"Boss, do you have purchase limits here?" Tang Li asked.
"No limits, but we only sell cooked food, not ingredients," the boss replied with a smile.
Tang Li asked again, puzzled, "But ingredients at the exchange are limited, aren't they? Boss, where did you get these ingredients?"
The boss chuckled, "Miss, are you new here?"
Without waiting for Tang Li to reply or ask further, he proceeded to explain:
"Our Jiangcheng doesn't lack electricity, and various important industrial production has also resumed."
"The authorities have built many vertical farms in the city, where they grow vegetables and raise poultry, which is why we can eat fresh vegetables, eggs, and the like."
"Besides that, the authorities have also organized manpower to go to Longmen Lake outside the city for winter fishing, catching at least 10 tons of fish every day."
"The fish balls and fish soup here are made from fish caught in Longmen Lake, and the vegetables are grown in the vertical farms."
"As for purchase limits..."
The boss paused here before continuing,
"Of course, I can't exchange so many ingredients by myself. But I can grow them myself or buy them from others!"
"Although staple foods are strictly limited in Jiangcheng, the purchase limits for these vegetables and fish are not that strict, they are just more expensive than staple foods."
"Industrial production has resumed, and factories in the industrial zone have also started operating. Many workers pass by here on their way to and from work every day, and they earn quite a bit."
"We can buy various limited ingredients from them at a higher price, and then process these ingredients into various dishes and sell them to the workers who have surplus points."
"In this way, we earn points, those who lack points exchange their limited quotas for points, and the workers with points can have a warm meal on their way to and from work. Everyone gets what they need, and everyone is happy."
Hearing this, Tang Guo asked, "Won't the authorities investigate?"
The boss shook his head, "The authorities only prohibit the private hoarding of strategic materials."
"We sell the limited ingredients we buy at high prices after processing them, at even higher prices. We don't hoard them and refuse to sell, so it's not considered hoarding, and the authorities don't interfere."
Tang Guo nodded in understanding.
At this moment, the dumpling soup in the pot was also ready.
Tang Li had seen earlier that the boss did not cook the dumpling soup in the pot on the spot. It was already cooked, portioned, and frozen, and then boiled when needed, so it was ready quickly.
"Fish soup noodles and dumpling soup are 0.1 points per serving, and one serving is one cup."
"I added 0.4 points of side dishes for each of you, and a paper cup also costs 0.1 points, so there are 5 servings of fish soup noodles and dumpling soup."
The boss said, holding two paper cups, and handed them to Tang Li and Tang Guo.
Tang Guo took the paper cup and asked, "Paper cups also cost points?"
The boss smiled, "Of course! It's not like before the flood, where you could throw away these disposable paper cups without a second thought."
"Paper cups are very expensive now! I don't make any profit by charging 0.1 points. The reason I charge is to encourage everyone to bring their own tableware in the future."
"Eat it while it's hot. The temperature is too low now, and the contents in the cup will cool down in just a few minutes."
Tang Li took a bite and found that the freshly made fish dumpling soup had already cooled down considerably and wasn't very hot. She finished it in a few bites.
The fish dumpling soup tasted good, very fresh and delicious.
However, the portion size was not large, and it was impossible to feel full.
After eating it, she felt much warmer all over, which was also a pleasure in this extreme cold season.
"The boss's cooking is good, this dumpling soup is quite tasty," Tang Li praised.
At the same time, she was also thinking in her heart about what delicacies she had in her space that she could sell in Jiangcheng without attracting suspicion.
After finishing all 5 servings of fish soup noodles and 5 servings of fish dumpling soup, Tang Li realized that for the 2 points spent, she could have made more than 10 times that amount if she had used ingredients.
Even if the boss bought ingredients at a higher price, he should still be making a good profit.
So she asked, "Boss, how is your business? How many points do you earn per day?"
"Also, if we want to set up a stall like yours, what do we need to prepare?"
Hearing Tang Li's words, the boss was stunned and asked, "Miss, you want to set up a stall?"
He then advised, "Miss, please don't do anything rash! In this freezing weather, setting up a stall is really bitter and tiring, and the investment and expenses are very high. In fact, you won't earn much money!"