Jiangjin City, Hong Cai Catering Services Co., Ltd.
The "Mr. Hong," Hong Bo, who had negotiated with Mr. Wu for an investnt attraction project, was now sitting behind the spacious desk in the general manager's office, his educated and refined face overco with weariness. He stared blankly at the large banner on the wall that read "Delicacies Passed Through Generations."
That piece of calligraphy had been written personally by an old leader who had been friends with the Jiang Family since the founding of the catering company.
Thanks to the good relationship with that old leader at the ti, and Hong Bo's business tactics, the Hong Family Cuisine had been thriving in those years. The banner was treated like a treasured talisman, hung in the most conspicuous place in the downstairs hall.
Back then, Hong Bo was full of ambition, even considering opening franchised chain stores and aiming to take Hong Family Cuisine public within ten years.
But unforeseen circumstances often arise. With the nationwide series of anti-corruption campaigns and the prohibition of using public funds for extravagant als, high-end restaurants like Hong Family Cuisine, that catered to the luxury market, suffered a massive blow, and their business increasingly declined. When that old leader was placed under investigation for disciplinary violations, Hong Family Cuisine beca even less frequented. Previous regular contacts and custors who once frequented the place, now all shunned it, not daring to patronize it any longer. The banner that read "Delicacies Passed Through Generations" had long been taken down from the hall and hung in Hong Bo's own office instead.
Hong Bo had thought several tis about disposing of the banner, which might bring misfortune. Still, he couldn't quite bear to do so. On one hand, Hong Bo was actually quite sentintal. Although the old leader had violated national laws and regulations, he had a good personal relationship with the Hong Family for several generations. Deep down, Hong Bo disliked the coldness that often followed hardships.
But more importantly, every ti he saw that banner, Hong Bo would be reminded of the glory of his ancestors.
The words "Delicacies" didn't need explanation. Although Hong Family Cuisine served high-end dishes that ordinary people couldn't afford, the cooking skills warranted the exorbitant prices. The real significance lay in the words "Passed Through Generations."
The earliest ancestor of the Hong Family, who had co from the Han Army Banner, once held the deputy position in the imperial tea and food service, bestowed with the sixth-rank official hat. His skills in preparing hilsa herring were unparalleled, earning him the nickna "King of Hilsa Herring," and he was renowned in his ti.
Over the next two hundred years, the Hong Family produced generation after generation of famous chefs. Almost every generation had soone who held an important position in the imperial tea and food bureau, giving rise to legendary figures like "Barbecue King," "Stir-Fry King," "Stewing King," and countless others. After more than a dozen generations, the Hong Family could be said to have mastered the cuisine of both the southern and northern parts of Huaxia, with all sorts of cooking techniques being top-notch.
By the ti of Hong Bo's grandfather and father, dramatic changes had taken place across the land of Huaxia. The prosperity of the Hong Family had waned, and the skills passed down by their ancestors had mostly been lost.
It was not until the mid to late '90s, when Hong Bo ca of age, that the Hong Family's fortunes began to improve slightly. It seed that Hong Bo didn't inherit the culinary talent of his ancestors, but he was a natural businessman. Within a few years, he transford from a street-side stall owner at the very bottom of society into a rising star in the Jiangjin City catering industry, amassing a fortune worth millions.
He would have never imagined that now he would be losing sleep over a re two million yuan bank loan. If he didn't repay the bank's loan within half a year, his restaurant would be sealed and auctioned off to pay debts. He was thus forced into a desperate move, pretending to set up a pig farm in Sun Town to obtain a loan, robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Hong Bo was not entirely deceiving Mr. Wu. In his plan, if the restaurant could survive the difficult six-month period and show slight improvent, he would commit to running the wild boar farm seriously, expanding the scope of the Hong Family's business to avoid putting all his eggs in one basket as before.
The question was, even if he could obtain the bank loan, could he really last those six months?
A bitter smile involuntarily appeared at the corner of Hong Bo's mouth. Unless so miracle happened, given the current operating situation of the restaurant, it was nothing more than clinging to a feeble existence for a little while longer.
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But aside from that, he had no other options. Now he could only grit his teeth and tough it out. If he could drag it out for half a year, that was half a year, and who knows, maybe there would be a turnaround.
"Ah, the wisdom of our ancestors rings true; gold and silver are external possessions, and no matter how much money one has, it can all be spent one day. Only the skills we learn and carry with us are truly solid," Hong Bo sighed.
At that mont, soone pushed open the door to the office, and a girl dressed as a chef walked in.
This girl was tall, likely over one ter seventy-five, in her twenties, with a pretty and delicate face. But her striking, arching eyebrows gave her usually gentle appearance a touch of spirited vigor.
In the entire company, the only person who could walk into Hong Bo's office without knocking was his cherished only daughter, Hong Feifei.
Hong Bo had no culinary talent, nor did he care much for cooking. However, his daughter, Hong Feifei, was the complete opposite. From a young age, she loved to cook, and by the age of eleven or twelve, she could manage a whole table of dishes, outshining many housewives. As she grew up, she demonstrated amazing culinary talent, and before she turned twenty-five, she beca the head chef of Hong Family Cuisine. With her transcendent cooking skills, she earned the respect of all the top chefs from across the country who worked in the company's kitchen.
After Hong Feifei entered, she casually took off her chef's hat, letting her black hair fall loosely, walked behind her father's chair, and began to gently knead his shoulders, speaking softly, "Dad, you're worrying about the loan again, aren't you?"
"Yeah, it's true, you know how tough things are at ho right now. Girl, I won't hide it from you, we might have to brace ourselves for bankruptcy, I've let you down," Hong Bo said, his hand patting his daughter's back.
Yet Hong Feifei simply smiled faintly, "Dad, why speak of letting each other down between father and daughter? If it cos to it, we can just go back to setting up a street stall like when I was a kid, right? With the family's handed-down skills, could we really starve to death?"
"I just don't want you to suffer, my girl. At your age, which is like a flower's, you should be enjoying life," Hong Bo said.
Hong Feifei chuckled, "Dad, you don't understand . As long as I can cook and create delicious food, that's the greatest enjoynt for ."
"You always say pleasant things to put my mind at ease," Hong Bo turned his head to look at his daughter, managing a forced smile. "Let's talk about sothing happier. How's your personal situation lately? You're not getting any younger, you should consider it seriously. As a woman, you're eventually going to marry a man, aren't you?"
Upon hearing the words 'marry a man,' Hong Feifei's face clearly changed, but it wasn't the bashfulness of a girl or the aversion of being pressured into marriage—it was more of a startled panic.
"Dad, can we not talk about this?" Hong Feifei's expression turned a shade colder.
Thinking of his daughter's lifelong issues was a source of endless worry for Hong Bo, even more so than the bank loan, but he truly didn't know what to say and could only sigh as usual, "Ah, you."
Just then, the office phone rang. Hong Bo picked up and heard a familiar voice on the other end.
"Hello? Oh, Mr. Wu, hello, hello... What? The farm project is off? Why! ... Oh... All right, I understand..."
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