dkrc Chapter 2010 The First Zhao Family Gang Gathering
Chapter 2010 The First Zhao Family Gang Gathering
Chapter 2010 The First Zhao Family Gang Gathering
Zhao Youcai's cooking skills are truly amazing. The ingredients for today's lunch are not as good as the ones Zhao Jun used to serve at the Qianlong Hotel last night.
But the food and drinks that Zhao Youcai had prepared tasted even better than the ones from last night, and the guests enjoyed themselves immensely, which was obvious at a glance.
The chefs at the Qianlong Grand Hotel were all renowned, and Zhao Youcai was no exception. Back in 65, Yong'an Forestry Farm had put in a great deal of effort to get him to learn cooking at the provincial guesthouse.
Zhao Youcai lives in the forest area and knows all kinds of mountain delicacies and wild foods. He has his own way of controlling the cooking time and seasoning of ingredients and knows best how to bring out the original freshness of the ingredients.
Upstairs and downstairs, whether guests or family members, everyone ate comfortably and to their heart's content.
Zhao Jun glanced at the time and saw it was five minutes to one o'clock in the afternoon, so he invited the guests to rest at the guesthouse.
The guests readily agreed, and just after Zhao Jun came downstairs, Qu Xiaohong came over and said to him, "Sir, we still have a few tables to serve."
"It's alright, my mom and the others will be here in a bit," Zhao Jun said, then asked Qu Xiaohong, "Are there any of our people in the kitchen?"
"Ah, you mean Chef Zhao..." Qu Xiaohong had only spoken halfway when Chef Lin Dongxu came out from behind. Qu Xiaohong quickly asked him, "Chef Lin, where is Chef Zhao?"
"They'll eat noodles in the back." Upon hearing Lin Dongxu's words, Zhao Jun's expression changed.
The son leads his men out to enjoy a life of luxury, while the father, who has worked all morning, hides in the kitchen eating noodles. This story could be published in magazines like "Reader" or "Zhiyin".
Zhao Jun pointed at Lin Dongxu and asked, "Is he here in the back?"
After receiving a response from Lin Dongxu, Zhao Jun quickly walked towards the kitchen.
"Who is this?" Lin Dongxu asked Qu Xiaohong in a low voice after glancing at Zhao Jun's back.
“This should be Master Zhao’s son…” Qu Xiaohong was interrupted by Lin Dongxu before she could finish her sentence: “But they don’t look alike.”
Zhao Jun walked into the kitchen, shutting out the gossip of the two outside, and a wave of heat instantly enveloped him. The heat outside was already quite intense, but it paled in comparison to the heat in the kitchen.
The fumes, carried by the heat, rushed into Zhao Jun's nostrils. He walked in with his head down and noticed a small door open on the side, where a familiar figure was sitting.
That was Zhao Youcai, who was holding two large bowls and shoveling eggplant and pork belly sauce into his mouth.
He eats the sauce like this not because the sauce is free, but because the sauce doesn't stick to the noodles, so in the end all that's left in the bowl is some soup and sauce.
Zhao Youcai had experienced poverty before, and he couldn't bear to throw it away, so he scooped the gravy out of the soup and ate it.
Zhao Youcai noticed the person coming from behind, but assuming it was someone from the kitchen, he didn't pay any attention and continued to move.
"Dad!" Zhao Youcai was startled when Zhao Jun called him, then turned around and asked, "Son, have you all finished eating?"
"I'm done eating, Dad," Zhao Jun replied, then stepped forward and asked Zhao Youcai, "Why are you eating this? Uncle Peng's table isn't even full, why don't you go over and eat there?"
"Oh dear," Zhao Youcai sighed softly, "I'm not happy to eat it now that it's finished. They're eating the communal meals, but these cold noodles look pretty good, all chilled."
Hearing Zhao Youcai's words, Zhao Jun also realized that it was normal to have no appetite after working in the kitchen all morning on such a hot day.
As a son, Zhao Jun couldn't help but feel sorry for Zhao Youcai, and immediately said to him, "Dad, why don't you go to the guesthouse with him and rest?"
"I'm not going!" Zhao Youcai refused without hesitation. "Your mother and the others haven't eaten yet."
“They don’t need you to do it.” Zhao Jun reached out and supported Zhao Youcai’s arm, saying, “Aren’t there still people in the kitchen?”
Hearing Zhao Jun say this, Zhao Youcai got up with Zhao Jun's help, and the father and son walked out of the kitchen, got into the car and headed straight for the guesthouse.
After leaving the restaurant, the car sped to the guesthouse.
