PDLP Chapter 115 Life and Death
Chapter 115 Life and Death
"What? The banquet is in two days, and you're telling me the chef is missing?"
In the main hall of the agritainment business, Tang Minggang, a villager from Jinping Village who had come to confirm the guest procedures, suddenly raised his voice, his face drained of color and filled with despair.
A few days ago, his elderly mother passed away due to complications from diabetes. In his grief, he also began to prepare for the funeral.
Considering Yunhai Farmhouse's consistently good reputation, coupled with the recent stream of promotional activities, he didn't hesitate and contacted the manager directly, preparing to send his mother off on her final journey there.
According to the customs of Longding Mountain, there are usually two options for weddings and funerals: either hire a village chef and helpers at your own expense, and hold the event in the village's public hall.
Alternatively, you can go directly to a restaurant, where everything is readily available.
In the past, most villagers preferred to hold their affairs in the village hall. Occasionally, a few families would hold their affairs elsewhere, but they would usually go to the old-established restaurants at the foot of the mountain.
However, since the agritainment businesses started to professionally handle these kinds of banquets, in recent months, most families from nearby villages have chosen to hold their banquets here.
After all, Yunhai's service is indeed thoughtful and meticulous. Whether it's the chef's skills, the venue setup, or the accompanying tables, dishes, and emcee, they offer a variety of options based on different price points.
Tang Minggang naturally saw this advantage as well, especially since his cousin had recently booked his wedding here, and the feedback from relatives and friends afterward was excellent.
But he never expected that such a mistake would happen when it came to his own family's funeral.
"Why did you have to say it now of all times? Now you're scrambling to find a replacement?"
The three villages in the Longdingshan area actually have several famous chefs, and they all bring their own teams.
The problem is that these chefs take on a huge volume of business, and their schedules were fully booked as early as last month. If you want to see them, you need to make an appointment well in advance.
With only two days left until the funeral and burial, according to custom, we must start preparing ingredients tomorrow and get some of the main dishes that need to be cooked in advance started.
In this situation, even if he were willing to pay double or triple the price, it would be difficult to hire anyone.
After all, every family's business is a big deal, so why should you suddenly cut in line?
The chef would never ruin his reputation built up over many years for such a small amount of money.
"I'm so sorry, Brother Tang, this... sigh, it all happened so suddenly."
Upon hearing the news, Zhao Zhiqiang rushed over and stepped forward to comfort him, his face plastered with an apologetic smile: "Don't worry, I'll go and coordinate with the other restaurants to try and borrow a chef. I promise I won't delay your important matter."
"Hurry up! If this doesn't work out, I'll lose face in front of my relatives, and your shabby farmhouse will be out of business in Longding Mountain!"
Tang Minggang spoke in a harsh tone, with a hint of threat.
As a native of Jinping Village, he has many cousins and relatives, and his family has a certain influence in the local area.
The unexpected situation undoubtedly put him in an awkward position.
If the funeral cannot be held on schedule, he will definitely blame the agritainment business.
"I will give you a definite answer tonight, before tonight," Zhao Zhiqiang assured him repeatedly.
......
......
The meeting room at the farmhouse.
Everyone looked extremely anxious, as if they had a lot to say.
"I just called a few chef teams I've worked with before, and they all gave similar answers. Either their schedules were full, or the head chef had something to do at home, so... no one had time."
The bespectacled man in charge of liaison reported to his superior in a dry voice.
"Time was too tight. Who could have imagined that something like this would happen? Both chefs in charge of the banquet couldn't be contacted at the same time, and all the chefs from our family went on strike."
Zhao Zhiqiang tapped his index finger heavily on the table, feeling extremely uncomfortable.
To prevent unexpected situations like today, the agritainment business has specially assigned two chefs to prepare banquets.
In addition, each of the companies also employs chefs in its own stores.
This time, however, it was as if these people had conspired together; some turned off their phones and vanished without a trace, while others simply quit.
"We've always treated them well. It's just that their salaries were a few days late this month. Is it really worth making such a fuss?"
Despite the recent financial pressure, the farmers are doing their best to keep wages paid. Some of them even paid out of their own pockets to cover part of the costs, as they still have some cash on hand.
However, there are simply too many gaps that need to be filled.
The suppliers' payments are still outstanding, not to mention the salaries of the internal staff.
I originally thought that these long-term employees had just received a collective pay raise not long ago, so they should be able to understand Yunhai's difficulties and that delaying the payment for ten or twenty days wouldn't be a big problem.
Who could have imagined that the public's reaction would be so intense and resolute?
It's one thing for some kitchen helpers to run away, but even the head chef, who had worked there for many years, was not spared.
A brief silence fell over everyone, and the only sound in the conference room was heavy breathing.
Suddenly, Fang Jinhai slammed his fist on the table. He stood up, his bloodshot eyes sweeping over everyone present: "Who the hell is behind this? We've been brothers for years. Even if you received a huge bribe, you can't be this ruthless!"
This unusual collective behavior, without much thought, must be due to something the mole and the chefs said.
These words were like cold water being poured into hot oil, instantly making everyone tense.
The people present subconsciously sized each other up, their eyes filled with suspicion, but each of them maintained a basic composure, as if Fang Jinhai's accusations had nothing to do with them.
Although the undercover operation is currently only in the speculation stage, everyone clearly has their own thoughts, but they all tacitly maintain a respectable facade.
"Sit down, sit down, what's the rush? The priority now is to solve the problem, not to fight amongst ourselves." Wang Wang gestured for Fang Jinhai to sit down, giving him a meaningful look.
The latter stopped his outburst and sat back down in his chair, sullenly trying to decipher Wang Wang's intentions.
The two have worked together for many years and have developed a certain tacit understanding. Exchanging glances has long been their way of communicating.
Wang Wang's gaze at this moment was one of unusual calmness.
This seems to indicate that the other party has already gained some confidence.
Thinking about this, Fang Jinhai couldn't help but regret his impulsiveness.
"Let's put the chef's matter aside for now; there will always be a solution."
"I've gathered everyone here today mainly to discuss another matter."
"Yunhai is now at a critical juncture of life and death, and we only have two choices left."
"The purpose of this meeting is to allow everyone to express their opinions and make a decision."
Wang Wang looked around at everyone, his tone more solemn than ever before.