Gourmet: Midnight Vending-Chapter 400 - 361: Return Journey, Jiang Fei’s Banquet
Chen Mo was completely confused by the question.
"What do I know?"
Mu Mu rolled her eyes at him, "It’s your fault for having your phone unreachable all the time."
It was a lie to tell Nana he was on a business trip; in reality, Jiang Fei had approved some funds for Mu Mu, and the purpose of the trip was specifically to find Chen Mo.
"Minister Jiang’s child is about to have a birthday, and it’s just that August has a lot of weddings. All the major hotels in Jingzhou are booked, so we wanted to see if you knew of any good solutions. But your phone was unreachable, which made me have to make a special trip!"
Chen Mo really didn’t know what to say about the phone issue.
He had been busy with upgrading recently and didn’t want to be disturbed; besides, hardly anyone called him, so he put his phone in airplane mode, relying on the food truck’s WiFi for internet.
"That’s simple, just do a one-stop service, right? Jingzhou has many of those one-stop restaurants." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢
The so-called one-stop service is a term used by Jingzhou people.
It’s when the host sets up a banquet in their own yard or community passageway.
The restaurant sends a chef and some waiters to set up the banquet right in the host’s yard.
Some hosts want to save money and even buy the food themselves; the one-stop staff only need to arrive early and start cooking.
"But..." Mu Mu hesitated, "The Minister doesn’t really want to do a one-stop service."
In Jingzhou City, one-stop banquets are often seen by relatives and friends as "money-saving" events, with dishes that aren’t as exquisite as those in big restaurants and the taste isn’t particularly impressive.
Especially since Jingzhou is on the Loess Plateau, if it gets windy, eating with sand in your mouth would be quite unpleasant.
Chen Mo nodded, understanding why Jiang Fei didn’t want to host a one-stop banquet.
In Boss Jiang’s circle of relatives, he’s a small leader in a state-owned enterprise; hosting a one-stop birthday party for his son would indeed be laughable if word got out.
This is also a custom for a child’s birthday in Jingzhou.
Every household hosts a banquet when their child turns 12, which locals call "circle lock."
Moreover, Jiang Fei’s neighborhood is quite upscale, not suitable for such activities in the community. Urban areas don’t typically have yards, so a one-stop event wouldn’t be quite right.
"Yeah, that’s why Boss Jiang wanted to find you. Since you’re in the restaurant business now, maybe you know some people who could help find a restaurant. He estimated it would require at least twenty tables."
Chen Mo considered it, a twenty-table event is neither too big nor too small.
"But the problem is I don’t know many people in the restaurant business either." Chen Mo sighed, "How about we hold it in my village instead of Jingzhou?"
"What the heck?" Mu Mu blurted in a Northeast accent, "Why would a Jingzhou person go to your village for that?"
Chen Mo had his reasons, "Jiuniu Pass is not far from Jingzhou, and the roads are really good now, it’s just a fifteen-minute drive. My yard is big, we could set up a tent, and twenty or even fifty tables would be no problem."
"But that’s still a one-stop service, and it would be one from the village instead of the city. Minister Jiang definitely wouldn’t be happy."
Chen Mo nodded again, feeling a bit stuck, "When is Wenqing’s birthday?"
"I think it’s August 12th, next Thursday."
Chen Mo counted on his fingers, just one week left.
It’s truly a tricky situation; during peak wedding seasons, it’s hard to book a restaurant in the city.
Especially the better restaurants, which are usually booked months in advance. Old Jiang might not have realized this since he hasn’t hosted such events before.
"Wow, the timing is really tight?"
"Exactly, Minister Jiang has many friends, but not many in the restaurant business. Since I was the only one free at the unit, I had to come to find you since I couldn’t reach you. Hehe."
"In that case, we really need to figure something out. By the way, wouldn’t your dad’s restaurant work?"
As soon as he said it, Chen Mo found his own suggestion amusing.
Mu Xin’s restaurant is a very upscale Cantonese restaurant in Jingzhou, with an elegant environment not suited for hosting banquets.
"If it were possible, I’d have already made the decision for Minister Jiang. Anyway, I’ve delivered the message, so you deal with the rest!" Mu Mu hugged Chen Mo’s arm, "So, what about that dinner you promised? What are we eating tonight~"
Chen Mo sighed and shook his head.
Mu Mu, this girl, perhaps because of her petite frame, seems to be bursting with energy and forever curious about the world, never looking worn out or tired.
"Aren’t you afraid of gaining weight eating so late?" Chen Mo casually teased, "Let’s just grab something convenient."
...
Fang Zhizhong felt quite good about his trip to Yangzhou.
When setting up market stalls at Beidamen Street, Fang Zhizhong used his financial prowess and years of business experience to place advertisements for "Wanglong Mountain Resort" on both sides of Beidamen Street.
Moreover, all week long, Yangzhou’s Cultural Street culinary delights have dominated various website hot lists, further raising the profile of Wanglong Mountain Resort among countless netizens.
The week passed quickly.
Early in the morning, Fang Zhizhong gathered his team from Wanglong Mountain.
"Everyone, we’ve had our fill of good food and drink this past week; Boss Xiao Chen is preparing to leave, and it’s about time for us to head out too."
