"
As soon as Liu Yang left the Nanbei Restaurant, he rushed to the Sunshine Farmers Market and stopped at the door of the "Nanbei Restaurant".
This "Nanbei Restaurant" is not the same as that "Nanbei Restaurant". Having lost its soul, the Jian family of four, the Nanbei Restaurant is now forgotten by the crowd and is just a name borrowed by Liang Kang and Cheng Ling.
Only by using a name could the two of them deceive many people. However, now everyone is not a fool. Under the publicity of the Burning Tail Banquet of the Nanbei Hotel, other people have understood what is going on and no longer pay attention to this fake brand. The business of Liang Kang and the others has plummeted again.
Fortunately, Liu Yang brought them both good news.
"Hey, Boss Liang! I found out for you! I've got everything you wanted to know about the Manchu-Han banquet at the Nanbei Restaurant!"
Liang Kang was originally listless, but now he was overjoyed when he heard it. It was worth it that he and Liu Yang had been brothers for such a long time. It seemed that he was still useful!
Cheng Ling was also very happy when she heard it, and asked quickly: "What is it?"
Liu Yang, however, kept the secret and refused to speak. He mentioned another aspect with a half-smile: "Hey, Brother Liang, there's no need to rush this. Let's talk about the quantity of goods you're going to buy first!"
The implication is very clear. I will only tell you the information I have inquired about once I am satisfied with the quantity and value of the order you placed with us.
When Liang Kang was a teacher at school, when had he ever been bullied like this? He was always the one threatening others, so how could anyone threaten him?
Hearing this, he gasped and was about to yell, but the calm Cheng Ling stopped him and said with a smile, "Then we must go to you, Brother Liu, to get the goods. Don't worry, we will come to you if we need anything. But now you said that we don't know what to get. After all, we haven't seen the menu yet and don't know what to plan. Don't you think that makes sense?"
After getting the guarantee he wanted, Liu Yang did not make things difficult for them. He just told them the names of the menu he saw, which made Liang Kang and Cheng Ling so busy that they had no time to write them down and were in a panic.
The two stopped when they remembered that they had made few mistakes, and cried with emotion while holding the "recipe". With this thing, they would follow the recipe and they didn't believe that they couldn't surpass that Nanbei Restaurant. Would they still worry about no business coming to them?
Little did they know that the recipe they thought was top secret was actually written by Su Qinxuan on the outer wall.
Liang Kang casually asked, "This is a secret, right? Boss Liu, how did you know this?"
Liu Yang thought about it and decided that this wasn't a secret. Liang Kang and the others would find out sooner or later. So he walked slowly outside, pretending to be casual and saying, "Hey, it's just been posted out there. I knew it right away. I came to tell you the news the moment I saw it."
After saying that, he ran away.
Liang Kang and Cheng Ling were left looking at each other, their hearts filled with confusion as they held the recipe they had finally found out.
What does it mean? Post it openly and honestly?
Doesn’t their actions make me look like a fool?
After a long while, Liang Kang gritted his teeth and said, "Thief!"
Cheng Ling sneered: "Humph! No wonder he ran so fast! Turns out he was afraid we'd find out the truth and chase him down to skin him alive!"
She pondered for a moment. "But it's not a big deal. Although we promised Liu Yang that we would get the goods from him, there's still a lot of room for maneuver! In the end, it's not certain who will make the most money!"
Liang Kang's eyes lit up: "You mean?"
Cheng Ling was confident: "What I mean is, even though the names of the dishes are the same, we can switch them up! If we can't afford the expensive ones, then why not just swap out the ingredients for cheaper ones?"
Taking abalone as an example, she knew that the cheapest abalone was one head, and the most expensive was twelve heads. Fishermen had to spend a lot of effort to catch them every time they went into the water, and they couldn't catch them every time, as it depended on luck.
But you can use cheaper small abalone as a substitute. After they shrink, if you stir-fry them with some sauce whose color is unclear, who can tell what kind of abalone is inside!
Liang Kang laughed so hard after hearing this: "That's great, that's great. I'll do as you say, wife!"
Soon, they handed over the types and quantities of goods to Liu Yang. Liu Yang almost laughed out loud when he saw it: "Hahaha, I know what this couple is planning!"
Isn’t it just an idea to pass off inferior goods as good ones?
But if you want to pass off inferior goods as good ones, I have to make a profit from it.
Liu Yang looked at it for a while, making clicking sounds, and slowly put away the list of goods.
Do you still want to use 2 abalones to pretend to have 12 abalones?
Dream on!
He knew that there was a kind of abalone that was smaller in size but tasted just as good, so he decided to give it to them!
In this way, the Manchu Han Banquet menu of the Nanbei Hotel was changed once by Liang Kang and his wife, and then changed again by Liu Yang. When the guests who booked the banquet received it, what they ate was no longer the original Manchu Han Banquet!
The quality is greatly compromised!
From this we can see that the decline of Liang Kang and others had already begun. People who have no respect and sense of responsibility for business will not last long.
***
At the Nanbei Hotel, since the announcement of the opening of reservations for the Burning Tail Banquet, everyone has been flocking here.
"Boss! Boss, give me a table! I want a small table!"
"I want a box too."
Even those who were slow to make up their minds were curious when they heard about this new thing and came to join in the fun, looking at the paper menu of the Shaowei Banquet, as if they had already tasted the delicious dishes through the thin paper.
Some people hesitated: "Isn't this... a bit expensive?"
"Yeah, yeah, I think it's a bit expensive too. A meal costs fifty-five yuan, which is three months' worth of food for our family and a month's salary for me!"
