Chapter 49 Jinjiang Exclusive Competition
Li Mei's face flushed with excitement, and she could barely contain her smile.
"My cooking skills are just enough to get by; I don't have the ability to open a shop."
It's impossible for Li Mei not to be tempted. Ever since she started selling hula hoops, she's discovered that doing business these days is much more profitable than working a regular job.
Moreover, she had been setting up a stall in front of the steamed bun shop for a long time, so she knew the situation of the shop pretty well. She could figure out the general situation in her mind with a little thought.
The steamed bun shop may look small and sell a limited variety of items, but it's very profitable every day, with a higher profit margin than selling hula hoops.
Selling food is hard work and requires skills, unlike selling hula hoops where you only need to focus on costs and sales and don't have to worry about anything else. That's why Ma Lefeng wants to take advantage of this opportunity.
Li Mei knew that the hula hoop business couldn't stay this popular forever; it wasn't a business she could run indefinitely. She was also thinking about starting another business.
She doesn't have any other strengths, except that she's pretty good at cooking.
The braised dishes she made today were something she had been researching for a long time and had wanted to try for a while; today she finally got the chance.
Hearing a big boss like Lu Ting praise her like this makes her even more restless. However, she is not a confident person and is still worried about failure, so she is still somewhat timid and hesitant.
“Aunt Mei, you’re too modest. Your skills are more than enough to open a shop in the provincial capital. Don’t think of it as too difficult. Besides, different chefs have different markets. If you find the right one, you won’t go wrong. Ruyi has experience in this area. You can ask her for advice, or ask me if you don’t understand.”
Lu Ting did not give a perfunctory answer, but analyzed it very seriously.
Su Ruyi also said, "Aunt Mei, your braised food is absolutely amazing. We've bought a lot of cooked food from outside lately, and we've even been to state-run restaurants. Your skills are definitely top-notch."
I usually eat breakfast out now, and sometimes when I don't have time for dinner, I eat out or buy some cooked food to take home as an extra dish.
During this period, Su Ruyi ate her way through the entire county, gaining a general understanding of the local cuisine.
Seeing that everyone was saying the same thing, Li Mei mustered up her courage and said:
"I've thought about starting this braised food business. All I have to do is make the braising liquid and add the ingredients. Do you think it's feasible?"
Li Mei had actually been thinking about what kind of business to start. She felt that she had to start with a small stall so that the initial investment would not be too high.
She has some money, but most of it is untouchable.
As for what to do, she had thought it through carefully. Although there weren't many shops and food stalls in the county, most common foods were already sold by others, so she couldn't just start out and steal business.
Finally, she turned her attention to braised dishes.
Braised food can be made at home, and it gets more fragrant the longer it's simmered, so you don't have to worry about the flavor changing over time.
She plans to equip her family's bicycle with a sidecar to turn it into a tricycle, then put the stove and other things on it, and she can set up a stall there. She can come and go as she pleases, and she can manage it all by herself.
Many street vendors do this now, and Ma Lefeng also told her that her family used to sell steamed buns this way.
The initial investment wasn't high, especially since she was making braised food. Unlike selling steamed buns, which required buying many steamers, she only needed one large pot.
If the braised meat doesn't sell out, they can eat it themselves; with Su Ruyi around, there's no fear of waste.
Now that the taste has been recognized, Li Mei is even more confident.
"Sure, of course!" everyone said in unison.
Li Xiaobao, whose face was pale, also said, "It's especially delicious, I'm sure a lot of people will buy it."
Because of his illness, Li Xiaobao always had no taste in his mouth and usually ate very little.
But today, contrary to his usual behavior, he ate much more than before, especially braised food, which smelled particularly delicious and made him hungry.
Wang Huiting: "Mom, I've told you before, your cooking skills are absolutely top-notch. My classmates keep asking me why you don't open a shop. If you did, they would definitely come over to eat."
Su Ruyi: "If you're not afraid of getting tired, you can sell breakfast at the school gate in the morning. You can sell the lotus leaf pancakes you make, and you can also add braised dishes in addition to fresh vegetables."
