Chapter 295: Introducing the School

Yue Ning got out of Cui Huiyi's car. A gust of cold wind blew and she quickly zipped up her down jacket.

Professor Zhu, wearing a grey woolen Zhongshan suit, was already standing in front of the school gate with carved beams and painted buildings. Yue Ning walked over quickly and asked, "Is Mingxuan not here yet?"

"The time has not come yet! Xiao Zhou came from Yangshupu, the road is long and difficult to walk." Teacher Zhu said.

Today Yue Ning went to the Qiao family for dinner. Zhou Mingxuan and Zhao Jiaying led teams to inspect two factories respectively. Zhou Mingxuan was responsible for the situation of the city’s wool spinning factory No. 3.

Shanghai was a world-renowned textile production base during the Republic of China period. After liberation, these factories were nationalized and still occupy an important share of the country's industry.

In addition to agricultural products and traditional silk handicrafts, textiles are the main export commodities of China in this era.

An old van drove slowly over, the door was opened, and Zhou Mingxuan got out of the car. He shivered as soon as he got out of the car and quickly wrapped his cotton coat tightly.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long." Zhou Mingxuan said.

Yue Ning smiled and said, "Isn't there still about ten minutes left?"

The three of them walked towards the campus together. Several students rode by on 28-bar bicycles.

"Mingxuan, how was the inspection today?" Yue Ning asked him.

Zhou Mingxuan shook his head: "Not very optimistic. But I am mentally prepared. After all, the situation of several factories I visited in Yuecheng before was not ideal."

Even in a big city like Shanghai, the foreign trade orders it can receive now are only low-end textiles. These products are cheap, the production equipment is 20 to 30 years behind the advanced level abroad, and the management level is even worse.

Yue Ning sighed secretly. It would be strange to be optimistic. These enterprises will inevitably face large-scale restructuring in the 1990s. Many factories will close down, triggering a wave of layoffs. Thinking of this, she could only comfort herself: We just need to do our best. Look at Japan and the four Asian tigers. They are all beneficiaries of the redivision of world trade. It was difficult for China to develop during the blockade of the Western world. Now that it is open, as long as we seize this opportunity, the economy will always get better.

Several girls walked together, holding textbooks, and frequently looked towards Yue Ning and Zhou Mingxuan. Yue Ning took the initiative to wave and say hello: "Hello."

"Hello."

As Yue Ning walked away, the girls began to whisper: "Who is this? She is so pretty and fashionable. She doesn't look like she is from our school, does she?"

"I remember the announcement on the radio today that there will be a seminar in Building 3 at 2pm. It is said that students from the Department of Economics of City University of Hong Kong will come to exchange ideas."

"Students come to exchange ideas? What do they exchange about?"

"What is a seminar?"

"Why don't you go and take a look? Broaden your horizons?"

"OK!"

......

Yue Ning followed Teacher Zhu into the teaching building and came to the lecture hall. There were already quite a few students sitting in the classroom. The age range of the students in these years was very wide, some were already in their thirties, while others had a youthful and tender face. However, as a key university in a big city, the girls wore flowered cloth headbands and silk ribbon bows, and the boys did not all wear the same blue work clothes, but had their own unique styles.

Yue Ning turned around and saw the words "Welcome Yue Ning and Zhou Mingxuan from City University of Hong Kong to come for exchanges" written on the blackboard.

Teacher Zhu walked up to the podium and said, "Students, please be quiet. Yue Ning is a student of Gangcheng University and a disciple of the famous economist Professor Wan Boda. She is not only the owner of the popular noodle restaurant 'Ning Xiaochu' in Gangcheng and Japan, but also runs the most luxurious restaurant 'Ning Yan' in Gangcheng. At the same time, she founded a trading company..."

"She's only about 20 years old? And she's already opened a restaurant?"

"It's the most luxurious one. Is it more luxurious than the hotel that receives foreign guests?"

"Hot in Japan?"

"......"

The students' discussions interrupted Teacher Zhu's introduction several times. Yue Ning smiled and said, "Teacher Zhu, these introductions are not important. What's important is that I want to exchange my views with the students."

