Chapter 110: The Lu Family Restaurant

“All right. I’ll bring them over on time this afternoon.”

Liang Long nodded. He was a little curious himself about why Lu Family Cuisine would disappear after a few years, but he was too lazy to ask further.

Still, he knew that the Lu Family Restaurant was one of the most upscale places in Nanming City at the moment, a household name. Many people returning from Hong Kong or Taiwan to visit relatives would choose it first.

Chen Huajiang’s decision to treat them there was clearly a sign of respect, and it would cost him a fair amount.

So, at three in the afternoon, Liang Long gathered his comrades at the entrance of the Lu Family Restaurant to meet Chen Huajiang. There were four of them in all.

They nodded to one another and went inside.

“A private room, please. A window seat on the second floor.”

Chen Huajiang took the lead, stepped into the restaurant, and called a waiter over.

The waiter was around thirty, with a wavy hairstyle and a face heavily powdered in cosmetics, giving off a rather distinctive look.

In Nanming City, it would still take a few more years before such a style became common on the streets.

Clearly, the waitstaff here had been influenced by customers from Hong Kong and Taiwan, and without realizing it, had stayed one step ahead in fashion.

Liang Long and the others stared at them in amazement, though to Chen Huajiang it looked rather rustic.

The waiter glanced over the group and curled her lip. “Room two-oh-one.”

With that, she handed Chen Huajiang a wooden room token.

Once they reached room 201, Chen Huajiang handed out cigarettes to everyone, and only then did Liang Long begin making introductions.

“Brother Chen, this is Zhang Bao. He was my closest brother in the army. These three here are Lian Chengye, An Hongbing, and Ma Dashu. The three of them were my comrades from the same intake.”

“Chen Huajiang is my buddy, my good brother. He used to work at the Red Flag Factory, and now he’s struck out on his own and opened a shop to do business.”

Liang Long pointed at the four men and introduced them one by one to Chen Huajiang.

“Hello, hello.”

“Brother Chen, hello.”

Chen Huajiang shook hands with each of them in turn.

The four were all quite thin, which was typical of the times. Zhang Bao and Ma Dashu were a little taller, both over six feet, while An Hongbing and Lian Chengye were shorter, around five foot seven.

Zhang Bao had thick brows and large eyes, and looked steady and dependable. Ma Dashu was about the same, except his hairline had receded rather far, leaving his forehead somewhat bald, which made him look overly aged.

An Hongbing had a baby face and wore a smile at all times, giving off the air of an inveterate optimist. Lian Chengye, by contrast, wore a dark expression and kept his face taut, looking very nervous.

While Chen Huajiang was sizing them up, they were naturally sizing him up as well.

“Don’t stand on ceremony, everyone. Since you’re Liang Long’s brothers, you’re my brothers too. Then naturally, that makes us all friends.”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, just speak up. I’ll answer everything one by one.”

Chen Huajiang smiled as he spoke, getting straight to the point.

Everyone nodded and began asking the questions that mattered most to them.

The main concerns were whether the equipment and technical know-how would really be provided free of charge at the beginning, and how repayment would work later. They also wanted to know whether they could actually make money, and what would happen if they couldn’t.

After all, these were the core issues that affected their own interests.

“On that front, rest assured. I, Chen Huajiang, mean what I say. I’ll provide the equipment and the techniques up front, and once you’ve made money, you can pay it back.”

“If you don’t make money, I’ll still take the equipment back, and you won’t need to repay the money. But there’s something I need to make clear in advance: since I’m offering such favorable terms, you must follow my plan.”

“You’re not the first. I already have a few partners under me, and they’re all doing well and making money. Standardization, a clear process, and orderly management are what matter most. In other words, if you meet the standards of our Kunlun Catering and still don’t make money, then it’s our problem. If not, then it’s yours. All of this will be written into the contract, so you can rest easy.”

Chen Huajiang took a drag on his cigarette and looked at them seriously as he laid everything out.

The partners he mentioned were naturally the friends under Er Mao. At that time, Kunlun Catering had not yet been registered, everything was still in its earliest stage, and Chen Huajiang had not placed many demands on them.

It was nothing more than providing seasonings and sauces, and strictly speaking, it was not even a true franchise model.

Now that Chen Huajiang planned to build a food street, standardization and orderliness were naturally essential.

“Fine.”

“Okay.”

“Then thanks, Brother Chen.”

Chen Huajiang had made things so clear, and once they heard that they would not need to invest anything, they all nodded and smiled.

Zhang Bao and the others had been hesitant precisely because they doubted Liang Long’s message; they did not believe such a good thing could exist in this world.

Only now did they finally feel completely at ease.

At that moment, the earlier waiter came in, handing out the menu to everyone while setting the bowl of hand-rinsing water on the table.

“Ah, why did it take so long? I’m dying of thirst.”

“Not bad, sweet and sour.”

“This restaurant really is classy. The places I used to eat at would only serve tea.”

Just as the waiter set down the hand-rinsing water, Zhang Bao and the others picked it up and drank it, praising it all the while.

Chen Huajiang set down the menu and tried to stop them, but he was a split second too late.

He immediately regretted not making things clear beforehand. He should not have handed out the menu and prepared to order first.

“What is it?”

“What’s wrong, Brother Chen? Just say the word.”

Liang Long, sitting beside Chen Huajiang, saw him reach out as though to do something, and asked in confusion.

Zhang Bao and the others also looked at Chen Huajiang curiously, thinking he had something important to say.

“It’s nothing. I’m a bit thirsty too.”

Chen Huajiang smiled. Since they had all already drunk it, saying anything now would only be humiliating them.

So he also picked up the hand-rinsing water and took a big gulp.

“Um, everyone, that is hand-rinsing water. It’s not for drinking!”

Only then did the waiter serving the water come to her senses, and she said in some panic.

As soon as those words were spoken, everyone was stunned, only feeling their throats go dry.

“These country bumpkins actually drank the hand-rinsing water.”

The wavy-haired waiter, who seemed to be the shift lead, said with a face full of disdain.

Her words made Zhang Bao and the others flush crimson, as though they had done something wrong. They sat there helpless and flustered.

Chen Huajiang, however, was displeased. This service was far too poor.

“What exactly do you mean by this?”

“Even if you don’t explain what it is in advance, you should at least have prepared towels or tissues for wiping our hands.”

“Where are they? I haven’t seen a single one. Is this really the way you serve hand-rinsing water? To me, it looks more like you’re making fools of us. Go call Lu Daguang. I want to ask him what the hell this is supposed to mean.”

Chen Huajiang angrily snapped at the shift lead and slapped the table.

At his words, the shift lead’s expression froze, and her arrogant bearing vanished at once.

To her, it was obvious that he knew what this was, and he even knew the boss’s name. If things escalated, it would be bad for her.

Most importantly, Chen Huajiang was right about everything; they had simply gotten the procedure wrong.

The shift lead had seen that Zhang Bao and the others were dressed in labor clothes and did not look wealthy, so she had looked down on them from the start and treated them carelessly.

Deep down, she had even wanted to see them make fools of themselves. Otherwise, why would she not have reminded them? Why would she not have prepared towels for wiping their hands?