novelnext Chapter 91 Wang Shen's Letter
Chapter 91 Wang Shen's Letter
Chapter 91 Wang Shen's Letter
"It's nothing much." Wang Shen twisted his upper body awkwardly. "Well, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm not planning to continue running that instant noodle stall."
"Hey! You were doing so well, why are you quitting all of a sudden?" Hu Yi feigned surprise, lighting a cigarette and looking at Wang Shen with interest.
In fact, he had been keeping an eye on Wang Shen's fried instant noodle business for the past few months, and he would take a stroll over to Wang Shen's floor every evening around dinner time. At first, he would occasionally see him busy in the kitchen, but later he almost never turned on the stove or touched the pot, so he had a general idea of what was going on with him.
Wang Shen chuckled and looked down, "Sigh, nobody's buying. We can't even sell three or five portions a day; it's not enough to keep us busy."
"Oh?" Hu Yi had assumed that someone as concerned with his image as Wang Shen would come up with a plausible excuse to brush it off, but he hadn't expected Wang Shen to be so direct in stating the truth. Unable to think of a response, Hu Yi could only casually say, "Really?"
"Really," Wang Shen probably felt a pang of bitterness in his voice, so he tossed his long, blond hair back and pretended to be nonchalant, saying, "Everyone likes your boxed lunches and Lao Fang's steamed buns, nobody wants to buy this junk of mine."
"oh."
Wang Shen paused for a moment, and seeing Hu Yi and Li Baoqing looking at him silently, he hesitated before speaking again: "Actually—I came here today to tell you something else."
"Um?
""
"I heard that Sixth Brother's restaurant is planning to offer takeout, just like yours, with boxed meals."
"Really?" Hu Yi and Li Baoqing exchanged a glance, both slightly surprised. "When?"
"It's almost ready, and we expect to open in a few days."
"Oh." Hu Yi pondered for a moment, then raised an eyebrow at Wang Shen: "Aren't you going to Sixth Brother's place to help out?"
""
Wang Shen shook his head and sighed, "I haven't been there for a long time. Ever since the Mongolians smashed up the restaurant last time, Sixth Brother has been giving me the cold shoulder, and the other people in the restaurant are all ignoring me, so I've been too embarrassed to go there again."
Hu Yi tilted his head and thought for a moment: "Just for this? Come to think of it, the Mongols smashing the shop can't be entirely blamed on you. I don't think Sixth Brother would be so petty, would he?"
"Um—and, well, that, that," Wang Shen stammered for a while, then mumbled, "You know, at the beginning of last semester, I used Sixth Brother's name to ask a few preparatory freshmen for management fees—actually, I didn't get much money, but somehow it got back to Sixth Brother. Sixth Brother scolded me severely and told me—told me to get lost."
"I knew it! You definitely took money from more than just Xia Yan back then. Serves you right!" Hu Yi glared at him disdainfully, then suddenly a suspicion arose in his heart. He stared at Wang Shen and asked calmly, "Why are you suddenly telling us all this? Tell me, what exactly are you trying to do?"
"I'm thinking—I'm thinking," Wang Shen forced a smile, "Sixth Brother's side is well-equipped. Once their delivery business opens, can the two of you handle it? Do you need any help?"
"Help? You?" Li Baoqing glared at him gruffly. "Forget it. What good intentions could you possibly have? You're not planning something sneaky again, are you?"
Wang Shen took a few small steps back: "No, no, I meant well, really well. I just wanted to cooperate with you—that—".
"Cooperate? We'll go with you?" Hu Yi put his hands in his pockets, narrowed his eyes, and smiled. "Is that really necessary?"
Wang Shen felt slightly embarrassed. Seeing that Hu Yi and Li Baoqing's expressions were not very friendly, he straightened his chest and cleared his throat: "Old Hu, Baoqing, don't think I'm shamelessly begging you."
The two remained silent, and Wang Shen continued, "That's right, my fried noodles can't compete with your boxed lunches, but now that Sixth Brother is here, you won't be able to keep up for long before you're out of business! I said I'd cooperate with you, actually to help you—of course, I also want to make some money on the side."
"Bullshit! Why should we be the ones to fail?" Li Baoqing curled his lip dismissively. "We're all selling boxed lunches, what's so great about Sixth Brother?"
"You're too arrogant." Wang Shen sneered, turned around and pretended to leave. After taking two steps and seeing no one stop him, he turned back to Hu Yi: "Let me make this clear from the start, Sixth Brother and the others have made thorough preparations for the takeout business, unlike your small-scale operations."
Hu Yi slightly raised his chin: "Don't leave yet, come in and sit down for a chat."
Wang Shen feigned reluctance, entered the room, and slumped into a chair, refusing to speak. Hu Yi tossed a cigarette to both Wang Shen and Li Baoqing, then asked with a smile, "So, what can you do to help? Give us a reason to cooperate with you."
"Exactly, that's more like it. Sixth Brother has seven or eight workers on his side, and you two are just two bachelors. Do you think you can compete with them?" Wang Shen crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and raised his eyelids with an air of old age: "Speak frankly, I'm really not good at cooking. But I can help you with other things, even if it's just running errands to buy groceries or delivering meals. Every extra person helps, right?"
"That makes sense." Hu Yi stood on tiptoe and sat on the writing desk. "Anything else?"
"I know a lot of people at school who can help promote it and get me some gigs. Don't be fooled by your modest fame these past few months; it can't compare to Brother Liu's restaurant's strong reputation and solid foundation."
"Hmm, that's something to consider." Hu Yi absentmindedly swung his legs back and forth in the air. "Anything else?"
"Anything else? Then I'll have to say it's my intelligence." Wang Shen looked up at the ceiling. "I can find out about Sixth Brother's movements at any time and provide you with information for reference. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated."
"Invincible in every battle." Hu Yi chuckled, correcting him, "You're not bragging, are you? Haven't you stopped going to Sixth Brother's restaurant lately? How did you gather information?"
"Looking down on people, are you?" Wang Shen sneered through his nostrils. "I have a few friends with Sixth Brother, and they love to tell me about what's going on at the shop."
"Alright, then tell me, how did Sixth Brother and the others make such thorough preparations? What are their plans?"
"Well—hehe—" Wang Shen was about to leave things in suspense when Li Baoqing interrupted gruffly, "I've seen the menu at Sixth Brother's restaurant. It only has about a dozen dishes. What kind of tricks can they come up with?"
"Baoqing, you're just too dense," Wang Shen said leisurely, stubbing out his cigarette before Li Baoqing could retort. "Sixth Brother runs a restaurant, so preparing ingredients and working is much easier for him than for you guys. I heard they plan to focus on boxed meals, but also offer various stir-fries, cold dishes, wontons, and dumplings. Don't think they're those machine-made potato dumplings from Russia; they're specially made by outsiders, and they're just as good as the dumplings from Lao Fang."