Zhao Xian was prepared; he had already arranged for people to process the crabs, which were already marinated and would be ready to serve soon.
Some customers came directly to the kitchen to order dishes, which surprised Manager Lu. He went to the kitchen to check and found out that the kitchen had launched a new dish called spicy crab.
He also wanted to try the spicy crab, but there wasn't a single piece left. He would have to wait a while to get some.
It seems that spicy crab has become a signature dish of the restaurant. The four buckets of crabs we just brought back won't last more than a few days, so it looks like we need to start buying in large quantities from now on.
This matter must be prepared for in advance. Once the new product is launched, the raw materials cannot be out of stock. Thinking of this, he immediately called Manager Lu aside, and the two began to discuss the issue of raw material supply.
Manager Lu nodded. He greatly admired Zhao Xian. Although Zhao Xian had never run a restaurant before, he was more thoughtful than he was.
"We do need to arrange for people to specifically purchase crabs and then transport them to Qing'an Prefecture. We need to carefully consider how to do this," Manager Lu said.
“We need to find a partner in Huangjia Village to help us purchase crabs and transport them here. Based on our observations, crabs are very resilient. Although it will take a day to transport them, the losses will not be significant and are completely acceptable.”
"Should we go to Huangjia Village to finalize the purchase of crabs? Huang Bo is a local; we can discuss it with him," Manager Lu suggested.
The two quickly reached a consensus, and Huang Bo was also called over.
"What brings you two managers to me?" Huang Bo asked.
"Chef Huang, you've worked hard these past two days. The restaurant's launch of the spicy crab, a signature dish, is largely thanks to you. We're going to reward you," Zhao Xian said with a smile.
Huang Bo was excited. He knew the shopkeeper would definitely reward him. Judging from how popular the spicy crab had been, his reward should be substantial, at least five taels of silver. He was already looking forward to it.
Zhao Xian continued, "I have already discussed it with Manager Lu, and we plan to reward you with ten taels of silver."
Huang Bo was stunned. Ten taels of silver was a huge sum of money for him. Even if he worked hard for half a year, he wouldn't earn that much.
The reward of ten taels of silver far exceeded his expectations. Manager Zhao kept his word, and he was determined to work hard in the restaurant from now on.
Soon someone took out ten taels of silver from the accounting office and handed it to Huang Bo.
Huang Bo took the silver; the ten taels of silver were heavy, and he had never had so much money in his hands before.
Seeing that Huang Bo accepted the silver, Zhao Xian continued:
"Master Huang, what's the purchase price of crabs per kilogram over there?"
“In our area, crabs have become an infestation problem. Several surrounding villages are in the same situation. Farmers dig a large pit in the ground, lure the crabs into it, and then kill and bury them.”
Zhao Xian was taken aback. Such good stuff was being wasted like this. Wasn't this a terrible waste? It seemed there were just too many crabs over there, otherwise they wouldn't have handled it this way.
"If we were to buy crabs from you, how much would you charge per kilogram?" Zhao Xian asked.
"Crabs are worthless. If the shopkeeper wants to buy a lot of crabs, he doesn't need to buy them at all. He can just pay some wages and let the locals catch them. He can get as many as he wants."
"We definitely need to pay for the purchase, since we need a stable source of goods. Manager Lu and I have already discussed it and will find someone in your village to buy the crabs and then transport them to our restaurant."
To avoid wasting these ingredients, we will purchase in fixed quantities. Based on the restaurant's current operating situation, Chef Huang, could you help us calculate how many crabs we need per day?
After considering for a moment, Huang Bo said, "Judging from the current situation, selling 200 jin a day should not be a problem, but it's hard to say what will happen later. The demand will definitely increase."
"Master Huang, how about this? We'll find someone from your area to help buy it and then deliver it over. We'll pay you ten coins per pound. Is that alright? Of course, this doesn't include the transportation cost; that will be calculated separately."
“If the shopkeeper offers this price, the locals will definitely be willing to do it,” Huang Bo replied.
"The crabs you brought back this time are estimated to weigh two hundred catties. I will pay you ten coins per catty, which is two taels of silver in total."
Huang Bo hadn't expected that the shopkeeper would accept the crabs he brought back for two taels of silver. The two shopkeepers had given him quite a bit of money today, so he was too embarrassed to ask for the extra two taels.
"Take this money. It's all rightfully yours. There are many important things the restaurant will need you to do in the future, so you must be diligent," Manager Lu said.
Huang Bo no longer refused and happily accepted the two taels of silver. He knew that if he worked hard in the restaurant, he would earn more money in the future.
"Tomorrow morning, you'll come with me to Huangjia Village to finalize the crab purchase. Only in this way can we ensure our restaurant has a sufficient supply. What do you think?" Zhao Xian asked.
“Alright, then I’ll accompany Manager Zhao to Huangjia Village tomorrow to get this done,” Huang Bo said excitedly.
That night, Huang Bo was so happy that he couldn't sleep. He would give the more than ten taels of silver to his parents when he returned home the next day. The house was too small and they needed to rebuild a bigger one. With this silver, things would be much easier.
His two younger brothers are still unmarried, and his own child is already six years old. He is considering sending the child to school, which will cost money, so he needs to continue working hard.
This time, Manager Zhao is going to Huangjia Village to buy crabs, which is a good opportunity for his family to make money. He must seize this opportunity.
Early the next morning, Zhao Xian and Huang Bo boarded a carriage and left the restaurant.
The one who drove the carriage this time was a personal guard brought by Zhao Xian. This man was quite skilled and was the best among the ten personal guards. Zhao Xian did not send Zhao Cheng this time, mainly because the safety of the family and the normal operation of several businesses required him. With Zhao Cheng at home, he could rest easy.
Having a personal guard to drive the carriage and protect me is enough.
The carriage sped along, and around noon, they passed through a small town. Zhao Xian decided to have the carriage stop for a rest and to eat something before continuing.
The group found an inn, had lunch, rested for a while, and the waiter fed the horses some hay. Seeing that the horses had recovered, they got into the carriage and continued their journey.
An hour later, a village appeared by the roadside ahead. The road passed in front of the village, and many villagers appeared on the road. The soldiers had no choice but to slow down the carriage.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
