Free Web NovelChapter 118: Chapter 100: So Much Effort for a Bite to Eat
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Chen Fei and the others returned surprisingly fast. They had left at nine-thirty and were back by eleven-thirty, the round trip taking only two hours.
To put that in perspective, it usually took nearly an hour to return from the lamb hot pot restaurant Su Chen liked. For them to be so quick in today’s heavy snow, it just showed how fast they must have been driving.
In Aunt Tang’s skilled hands, a fresh Wuzhumuqin sheep was quickly stripped down to the bone.
Since the weather was already cold, the rolled lamb was ready to be sliced after just half an hour of setting.
They sliced fifteen full plates, each one piled high with meat. Su Chen, Jiang Hui, and the other two, along with Aunt Tang, started their own family-style lamb hot pot feast.
Dipping the freshly cooked lamb in sauce and taking a bite brought immense satisfaction.
"Mmm, good food really warms the heart," Su Chen said with a sigh of contentment.
Seeing this, the others also dug in.
"By the way, Mr. Su~" Chen Fei started to speak before he had even swallowed the lamb in his mouth. He had remembered something he heard at Li Fei’s lamb restaurant, something that might be useful to Su Chen.
"What is it?" Su Chen looked up from his meal, glancing at Chen Fei in confusion.
"Well, it’s like this..."
It turned out that when Chen Fei and the others went to the lamb restaurant to pick up the meat, Li Fei had told them that the Wuzhumuqin sheep farmers in Inner Mongolia were having internal disputes again this year. As a result, prices were over twenty percent lower than the market rate. If someone wanted to stock up on lamb, they could buy it in bulk from Inner Mongolia.
Chen Fei knew his boss was a foodie. He might just buy a few, or even a dozen, sheep to freeze. And if he did, Chen Fei would get to enjoy some of it too!
Hearing this, Su Chen recalled something he had discussed with Xiao Chen the first time he went for lamb hot pot. If one could consolidate the entire Wuzhumuqin sheep industry, the market would be unprecedentedly massive.
Wuzhumuqin sheep were considered the absolute best in the country. Not only was the meat delicious, but it also had a faint, grassy fragrance.
"Hmm, I see," Su Chen said after a moment of thought, then returned his focus to the hot pot.
When Chen Fei saw that his boss didn’t have much of a reaction, he couldn’t help but sigh internally. ’So much for my dream of more lamb.’
After about an hour of eating, the five of them had polished off all fifteen plates of lamb, leaving each of them with a full, round belly.
"Ah, I’m stuffed. I’m going to go rest for a bit. Old Jiang, remember what I told you. Buy an extra one when the time comes!" With that, Su Chen headed upstairs.
Once Su Chen was completely out of sight, a thought struck Chen Fei. He sidled up to Jiang Hui and asked, "Steward Jiang, what did Mr. Su mean just now? Is he planning to buy more cars?"
Jiang Hui shot him a look, seeing right through his little schemes. "Mm, Mr. Su asked me to buy two SUVs. It’s snowing in the Imperial Capital now, you know. The Rolls-Royce isn’t very convenient for getting around."
Hearing this, it wasn’t just Chen Fei; Xiao Peng’s eyes also lit up as he stared at Jiang Hui.
"Steward Jiang, how about a Jeep Wrangler? They’re powerful and convenient for getting around!" Chen Fei said with a hopeful tone.
Xiao Peng, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. Jeeps were so cool; with a few modifications, it would be the god of off-roading.
Jiang Hui’s eyes lowered slightly, the smile on his face fading. "You can think about it, sure. When you get your salaries next year, you can buy one for yourselves. You need to understand, we are buying SUVs for Mr. Su’s convenience, not for your amusement."
"And... let me be blunt. Mr. Su is very good to us, very easygoing. But that’s not an excuse for you to get carried away. I hope you will be mindful of your positions sometimes."
After saying his piece, Jiang Hui started clearing the table with Aunt Tang.
These words plunged both Chen Fei and Xiao Peng into deep thought. Su Chen was indeed too good to them. It wasn’t just the high salary and various benefits; he treated them well day-to-day, unlike other big bosses who worked their employees like cattle.
This had given them the false impression that they were friends with Su Chen...
The two of them quickly realized their mistake.
"Pengzai, Steward Jiang’s words are a wake-up call for us. From now on, we must always maintain a sense of reverence for the boss!"
