sinovels Chapter 1998 Manager, they have cannons in their car!
Chapter 1998 Manager, they have cannons in their car!
Chapter 1998 Manager, they have cannons in their car!
"What are you going to do with the mortar?" Yu Xuewen asked. He had attended Zhao Jun's wedding in Yong'an and knew Zhao Youcai and Wang Meilan.
“It’s for Zhao Jun’s forest farm… for militia training,” Zhao Weipeng replied, then added, “They said it’s for practicing infantry-artillery coordination.”
"Infantry-artillery coordination?" Yu Xuewen and Tao Dabao exchanged a glance. Tao Dabao turned to Zhao Weipeng and asked, "What other subjects do they have?"
"Having many skills is never a bad thing, haha..." Zhao Weipeng mumbled, "Actually, we don't need cannons, but with cannons... doesn't it look a bit inappropriate?"
"Then you can't have cannonballs?" Yu Xuewen asked. Zhao Weipeng shook his head: "No need, just have a cannon there, that's enough."
Hearing Zhao Weipeng's words, Yu Xuewen's expression softened slightly. Although Yu Xuewen and Tao Dabao didn't quite understand Zhao Weipeng's explanation, as long as they only wanted to borrow the cannon without the shells, the problem wasn't too serious.
After all, a cannon, if it doesn't fire, is only good for scaring people.
Given the relationship between Yongxing Brigade and Zhao Jun, and with the connections of Zhao Weipeng and Tao Dabao, we can lend it to them.
"Director Tao," Yu Xuewen said to Tao Dabao, "you can arrange this, and then prepare lunch..."
"No, no." Upon hearing that Yu Xuewen wanted them to stay for dinner, Zhao Youcai and the other two quickly declined.
Hearing Zhao Weipeng say he was in a hurry to go back to training, Yu Xuewen and Tao Dabao gave up.
After leaving the brigade headquarters, Tao Dabao led Wang Meilan and the others to the equipment warehouse. In a corner, they uncovered the tarpaulin, revealing 60mm mortars inside.
Seeing that there were three cannons there, Zhao Weipeng said, "Da Bao, let's take these three cannons and use them."
Upon hearing this, Tao Dabao looked at Wang Meilan and then at Zhao Youcai. He recalled the hospitality the Zhao family had shown him when he chased Xiong Guizi to Yong'an last year, and immediately nodded, saying, "Alright, then take it if you want."
Seeing Tao Dabao's quick agreement, Zhao Weipeng grinned and said, "Well..."
"What are you doing again?" Tao Dabao glanced at him and laughed, "What else do you want? Take whatever you can find in my warehouse."
"Really?" Zhao Weipeng's eyes lit up, and then he heard Tao Dabao say, "Really? You'll only need it for a few days, right?"
"Okay." As soon as Tao Dabao finished speaking, Zhao Youcai quickly added, "We'll use it for a week at most, and then we'll send it back to you."
"That's alright." Tao Dabao waved his hand and said, "What do you think we can use?"
Zhao Youcai and Zhao Weipeng wandered around the ward and finally borrowed ten 56 half-steals, five 56 rushes, and five 81 bars.
After loading the equipment onto the vehicle, Zhao Youcai, Zhao Weipeng, and Tao Dabao said goodbye and drove away.
It was noon when the Jiefang truck arrived in Shanhe County.
As requested by Wang Meilan, Zhao Weipeng drove the car to Ruyi Restaurant, the best place to eat in Shanhe County.
A group of people got off the bus in a hurry, and Wang Meilan, carrying a briefcase, was the first to enter the restaurant.
It was lunchtime, and the hotel manager, Qu Xiaohong, was standing at the entrance.
Upon seeing Wang Meilan enter, Qu Xiaohong immediately sensed that "this woman is no ordinary person!"
Ruyi Grand Hotel is the best restaurant in Shanhe County. As the manager of this hotel, Qu Xiaohong knows all the prominent figures in Shanhe County.
Qu Xiaohong noticed that Wang Meilan was a complete stranger, but Wang Meilan's demeanor was anything but ordinary.
Some people came in, and he couldn't keep up with their attention even with two eyes. Wang Meilan also looked around, but her expression was one of scrutiny, as if a high-ranking leader had come down to inspect the place.
Looking at Wang Meilan's appearance and clothing, although she was tanned from working all day, wealth nourishes the body, and Wang Meilan also had power, so her temperament was truly extraordinary.
Add to that the polyester shirt and briefcase, and Qu Xiaohong's heart pounded with anxiety.
"Um..." Qu Xiaohong saw another group of people coming in from behind, so she quickly stepped forward and asked Wang Meilan, "Hello, are we here for a meal?"
Wang Meilan didn't answer his question, but instead said directly, "Thirteen people."
"Let's go to a private room then." Qu Xiaohong stepped aside, gesturing with her hand. Wang Meilan followed, asking as she walked, "You're the best restaurant in Shanhe, right?"
"Yes, indeed." Qu Xiaohong smiled, "Everyone in Shanhe knows that our Ruyi cuisine is the best..."
Just then, Wang Meilan interrupted Qu Xiaohong and asked, "How much would it cost if I booked this entire restaurant for you for a day?"
