I Have a Countryside Gourmet Restaurant

Chapter 272: Chapter 257: Wild Reishi

Li You said, ”The price of wild Reishi generally ranges from three or four hundred yuan per jin to over a thousand, or even around two thousand yuan per jin. This one of yours is a Red Reishi, and it’s so large—it must weigh nearly a jin. That’s quite rare among wild Reishi. So, you should be able to get the highest current market price for it, around 2,000 yuan.”

”2,000? It’s actually worth 2,000?” Zhang Zongfu was overjoyed and said urgently, ”Boss Li You, can it really be worth that much?”

Li You smiled. ”Of course. But you have to find a buyer willing to pay that price. That might not be so easy. Of course, if you’re lucky, it’s also possible to find a buyer willing to pay an even higher price.”

After hearing this, Zhang Zongfu nodded. ”True, a buyer will be hard to find. If I just take it to the town market and set up a stall, I’d probably only get a few hundred yuan at most.”

Then he hesitated, looking like he wanted to say something.

Li You understood what Zhang Zongfu wanted to say, so he smiled again and said, ”Uncle Zhang, are you hoping I can help you find a buyer? That’s no problem, I can help.”

Li You wouldn’t refuse such a simple favor.

Zhang Zongfu was overjoyed once again. That was indeed what he meant.

He was just an ordinary farmer; it was almost impossible for him to find a good buyer through his own connections.

He believed Li You had the resources and ability to find a good buyer, so he wanted to ask for his help.

But he was too embarrassed to say it out loud.

After all, they weren’t family or close friends. Why should he help?

He hadn’t expected Li You to bring it up himself, which made Zhang Zongfu feel incredibly grateful on top of his delight.

So he thanked him again and again. Finally, he added, ”Boss Li You, I can’t let you help for free. How about this: whatever it sells for, we split it fifty-fifty. Even though it’s only half, it’ll definitely be more than what I’d get selling it myself.”

Li You was a little surprised. ’Uncle Zhang is surprisingly generous.’

’But the thought is enough. I won’t take any of the money.’

Li You said, ”Uncle Zhang, the thought is enough. We won’t split the money. Whatever it sells for, I’ll give it all to you. It’s not a big deal, really.”

Zhang Zongfu shook his head. ”I’d feel too bad if we don’t split it. Boss Li You, I do hope this Reishi is worth a lot. But I’m not going to get rich off a single mushroom. So, splitting it fifty-fifty is fine. I’d feel better that way.”

Li You said, ”Uncle Zhang, really, there’s no need. It’s just a small thing, nothing at all.”

Just then, Lin Guodong said, ”Lao Zhang, if Xiaoyou says not to split it, then just leave it at that. You don’t need to feel bad. Xiaoyou is a good person.”

Zhang Zongfu nodded repeatedly. ”I know Boss Li You is a good person. It’s just... it’s just...”

At that moment, Zhang Zongfu noticed the two cloth sacks tied to the back of Li You’s motorcycle.

He had a good idea what was inside them.

So he asked Lin Guodong, ”Old Lin, what’s in those two sacks?”

Lin Guodong said, ”One sack is plums that Brother Zhonghai gave to Xiaoyou. The other is potatoes from me.”

’Just as I thought,’ Zhang Zongfu said to himself, overjoyed. He had finally found a way to thank Li You.

So he said to Li You, ”Boss Li You, I grow potatoes at home too. Wait a minute, I’ll go dig up a sack for you.”

He turned to leave as soon as he finished speaking.

Li You quickly stopped him, saying, ”Uncle Zhang, no, no, really. The sack Uncle Guodong gave me is already a lot. If you give me another one, I won’t be able to carry it all.”

Zhang Zongfu said, ”You have Stir-fried Shredded Potatoes on your menu. You must use a lot of potatoes every day. No amount of potatoes is too much for you. Besides, you can definitely tie another sack on top.”

Li You said, ”The main thing is, there isn’t enough time. It’s already past four o’clock. I need to get back, prepare, and start serving the evening customers. If you go dig up potatoes, it’ll take at least an hour. By then, it’ll be too late for me to get back. It’ll delay the evening service.”

”Well...” Zhang Zongfu nodded. He admitted he hadn’t thought it through. So he said, ”Alright then, I won’t dig any up today.”

Li You said, ”I don’t mean just for today, but ever.”

Zhang Zongfu said vaguely, ”We’ll see about that later, we’ll see.”