Zhao Youcai and Zhao Weipeng went in and scanned their faces, and Xu Guoqiang, the director of the guesthouse, warmly greeted them.
After dropping Zhao Youcai off at the hotel, Wang Meilan and her group stopped at the guesthouse on their way into the city in the morning. They left behind new sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases, pillow covers, and slippers, asking Xu Guoqiang to arrange for the staff to change them.
When the guests entered the room, they found that the guesthouse was really not good; it didn't even have a TV, and it couldn't compare to the Changbai Mountain Hotel at all.
However, the room was very clean, the bedding had been changed, and there were new slippers, so the guests were still able to accept it.
The guesthouse has twelve double rooms with tables on the third floor, and six double rooms and six triple rooms on the second floor.
The rooms on the second and third floors are reserved for guests, while the four eight-person dormitory rooms downstairs are for Zhao Jun and his group to stay in, which ensures greater safety.
As for the eighty-odd people from Xishantun, Zhao Weipeng led them to the next guesthouse. Zhao Jun and his group, on the other hand, drove back, since many people in the branch compound hadn't eaten yet.
When Zhao Jiabang's convoy returned to the branch compound, Zhang Yuanmin, who was standing guard under the eaves, rushed into the house to report to Wang Meilan.
Upon learning that Zhao Jun and the others had returned, Wang Meilan hurriedly invited everyone in the house to eat together. They had left home early in the morning and were all hungry by now.
Zhao Jun and his team drove to the front of the house. When they saw Wang Meilan come out, Zhao Jun said to her, "Mom, get in Xiao Chen's car and go eat. I've made all the arrangements at the restaurant, so you can just come in and eat right away."
"Where's your dad?" As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Wang Meilan opened her mouth but asked Zhao Youcai first.
This is what family is all about. Although we sometimes bicker, we genuinely care for and love each other.
"I took him to the guesthouse." Zhao Jun helped Wang Meilan into the car and said, "My dad is exhausted today."
Upon hearing this, Wang Meilan pursed her lips and said nothing.
Someone still needs to stay and watch over the compound, so although all the vehicles have returned, only that large Jiefang truck is still usable.
Jie Chen drove the car, Wang Meilan and Jin Xiaomei sat in the passenger seat, Wang Qiang, Li Dazhi and others got into the trunk, leaving Zhao Jun, Lin Xiangshun, Li Baoyu, Zhao Jinhui and Li Ruhai to guard the valuables and watch over the prisoners.
Half an hour later, Zhao Weipeng returned in a large Jiefang truck he had borrowed from the forest farm.
"Uncle Peng, have you made arrangements for all the villagers in Xishantun?" Zhao Jun asked. Zhao Weipeng nodded and said, "Yes, I was asking around as I drove. It's been about ten minutes. I found a large guesthouse that can accommodate about a hundred people, and I've arranged for them all there."
Unlike arranging for guests, which requires booking the entire venue, arranging for people from Xishantun only requires them to have a place to stay.
"Oh dear!" Zhao Jun sighed heavily and sat back down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
These past few days of running around have really worn him out.
But Zhao Jun didn't say he was tired. He only said to Zhao Weipeng, "Uncle Peng, you've worked hard these past two days. You've been working so hard with us and haven't been able to rest."
"Hey?" Zhao Weipeng waved his chubby hand and said, "Why are you saying that when we're family?"
As he spoke, Zhao Weipeng looked down and tugged at the elastic band on his waistband, saying, "It's fine to tinker with it a bit; I've felt my waistband is loose these past two days."
Upon hearing his words, Zhao Jun and the others all showed faint smiles.
As soon as Zhao Weipeng finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. He turned to Zhao Jinhui and said, "Son, you've been with your brother Jun since the 11th, and today is the 15th. After all this traveling, how come you haven't lost any weight?"
Upon hearing his father's words, Zhao Jinhui's smile vanished instantly, and he lowered his head, speechless.
"Haha..." Zhao Jinhui remained silent, but Li Baoyu laughed and pointed at him, saying to Zhao Weipeng, "Uncle, he got a little tired, but you've already made up for it!"
Hearing Li Baoyu's words, Zhao Jinhui slapped his hand away, rubbed his chubby face, and glared at Li Baoyu.
"Why did you hit me? Did I misunderstand you?" Li Baoyu laughed. "Yesterday, when you were making that stewed ground sparrow, you ate three bowls of rice soaked in the soup."
"Braised ground worm?" Upon hearing the word "food," Zhao Weipeng completely forgot about his chubby son's weight loss.
