When it cos to interpersonal relationships, the first impression often can't be trusted. It was only after getting to know each other better that Suming realized Ji Xiang, this gangster, didn't rely entirely on fisticuffs and violence. His main business was actually the seafood trade.
"So Ji Xiang Seafood is yours?" He Baowen asked, donning a n's jacket with surprise.
"Is it famous?" Suming asked.
He Baowen nodded and said, "Ji Xiang Seafood is very famous for being fresh and authentic. They never sell frozen or dead products."
Ji Xiang proudly slapped his chest, "Of course, doing business isn't about fighting over turf. Custors will only co if the goods are good. I can't exactly hold a knife to their throats to force them to buy seafood!"
"If you dare, I'll be the first to throw you in jail!" He Baowen said.
"Haha, madam, you can rest assured. Brother Le lectured just last ti, telling I must abide by the law!" Ji Xiang laughed along, then said gloomily, "However, madam, you should understand our difficulties. It's quite hard to go straight all at once. Investnt requires money, and bank loans are difficult. As you know, competition in the seafood market is fierce, and I still need to look after these brothers of mine..."
"Wow, just because I ate one of your fish doesn't an I have to introduce business to you, right?" He Baowen shrugged her shoulders, "But okay, we can set our team dinners at your place from now on. Our police budget is tight though, and the Independent Commission Against Corruption keeps a close eye on us, so there's not much to spend on dining."
"Hehe, madam's willingness to help is really flattering," Ji Xiang said sowhat perfunctorily.
Suming, however, was thinking ahead and asked, "Do you export your seafood?"
"Of course," Ji Xiang replied, "If there's a large export order, my inco would increase a lot. But foreign countries have their own fisheries, so why would they need to buy from Xiangjiang?" he said, puzzled.
"Not foreign countries, the mainland." Suming smiled, "I have a restaurant business in the mainland."
In Ji Xiang's place, it wasn't just about the fish; Suming observed that the seafood, as He Baowen had ntioned, was indeed fresh and authentic. During the al, several parties that looked like they were from restaurants ca to gather ingredients, and there was one delivery where Ji Xiang's underlings ticulously checked the seafood brought in. They even cursed at the delivery person for bringing a few dead shrimp.
Seeing is believing. Whatever Ji Xiang said might not be true, but Suming watched everything silently, not suspecting any foul play with the food because the store was run by a gangster. Of course, if all this was staged by Ji Xiang to gain his favor and orders, then this gangster was playing a long ga – a ga that seed unnecessary, since Ji Xiang likely didn't know about his restaurant business in the mainland and had no need to curry favor.
The seafood business in the country was booming. People loved seafood, but there were two major problems.
In inland cities like Yangchuan City, due to geographical constraints, seafood was often not that fresh. A few restaurants that managed to serve fresh seafood had to charge exorbitant prices due to transportation costs;
Even in large hotels, as far as Suming was aware, not all seafood was alive – a fifty-fifty ratio was already good. In less regulated environnts, businessn naturally chased profits.
As for coastal cities, the freshness of seafood might be guaranteed, but the prices were too high, and it was common to overcharge custors. Especially in tourist cities – locals fared sowhat better, but it was normal for tourists to get fleeced, with the only difference being the depth of the cut by the businesses.
Occasionally, a seafood restaurant offering good quality at a reasonable price, even if located in so inconspicuous corner, could beco popular.
So Suming felt there was a significant gap in the seafood market of Yangchuan City. What was missing was not the product or the market, but conscientious enterprises.
The restaurant business was currently just Suming's 'sideline', a part of his peripheral industry chain. He wasn't in a rush to make it profitable. What he needed to do in this phase was the sa as with all his other businesses at the start: to lay a solid foundation.
Fa and reputation – both were indispensable.
Hong Bo and Suming had a detailed discussion once. In the next five years, high-end dining in the country was unlikely to make a coback. Going upscale was practically suicide unless one had a deeper purpose and didn't rely on it to make money.
Hong Family Cuisine was the best example – with a century-old reputation and top dostic chefs, plus Hong Bo's experience, it still didn't survive.
