251: Chapter 251 Cabbage

"I didn't expect our Jiangnan to have such a mysterious figure."

"Yeah, I've never heard of him before."

"Fortunately, we're just ordinary students; we shouldn't have any dealings with someone like that."

After hearing about Li Tianming from Ye Chen and Wang Chao, everyone couldn't help but whisper among themselves. Their voices were very low, making the atmosphere much quieter compared to the lively chatter from earlier. Clearly, after learning Li Tianming's true identity, they all felt a mix of respect and fear toward him.

Just then, the wooden door of their private booth suddenly creaked.

The nearly forty people sitting around the two tables fell silent instantly, like a rowdy classroom that suddenly hears the teacher's footsteps; all the noise vanished in a flash, leaving only the sound of students scribbling furiously on paper. The scene in the booth was just like that, with the only difference being that there were no desks, notebooks, or pens to make any noise. Thus, the entire room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Everyone looked at each other, hoping to find some psychological comfort in the expressions of others.

In fact, the area of the booth was quite large, and their dining area was a considerable distance from the door. Under normal circumstances, they might not have heard someone knocking. However, because they had just finished discussing the mysterious and terrifying Li Tianming, everyone was feeling tense. Not only had they lowered their voices to whispers, but everyone's nerves were also on edge, allowing them to notice the sound at the door immediately.

'Could there be hidden cameras or recording devices in this room? If Li Tianming heard us talking behind his back, is he coming to find trouble with us?' More than one student had this thought. After all, what Ye Chen and Wang Chao had described was truly frightening; Li Tianming was a powerful figure of the Demonic Path with influence everywhere, and this Huanghe Hotel was his territory. It wasn't impossible that they had been targeted for talking about him here.

After three knocks, the wooden door was pushed open from the outside. Everyone gathered their courage to look and found that it was a waiter. They had all seen this waiter before; he was the one who had led them into the booth and introduced the small vegetables growing inside.

At this moment, the waiter was holding a bag with 'Huanghe Hotel' printed on it. As soon as he entered, he walked over to the partitioned vegetable garden. "Young Master Ye, I've come to pack the vegetables for you. Are there any of these you'd rather not have?" the waiter asked Ye Chen.

Only then did everyone realize that Li Tianming hadn't sent someone to deal with them for gossiping. Instead, it was the waiter Ye Chen had spoken to earlier, coming to pack the vegetables. It was just a false alarm. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and couldn't help but break into relaxed smiles as they picked up their chopsticks to eat.

"I don't have any preferences, but I don't know if they want any of these vegetables," Ye Chen said to the waiter holding the bag, glancing at his classmates.

"No need, no need. Brother Chen, don't mind us." "I don't like greens; I just like meat." "Yeah, Brother Chen, if you like them, just take them all back."

As soon as Ye Chen spoke, the classmates waved their hands to decline. Setting aside whether the vegetables were delicious or valuable, the fact that Ye Chen was footing the bill for the entire gathering made them feel embarrassed to compete with him for the natural green vegetables grown by the Huanghe Hotel.

Thus, the waiter's job became easier. He immediately bent down and began pulling up the vegetables from the garden. Chili peppers, spring onions, and Chinese cabbage—all sorts of vegetables were plucked indiscriminately and stuffed into the bag. Before long, the various vegetables growing in the decent-sized garden were all cleared out. It seemed his earlier words to Ye Chen weren't just polite talk; he really meant it.

Cai Miner, who had been sitting next to Ye Chen and feeling somewhat marginalized, perhaps wanting to assert her presence, asked the waiter with a curious expression, "How much would a full bag of vegetables like this cost if one were to buy them?"

Although Cai Miner seemed to be asking casually, some people present felt something was off. They couldn't help but glance back and forth between Cai Miner and Song Xiaoqin, wondering if the conflict between the two wasn't over yet.

The waiter looked up at Cai Miner and said politely, "Ma'am, these vegetables are grown by the Huanghe Hotel and are given free of charge to the distinguished guests in our private booths, which means all of you. They are not for sale, so I'm afraid their value cannot be measured in money."

The waiter's answer was flawless and included a timely bit of flattery, making everyone feel quite pleased. They thought to themselves that the Huanghe Hotel lived up to its reputation; even a common waiter was so mature in handling social nuances.

However, just as everyone thought the matter was settled, Cai Miner continued, "Even if you don't sell these vegetables outside, what if a guest in the main hall specifically asked for the vegetables from the private booths? What would the price be then? Don't say they're free, or I'll bring my friends here to eat your free vegetables whenever I'm free." Cai Miner gave what she thought was a playful smile after speaking.

Seeing Cai Miner being so persistent, many classmates already guessed what she was up to. They just couldn't understand—she was Ye Chen's girlfriend and had never met them before today, so why was she fixated on Song Xiaoqin, such an inconspicuous classmate?

"This..." The waiter was momentarily stunned by the question, as he had clearly never encountered a guest asking this before. However, his professional training allowed him to quickly and calmly reply, "You must be joking, ma'am. If a guest specifically requests dishes made with the natural green vegetables grown in the booths, we don't charge an extra fee. However, because they need to be picked and washed on the spot, the serving time will be much slower. As for the price, it remains the same as on the menu."

