Chapter 429: Chapter 429: Baldy Conan
Xiang Kun and Old Xia stood by the window, talking softly.
They initially discussed Zhou Rui, Mijoe, and other members of the âDivine Technologyâ secret department, as well as the two associated ants, No. 001 and No. 002. However, Xiang Kun suddenly changed the subject and started talking about what they ate at noon.
Xia Libing glanced up at him without saying anything, realizing that someone was probably going to arrive.
Indeed, the next second, the box room door was pushed open, with You Meng personally bringing in a plate of cut fruit.
âHow was the taste of the dishes today? Was the mushroom soup too bland perhaps?â After placing the fruits on the table, You Meng glanced at the leftover dishes and asked, âYou two donât eat much, did it not suit your palate?â
âNot at all. Everything was delicious. We had a late breakfast, so we couldnât eat much. The new mushroom soup was excellent too, right, Old Xia?â
Next to him, holding a soup bowl, Xia Libing nodded, âYes, it was tasty.â
Actually, Xia Libing had eaten all the food for lunch alone, while Xiang Kun only dabbed his bowl and chopsticks with some soup to make it seem like they had been used. You Meng, assuming both of them had eaten, including Xiang Kun, who seemed like a big eater, naturally found the leftovers a bit scarce.
âHave you finished all the work in the kitchen?â Xiang Kun asked.
âYes, there are only three tables of customers left. No new customers will probably arrive around this hour.â You Meng, clearly in a good mood, spoke cheerfully, âI didnât expect our promotional video and inviting internet influencers to the restaurant would work this well. I thought business would be slack for at least one or two months, but within a few days, we already had a full house. Awesome, Kun!â
Xiang Kun smiled and said, âInitially, it was your local friends who patronized the restaurant. Having tasted the excellent dishes, they must have spread the word.â
Xiang Kun knew that the reason for this explosive promotional effect was mainly because the food was great and the âEmotion Infusedâ cat woodcarving fascinated the first few customers.
For most people, whether itâs watching a fantastic movie, TV show, comic, or novel, eating delicious food or drinking an amazing beverage, if it exceeds their expectations, they will feel compelled to recommend it to others. They wish that others too could enjoy the experience, and then they could discuss it together.
Modern people have WeChat, QQ, and Weibo, everyone is a moving self-media. Compared to mass media, personal recommendation has a stronger influence on the people they know.
In the first few days, the customers who came were all referred by friends. After being amazed by the taste, they further recommended it to more people, which quickly led to a rapid and explosive spread of word.
You Meng laughed. âNot all those friends came because of me. Deputy Director Liu, Brother Chu, Boss Liu, and all the people Boss Qi brought with him were clearly here because of you.â
âAs long as the business goes well, thatâs all that matters. You must be short-staffed now, right?â Xiang Kun said.
âYes, we are starting to hire people. If you were willing, you could open a restaurant yourself. The taste of those dishes is your creation, and you developed the cooking process as well⊠but unfortunately you have other more important tasks to attend toâŠâ You Meng shook his head and sighed.
Xiang Kun laughed. âThis was pure theory on my part. You are the professional. Without you, the restaurant wouldnât have opened so easily. If it were solely up to me, it would have taken me months of trial and error to understand everything and get it off the ground. By the way, what do you think about setting up branches?â
Although this restaurant has only reopened for a week, considering the anticipation, thinking of opening branches isnât really a rash idea.
âBoss Qi and Brother Chu have both discussed this with me. In terms of funding, connections, and channels, Boss Qi has influence across the province, particularly in the provincial capital. If we plan to expand there in the future, Boss Qi should be able to help a lot. However, if weâre focusing on Jianzhou City and the surrounding areas, Brother Chuâs influence isnât half bad either. He has connections in many commercial properties, which I trust.â You Meng said.
âActually, you could negotiate together. Co-operating together, once our restaurant brand becomes famous, we may not limit ourselves to just rabbit meat,â said Xiang Kun. âRegarding this matter, you have complete autonomy to make a decision. No matter who you choose to partner with, and how, I will support it. The âYoulong Restaurantâ brand is yours.â
âDonât say that. Iâm well aware, without your operation and help, I wouldnât have been able to keep this restaurant running,â You Meng hastily shook his head.
âLetâs just say Iâm a blind cat who caught a dead rat. I just got lucky, hahaâŠyou can think of it as me being lazy.â
After some casual chat, Xiang Kun was ready to leave the restaurant with Old Xia, returning to Chongyun Village. They had a series of experiments to conduct.
âAre you coming back tonight?â You Meng asked.
âWe wonât come tonight. But weâll be back tomorrow,â Xiang Kun replied.
âOh right, Zi Cheng asked me to find a house for him, he also wants to live here for a while,â You Meng remembered something and added.
Some time ago, Zi Cheng came to Tongshi Town for a gaming discussion, but he didnât go to Peng City with Zhang Qian. Even when Tang Baona and Yang Zhen Er left, he refused to go, ostensibly because of his âtrust in Director Zhang, Boss Tang, and Boss Yang!â and decided to stay behind and enjoy himself.