The problem wasn't with the Hong Family Cuisine itself, but with the larger dostic environnt.
History flows like a majestic river, those who go with it prosper, those who resist perish.
The reopened Hong Family Cuisine didn't follow the high-end route but switched to catering to the general public, positioning itself for the urban middle class.
Launching affordable seafood was in line with the tis.
"Wow, I've always said Su Sheng is my benefactor!" Ji Xiang's attitude changed imdiately upon hearing from Suming that mainland catering companies wanted to place orders.
The people at He Baowen's police station could eat a lot, but how much could they really spend? Besides, their identity was sowhat awkward, and He Baowen might have just been talking, not necessarily going to bring people for wining and dining.
But it's different with catering companies—they place orders, and they're sure to be big ones. If well managed, supplying one catering company alone could support a whole group of people.
Ji Xiang, despite the surface glamor of being a boss, was actually under a lot of pressure. Not to ntion the gang of underlings that followed him had to rely on him for their livelihood, and sotis the toughness and ferocity they showed was rely to make business smoother.
Suming gave Ji Xiang Hong Bo's phone number, saying, "For the specifics, you talk to this person. He's in charge of the actual operation of the catering company." His expression beca serious, "Jixiang, since it's business, then let's do everything by the book. If there's anything wrong with the seafood, or if you don't act according to the contract, don't bla for not giving face to Brother Le."
"Mr. Su, rest assured, my family has been fishern for generations. If I tarnish this signboard, I won't even have the face to visit my ancestors' graves," Ji Xiang said.
After the al, Ji Xiang found Suming a black-market doctor.
In Xiangjiang, getting dical qualifications is very difficult, requiring an educational foundation, and even the exams are in English. Just these two requirents have stumped many folk herbalists.
So of them are practitioners of traditional Chinese dicine, so have family secrets—how could they possibly have attended dical school, let alone speak English?
There are also a number of formally trained Western doctors who, for various negative reasons, mainly ethical misconduct such as taking bribes or having inappropriate relations with patients, have been found out by the dical association and the Independent Commission Against Corruption and have since been barred from practicing.
These individuals make up a large part of the underground doctor network in Xiangjiang.
In Xiangjiang's formal hospitals, the managent is strict, and the police are notified imdiately when treating stab or gunshot wounds. As a result, gangsters in Xiangjiang usually avoid hospitals when injured, turning to unlicensed black-market doctors instead.
The quality of these black-market doctors varies greatly; the good ones are on par with attending physicians in major hospitals, while the bad ones could kill a person just by pulling a tooth.
Suming's injury on his butt wasn't exactly sothing he wanted to expose—having been nailed by a dart and involving He Baowen and a police handgun, the investigation would be a huge hassle. Better to avoid trouble when possible, and considering Ji Xiang was a local authority figure, he probably wouldn't choose an incompetent black-market doctor for his own treatnt. So Suming nodded in agreent.
The black-market doctor was nad Lin Guoyun, a na full of poetic charm. He was a clean and well-mannered man, nothing like the beast in clothes who'd been stripped of his license for peeping on a female coworker in the restroom.
"Wow Su Sheng, you've got quite a muscle density on your butt. Have you specially trained your glutes?" Lin Guoyun skillfully bandaged and dicated Suming while talking without filter, wearing a lascivious grin. He said to Ji Xiang, "Brother Ji Xiang, you won't go wrong listening to . It doesn't hurt to work out your glutes more. A man with strong glutes is super virile in bed! If you're even half as formidable as Mr. Su, I bet you could get girls without spending a di; they'd all throw themselves at you..."
"Do your job!" Ji Xiang glared at him fiercely but couldn't help taking a covert peek at Suming's butt. Casting a glance at He Baowen standing guard outside, he wondered if it could really be that Mr. Su's prowess in bed was so great that the young female chief inspector disregarded her status and got involved with him.
Touching his own flat posterior subconsciously, Ji Xiang thought he should get one of his underlings to sign him up for a gym mbership the next day.
Just as the bandaging was finished, Ji Xiang received a call—they had caught the person!
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