“You are from the city, right?” The man was a young man in his early twenties, with dark skin but bright eyes. “I am Li Gang from Li Village. My father asked me to come and see if there are any passers-by who need help.”

“Your name is also Li Gang?” Chef Li Gang opened his eyes wide in surprise, “What a coincidence!”

Young Li Gang smiled, showing his white teeth: “There are quite a few people with this name in our village.

It’s raining so hard, why don’t you come to my house first? My dad is a fish farmer in the village.”

Wang Jianye and the others exchanged pleasant glances – this was exactly the person they were looking for! The four followed young Li Gang and walked slowly to a brick house in the village.

There was a sign that read “Lishan Breeding Farm” hanging at the door, and several large fish ponds in the yard were rippling in the rain.

“Dad, there are guests coming!” young Li Gang shouted into the house.

A burly, weather-beaten middle-aged man came out. It was Li Dashan, the largest aquaculture farmer in Lijiagou.

He warmly welcomed the four people into the house and asked his wife to bring them hot tea and melon seeds grown at home.

“I heard that you run a restaurant in Shijiazhuang?” Li Dashan’s eyes flashed with interest after listening to Wang Jianye’s introduction. “The carp in my fish pond are all raised with mountain spring water. They are much tastier than those feed fish on the market.”

Wang Jianye was delighted, this was exactly what they needed: “Uncle Li, our restaurant specializes in earthen pot fish, and we have very high requirements for the quality of fish.

If you are interested, we can discuss long-term cooperation. ”

Li Dashan’s expression suddenly turned cautious: “Cooperation? How do you cooperate?”

The subsequent conversation did not go as smoothly as Wang Jianye expected.

Although Li Dashan was very enthusiastic about their visit, he seemed hesitant when it came to the specific details of the cooperation.

“Boss Wang, it’s not that I don’t want to,” Li Dashan rubbed his rough hands. “Last year, a restaurant owner said he wanted to cooperate with me for a long time. He came to collect fish on time for the first two months, but then suddenly said he didn’t want any more. I couldn’t sell a lot of fish.”

Wang Jianye nodded in understanding: “Uncle Li, I understand your concerns.

We can sign a formal contract with minimum purchase volume and price protection clauses.”

Li Dashan shook his head and said: “We farmers don’t understand the rules and regulations of the contract, we just stick to the facts.

Besides, your restaurant has just opened, what if…”

He didn’t finish his words, but the meaning was clear – he didn’t believe this new restaurant would last.

The conversation came to a standstill and the sound of rain outside was particularly clear.

Wang Jianye felt frustrated. He thought that visiting the farmers in person could show his sincerity, but he didn’t expect the farmers to be so wary.

At this moment, Chef Li Gang suddenly said, “Uncle Li, do you have any ready-made fish? I would like to borrow your kitchen.”

Li Dashan was stunned: “Yes, yes, what are you going to do?”

Li Gang smiled and said, “Let me give you a taste of our ‘Shijiazhuang-style earthen pot fish’. We’ll use the fish from your home.”

This proposal broke the deadlock.

Li Dashan led them to the kitchen curiously, and the young Li Gang caught a carp weighing more than three kilograms from the fish pond.

Chef Li Gang handled the process skillfully, Wang Jianye and Xiao Wang assisted, while Xiao Liu chatted with Li Dashan’s wife.

An hour later, a pot of steaming hot fish was served on the table.

The snow-white fish meat is in the golden soup, paired with red and green peppers and spices, and the aroma is fragrant.

Li Dashan picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth. His eyes suddenly lit up: “This… is this really the fish I raised?”

Chef Li Gang nodded proudly: “It’s absolutely true.

We just use our special cooking method and seasoning.”

“It’s so delicious!” Li Dashan’s wife also praised it repeatedly, “I’ve never eaten such delicious fish.”

Wang Jianye saw an opportunity and struck while the iron was hot: “Uncle Li, think about it, if the fish you raise can become such delicious food every day, and be tasted and praised by hundreds of guests, wouldn’t it be a great sense of accomplishment?”

Li Dashan’s expression relaxed a little, but he still had concerns: “That’s what I said, but…”

Young Li Gang suddenly interrupted: “Dad, I think we can give it a try.

Boss Wang and his team came all the way here in the rain, which shows their sincerity.”

Li Dashan looked at his son, then at the fragrant fish in the pot, and finally nodded: “Then… try it for three months first?”

Wang Jianye suppressed the joy in his heart and held out his hand solemnly: “It’s a deal!”

After the rain stopped, Li Dashan and his son took them to visit the entire farm.

