Chapter 225: Boss, You’re Injured?
Chapter 225: Chapter 225: Boss, You’re Injured?
Two days passed in a flash. Shen Lu signed for the last truckload of ingredients from the Bai Family, and her heart felt as heavy as a stone.
’If I can’t find a local ingredient supplier willing to work with me today, I’ll have to go back to using ingredients from the mall.’
"Boss Shen." Shen Lu was about to head inside when someone called out to her.
Shen Lu turned around and saw that it was, surprisingly, Xue Can.
"Mr. Xue, what brings you here so early?" Shen Lu’s eyes lit up. "Don’t tell me you’ve found a supplier from the Upper City District who’s willing to work with me?"
As he got closer, Shen Lu suddenly caught a faint scent of blood and couldn’t help but frown. "Are you hurt?"
"Just a minor injury." Xue Can took the basket of vegetables from her hand. "Let’s talk inside."
The basket wasn’t heavy, but Shen Lu figured that as a Superpower User, his physical constitution was formidable, so she let him carry it.
The two of them entered the restaurant and handed the vegetables to the kitchen staff. Shen Lu poured Xue Can a cup of hot tea, and they sat down in a booth.
"I’ve already sorted out the supply issue. You’ll come with me this afternoon to sign the contract, and deliveries can start tomorrow." The moment Xue Can spoke, he addressed Shen Lu’s biggest concern.
"Is there really a boss in the Upper City District willing to supply me?" Shen Lu was incredibly curious. "I’ve approached a few, but they all said they only supply to middlemen in the Lower City District."
"He’s an old client of mine," Xue Can said without much explanation. "It’s just that his plantation and farm aren’t very large, so the quality of the ingredients might be inconsistent. Can you accept that?"
"That’s fine. I can accept that."
’It’s not like I’m in a position to be picky. I’m lucky to have any ingredients at all.’
Xue Can took a sip of hot tea, and his whole body seemed to relax. "I heard the Commerce Association has been giving you trouble recently?"
Even though he hadn’t been in the Lower City District for the past few days, he still had his sources.
"Yeah," Shen Lu nodded. "They told me to raise my prices. I didn’t agree, so I guess they think I don’t know what’s good for me and want to teach me a lesson."
"I know people in the Commerce Association. Do you want me to go have a word with them?"
"No, that’s alright. You’ve already helped me find an ingredient supplier. That’s more than enough."
Shen Lu didn’t want to owe Xue Can too many favors. If she could solve a problem herself, she preferred to do it on her own.
"Alright." Xue Can sounded a little disappointed. "You can come to me anytime if you need anything."
"Then I’ll talk to you this afternoon. I have to get back to work." Seeing that they had covered everything, Shen Lu didn’t linger. She had a lot to do this morning and couldn’t just sit here chatting.
"Alright."
Xue Can nodded and stood up with Shen Lu.
After leaving Little Deer Cuisine, Xue Can returned to his base.
There weren’t many people at the base today. Those who were training stopped and called out, "Boss!" when they saw him return.
Xue Can walked through the training area to the sofa in the office section. Little Bei was on the phone, and it didn’t sound like the conversation was going well.
"What do you mean, the boss isn’t thinking about the team? He just turned down one job, and now you’re calling him an irresponsible leader?"
"Come back or don’t, I don’t care! I’m marking you all down as absent either way. Don’t come crying to me later!"
Little Bei furiously hung up the phone. When he turned around, he saw Xue Can sitting on the sofa.
Realizing Xue Can must have heard everything he’d just said, Little Bei flopped down onto the sofa and started complaining, "It’s Liu Wei and Jiang Hua. They don’t want to come back for training, and they’re full of bullshit."
Xue Can, however, was quite calm. "Who else?"
Little Bei glanced at Xue Can and reeled off a few more names.
"Okay, I get it." Xue Can stood up. "Come with me for a second."
"Oh."
Confused, Little Bei followed Xue Can into a room. The moment the door closed, Xue Can started taking off his clothes.
"Ah? What? Boss, what-what are you doing? I’m not into men, don’t do this!" Little Bei nearly bolted for the door, but Xue Can shot a Fire Needle that embedded itself in the door panel. His voice was low and heavy. "Get your mind out of the gutter and come help me with my wound."
It finally dawned on Little Bei. "Your wound? Boss, you’re injured?"
Once Xue Can took off his shirt, the smell of blood instantly filled the air.
On the man’s lean back was a foot-long gash. Judging by its shape, it looked like he had been clawed by something.
"Boss, where did you get this?" Little Bei began treating the wound with practiced ease. As long as an injury wasn’t too severe, they, as mercenaries, would usually handle it themselves.
Xue Can didn’t say a word, so Little Bei didn’t press the matter.
Treating the wound was just a matter of disinfecting it and applying medicine. Little Bei suggested that Xue Can go to a clinic for a couple of stitches. The gash on his back was too long and a bit deep; stitches would help it heal faster.
"No need." Xue Can waited for Little Bei to tie the gauze bandage before slowly and deliberately putting his shirt back on. "It’ll heal on its own in a few days."
Since Xue Can was unwilling, Little Bei didn’t insist. They weren’t children; there was no point in nagging.
「At two in the afternoon.」
Shen Lu sent a message saying she was done with her work and ready to go.
Xue Can replied with an "Okay" and set a meeting place.
The two of them passed through the checkpoint and hailed a car.
The car drove south until it reached an area filled with greenhouses and livestock sheds.
After getting out, Xue Can led Shen Lu into a sheet-metal building—or, to be more precise, a livestock shed. Inside were cows, chickens, ducks, and geese.
A man in high-top boots was squatting by a straw nest, muttering something under his breath.
"Zhao Qian," Xue Can called out. The man turned his head, gave Shen Lu a quick once-over, and then reluctantly set down the rooster he was holding.
"So she’s the one signing the contract, right?"
"Yes," Xue Can nodded.
The man brushed the bits of straw off his hands. "Alright, let’s go to my office."
From the moment Shen Lu stepped inside, she felt something was a little strange about this place.
Once they entered the office, she finally understood what was so strange.
Besides Zhao Qian, there were no other employees here.
’Maybe they’re all in the greenhouses, and that’s why I can’t see them.’
And the office itself looked more like a laboratory. All sorts of experimental equipment were piled on the desk, and an unidentifiable smell hung in the air.
Zhao Qian took a pre-printed contract from a drawer and handed it to Shen Lu. "Take a look. If there are no problems, you can sign it."
Shen Lu took it. The terms of the contract were simple, and she finished reading it quickly.
Shen Lu had no issue with the price; it was the same as what others paid. However, Zhao Qian would only provide a sufficient quantity of ingredients each day, with no guarantee of variety or quality.
For example, the contract stipulated 800 jin of vegetables, and Zhao Qian was only responsible for meeting that weight. The specific types of vegetables, however, were not restricted.
Shen Lu was fine with the vegetables and fruits. They were side dishes anyway, so changing them daily wasn’t a problem. But the chicken and fish needed to be consistent; the main courses couldn’t be changed randomly.
Zhao Qian found two pens. "Here. Sign it."
"Could I just confirm this clause?" Shen Lu asked politely.
Zhao Qian glanced at where she was pointing. "What’s the problem?"
"Regarding the meat ingredients, it would be best if they weren’t substituted. Is that possible?"
"You just want chicken, pork, and grass carp, don’t you?"
"Yes."
"Then it’s no problem. Those three are the most common; they’re easy to get. If you wanted something else, I couldn’t necessarily guarantee it."
Hearing this, Shen Lu felt relieved and signed the contract without hesitation.