Chapter 393: Turning things around, attracting a big client
Bai Ruozhu’s heart skipped a beat. The person had not come with good intentions, and they were indeed targeted at her fresh soup noodle dish!
Her face remained unchanged, and she smiled, "Master Shen, why not just say it straight? We’re all straightforward people here."
Shen Lu smiled with kindness, stroked his beard, and said, "When you first brought out the fresh soup noodles for sale, I gave you thirty taels of silver, which was quite a lot. We had agreed that you would explain to me how you got this recipe, right?"
Bai Ruozhu nodded, "Yes, and I did tell you the truth."
"Did you? I just visited your stall, tried your product, the taste is pretty good. So, this is you telling the truth?" Shen Lu’s voice suddenly rose a few decibels, turning somewhat harsh.
Bai Ruozhu had anticipated this day would come. She laughed lightly and said, "Master Shen might have misunderstood. The initial fresh soup noodles were indeed all sold to you, and I never encountered that merchant again. I’ve been thinking about the taste of those noodles and tried to figure it out, Do-it-Yourself."
Shen Lu stared at Bai Ruozhu. His face still wore a smile, but his gaze was icy cold.
"So you made it yourself? You are very talented. Then why didn’t you sell it to me?" Shen Lu’s voice carried a hint of doubt.
Bai Ruozhu sighed, "Let’s go to my kitchen. I’ll get you to taste the noodles that I made by myself. You will understand. It’s not that I didn’t want to sell it to you, but the noodles I made are not as good as the one the merchant was selling. I’m not so dishonest."
Shen Lu scrutinized Bai Ruozhu and then rose from his chair, "Let’s go and see now."
"Alright." Bai Ruozhu led Shen Lu to her kitchen, where Fang Guizhi was making tea. Seeing their entry, she was surprised and asked, "Did I take too long to make the tea? I’m sorry for the delay."
Bai Ruozhu waved her hands, "No, no, I wanted to show Master Shen some seasonings. He is in this business."
Afterwards, she selected a jar and handed it to Shen Lu. Shen dipped his finger in, tasted a little, and his brows immediately furrowed.
"Indeed, it’s a lot worse." He murmured.
Bai Ruozhu did not explain further. The more one speaks, the more mistakes one can make, and she did not want to arouse Shen Lu’s suspicion again.
Fang Guizhi didn’t understand what they were talking about, so she just continued to make tea and said, "The tea is ready. Aren’t you going back to the room to sit down and have some tea?"
Shen Lu’s attention returned to the present, he stroked his beard and chuckled, "The girl is efficient. Let’s return to the room and have some tea then."
Bai Ruozhu secretly scoffed. Guizhi, unknowing of the situation, had saved Shen Lu some face.
She followed Shen Lu back to the room and sat down. After Shen Lu sipped the tea that Guizhi had prepared, he slowly said, "Although the product of your recipe is not as good as what that merchant was selling, it’s better than nothing. I’m wondering if you would consider transferring the recipe to me?"
Zhang Liliang had been secretly listening outside of the room. At Shen Lu’s words, he became tense. Selling a recipe could indeed make a large sum of money. But it would only be a one-time deal, unlike selling fresh soup noodles, which was a sustainable business. He knew that Bai Ruozhu needed money, so he was afraid that she would agree to the deal. He wished he could remind her at this moment.
In the room, Bai Ruozhu was leisurely sipping her tea. In a negotiation, the one who gets impatient first often loses the upper hand.
Just when Shen Lu’s eyebrows were about to furrow, Bai Ruozhu finally put down her teacup and said, "To be honest with Master Shen, I planned to do business with the fresh soup noodles. We’re in the middle of production, so I’m not planning to sell the recipe."
"My dear girl, I would advise you not to step too far. Your family wouldn’t be able to handle it if your product attracts the wrong kind of attention." Shen Lu still wore a smile on his face, but how could Bai Ruozhu not detect the threat in his tone?
She didn’t let it show on her face, but simply smiled back at Shen Lu, "Master Shen speaks wisely. That’s why I planned to sell it to you on a priority basis. What do you think?"
As expected, Shen Lu’s expression changed slightly. He had anticipated that Bai Ruozhu would be frightened and would agree to sell the recipe to him or that she would refuse categorically and kick him out. He had not expected that Bai Ruozhu would turn the situation around and proposed a friendly alliance.
"You have been running a restaurant and that’s quite a challenge itself. If you divert your attention to selling fresh soup noodles, you might stretch your resources too thin. It would be better to use this time to expand your business, don’t you think?" Bai Ruozhu continued smiling, "I’ll sell the products to you at a reasonable price. Given how occupied your restaurant is, I probably won’t be able to keep up with the supply."
"If that’s the case, you can only supply to my restaurant, or else what benefit do I have?" Shen Lu felt that he could no longer maintain his previous composure. The woman in front of him was too composed, to the point of infuriation.
Bai Ruozhu still had a calm smile on her face, "I would love to agree to your request, but if other people happen to figure out the recipe in the future and the market gets flooded with similar products, could I still make any explanation? Moreover, with our production capabilities, we could barely supply to your single outlet. You can rest assured, though. I will not sell to other outlets just because they offer a higher price. We can put this point in a contract."
"So you’re saying that other restaurants will also be able to buy fresh soup noodles in the future? Then my restaurant will lose its advantage?" Shen Lu asked.
Bai Ruozhu’s lips curled higher, "The fresh soup noodles are just a gimmick. Even if all the restaurants start using it, your restaurant could still attract customers based on your signature dishes and service. Isn’t that right?"
Shen Lu’s eyes widened, and after a moment, he sighed, "Indeed, I’m getting old. I fell into your trap. You’re right, running a restaurant successfully depends on the core competency."
Seeing Shen Lu’s silent consent to her proposal, Bai Ruozhu quickly moved on to discuss pricing. Soon, they agreed on the prices and decided to sign a contract at the Commerce Association the next day.
After sending Shen Lu and his servant off, Zhang Liliang was still immersed in their negotiation. He pinched his leg, grimaced in pain, which made Fang Guizhi laugh.
"Ruozhu, you did well! I thought Shen was here to make trouble, but now he has become a potential big client," Zhang Liliang praised her with a look of admiration on his face.
Bai Ruozhu was also very pleased with herself and said cheerfully to Zhang, "So Uncle Zhang, we have to speed up on our side, so we can start earning lots of silver soon."
Zhang Liliang was now full of energy and promised to do his best. He left the western courtyard with enthusiasm.
Bai Ruozhu winked at Fang Guizhi, handed over the toddler Dengdeng to her to watch, and went to the eastern courtyard to cook for Yu Hongxiu. However, as soon as she reached the courtyard, she saw someone whom she did not want to see.