Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 388 - 355: Liu Xu: I’m Just Not One to Stand on Ceremony

Chapter 388: Chapter 355: Liu Xu: I’m Just Not One to Stand on Ceremony

When it was time to close the stall, Gao Hong had mentioned this topic to me, but at the time there was a bit of chaos and it was getting late, so only the basics were discussed, without much detail.

Liu Xu saw that Chen Mo was interested, so this time he ate with peace of mind, stuffing a piece of fish fillet into his mouth with satisfaction written all over his face.

"Our Ecological Garden, from the beginning..."

The meal lasted for a long time, probably about an hour, as the two ate and chatted.

However, most of the time Chen Mo was listening while Liu Xu was talking. Occasionally, Chen Mo would bring up things he didn’t quite understand, and Liu Xu would patiently explain.

Halfway through the conversation, there weren’t enough fish fillets to eat, so Chen Mo sliced another fish to make up for it.

Initially, the Ecological Garden was meant to be a supporting park for the nearby residential area. But later, with the real estate crisis, the residential area around the Ecological Garden completely cooled down.

Hearing this, Chen Mo felt some emotion. It seems that the real estate situation over the past few years has impacted a lot of people, including himself.

Since the occupancy rate here had never picked up, the presence of the Ecological Garden seemed less significant. Not only did it fail to serve its original purpose, but it also cost a lot of money to maintain.

The authorities had thought of solutions, one of which was to establish a Cultural Street around the Ecological Garden.

The so-called Cultural Street was actually a food street.

But considering that there were already several such pedestrian streets in the city, and the Ecological Garden’s location was relatively suburban, it wasn’t worthwhile to build a Cultural Street if it couldn’t attract customers.

As a result, this plan was always shelved.

Now, with Chen Mo’s presence here, the Ecological Garden has a rare opportunity. On the one hand, it is to manage the traffic recently coming in; on the other, it is to deepen collaboration with Chen Mo, so this plan has been revived.

"What Director Gao means is that upon establishing the Cultural Street, you can choose the best spot, which will be permanently given to you. At the same time, they hope you’ll stay in Yangzhou for a while longer. I think when they meet you for a talk tomorrow, this will be the main topic."

Chen Mo leaned back and looked at the empty dishes on the table, saying, "So why did you eat so fast? I’m not even full yet!"

Liu Xu retracted his chopsticks awkwardly, "Ah, well."

"Haha, just kidding. Meals should fill you up. I have plenty of ingredients here; if it’s not enough, there’s more."

Chen Mo grabbed a handful of noodles, "What I mean is, if you’re not full, I’ll finish the fish and then cook some noodles. We Jingzhou people always end a hotpot meal with noodles to feel satisfied; otherwise, it feels uncomfortable."

"Is that so?" Liu Xu’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes, no matter how much you eat, you have to end with noodles. You should try it too."

Chen Mo stretched the dough he had cut before, pulling it into wide noodles with ease—a skill learned back in Yu Province while making mutton soup with noodles, very practical.

Liu Xu watched in amazement, "Wow, Boss Xiao Chen, you really know a lot! I’ve only seen this act at Haidilao."

Chen Mo felt like this wasn’t much of a compliment and swiftly moved on from the topic, "So, what exactly is the deal with this Cultural Street?"

Talking about it excited Liu Xu, as he was one of the participants of this plan back then.

"It’s about setting up neat stalls along the south side of the street at our North Gate, each representing a Yangzhou specialty!"

"But back then, the Ecological Garden wasn’t in a good position. I even went to a few restaurants to discuss it, but they ignored me."

"You wanted it to be high-end?"

"Yes, if it’s just the ordinary snacks at the North Gate, what would be the competitive edge? But high-end restaurants weren’t interested in setting up stalls."

Huaiyang Cuisine has always been on the high-end route and is even regarded as national banquet cuisine now. It also gives off a high-end vibe online.

If it’s supposed to be high-end, how could it be a street stall?