Xiang Kun laughed, âSo heâs planning to settle down here permanently? Seems Miss Chuâs charm is quite strong. Zi Cheng is head over heels in love, doesnât he plan on sticking around in Tongshi Town forever?â
Zi Chengâs lingering in Tongshi Town had nothing to do with his old classmate and brother, Xiang Kun, or the beautiful scenery. He was infatuated with Chu Xiuwenâs niece.
Even though Zi Cheng had been quite fond of Yang Jie and showed it, she was not very interested in him, so no sparks were ignited between them.
This time in Tongshi Town, on the day when âYoulong Restaurantâ opened, Chu Xiuwen brought several family members to show support. Among them was his niece, Chu Xiaoting, who just returned from studying in America. Because of their shared overseas background, the two had a great chat.
Even though nothing had been made official yet, judging from Zi Chengâs recent behavior, he was clearly infatuated. Thus, matters like the company, gaming, his career, and even brotherhood were put on hold.
You Meng also laughed, âI think they make a great pair, and it seems like Brother Chu and Xiaotingâs family are not opposed to it.â
Then he remembered something else and said to Xiang Kun, âBut if Zi Cheng gets along with Xiaoting, donât you think you should also seize the day and make it official?â While speaking, he couldnât help casting glances at Old Xia.
Xiang Kun, of course, understood his intention, but all he could do was divert the conversation, âThey havenât even confirmed their relationship yet, letâs not think about their marriage. Ah, it looks like itâs about to rain heavily again, we should leave.â
You Meng saw them off to the entrance, then turned his attention to the TV news in the restaurant, âHave you seen the news today? Did you hear two criminals escaped from Wushu Mountain Prison, injuring two prison guards? The authorities are searching everywhere. Thereâs a reward of one hundred thousand for any clues.â
Xiang Kun laughed, âAre you thinking of playing the Good Samaritan? But for prisoners who escaped from Wushu Mountain Prison, itâs unlikely theyâll head this way, so Iâm afraid you wonât earn that moneyâŠâ
âHow could I possibly play the Good Samaritan? I wish I could sleep in the restaurant these days. I was telling you about catching criminals. Miss Yang and Miss Tang mentioned youâve done this before. You caught a knifed fugitive on the street and received a twenty thousand reward from the police station! Later, you took down human traffickers and got a two hundred thousand reward! Miss Yang refers to you as the âBald-headed Conanâ and âBounty hunter number 47â, wherever you go, something happens⊠And indeed, the time you guys came to visit, my wife and I picked you up and the car got hit by Liu Feibao and Boss Qi, very nearly causing a big conflict. Then, when we tried to visit Wushu Mountain, there was a tourist falling accidentâŠso really, anything could happen. What if the escaped prisoners flee to Chongyun Village? You need to be carefulâŠâ You Meng started off jokingly, but stopped as he realized his ramblings were making a lot of sense.
Xiang Kun forced a smile, âThe way you put itâŠitâs as if I am a jinx.â
âWell, you wouldnât be a jinx, since no matter what incident occurs, you always solve it. So, maybe youâre more of aâŠtrouble busterâŠâ said You Meng, unable to hold back his laughter.
âAlright, if those two escapees really come to Chongyun Village, whether I encounter them or not, Iâll have to change my name to Xiang Kexing (trouble buster in Chinese)!â joked Xiang Kun.
He didnât believe the possibility of a successful prison break nowadays. There are surveillance cameras everywhere and everyone has a mobile phone. Where could they run? He even suspected that those two fugitives were caught by the local authorities while they were still chatting. Geographically, itâs much more likely for those two prisoners to go north, east, or south than to Tongshi Town or Chongyun Village.
Exiting âYoulong Restaurantâ, Xiang Kun and Old Xia walked to the parking lot, where they got into a second-hand Great Wall pickup truck.
As they would be staying in Chongyun Village permanently, it was a necessity to have a car to commute to the town. Initially, Old Xia wanted to buy a new Prado, but Xiang Kun opted for a very cheap second-hand car.
Not that he was tight-fisted â while he didnât have much money left, the main reason was to test some theories regarding the âSuper Sensory Item Systemâ which involved modifications or part replacements.
Using a cheap car for the experiment would not cause any heartache.
After purchasing the car, Xiang Kun had it taken into a garage familiar to You Meng for lots of modifications, from engine oil and air filters to tires and air conditioning compressors, and even some rubber pads, parts, and seat cushions were replaced. He spent a lot, leaving the mechanics wondering why he was changing so many things in such an old car.
Meanwhile, Xiang Kun managed to establish âsuper sensory contactâ with four tires, several rubber pads, screws, and sheet metal during the process.
For now, driving this car, Xiang couldnât reach professional racing driver level. However, through the four tires he had a connection with, he could better detect the road conditions and through various parts throughout the car, monitor the carâs operation.
While these things could be done to a certain extent with his own superior sensory abilities, he believed that as he established more âsuper sensory contactâ parts on the car, corresponding application abilities would definitely develop significantly. He could even remotely âdriveâ the car without being in it.