Li Mei's lotus leaf-wrapped pancakes taste especially delicious. She likes to pour her special chili oil over them, which elevates the pancakes to a whole new level.
Her secret recipe for chili oil is something no one else can replicate. Even if she taught Wang Huizhen step by step, Wang Huizhen still couldn't make it taste the same.
Li Mei's lotus leaf pancakes are also exceptionally soft and delicious; there's not a single flaw in them, and they're all pluses.
Su Ruyi, a southerner, never gets tired of the food, and she feels that she can easily win over the locals.
Li Mei's eyes lit up. This was a great idea! That way, they could sell all day long!
If you're just selling braised food, you can only sell it at noon and in the evening. According to the habits of the people in Liulin County, everyone just eats a simple meal at noon, and they eat a better meal at night. If they want to add dishes, they will do so at night.
Therefore, sales are better at night.
But if you also sell lotus leaf pancakes, it's a different story. Lotus leaf pancakes can be eaten for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
"Okay, I'll go back and think about it."
Li Mei thought about it more and more and felt that this matter was promising. She would not give up selling hula hoops when the time came, and could sell both.
The meal was a pleasant one for both host and guests.
The Li family hadn't been this lively in a long time. Ever since Li Yunyao disappeared, the whole family had been shrouded in gloom.
After Li Niannian was abducted, the sky darkened, and everyone's face was filled with sorrow.
But today was lively and bustling all day long, with laughter and cheerful voices coming from time to time, and the aroma of food filling the whole street.
"It looks like Old Li's luck is about to turn around."
You can sense whether a family is declining or improving.
Previously, everyone thought that Old Li's family was going to collapse, that they had reached the point of having to sell their house, and that things would never get better, and that their later years would definitely be bleak.
Surgery is not 100% successful, especially since it involves operating on the heart; just thinking about it makes you realize how dangerous it is.
Even if he succeeds, Li Xiaobao won't be able to live like a normal child. His body will still be weak and he'll need to rest. How can he take care of his elderly parents when he can't even take care of himself?
So when Old Li was selling his house, many people were not optimistic about it.
But everyone here has children, and no one can just leave them untreated, so no one said anything.
However, everyone has noticed that things are different in Old Li's family lately.
Today it became even more tangible; how long has it been since this family has laughed heartily?
They're all neighbors, and everyone's happy to see this.
However, some were unhappy, and Liu Xiuzhi's face was very unpleasant.
She had heard from others that Old Li's family had many guests today, and they had brought a lot of ingredients that needed to be transported by tricycle.
So she came over to find out what was going on, and sure enough, it was just as rumored, without any exaggeration.
"These two old geezers, they're in such a state, how can they still have the nerve to eat and drink so well!" Liu Xiuzhi said angrily. "I feel like this old man really doesn't want to sell the house, he's just playing with people!"
Zhao Zhigang's eyes were filled with malice: "That damned girl actually intercepted it!"
"I really don't know what Old Li was thinking. He's so old, and he's been completely fooled by a little girl. If you ask me, a grandson is a grandson. Even if he changes his surname, he's still a grandson. If he were his own grandson, he would have sold the house long ago to pay for medical treatment."
"That woman is quite extraordinary; she's seen the world and isn't easily fooled. This matter may not be easy to handle."
Zhao Yucheng did not expect Su Ruyi to be so difficult to win over; none of his tricks worked against her.
He attributed it to Su Ruyi's higher level of skill; she had a lot of experience flirting with men, so she wasn't as easily fooled as a little girl, rather than to his own incompetence.
"But that woman's smugness won't last long. I found out that someone has found another way to buy hula hoops."
Liu Xiuzhi's eyes lit up: "Then we can do this business too?"
Liu Xiuzhi, who had been keeping an eye on the Li family and, incidentally, on Su Ruyi's business, knew best how big the hula hoop business was; she had long been envious.
But Su Ruyi's demands were too harsh; she wanted her to invest money before even making any money, which Liu Xiuzhi refused to do! This greatly displeased Liu Xiuzhi.
"Of course, that's my sworn brother, he's incredibly loyal."
