Chapter 69 Market Conditions
Zhuge Gonglin pondered for a while, then slowly said: "Since you are so confident, I will give you a chance. However, I have one condition."
Liu Mengmeng and Xiao Wen looked at each other and asked in unison: "Master Jijiu, what are the conditions?"
Zhuge Gonglin glanced at the two of them sharply and said, "You must ensure that the profits from the cafeteria are first used to improve the food in the Imperial College so that all students can benefit. As for dividends, they can only be considered after ensuring the food for the students."
Liu Mengmeng and Xiao Wen looked at each other and agreed without hesitation: "Master Jijiu, don't worry, we will definitely do as you wish."
Zhuge Gonglin nodded and smiled: "Okay, then I will wait for your good news."
After leaving Zhuge Gonglin, Liu Mengmeng and Xiao Wen immediately told the good news to others. Hearing Zhuge Gonglin's support, everyone was very excited and expressed their willingness to go all out.
In the following days, the Imperial College became bustling. Zhang Anjie and Zou Ting walked around the surrounding markets, looking for wholesalers and understanding the market conditions.
"What? Wholesaler? I sell vegetables?" an uncle asked in confusion. Zhang Anjie and Zou Ting had to explain patiently. "Uncle, it's like this, we want to wholesale some fresh vegetables from you, and then sell them in the academy to make a little money." Zhang Anjie explained with a smile.
The uncle frowned in confusion after hearing this: "Shouldn't students of the Imperial College concentrate on studying? Why are they doing business?"
Zhang Anjie saw the uncle frowning and knew what he was worried about, so he patiently replied: "Uncle, you misunderstood. We are here to exercise our abilities and put what we have learned into practice, and at the same time to provide convenience for our classmates. In addition to studying, students of the Imperial College should also learn to apply what they have learned to society."
After hearing this, the uncle's expression eased a little, but he was still a little confused: "Then can you guarantee that it won't affect your studies?"
"Of course," Zhang Anjie said firmly, "We will arrange our time reasonably to ensure that our studies are not affected."
Zou Ting interrupted at this time: "Uncle, don't worry, we are all sensible. Moreover, this business is not something that can be achieved overnight. We will take it step by step and proceed steadily."
Seeing the two people's sincere attitude, the uncle finally nodded and agreed: "Okay, let's give it a try. However, the vegetables here are all freshly picked, so you must make sure to sell them in time and don't waste them."
"Don't worry, uncle." Zhang Anjie patted his chest with a smile, "We will definitely do it."
Xu Guokun and Hu Jiahong stepped into the canteen of the Imperial College, and the aroma of food hit their noses. They looked around and saw that the canteen was clean and bright, and the students lined up in an orderly manner to receive their meals.
Hu Jiahong walked up to the cook and said with a smile: "Cook, we are here today to learn about the operation of the canteen. Can you introduce it to us?"
"Why do you two students know this?" the cook asked puzzledly.
Xu Guokun said, "Cook, we are not ordinary students, but students entrusted with important tasks by the Imperial College. The headmaster of the college believes that understanding the operation of the canteen will be of great benefit to improving the diet and life of the students."
Upon hearing this, the cook's eyes revealed a trace of admiration, and she nodded and said, "I see. Please wait a moment, two students, and let me sort out my thoughts."
The cook pondered for a moment and said, "The operation of the cafeteria is actually not complicated. Every morning, we will start preparing the ingredients to ensure freshness. The division of labor in the kitchen is clear. Some are responsible for cooking, and some are responsible for preparing the side dishes. As for the distribution of food, it is quantified according to the needs of the students, and strives to be fair."
Hu Jiahong asked curiously: "How do you ensure the source of ingredients, cook?"
The cook replied, "The ingredients mainly come from the prison's own farmland and some businesses outside the prison. The prison's teachers will regularly send people to check to ensure the quality of the ingredients. Of course, we will also adjust the types of dishes according to seasonal changes to try to ensure that the students eat healthily."
Xu Guokun nodded and praised: "The cook is really thoughtful. How do you ensure the hygiene of the cafeteria?"
The cook smiled and said, "This is all thanks to the management system in our canteen. We have a special cleaning staff who is responsible for cleaning the canteen every day. In addition, every dish will be strictly inspected before it is served to ensure food safety."
Hu Jiahong suddenly remembered something and asked, "Cook, how is the canteen's operating funds managed?"
The cook said, "The operating funds for the canteen are all allocated by the Imperial College. We have a special account, and every expenditure is recorded in detail. Every month, I will report the account to the headmaster of the college for review to ensure the reasonable use of funds."
Xu Guokun said: "Cook, now that you've said that, I have a clearer understanding of the operation of the cafeteria. But I want to know how satisfied the students are with the cafeteria?"
The cook sighed and said, "To be honest, although we have been working hard to improve the quality of the food, there are always some students who are not satisfied with the food in the cafeteria. However, we are also constantly improving, hoping to satisfy the tastes of more students."
Hu Jiahong said: "Cook, can you give us an example of a problem that the canteen encountered during the improvement process?"
The cook thought for a moment and said, "Let's take the most recent improvement as an example. Some students complained that the rice in the cafeteria was too dry and tasted bad. So we tried to adjust the cooking method and increase the moisture content of the rice. But then some students felt that the rice was too wet. So we can only continue to adjust until we find a balance that everyone can accept."
Xu Guokun said with emotion: "It seems that running a canteen is not an easy task. We have to ensure the quality of the food while taking into account the tastes of the students. Cooks, you have worked hard."
The cook smiled and said, "You two students are too kind. We are just doing our duty. By the way, do you two students have any questions?"
Hu Jiahong said, "Cook, we also want to know if there are any difficulties in purchasing ingredients for the canteen?"
The cook said, "There are indeed some difficulties in purchasing ingredients. For example, the prices of some ingredients fluctuate greatly, and we need to keep an eye on market trends to ensure a stable supply of ingredients. In addition, the quality of some ingredients varies, and we need to spend a lot of time selecting them."
Xu Guokun said: "Cook, you can consider establishing long-term cooperation with some reputable merchants to ensure the quality and price of the ingredients."
The cook nodded in agreement: "The two supervisors are right. We are already doing this, but we need to continuously optimize the cooperation mechanism."
The cook was a middle-aged woman with a kind face. She put down the work in her hands and replied, "The operation of the canteen is mainly divided into three links: food procurement, cooking and distribution. We go to the market to purchase fresh ingredients every morning, and then we wash and process them when we come back, and then cook them according to the recipe."