But Chen Mo didn’t see it that way.

Food is meant for eating; what’s high-end or low-end about it?

Those dishes made with precious ingredients are expensive, and those labor-intensive dishes that take ten hours to prepare are pricey too, but some dishes are easy to make.

Why should they be priced so high that no one can afford them?

Not Chen Mo. As long as the ingredients are ordinary and easy to cook, everything is fairly priced!

"And now? Are high-end restaurants willing to set up stalls for the Cultural Street?"

Liu Xu stirred the sauce in his dish, "Now, the head chefs of the two famous restaurants are working for free under you. Who wouldn’t want to ride the wave of immense traffic?"

Chen Mo nodded.

Indeed, things have turned around. Being here means appearing online, and nowadays, everyone wants to grab some traffic.

"Got it, let’s eat noodles."

Liu Xu wasn’t accustomed to finishing a hotpot meal with noodles, but he obediently followed Chen Mo’s lead.

He scooped the cooked noodles into his bowl, poured the hot broth from the pot over them, and finally added the sauce from earlier that was used for dipping fish fillets.

After a whiff...

Tsk!

The chicken broth aroma mixed with the freshness of the fish and the scent of noodles.

The shredded green onions and ginger, along with the soy sauce in the noodle soup, amplified the flavors exponentially.

Although Liu Xu was very full, the aroma made him feel he could still eat. He picked up the noodles and stuffed them into his mouth.

The noodles were exceptionally chewy, each bite sinking his teeth into a swamp of flavor. As he swallowed, the brain’s craving for carbohydrates was immediately satisfied.

"Phew, no wonder you said a bowl of noodles is a must at the end, it’s quite fulfilling!"

Not only that, but after finishing the noodles, Liu Xu couldn’t resist drinking two mouthfuls of the noodle soup.

A wave of warmth spread from his mouth to his stomach, radiating inside out, causing beads of sweat to pop out on his forehead. It was truly invigorating!

"That was comfortable, such a satisfying bowl of noodles."

"Alright, thanks to Director Liu for sharing the news in advance today. Now I’ve got a good grasp on things."

Seeing that Chen Mo was hinting at ending the meeting, Liu Xu understandingly stood up to say goodbye as well, "So, what does Boss Chen have in mind?"

"We’ll talk tomorrow."

"By the way," Liu Xu rushed to the front of the vehicle and said, "I’ve noted down your car plate. I’ll inform security to waive your parking fee tomorrow."

Chen Mo was about to say he didn’t mind paying that bit, but Liu Xu had already waved him off with a grin and waddled away.

Oh boy, what a situation.

Simplifying packing up his supplies back into the food truck, Chen Mo liked the feeling of not having to clean up after a meal, then retreated into his RV.

Now that the kitchen in the room was connected to the outside, getting a drink was as simple as pouring it straight from the kitchen, which was much more convenient.

Pouring himself a glass of orange juice, Chen Mo then sat on the sofa, reflecting on Liu Xu’s words.

If it were something else, he wouldn’t be as sure.

But since it involved getting a stall, it was a pity stalls don’t come with ownership, only usage rights.

He wondered if usage rights would work with the system’s transport functionality. If so, Chen Mo felt he’d generally agree to the offer.

It’s like collecting stamps.

If he could have a place of his own across the country, wouldn’t traveling anywhere be as simple as snapping his fingers?

The thought was exhilarating.

However, today a customer asked about plans to introduce new dishes, which must also be put on the agenda.

Phoenix Tail Shrimp astonished Chen Mo!

In just a few hours, sales exceeded thirty thousand, which was much better than Lion’s Head and fried rice.

"Looks like to quickly increase Experience Value, it’s best to offer dishes that are easily replicable on a large scale, taste great, and are affordably priced."

Tonight, Chen Mo wasn’t sleepy. Lying on the bed, he browsed his phone.

Trying to find on the internet a dish that fit his requirements.