Chapter 184 - 184 Business Just Does What Business Does
After the Zhao clan and the rest of the clans left, the vibe was lively again.
Niu Tongsheng was the happiest person.
No one knew how well tofu skins were sold better than him.
Tofu skins for Visitor’s Aroma alone would earn them a handsome sum of money.
With the watermill, soy milk was produced faster. Then, the five houses that Xie Heng specially taught them to build, served their purpose to increase the production of tofu skins.
Chuchu also made a deal with the manager of Visitor’s Aroma that the tofu skins would not be supplied to them only.
“Da Lang, Chuchu, there is no liquor today, so I will toast you with soup. Without you guys, there would be no Lengshui Village today. I’m uneducated. I don’t know how to say those beautiful words. Anyway, thank you!”
Niu Tongsheng stood up, filled a large bowl of soup, and drank it up.
Xie Heng got up and said, “We are all village folks. No need to say those polite words. If one needs to say thanks, it should be me to thank you for your care of my clan.”
“Come on. Let’s make a toast to Da Lang and Chuchu. If it wasn’t for them, we would have been burned to ashes.”
“Yes, yes, we should indeed thank them both. Da Lang, Chuchu, I’ll just toast with soup.”
“Today the water mill is completed and the future of Lengshui Village will be brighter. All of this happens thanks to them.”
The villagers talked with excitement one after another and they were on the verge of shedding tears.
Zhao Chuchu hurriedly said, “Good days are the result of our unifying work, not just for one person. I’ll get one thing straight first. Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. When we set the rules of the water mill, we must be strict about it.
“Visitor’s Aroma is not enough if we want to expand the business of tofu skins. We have to make more tofu skins and sell them to more distant places. When the business booms, your pay will also increase.”
“Good. Good,” the people agreed in unison.
They were honest people. Naturally, they hoped that there would be extra income in addition to the share of the land. They would be more at ease when they had extra money.
After all, everyone wanted to live a better life.
Enough food and clothes were almost their lifelong pursuit.
At the meal, everyone was very pleasant except for those who left early.
The water mill began to operate officially the next day.
It was agreed at the beginning that each clan would select a person to work in the water mill and then, increase the number of workers accordingly depending on the production and sales.
The water mill operated from nine to five, with a half-hour break at lunchtime. Zhao Chuchu asked Niu Tongsheng to be the manager of the water mill and also asked a literate person in the village to be an accountant responsible for managing the accounts, while the rest of the people were assigned by Niu Tongsheng.
Niu An and Niu Le knew the production process of tofu skins very well, so the two brothers taught them first.
Chuchu didn’t expect them to do a good job at first, but the villagers paid much attention to the water mill, and everyone was very diligent in learning. As a result, tofu skins had quite good quality.
Practice makes perfect. After doing it a few more times, the quality of tofu skins improved a lot.
There was also a special drying room in the water mill to produce the tofu skins as fast as possible.
Zhao Chuchu, Xie Heng, and Niu Tongsheng personally delivered the first batch of tofu skins to Visitor’s Aroma.
Manager Lin was overjoyed to see that they had sent a large amount this time.
“Oh, I was planning to look for you guys in Lengshui Village and here you are. How is it? The water mill is completed? Are these tofu skins made in the water mill?”
“Yes, Manager Lin. Have a look at it.”
Chuchu lifted the covered cloth and showed the finished product to Manager Lin.
Manager Lin picked one and broke it. Then, he crushed one of the pieces into a little crumble and tasted it. Immediately, his eyes lit up. “It is so good. How much do you have here? I’ll have it all.”
“Manager Lin, don’t you need to check for more details?”
“I believe in you guys. I’m not gonna hide it from you. Last time, I distributed some tofu skins to the capital. The business of the head restaurant is gradually getting better with the tofu skins. The head manager will come in person to buy more tofu skins. You’ll probably need to talk first.”
Manager Lin gave a reminder to Chuchu in a low voice.
“The head manager is different from me and quite serious. Don’t be afraid. Business just does what business does. Don’t hesitate to make your price.”
“Manager Lin, are you not afraid that the head manager will know this and pick with you?”
“Hush. We talked in private. How could he know? Wait a moment, I’ve already invited the head manager to come over later. By the way, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Eat something first.”
Without any further ado, Manager Lin dragged Xie Heng and Niu Tongsheng to the VIP room on the second floor.
Not long after sitting down, they met the head manager of Visitor’s Aroma.
Chuchu had thought that the head manager was an elderly person, but unexpectedly, he was a young man in his twenties, very handsome and stern.
“Head manager, they are the people who made tofu skins, Niu Tongsheng, Xie Heng, and Mrs. Xie. This is our head manager,” Manager Lin introduced them to each other. “It just happens that they sent tofu skins over today. Do you want to take a look, head manager?”
“Well, show me around. You guys eat first. We’ll talk about it later.” The head manager nodded slightly. He was not as serious and difficult to communicate as he seemed.
Manager Lin led him downstairs.
Niu Tongsheng said quietly, “The head manager looks like something. I don’t dare to talk much when I see him.”
“Some people have a cold face but a warm heart. You don’t need to be afraid of him. The head manager is an understanding person. He will not let us suffer a loss.”
Of course, he was not as generous as Manager Lin.
After all, as the senior of Manger Lin, he directly reported to the owner of Visitor’s Aroma and could decide a lot of matters.
“Chief, eat something first. They want to check a little longer before coming up,” Xie Heng said to Niu Tongsheng. “Otherwise, it’ll be even more impossible to eat later.”
“That’s right,” Niu Tongsheng agreed and ate in big bites.
About 15 minutes later, the two came up.
It was obvious that Manager Lin was very respectful to the head manager. Both his speech and posture suggested that he was respectful toward this man.
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“How many tofu skins can you produce in a day?” The head manager opened the door. “What’s the price if we have them all?”
“Head manager, we don’t intend to supply tofu skins to only one restaurant. Since Manger Lin helped me before, I can give you a few recipes even though I won’t lower the price. What do you think?”
“Recipes? That is the last thing we need. It’s not very sincere of you to send this, Mrs. Xie.” The head manager looked indifferent.
Xie Heng joined the conversation, “Have you ever tasted brine?”
“Brine, what is that?” He looked slightly surprised. “A dish?”