"I get it, Brother Fei!" Although Xiao Peng was young, it didn’t mean he was clueless. On the contrary, he was quite smart. He understood that Steward Jiang’s words were a reprimand, a way to rein them in.
Back upstairs, Su Chen didn’t rest. Instead, he sent a message to Xiao Chen and waited for him to call back.
After about half an hour, Xiao Chen’s call finally came through.
"Hey, Su Chen, what’s up? You were looking for me?" Xiao Chen’s booming voice came through as soon as the call connected, accompanied by the WHOOSH of the wind.
Su Chen didn’t bother asking where Xiao Chen was. He got straight to the point. "Brother Cheen, here’s the deal. I’m thinking of taking a trip to Inner Mongolia to check out the Wuzhumuqin sheep and maybe buy some. Didn’t you say you had a comrade-in-arms who went back to Inner Mongolia to raise sheep after retiring from the military? I was hoping you could put me in touch."
Hearing this, Xiao Chen pondered for a moment. He knew Su Chen wasn’t just going for a look; he probably had other ideas. But that had nothing to do with him.
"Sure. I’ll give him a call in a bit and let him know. You two can sort out the details yourselves."
"Great, thanks, Brother Cheen! When you get back, drinks are on me!" With Xiao Chen’s assurance, Su Chen felt a renewed sense of confidence about his trip to Inner Mongolia.
"Alright." After that one word, Xiao Chen hung up.
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During dinner that evening, Jiang Hui reported to Su Chen about the SUV purchase. He had bought two Mercedes G-Wagens for a total of five million.
"Hmm, is the household account empty now?" Su Chen asked as he ate.
The household account was one Su Chen had set up after moving into the courtyard house. It was to make it convenient for Jiang Hui to purchase household items, groceries, and so on.
Su Chen had initially deposited ten million into the account, but he wasn’t exactly sure how much was left.
Jiang Hui immediately pulled a small notebook from his pocket—the very same one Su Chen had seen before.
He flipped it open, glanced at it briefly, and then reported, "Mr. Su, aside from the five million for the cars, we spent two hundred thirty thousand on groceries for entertaining guests, thirty-two thousand on regular expenses, and eight thousand on miscellaneous fees. The total expenditure is five million, two hundred and seventy thousand, leaving a balance of four million, seven hundred and thirty thousand."
After finishing, Jiang Hui offered the notebook to Su Chen for inspection, but Su Chen waved his hand dismissively. "I don’t need to look. I trust you to handle things."
"By the way, make the arrangements. We’re going to the Xilinguole League in Inner Mongolia tomorrow. Have Chen Fei and Xiao Peng inspect the cars we bought today and fill them up with gas."
Hearing Su Chen’s instructions, Jiang Hui jotted everything down in his notebook, adding a few more notes at the end for things like a medical kit, snacks, and water.
"Understood, Mr. Su. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go make the arrangements now."
Just as Su Chen was about to wave him away, he remembered something—the favor Yu Qian had asked of him. He was supposed to call Sicong about the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the film investment company.
"Wait, call Sicong in a bit and tell him about the ribbon-cutting for the film investment company. If he asks what I’m doing, just say I’m at home reading. And don’t mention that we’re going to Inner Mongolia."
"Reading?" Jiang Hui paused for a second. His eyes flickered to a random, unnamed book tossed carelessly nearby, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.
"Understood, Mr. Su."
Just as Jiang Hui left, Su Chen’s phone lit up. He picked it up and saw it was a message from Xiao Chen.
The message was extremely simple: a phone number and a name, Ji Wan.
"Ji Wan? So that’s the name of Brother Cheen’s comrade? I wonder what he’s so busy with, sending this over five or six hours later."
The words had barely left his lips when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw it was the same number he had just looked at.
"Hello?"
"Mr. Su, hello. My name is Ji Wan. Brother Cheen asked me to call you. He said you’re planning to come to Inner Mongolia?" A respectful voice came from the phone.
"Yes. I’ll be leaving the Imperial Capital tomorrow morning. Send me the address. I’ll call you when I arrive."
"Okay, Mr. Su. I’ll send you the address right away."
"Alright, thank you."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries before Su Chen hung up. They didn’t know each other, after all, and there wasn’t much to talk about. As for Su Chen’s questions, he decided he would ask them in person when he met Ji Wan.
DING~ A text message arrived.
"East Wuzhumuqin Banner, Xilinguole League!"