"Well, let's welcome Yue Ning with warm applause." Teacher Zhu led the applause.

Amid warm applause, Yue Ning walked up to the podium: "Hello, teachers and students. My name is Yue Ning, and I come from Hong Kong."

"First, let me answer the question you were concerned about. I am 20 years old. I have indeed opened a catering business, or more precisely, a catering management company with three business lines: Ning Xiaochu Noodle House, which is similar to the Weimin Dim Sum Shop here, mainly serves special snacks. For example, the Yuanzai instant noodles you are familiar with, with pickled mustard greens and shredded pork flavor, is a seasoning formula I specially designed for customers in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai."

"I like the Old Beijing Noodles with Soy Sauce, which actually contains a sauce packet. It tastes great! But the price is a bit expensive," said another classmate.

"That was also the seasoning formula I developed." Yue Ning explained, "The third business line is the Ningyan Restaurant mentioned by Mr. Zhu. There are currently two branches in Hong Kong, and a branch in Macau is about to open. The most expensive set meal for ten people at Ningyan costs more than 50,000 Hong Kong dollars. According to our statistics, the per capita consumption last year was 792 Hong Kong dollars, equivalent to more than 200 yuan."

There was a burst of exclamations from the audience. After graduation, these college students only earn more than 100 yuan a month, which is equivalent to two months' salary for them.

"Who can afford such an expensive meal?" someone asked curiously.

"This is the reality of capitalist society. There are pig's trotter noodles for 3.5 yuan a bowl, and fried rice for more than 300 yuan a portion." Yue Ning sighed, "This is exactly in line with the saying 'The rich have wine and meat, while the poor have frozen bones on the streets.' She looked at a girl in the audience, "Classmate, do you know why my restaurant can sell so expensive and still be so popular?"

The girl looked up and answered: "Because it tastes good?"

"Delicious food is the basic requirement. But to sell at such a high price, the environment and service are equally important." Yue Ning looked around at everyone, "Let's not discuss other factors for now. How do you think I found those chefs who are willing to spend 300 yuan on a bowl of noodles?"

"High salary?"

"Gangcheng is a small place, and it's impossible for me to recruit all the top chefs. Besides, when I took over Baohualou, it was facing an operational crisis. Even if they had money, they might not be willing to come." Yue Ning kept it a secret.

Everyone looked at her expectantly. Yue Ning said: "The answer is the mainland. There are a lot of excellent talents in the mainland."

Yue Ning gave a detailed account of how she brought in experienced chefs from Yuecheng through further study and cooperation, which not only saved Baohualou but also successfully opened Ningyan Restaurant.

"The chefs from Jinhua Hotel, Xijiao Yingbin Hotel and especially the State Guesthouse have all come to my restaurant for further training. No wonder I can open the highest-end restaurant," Yue Ning added.

"Oh! I see. You are using the salary level in the mainland to attract these chefs to work for you? Isn't this exploitation of the working people?"

Zhou Mingxuan retorted: "What do you know? These chefs are paid very well in Hong Kong. I heard that Ningyan's top chefs earn over 10,000 yuan a month, and ordinary exchange chefs can also get 5,000 or 6,000 yuan. Baohualou's salary is notoriously high in Hong Kong."

"Monthly salary over ten thousand?" the classmates were amazed.

Calculated based on the exchange rate, their monthly income is equivalent to three years of working here.

"What if we give them so much money and they refuse to come back after their training? Isn't this digging into socialism?"

Yue Ning laughed and said, "I am contributing to the construction of socialism, how could I possibly poach people?"

She explained that the chefs would return to their original units after their two-year contracts expired.

The same student asked again: "Now that they are earning high salaries, will they still be willing to go back?"

He seemed to want to debate with Yue Ning. Yue Ning smiled and replied: "It is true that some people choose not to come back. But the actual situation is much better than I expected. The first batch of chefs will finish their training in the middle of next year, and they will all return to the mainland, but their positions will be adjusted..."

Yue Ning introduced the career development of the three chefs: "In two years, they earned what others would take thirty years to accumulate. After returning to the mainland, everyone got better development opportunities. What do you think is the possibility of them coming back? I can't guarantee that everyone is willing to come back, but I will try my best to let the best chefs stay in the mainland to develop."

