Chapter 353 - 189: This Is a Restaurant, Not a Cafeteria?

Chapter 353: Chapter 189: This Is a Restaurant, Not a Cafeteria?

"That’s right, they’re hand-pulled noodles," Zhou Yan said with a smiling nod. The mixed noodles weren’t typically served with bone broth. Most young people would slurp down a bowl in no time and wouldn’t have the patience to wait for the broth to cool, which would just make them late for work.

After polishing off the bowl of mixed noodles and drinking every last drop of bone broth, Zhang Zhengping set down his empty bowl and let out a contented burp.

’This breakfast was pure bliss!’

’Ending my trip to Suji with this bowl of mixed noodles... it just doesn’t get any better than this.’

"Alright, time for me to go." Zhang Zhengping fished out sixty cents, placed it on the table, and slowly stood up.

Zhou Yan knew his character and didn’t try to refuse the money.

Zhou Momo, having just finished her noodle soup, looked up at Zhang Zhengping and asked in a sweet, childish voice, "Great-uncle, are you going home now?"

"That’s right. I have to go home and make some yummy food for your great-aunt," Zhang Zhengping said, his eyes crinkling into a smile.

"But I’ll miss you." The little girl looked at him with pleading eyes, which were already welling up with tears. "Can’t you stay and play a little longer...?"

"Oh, my dear, Momo, you’re such a good girl. I’ll bring your great-aunt to visit again soon, alright?" Zhang Zhengping searched his pockets over and over, but finding nothing suitable to give her, he could only smile and say, "Next time I come, I’ll bring you tasty treats and fun toys. How does that sound?"

"Okay," Zhou Momo replied with an obedient nod.

"Great-uncle, you have a lot of things. Let me see you off. You return the bike to Dr. Ji, and I’ll give you a ride to the bridge head to catch the bus." Zhou Yan pushed his own bicycle toward the door. He untied the urea sack from the borrowed bike, placed it in the large wicker basket on his own bike rack, and moved the canvas bag to his front basket.

"That’d be great," Zhang Zhengping agreed with a smile.

"Take care, Uncle. Come visit again soon," Zhao Tieying and Zhou Miao said, seeing them off at the door.

"Great-uncle, you have to bring Great-aunt with you next time!" Zhou Momo chimed in.

"I will," Zhang Zhengping said with a smiling nod. He got on the bicycle and left with Zhou Yan.

After they returned the bicycle to Ji Hongtao, Zhou Yan gave Zhang Zhengping a ride to Stone Bridge Head to wait for the bus.

"What did you pack in here? This sack is heavy," Zhou Yan said, lifting the urea sack off the bike.

"I’m what you call a freeloader—came for a meal and left with a haul. My third sister insisted on packing this sack for me. It has a bit of everything: sweet potatoes, pumpkin, red beans... Yesterday, she stayed up late to braise a beef shank, and this morning, she got up at the crack of dawn to slaughter a chicken. She just stuffed it all in here." Zhang Zhengping’s expression was one of amused resignation.

’Being spoiled by his older sister at his age was, of course, a happy thing.’

Zhou Yan saw Zhang Zhengping off on the bus before heading back to the restaurant.

Braising meats, braising vegetables, prepping ingredients... An endless stream of chores awaited him.

...

「Around nine o’clock.」

A sedan bearing the name "Jiazhou Hotel" pulled up slowly to the entrance of the textile factory.

Lin Zhiqiang was standing at the factory gate with two of the textile factory’s managers, all of them wearing smiles.

A middle-aged man in a black suit over a white shirt stepped out of the car. He had a square-jawed face, and his hair was impeccably combed to the left. He was followed by a tall secretary.

"Mr. Qian Siyuan, I’m Lin Zhiqiang, the vice director of the Jiazhou Textile Factory. We’re very pleased to welcome you." Lin Zhiqiang stepped forward with a smile, speaking in English as he extended his right hand.

Qian Siyuan shook his hand, smiling. "Director Lin, you can speak Chinese with me. I studied Mandarin before returning to China, so I can communicate just fine."

"Oh, that’s wonderful. Mr. Qian, right this way. I’ll give you a tour so you can get to know our Jiazhou Textile Factory," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. He led Qian Siyuan into the factory grounds, explaining, "This is our new factory building. The facilities and equipment are all state-of-the-art, top-tier within the country. We’ve even been called a ’garden factory’..."

