Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

"Yeah, I know what's going on. It's getting late, let's go out for lunch. What do you want to eat?"

Du Shaojie responded and changed the subject.

Qi Yan thought about it and said she wanted to eat Sichuan cuisine, so the two of them went to [Xichuan Restaurant].

After dinner, Qi Yan went back to school to work, and Du Shaojie stayed in the store.

According to his observation, the business of the Beijing store is very hot. Yu Jianxin said that the store can make a net profit of 13 yuan every month. No wonder it makes people jealous.

Yu Jianxin has already contacted that person and made an appointment to meet with him tomorrow morning.

The next day.

Du Shaojie came to a teahouse. It was just past nine o'clock and there were not many customers in the entire teahouse.

The waiter led him into a private room, and then he saw a man and a woman in the room.

The man was about 30 years old, well dressed, sitting there leisurely. The woman was about 20 years old, busy making tea.

"Boss Du?"

"Yes, I'm Du Shaojie, what's your name?"

"My last name is Pang, Pang Weidong. Please take a seat."

The two men made a brief self-introduction. The woman made tea, poured a cup for Du Shaojie and Pang Weidong respectively, and then left the private room.

Du Shaojie and Pang Weidong sat face to face. No one spoke for a while, and each of them looked at each other secretly.

Pang Weidong has thick eyebrows, big eyes and a square face, and looks quite handsome.

"Boss Du, let's be frank. Your Xichuan Restaurant is doing very well. I'm jealous. Is there a chance for me to make some money as well?"

"What does Mr. Pang mean?"

"Of course I'll buy a stake. What else can I do? Will you sell it to me? To be honest, even if you agree, I may not be able to handle it."

Pang Weidong looked at Du Shaojie with a smile, and Du Shaojie suddenly opened his eyes wide.

It seems that the other party's statement is different from the information he had previously obtained. The information previously fed back to him here shows that the other party intends to force a sale and swallow up [Xichuan Restaurant] in one gulp.

But now he says he wants to buy shares.

Du Shaojie was really confused about which of the other party's words were true and which were false.

"I'm afraid that buying shares won't work. This restaurant is affiliated with [Shencheng Bailian Catering Management Company]. The company has branches in many cities across the country and adopts a chain operation model. We can't accept investment in the name of branches."

Du Shaojie shook his head and rejected the other party's proposal to invest.

This kind of thing cannot be joked about, otherwise it may lead to a wolf entering the house. He is not stupid, so how could he make himself unhappy?

"Boss Du, you are still mad at me! I was just joking with Manager Yu before. If I hadn't said that, you wouldn't have come to meet me. I really want to cooperate with you. If I join you, it will save you a lot of trouble."

Pang Weidong smiled and cleared up all the previous unpleasantness with just one sentence.

The previous threats were means, and the current appeasement is still a means, with only one purpose, which is to get involved instead of having the cake and eat it all by itself.

Du Shaojie immediately understood the other party's intention and couldn't help but feel relieved. He was afraid that the other party was a fool who would use his power to bully others and come up to rob them.

It now seems that the other party is still willing to act within the rules.

"Mr. Pang, there are thousands of ways to make money. Why do you have to focus on [Xichuan Restaurant]? If you want to get involved in the catering industry, as an insider, I am willing to provide you with some ideas."

Du Shaojie was unwilling to let outsiders interfere in his business. After all, he didn't understand the other party. Once he compromised, who knew what trouble would occur in the future?
But if the other party softened his attitude, there would be room for negotiation, and he could even give the other party some advice.

When doing business, harmony is the most important thing. Try to avoid making enemies unless it is absolutely necessary.

"Come on, come on, Boss Du, have some tea."

Pang Weidong did not respond, but enthusiastically added tea to Du Shaojie's cup.

Du Shaojie picked up the teacup, drank it in small sips, and was not in a hurry to say anything.

"Boss Du, I really want to make friends with you. It doesn't matter if you don't agree for now. We have a long way to go. I have studied you. You are a top-notch chef who started from scratch at such a young age. That's amazing!"

Pang Weidong did not force Du Shaojie to express his position, but took a step back on his own initiative.

But his words revealed a very important piece of information, that is, he had investigated Du Shaojie's past and knew a lot of things that others didn't know.

"No, no, it was all luck! Excuse me, what did Mr. Pang do before?"

Du Shaojie did not let down his guard, wanting to take this opportunity to find out the other party's background.

Pang Weidong didn't care and talked a lot about what he had done.

For example, he had worked with others on a train car project and opened a dance hall. The teahouse where they were drinking tea now had his investment.

"You know, if you keep doing this and that, not only will the success rate be low, but most of the money you earn will go into other people's pockets, and you also have to bear risks.

I invested a lot of money in opening a dance hall, but in the end I lost everything and had to quit. Now this teahouse is also half dead, so I want to change my career."

Pang Weidong seemed very sincere and also made a tactful excuse for his behavior.

