Chapter 19 Eating Mutton Soup with Steamed Buns

Qiao Junxian listened to Yue Ning's instructions on how to break the steamed bun. He didn't quite understand what was going on, such as first break, second tear, third pinch, and fourth shake. Why did he have to break the bun before eating, and why did he have to break it carefully, bit by bit?

"Doesn't this mean that if I want to go to Baohualou to eat fish soup, I have to cut the fish myself?" Qiao Junxian said while breaking a steamed bun.

Yue Ning looked at Director Chen and said, "Director Chen! If we take a photo of this, we will hang it in this store and let people know that when it comes to eating mutton soup steamed buns, everyone is equal. Even if the son of a capitalist comes, he has to break his own steamed bun."

Director Chen couldn't help laughing out loud: "Xiao Yue, when you decided to eat mutton soup steamed bun just now, you didn't have good intentions, did you?"

"Director, what are you saying? Choosing food that represents the working people, and you still say I have bad intentions? Of course, I have an idea. During the process of breaking the steamed bun, we can chat and talk about things. It's mainly because after Mr. Qiao and I went shopping in the mall in the afternoon, I had too many doubts and wanted to ask you." Yue Ning asked Qiao Junxian, "Mr. Qiao, is that right?"

"Yes. Mr. Chen, I went to a department store this afternoon..." Qiao Junxian talked about his experiences. After he finished, he continued, "Ms. Yue said that it is impossible for the country to open up industries such as color TVs and refrigerators immediately. Moreover, the home appliance industry, which mainly focuses on color TVs and refrigerators, has high technical requirements and large investment funds. She suggested that I could make small home appliances such as radios and electric fans, and I could also invest in building a factory in the newly established Shekou Industrial Zone. You are engaged in investment promotion, and I would like to hear your opinion."

Director Chen looked at Yue Ning, who was looking for any large pieces of steamed bread that had not been broken up, in surprise: "Xiao Yue, how did you know that the country would not open up the color TV and refrigerator industries, and how did you know about the Shekou Industrial Zone?"

"I just told Mr. Qiao that the country will definitely focus on large enterprises and let go of small ones, and will do it step by step. I heard about the Shekou Industrial Zone from the radio. Shekou is such a small place, and I believe that the country will try and it won't be achieved overnight. To attract investment, you can tell where to attract investment from the geographical location. Isn't Mr. Qiao just the right one?" Yue Ning had almost finished breaking the beans. She stood up and looked down at Qiao Junxian, "Break it finer, otherwise you won't be able to taste the delicious mutton soup bun. The soybean size is just right."

Qiao Junxian had no choice but to accept his fate and continue breaking the steamed bun. Seeing that Yue Baohua had almost finished breaking the bun, Yue Ning took his grandfather's bowl and went to the window to soak the steamed bun.

"That's true. We are introducing the color TV production line from Japan's Victory Company. Color TV is a big market and has high technical content. We are also trial-producing refrigerators. These are all things that the leaders of the Fourth Ministry of Machine Building are paying close attention to. But as for the electric fans and radios you mentioned, take radios for example. There are countless radio factories of all sizes across the country. Some factories have no money on their books and can't even pay wages. They rely entirely on government funding to support their workers. The same is true for the electric fan industry."

"If there are so many of them, why are they so expensive?" Qiao Junxian was puzzled. "Whether in Hong Kong or in the European and American markets, the prices of fans and radios are much lower than in the mainland. Domestic labor is so cheap and demand is so strong. 'Three turns and one ring' is what newlyweds in the city want. Why can't some factories even pay wages? This doesn't make sense."

Yue Ning came back with a bowl and just heard this. She put down the bowl, handed one to grandpa, and picked up the chili can and added chili oil.

Director Chen sighed, "There are indeed reasons for planning and deployment, but it is also a fact that there is already excess production capacity. If you want to open a factory, we welcome you, but we have to explain the truth to you."

"The technology is fine, the price is high, and there is no shortage of market, but the factory is not making money? It is really hard to understand." Qiao Junxian stopped breaking the steamed bun.

"Mr. Qiao, think about it, if you were running your own business, and you didn't have the materials or the customers, what would you do?"

