Starting from a Bankrupt Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant

Zhou Yan smiled as he welcomed Huang He and his wife into the shop. He brewed them some tea, sat down across from them, and said with a smile, "Boss Huang, what did you want to discuss with me?"

"Huang Ying ate your braised meat here today and thought it was absolutely delicious, so she brought some home for us," Huang He said, looking at Zhou Yan. "The meat is certainly amazing, but the flavor feels very familiar. I was wondering, what’s your relationship to the Mrs. Zhang who used to sell braised meat at the Suji Bridgehead? Did you learn the recipe from her?"

"The Mrs. Zhang you’re referring to is likely my grandmother," Zhou Yan said, nodding with a smile. "I did indeed learn how to make braised meat from her."

"No wonder!" Huang He clapped his hands and shot to his feet, his excitement palpable. "I knew it tasted exactly the same! You’ve really learned her craft! You’ve mastered the very essence of it!"

Zhao Shulan shot him a look, and he immediately sank back into his chair.

It couldn’t be helped. He had waited over twenty years for this; he was just too excited. Even though Zhao Shulan had warned him repeatedly on the way over, Huang He couldn’t stop himself from getting carried away when he heard Zhou Yan’s confirmation.

The corners of Zhou Yan’s mouth turned up slightly. ’Judging by Huang He’s reaction,’ he thought, ’this partnership is in the bag.’

"Boss Zhou, we came here today primarily to discuss a partnership," Zhao Shulan said with a smile. "I’m not sure if your grandmother ever told you about the days she ran her stall, but she used to supply our Feiyan Restaurant with braised meat. We’re interested in renewing that arrangement with you and placing a daily order."

’Straight to the point. I like this way of talking,’ Zhou Yan thought.

It was clear that Zhao Shulan was the one who really called the shots at Feiyan Restaurant.

"My grandmother did mention that she used to supply quite a few restaurants in Jiazhou, but she never mentioned any specific names," Zhou Yan said calmly. "A daily order is certainly not a problem. Selling to you is no different than selling to individual customers. As long as the price is right, it’s all negotiable."

"I think about Mrs. Zhang all the time, but she never even mentioned Feiyan Restaurant?" Huang He looked hurt, as if his devotion had been completely one-sided.

"Well, it’s not that she never mentioned it," Zhou Yan said with a laugh. "My grandmother did tell me about Feiyan Restaurant. She said Boss Huang had a young son who used to come to Suji with his father all the time to pick up the meat."

"That was me! Me!" Huang He exclaimed, pointing at himself happily.

Zhou Yan feigned a puzzled look. "My grandmother said the boy’s name was Huang Xiaoji... Boss Huang..."

The smile on Huang He’s face froze. He looked a little awkward.

Beside him, Zhao Shulan couldn’t hold back a laugh. She looked at her husband. "Who’s Huang Xiaoji? Huang Xiaoji..."

"Alright, alright, I’m Huang Xiaoji!" Huang He waved his hand dismissively. "It was just a childhood nickname the old-timers used. Ever since my father passed, I haven’t heard anyone call me that in years."

Zhou Yan laughed as well. The little exchange seemed to instantly bring them closer.

His grandmother had told him a little about Feiyan Restaurant earlier that day. Their partnership back then had been excellent. Crucially, Feiyan Restaurant never bought on credit. No matter how large the order, they always paid in full upon delivery.

The Huang family did business fairly.

And Feiyan Restaurant was indeed a great establishment. Back in the day, it was the favorite haunt of Jiazhou’s wealthy merchants and socialites.

Huang He looked at Zhou Yan and said, "Back when Mrs. Zhang supplied us, she gave us a price that was twenty percent off her retail price. What do you think of that? If it works for you, we can continue with that arrangement."

’Twenty percent off?’ Zhou Yan’s expression grew thoughtful.

He had his profit margin on the braised pig’s head pegged at around fifty-five percent. A twenty-percent discount would leave him with a thirty-five percent margin.

’The margin isn’t high, but it would be high-volume.’

’Plus, he wouldn’t be responsible for slicing it, which would save on labor.’

’It was the same principle as supplying his master’s outdoor banquets.’

After a quick mental calculation based on his own prices, Zhou Yan concluded that the offer Huang He proposed was actually quite sincere.

’After all, his own prices were already slightly higher than the average market price in Suji.’

’They would be buying it wholesale to resell it, of course.’

’Whatever price they could get for it would be up to them.’

’But you had to leave them enough of a profit margin for the partnership to last.’

Instead of nodding immediately, Zhou Yan asked, "What sort of daily volume are you looking for? And would you be picking it up yourselves, or would you need me to deliver?"

Zhao Shulan’s gaze held a new level of appreciation. ’This young man is so composed,’ she thought. ’Level-headed, not at all rash. Forget Huang Bing, even Huang He can’t compare to him.’

She said, "To start, we’ll guarantee a minimum of two pig heads per day. Once it builds a reputation, we can adjust the quantity based on sales. No need for you to deliver or slice it. I’ll have Huang Bing pick it up every day and pay in cash."

’Now *that* is what I call professional!’

’Buying the heads whole, not trying to order just the ears and snouts separately.’

’A pig only has two ears. If a customer takes too many, no one else can have any, and just selling the rest of the head meat isn’t ideal.’

"Alright, let’s go with that price," Zhou Yan agreed with a nod.

’They were sincere and straightforward, so there was no reason for him to be coy.’

Upon hearing his agreement, both Huang He and Zhao Shulan broke into smiles.

On the way over, the couple had discussed numerous strategies.

They had a plan for how to negotiate if Zhou Yan was unhappy with the price, what their bottom line was, and even whether they should seek out Mrs. Zhang to play the nostalgia card if talks completely failed.

They had also prepared for the possibility that they wouldn’t just be dealing with Zhou Yan, but that his parents might also have opinions.

Zhou Yan was about the same age as their own children, Huang Bing and Huang Ying. In their minds, he was still just a kid, so they had assumed he wouldn’t be able to make the final decision on his own.