“Uncle Peng, when the opportunity arises,” Zhao Jun said to Zhao Weipeng, “let’s go to Lake Boluo and hunt birds for a few days.”
"Hmm!" Hearing Zhao Jun say that, Zhao Jinhui no longer cared about being angry with Li Baoyu and directly interjected, "That oil can smelled pretty good the other day too."
“We have oil cans back home,” Lin Xiangshun said. “We’ll go get some when autumn comes. Those are when the oil cans are at their fattest. You put them on the fire and they sizzle and ooze oil, they smell amazing!”
Upon hearing Lin Xiangshun's description, Zhao Weipeng and Zhao Jinhui subconsciously pursed their lips.
"Brother Jun." But the next second, Zhao Jinhui looked at Zhao Jun and said, "I still want to eat red-crowned cranes..."
"Come on, that thing is a waterfowl, its meat is fishy and doesn't taste good." Although Zhao Jun said this, he actually just didn't want to hunt the red-crowned crane.
Although the red-crowned crane was only listed as a protected animal in December of this year, and the protection will not be implemented until the beginning of next year, the girl who was a red-crowned crane died last year.
People were protecting the red-crowned cranes and sacrificing their young lives; Zhao Jun felt guilty that he was leading people to hunt them.
"Why bother with red-crowned cranes?" Lin Xiangshun said, "Let's wait until late evening at Linshu, then plant two No. 16 trees and fill them with sand. After that, we'll take two dogs up the mountain and hunt wild ducks. The whole mountain will be full of them then, and the stewed meat will be the most delicious."
“Yes, that’s right!” Zhao Jun chimed in, “We still have my brother Zhang’s oven at home, we can hang it up and roast it when the time comes.”
“I know how to do that!” Zhao Jun said, and Zhao Weipeng immediately responded, “Xiao Jun, tell Shunzi about that big, fat wild duck. If you roast it, it will be so fragrant! The skin will be as oily as if it were juicy. Cut it up with the meat and roll it in a small pancake.”
As he finished speaking, Zhao Weipeng clapped his hands, his mind filled with the image of the fragrant and flavorful roast duck.
These people don't have any big ambitions; they just chat and eat for half an hour.
At 2:10, Xie Chen brought Wang Meilan and the others back.
Wang Meilan and the others went inside, while Zhao Jun and the others got up and went outside. Once outside, Zhao Jun and the others drove around, picked up the people from Xishan Village, and then went to pick up the guests attending the conference.
After the convoy left, Wang Meilan called on everyone to start setting up the venue.
This arrangement wasn't just about tables and chairs; it was about displaying the Zhao family's treasures.
Wang Meilan bought back two of the row of counters that had been removed by the acquisition station.
The two counters were set up in the venue. At this moment, Li Ruhai dragged in a burlap sack and took out a series of small rectangular baskets made of straw from the sack.
Small baskets were placed one by one on the counter. Zhou Jianjun, who had also brought in a burlap sack, grabbed handfuls of moss from the sack and put them in the small baskets.
Wang Qiang, Li Dazhi, Zhang Yuanmin, Liang Xuemei, Jin Xiaomei, Liu Mei, and Li Tongyun carried one after another the stick-shaped buns into the meeting place. They carefully opened them, picked out the sticks from the bottom of the buns, and placed them on the moss in the small baskets.
The Zhao family has made a fortune in the past two months, and the wild ginseng they've stocked up on can't be contained in the twelve small baskets on two counters.
So, some small baskets contained two ginseng seedlings, separated by moss.
And this is only because the Zhao family only showed off their best products. The rest of the Sanpin leaves were only used for making soup or soaking in alcohol.
Even among the four-leaf varieties, only one seedling of exceptional quality stood out. The rest were bought by Wang Meilan at market price, who said they were to be kept for Ma Ling to help her recover after childbirth.
After opening up the small buns, only three large ones remained.
At this moment, Zhou Jianjun and Li Ruhai carried in a stack of pine planks covered with red cloth on both sides. The pine planks had holes in them, which were made when the photos were taken earlier.
Zhou Jianjun and Li Ruhai separated the three pine planks, and Zhang Yuanmin identified which one was for displaying the Three Talents Ginseng King.
Then, Zhang Yuanmin personally opened the box containing the Three Talents Ginseng King, revealed the ginseng king, and had Jin Xiaomei and Liu Mei thread a needle to fix the Three Talents Ginseng King to the pine board.
The older a wild ginseng is, the fewer messy rootlets it has. These three ginseng kings have no rootlets at all, and these rootlets are tough and elastic; as long as you are careful, there is no possibility of breaking them.
