The names on the wall, other than buns, steamed bread, and dumplings, totaled only twelve dishes. The stir-fried river shrimp and shredded ginger snail meat she ordered were among the more expensive, and the only relatively fresh and rare dish was the cold fern dish. Everything else was basically tomato and egg drop soup, bitter melon fried with egg, sliced pork stir-fried with cucumber, minced pork sautéed with eggplant, and the like.
If only we had chicken shreds with spicy mushrooms, that would be another signature dish!
As Chiang Xiao listed off a string of "do you want them," the woman’s eyes lit up.
She looked around and walked out from behind the counter, taking Chiang Xiao’s hand and lowering her voice, "Let me tell you, young lady, can you really find these items?"
Most of the surrounding mountains had been stripped bare, but not Bai Gu Mountain. Bai Gu Mountain was still a treasure trove! Currently, she couldn’t sell her medicines; they were needed first and foremost to strengthen her body in Space and to break through the barrier to access the other half of Space.
Despite having artistic talent, it was hard to find buyers for paintings in such a place.
Hence, neither the medicinal herbs nor the paintings could bring in money; she needed to find more mountain goods first!
"Yes, we can find them," Chiang Xiao gave a firm answer, sensing from the woman’s demeanor that this could work. "Young lady, it’s noisy and crowded down here. Why don’t you go upstairs to sit? The director of Peace Restaurant is my uncle; I’ll call him over to talk to you. My name is Ma Cuifeng, just call me Aunt Ma."
Chiang Xiao guessed maybe the restaurant was state-owned, belonging to the public sector, which was why they were cautious with their procurement, and she didn’t object. In those days, there was no title such as "manager"; in fact, the restaurant director was akin to the restaurant manager.
"I’m here with my grandfather," Chiang Xiao pointed towards Chiang Songhai.
Chiang Songhai had been keeping an eye on her, noticing that she had spent a long time ordering food and chatting with the cashier, and was feeling curious when he saw the woman wave at him.
A jolt went through his heart.
Could there have been a problem?
It was only when he picked up his basket and walked over that he learned they were being offered a different place to dine.
Stairs rose in the center, leading up to a small hall to the left with four tables, while a corridor turned right, leading to four private rooms with half-walls, the top halves being glass windows.
Ma Cuifeng led them into the dining hall on the left. "Two private rooms are occupied, so you’ll sit here, okay?"
Chiang Xiao actually understood her meaning.
Although she wanted their mountain goods, their status wasn’t enough for Ma Cuifeng to open a private room just for the two of them.
She didn’t mind and sat down with her grandfather by the window.
As a cashier, Ma Cuifeng couldn’t be away too long, so she hurried off to find her uncle.
Shortly after, a man in his forties, dressed in a Zhongshan suit, came over.
This man was tall and thin, with a look of sharpness in his eyes, yet his demeanor was upright. Such a person would likely be somewhat flexible in business, but with clear limits.
Chiang Xiao felt somewhat confident about their potential partnership.
The man sat down, first offering Chiang Xiao a smile, then turned to Chiang Songhai.
"Big brother, my name is Ma Jincai, the director of Peace Restaurant. I heard you can get fresh mountain goods?"
Ma Jincai got straight to the point.
Chiang Xiao had already roughly explained her plans to Chiang Songhai earlier, who had not yet fully digested the information when Ma Jincai arrived. Hence, when Ma Jincai asked, Chiang Songhai was momentarily confused.
But although he was kind and honest, he was not foolish.
After considering the situation at Bai Gu Mountain in his mind, he chose to mention what he was sure of first.
"Director Ma, here’s the situation: Tianxiang Green is no problem; in about a week, we can deliver twice, fifteen pounds each time. We also have ferns, but I can’t guarantee how much yet, I’ll need to check the mountain first."