"It is quite impressive," Qian Siyuan said with a slight nod. For the most part, he listened to Lin Zhiqiang’s explanations, occasionally interjecting with a question. They toured the workshops, examined the product samples, and finally settled in the conference room to discuss the potential partnership. The factory’s main director was also present for the negotiations.

Lin Zhiqiang downed a glass of water in one gulp; his throat was parched from talking all morning.

’If I’d known he spoke Mandarin, I would’ve let someone else host him,’ he thought. ’Making a tech guy like me handle business negotiations is really putting me on the spot.’

"Mr. Qian, when do you think would be a good time to discuss the specific details of the contract?" Director Wang Hongliang inquired.

Qian Siyuan lifted his teacup, took a sip, then set it down and said calmly, "Director Wang, your factory’s silk is indeed excellent, and Jiading Brocade is quite famous. However, I just arrived from Guocheng yesterday. The Guocheng Silk Factory is also a major silk producer here in Sichuan. The quality of their white silk is also very high, and their pricing is more competitive than yours.

Considering the current international price of silk, the terms you’ve offered aren’t particularly compelling. As for the specific details of a partnership, my team and I will need to return to the Jiazhou Hotel and discuss the matter thoroughly before making a decision. We cannot sign a contract right away."

The smiles on the faces of Wang Hongliang and the other leaders froze for a moment, but they were helpless to do anything about it. They nodded and said, "Very well. We will await your good news, Mr. Qian."

"Thank you for your time," Qian Siyuan said with a nod, rising to leave.

"Zhiqiang, it’s lunchtime," Wang Hongliang said. "Why don’t you take Mr. Qian for a meal before he returns to Jiazhou."

"Please, don’t trouble Director Lin. He’s already spent half the day with me and must be tired. We can just eat at the Jiazhou Hotel," Qian Siyuan said, shaking his head.

Lin Zhiqiang rose and said with a smile, "Mr. Qian, you’ve come all this way. If you leave without even sharing a meal, it will look like the Jiazhou Textile Factory has been discourteous to one of our overseas compatriots.

Suji may be a small town, but it has its share of authentic local food. Let’s set business aside for a moment. As a friend, I’d like to invite you to lunch. Would you do me the honor?"

Qian Siyuan smiled at his words and nodded. "Alright, then. I’ll be in your hands, Director Lin."

"This way, please." Lin Zhiqiang led Qian Siyuan out.

"Are you planning to have me sample the fare at your factory cafeteria, Director Lin?" Qian Siyuan asked.

When he had toured the Guocheng Silk Factory, he had eaten lunch in their cafeteria. The food had been quite good—much better than the factory cafeterias back in the United States.

"Not the cafeteria. It’s a small restaurant that opened right outside the factory gate," Lin Zhiqiang said with a smile. "I’m going to let you taste some truly authentic Sichuan Cuisine. You might not find dishes this good even if you went to Rongcheng."

"Authentic Sichuan Cuisine?" Qian Siyuan’s interest was piqued. Walking alongside Lin Zhiqiang, he asked curiously, "Does Sichuan Cuisine have regional variations? Can you tell what part of the province someone is from by a single dish?"

Lin Zhiqiang stopped in his tracks, looked at him, and laughed. "Sorry, I’m from Shanxi."

Qian Siyuan paused, stunned for a second, then burst out laughing. "No wonder your accent is completely different from everyone else’s! And your Mandarin is surprisingly standard."

Lin Zhiqiang smiled. "I wouldn’t know, but I’m sure the Chef does. The owner of that restaurant is a good friend of mine. If you have any questions, you can ask him after lunch."

"Deal," Qian Siyuan nodded. "You’re a very interesting man."

By now, the factory workers were off for their lunch break. A dozen or so people were already lined up outside the restaurant to buy braised dishes, and the dining area inside was nearly full.

"This is a restaurant, not a public canteen?" Qian Siyuan asked, surprised as he looked at the crowd of customers filling the dimly lit space.

"In China, at mealtimes, you can’t go wrong picking a restaurant that’s packed with locals. It’s the people’s choice," Lin Zhiqiang said with a grin, leading them inside.

"’The people’s choice...’" Qian Siyuan echoed, smiling as he stepped into the restaurant.