Chapter 369

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Protagonist:

Li Xiulan

"How are you selling these chickens?"

Niu Chunsheng asked about the price of the chickens.

He had originally come to buy chickens, but happened to run into Li Xiulan.

"If you want them, I'll give them to you for fifty yuan each."

Li Xiulan wore a simple, honest smile on her face.

She originally sold them for eighty yuan each.

But out of consideration for Niu Chunsheng being an old acquaintance, she gave him a discount.

Niu Chunsheng was very straightforward:

"Alright then, I'll take all four!"

Niu Chunsheng felt his pocket and discovered his wallet was left in the restaurant he ran and hadn't brought it along, so he said:

"I forgot to bring my wallet. How about you come with me to my restaurant? We can have some tea and chat."

Li Xiulan hurriedly nodded:

"Okay, then I'll carry the chickens to your shop!"

Li Xiulan carried the chicken coop and walked all the way to New Era Restaurant.

Niu Chunsheng said he could carry it himself, but Li Xiulan wouldn't let him, saying she was afraid the chicken manure would dirty his suit and leather shoes.

The two arrived at New Era Restaurant.

Niu Chunsheng had the waiter take the chickens to the back kitchen for slaughter, then greeted Li Xiulan to a table beside the front desk to drink tea.

"Chunsheng, how many years has this restaurant been open? Business is still as good as ever."

Li Xiulan held the teacup with both hands, looking left and right, a bit ill at ease.

She truly envied Niu Chunsheng for being so good at doing business.

New Era Restaurant had operated for so many years, and business was still that good.

Niu Chunsheng laughed and said:

"That's thanks to those old leaders at the Town Government giving face. Without them, this restaurant's business would decrease by at least half."

Niu Chunsheng was telling the truth. New Era Restaurant was opened next to the Town Government, and its main clientele were those people from the Town Government.

Otherwise, with this small town's foot traffic, it fundamentally couldn't support this restaurant's business. After all, this restaurant's per capita spending was over a hundred yuan, which counted as relatively high-end in this small place.

"I've been busy with business in the County Town recently, rarely returning to the Town. Now this restaurant's business is all managed by hired help. You also know, with hired management, service quality definitely isn't as high as doing it yourself, so business is actually a bit worse than before."

Niu Chunsheng spoke like this.

Li Xiulan didn't know how to carry the conversation. Business matters — she actually didn't understand them much.

So she just lowered her head drinking tea, nodding in agreement.

Niu Chunsheng spoke again:

"The reason I came back this time is because yesterday a waiter at the restaurant offended a certain old leader. I came to apologize to him. That old leader likes eating farm-raised chicken. Later I'll use the chickens bought from you to make a whole-chicken banquet for him. That should be able to turn a big matter into a small one, and a small one into nothing."

Li Xiulan chuckled, speaking clumsily:

"Leaders are hard to serve. We still can't afford to offend them."

Niu Chunsheng nodded: "Right, right, right. The common people don't fight officials. We still have to do their business, so when we should lower our heads we lower them. But over time it's heart-tiring. This is also one of the reasons why I went outside to do business. Now I even want to transfer this restaurant!"

Speaking up to here, Niu Chunsheng casually asked Li Xiulan a question:

"Do you want to run a restaurant? If you want, I'll transfer the restaurant to you at cost price, not making money off you. I wouldn't be at ease letting someone else run it."

Li Xiulan hurriedly declined:

"I can't do it. I don't know how to be a boss. Besides, I don't have that kind of money. You should transfer it to someone else!"

Niu Chunsheng then said:

"This restaurant's staffing is already very mature. Once you take over, you can completely be a hands-off shopkeeper. If there's anything you don't understand, you can contact me anytime. As for the transfer fee, I'll only charge you fifty thousand. You really don't want it?"

Niu Chunsheng actually also felt Li Xiulan was pitiable, which was why he gave her this opportunity.

This restaurant of his had very stable clientele, and moreover they were high-quality customers like Town Government civil servants. If transferred at normal price, the transfer fee would be at least over a hundred thousand.

Fifty thousand yuan was purely a friendship price.

Additionally, there was another important reason: Niu Chunsheng learned that Li Xiulan's youngest son studied so impressively, so he wanted to build a good relationship in advance. Perhaps her youngest son would have great achievements after graduating university in the future. Going to build connections then would be too late. Building connections now could exchange the least money for the best connections.

However, Li Xiulan still declined:

"Really don't want it. I can't even use a mobile phone properly now. How would I have the ability to manage such a big restaurant? If this restaurant falls into my hands, I'm afraid it won't be long before it's ruined."

Li Xiulan had a deep sense of inferiority about her own abilities.

This inferiority made her very afraid to try new things, made her only want to stay in the status quo, not wanting to take any risks.

So faced with the goodwill Niu Chunsheng threw her way, she didn't even have the thought of giving it a try.

Niu Chunsheng, however, still tirelessly persuaded:

"If you can't manage it, why not let your husband manage it? Or let your eldest son or second son come back to manage it? This restaurant is really quite easy to run. I'm just unable to get away, having to busy myself with the County Town business. That's why I'm giving this benefit to you. Why not go back and discuss it with your husband?"

Niu Chunsheng truly sincerely wanted to give Li Xiulan a benefit.

He had spoken to this extent. Li Xiulan couldn't refuse to his face anymore, so she said:

"Alright then, I'll go back and talk it over with my husband."

After drinking a few cups of tea with Niu Chunsheng at New Era Restaurant, the old leader from the Town Government arrived. Niu Chunsheng had to go receive the old leader. Li Xiulan said her goodbyes and left.

When Li Xiulan was leaving, Niu Chunsheng still didn't forget to remind her:

"Go back and discuss it properly with your husband, this really is a good opportunity!"

Li Xiulan nodded politely:

"Okay, okay, you go be busy with your work!"

Niu Chunsheng brought the old Leader into a private room; in front of the old Leader, he was polite and subservient, his every word and action carrying a respect and ingratiation toward a superior.

Li Xiulan went to the street to buy some daily necessities, then took the minivan back to Shangou Village.

Arriving home, it was already past twelve noon.

Wang Zhanggen had long since returned from the construction site; now foundation digging all uses excavators, the speed is much faster than manual digging before, so in less than a morning, the foundation was all dug out.

Wang Zhanggen just sat in the house smoking, preferring to go hungry rather than make lunch.

It seemed Li Xiulan coming to cook had already become a matter of course in this family.

"How come you're back so late?"

Seeing Li Xiulan return, Wang Zhanggen complained in a bad tone.

"The chicken was hard to sell, took a long time to sell it all."

Li Xiulan brought the purchased daily necessities to the temporary kitchen set up outside.

This shabby little house at the village entrance has no kitchen, so they used asbestos tiles to build a temporary kitchen outside the door.

"Hurry up and cook, I'm about to starve to death."

Wang Zhanggen urged impatiently.

Li Xiulan was somewhat unhappy with his attitude, but held back and didn't say anything.

Because she didn't want to argue with Wang Zhanggen, she could only endure it.

While making lunch, she was thinking, whether or not to tell Wang Zhanggen about Niu Chunsheng being willing to transfer the New Era Restaurant to them at a low price?

After thinking it over, she still decided to tell him.

If Wang Zhanggen agrees, then they'll take over that restaurant; running a restaurant should earn more money than doing masonry.

If he doesn't agree, then forget it.