Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity
Chapter 119 - 44: Yingkelai Restaurant

Chapter 119: Chapter 44: Yingkelai Restaurant

"Oh! You need to find Manager Liang for that. I’m indeed acquainted with Manager Liang. You all wait here, I’ll give some instructions to the shop staff and then go with you to Yingkelai." Gu Chengyu said a few words to Manager Zhou and the clerk who had just gone inside to announce them, as well as the accountant behind the counter, then he walked towards them.

"We can go now, Brother Gu. Is that ox cart in front of the door yours? Yingkelai is at the very end of this street, it’ll be faster to take the ox cart!" At this time, there weren’t many people on the street yet, so the ox cart could indeed be driven.

"It’s ours! The ingredients are on the ox cart, so let’s take the ox cart then! It’s a bit of a squeeze for Manager Zhou to take the ox cart with us." Mr. Gu knew that Manager Zhou usually traveled by horse-drawn carriage, when had he ever ridden an ox cart?

"If you keep being so polite, Brother Gu, I’ll really get angry." Manager Zhou said, feigning anger.

Mr. Gu chuckled.

The ox cart stopped in front of Yingkelai, and when Gu Chengyu saw the large gates of Yingkelai tightly shut, he remembered that it wasn’t meal time. As one would expect, a restaurant usually became bustling only around noon. It was just past 5:30 AM now, so the restaurant was certainly not open yet! However, since Manager Zhou could bring them here, he must also be able to take them inside.

"Yingkelai’s front door isn’t open at this time, we need to go around to the small backdoor by the kitchen, Brother Gu. You should take the ox cart around from here; usually, the kitchen opens in the morning as people come to deliver ingredients." Indeed, Manager Zhou had anticipated this situation.

The ox cart carried the three of them to the small backdoor of Yingkelai’s kitchen, and Mr. Gu parked the ox cart steadily, while Manager Zhou was the first to get off the cart.

Just then, a clerk came out of the kitchen, preparing to unload ingredients from a horse-drawn cart.

"Oh? Manager Zhou? What brings you here today? And so early in the morning to the back kitchen." The clerk was surprised to see Manager Zhou and proceeded to joke with him.

"You little rascal, are you teasing me? Where’s your Manager? Is he in? I have something to discuss with him, fetch him for me!"

Gu Chengyu could tell from their level of familiarity that Manager Zhou was a regular at Yingkelai; presumably, all the restaurant staff knew him.

"I’ll go get him for you right away!" The clerk, being perceptive, noticed that Manager Zhou had brought people with him early in the morning and probably had important business with their manager. Jokes aside, he dared not delay important matters.

Gu Chengyu and the others waited outside for a while and then heard a loud voice coming from inside. "Haha! Old Zhou, why are you here so early? Are you trying to invite me to taste your exquisite Biluochun?"

Gu Chengyu was a bit curious about the owner of this voice and kept his eyes fixed on the small door. A tall, robust man came out, dressed in silk like Manager Zhou. Looking up, he saw the man had a rugged appearance. Yes, rugged, with thick black eyebrows, eyes as big as an ox’s eyes, and a somewhat scruffy beard.

"You old rascal, what? Can’t I come to see you for no reason? If I let you have my Biluochun, it would be like a cow chewing peonies! You’re all brawn and still try to imitate people drinking tea. With your drinking style, a whole pot wouldn’t be enough for you." Manager Zhou got a bit angry thinking about it; his good teas had been gulped down by this man with no appreciation, who then wiped his mouth and complained about the bitterness. Recently, this man kept pestering him for his fine tea, scaring him so much that he hadn’t dared to come for three days!

"Hey! Are you mocking me first thing in the morning?" Manager Liang was saying as he walked up to the Gu family’s ox cart.

"I don’t have time for that. Let me tell you, this is a brother of mine; they have fresh ingredients they’d like to sell to your restaurant. Ask them about it." Manager Zhou pointed at Mr. Gu and the others as he spoke to Manager Liang.

Gu Chengyu saw that Manager Zhou and Manager Liang were frequent friends; Manager Liang should give face to Manager Zhou and take a look at their goods.

"Are you Manager Liang? My surname is Gu, and this is my son. We’ve brought a new fresh ingredient, would you like to take a look?" In truth, Mr. Gu was feeling a bit anxious by now - would such a large restaurant want their black fungus? If Manager Liang didn’t like their fungus, wouldn’t that cause Manager Zhou to lose face too? Mr. Gu was starting to regret it.

Gu Chengyu noticed his father shrinking back a bit, knowing that Mr. Gu had lost confidence in the fungus. No, they couldn’t back down now, not when they’d come this far.

"Oh? What new fresh ingredient? Let me have a look." Manager Liang, addressing Mr. Gu and the others, was more businesslike than he was with Manager Zhou, with a serious, official demeanor.

Gu Chengyu climbed onto the ox cart and fetched a cloth bag containing about a pound of dried black fungus. "Manager Liang! This is black fungus we discovered on our mountain; it’s a delicious ingredient for cooking! We even tried it yesterday. If Manager Liang would like to try, we’d like to request the use of your back kitchen." At this time, Gu Chengyu didn’t care whether a child like him would be taken seriously or not; he felt he had to speak directly; they couldn’t miss this chance without trying it.

"Oh? You little fellow can talk! Let me take a look at your item!" Manager Liang found it amusing to hear such serious words from such a small child, as it even softened the lines on his face.

"Yes, yes! Manager Liang! Xiao Bao! Show the black fungus to Manager Liang!" Mr. Gu, seeing that Gu Chengyu had already spoken, had no choice but to go along, no matter how nervous, and urged Gu Chengyu to pass the black fungus over.

Manager Liang took the cloth bag, opened it, and saw that the contents were pitch-black and dried – certainly not a common ingredient he knew. Manager Zhou also leaned curiously over to look at the fungus inside the bag.

In fact, when giving the bag to Manager Liang, Gu Chengyu had also been nervous. He couldn’t be sure if Manager Liang recognized black fungus, and if he’d heard the rumors that black fungus could kill people, they might be chased out by Manager Liang. After all, this was a serious matter involving people’s lives because this was a restaurant.

Manager Liang might not even listen to their explanation; not everyone could be like Mr. Gu and believe in him. However, from the expressions of Manager Liang and Manager Zhou, did they not recognize black fungus, or had they not heard of its rumored dangers? Anyway, things were moving in a positive direction now.

"This truly is a novel ingredient. You can use my kitchen. Follow me!" Manager Liang, still curious about the taste of this black item, permitted them to use the kitchen.

"Manager Liang! This ingredient might need to be paired with others. I plan to make two dishes with it. Regarding other ingredients..." Gu Chengyu, hearing they could use the kitchen, breathed a sigh of relief. However, just black fungus alone seemed too monotonous.

"Feel free to use whatever you need!" Manager Liang waved his hand and had the clerk lead the father and son to the kitchen, while he invited Manager Zhou over to sit with him.

Manager Zhou turned around and gave the Gu father and son an encouraging smile.