“Find ways to buy materials and find customers.”

"Here, we just need to ask for quotas and transfers from our superiors. However, even if the transfers are made, they may not arrive. That is a problem from above. Whether the pricing is reasonable or not is also a problem from above. It has nothing to do with the workers in the factory. Just follow the arrangements of the country. How can such a company make money? If you do it, the material cost will probably be similar to those factories in Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, but we have a big advantage in labor costs. After all, theirs is HK$1,500, while ours is only HK$150."

Director Chen sighed: "What is a planned economy? It means that the state delegates plans to the lower levels, and enterprises have no autonomy. The finance, labor, materials and other departments above provide the necessary materials for enterprise operations. Now this system can't work anymore. The state wants to solve it with economic laws and put these things on the market, but the planned economy has been implemented for 30 years and has strong inertia. It will take time to change."

"I can understand what you said, but I don't have much confidence in the advantage of labor costs. Just look at the male sales clerks in department stores and hardware and electrical appliance stores. It's really..." Qiao Junxian was originally very excited, but now he is uncertain.

"Yes, there are many such cases. I saw you arguing with the salesperson selling clothes in the department store. Although you won, I know this is a common phenomenon. The same was true for the salesperson who sold the electric fan. They are all similar. It represents the overall attitude of people here towards work."

Yue Ning swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and said, "I think there is no difference between the male salesperson selling fans and the female salesperson selling radios in the hardware and electrical store."

"They are two completely different people. That saleswoman..."

Yue Ning interrupted him: "There is no difference, no difference at all."

Qiao Junxian thought she was joking: "You saw it with your own eyes."

"Go soak your steamed bun first." Yue Ning pointed at his bowl, "After you soak your steamed bun, sit down and we'll talk."

Director Chen wanted to help Qiao Junxian soak the steamed buns, but Qiao Junxian said, "I can do it myself. I can break the steamed buns myself. I have to experience the process of soaking the steamed buns."

After they came back from soaking their steamed buns, Qiao Junxian couldn't wait to ask, "The difference is so huge, how can you say there is no difference at all?"

"There is no difference in their wages, or the difference is very small. It is very likely that the eldest sister's salary is lower than that of the male salesperson." Yue Ning pushed the pickled garlic to him, "Then what is the motivation for them to work hard? It is not ruled out that there are people like the eldest sister, Secretary Fugen, and me who work seriously."

Qiao Junxian had just begun to understand, but when he heard her praising him as well, he couldn't help laughing: "You..."

"I'm telling the truth. I have an internal drive to strive for progress. I hope to do my best in everything I do and I'm strict with myself. But most people have no motivation without incentives. Moreover, in the past ten years, many procedures have been messed up. To what extent have the plans been implemented from top to bottom? It's not surprising that the situation Director Chen described has occurred," said Yue Ning.

Director Chen put down the bowl and said, "Xiao Yue, you really understand it!"

"Is Xiaoyanggou a particularly remote mountain village?" Yue Ning asked Qiao Junxian.

"Of course."

"In such a remote mountain village, think about it, how many people can be used? What position can I be assigned to? What position can Secretary Fugen assign to me? I only earn a few dozen yuan a year. If you let me earn a hundred yuan a month by giving me a reward for every machine I sell, I will definitely work hard! If Aunt Chunmei knew that she could find a wife for her son after working for two or three months, would she not work hard?"

"If you are willing to come, work with me to build the factory. Once it is open, I will hand it over to you directly." said Qiao Junxian.

Yue Ning smiled: "I'm just talking about it on paper, I haven't put it into practice yet."

"I believe in your talent."

Yue Baohua finished eating, coughed, and took out a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

Qiao Junxian responded and said with a smile: "Uncle Hua is waiting for you to enter Baohua Building! You are so capable, you can definitely help Uncle Hua clean up Shenghua Building and vent his anger."

"Shenghualou?" Yue Ning finished the last mouthful of soup, took out his handkerchief and looked at Yue Baohua.

Yue Baohua exhaled softly: "One of my apprentices opened a restaurant opposite Baohua Building..."

