The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 226

Chapter 226: Chapter 226: Synthesis Options

The contract was in triplicate. They each took a copy, and the third would be uploaded to the public credit network.

Seeing how formal the process was, Shen Lu felt even more at ease.

"Alright, the contract is signed. You two should get going. A truck will be there tomorrow to deliver the vegetables right on schedule."

Zhao Qian seemed very busy. He casually stuffed his copy of the contract into a drawer, picked up a few syringes, and walked out.

Shen Lu and Xue Can took their leave as well.

On the way back, Shen Lu couldn’t help but ask, "That Zhao Qian doesn’t seem like a businessman."

Xue Can hummed in agreement. "Mm, he’s not a legitimate food supplier."

"Then how does he have such large vegetable greenhouses and livestock pens?"

"You don’t know about the Zhao Family from the Upper City District?"

"The Zhao Family?" Shen Lu thought for a moment before she finally recalled. The Zhao Family was one of the top aristocratic families in the Imperial City. Its members held high-ranking government positions. They were the type to keep a low profile but were a force not to be underestimated.

"Zhao Qian is a descendant of the Zhao Family. He has no interest in politics and is particularly fond of researching agriculture and animal husbandry. He wasn’t willing to work at an institute, finding the atmosphere there too rigid, so he set up this place to conduct his own research."

Xue Can pulled Shen Lu back. "Careful, there’s a hole up ahead."

Lost in the conversation, Shen Lu only then noticed the hole in front of her. If it hadn’t been for Xue Can, she would have definitely taken a nasty spill.

"Thanks." Shen Lu skirted the dirt hole. "Please, continue."

"He doesn’t grow vegetables and raise chickens to sell them. Plus, given his status, no one dares to do business with him. So, the vegetables he grows basically just rot in the ground."

"That’s such a waste," Shen Lu lamented. The old saying, "While the rich feast on wine and meat, the poor freeze to death on the street," suddenly came to mind.

’Most residents of the Lower City District were eating throat-scratching Insect Cakes, while the wealthy aristocrats of the Upper City District could own vast tracts of farmland just for a hobby, letting all the vegetables they grew rot in the ground instead of selling them.’

Xue Can’s lips curved into a slight smile. He could guess what Shen Lu was lamenting.

’But the world was just this cruel. The upper class lived lives of extravagance, while the bottom tier struggled just to survive.’

"I’ve accepted a few commissions from him in the past, so we’re acquainted. I mentioned it to him, and he agreed."

Shen Lu was skeptical. "That’s it?" she asked doubtfully.

Xue Can paused. "Well... not exactly. I had to do something for him in return."

’Oh-ho.’

Shen Lu clicked her tongue internally. ’Looks like I owe him a big one.’

"So, can I come over for dinner every night from now on?" Xue Can asked.

Shen Lu nodded. "Of course."

By the time the two of them returned to the restaurant, it was almost 6 PM.

Shen Lu told Xue Can to rest in the booth area and hurried into the kitchen to make dinner.

Before she left that afternoon, she had told Cai Su what she planned to make for dinner. She’d asked her to start prepping the ingredients if she was running late, so all she would have to do was the cooking.

Shen Lu had originally planned to make a spicy blood curd stew, stir-fried corn with pine nuts, and stir-fried greens. But thinking about the favor she owed Xue Can, she decided to add steamed scallops with garlic and vermicelli as a token of her gratitude.

They were all quick dishes to prepare, and with Cai Su assisting, everything was ready in less than an hour.

Ye Fan and Lin Zhou stared blankly at Xue Can when he appeared at the dinner table. Worried that Cai Su and her son might feel uncomfortable, Shen Lu offered an explanation.

"Mr. Xue will be having dinner with us for a while."

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