Du Shaojie believed that the other party was telling the truth, but it was impossible that the other party had only done these things. There must be many things he had not said.

Of course, this had nothing to do with him, and he had no intention of prying into other people's secrets.

Next, Pang Weidong started talking about some interesting things in Beijing. It was obvious that this guy was an old hand, as if there was nothing he didn't know. Du Shaojie listened with great interest, and before he knew it, it was almost noon.

"Mr. Pang, it's already noon, how about we have a meal together?"

Du Shaojie always felt that things were not that simple. Since the other party could speak nicely, he also wanted to test the waters.

So he invited the other person to dinner.

"Okay, I think we get along really well, and I haven't had enough fun talking yet. Also, we're already familiar with each other now, so don't call me Mr. Pang all the time. You can call me Pang San or Dong Zi."

Pang Weidong is a local and is very eloquent.

Du Shaojie did not argue with the other party. Dongzi was Dongzi, and the other party called himself "Ajie".

Later, the two went to a nearby restaurant together.

This restaurant mainly serves Shandong cuisine, and the dishes are pretty good. At least Du Shaojie can't find much fault with them.

After eating and drinking well, Pang Weidong rushed to pay the bill.

After leaving, he smiled and said, "Ajie, let's make an appointment when we are free. Please think about my proposal carefully. You will understand in the future that I am not just taking advantage of you. I can definitely help you recover a lot of losses."

"How to say?"

Du Shaojie didn't understand and expressed confusion.

"I'm not threatening you. You'll know when the time comes. But this matter can't be delayed. I hope you can give me an answer as soon as possible."

Pang Weidong kept the matter in suspense and refused to explain.

Du Shaojie was too lazy to guess. As long as it was not a threat, the other party would always reveal his intentions.

The two separated at the restaurant door, and Du Shaojie went straight back home.

Recalling the process of meeting Pang Weidong, he did not dare to underestimate him at all. The other party acted carefree and rough, but in fact he was very cunning and definitely not a good person.

However, Pang Weidong has no ill will towards me for the time being, otherwise he would not have adopted such a conciliatory approach.

He knew very well that the other party wanted to enter the catering industry, but what did he mean by recovering the losses? After thinking for a long time, he still had no idea.

After taking a short nap at noon, Du Shaojie went to buy some vegetables.

I cooked some Jinling dishes in the evening to reward Qi Yan. Qi Yan could hardly get up in the morning and really needed some nourishment.

"Shaojie, these dishes are delicious. Why haven't I seen you cook them before?"

Qi Yan particularly likes this dish [Fried Eel in Fried Oil], and most of the dish goes into her stomach.

Du Shaojie didn't introduce himself during the meal, and she only remembered to ask after they finished eating.

“I’m cooking Jinling cuisine today.”

Du Shaojie then gave her a detailed introduction, and Qi Yan finally understood the name of each dish.

"A chef is a chef, he is really amazing! By the way, have you solved the troubles in your store?"

"We are trying to find a solution. It shouldn't be a big problem."

After cleaning up the mess, the two of them stayed together for a while, and then Du Shaojie sent her to school.

There are a lot of things to do at the end of the semester, so Qi Yan will be busy for a while.

the next day.

Du Shaojie got up late, had breakfast outside, and then went to [Xichuan Restaurant].

He briefly told Yu Jianxin about what happened with Pang Weidong yesterday. Yu Jianxin couldn't figure out what the other party was trying to do.

"Mr. Du, I heard a rumor that the street in front of our house is going to undergo a water supply and drainage renovation project, which will take half a year to a year. If the entire road is dug up, we won't be able to do business anymore."

After talking about Pang Weidong, Yu Jianxin started talking about a piece of news he had just heard.

This news is not confirmed yet, but the news itself is not good news for [Xichuan Restaurant]. If the road outside the door is dug up, the business of the restaurant will definitely plummet.

But individuals are powerless to do anything about this kind of thing, and even Du Shaojie cannot stop the municipal project.

"Ok?"

Du Shaojie suddenly remembered what Pang Weidong had said before, and suddenly he had an epiphany.

It seems that the loss the other party was talking about is referring to this incident, but the question is whether the other party has the ability to stop this project?
No matter what, Xichuan Restaurant will never allow others to invest in it, lest it fail in internal strife instead of in the fierce market competition.

But if the other party really has that ability, we can cooperate in other areas.

"Jianxin, please find out more about this matter. If it really doesn't work, we can move to another storefront in advance and come back after the project here is completed."

"My boss, it's taboo to frequently change the location of a restaurant."

"I know. I have other plans. I'll talk about it when the time comes."

Yu Jianxin is right. Frequent changes in business locations will have unpredictable impacts on the business.

As an expert, Du Shaojie certainly understands the risks involved.

It's just that he has his own plans, and it's too early to say now, so he didn't explain much, just asked Yu Jianxin to pay more attention to this matter. (End of this chapter)