Yue Baohua has never been good at gossiping about other people, and when Young Master Qiao rashly brought it up, he hadn't yet organized his words to respond.

"They are using the same dishes as Baohualou but at a lower price than Baohualou, and are stealing your business under the name of your apprentice?" Yue Ning asked.

The granddaughter guessed almost everything right, this is too... Yue Baohua nodded: "Yes!"

"My father talked to me about this. He told me that for a young chef to become famous through word of mouth, it would take many years for him to become well-known, even if his dishes were delicious. Riding on the reputation of his parents is a shortcut. But this shortcut uses his parents as a ladder to climb up. If it were his own children, his parents would naturally do their best to support him, but if it were an apprentice, he would teach his apprentice to starve to death. But there is no way to avoid this. If you don't accept apprentices, keep the skills in the family, pass them down to men but not women, they will eventually die out. The only right way is to have a broad vision, make the apprentice stronger, and make myself stronger, so that I can constantly bring forth new ideas. If there is really no other way, and one day my apprentice surpasses me, wouldn't that be an honor?"

Of course, these were not taught to Yue Ning by Yue Zhirong. These were the situations Yue Ning encountered when he ran a roast meat rice chain store in his previous life.

At that time, the company was preparing to go public in Hong Kong, but it had a conflict with its investors over operations. The investor actually pulled one of her executives out and created another similar brand.

The investors had money, and her executive took several key people with him, and quickly opened stores according to their company's model. Her competitors knew her best, and under their fierce attack, her company was in crisis and the listing plan was shelved. This was the biggest setback in her entrepreneurial career.

At this time, she launched a glass crispy roast duck rice, which became a hit as soon as it was launched and became an Internet celebrity product, but it also pushed her Ning Shao La to the forefront. Many Cantonese people criticized that Ning Shao La's roast meat was not authentic. But people who like to eat it lined up just for this taste.

When that company saw that they became popular, they quickly followed suit and launched the same product, which made her very annoyed. Originality was too difficult, so that company just kept copying their company.

That company advertised on major platforms. Once the ads were placed, it attracted more traffic. Many food bloggers began to review the two products. Ning's Roasted Meat won in terms of taste, while the other company won in terms of cost-effectiveness.

Ning Shaola has a new product and does a wave of marketing first, and then that company follows with a second wave of marketing, which is equivalent to helping them with marketing at the same time.

As their company accelerated its expansion, the other company followed suit. Within five years, wherever their store opened, the other store was within a few hundred meters. In Japan’s Ikebukuro store, the two stores were opened side by side, and the people in line were connected. Although the product categories were similar, both companies developed rapidly through differentiated competition.

Although both companies made money in the end, Yue Ning still felt uncomfortable. After all, no one wants to be stared at and sucked of like this.

"I am too narrow-minded." Yue Baohua sighed.

In contrast, he felt that his heart was not broad. Moreover, in such a mountain village, his son could teach his granddaughter like this. If his son were still alive, he would definitely have made a career.

"We have a case study on this in class." Qiao Junxian said to Yue Baohua, "Uncle Hua, do you know Hometown Chicken and McDonald's?"

Yue Baohua nodded: "I know. That fried chicken store opened many stores, but eventually closed down. Their chicken doesn't taste like chicken. McDonald's seems to be doing pretty good business."

"In Hong Kong, one ended up in failure, while the other quickly took over the fast food market. But in the United States, the competition between the two is extremely fierce. They will open stores in similar areas. There is also a Burger King, and three stores are opened close to each other. When I get to that place, I will think about which one I want to eat today. They all have good business." Qiao Junxian put down his chopsticks, "I am narrow-minded too."

"I said to my dad at the time, why? Just like when I took an exam in school, I got full marks, and my deskmate copied me and also got full marks, and we both received full marks as rewards, how could I be happy?" Yue Ning said, "I don't have as broad mind as my dad, especially when the store was still called Shenghualou and was still relying on cheap goods to attract customers. How could I think I could surpass the master? Low class, shameless!"

Ning Ning scolded so fiercely that Yue Baohua laughed: "Silly child. Let's go home after eating!"