Wang Jianye was surprised to find that the scale of the place was much larger than he had imagined. More than a dozen fish ponds were scattered at the foot of the mountain, and the mountain spring water was clear and transparent.

“The water here is good, the fish grow slowly but the meat is firm.”

Li Dashan proudly introduced, “The fast-growing fish in the city can’t compare.”

Wang Jianye suddenly thought of a question: “Uncle Li, how many fish can you supply at most every day?”

Li Dashan calculated: “At this time of year, 200 kilograms a day is no problem.

If you want more, I can expand two more fish ponds.”

This number made Wang Jianye’s eyes light up – not only was it enough for the two existing stores, but it also reserved space for future branches.

He immediately expressed his willingness to prepay part of the payment to support Li Dashan in expanding the scale of breeding.

It was already dark when we left Lijiagou.

The four of them, using the light of flashlights, carefully walked back along the muddy mountain road.

Although soaked and exhausted, everyone had a smile on their face.

“I didn’t expect the first day to go so smoothly.”

Xiao Wang said excitedly, “Uncle Li’s fish is really good.”

Xiao Liu, however, poured cold water on him: “Don’t be too happy too soon, we still have several companies to go.

And fish is just one of them.”

Wang Jianye knew that Xiao Liu was right.

In the next few days, they visited vegetable growers, poultry farms and seasoning workshops in several nearby villages.

The situation is similar – farmers are confident in the quality of their food, but have concerns about long-term cooperation.

In Xibaipo Village, Aunt Zhang, a skilled vegetable grower, said bluntly: “Boss Wang, it’s not that I don’t trust you.

Last year, a supermarket buyer talked a lot of nonsense at first, but then he lowered the price so much that we couldn’t even break even.”

In Gangnan Town, Lao Zhou, a chicken farmer, smoked his pipe and said slowly, “You city people do business in too many ways.

We are a small business and cannot afford to suffer any setbacks.”

The team’s morale was low due to repeated setbacks.

On the fourth night, in the small hotel, Xiao Liu couldn’t help complaining: “Why are these farmers so stubborn? We came with sincerity, but they treated us as liars!”

Wang Jianye leaned on the creaking wooden bed and rubbed his sore legs and feet: “You can’t blame them. In recent years, there have indeed been many middlemen and buyers who have taken advantage of farmers’ information asymmetry, and price cuts and breach of contract have occurred from time to time.”

Li Gang made a cup of strong tea and thought: “We have to think of a way to make them truly trust us.”

Wang Jianye suddenly sat up straight: “I have an idea! Since they are not confident to come to our restaurant, we can ‘move’ the restaurant to them!”

The next day, Wang Jianye changed his strategy.

He was no longer in a hurry to negotiate contracts, but instead invited farmers to a special “tasting session.”

He asked Xiao Wang to go back to the city to get the restaurant’s special pots and seasonings, and set up a temporary stove in the village committee courtyard.

“Dear fellow villagers,” Wang Jianye said in a loud voice as he stood on a makeshift platform, “Today we don’t need to discuss business. We would like to invite everyone to try our special dishes made with local ingredients!”

This novel proposal attracted many villagers to watch.

Chef Li Gang prepared signature dishes such as clay pot fish and crispy pork stew on the spot, while Wang Jianye introduced the characteristics and ingredients of each dish in detail.

“This eggplant is grown in my family!” An old lady tasted the fish-flavored eggplant and exclaimed in surprise, “How come it tastes so good?”

“Because this seasoning is our secret recipe,” Wang Jianye explained with a smile, “but if I don’t have such good eggplants like yours, I can’t make this taste.”

The tasting session turned into a small celebration, where the villagers not only tasted the delicious food, but also saw the process and value of turning their own agricultural products into high-end restaurant dishes.

The atmosphere gradually became lively, and many farmers began to actively inquire about the details of the cooperation.

Aunt Zhang took Wang Jianye’s hand and said, “Boss Wang, if you can really keep the price you promised and keep buying for a long time, I will open up two acres of land for you and plant it according to your requirements!”

Lao Zhou also came over and said, “If you want 100 of my free-range chickens every week, I can guarantee that I won’t sell them to anyone else.”

A warm feeling surged in Wang Jianye’s heart – this was the kind of cooperative relationship he wanted to establish, based on mutual understanding and trust.

At the end of the week-long inspection, the team not only signed a carp supply contract with Lijiagou, but also reached long-term cooperation agreements with five vegetable growers, three poultry farms and two seasoning workshops.

What surprised Wang Jianye even more was that these farmers spontaneously formed a “Xuzhou Family Supplier Cooperative” and elected Li Dashan as the person in charge to coordinate supply matters.