"This is great! Why should such a scoundrel have it all to himself? And this outsider is running wild in our Liulin County!"
Zhao Zhigang: "Old Li started getting cocky after making money off that girl. When that brat's business failed, he had no choice but to obediently sell his house."
Liu Xiuzhi sneered, "The price won't be this high then. You really don't know what's good for you."
Early the next morning, Su Ruyi and Tong Yunyun rode in Lu Ting's car and headed to Zhaoguang City together.
Wang Huiting also wanted to go, but now that school has started, she doesn't have as much freedom as before.
Over the summer vacation, Wang Huiting made a lot of money selling jewelry and hula hoops. She sold most of the jewelry and kept the rest for herself or shared them with her friends.
After school starts, she will have to focus on her studies. Even if she has any other thoughts, she will have to wait until after the college entrance examination.
Wang Huiting also went to register at the school, and Li Mei couldn't leave either, so Su Ruyi took Tong Yunyun alone to participate in the competition.
Su Ruyi was surprised that Lu Ting had driven himself here; she hadn't seen his car yesterday.
"You drove here alone?" Su Ruyi thought to herself, marveling at his audacity.
Road conditions are not what they will be like decades from now; driving long distances alone is extremely dangerous.
"Don't worry, nothing will happen to you." Lu Ting smiled and pulled a pistol from under the chair.
Su Ruyi was shocked. Her first reaction was that this was illegal!
Although there hasn't been a complete ban on guns yet, what decent family would carry a gun around all the time?
"If you get arrested by the police, I will definitely distance myself from you!"
Lu Ting chuckled: "Don't worry, it's fine. You're not worried now, are you?"
To be honest, although Su Ruyi felt it was very painful, she also felt much more at ease.
This thing can also serve as a deterrent.
"You should put it away quickly."
Su Ruyi felt she couldn't watch anymore, otherwise she would have gotten out of the car and called the police.
Tong Yunyun, sitting in the back seat, saw the gun's visor light up and really wanted to take it and touch it, but Su Ruyi stopped her.
She could only purse her lips and give up; she was still a little afraid of this older woman.
After holding back for a while, Su Ruyi finally couldn't help but ask:
"What exactly are you? And why are you carrying this guy around?"
After saying that, Su Ruyi added, "If it's inconvenient to say, then forget it."
Su Ruyi felt that Lu Ting was not a bad person. Someone who could run a plastics factory couldn't be that bad at heart, but she still felt very uneasy.
"Your expression doesn't suggest that you can simply not say anything."
Su Ruyi coughed lightly, not denying it.
If this guy is a lawless outlaw, she really has to consider whether or not to get too close to him.
“I’m in the foreign trade business, dealing with the Russian route.”
Upon hearing Lu Ting's explanation, Su Ruyi immediately understood.
It's called foreign trade, but it's really just international middlemen, operating in a gray area.
No wonder this guy has such a fierce aura; he no longer has the demeanor of a retired soldier, and he's so rich at such a young age.
Su Ruyi had also heard about the situation there. The "canned food for airplanes" incident was too famous. Su Ruyi had also seen a few movies about that line of work. They were all big heists, and the plots were very exciting.
"No wonder you said the plastics factory isn't even a side business."
In comparison, taking that route is indeed an easier way to get rich than honestly building a business.
"That was true before, but things are different now."
Su Ruyi thought about how much effort he had put into organizing the competition, "Is Boss Lu trying to do both things at once?"
"It's not good to keep drifting like this; it's time to settle down."
As Lu Ting spoke, he gave Su Ruyi a meaningful look.
Su Ruyi: "Are you willing to take it back now?"
It might be too late to enter now, but Lu Ting is already inside, so there will be many more opportunities later.
"You can't earn all the money in the world," Lu Ting said calmly. "If we evacuate now, we can leave unscathed. But if we wait until later, things might not go as planned."
After the "canned food for airplanes" deal came about, the competition intensified, making it both very profitable and dangerous.
Su Ruyi nodded: "You need to be alive to spend money even if you have it."