The four of them walked out of the restaurant together. On the way, Qiao Junxian said, "That Ding Shengqiang is not only competing with your grandfather with the same dishes, he is also using dirty tricks."

"What's the dirty trick?"

"My grandfather goes to Baohualou every once in a while to eat the grouper made by Uncle Hua himself. This habit has been going on for more than 20 years, and Uncle Hua's apprentices all know it. This time, when we arrived at the appointed time, the fish ordered by Uncle Hua was forcibly bought by Ding Shengqiang..."

Yue Ning turned his head and asked Yue Baohua: "Grandpa, he disgusts you so much, can't you just pour the water from washing feet into their pot?"

Yue Baohua: ...

After dinner, Yue Ning returned to the hotel. On the way back, she saw a mailbox at the corner of the hotel. She was going back to Hong Kong with her grandfather, but Uncle Mo in Shanghai didn't know about it yet. He must be collecting college entrance examination materials for her and sending them to her.

She went downstairs to ask the front desk for letter paper and envelope, went upstairs to write the letter, took out a stamp from her bag and put it on, and was about to leave the hotel with the letter.

"Ms. Yue."

Yue Ning turned around and saw Qiao Junxian approaching with a camera: "Go out?"

Yue Ning held up the letter in his hand: "Send a letter to the elder and tell him that I am going to Hong Kong City. What about you?"

"I saw the sunset from the window and wanted to take a few more photos."

Yue Ning looked in the direction he pointed. The red clouds dyed half the sky. The Drum Tower under the setting sun had a beauty that was both grand and vicissitudes. Not far from the Drum Tower, the ancient tower stood tall.

"Let's go for a walk together?" Qiao Junxian asked her.

In my previous life, I came here and saw this ancient capital full of Tang Dynasty-style buildings. At night, the lights were bright and there were many tourists. In the hustle and bustle, I once sighed, how nice it would be if it could return to its original state and only the ancient monuments were left?

With this opportunity today, Yue Ning nodded: "Okay!"

Yue Ning ran to put the letter into the mailbox, and then walked towards the Drum Tower with Qiao Junxian.

Qiao Junxian found an angle to take a photo of the Drum Tower: "My grandfather asked me to come back for a walk. Looking at this Drum Tower, I can imagine how prosperous Chang'an was during the heyday of the Tang Dynasty."

"Hmm? The Bell and Drum Tower was built during the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty. It is in the style of the Ming and Qing Dynasties." Yue Ning said casually.

"Ah?" Qiao Junxian was a little embarrassed, "So that's how it is."

Yue Ning regretted what he said as soon as he said it. If no one had deliberately looked into this aspect, how many people would know about it?

"It's normal that people don't know the difference between Han and Tang architecture and Ming and Qing architecture if they haven't studied it deliberately," said Yue Ning.

"Didn't you grow up in a mountain village? How do you know so much? They all say that children in the mainland haven't studied well in recent years. How do you know so much?" Qiao Junxian expressed his doubts. She knew how to cook because it was a tradition, but she also knew so much about business opportunities, which he really couldn't understand.

"Didn't I just go to mail a letter? It was that elder who taught me. He was an intellectual who came to Xiaoyanggou for reform, and happened to live with my daughter and I. Architecture is his family tradition. His eldest daughter likes architecture very much, and she is separated from her wife and children. Sometimes he treats me as his daughter and talks about many things about architecture. I understand as I listen." Yue Ning looked up, "You see, the biggest difference between Ming and Qing architecture and Han and Tang architecture is the bracket setback..."

"So that's how it is." Qiao Junxian said, "Miss Yue, stand there and I'll take a picture of you?"

"Okay!" Yue Ning looked for a spot diagonally opposite, "Is this okay?"

"Sure." Qiao Junxian raised the camera and took a picture of her.

After taking the photos, the two walked to the front. Qiao Junxian asked uncertainly, "This Buddhist temple is from the Tang Dynasty. I remember that this tower was built by Master Xuanzang to enshrine the Buddha statues, relics and Buddhist scriptures he brought back from India?"

"Yeah! Does Minato still teach this?"

Qiao Junxian shook his head: "I looked for the information myself. As for the colonies, they have always emphasized Britain over China, and there is very little content about China."