"I..." Qu Xiaohong was taken aback, then asked, "Are we here to do something?"
"I guess so," Wang Meilan replied. Qu Xiaohong pressed further, "Approximately how many tables are we setting up?"
"About 150 people," Wang Meilan said as they entered the private room.
Qu Xiaohong led Wang Meilan directly to the main seat, with Zhao Youcai sitting right next to her.
At this moment, the waiter who followed them in handed over the menu. Wang Meilan took it, scanned it, and handed it to Zhao Weipeng, saying, "Brother, what do you think Uncle and Auntie want to eat?"
Today, Grandpa Zhao and Grandma Zhao came along again. At this moment, Zhao Weipeng said with a smile, "Sister-in-law, just keep an eye on them. Don't you know what they're happy to eat?"
Wang Meilan smiled upon hearing this, casually placed the menu on the table, and then turned to Qu Xiaohong, saying, "I won't order anything. Just give me twelve dishes. Pick your best dishes, and we can discuss the price later."
"Hey." Qu Xiaohong picked up the menu and said to Wang Meilan, "Then I'll talk to the chef in the back kitchen later and see if we can get a few of his signature dishes."
Wang Meilan nodded without saying anything, while Qu Xiaohong continued, "We can fit twenty tables in the main hall on this floor, and another twenty tables upstairs. When we have auspicious dates and a lot of wedding banquets, we can have one banquet upstairs and one downstairs."
If we need 150 people, that'll be 15 tables. Which day do you want to hold the event, upstairs or downstairs...?
Before Qu Xiaohong could finish speaking, Wang Meilan raised her hand to interrupt her.
“I’ll be using your hotel the day after tomorrow,” Wang Meilan said. “I’ll book both upstairs and downstairs, and I’ll have lunch and dinner here. Just tell me how much it will cost.”
"I... this..." Qu Xiaohong looked troubled and said, "If we set up forty tables, that would be easy. But if we set up fifteen tables, I don't know how to charge them."
Qu Xiaohong said this, but in reality, she didn't want to make money this way.
The day after tomorrow, July 15th, is Friday. Although it's not a day off, there will definitely be people coming for dinner tonight.
Their restaurant is a business that is open for business. If they leave the place empty and don't let people in, in the local dialect, that's called "injuring customers" (qiě).
What if a customer gets angry and never comes back? If they have a bad temper and start arguing, the impact will be even worse.
Just as Qu Xiaohong was having a problem, Wang Meilan raised her hand and said, "How about this, we'll just pay whatever it costs for our fifteen tables. Besides that, I'll give you an extra two thousand yuan."
"Two...two thousand?" Qu Xiaohong was a little confused. Their hotel catered weddings and funerals, and the most expensive table cost twenty yuan.
Two thousand yuan is enough to set up a hundred tables. And with Wang Meilan giving them that two thousand, they can earn it without having to put a single grain of rice on the tables.
“I…I’ll call my dad right away…no, I’ll call my boss,” Qu Xiaohong said, then added immediately, “He’ll definitely agree.”
"Okay." Wang Meilan replied casually, then waved her hand and said, "After we finish cooking our dishes, hurry up and send them up to us."
"Yes, yes." Qu Xiaohong nodded repeatedly, then turned to the waitress and said, "Li, quickly make a pot of tea."
At this point, Qu Xiaohong glanced furtively at Wang Meilan, then added to the waiter, "Bring me some of the best tea!"
The waiter took his orders and left, and Qu Xiaohong also quickly left the private room.
After leaving, as Qu Xiaohong closed the door behind her, she heard Liang Xuemei say to Wang Meilan, "Sister-in-law, you can't even see anything with two thousand yuan, and you just give it away like that?"
“The Zhao family will cover the cost; it won’t go to our chamber of commerce,” Wang Meilan said with a smile. “Chief Zhao said he’s not afraid to spend money, and the best food and lodging must be arranged.”
Upon hearing this, Qu Xiaohong had already closed the door. But at that moment, her heart was far from calm.
Qu Xiaohong had met countless people, but she couldn't figure out what Wang Meilan's group did. A gang and a business association—it sounded terrifying.
Qu Xiaohong could also tell that Wang Meilan was different from some of the boastful and arrogant people she had met. Wang Meilan's every move exuded the confidence of a rich person, and it seemed as if the words "super rich" were written on her face.
Qu Xiaohong hurried towards the kitchen, while laughter filled the private room.
What Wang Meilan said earlier wasn't wrong. The Zhao family gang gets a share of the profits from the sale of those clubs; they don't participate in the Chamber of Commerce's profit sharing.
However, the people present were both shareholders of the Zhao Family Chamber of Commerce and family members of the Zhao Family Gang.
By the time the Zhao family holds their ginseng king conference, all of them will be even richer.
Amidst the laughter of the crowd, Zhao Youcai sighed silently. The Zhao Family Gang had already developed to this extent, while his Zhao Family Hunting Gang hadn't even gathered enough men.
It wasn't a day off, and it was lunchtime, so there were very few people eating. The Ruyi Restaurant has eight stoves in the back kitchen, so the food comes out very quickly.