"I'm thinking of organizing the brothers into an engineering team. What do you think?"
What could Su Ruyi say? This guy always knows how to seize opportunities.
"You're going to get into real estate?"
"I have that plan, but I'll start with small projects first, and then we can figure out what it's all about before making any decisions."
Lu Ting originally felt that with the housing shortage and the continuous improvement of people's living standards, based on the development experience abroad, he predicted that the real estate market would definitely experience a leapfrog development in the future.
In addition, the people under him were not very educated and could not do other things, so it was relatively easy to arrange them for this line of work.
The waters here are quite murky, so Lu Ting doesn't plan to go all out from the start. He wants to understand the rules of the game first, and he also needs to cultivate various connections.
The crisis at the plastics factory made Lu Ting keenly aware of something amiss. After making inquiries from various sources, he was able to figure out what was going on, which further strengthened his resolve.
"That's great," Su Ruyi said sincerely, affirming his down-to-earth idea.
"When you become a developer, you must reserve a few good houses for me, and don't cut corners."
In this era, shoddy construction projects have emerged one after another, and some real estate projects have ultimately failed to be completed because of substandard construction.
Lu Ting: "I'll let you be the first to choose."
Upon entering Zhaoguang City, Su Ruyi immediately sensed a completely different atmosphere.
Posters about the hula hoop competition were plastered everywhere, and the whole thing was buzzing with excitement.
No wonder there were so many orders from the city. The publicity was far beyond her expectations. It was clear that the competition was being treated as a major event, not a small-scale affair.
"You've really gone all out!"
Lu Ting smiled and said, "Each city manager can arrange things according to their own ideas, as long as it's within the budget."
No one expected that such a small competition would generate such enthusiasm, far exceeding their expectations.
Therefore, the strategy was adjusted on the spot, and although there was a period of chaos, they had no experience in organizing such a large-scale event.
However, the problem was eventually resolved, and to outsiders, everything still appeared to be proceeding smoothly.
Although this event was quite costly, it also trained many people, and now many of them are capable of handling things independently.
Moreover, compared to the income, these investments are nothing.
This competition not only boosted hula hoop sales, but also made other products from Hongxing Plastics Factory more familiar and recognized by the public, with sales doubling.
Lu Ting stayed at the best hotel in Zhaoguang City. When they arrived, staff from Hongxing Plastics Factory had already checked in.
A banner wishing the competition a success and welcoming the staff of Red Star Plastics Factory to stay was hung at the hotel entrance, along with a signpost.
Su Ruyi and Tong Yunyun also settled in here. Now that she has plenty of money, she can treat herself better.
This hotel was only considered decent to Su Ruyi, at most a four-star hotel, but it was incredibly impressive to Tong Yunyun.
She, who was originally lively and active, became a lady once she entered the hotel.
"Big sister, this is just like a palace!"
Tong Yunyun felt that her eyes couldn't take it all in; it was just too magnificent.
Tong Yunyun was initially quite calm; it was just a competition, nothing to worry about.
But seeing all the advertising and billboards everywhere made her a little nervous.
Su Ruyi rubbed her head: "I'll take you to see a real palace later."
Tong Yunyun wasn't the only one who was shocked; many others like her also traveled from other counties and towns to the city to participate in the competition.
My already uneasy heart became even more anxious after seeing so much publicity.
Luo Youqiong was one of them. She was full of confidence and told her father that she was sure she could win the award. She took the travel expenses and a few days' worth of money that she had managed to scrape together and went to the city to stay at the home of a distant relative.
But now she's not so sure; the scale of this competition is larger than she imagined.
Luo Youqiong learned acrobatics from a young age; it's a family tradition, as both her parents are acrobatic performers.
Although they claim to have inherited the skills, they are actually self-taught, having previously performed street acrobatics.
Luo Youqiong has much better control over her body than the average person; no one in the local area can compare to her, and they are far inferior.
Therefore, Luo Youqiong felt that even if she didn't get first place, getting second place wouldn't be a problem, which would greatly alleviate the pressure on her family.
Luo Youqiong's mother fell from a high-altitude rope due to a mistake, resulting in high-level paraplegia.
