This middle-aged man was dressed in a Zhongshan suit and leather shoes; at a glance, he didn't look like a chef in a restaurant.
He walked up to the table where Wang An and Sun Nian were sitting. Upon seeing Sun Nian's pretty face, he was clearly struck by her beauty, though he quickly averted his gaze.
Then, he greeted the two of them with a beaming smile
"My apologies for the interruption, you two. I am Chen Gaoze, a shareholder in this restaurant—essentially the second boss, hehehe."
Wang An and Sun Nian put down their wine bottles and looked toward this "second boss" named Chen Gaoze almost simultaneously.
Wang An and Sun Nian then exchanged a glance. Seeing that Sun Nian had no interest in speaking, Wang An frowned and spoke in a somewhat cold tone
"Boss Chen, right? What is it? Do you want something?"
As he spoke, Wang An didn't forget to pick up a piece of food with his chopsticks. He didn't care in the slightest about so-called "shareholders" or "second bosses."
Wang An's meaning was clear: "If you've got nothing important, beat it. Can't you see I'm drinking with a beauty?"
Truth be told, exchanging drinks with Sun Nian was actually quite enjoyable. Being suddenly interrupted didn't make Wang An angry, but it was certainly a bit of a mood-killer.
Mainly, Sun Nian's little face turned rosy when she drank, making her look incredibly cute, which gave Wang An an impulse to immediately pin her down on a kang bed and give her a good time.
Chen Gaoze didn't mind Wang An's lack of politeness and got straight to the point
"Little brother, I see four bear paws placed by your feet. I was wondering if you have any intention of selling them? Our restaurant can offer you a high price."
Bear paws have been considered a high-end ingredient since ancient times, and their price has never been low. Even though black bears and brown bears were plentiful in the mountains during this era, this particular part was still uncommon.
Hearing this, Wang An's frown relaxed. He gave a smile to the imposing middle-aged man, then turned to ask Sun Nian
"Sister Nian, do you want the bear paws? If you do, I'll leave them for you."
Wang An asked this because he noticed Sun Nian had specifically ordered a dish of braised bear paw.
Although bear paws were precious, they meant nothing to Wang An.
Mainly, while Wang An's family couldn't make them as delicious as a restaurant could, they had certainly eaten plenty of the stuff.
Furthermore, under normal circumstances, a bear paw sold for about ten-some yuan. Paws from larger bears might fetch twenty-some yuan at most due to their size.
Of course, while the front paws were smaller than the hind paws, they were significantly more expensive.
While this money was a lot to others, Wang An didn't care at all. So, if Sun Nian wanted them, giving them to her to eat was better than selling them.
Sun Nian shook her head and said
"I don't want them. I rarely cook at home, and I wouldn't know how to prepare this."
Hearing that Sun Nian didn't want them, Wang An turned back to the middle-aged man
"These four bear paws are all from one bear. Together they weigh about a hundred catties; they're quite heavy. What price can Boss Chen offer?"
Seeing that Wang An was willing to sell, the smile on Chen Gaoze's face deepened. He looked down at the paws, which still had the lower legs attached, and said
"To be honest, our shop mainly wants the paws; we don't want the lower legs."
Wang An didn't speak, waiting for Chen Gaoze to continue.
Wang An's thought process was simple: "Take it or leave it; if you don't want it, fuck off."
Chen Gaoze immediately said
"How about this, little brother? For these four bear paws with the legs attached, I'll give you 100 yuan. How does that sound?"
The moment Wang An heard this, his expression immediately slumped. Without even lifting his head, he squeezed out two words
"Not selling."
Although the price Chen Gaoze offered wasn't low, it was just a normal price. It had absolutely nothing to do with the words "high price," and the attached lower legs were essentially being given away for free.
One had to realize that the braised bear paw Wang An and Sun Nian were eating was less than a third of a single paw—likely from a black bear weighing around 200 catties—yet a single paw cost as much as 35 yuan.
Even accounting for labor, rent, and ingredients, offering only 25 yuan for a paw with the leg attached was pure bullshit.
Seeing Wang An's cold face and his posture of ending the negotiation, Chen Gaoze quickly said
"Little brother, you name a price. If I think there's a profit in it, I'll buy them. How about that?"
Wang An glanced sideways at Chen Gaoze, thought for a moment, and said firmly
"200 yuan, and you waive the bill for our table. If you agree, pay up; if not, forget it."
Wang An guessed that although this "DJ Hotel" with its four flashy signs looked pretentious and domineering, it was just for show; only those running it knew the struggle.
Mainly, the promise to cook whatever the customer ordered was very difficult to achieve without absolute capability, because many ingredients were not easily obtainable.
Chen Gaoze said with a bitter face
"Little brother, maybe..."
Before Chen Gaoze could finish, Wang An interrupted him
"No bargaining."
After saying those three words, Wang An lifted his wine bottle, intending to resume the happy atmosphere with Sun Nian.
Even if Chen Gaoze had said 100 yuan and added "and the meal is on the house," Wang An would have agreed without hesitation. But now, there was absolutely no bargaining.
Again: "Buy it or don't; if you don't, fuck off."
Chen Gaoze looked at Wang An, then at Sun Nian. Somewhat helplessly, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a stack of "Big Unity" bills, counted out 20 notes, and placed them on the table in front of Wang An, smiling
"Alright, little brother, we'll do it your way, hehehe. If you get more of this good stuff next time, feel free to bring it to me. I'll buy it all, hehehe..."
Wang An put down the wine bottle, glanced at Chen Gaoze, and smiled while counting the money
"No problem, it's a small thing, hehehe..."
And so, the four large bear paws were sold by Wang An for the high price of 200 yuan plus a free meal.
After selling the paws, the two continued drinking and eating until a whole case of beer was finished. They didn't eat any staple food and ended their lunch there.
By this time, Sun Nian's entire face was flushed red, looking incredibly enticing. However, it was clear she wasn't drunk, just a bit dazed.
Only Wang An, due to his immunity to alcohol, didn't change color at all, as if he had just drunk six bottles of cold water.
Leaving the restaurant, the two each mounted a sidecar motorcycle and headed straight for Sun Nian's house.
Opening the gate, they rode the motorcycles into the courtyard. As soon as the gate was bolted, Sun Nian impatiently hugged Wang An tightly, and the two began making out right there in the yard.
It had to be said that after drinking, the body fragrance emanating from Sun Nian was several times more potent than usual, directly stimulating Wang An into losing his reason.
***
Thanks to "Big Account Empire Emperor" for the tip, thank you, thank you!
Thanks to "Black A-Niu Brother" for the tip, thank you, thank you!
Wishing both big brothers a smooth path in all they do and that all their wishes come true!
(End of Chapter)