Lin Guodong spoke up again. ”Say, Lao Zhang, where did you find this Reishi? And when? I can’t believe a single mushroom can be worth 2,000 yuan.”

Lin Guodong, Lin Zhonghai, and Lin Xiao of course also recognized Reishi mushrooms.

The moment they saw the Reishi in the bag, they recognized it for what it was.

They also knew Reishi were quite valuable. But they never expected it to be *this* valuable. Selling one mushroom for 2,000 yuan—that was incredible.

So, when Li You announced the price of the Reishi, the three of them were both surprised and quite envious.

’How come we’ve never found such a valuable Reishi?’

’Let’s ask Lao Zhang where he found it.’

Zhang Zongfu smiled. ”Just yesterday afternoon. I went into the mountains looking for a suitable Dalbergia tree to make a hoe handle. Then I found it at the base of a dead tree. It was over in Rainfall Forest.”

Lin Guodong nodded. ”I never knew there were Reishi in Rainfall Forest. Does this stuff always grow at the base of dead trees?”

Li You answered this question. ”Not necessarily. It can also grow on the trunks of decaying trees. Those are the two main places. But finding something like this is a matter of luck. If you go into the mountains specifically to look for it, you’ll most likely come back empty-handed.”

Lin Guodong nodded. ”That’s true. So, Lao Zhang, you must have been thrilled, right?”

Zhang Zongfu smiled again. ”Of course, I was ecstatic. Even though I didn’t know it was worth so much at the time, I knew it was a Reishi, so it had to be worth two or three hundred yuan, right? That alone was enough to make me happy. Today’s the town market day, and I was originally planning to take it to the market this morning to sell. But something came up and I couldn’t go.”

Lin Guodong said, ”It’s a good thing you couldn’t go. Otherwise, you would have lost out big time.”

Zhang Zongfu nodded. ”Yeah, thank goodness for Boss Li You. The moment you said Boss Li You had come to the village, I immediately thought of asking him to take a look. Then I rushed home.”

Lin Guodong said, ”No wonder I saw you leave in such a hurry. So you were going back to get the Reishi.”

Zhang Zongfu chuckled. ”Good thing I was fast. Otherwise, I would’ve been a step too late.”

Lin Guodong nodded. ”That’s for sure.”

At this point, Li You said his goodbyes. He straddled his motorcycle and said to Zhang Zongfu, ”Uncle Zhang, I’ll take the Reishi with me then. Once it’s sold, I’ll bring you the money.”

Zhang Zongfu nodded repeatedly. ”Of course, of course. Boss Li You, thank you so much for your trouble.”

Li You again told Zhang Zongfu not to be so formal. Then, amidst the goodbyes from the small group, he rode away on his motorcycle.

This trip to take Lin Xiao home had yielded two large sacks of plums and potatoes. He’d made quite a haul.

The business with the Reishi was interesting, too.

Running into a wild Reishi was a happy occasion.

As for selling it, Li You suddenly had an idea. ’Should I just buy it myself and take it back for my parents to make tea with?’

Reishi can be used to make tea.

Tea made from wild Reishi is very good for your health.

’The only question is, would Mom and Dad be willing to drink it?’

’Because tea made from wild Reishi is bitter and doesn’t taste good at all.’

’Tea from cultivated Reishi isn’t as bitter and has a much better taste. But its health benefits can’t compare to the wild kind.’

Soon, Li You made his decision. He would buy it himself and take it back for his parents to make tea with.

’Whether they’re willing to drink it or not, I have to take it back for them to try.’

Wild Reishi like this are a rare find. It’s not something you can just buy whenever you want.

’So, now that I’ve come across one, I shouldn’t miss this chance.’

’Why didn’t I think of this earlier?’

’If I had, I could have just given the money to Zhang Zongfu right then and there.’

’Should I turn back now?’

’Nah, I won’t go back. I’ll just find another time to give Zhang Zongfu the money.’

Li You continued on his way.

As for why Li You didn’t make Reishi tea for himself, it was because his physical condition was already excellent. There was no need for him to drink it.

A short while later, Li You arrived back at the restaurant.

When Ye Shengge saw the things on the back rack, she said, ”Did you also pick up some ingredients while you were out?”

Li You said, ”I didn’t buy them. One sack is plums from Elder Lin. The other is potatoes from Uncle Guodong.”

Ye Shengge was surprised, but also not too surprised. She said, ”Elder Lin and Uncle Guodong are certainly polite and generous.”

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