Chapter 152 This...is there a difference? Everyone thinks there is a difference, then...
He Xi fell silent after seeing the message An Fusheng sent her.
After a moment, He Xi replied: I wonder what level of machine your sister wants to buy? What's her approximate budget?
An Fusheng had no concept of the price and quality of sewing machines. He did have a bunch of items that Bai Mangmang had added to his shopping cart, but Bai Mangmang couldn't even distinguish between toy machines and real ones, so An Fusheng didn't think the machines and prices she added were of any reference value.
An Fusheng: I don't know much about sewing machines, so I don't know how to assess the price. My sister usually makes small handicrafts, such as tote bags, dolls, and hair accessories. What level of quality do you think would be suitable, and the quality should also be slightly better?
He Xi: For everyday crafts, a small sewing machine that sits on a table is fine. Larger ones are impractical and take up too much space.
An Fusheng: Do you have any recommendations for such small machines?
He Xi: Recently, a colleague in my studio bought a new sewing machine and sold her old one. It's a small and lightweight machine, and the quality is very good. It should be suitable for your sister. I just don't know if your sister would mind if it's a second-hand machine? My colleague's machine is actually still very new, and there isn't much wear and tear. She bought it for over ten thousand yuan and now plans to sell it cheaply.
An Fusheng: I need to ask my sister's opinion on this. How much is your colleague planning to sell this machine for?
He Xi: She originally planned to offer 5,000, but if it's someone she knows, 3,000 will suffice.
An Fusheng: Okay, thank you, Ms. He. I'll ask my sister first and give you an answer tomorrow morning.
He Xi sent a nodding emoji.
Then I sent another message: Also, I don't make children's clothing. The doll clothes I mentioned before were BJD doll clothes, which refer to clothes for dolls and plush toys (^_^).
An Fusheng quickly scanned the QR code in his browser, then hurried back to apologize: I'm sorry...
He Xi sent a meme of a little rabbit waving its hand, saying it's okay.
An Fusheng replied with a goodnight emoji.
...
The next day, An Fusheng asked Bai Miaomiao about the sewing machine, and Bai Miaomiao was still confused, "Why did you suddenly buy me a sewing machine?"
An Fusheng betrayed Bai Mangmang without hesitation: "It was Mangmang who wanted to buy it for you. She said you had wanted to buy a sewing machine for a long time, and she had saved up money for a long time to buy it for you as a birthday present."
"Huh?" Bai Miaomiao didn't know whether she was confused or something else.
No wonder I haven't seen Bai Mangmang buying snacks in so long, turns out she was saving up to buy herself a sewing machine. I didn't tell anyone, how did she know?
An Fusheng: "The phone that Mangmang selected is priced around 500. I checked the phones around 500, and they should be okay. But my friend's colleague has a used phone that was originally priced at over 10,000. He's selling it cheaply now. I think it's very cost-effective. Do you want to consider it?"
An Fusheng added, "However, that one will be a bit more expensive, and Mangmang's money might not be enough. I'll have to secretly add some money for her. I wonder if you mind?"
Bai Miaomiao turned around and ran back to her room. When she returned, she had a small coarse cloth bag in her hand. The stitches on the bag were not very neat, but it had a texture that machine sewing could not achieve.
Bai Miaomiao unwrapped the thread wrapped around the cloth bag, revealing it to An Fusheng. Inside were neatly folded banknotes, some new and some old, but all very orderly. "How much is that secondhand sewing machine? I have 1,632 yuan here. Is that enough with Mangmang's money?"
An Fusheng smiled and said, "A sewing machine is meant to be used, after all. I was just afraid of buying the wrong one, so I wanted to ask for your opinion in advance. Since it's a gift for you, how could I let you pay for it?"
Bai Miaomiao: "But Mangmang's money is not enough. The rest of the money will have to be made up by my older brother. I can't spend my older brother's money."
An Fusheng: "Can't your older brother buy you a birthday present?"
