Chapter Twenty-Nine: Reaching an Agreement

Lin Sangqian asked Lin Wenyen and Liao Shuxia to wait outside, while she entered the restaurant with Yang Shi.

Yang Shi carried a jar for her and led her to the door of a room on the second floor of Full Fortune Restaurant. He whispered, “Our manager is inside.”

He paused, then, still uneasy, added, “Are you sure you can get our manager to work with you? If it doesn’t work out, I’ll be scolded again…”

“Don’t worry, Brother Yang. I promise not only will you avoid a scolding, you’ll be praised as well.”

Yang Shi heard the confidence in her voice and raised his hand to knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Hearing the manager’s voice, Yang Shi quickly entered with Lin Sangqian.

Lu Chengren, the manager of Full Fortune Restaurant, was reviewing the account books. He looked up as they entered.

“Yang Shi, the guests will arrive soon. Why aren’t you downstairs greeting them? What brings you here?”

“Manager, there’s a guest looking for you,” Yang Shi replied. “This is Miss Lin. Miss Lin, this is our manager, Mr. Lu.”

“Good day, Mr. Lu,” Lin Sangqian greeted him confidently.

Lu Chengren sized her up, his brow furrowing slightly, though his tone remained polite. “Miss Lin, what do you need from me?”

“I’m here to propose a business partnership,” Lin Sangqian said with a smile.

Lu Chengren was taken aback, then let out a short laugh. “A young girl like you wants to talk business with me? Don’t be ridiculous. Yang Shi, this girl’s just being childish—why are you playing along?”

“I—I’m not!” Yang Shi replied anxiously. “Manager, just hear her out, please.”

Lu Chengren didn’t believe that a young girl could have anything worth his time, but his manners kept him from dismissing her harshly.

“My time is valuable,” Lu Chengren said. “Miss Lin, you’d better go.”

“I won’t take much of your time,” Lin Sangqian replied, stepping forward instead of leaving. She set the jar before him and removed the lid. “Please try what’s inside, and then we’ll talk.”

Lu Chengren asked, puzzled, “What’s in the jar?”

“Chicken feet,” Lin Sangqian replied. “But my preparation is unlike any other.”

Indeed, Lu Chengren caught an unfamiliar and intriguing aroma wafting from the jar.

“Yang Shi, fetch me a pair of chopsticks.”

“Yes, sir!”

Since Lu Chengren often dined in this room, there were chopsticks readily available.

Yang Shi quickly handed him a pair. Lu Chengren picked out a chicken foot and took a bite.

His expression remained neutral, but he finished the chicken foot with impressive speed. When he was done, he discarded the bone, set down his chopsticks, and picked up a napkin to wipe his mouth.

Yang Shi watched him nervously. The manager was so calm—was the chicken foot nothing special?

But Lu Chengren’s next words took him entirely by surprise.

“Miss Lin, name your price.”

Lin Sangqian smiled. “You’re truly a connoisseur, Mr. Lu.”

“Even if I weren’t, I wouldn’t let such a delicacy slip by!” Lu Chengren’s excitement was barely contained, his voice trembling. “With this flavor, these chicken feet will be a sensation!”

Yang Shi finally let out a breath of relief, then looked at Lin Sangqian with admiration.

She’d actually managed to win over the manager—and with hardly a word, simply by the taste of her chicken feet!

Just how delicious were these chicken feet? He was tempted to try them himself.

“Mr. Lu, I have five pounds of chicken feet here,” Lin Sangqian said. “My price is sixty copper coins per pound.”

Sixty! Yang Shi couldn’t help but gasp.

At present, a pound of raw chicken feet cost less than twenty copper coins in the market. Sixty per pound meant the restaurant would have to sell them for at least one hundred twenty copper coins per pound.

A whole roast chicken only cost one hundred twenty copper coins… Could they really sell at such a price?

Lu Chengren also found the price steep; he hadn’t expected the girl to open negotiations at sixty per pound. After a moment, he said, “How about forty per pound?”

“No,” Lin Sangqian shook her head. “In my eyes, they’re worth more than forty.”

“Fifty?” Lu Chengren offered.

“Sixty.”

Yang Shi, listening from the side, grew nervous and anxious.

The manager had already compromised—why wouldn’t she relent? If she angered the manager and lost the deal, what would they do?

Lu Chengren stared at Lin Sangqian for a long moment; she met his gaze without flinching.

In the end, it was Lu Chengren who relented.

“All right, sixty it is,” he said with resignation. “You’ve calculated that I can’t bear to let these chicken feet go, haven’t you?”

Lin Sangqian smiled. “I simply don’t want their value to be buried.”

“Hahaha, such delicious fare is certainly worth the price,” Lu Chengren laughed. “How long can they be stored?”

“Four or five days at most, so they must be sold quickly.”

“Excellent!” Lu Chengren slapped the table. “I’ll put this new dish on the menu at noon today. When will you bring more, Miss Lin?”

“In two days,” Lin Sangqian replied. “If all goes well, I can bring another ten pounds.”

“That’s not much,” Lu Chengren frowned. “They’re bound to be a hit.”

“Mr. Lu, when something is too easily obtained, it loses its allure.”

Lu Chengren was taken aback, then burst out laughing. “You have quite a way with words, young lady.”

His eyes flickered as he added, “You can’t produce much on your own. Why not sell me the recipe instead?”

“No,” Lin Sangqian refused without hesitation.

They didn’t have pickled peppers here; even with the recipe, they wouldn’t be able to replicate the flavor. She had no wish to create trouble for herself.

“I can offer you a sum that will surely satisfy you,” Lu Chengren coaxed.

Lin Sangqian replied helplessly, “It’s not that I’m unwilling, Mr. Lu, but I have special reasons. Please don’t press me. However, I can promise to supply chicken feet exclusively to Full Fortune Restaurant.”

“Very well, that works too…”

No sooner had he said this than he noticed Lin Sangqian looking at him with a sly smile. His heart skipped a beat.

Sure enough, her next words were, “But that will be another price.”

Lu Chengren’s mouth twitched. “You really are a little money-grubber!”

“Here’s my offer: I won’t ask for much, just ten taels of silver, and Full Fortune Restaurant will have the exclusive rights to these chicken feet. What do you say?”