Chef Hua
Chapter 328: Episode 188: The Art of Peddling (Part 2)

Chapter 328: Episode 188: The Art of Peddling (Part 2)

All the workers from Sauce Garden were now gathered around the table in the middle of the courtyard, revealing a hint of doubt in their eyes as they heard these words and looked at each other, somewhat puzzled.

Great Saint had always been an extroverted and cheerful person, and even after coming to work at Zhenwei Garden, he still maintained his careless and casual demeanor. While the others all stood by Hua Xiaomai’s side, he alone sat at a wooden table which was slightly far away, arms folded. Having heard Hua Xiaomai mention him, he nodded and said with a laugh, "Don’t worry, by early tomorrow morning, I’ll definitely have this matter handled—but Xiaomai, what do you need so many little bottles and small sauce jars for?"

Hua Xiaomai nodded, "Aren’t we trying to create a market for our own sauces? Those little bottles and small jars are key. I’ve thought about it; one jar of sauce can last about two months. Fire Knife Village only has a few hundred households; even if everyone bought their sauces from Zhenwei Garden, we couldn’t sell that much. But the folks in Fire Knife Village mostly have relatives in nearby villages, and we have to rely on word of mouth to let people within ten miles or so know about Zhenwei Garden."

"But Xiaomai, you still haven’t told us, what exactly are the little bottles and small jars for?" "Little Mouse," who was standing by the side and couldn’t keep things to himself, blurted out the question, his brow furrowed in clear confusion.

Lei An, though also a bit confused, was nonetheless more composed and tugged at Little Mouse to signal him not to interrupt.

"They’ll certainly come in very useful," Hua Xiaomai said with a smile, glancing at Little Mouse. "Over the next few days, everyone will inevitably be quite busy. If this matter can be handled smoothly, we will not have to worry about selling sauces in the future, and we might even have businesses coming to us."

After she had explained this quietly, Lei An and the others nodded again and again, pondered for a moment, then asked, "This strategy should work well in the village and surrounding countryside, but what about in the county? We certainly shouldn’t overlook retail sales, but more importantly, we need to focus on the big restaurants in the city. If we could secure a few orders from them, only then can we truly be at ease."

Hua Xiaomai nodded and half-jokingly let out a sigh, "I’ve also considered that layer. Alas, I might inevitably have to work hard on that front. You all just need to manage things well in the village. Leave a hundred of those little bottles and small jars for me; I’ll handle the rest."

...

So, about three days later, Fire Knife Village suddenly became lively.

On the riverbanks, by the paths, and even along the edges of the fields, one could see small stands with "Zhenwei Garden" signs everywhere—nothing more than a table and a chair. On the tables were several three-inch tall bottles and sauce jars the size of a palm, filled with colorful sauces. Additionally, there were a few dishes of mixed or fried vegetables, and if one got a little closer, the fragrant aroma would brazenly assault their senses, compelling everyone to stop and take a closer look and inquire a little.

It was the busy farming season, and the fields were full of people. The village women, responsible for delivering lunch to the men sweating it out in the fields, would walk back in groups of two or three, chatting and laughing as they squeezed their way to the small stand.

"Great Saint, brother, what play are you putting on?"

Having lived in the same village for decades, the women knew each other very well. Seeing Great Saint standing solemnly behind the stall, they all teased him with laughter, "Weren’t you working at little Hua’s Sauce Garden to earn money? Why are you out here setting up a stall?"

Great Saint, usually playful and smiling, was serious when it came to business and nodded earnestly, "That’s right, it’s for the Sauce Garden’s business. Sisters, if you have time, would you like to try our new sauces? I guarantee that once you taste them, you’ll instantly like them. Use them to cook at home, even with ordinary vegetables, and they will taste twice as sweet!"

As he spoke, he pushed a dish of "tofu mixed with Chinese toon" forward towards the women, with a serious face, he earnestly introduced, "This is a dish prepared with sauces produced by our Zhenwei Garden, you sisters should try it and see for yourselves how our sauces differ from others."