Bai Miaomiao looked up at An Fusheng. Her older brother looked the same as before, but why did he feel so different? Now her older brother was smiling at her, and his eyes were bright when he smiled, like the starry sky. Yes, she finally realized that her older brother could smile now.
Actually, she had noticed it long ago, but today she finally realized exactly how her older brother was different from the one before. The older brother before was far away and she couldn't see him clearly, but the older brother now was very close and vivid.
"But... I didn't give you a gift on your birthday." Bai Miaomiao still felt embarrassed.
When the children at the welfare home celebrate their birthdays, they share cake, joy, and blessings with everyone, but it seems that no one ever gives gifts to others.
Anfu replied matter-of-factly, "Because you're still in school. It's only right that I buy gifts for my sister when I start working and earning money. When you start working and getting a salary, you can also give me gifts. I'll be very happy."
Bai Miaomiao imagined herself giving her older brother a gift and seeing how happy he would be, and said, "Okay, thank you, brother. I'll definitely give you a gift when I start working."
An Fusheng: "Thank you."
...
During a break, An Fusheng took Bai Miaomiao to He Xi's studio to see the sewing machine. To be honest, the sewing machine, which cost over ten thousand yuan, was really good and had a great feel to it!
Even someone like An Fusheng, who knows nothing about sewing machines, thought it was excellent. Putting aside the user experience, the surface alone was beautiful; the black lacquer had a subtle sheen, giving it a high-end look.
He Xi's colleague asked Bai Miaomiao to try, but Bai Miaomiao had never used sewing before, so she said, "I...I don't know how."
"It's okay, I'll teach you."
Her colleague patiently taught Bai Miaomiao how to use the sewing machine step by step, while also explaining its advantages and disadvantages compared to other sewing machines, and how to maintain it in the future.
Bai Miaomiao liked the sewing machine as soon as she saw it. Her sister taught her how to use it, and she liked it even more after touching the smooth texture of the sewing machine.
So the sewing machine was decided. Once An Fusheng went back, he would lie to Bai Mangmang, pretending that he had spent 500 yuan to buy it for her, and then the sewing machine could be sent to the orphanage.
After looking at the sewing machines, He Xi noticed that An Fusheng and Bai Miaomiao were interested in the doll clothes, so she took them on a tour of the studio.
"What a beautiful dress! It would look amazing if it were made into real clothes." An Fusheng always believed that clothes are only useful when they are worn by people.
He Xi: "Don't worry, there are many more people making dresses for real people."
An Fusheng smiled sheepishly.
"They're so beautiful! So exquisite!" Bai Miaomiao felt that her handiwork was no match for theirs. "These dresses are so much prettier than the ones in the picture book."
An Fusheng wholeheartedly agreed: "It's even better than what's on TV."
He Xi's colleague said, "These clothes require just as much thought as the ones on TV."
"How much does this kind of clothing cost?" An Fusheng asked.
He Xi's colleague: "The purple dress on the right costs 28,000 yuan. Following the order, the blue one costs 32,000 yuan, and the white one costs 8,000 yuan."
When An Fusheng understood what she was doing, he was stunned. It took him a long time to ask, "Is...is anyone buying?"
He Xi's colleague laughed and said, "Yes, these are all orders placed by customers six months in advance. We have to work overtime here on weekends to process the orders. He Xi had planned to make a piece to participate in a competition, but the competition time has passed and she still hasn't had time to make it."
An Fusheng was a little doubtful whether his understanding of ten thousand yuan was the same as the ten thousand yuan others were talking about. He clearly remembered that buying dolls or doll clothes only cost a few dozen yuan!
I went out for a casual trip, but when I came back, I was filled with immense shock.
In particular, Bai Miaomiao told him, "These exquisite doll clothes are very hard to get. Only experienced players who join the group can buy them. Outsiders simply can't buy them."
An Fusheng: Suddenly I feel like earning ten or so yuan by cooking a meal is like begging.
Despite begging, An Fusheng understood that people couldn't earn anything beyond their own knowledge; his knowledge was limited to cooking.
...
