dognovel Chapter 158 Tricky
Chapter 158 Tricky
There's no reason to rush him to hand over his work.
But then I thought, since Vice Mayor Zhao has already agreed to help, he probably won't set a trap for him at this critical juncture.
So Li Mu nodded: "Okay, Secretary, please wait a moment while I prepare some samples. We'll head to the city now."
Li Mu went back into the house to get a woven bag, filled it with some fresh vegetables and fruits, and a few green-shelled eggs. Then he went to the rice paddy to pick a few golden ears of rice before going out with his secretary.
Along the way, the secretary explained the situation of the municipal canteen to Li Mu: "The municipal canteen is the largest canteen in our city, serving thousands of people every day, so the demand for ingredients is particularly large. Moreover, they have very high requirements for the quality of ingredients, after all, it is for civil servants to eat, so they cannot be careless."
"Secretary, rest assured, all of my family's agricultural products are green and pollution-free, and their quality is absolutely guaranteed. It is an honor for our village to cooperate with the municipal canteen this time."
The secretary smiled and said, "Mr. Li, you're too kind. I can tell you're a very honest person, and Vice Mayor Zhao also appreciates you. This cooperation is a great development opportunity for your village, so you should seize it."
Li Mu nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Secretary, you're absolutely right. When I go to the city this time, I will definitely make sure to hand over the work properly with the suppliers there, and ensure that the normal operation of the municipal canteen is not affected."
The two chatted all the way and soon arrived in the city.
The secretary took Li Mu to the municipal canteen, which covered an area of about one or two hundred square meters. It was clean and tidy, and had all kinds of facilities.
Li Mu followed his secretary into an office. There were quite a few people inside, all staff members of the municipal canteen, and they were all extremely busy.
After the secretary explained the purpose of their visit to Li Mu, a middle-aged man stood up. He was wearing a neat chef's uniform and looked Li Mu up and down.
"This is Li Mu? The young man Vice Mayor Zhao mentioned?"
Li Mu, neither humble nor arrogant, smiled and nodded: "Yes, I am Li Mu, and I am very happy to cooperate with you all."
The middle-aged man withdrew his scrutinizing gaze and said calmly, "Alright, don't stand, have a seat. I'm Liu, the purchasing manager of the municipal canteen. You're here today, so let's take a look at your things first."
As he spoke, he pointed to several woven bags on the table, which contained samples of agricultural products that Li Mu had brought.
Li Mu walked over and introduced them one by one: "These are the vegetables my family grows. They are all green and pollution-free. This is fruit, and these green-shelled eggs are very nutritious. As for the rice, it will be harvested soon, and the quality is top-notch."
Other staff members who were working also gathered around.
"Did you grow these mushrooms yourself? They look pretty good."
"Yes, yes, they are all grown by ourselves, absolutely green and pollution-free."
As Li Mu responded, he secretly felt pleased with himself, realizing that his family's agricultural products were quite popular.
Manager Liu picked up a green-shelled egg and examined it carefully: "This egg looks quite unusual. Is it poisonous?"
"Look at what you're saying! Manager Liu, you're really joking. These eggs are definitely not poisonous, you can eat them without worry."
"You think it's not poisonous just because you say so? Who knows? We'll have to get it tested."
Although Manager Liu said that, he casually threw it on the ground, showing no respect.
The egg crashed to the ground with a "smack," its shell cracking instantly and the yolk spilling out onto the floor.
Li Mu's heart tightened, but he maintained a smile: "Manager Liu, what's wrong?"
Manager Liu glanced at him: "How can we know if there's any poison without testing? I'm doing this for the safety of the municipal canteen."
Li Mu understood that Manager Liu was trying to intimidate him. But he wasn't angry; after all, this was Liu's territory, and he had to put up with it.
He squatted down, wiped the egg yolk off the floor with a tissue, and said, "Manager Liu, you're right, it's reassuring to have it tested. How about this, I'll leave all these samples here, you can have them tested, and I'll come back when the results are in?"
Manager Liu looked at his secretary, who nodded: "Yes, that's fine. Manager Liu, then I'll trouble you to arrange for someone to do the testing."
Manager Liu waved his hand impatiently: "Alright, alright, I know. Put these samples away first, then find someone to test them."
The secretary responded, and someone went to tidy up the samples on the table.
Li Mu stood aside, watching his secretary's busy figure, pondering to himself.
This Manager Liu doesn't seem easy to get along with.
But it doesn't matter. As long as their agricultural products are of high quality, there's no reason why the municipal canteen wouldn't accept them. Thinking of this, Li Mu's mood calmed down a bit.
The handover went relatively smoothly. Although Manager Liu was indifferent, he did not deliberately make things difficult for him.
Li Mu gave a detailed introduction to the planting and breeding of his own agricultural products, as well as the supply plan. Manager Liu listened attentively and nodded in approval from time to time.
"Alright, I understand your situation. Here's what we'll do: go back and wait for news. I'll let you know when the test results are in."
Li Mu nodded: "Okay, Manager Liu, I'll head back now. Thank you for your help."
After saying that, Li Mu and his secretary left the municipal canteen.
On the way back, Li Mu made an excuse to go to the convenience store, bought a pack of the most expensive cigarettes, and stuffed it into his secretary's hand: "Secretary, thank you so much for your help today. Here's a small token of my appreciation, please take it and smoke it."
The secretary declined, saying, "Oh, Mr. Li, you're too kind. How can I accept this?"
"Secretary, please don't be so polite. You've been a great help to me today. This is nothing. We'll probably have to do this often in the future."
Upon hearing this, the secretary stopped refusing and handed him a cigarette, which she lit. The two of them stood at the entrance of the convenience store and smoked.
"Secretary, when will the test results for our agricultural products be available? I'm really worried that something might go wrong."
The secretary took a drag of her cigarette, slowly exhaled, and smiled, a smile that held a hint of ambiguity.
"I can't say for sure about that."
Li Mu's heart skipped a beat. What did those words mean by having a hidden meaning?
Could it be implying that there's something fishy about these test results?
Li Mu dared not think further, yet he couldn't help but think about it.
After all, this concerns the future development of Lijia Village, and he cannot afford to be careless.
He glanced at his secretary and tentatively asked, "Secretary, do you think there's anything wrong with these test results?"
The secretary finished one cigarette, stomped it on the ground, and then lit another one.