"The same? What is the price on the menu? For example, if I want a plate of stir-fried cabbage, how much should I pay? And what's the portion size?" Cai Miner pressed.

"A plate of stir-fried cabbage is 628 yuan. The portion is about one jin. Because the ingredients at Huanghe Hotel are the best of the best, our stir-fried cabbage only uses the most tender hearts. It takes about ten to twenty jin of cabbage to get one jin of hearts," the waiter introduced tirelessly.

"628," Cai Miner tapped her chin with her finger, appearing to think for a moment before saying calmly, "That price isn't expensive at all."

Many classmates were shocked to their cores by the price of 628 yuan. 628 for a plate of cabbage hearts was practically robbery! What shocked them even more was Cai Miner's nonchalant comment that 600-plus yuan wasn't expensive. Her calm demeanor made them unsure—for wealthy people, was that really a normal price for a vegetable dish? Since they didn't know much about Cai Miner, they weren't sure if she was just posing or if she really had that kind of wealth. So, for the time being, no one said anything. Instead, they saw Cai Miner looking unbothered, as if she had suddenly thought of something, her eyes lighting up as she looked toward Song Xiaoqin.

"By the way, I saw that your family also grows cabbage. How much is your cabbage per jin?" Cai Miner looked at Song Xiaoqin with an innocent, harmless expression that would make an outsider think they were good friends.

However, Song Xiaoqin didn't have her level of composure. Upon hearing this, he lowered his head, his face darkening.

Seeing this, the waiter immediately knew there was a conflict between Cai Miner and Song Xiaoqin, and they might even start a scene in the next second. He didn't want to get involved. Fortunately, he had already cleared out the vegetables in the room. He quickly picked up the bag and said to Ye Chen, "Young Master Ye, I'll have someone deliver these for you. Enjoy your meal. Just call me if you need anything." With that, he turned and left the booth.

"Hey, Xiaoqin, it is Xiaoqin, right?" Cai Miner asked in a sweet tone, acting as if she were on great terms with him. "Why aren't you answering? How much is your family's cabbage per jin?"

"Fifteen cents a jin," Song Xiaoqin said in a muffled voice, his head still lowered.

"Fifteen cents? How can it be so cheap?"

Hearing Song Xiaoqin's answer, Cai Miner immediately put on a look of immense surprise. Although her performance was a bit exaggerated, much of it was genuine shock.

Cai Miner indeed wanted to use the price of the vegetables in the Huanghe Hotel's booth to compare with the price of Song Xiaoqin's family's vegetables to embarrass him. Everyone knew that vegetables from Song Xiaoqin's fields couldn't compare in price to the natural green vegetables grown by the hotel. But when Song Xiaoqin actually stated the price, Cai Miner was still deeply shocked because she hadn't expected it to be that low.

The other classmates also couldn't believe the cabbage from Song Xiaoqin's family was that cheap. In their memory, ten-cent coins had long since left circulation, and the cheapest things started at one yuan. Cabbage at fifteen cents a jin—how was that different from giving it away for free?

Wang Chao also leaned in, very surprised, and asked, "Fifteen cents a jin? Can your family even make a profit at that price?"

Song Xiaoqin explained, "Don't worry, we still make a profit. That's just the price for cabbage because it has high water content, weighs a lot, and has a high yield. Even at the vegetable market, it only sells for fifty to eighty cents a jin at most. Seeing how surprised you all are, I can tell you've never been to a vegetable market." Song Xiaoqin only found it difficult to communicate with Cai Miner; in general, he was quite cheerful and talkative. He explained to his classmates with a simple, honest smile.

The other classmates were momentarily speechless because... Song Xiaoqin had hit the nail on the head. They really hadn't been to a vegetable market and didn't know cabbage was so cheap.

Wang Chao was happy to hear that. "As long as you're making a profit, that's good. What about other vegetables? What are their prices?"

Song Xiaoqin hadn't expected Wang Chao, a rich second-generation whose family owned a factory, to care so much about vegetable prices. Nevertheless, he honestly told him the prices of the other vegetables his family grew. Wang Chao was very pleased and immediately looked up a number on his phone. "Xiaoqin, take down this number. This is the kitchen procurement contact for my dad's factory. I'll talk to him when I get back and have him contact you. If all goes well, my family's cafeteria will buy vegetables from your fields long-term." Wang Chao showed the kitchen procurement number on his phone to Song Xiaoqin.

Song Xiaoqin was stunned for a moment. Once he realized what was happening, he recorded the number with a joyful expression, thanking him repeatedly. "Thank you so much, Brother Chao! You're the best! Brother Chao, I love you!"

The other classmates were also amused by Song Xiaoqin's "wild joy," but they were all happy for him. Wang Chao's family factory was quite large, with hundreds of workers. One could imagine how much food the cafeteria consumed daily. This meant that as long as Song Xiaoqin's family could supply the factory, they would never have to worry about sales again.

At that moment, Wang Chao continued, "The price you quoted is a bit too cheap. I'll talk to the kitchen procurement when I get back and try to raise the price for you. Otherwise, I'll feel like I'm taking advantage of your family instead of helping."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say, Brother Chao," Song Xiaoqin said, overjoyed.