allonlinenovel Chapter 131 Ice Cellar
Chapter 131 Ice Cellar
Just thinking about it is exciting!
But just thinking about it won't do any good; we still need to talk to Manager Su as soon as possible!
"Father, when we pass by the restaurant on our way back to town from Dushui County tomorrow, let's tell Manager Yao that if Manager Su returns to the restaurant, he should inform us."
"Yes, that's what Dad thinks too."
As a result, before Manager Su could return to Yunlai Restaurant, they ran into him at Wanhe Restaurant the next day when they went to Dushui County to deliver braised pig's trotters.
Lin Xiaotang was excited and immediately pulled her father to greet Manager Su.
"Manager Su, it's so great to meet you here."
Manager Su smiled, adding to his refined air. "Yes, I've been busy lately and haven't been back to the restaurant as often. But with the New Year approaching, I thought I'd head back to Wanhe Restaurant to make some arrangements in advance."
She smiled, her eyes crinkling, "Hehe, Dad and I just wanted to talk to you about the supply for the month of Chinese New Year."
Manager Su raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this little girl was really clever, having thought of this so early.
"Alright, come with me."
He also had a private study at Wanhe Restaurant, so he led the father and daughter upstairs and asked the waiter to brew a pot of tea for them.
"Brother Qingchuan, Xiaotang, this is tea from the restaurant, you two should try it."
Lin Qingchuan had never drunk tea made from tea leaves before, and he knew nothing about tea leaves, so how could he possibly taste anything?
He blushed and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm just a rough man. Whether it's tea or water, I drink it like a cow. Asking me to drink it would be a waste."
Shopkeeper Su laughed, "It's meant to be drunk, how can it be a waste? Whether you can taste it or not isn't important. There are no outsiders here, Xiao Tang, don't you think?"
Lin Xiaotang immediately nodded, "Yes, those who are particular about drinking tea are people with money, status, and position, like Manager Su. Dad, people like us can just drink whatever we want. Anyway, Manager Su has a good temper and is easygoing, so he won't laugh at us. When we save more money in the future, we can buy some to drink too. The more we drink, the more we'll understand."
"Alright then, if Xiaotang says so, then Dad won't worry anymore."
He had just said "drink like a cow," but he couldn't actually gulp it down in one go.
So he picked up the small teacup and took a small sip.
Shopkeeper Su said with a smile, "Xiao Tang is so straightforward and open-minded. She knows so much at such a young age and has such a good character. I really admire her."
"Shopkeeper Su, you're too kind."
"Then I won't stand on ceremony. Let's talk about the supply during the Spring Festival. From the 15th of the twelfth lunar month to the 15th of the first lunar month, both restaurants will double their supply of braised pig's trotters. Can you braise that much?"
Lin Qingchuan thought for a moment, "We can just buy two more big pots and set them up in the yard. We can definitely braise them together, but..."
Manager Su immediately asked, "But what is it? Is there some difficulty, or are we short-staffed?"
"No, I'm worried that there will be a lot of pigs slaughtered before the New Year, so we can buy enough raw pig trotters. But everyone prepares for the New Year before the New Year, and when we visit relatives after the New Year, fewer pigs will be slaughtered, so we probably won't be able to buy enough raw pig trotters. Our place is different from the North, so if we buy them too early, they won't keep well. Tang'er and I come to the county every day to buy fresh ones, and we're afraid we won't have enough supply after the New Year."
Lin Qingchuan's face fell with worry, feeling a pang of regret that he couldn't make money.
However, it's good to earn an extra half month's salary. After all, one shouldn't be greedy; every little bit helps.
Manager Su immediately breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, I thought you had encountered some other difficulty, you scared me."
There's an ice cellar in the backyard of our Wanhe Restaurant. Buy enough raw pig trotters before the New Year, store them there, and you can take them out daily after the New Year. This was something I didn't think of before; I forgot to tell you.
what?
Wanhe Restaurant even has an ice cellar?
This solved their eldest son's problem; with an ice cellar, they no longer had to worry about not being able to buy raw pig's trotters after the New Year.
Previously, when they delivered goods to Wanhe Restaurant, the mule carts would stop at the back door, the workers would unload the goods, the manager would check and record the quantities, and then they would leave to make purchases.
The father and daughter were not familiar with the manager of Wanhe Restaurant, so they didn't know much about it.
Now that we know Wanhe Restaurant has an ice cellar, the problem of keeping food fresh is easily solved.
However, they had just bought the house, and with the increase in orders, they didn't have enough capital.
Lin Qingchuan's worried expression did not lessen; he felt ashamed for always troubling Manager Su.
Lin Xiaotang, thick-skinned as ever, immediately grinned.
"Manager Su, we bought a slightly cheaper little house a few days ago and have already moved out of your Su residence. We've cleaned and tidied it up, but we haven't seen you much lately and haven't had a chance to inform you. Today is the perfect time to tell you."
Thank you for providing us with accommodation and for reducing the rent; you've been very kind to us.
Shopkeeper Su was stunned for a moment, then clicked his tongue and said, "My house is just sitting idle anyway. You were living there just fine, so why did you suddenly move out? Is there something you're not comfortable living there with?"
"How much silver have you saved to buy such a small house? Do you even have enough left to live on?"
Manager Su is kind-hearted, and with Lin Qingchuan and Xiao Tang working with him for so long, both of his restaurants have increased their profits. In particular, the Wanhe Restaurant in the county has become much more competitive since it started selling braised pig's trotters and boneless chicken feet.
Even if they don't pay rent to stay for a while, it's fine if they stay for six months or a year without paying rent.
Anyway, they are a good family, and he trusts them.
When Manager Su asked her about her predicament, Lin Xiaotang's smile suddenly turned awkward.
"The New Year is just around the corner. Our family can't possibly spend it at the Su residence. It's inconvenient to go back to the village to supply braised pig trotters to the two restaurants. Besides, given my grandparents' situation, there will definitely be a lot of trouble. Sooner or later, we'll have to settle down in town anyway, so we gritted our teeth and bought them."
However, we don't have much spare cash. If we increase the supply, it might not be enough. Could we trouble Manager Su to settle accounts every half month for now, and then resume monthly payments in February after the New Year?
Manager Su nodded. “You’re right. Since you’ve already bought the house and moved out, I won’t try to stop you. As for settling accounts every two weeks, that’s not a problem. I’ll talk to Accountant Lu about it when I get back tomorrow.”
Lin Xiaotang immediately said happily, "Okay, it's settled then. Thank you so much, Manager Su. We're incredibly lucky to be able to work with a manager as easy to talk to as you."
Lin Qingchuan was overjoyed and thanked Manager Su as well.
"We made a few special requests, which caused Manager Su a lot of trouble. In short, we are grateful to Manager Su for helping us solve our difficulties on many occasions."
Manager Su was amused by Xiao Tang's flattering and grateful words, "Oh dear, we've known each other and cooperated for so long, why are you being so polite with me?"
Mutual help and support lead to mutual benefit, and such partners are less likely to be poached.
You know, ever since Wanhe Restaurant started selling braised pig's trotters and boneless chicken feet, several other restaurants in the county have followed suit. However, the taste of the dishes they developed was always disappointing and not as good as the ones made by Qingchuan's family.