On the way back, the trunk of the car was filled with samples sent by farmers – fresh vegetables, live fish, local eggs and various mountain products.

Xiao Liu was busy sorting out contracts and contact information, while Xiao Wang was planning the best transportation route.

“Mr. Wang, now our supply chain problem has finally been solved.”

Li Gang looked at the fields passing by outside the window and said with satisfaction.

Wang Jianye held the steering wheel, with a long-lost relaxed smile on his face: “Not only that, we have also found the best source of ingredients.

You know what, Master Li? These farmers treat their products like their own children.

This kind of quality cannot be bought with money in the market.”

After returning to the restaurant, Wang Jianye immediately set about implementing various collaborations.

He assigned a dedicated person to be responsible for connecting with each supplier and established a strict quality inspection and logistics system.

In order to ensure the interests of farmers, he also set a “guaranteed purchase price”, promising to purchase at the agreed price even if the market price fell.

One month later, the new supply chain system began to show results.

The restaurant no longer has to worry about food shortages. On the contrary, due to the improvement in food quality, the taste of the dishes has been improved and the customer flow has increased by 20%.

When food blogger Lin Xiaoman visited again, she was surprised to find: “Boss Wang, how come your clay pot fish is even more delicious than last time? The taste of the fish is completely different!”

Wang Jianye smiled mysteriously: “This is our business secret – Taihang Mountain spring water and the farmers’ intentions.”

One night after closing, Wang Jianye stood in the kitchen, looking at the fresh ingredients neatly arranged in the freezer, feeling a sense of accomplishment.

This not only solves the supply problem, but also establishes a sustainable cooperation model – restaurants have a stable and high-quality source of ingredients, and farmers have reliable sales channels and reasonable income.

Li Mei came over and handed him a cup of hot tea: “What are you thinking about? You look so absorbed in it.”

Wang Jianye took the teacup and took a sip: “I’m thinking that business is not just about profit, but also about responsibility and trust.

The relationship between us and the farmers is now more like a partnership than just a transaction.”

Li Mei smiled gently: “This is what makes you different.

By the way, Uncle Li called me this afternoon and said that the newly expanded fish pond will be operational next month, and asked us if we would like to name the first batch of fish fry after the restaurant.

Wang Jianye’s eyes lit up: “Of course! How about calling it ‘Xuzhou People’s Special Carp’?”

……

Wang Jianye stood in front of the glass door of the Tangshan branch, looking at the drizzling spring rain outside through the glass that reflected his tired face.

It has been three weeks since its opening, but the store is still deserted with only a few tables of customers.

He subconsciously touched the crumpled business report in his pocket – the average daily turnover was less than one-fifth of that of the Shijiazhuang headquarters.

“Mr. Wang, look at this.”

Chef Li Gang came over with a plate of Xuzhou clay pot chicken that had barely been touched, his brows furrowed. “The guests at table three said it was too bland and not to their taste.”

Wang Jianye took the plate, picked up a piece of chicken with chopsticks and put it into his mouth.

The meat is tender and the spices are just right. This is one of the most popular signature dishes in Shijiazhuang.

He looked up at table number three, where a middle-aged couple was sitting, pointing at the menu.

“I gonna go see.”

Wang Jianye adjusted his collar and walked over with a professional smile.

“Hello, I am the person in charge of this store.

I heard you have some suggestions for our dishes?”

The middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses raised his head and said, “Is this Xuzhou cuisine? It tastes too bland.

We Tangshan people pay attention to the salty, fresh and rich taste of our food, and this chicken looks like it was boiled in plain water.”

The lady next to him added: “And your seafood cooking methods are weird. We like seafood to be original and steamed or blanched is best, but you’re braising or stir-frying it.”

The smile on Wang Jianye’s face was a little stiff, but his heart suddenly felt enlightened.

So this is where the problem lies! He nodded repeatedly: “You are absolutely right, we do need to make adjustments.

Could you please tell me more about what flavors Tangshan people like the most? “

After returning to the office, Wang Jianye immediately called a meeting of the management team.

The rain outside the window was getting heavier, and the sound of raindrops hitting the glass was like urging drumbeats.

“Everyone, you have seen the situation.”

Wang Jianye looked around at everyone and said, “We must make changes.

I have decided to personally lead the team to taste Tangshan’s specialty restaurants starting tomorrow.”

The purchasing manager Xiao Wang hesitated and said, “But Mr. Wang, if we follow the Tangshan taste completely, will it still be Xuzhou cuisine?” (End of this chapter)