"Fifty yuan per half kilogram," Xia Liu was slightly startled—the amount was much higher than his original price. If Huang Xue really honored her promise, the villagers' income would increase substantially!
"Manager Huang should know how to distinguish between farmed and wild, right?" Xia Liu said calmly after sipping some red wine.
"Since you're so confident, let's get straight to the point. Have the kitchen prepare these oysters, and we'll soon have our answer." Huang Xue also tasted the wine, not quite believing Xia Liu, but his composure gave her a very odd feeling.
Xia Liu nodded. This fairy indeed had experience; the biggest difference between cultured and wild oysters lay in the taste.
He had already tried them at home that morning, just waiting for them to be served at this meeting to seal the deal!
Huang Xue made a phone call to the kitchen, and soon, two young men donning chef hats came in to take the oysters away for processing.
During the wait, Huang Xue inquired about the origins of those oysters. Whether they could collaborate or not, it was essential to ask.
Xia Liu didn't hide anything. Whatever Huang Xue asked, he answered. He wasn't afraid of exposing the location of the oysters because that area of the sea belonged to Osmanthus Village; aside from the villagers, no one else dared touch it.
"I just remembered, Osmanthus Village is the poorest village in the county. Are you really from Osmanthus Village?" It was only after some casual conversation that Huang Xue recalled Osmanthus Village.
But no matter how she looked at him, Xia Liu didn't seem like he was from Osmanthus Village—his wine alone, worth over ten thousand yuan a bottle, proved it.
"The one and only ambitious youth from Osmanthus Village!" Xia Liu said with a ridiculously self-admiring pose.
The sudden shift in style made Huang Xue spit out her wine, which flew directly onto Xia Liu.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that." Realizing her gaffe, Huang Xue quickly stood up to help Xia Liu wipe it off.
"It's okay, I can handle it myself."
"Let me help, I'll help..." Just as she was about to help wipe the wine off Xia Liu, Huang Xue touched something and then stopped all her movements.
If there had been a crack on the ground, Xia Liu would have dived into it without hesitation. Since a moment ago, he had been constantly aroused, and the heat had not subsided.
The fact that Huang Xue had just touched it was embarrassingly mortifying...
"Uh, I'm going to use the restroom. Please wait a moment, Manager Huang," Xia Liu said, hastily heading towards the restroom.
Watching Xia Liu close the bathroom door, Huang Xue finally came to her senses, her face and ears burning red.
"Calm down, Huang Xue! Calm down!" Huang Xue was almost frantic, chiding herself for letting her thoughts wander there. Involuntarily, she walked around the room, trying to distract herself.
A few minutes later, Xia Liu came out of the restroom with a smile, his discomfort unnoticeable as he had managed to calm his affliction using the Five Elements Mantra inside.
Huang Xue sat up straight, seemingly playing with her phone, not looking up as Xia Liu emerged, worried her flushed cheeks would be noticed.
However, at that moment, a waiter came in pushing a trolley, forcing Huang Xue to look up due to their earlier bet.
Seeing the oysters served, Xia Liu focused even more. Looking at the shy fairy in front of him, he hastened to run the Five Elements Mantra. The recent build-up of heat was uncontrollable today; if he didn't manage it, he might lose his sanity.
Hanging her head, Huang Xue took a chopstick and tasted the oysters seriously. She had to concentrate entirely on evaluating them; otherwise, her mind would keep returning to the earlier embarrassment.
The instant the oyster flesh touched her mouth, Huang Xue forgot what had just happened, her alluring eyes wide with a hint of shock.
She couldn't imagine that the taste of this oyster surpassed all others she had ever tasted from any region, undoubtedly a pure wild catch!
As a foodie, she ate a full eight plates before she finally patted her little stomach and stopped.
Xia Liu smiled, knowing the deal was in the bag!
Realizing Xia Liu was beside her, Huang Xue quickly composed herself and said somewhat awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Xia, these oysters are just too delicious."
"No problem. If I were eating, I would be even crazier than you," Xia Liu joked along with Huang Xue.
"Manager Huang, about the oysters…"
"These oysters are 100% wild! And the variety is excellent too!" Seeing Xia Liu hesitating, Huang Xue quickly added, "I don't know how many you can supply daily, Mr. Xia, but if you have enough, I can offer sixty yuan per kilo."
"Sixty yuan!" Xia Liu had thought the gambling bet was just a joke, but now the price was up to sixty yuan, which was incredibly sobering.
"I can supply a lot, but I'm not sure how much you would need daily, Manager Huang?" Xia Liu countered.
"At least one thousand five hundred kilos a day."
Hearing this number, Xia Liu was silent. One thousand five hundred kilos were ninety thousand yuan, which would be dozens of times what he made from harvesting atractylodes.
"If that's too much, eight hundred kilos a day would suffice." Seeing Xia Liu silent, Huang Xue thought she had scared him and quickly lowered the quantity.
She was acutely aware of how valuable these oysters were. If other hotels snapped them up, it wasn't just a simple loss, but possibly a takeover of their clientele as well.
"Manager Huang, you're mistaken, one thousand five hundred kilos a day isn't a lot. Even three thousand a day, I can manage," Xia Liu said cheerfully.
"Heehee, that's wonderful! But as you know, the county doesn't have that big of a footfall. Anything more would be hard to sell, so that's the limit," Huang Xue said, helpless. If the footfall was larger, she wouldn't hesitate to take even five thousand kilos.
Xia Liu nodded, fully understanding Huang Xue's concerns, but selling one thousand five hundred kilos a day was already impressive.
"But you'll need to deliver this merchandise yourself."
"Additionally, we need to sign a contract. You can only sell these oysters to our hotel."
In truth, Xia Liu had planned to try approaching a couple of other hotels as well; after all, who would complain about earning too much in a day?
"I promise you, if the first batch sells well, not only will we need more, but we'll also raise the price," Huang Xue said, biting her lip as if making a tough decision, afraid Xia Liu might refuse to sign the contract.
"Okay! I'll sign this indenture," Xia Liu didn't hesitate further. He couldn't miss such an opportunity, in case he walked out and couldn't find this price elsewhere.
"Indenture…" As she said this, Huang Xue recalled the recent incident, her face turning a shade of red.