Chef Hua
Chapter 332: Episode 190: A Narrow Path

Chapter 332: Episode 190: A Narrow Path

Where in the world could such a coincidence occur? According to Great Saint and Chun Xi La Mei, it had been decades since there had been a proper Sauce Garden in Fuzhe County, yet just as Zhenwei Garden was opening, a direct competitor appeared in West City, securing a contract with Chunfeng Restaurant before them.

Said in this way, wouldn’t the other restaurants and eateries in the city also...

Hua Xiaomai felt a bit dazed and subconsciously rubbed her temples.

Well, she had to admit, ever since she started doing business, everything had been going too smoothly. Even when her small diner opened, there had only been a brief lull in business, but it hadn’t taken long for her to turn the situation around. Days passed smoothly, naturally bringing joy, but at the same time, it left her utterly inexperienced in dealing with problems, helpless when issues arose.

It seemed she was facing the first real challenge since arriving at Fire Knife Village, and if she could not handle it well, having someone else take the lead, it could seriously impact Zhenwei Garden’s business in the future!

Caught up in her thoughts, Zhao Lao sighed as he waited beside her for a long time without hearing her speak, then nudged her: "Hua Xiaomai, what are you pondering so deeply about?"

Hua Xiaomai snapped back to reality, looked up, and offered him a reluctant smile, "Oh, nothing... I just didn’t expect that Fuzhe County would also have a Sauce Garden, I was just a bit surprised for a moment. Zhao Lao, I hope it’s appropriate to ask, and if you find it abrupt, please don’t hold it against me—when did you sign the purchase contract for their sauce, and... how is the taste of their sauce?"

"Hmm, that Sauce Garden is called ’Wan Ji’, and it was about two or three days ago I tied up a contract with them," Zhao Lao said, nodding after a moment of thought, "As for the taste... you run a restaurant yourself, so you have an idea, the common sauces in the marketplace, as long as they aren’t the worst kinds, taste fairly similar. I decided to buy their sauce after personally tasting it. While it might be slightly inferior to what Antai Garden, a centuries-old shop, produces, it’s still usable. Most importantly, their price is twenty percent cheaper than Antai Garden, and it saves me the transportation costs back and forth, which all told saves me quite a bit of money!"

Ma Qiang and He Fusheng, who had been diligently standing behind Hua Xiaomai, could hardly contain themselves upon hearing this and muttered under their breaths: "Who says that the sauces sold on the market all taste similar? I would confidently vouch, guaranteed, that what our Zhenwei Garden produces, even Antai Garden in Provincial City could not catch up with it!"

These words struck a chord with Hua Xiaomai, yet in front of Zhao Lao, it was absolutely inappropriate to shout them out loud. She could only turn back to glare at the two and scolded them softly: "Don’t talk nonsense!"

Zhao Lao was not offended, however, and laughed heartily, addressing Ma Qiang and He Fusheng: "You two are quite loyal! How could I not know about your boss’s skill? Probably you don’t even realize that last year at the Eight Treasures Conference in the provincial city, she won first place with just one dish! If I had known earlier that she had also entered the sauce business, I wouldn’t have needed her to come to me, I would have willingly taken the contract to your shop. But who could foresee a Cheng Yaojin coming out of nowhere? Ah, you should also consider my position. I’ve already signed a one-year contract with someone else, if I start patronizing your business now, wouldn’t the deposit I paid be in vain?"

As he spoke, he turned back to Hua Xiaomai, his expression amiable and smiling: "Xiaomai, I know you must be feeling somewhat upset right now, but rather than worrying here, you might as well quickly visit the other eateries in the city. In business, securing even one deal is better than none, and you can’t afford delay! However... at this time, most of the eateries in the city are likely tied up with them too, so it all comes down to whether you can scrape up a bit here and there!"

Thanks a lot for the comfort, really appreciate it!

Hua Xiaomai internally rolled her eyes heavily but realized that indeed she could not afford to waste more time. Setting aside her troubling emotions, she pulled together a smile to thank him, promptly bidding farewell and stepping out the door of Chunfeng Restaurant.

Standing by the road, Ma Qiang and He Fusheng simultaneously felt anxious, watching Hua Xiaomai with worried expressions: "Boss, what do you think we should do now? Should we continue asking each eatery one by one? If we can’t secure a single deal all day, then we... "