"What does this have to do with us?"

"Because you are all outstanding talents, I hope to become classmates with you in the future." Yue Ning said sincerely, "City University of Hong Kong has reached a cooperation with J University and will recruit students from J University. Now I would like to ask my classmate Zhou Mingxuan to introduce this project in detail and its relationship with everyone present."

"Hello, teachers and students. I am Zhou Mingxuan." Zhou Mingxuan stood up, "Now let me introduce the situation of Hong Kong City University." He looked around the classroom, "Hong Kong City University will celebrate its 70th anniversary this year. As a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, our school maintains close academic exchanges with universities in the United Kingdom, Australia and other countries. There are many graduates from top European and American universities among our faculty..."

Although the Hong Kong City University is quite strong at this time, there is still a gap compared with famous European and American universities. Moreover, European and American countries and China are currently in a period of friendly exchanges, and many students prefer to wait for opportunities to study abroad in Europe, the United States or Japan.

City University of Hong Kong actively promoted this exchange program, but it did not go smoothly. Yue Ning originally thought it was a problem of approval efficiency in the Mainland, but after communicating with Professor Zhu, he realized that many students regarded HKU as a backup.

After introducing the school, Zhou Mingxuan further elaborated on the specific content of the exchange program: "The origin of this project can be traced back to Yue Ning's recruitment of translators..."

"I see!" The boy who had been questioning suddenly stood up and bowed to Yue Ning, "Student Yue, I apologize for the many questions I raised just now."

"It's okay. Just continue to listen to Zhou's introduction."

"Student Yue Ning has provided us with many practical opportunities. As a window connecting the mainland and the world, we have established a service company in Gangcheng to provide translation, legal, import and export and other services to mainland companies. If you choose to study in Gangcheng, we will provide work-study opportunities. You will accumulate practical work experience during your studies, and these experiences will help you establish cooperative relationships with mainland companies in the future. Just like the chefs at Baohualou, they can earn a good income during their training. We are now cooperating with many companies." Zhou Mingxuan listed a long list of cooperative companies.

"When you finish your studies in Hong Kong and return to the mainland, you will be able to enter these companies and become professionals connecting the mainland and Hong Kong."

Zhou Mingxuan said with emotion: "People are worthless when they leave their hometown. I also applied to British universities, but my family was poor, so I had to work to earn tuition and living expenses to study abroad. Washing dishes and mopping the floor in a restaurant are the easiest jobs for students like us to find. In the end, I chose to stay in Hong Kong, and I didn't expect to meet Ningning. Studying is important, but I am lucky to be able to accumulate practical experience while studying and have a bright future."

"Then...if we go to Hong Kong, can we stay and work?" a girl asked cautiously.

Yue Ning explained: "This project is a government-sponsored exchange program, and in principle, we do not support international students to stay and work. But we understand that everyone has their own ambitions. If you participate in our company's internship in your spare time, you are likely to enter the companies mentioned by Zhou Mingxuan after graduation, and there is a great chance that you will be assigned to work in Hong Kong."

"Stay in Hong Kong and work? Wouldn't the income be much higher than in the mainland?"

"But...Will capitalist society be very chaotic?"

"How do I apply?"

"Can I still sign up now?"

"Does Hong Kong City University have high English proficiency requirements? My English is not very good..."

Yue Ning and Zhou Mingxuan patiently answered everyone's questions.

After coming out of J University, Zhou Mingxuan asked: "Ningning, I heard from the technician of the wool spinning mill that he graduated from the Textile Engineering College. Actually, J University is very good, but our business involves many textile enterprises. Can we cooperate with the Textile Engineering College? That school is not as famous as J University, and we will cherish the cooperation opportunity more, and the majors are more suitable."

"Mingxuan, you're really quick to react. This is a great idea!" Yue Ning said in surprise, "Our school doesn't have any textile-related majors."

"Other universities have related majors. I will contact them under your name when I get back." Zhou Mingxuan said confidently.

Yue Ning nodded in agreement: "Good idea, let's do it."