Director Zhang said that after reporting to his superiors for a month, the plan for the joint venture restaurant was finalized. An Fusheng went to register the new restaurant, and the name of the new restaurant was decided after collective review by all employees: Little Star Canteen.
An Fusheng felt that it was no different from Xingchen Canteen.
Ji Qingqing: "It's different. The name 'Little Star Cafeteria' is catchy and sounds down-to-earth and cute."
An Fusheng: "Is the Xingchen Canteen out of touch with reality?"
Ji Qingqing: "It's down-to-earth, but it's too down-to-earth. It sounds like a school cafeteria. Don't you know that school cafeterias are generally perceived as having a lot of food?"
Those who had gone to school nodded in agreement.
In his previous life, An Fusheng's primary school did not have a canteen. He went to school in town for junior high school. His grandmother rented a house in town to take care of him and cooked three meals a day for him. He did not want to leave his grandmother to eat alone, so he went home to eat every day and never went to the canteen.
However, in An Fusheng's memory, everyone would rush to the canteen to grab food after school. Sometimes they would fall because they weren't paying attention to where they were going, but they would get up and keep running without wasting a second. So An Fusheng always thought that the food in the canteen was delicious.
He named the Starry Sky Canteen by chance, but the reality turned out to be the opposite. But aren't canteen and cafeteria the same thing?
"Then why is it still called a canteen?" An Fusheng asked.
Ji Qingqing: "Nowadays, this kind of cultural label of simple and beautiful childhood memories is popular. Who doesn't have the memory of a lively canteen when they were a child? Who doesn't miss the carefree time of childhood?"
"I want to ask if there's a difference between the canteen and the cafeteria?" An Fusheng asked, looking at everyone.
These are all places where we go to school and eat. Why call them canteens? It's too convoluted. Calling them cafeterias evokes simple and beautiful childhood memories.
Everyone: "There is a difference."
Well, if everyone thinks there's a difference, then let's say there is a difference...
...
After the plan was finalized, An Fusheng began to busy himself with a series of things before the establishment of Xiaoxingchen Canteen, such as the registered capital, the valuation of the technology he used as equity investment, the valuation of the canteen under construction, the writing of the contract, the formulation of articles of association, the preparation of funds, and the approval of documents. During this process, he also had to frequently go to Director Zhang to discuss matters.
Meanwhile, the business at Xingchen Restaurant was getting better and better, which took up a lot of his time. Fortunately, everyone who could help him would lend a hand. Although he was busy, everything was going relatively smoothly.
Two months later, the business license for Little Star Cafeteria was finally obtained. At the same time, the construction of the restaurant also entered the decoration stage, and An Fusheng threw himself into the decoration work.
When he got busy, An Fusheng had no time to take care of his life. Until one day, An Fusheng was hunched over his desk in his room calculating the money for the furniture he bought for the hotel when he suddenly felt something soft and furry brush against his ankle. He looked down and met countless clear and innocent eyes.
Where did this kitten come from?
A small black kitten rolled off An Fusheng's feet, and Afu picked it up again. After placing the kitten on An Fusheng's feet, Afu took a few steps back, sat down on the ground some distance away, and meowed at An Fusheng.
Afu grew very quickly. When An Fusheng first met him, it was not even as big as An Fusheng's palm. Before he knew it, it had grown into an adult cat weighing more than ten kilograms.
When he was busy, he often didn't have time to take care of Afu, so Anfu entrusted Afu to his younger siblings. His younger siblings would bathe and groom Afu every day, but Afu's white fur became grayer day by day. Now it not only looks gray, but also very messy, especially the fur on its face, which is in clumps and crooked. The whole cat looks disheveled and miserable.
An Fusheng felt guilty, but now was not the time to feel guilty. "Where did the kitten come from? What if the mother cat came back and couldn't find her kitten? Quickly take it back to them."
Afu took a few steps back, continued sitting, tilted his head back and stared intently at Anfusheng, showing no intention of sending the child back.
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Author's Note: Comrades, I'm going out for dinner tomorrow, so the update will be late, probably after midnight. Just letting you know here, no need to post a leave notice, okay? [Rabbit head with upright ears]
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