Immediately, a waiter came forward to explain, "Not really, not really. Expensive food has its own price, and we have our own way of eating! Look at our menu, we have three options!"
"If you're with a small group, I recommend this one. It has seven dishes, three meat dishes and four vegetable dishes. It's sure to be delicious!"
The man was very surprised when he heard it: "Oh? There is such a way to play? Give me a menu, I will take it back and discuss it with my family!"
Everyone at the Nanbei Hotel was well prepared for the popularity of the Burning Tail Banquet. When Su Qinxuan and the others mentioned this novelty, everyone in the restaurant was very excited and wanted to make a reservation, not to mention others.
Everyone has received good training and can speak to different people in a suitable way, prescribe the right medicine for the right condition, and ensure that every word touches people's hearts.
"The Burning Tail Banquet is a traditional custom that originated in the Song Dynasty. At the time, the emperor wanted to reward his ministers for their hard work throughout the year. So, at the end of the year, he would hold a grand banquet in the palace and invite favored ministers to the meal to express his appreciation and praise for them."
"At the ancient Burning Tail Feast, we can see many famous dishes. Many of them have been lost in modern times, and some ingredients are no longer available. However, through the ingenuity of our chefs, we have used many suitable current ingredients to replace them, ensuring that they are both auspicious and delicious."
Food is the most important thing for people. It is a widely circulated saying.
Among them, the people of Guangdong Province agree most with this statement.
People in Guangdong Province not only love to eat, but also know how to eat and what tastes best.
Now, after looking at the menu and hearing about this Burning Tail Banquet and its profound history, I had to make a decision immediately.
"Okay, then I want a private room!"
"Okay, sir, please leave your phone number and name and I'll register you."
Soon, Xiao Li, the waiter who had just closed a deal, handed the deposit to Yang Tao, and was unsurprisingly teased.
"Hey, Xiao Li, you've opened a new order? Your year-end bonus must be very generous!"
Xiao Li waved his hand modestly: "It's all thanks to Sister Xiao Tao's good teaching!"
After saying that, he hurried to the next customer and racked his brains to sell the product. For each customer who made a deal, the waiter would get a different percentage of commission, so Xiao Li had to race against time!
Looking at the bustling scene of people coming and going in the store, Jian Jianan could imagine the scene of rolling in money.
Thinking of this, she walked towards the office, wanting to know what her parents were busy with.
At this time, Su Qinxuan was cleaning up the mess that Jian Yangping had accidentally made. Both she and Jian Yangping had been very busy during this period, and they inevitably made a few small mistakes in the busy schedule.
Many people came to book the reunion banquet, but the venue was limited, the ingredients were limited, and the number of chefs was limited. The hall could only accommodate fifty tables at most, with each table seating no more than ten people, and there were only a dozen private rooms. Jian Yangping's mistake was that he agreed to allow several families to have their reunion dinner in the hall.
Su Qinxuan immediately got angry and said angrily, "Old Jian, what's wrong with you? Didn't I tell you that fifty tables in the hall are already the maximum, no more. Otherwise, where are you going to conjure up the other tables and dishes for me?"
While she was busy at the front, Jian Yangping, on the other hand, created so many messes for her that she had to take time out of her busy schedule to clean up.
Jian Yangping quickly defended himself, "I didn't remember it wrongly. Besides, I thought adding a few more banquets would also help our business."
Su Qinxuan was simply disappointed: "I told you about this before, everything must have an accurate quantity. If we agreed on fifty, it means fifty, and it cannot be changed. Oh, how do we solve this problem? I need to think about it carefully."
Jian Yangping didn't dare to defend himself. He stood beside her with a smile, trying to calm his lover's anger. The most important thing was that the trouble he had caused this time was really difficult to solve.
There are still empty seats in the hall, so adding a few tables is not a problem. However, the ingredients have already been decided. If you want to add so many dishes at the last minute, where are you going to get the extra dishes?
"How about this, let Xiao Li and the others think of another way to temporarily put together a few tables. If other ingredients are missing, we can give people a discount on the price of the dishes and refund the difference. See if they are willing to accept it. Or we can use other replacements and give them a few side dishes and put on more smiles." This is a good solution.
"Yeah." Jian Yangping nodded.
Su Qinxuan looked at her husband's face, which showed that he knew he had done something wrong, and quickly comforted him, "It's okay, it's okay. Everyone makes mistakes. Have you forgotten that I got the purchase order wrong before? Fortunately, you stood by me at that time to comfort and encourage me, and our family was able to get through that difficult time together."
Su Qinxuan was talking about when she ran a small restaurant at the farmers' market. She went to purchase goods and was cheated by the owner. She spent a lot of money to buy a batch of goods. In the end, it was Jian Yangping who took several tall and strong men from the store to block the door and got her money back.
The boss was unwilling to refund the money and said that they would wait a few days before the goods were returned to them. Su Qinxuan and his friends were unwilling to do so. They were also afraid of being ripped off and would rather pay for the money and order from other stores than buy from them again.
Jian Yangping felt much better after being comforted by his wife. They had been through many ups and downs for more than a decade, and they couldn't let these things affect their relationship.
Just when the two were repairing their relationship, Yang Tao hurried in with a notebook.
"Boss Su, my informant heard a rumor that Liang Kang and Cheng Ling launched a Burning Tail Feast under our name, and the names and styles of the dishes are exactly the same as ours."
Jian Jianan remained calm and composed upon hearing this, not affected at all, "Liang Kang and the others are finished!"
For those who destroy their own reputation, they don’t need to do anything, just wait for them to destroy themselves!
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