Chapter 270 Chapter 257: Worries

Translator: 549690339

Even hiding behind Qi Changfu, to avoid Zhuang Qingning picking up something else to throw at him, making him cry out in pain and supplication.

Qi Changfu, on the other hand, just chuckled, “Manager Zhuang.”

When others greeted her, Zhuang Qingning felt she should respond. She stopped, smiled faintly, “Chef Qi.”

“Chef Qi seems to be idle, able to find time to chat here.”

Qi Changfu’s face changed at the word “idle”.

He was indeed idle, Fushun Tower’s business was plummeting, and very few customers came. As the chef, he didn’t need to prepare many things in the kitchen, nor did he need to cook many dishes.

Zhuang Qingning was the type of person who knew where to hit.

This little girl was not as simple as she appeared.

Qi Changfu’s eyes darted around, and he chuckled, “Manager Zhuang speaks the truth. Fushun Tower is indeed not what it used to be. Manager Feng is like a rabid dog, biting people everywhere, and the two of us have had more than our fill of idle time.”

“Feng Yongkang had some disputes with you before, right? And he has sent Chef Zhang away. You must have some resentment against Feng Yongkang too.”

“Chef Qi, just say what you want.” Zhuang Qingning coughed lightly.

“You should have heard some of it earlier, Manager Zhuang. We, master and apprentice, are planning to deal with Feng Yongkang. If you could join us…”

Qi Changfu chuckled, “I’m sure it would be much more effective, and we could all get what we want. Help each other, and take what we need. What do you think?”

Zhuang Qingning gave a slight smile, “I’ll have to be honest with you, Chef Qi, I’m not interested in this. I have business to attend to in the shop. I apologize for not being able to join.”

She had had a taste of Tong Fei’s temperament. With such an apprentice, Qi Changfu, the master, could not be much better, and was probably quite a cunning person.

And, there was the previous disagreement with Tong Fei…

At this time, Qi Changfu inviting her was definitely not purely out of a desire to cooperate and achieve a common goal.

Most likely, they were thinking that after achieving their goal, they needed someone to take the blame. That’s probably why they were acting this way. Unfortunately, her back wasn’t strong enough, she couldn’t carry that pot.

Even if she really wanted to deal with Feng Yongkang, she would not cooperate with people like Qi Changfu who had ill intentions and were untrustworthy.

Zhuang Qingning’s lips curled up slightly, her whole face mocking as she turned and walked away.

Qi Changfu’s face darkened. After Zhuang Qingning walked away, he spit fiercely onto the ground, “What a nobody, just a little girl, acting as if she’s so great.”

“What was the meaning of that look? Looking down on us, right? What does she think she is, a nobleman? Her behind-the-scenes manipulation of Manager Chai of Ruyi Pavilion to compete with Fushun Tower, what’s her motive? Does she think other people are blind?”

“Master, don’t be angry. I’ve told you, haven’t I? She’s that kind of person.”

Tong Fei was sullen, “Look at this injury on my head, wasn’t it her who hit me? She just thinks we have no choice but to ask her for help, so she puts on airs.” “Anyway, we don’t depend on her for our livelihood. We just ignore her. If she doesn’t want to do it, then she doesn’t. At least she won’t say anything to Feng Yongkang. We’ll just do what we want.”

“That’s how it is…” Qi Changfu stroked his chin in thought, “We’ll have to see when it’s better to do this.”

Zhuang Qingning didn’t go back to the tofu shop, but went to Ruyi Pavilion to find Chai Zhengzhen and told him what Zhang Yongchang had said earlier.

Chai Zhengzhen’s facial expression remained very calm, but he sighed slightly, “I expected this outcome. Chef Zhang is a man of loyalty, so it’s possible he won’t be able to come to terms with it for a while. That’s okay, let’s just wait a little longer.”

“If Manager Chai is interested, it wouldn’t hurt to wait a bit longer.”

Zhuang Qingning lowered her voice, “Just now when I passed by the back door of Fushun Tower, I heard Qi Changfu and Tong Fei discussing something. It was clear that these two were at odds with Feng Yongkang. Fushun Tower’s business has been poor lately. If they have more disputes, the closure of the tower will not be far away.”

“Manager Chai, it might be good to introduce some new dishes during this time. Attract all the customers to Ruyi Pavilion. Even if Fushun Tower returns to calm in the future, they probably won’t be able to compete with Ruyi Pavilion.”

“Manager Feng’s temperament…”

Chai Zhengzhen sighed again, “I’ve known Manager Feng for many years. We’ve had our share of open disagreements and hidden conflicts, as well as times when we’ve supported each other. I know he appears friendly on the surface, but is actually petty, prone to suspicion, and cares a lot about his image. These traits have become more and more apparent over the past two years. If this continues, I’m afraid no one will be able to get along well with him.”

“It’s only to be expected that Fushun Tower is headed downhill.”

So, doing business is just like dealing with people. It’s not about quick profits, nor is dealing with people about short-term interactions. It’s about being down-to-earth.

Chai Zhengzhen reflected on this with more emotion.

After some idle talk, Zhuang Qingning went back to the tofu shop. Chai Zhengzhen saw her to the door, then looked at Fushun Tower across the way.

Feng Yongkang was there, loudly berating a young worker. The worker hung his head, daring not to talk.

People were coming and going on the street, some glancing in their direction, others whispering and laughing loudly, causing the worker to turn away shame-faced, his head hanging even lower.

Chai Zhengzhen shook his head, sighed, and then with his hands behind his back, went to his backyard to check on the day’s dishes. He also discussed with the chef about possibly postponing his departure until a suitable replacement could be found.

Tofu skin was already selling well in the tofu shop. Due to its long shelf life and good taste, it was quite popular.

Zhuang Qingning had also started supplying a small amount to the county town.

This meant that the production capacity of the tofu factory was somewhat overwhelmed, so Zhuang Qingning began to speed up the construction process of the tofu skin workshop.

Ye Dayong worked very diligently, starting work at first light according to the plans discussed with Zhuang Qingning, and did not finish until nightfall, in order to set up the tofu skin workshop as soon as possible.

The marked area was large enough, following Zhuang Qingning’s plan, only half of the area was currently being used. If in the future, other formulas needed mass production, they could make use of the rest of the area.

Zhuang Jingye was already purchasing the iron pots needed for boiling soy milk, and Zhuang Yonghe was helping to buy the necessary stone mills.

The tofu skin workshop was taking shape and was expected to be operational soon.

However, this brought up concerns for Zhuang Qingning.

Mainly, the issue of manpower.

She was not worried about hiring workers. Many people in the village, young and old, men and women, and even young laborers from families with few fields, had all come to see Zhuang Qingning as soon as they heard that she was setting up a tofu skin workshop..