Volume 1, Chapter 3: The First Pot of Gold Comes Easily

“Brother Yang, you need to return this carriage early this afternoon. By the way, did you really sleep with Huang Zhiqing yesterday?”

“Get lost, you bastard!”

Chen Yang kicked Li Cheng off the driver’s seat of the carriage and carefully placed the basket of mushrooms he had gathered that morning onto the cart—these were all money in his hands.

With a flick of the whip, more commanding than a queen’s royal gesture, he urged the horse forward, racing toward the county town.

In truth, the county wasn’t far from the village, about thirty to forty kilometers.

Driving the carriage, it would take roughly two hours to get there, even at the slower pace Chen Yang maintained to prevent the mushrooms from getting damaged.

Around ten o’clock, he arrived directly at the doorstep of the state-run restaurant in the county, tying the horse to a nearby utility pole—a relatively safe spot at this hour, as theft was a serious crime.

He carried the basket covered tightly with cloth inside the restaurant.

Since it wasn’t mealtime yet, there were only a few people inside.

The waitstaff all carried themselves with an air of arrogance, after all, they were official state employees with considerable clout.

Glancing at the menu board, Chen Yang couldn’t help but grimace silently.

A single meal here could cost a laborer their entire monthly wage.

With no spare change in his pocket, he decided to keep a low profile.

He ordered only one serving of the “forest stir-fry” and a bowl of rice.

The so-called forest stir-fry was just sautéed mushrooms, and quite ordinary ones at that.

One portion cost three yuan, while braised pork ribs were only two yuan and twenty cents.

Having been scolded by his father that morning, barely having eaten any porridge, Chen Yang devoured the rice bowl ravenously.

After a satisfying burp, he called the waitress over. “Send your manager here. There’s a problem with this dish.”

The waitress shot him a glare, but although he was dressed plainly, there was an unmistakable extraordinary aura about him.

So she refrained from snapping back and called the manager as Chen Yang requested.

“Hello, I’m Liu Guolin, the manager here. May I ask what issue you have, young man?”

In these days, anyone who could become a manager at a state-run restaurant was a skilled diplomat, polite and smooth-spoken, putting others at ease.

“Manager Liu, the forest stir-fry here isn’t right.”

Liu Guolin looked at the now-empty plate of forest stir-fry and raised an eyebrow.

“What exactly is wrong with it?”

Suppressing his annoyance, he asked again.

“The mushrooms were too old, the worst kind you’d find in the mountains. As a commoner, it doesn’t matter to me, but if the officials eat this dish, they’d inevitably doubt your supply chain. Manager Liu, you might not be able to avoid responsibility if that happens.”

A plate costing three yuan was hardly affordable for ordinary folk.

Moreover, this dish was a favorite among the officials. Upon hearing Chen Yang’s words, sweat appeared on Liu Guolin’s forehead.

He had never considered such a problem before. Damn it, Wang Fatty’s brother-in-law was passing off inferior goods!

Luckily, this young man pointed it out; otherwise, a serious issue might have arisen.

No, this supplier had to be replaced, or his own position would be at risk.

He quickly pulled out a pack of Red Mountain tea cigarettes from his pocket, handed one to Chen Yang, and lit it for him.

“You’re right, young man. Do you have any good suggestions?”

Chen Yang took a deep drag, then stylishly flicked the ash from his cigarette.

That simple ash-flicking gesture alone was something Liu Guolin could spend half a month trying to imitate, making him even more convinced that this half-grown boy was no ordinary person.

“I have no specific recommendation, but I do have far better goods. Manager Liu, take a look at these samples.”

Chen Yang bent down and uncovered the basket at his feet.

Wow!

The mushrooms gleamed with a glossy sheen, each roughly the same size and meticulously cleaned.

Even ignoring everything else, the first impression alone was flawless.

“Monkey head mushrooms, hazel mushrooms, holy hell, golden mushrooms, and even bamboo fungus? Young man, this is impressive!”

Liu Guolin knew quality when he saw it and was genuinely stunned by Chen Yang’s basket.

Lately, the higher-ups demanded increased revenue, leaving Liu Guolin overwhelmed.

He had tried countless novel dishes but to no avail.

If the restaurant had such top-quality ingredients, the county officials would flock here, boosting revenue.

This kid wasn’t a freeloader at all—he was the restaurant’s savior!

The pack of Red Mountain tea he had pocketed was immediately pulled out and pressed into Chen Yang’s hand with a flattering smile.

“What’s your name, young man?”

“Chen Yang.”

“Brother Chen, do you really have this kind of supply? If so, I’ll take it all, and the price will be absolutely fair.”

Seeing Liu Guolin grasp his hand like a son greeting his father, Chen Yang knew the first step was a success.

But with thirty more years of experience than most, Liu Guolin remained calm and unshaken.

“My family is from Daqingshan Town, nestled in the mountains. Supplying eight to ten hundred jin of prime mushrooms daily is no problem. The question is, Manager Liu, can you handle that much?”

“Absolutely, absolutely. Bring as much as you can, I’ll take it all.”

Never mind a hundred or eighty jin, he could handle any amount.

Liu Guolin sensed this dish would be a huge hit.

If all went well, restaurants in the city would come to source from him, so quantity was no issue.

“Done. Let’s settle on this: you deliver around this time each morning. Brother Liu, how much do I owe you for today’s meal?”

“Brother Chen, don’t talk like that. Eating here with me and paying? That would be an insult! But look at these mushrooms.”

Liu Guolin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at the basket.

If he could keep these, tonight’s state-run restaurant would have a big selling point.

This dish was guaranteed to be an instant hit, drawing all the county’s officials in to drink.

“They’re a gift, Brother Liu—a token of friendship.”

“Hahaha, I can’t let you lose out, brother. Xiao Hao, come over and weigh these mushrooms; give him the highest price.”

Liu Guolin was overjoyed at the prospect of keeping these mushrooms and wouldn’t dream of cheating Chen Yang.

Besides, spending money here was all public funds, not his own.

Securing this young man as a supplier was the priority; he’d be counting on him for top-quality goods from now on.

A moment later, Xiao Hao returned after weighing the mushrooms: seventeen and a half jin total, amounting to fifty-three yuan and eighty cents.

Liu Guolin promptly paid Chen Yang fifty-four yuan.

Holding the five crisp bills in his hand, Chen Yang fell into contemplation...