As a Magnate, I Started Checking in at a Convenience Store - Chapter 311
Chapter 311: Visiting the Club!
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
“Quick, taste this boiled cabbage in hot water!” As soon as the waiter left, they couldn’t wait and looked at Zhou Chao, eager to see his expression after he tasted it.
Boiled cabbage in hot water was one of the Sichuan dishes Zhou Chao had been wanting to try, followed closely by mapo tofu.
As a national banquet essential, the preparation of boiled cabbage in hot water was quite intricate. It was made from the hearts of large cabbages from the north, simmered with chicken, duck, and spare ribs, seasoned with chicken and pork broth, and finally garnished with a bit of chicken oil when serving. That’s how boiled cabbage in hot water was made!
It might seem simple, but all these processes took several hours. A slight mistake in the broth could result in it not being clear and transparent, so the quality of the broth was crucial!
Zhou Chao looked at the teacup in front of him, gently lifted the lid, and a rich fragrance immediately wafted out.
The tea-colored boiled cabbage looked like a work of art. Zhou Chao took a moment to examine it before tasting it.
He scooped up a spoonful and as soon as it entered his mouth, he could feel the rich and mellow flavor of the chicken broth, not greasy at all, giving him a refreshing feeling.
“It’s delicious! You guys should dig in too. Don’t just stare at it; it won’t taste as good once it cools down!”
He Yan, who couldn’t wait any longer, directly picked up her spoon and enjoyed it heartily. In no time, everyone in the room had a spoon in one hand and chopsticks in the other, savoring the delicious combination of soup and cabbage.
In less than a moment, there were empty bowls in front of everyone, and even the goji berries used for garnish were eaten up.
“I never thought I could taste such authentic boiled cabbage in hot water outside of official banquets. It’s really a rare treat. What a pity, what a pity!” “What’s there to regret? You can come anytime you want to eat. Young Master Zhou, it’s not like you don’t have the money for it. It wouldn’t be that your wife keeps a tight leash on you, and you don’t have any private funds left. That’s not the style of people like you!” He Yan’s rapid-fire words resembled a machine gun.
“What are you talking about? What 1 meant by ‘what a pity’ is that 1 didn’t have a chance to taste Kao Fang. Haven’t you heard an old saying, ‘A hundred dishes can’t compare to cabbage, and all meats can’t compare to pork’?”
“I’ve never heard of it!” Both Hou Ting and He Yan shook their heads, and even Wang Feng, the simpleton, looked at Zhou Chao.
“If you haven’t heard of it, then forget it. Let’s eat. Sichuan cuisine isn’t as good when it’s cold!” Zhou Chao realized that his explanation was unnecessary. Enjoying the food was more important than talking about it.
Hou Ting and He Yan stopped dwelling on it and started using their chopsticks.
In less than half an hour, the dishes on the table were wiped clean by the four of them.
“Hou Ting, I don’t even want to go back to Modu anymore. I just want to enjoy delicious Sichuan cuisine like this every day!” Zhou Chao patted his belly, feeling a satisfaction he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“I can’t afford it. The ingredients here are top-notch. 1 occasionally use my boss’s membership card to treat myself. It’s not like I have the kind of resources you do, spending six figures on a meal without batting an eye.” Hou Ting couldn’t help but tease Zhou Chao.
“That’s my only hobby. I’m not like Si Cong, who enjoys going to bars. Besides my love for food, I don’t have any special interests!”
Hou Ting checked the time; it was already almost 2 o’clock in the afternoon.
“We’ve all rested enough. How about we visit the club first, get to know the place?”
After some consideration, Zhou Chao felt it was necessary to see his investment. It might not be worth much money, but it was still part of his plans.
“Sure, besides Si Cong’s club, I haven’t visited anyone else’s. Today is a good chance to see what it’s like!”
“Let’s go then. The environment in Modu’s club is the most luxurious. If most of my businesses weren’t here, I’d want to live with them!”
“Cut it out, Young Master Hou. Are you really short on money?” Zhou Chao playfully looked at Hou Ting.
“Stop it… I’m not worthy!” Hou Ting waved his hand quickly. He knew his limits when it came to bragging, and Zhou Chao was genuinely impressive.
“Teasing aside, what’s so special about Modu’s club that has you so concerned? Tell us about it,” He Yan asked curiously, not understanding why Hou Ting was so fixated on it.
“Xiao Yan, let me tell you, the person in front of you has used a standalone villa worth around ten million as a clubhouse. You haven’t seen how luxurious it is. I can say that your brother Chao is quite extravagant!”
The more Hou Ting talked, the more excited he became. After all, the price of that villa could match the total value of many companies. Just thinking about it made him envious.
“Oh my, Zhou Chao, you’re way too extravagant! 1 have to bow to you!” He Yan jokingly said and pretended to reach for Zhou Chao’s thigh. Zhou Chao quickly backed away.
“Alright, enough joking around. Let’s go!” Zhou Chao hurriedly changed the subject. He was afraid that if they continued, both He Yan and Hou Ting would want to move in with him.