Qiao Junxian was taking photos with great interest, while Yue Ning looked up at the ancient pagoda, which was covered with green plants. The Buddhist temple was majestic, with mottled blue bricks. Against the backdrop of the gorgeous sunset, the Buddhist temple and the ancient pagoda actually showed some loneliness and desolation.

With a "click", Qiao Junxian pressed the shutter towards her. He walked over and put the camera in her hand: "Ms. Yue, can you take two photos for me too?"

Yue Ning had never used this kind of traditional camera before: "I don't know how to use it!"

"It's okay. I've already adjusted the parameters. Look here..." Qiao Junxian explained to Yue Ning, "See? Just make sure the person is in the frame and press the shutter."

"good."

Yue Ning was brought to the designated location by him, and Qiao Junxian walked over and said, "It's OK."

Yue Ning pointed the camera at him and found that from this angle, the background was a Soviet-style building and the light was a little bright, which felt a bit inconsistent.

"Mr. Qiao, I think that location is better." Yue Ning pointed to the spot next to him. "The background is clean, and the light is staggered. The layers of the sunset glow are more distinct."

Qiao Junxian ran over and looked in the direction she pointed: "This place is indeed beautiful, but the film needs sufficient light to produce a chemical reaction. If it is not exposed enough, it will produce a grainy effect."

"Is that so?"

"But you're right, the view here is better. It's not difficult, I'll teach you." Qiao Junxian explained to her carefully, "Try it?"

"Should I try?"

Yue Ning followed his instructions, adjusted the exposure and took two photos. Fearing that he might not take a good photo, he asked Qiao Junxian to return to his original position and took the photo for him.

Qiao Junxian glanced at his watch and said, "It's almost time. Let's go back. It will be dark soon."

After walking a few steps, Qiao Junxian raised his camera and pointed it at an old building: "Yue Ning, which angle do you think is good?"

Yue Ning walked back and forth a few steps: "Here, this tree and the building behind it and the sky, what do you think?"

"This angle is great, now we need to adjust the aperture..."

Yue Ning listened to him and realized that he was teaching her. He was teaching her enthusiastically, so she could only follow him. She turned the aperture adjustment device to the right and asked, "Like this?"

"Yes, shoot!" Yue Ning pressed the shutter.

"It's actually not that difficult to get started, right?" Qiao Junxian asked her.

Yue Ning finally understood that he was teaching her how to take photos, so she nodded and said, "It doesn't seem too difficult. But if you teach me how to take photos, what can I teach you? Can I teach you how to cook?"

"Okay! How about teaching me how to make fish soup with marine fish? I've made it in the U.S. with tilapia, and it had a very strong fishy smell. I originally thought that I could only use bighead carp or silver carp, and I didn't get the ingredients right. After watching you make it, I realized that other fish can be used."

"Tilapia?" Yue Ning knew what tilapia was, but she felt she had to pretend she didn't know.

"There shouldn't be this kind of fish here. It's a freshwater fish that tastes a bit like crucian carp, but without the small bones. I thought it would be very convenient to use, but when I actually made it... the fishy smell was terrible. After I finished eating it, the taste lingered in my throat for three days."

Yue Ning laughed out loud at Qiao Junxian's expression when he described it: "If it tastes bad, why eat it? Can't you just throw it away?"

Qiao Junxian seemed to react all of a sudden and started laughing as well: "Do you have to remind me like this? Do you want me to realize how stupid I am?"

Yue Ning recalled the look on Qiao Junxian's face when he ate the potato cakes made by Aunt Qiao Mei, and quickly shook his head and said, "No, no, no, this is not stupid, this is a good habit. I've been hungry before, I know food is hard to come by, and I don't want to waste it. You grew up in a wealthy environment, and you still have this habit of not wasting food, it's really rare."

Being praised so seriously by her, Qiao Junxian felt a little uncomfortable: "Really?"

The atmosphere was a little cold for a while. Yue Ning suddenly remembered that only Chinese supermarkets in the United States had live fish and shrimp, so he asked: "By the way, was the tilapia you used alive or dead?"