"Sister-in-law, we need to talk to them later." Zhao Weipeng tasted the braised carp and felt it was well-cooked, but still said to Wang Meilan, "Don't make this dish the day after tomorrow. People in Guangzhou and Shenzhen don't eat this kind of fish."
"Why?" Wang Meilan really didn't know this; she thought the fish was cooked quite well.
"They think the fish has a muddy taste." As Zhao Weipeng finished speaking, Qu Xiaohong followed the waiter in bringing in the dishes.
Two dishes were served: one was crispy braised pork slices, and the other was a dragon-shaped hot pot.
Upon seeing the Flying Dragon Pot, Wang Meilan's eyes lit up, and she said, "Make this dish with monkey head meat for me the day after tomorrow."
"Um..." Upon hearing Wang Meilan's words, Qu Xiaohong looked embarrassed and said, "There are no monkeys around at this time."
Wild monkey head mushrooms from Northeast China are at their peak in August and early September. At that time, the mountains are shrouded in fog and heavy dew at night, which, combined with autumn rains, makes the monkey head mushrooms grow the fastest and best.
"It's alright." Wang Meilan waved her hand and said, "I have some, I'll bring it to you the day after tomorrow."
Qu Xiaohong: "..."
"Oh, right." At this moment, Wang Meilan pointed to the braised fish and said, "I have important guests to invite the day after tomorrow. Some are coming from Guangzhou, some from Shenzhen, and some may even be from Southeast Asia. We don't need to serve any river or lake fish from here."
Wang Meilan wasn't saying this to show off. She immediately added, "I'll bring some cucumber flavor over the day after tomorrow, and then I'll have your kitchen prepare it."
Cucumber Fragrance is a type of fern found in the mountains of Northeast China. It is named for its crisp, tender, and sweet taste, which has a cucumber-like flavor.
This wild vegetable also has another name, Guangdong vegetable, because these days people in Northeast China don't really like cucumber flavor, but people in Guangdong love it.
Even back in the 80s, the aroma of cucumbers dried in Northeast China was being shipped to Guangdong.
At this moment, Wang Meilan asked Qu Xiaohong, "The cucumbers smell good, but you don't smell them either, do you?"
"No...no." Qu Xiaohong had just answered when Zhao Youcai added, "We'll take more later, you can stir-fry one and make a cold salad with dried shrimp."
One of the cold dishes made with wild mountain delicacies in Northeast China is dried shrimp and bracken fern. Although bracken fern is plentiful in the mountains, people are afraid that guests will not like to eat it.
Half an hour later, Qu Xiaohong came in again with the waiter. This time, a grand dish was served—turtle in ginseng broth.
Qu Xiaohong personally placed the dishes on the table, then looked at Wang Meilan with anticipation.
This dish is their restaurant's specialty, and it's not something that just anyone can afford to eat.
Then, Qu Xiaohong saw Zhao Youcai use his chopsticks to pick up the wild ginseng from the soup.
The ginseng is real, but it's too small.
Zhao Youcai frowned and said, "This little bit isn't even as big as the one I used to make. If I took it to the pharmacy, it wouldn't even be big enough to weigh."
Qu Xiaohong: "..."
Sanlouzi refers to bulk liquor sold in Northeast China.
When Qu Xiaohong was deeply hurt, she heard Wang Meilan say to her, "This soup must be made the night after tomorrow."
"Fifteen tables?" Qu Xiaohong's face changed immediately upon hearing this, and she hurriedly said, "That won't do, we don't have that many ingredients..."
Before Qu Xiaohong could finish speaking, Wang Meilan interrupted her again: "I'll get the clams from home, and then I'll get some snow frog oil. You can have the chefs in the kitchen stew them into this soup together."
After saying this, Wang Meilan looked up at Qu Xiaohong and asked, "There are only turtles left, can't you prepare them yet?"
Qu Xiaohong: "..."
Ten seconds later, Qu Xiaohong walked out of the private room with her head down.
As she left the house and turned to close the door, she heard a low voice say, "This food is just so-so."
"Absolutely." Someone else said, "Don't even mention comparing it to the banquet for military affairs, it's not even as good as the banquet for my Baoyu's affairs."
Then, Qu Xiaohong heard Wang Meilan say, "Okay, this is all the conditions this small county town has."
Qu Xiaohong: "..."
Qu Xiaohong closed the door and quickly walked out of the hotel, intending to borrow a phone from the shop across the street.
Just then, Qu Xiaohong saw the Jiefang truck parked at the door.
Qu Xiaohong squinted, thinking to herself, "Why would such a rich person drive a car like this? Not even a big Jeep, it's so tacky."
Just as Qu Xiaohong was lost in thought, a person ran past from the other side of the back of the truck.
The man was an apprentice in the restaurant's kitchen. The young man, around eighteen or nineteen years old, ran up to Qu Xiaohong in a panic and said in fear, "Manager, they have cannons in their car."
"A...cannon?" Qu Xiaohong was initially skeptical. But after quickly stepping forward and peeking into the back of the truck, her legs went weak and she leaned against the wheels.