After the Three Talents Ginseng King was secured, Zhou Jianjun and Li Ruhai lifted it up and hung it on the west wall.
It wasn't hung very high; a person who is about 1.6 meters tall standing in front of the wall would have their line of sight level with the ginseng root head.
At this moment, Wang Meilan took out three pieces of paper from her pocket. After distinguishing them, Wang Meilan took out one, applied the paste she had prepared in advance, and stuck it to the left side of the Three Talents Ginseng King.
The paper lists the weight of the Three-Talent Ginseng King, the length of its rhizome, stem, and body, as well as the lengths of its various tendrils.
The same method was used to hang the subsequent Three Seedling Ginseng Kings, the Sea Ginseng King and the Phoenix Ginseng King. After hanging all three ginseng kings on the west wall, Zhang Yuanmin stood on a stool and hammered two nails into the west wall, one on each side. Then he strung wires and hung large red cloths, like drawing curtains, to cover the Three Seedling Ginseng Kings.
After getting off the stool, Zhang Yuanmin smiled at Wang Meilan and said, "Auntie, can I watch over the ginseng king here for a while?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Meilan looked up at Zhang Yuanmin, paused for about two seconds, and then said, "Yuanmin, you, your Aunt Li, and Xiaoya and Xiaoyun go and watch the counter. After you finish this section, put Baoyu and Jinhui on the left and right sides respectively."
Although the Zhao family's Ginseng King Conference also awarded to the highest bidder, it did not adopt the same open and covert bidding method as the Fusong Ginseng King Conference. Instead, it used an ancient tactic in the industry—"hiding the money in one's sleeve."
The Zhao family gang also stopped showing off their ginseng seedlings one by one, because Zhao Jun had seen at the last Ginseng King Conference that there were large quantities of ginseng at the back, so the ones at the front wouldn't fetch a good price.
The Zhao family gang has spent a lot of money on food and lodging these past few days, and they're counting on these ginseng roots to make money.
Therefore, Zhao Jun decided to display all the ginseng first, so that the guests could see it all before discussing the price.
None of the ginseng seedlings displayed by the Zhao family were from the Kelala variety. Therefore, someone had to watch over them, telling people to handle the ginseng gently when they took it from the small baskets on the counter. As for the three ginseng kings on the wall, no one was allowed to touch them.
As for whether someone might harbor malicious intentions and deliberately sabotage the Zhao family's ginseng shipment, Zhao Jun was quite confident. Moreover, the reason he arranged for those men and guns was not only to deter bandits and highwaymen, but also to intimidate these guests.
Just as Zhao Jun promised, all guests are welcome, and the Zhao family gang will definitely treat them well.
But if anyone harbors ill intentions, whether it's out of envy for the Zhao family's abundance of high-quality ginseng or out of greed for their profits, they'll have to consider whether they can outmaneuver the eighty strong men of Xishan Village.
At 2:25 PM, jeeps and Santanas drove into the compound. Two Liberation trucks, one parked across the entrance and the other drove into the backyard, blocking the meeting place from the supply and marketing cooperative.
The guests got out of their cars and entered the venue. The residents of Xishantun got out of their cars and sat down to rest in the shady places in the front and back yards, away from the venue.
Wang Qiang and Li Dazhi stood guard in front of the house, while Zhao Weipeng and Lin Xiangshun stood guard behind the house to prevent anyone from approaching.
Jie Zhong and Jie Chen unloaded the melon seeds and boxes of chilled soda they had bought from the supply and marketing cooperative in front of them, to quench the thirst and help the people of Xishantun pass the time.
Inside the venue, tables and coffee tables were also set with sunflower seeds, candy, cigarettes, and soft drinks.
In addition, there were cantaloupes cut into long strips and strawberries about the size of grapes.
At this moment, the guests forgot about eating and drinking. They crowded in front of the two counters, passing around wild ginseng such as Snake Dragon.
After inspecting the area around the house, Zhao Jun walked to the entrance of the meeting room.
At this moment, Wang Meilan came out of the house and exchanged a glance with Zhao Jun.
Zhao Jun nodded to Wang Meilan and strode into the meeting room. Wang Meilan glanced at Zhao Jun's retreating figure, then looked back towards the Yong'an Forest Area, silently thinking, "Dad, look at us now, our family is back on its feet!"
I'll continue writing now and add an extra chapter tomorrow. The Ginseng King Conference will be over by the day after tomorrow at the latest.
Next comes the transaction, haggling and such, nothing much else.