"The fish sold in American supermarkets are all dead."

As expected! Yue Ning said, "It's probably because the fish is dead, so the fishy smell is particularly strong. In fact, the meat of crucian carp is more tender than that of silver carp and bighead carp, and even has a hint of sweetness. If I use carp to make fish soup, it will be difficult for me to get rid of the earthy smell."

The sun gradually sets and the sky gradually darkens. People hurry under the street lights and bicycles pass by.

The two chatted back and forth, and the topic unconsciously turned to the people and things in Hong Kong. Among the people they all knew, Yue Baohua was the most familiar, so they talked about Yue Baohua. Yue Baohua never mentioned that he and Qiao Qiming were good friends, but the Qiao family always treated him as a good friend. Even Qiao Junxian knew everything about Baohua Building.

"You mentioned Ding Shengqiang yesterday. From what I heard, he didn't just use my grandfather's name to open a store. It feels like he has a grudge against my grandfather?"

"Uncle Hua is an excellent cook. There is a stacker in Macau. The stacker is actually the intermediary of the casino. It can even be said that he is a partner of the casino..." Qiao Junxian was worried that Yue Ning did not understand these complicated things, so he explained them in detail first.

"You were tricked by someone and you still helped count the money. You even hate my grandfather?"

"When we set out, I heard that he had poached your grandfather's three apprentices and their grandchildren. Your grandfather is old, and the remaining two apprentices and several grandchildren may not be able to maintain the business of Baohualou. Your grandfather originally wanted to find you and close down Baohualou if it couldn't continue. However, I think he regained his fighting spirit after seeing you, right?"

The entire team was poached, and Yue Ning didn't know what to say for a moment. People strive for higher positions and earn a living based on their own abilities, which is understandable, but when the stacker gets involved, things get weird. She asked, "You just said that Ding Shengqiang's backer is a stacker, or a gangster. Am I really powerless against him?"

In Yue Ning's previous life, Hong Kong was generally safe, except for the bad attitude of waiters. However, from early Hong Kong movies, she also knew how chaotic Hong Kong used to be.

"Gangcheng is indeed a bit chaotic, but you don't have to worry too much. My family went to Gangcheng during the Anti-Japanese War and did shipping business, so we have some background. My grandfather admitted that he had a close relationship with Uncle Hua. No one dares to do anything against you blatantly, but there may still be some small moves." Qiao Junxian said with a wry smile, "Uncle Hua is sometimes too cautious."

"What do you mean?"

"Many people would meet my grandfather, take a photo, and then they would want to let everyone in Hong Kong know. Uncle Hua and my grandfather have known each other for decades, and except for this time to find you, he has never asked my grandfather for any help."

"This is a sense of boundaries," said Yue Ning.

"What's the meaning?"

"It means that people should maintain a proper distance from each other. The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water, and only such a relationship can last long."

In this respect, Yue Ning is very similar to her grandfather. After Uncle Mo returned to Shanghai, he first remitted her money, cloth coupons, and food coupons. In that era of material scarcity, no one was well off, and Uncle Mo had a family of four to support. She returned the money and coupons and wrote to Uncle Mo, telling him that she only needed to send him some study materials for the college entrance examination.

"That's true." Qiao Junxian asked, "You asked about Shenghualou in such detail. After returning to Hong Kong City, do you plan to help your grandfather deal with Ding Shengqiang?"

"He's like a toad that jumps onto the back of one's foot. He doesn't bite, but he's disgusting. We have to teach him a lesson and make him behave himself." Yue Ning raised his eyebrows slightly, laughed, and walked into the hotel.

This was the first time Qiao Junxian heard Ding Shengqiang described this way, and he couldn't help but say, "Yue Ning, you are really interesting."

He thought this was interesting? Yue Ning asked, "No way? Brother, haven't you heard the saying 'A toad crawling on your feet doesn't bite, but it disgusts you'?"

"No." Qiao Junxian answered truthfully.

All right! Yue Ning couldn't help laughing, and the two of them walked upstairs, talking and laughing.

In the aisle, Yue Baohua walked hurriedly with a serious look on his face, and didn't even notice the two of them.