“Alright, let’s go!” Seeing Zhou Chao’s reaction, Hou Ting stopped playing around and led everyone towards the exit.
At the front desk, Hou Ting skillfully pulled out his membership card. In less than 20 seconds, he settled the bill and then led the group outside.
Zhou Chao suddenly stopped in his tracks and turned to the front desk, asking, “Hello, I just wanted to ask if you can get Kao Fang here?”
“What’s Kao Fang, a dish? I really don’t know. Shall I go to the kitchen and ask for you?” The cashier was a bit bewildered, as she had never heard of Kao Fang as a dish before.
Zhou Chao looked disappointed upon hearing this and shook his head.
“No need, thanks!” He then turned and walked back to Hou Ting and the others.
“What did you just go back for? Did you forget something?”
“No, I just asked a question, but unfortunately, I didn’t get an answer.”
“You didn’t go ask them if they can make Kao Fang, did you?” Hou Ting looked surprised.
“Yeah, I did. I thought if they could, we could try it tonight. Unfortunately, they didn’t know either. Anyway, let’s forget about it and go to the club!” Zhou Chao said as he headed towards his car. Hou Ting and He Yan followed suit, getting into their respective cars.
The three luxury cars drove on the road, forming a beautiful sight.
OMG Team’s base in Rong City was located in the Hongpailou area. When Zhou Chao and his friends arrived at the club, it was already 3 o’clock in the afternoon.
As soon as he got out of the car, Zhou Chao was captivated by the architectural style of the place.
The entire base was designed with a space battleship concept, giving it a futuristic and high-tech feel, as if one had stepped into a world of the future.
Upon entering the gate, Zhou Chao stopped in his tracks, wearing a surprised expression as he looked at the glass curtain wall in front. He turned to Hou Ting beside him and pointed to the glass curtain wall, asking, “Are the sharks inside real?”
“Of course they’re real!” Hou Ting said proudly.
Zhou Chao couldn’t believe that Hou Ting was actually raising five sharks in the base. If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn’t have believed it if someone had told him.
The main reason was that no photos of the OMG team’s base had ever been disclosed by anyone inside the team, so he always thought it was similar to Si Cong’s club.
“Why do you keep so many sharks?”
“Count how many sharks there are!” Hou Ting said with a smug expression.
“1, 2, 3, 4, 5, a total of five sharks!” Zhou Chao carefully counted for a moment before realizing that there were five sharks in the tank.
“Yeah, five sharks, we call them ‘Wu Sha’ (Kill)!” Hou Ting looked at Zhou Chao with an expression that seemed to say, “Aren’t I impressive?”
Zhou Chao’s mouth twitched slightly at his words. He couldn’t help but admire the creativity of rich second-generation kids.
“If we’re talking about having fun, 1 think Si Cong still has a slight edge over you!” Hou Ting’s move really did impress Zhou Chao.
“Hahaha, I like to hear that. Let’s go, I’ll give you a tour. Our base is truly unique within the entire league!” Hou Ting said proudly, as he had invested quite a bit of money in building the base.
“Speaking of which, did you invest all the money you earned in the past few years into this, leading to the current situation?”
“Ahem, don’t listen to those hearsay rumors. They’re all lies. Think about it, someone as wise as me, how could 1 do something like that?” Hou Ting awkwardly laughed and quickly explained.
“Brother Chao, don’t listen to Brother Ting’s evasions. He really did invest all his money into the base. You don’t know how arrogant he was initially, acting like he was number one, but he got slapped in the face in just a couple of years,” He Yan mercilessly revealed Hou Ting’s shortcomings.
“Xiao Yan, it’s not just slapping, you not only slapped but also stomped on it a couple of times. If you don’t treat us to a good meal tonight to make up for it, I’ll have your embarrassing story recorded in my little book!”
“Um… how about we don’t hurt each other, so Brother Chao can enjoy the fun alone!”
“What are you guys talking about? I can’t understand. Hou, aren’t you supposed to take me on a tour of the club? Why aren’t we going?” Zhou Chao pretended that he hadn’t heard their conversation, and without looking back, he walked inside.
“Wait for me!” Hou Ting quickly caught up and seeing this, He Yan stomped her foot and followed along.
Soon, Zhou Chao finished touring the club and arrived at Hou Ting’s office. At the same time, the top management of the entire base also gathered in the office. Fortunately, Hou Ting’s office was spacious enough; otherwise, they would have had to use the conference room.
The group began discussing the future development of the club. With one team already confirmed, the former first team, which was now the second team, seemed somewhat redundant.
“We should let natural selection take its course. If anyone is willing to be traded, we can arrange that. In the future, we’ll focus on youth development. You guys will be in charge of that. As for the first team, it will be managed by others. If you have any recommendations for potential players, hand them over to Hou Ting.”
They also discussed salary issues. Zhou Chao had previously talked to Si Cong, and he knew that OMG had the lowest base salary in the league. He considered increasing the salaries, but in the end, they decided to keep the base salary the same and increase bonuses. The details were left to Hou Ting to handle.
After the meeting, only Zhou Chao and his two friends remained in the office. Wang Feng chose to wait outside..
