Chapter 56

Unlike the impression of instant noodles in later generations, which were cheap, filling, and fast, now, in the era when instant noodles were not yet popular, instant noodles could be regarded as a small "luxury nutritional product". This is just like the global fried chicken brands that entered the mainland a few years later. At the beginning, only rich people ate them.

When instant noodles were first sold in Beijing, a pack cost 20 cents and a ticket was added. The main reason was that the grain and oil trading system in the mainland had not yet been liberalized, and it was not easy to get enough cooking oil for frying instant noodles.

Since Chen Lanjun's factory is close to Hong Kong, this part is purchased directly from Hong Kong. Although thanks to the extremely preferential policies of the Special Administrative Region, there is no need to pay tariffs in the purchase of raw materials, but after all the calculations are made, the cost is still there.

Originally, Chen Lanjun and Chen Fengjun's consideration for the sales market of their instant noodle factory's products was to focus on low-end restaurants in Hong Kong - in layman's terms, various small shops and stalls.

Since labor and rent in the mainland are really cheap, the price of "Sister Home" instant noodles is attractive compared to similar products.

However, when faced with potential customers, Chen Lanjun suddenly had an idea. In fact, the sales market doesn't have to be so rigid. There is a lot of room for development in the mainland, especially in the vast hinterland!

But for this price, we have to find a good balance.

"50 cents a pack." The mother was a little hesitant after hearing this, after all, a bowl of meat costs about this much.

It doesn't feel like a good deal.

However, the child persisted in making noises in his ears.

"Mom, please buy me a pack. I want to eat it."

It is unreasonable for children to quarrel. I was already in a noisy train station. The shrill and thin voices of children made my head explode.

Chen Lanjun saw the expression on the mother's face and knew that she was hesitant, so she took a step back and did not try to sell it. She just smiled and said, "Actually, I'm not selling this. I'm bringing this box back for my family to try. They haven't tried it before. I was worried that if you insisted on buying it, what would I do if I didn't have enough?"

"Mom--Mom!" When the child heard this, he was afraid that he would not get to eat, and his eyes were covered with mist. He stared at his mother intently, and if he said no, he would cry so hard that the earth would shake.

The mother frowned and looked at the bag of finished instant noodles several times.

My daughter just got half a bag of instant noodles, and I let her taste a little bit of it like a treasure. I have to say, the taste is really unique, delicious, and extremely fragrant.

Thinking of this, she swallowed her saliva. She thought, poor at home but rich on the road, I should spend some money when I'm out, since I'm here now.

So I put on a smile and said, "There's only one box. You can't finish it even if you bring it back for your family. Why don't you sell me two bags?"

So the box of instant noodles that Chen Lanjun originally planned to take home was opened and two packs were sold.

There was nothing to see in the waiting room of the train station at that time. The passengers had nothing to do anyway. When they saw someone selling something rare or something they had never seen before, they would come over to watch the fun.

As soon as the child got the instant noodles, he opened them immediately. His chubby little hands stuffed the golden noodles into his mouth and ate them with a crunchy sound, which sounded very delicious.

"Little sister, are you still selling this?"

Chen Lanjun hugged the box of instant noodles and said hesitantly, "I can only sell nine packs at most. I want to take the rest home."

If she hadn't said that, the passenger wouldn't have been very interested, thinking that he was just eating something out of boredom while waiting for the bus. But when he heard that he was going to take it home, it must be a local product. He looked at the packaging again, it was quite stylish. He took it back to bring back to his family. It seemed good, so he said:

"50 cents a pack, right? OK, give me one."

"Hey, I want two packs! Give me one dollar."

Soon, the ten packs of instant noodles were sold out.

She politely declined the other people who wanted to buy instant noodles. Chen Lanjun carried half a box of instant noodles, walked to another corner, repacked the things, turned to Zhao Hong and said, "Don't stand here stupidly. Hurry up. Go to Wutong Restaurant. There should be some extra instant noodles there. Bring them over. At the entrance of the ticket gate at the train station, try to set up a stall to sell instant noodles."

Zhao Hong agreed, but hesitated: "But, this gift..."

"It's okay. It's not like I can't bring myself to do it."

Chen Lanjun urged, "Go move the instant noodles first and see if you can get another clerk to help. Oh, and ask my sister to draw a bigger poster with the words, 'Instant noodles from Hong Kong, a good gift for your family'. Something like that."

"Okay, I'll go."

"Hey - wait," Chen Lanjun stopped him and warned him, "The restaurant also put up instant noodle ads like this. As for the others... I'll think about it carefully. I'll write the letter and send it by registered mail. You guys can take a close look at it."

"Run, go!"

After some extra hassles, Chen Lanjun hurried to catch the train with a backpack on her back, instant noodles in one hand and a travel bag in the other. It had been a few minutes since the ticket check started, and she rushed all the way to the platform.

The whistle sounded, indicating that the train doors were about to close. However, the front of the train was a little far from the entrance. Chen Lanjun became anxious and walked faster.

The conductor on the platform also urged: "Hurry up, sister, the train is about to start!"

Just when I was worrying about whether I could catch the train, I suddenly heard someone shouting:

"Ms. Chen, come here."

Chen Lanjun looked in the direction of the voice and it turned out to be Shao Qinghe?

He stood by the car door, holding the inner railing with one hand and stretching out the other hand towards Chen Lanjun.

Chen Lanjun hesitated for a second, then decisively threw the heavier luggage bag into his hand, then jumped up and crossed the gap between the platform and the green train.

The next moment, the train wheels began to roll with a clattering sound.

Chen Lanjun breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, she didn't miss the bus, otherwise Chen Fengjun would have been nagging at her.

She tried to calm her breathing and glanced at Shao Qinghe beside her: "Thank you, can you return my luggage to me?"

Shao Qinghe held out his luggage bag and said, "You don't want to ask?"

"What's the point of asking?"

Chen Lanjun's hand was a little sore from carrying the luggage bag, so she changed her hand to carry it and said, "This train is going to Suicheng. Isn't there a big hotel where you are? I heard on the radio a few days ago that the preparations are going smoothly and it will open soon. I guess that's where you are going."

She glanced at Shao Qinghe and said, "Then, I found out that I was also taking this train. This is a good way to kill two birds with one stone."

Shao Qinghe looked at her, a smile slowly filling his eyes: "You care about me too, Miss Holmes."

"I have always been concerned about family affairs, national affairs and world affairs."

As Chen Lanjun spoke, she walked towards the carriage indicated on her ticket.

Shao Qinghe followed behind and said, "I bought two sleeper tickets. Perhaps you can do me the honor of taking a rest."

"don't want--"

Before Chen Lanjun finished her words, she was stunned. She looked up and felt a little desperate. The seats in this carriage were all occupied on a first-come, first-served basis.

She was still thinking about sorting out her business ideas, so she changed the subject: "If you don't agree, it would be a waste of Mr. Shao's kindness. I'm such a good person, so I'll help you this time."

Shao Qinghe raised his eyebrows: "Thank you?"