Not only did it cost a lot of money in medical expenses, but it also cost me my previous job.
They used to work for a private theater troupe, which wasn't very formal. The boss didn't lose any money, thinking it was because she wasn't good enough and had nothing to do with him. He even fired Luo Youqiong's father.
The family of three originally lived in the city, but were forced to return to their hometown due to financial difficulties.
At least there's a place to stay there, unlike in the city where rent, food, and other things are very expensive.
Normally, Luo Youqiong and her father perform in the neighborhood to earn some tips, and they also do odd jobs.
Luo Youqiong had been exposed to hula hoops for a long time and used them for performances, so she was very happy to see the hula hoop competition, especially the 10,000 yuan prize.
"Grandma, are there many people participating in the competition?"
Aunt Luo said, "Half of the children on this street participated, and there are quite a few adults too. Go with them in a bit to see which session you're in."
This competition has no entry requirements, so everyone wants to try it and is always participating.
Luo Youqiong panicked even more upon hearing this, but her aunt brought her some good news.
"Because there are so many participants, the prizes have changed. The top three in the city will also receive prizes: first place gets 1,000 yuan, the two second place winners each get 800 yuan, and the five third place winners each get 500 yuan!"
Luo Youqiong's eyes lit up: "Really?!"
"Really, I knew you were participating, so I went to find out more. Not only that, the prizes for the finals have changed! The first place winner gets a Jeep, which is worth tens of thousands of yuan! The second place winner gets ten thousand yuan, and the third place winner gets a large color TV!"
Luo Youqiong gasped. No wonder she saw people spinning hula hoops everywhere. This reward was even more tempting than before.
“Youqiong, you have to live up to expectations. If you win the award, your family will be much better off.”
Luo Youqiong felt immense pressure, but also became even more determined.
Similar things happen in various places.
Many people come to the competition with high hopes, all wanting to win the high rewards.
The competition was held at the city stadium, and the judges were physical education teachers from various schools.
Tong Yunyun registered early, so the competition started on the first morning.
The child woke up before dawn, eagerly waiting for daylight.
Su Ruyi told her to keep sleeping, but she just couldn't fall asleep. By the time she went out, her palms were sweating.
Su Ruyi chuckled: "We're just here to have fun, participation is the most important thing, don't be so nervous."
Tong Yunyun shook her head: "No, it would be too embarrassing for me not to win an award! You're my older sister!"
"Just because I sell hula hoops doesn't mean I have to be good at them."
Tong Yunyun completely ignored her words, as she was very focused on the competition.
Su Ruyi didn't say anything more. It's good that the child has things he cares about and is working hard for them.
When Su Ruyi arrived at the scene, she was shocked.
Although there is no registration fee, there is a 50-cent entrance fee to enter the stadium, but the athletes do not need to pay it.
The 50-cent fee is mainly used for the rental and maintenance of the stadium and does not go into the pocket of the plastic factory, but rather to the stadium.
The price wasn't high, so the scene was still packed with people.
Most participants are alone, accompanied by a group of people, and there are also quite a few people who come to watch the excitement.
However, Su Ruyi was not shocked by the large number of people. When she accompanied Tong Yunyun to find the competition venue yesterday, she already knew that many people would participate and had anticipated the grand occasion today.
To her shock, photos of Li Yunyao and Li Niannian were posted directly at the entrance of the stadium, clearly stating their identities and the time of their disappearance.
"Did you do this?" Su Ruyi looked at Lu Ting incredulously.
After arriving at the hotel yesterday, the two went about their own business.
Su Ruyi sensed Tong Yunyun's nervousness and knew that Lu Ting must have a lot on his mind, so she told Lu Ting not to worry about them before the competition. As a result, the two of them didn't see each other until the morning and were unaware of the matter.
Lu Ting nodded: "It's too difficult for us to investigate on our own; we still need to mobilize the masses. Yesterday, I faxed the photos to the competition organizing committees in other cities, and they should all be posted now. When the finals are broadcast by TV stations, I'll ask them to give them a shot too."
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