Chapter 45
The summer heat was at its peak, and the sunlight was blinding at seven in the morning.
After getting off the crowded train, the passengers were already feeling hot and restless, and were fanning themselves with whatever they were holding.
Hong Kong businessman Achang had already untied his tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves. He was still hot and drank all the water he brought with him on the bus. However, when he got off the bus, he saw a shabby platform. Not to mention a vending machine, there was not even a water vendor. There were only serious police officers standing guard with guns.
Achang is a representative of a toy company. A few months ago, the company heard that a new policy was implemented in the mainland, and the nearby Pengcheng City was treated as an experimental special zone and allowed to be opened to the outside world. Achang was sent here to discuss the matters of setting up a factory.
The parent company's intention was to find a location in the newly constructed Shekou Industrial Zone, build a few factories, and move some toy assembly businesses there to save human capital.
For this matter, Achang has passed the checkpoint twice, and the industrial personnel of the negotiation office were very enthusiastic. However, a few days ago, news came that the bonus policy that Shekou District had implemented was hastily stopped. The parent company had doubts about this and didn't know what the current situation was, so it sent Achang to investigate the situation.
Business trips, especially business trips to the mainland, are not a good thing for Achang. The city of hope is still in the blueprint stage, and the infrastructure is not perfect. Just eating and drinking water is a difficult thing for Achang.
The nearest hotel is still far away from Guankou Railway Station!
Last time, Achang ran around to do things on an empty stomach. This time, he learned his lesson and had a hearty breakfast. However, the journey was so crowded and hot that when he arrived at the platform, his throat was almost on fire.
Forget it, just be patient.
Ah Chang consoled himself and walked out of the platform with his head down. The cyclists who had been waiting for a long time came up to him.
"Where's the boss going?"
"Take my car, it's very stable!"
"It only costs thirty cents to go to Xingzhu Guesthouse! Do you want to go?"
…
Compared with the Hong Kong people who encountered this scene for the first time, Achang skillfully chose a cyclist, negotiated the price, climbed onto the bike, and hiss, his butt was burned by the back seat.
The sun is so strong, the temperature in the back seat of this car is enough to fry an egg!
"Why is the back seat of your car so hot?" Achang complained.
"Excuse me, excuse me," the cyclist smiled, "Otherwise, boss, why don't you go to a nearby fast food restaurant to take a break? There's herbal tea there."
"It's too far. Forget it."
"Not that one, it's a new one called Sycamore Restaurant, it's only five minutes away."
The cyclist was so attentive that Ah Chang couldn't refuse him outright. Besides, he was really thirsty, so he asked, "Are there any herbal teas?"
"Yes, yes, we have herbal tea, Western food, and fast food!"
"Then go and take a look."
Ah Chang was not the only visitor from Hong Kong who was brought to the newly opened Wutong Restaurant by a cyclist.
Achang sat on the back seat of the bike and watched the other two bicycles approaching. Finally, like elementary school students queuing up to enter the cafeteria, they circled around to the Wutong Restaurant. The location was actually not far away and they arrived in a moment.
Ah Chang is also an old hand. Seeing this, he asked the cyclist with a smile: "Do you get a commission for bringing people to this restaurant?"
The cyclist was very surprised: "Huh? How did you know?"
"Why else would you be so enthusiastic about soliciting business? Where am I going? Aren't you going to wait for me?"
The cyclist just smiled innocently: "Hey, it's fast food, we won't have to wait too long, and we can even get a free bowl of water when we go."
Achang nodded and thought to himself.
There are still smart people in the mainland. Who says they can't make money? Like the owner of this Wutong restaurant, isn't he very smart?
As a result, when he asked, he found out that the owner of Wutong Restaurant was actually from Hong Kong, and he began to admire the owner's initiative.
Is this the closest restaurant to the Guankou Railway Station? As long as the food is not so bad that cockroaches stay away, the business will be good in the first few years of opening.
When he arrived at the place, he saw that it was just as he had imagined, with huge crowds of people and loud drums and gongs.
However, although there were many people, there was no chaos. There was no situation like what Achang had seen in other state-owned restaurants, where guests at one table shouted "Why haven't my dishes been served yet" and guests at another table loudly asked "Is anyone in charge?"
A short girl stood at the door to guide the guests:
"Welcome, order and get a number on the left line, pick up your food on the right, the menu is written on the blackboard."
She spoke with a slight foreign accent, and you could tell she was a waitress from the mainland.
The waiter from the mainland actually had a smile on his face! This surprised Ah Chang again. Although it was a faint smile, it was something he had never seen in other state-owned restaurants before.
Looking again, I saw that the waiters in the store were all wearing white tops and blue hats, looking very neat and clean. Their white tops were also embroidered with names, for example, the short girl who was guiding the guests had the words "Manager Ajing" embroidered on her top.
Although this is very common in Hong Kong, it is indeed a big change in the mainland which has just started to open up.
Ah Chang looked at his watch and calculated the time it would take for the food to be served. In five minutes, the instant noodle set he ordered was ready. The clear soup made from pork bones, paired with instant noodles, sauces, bacon and other foods, looked no different from those in Xiangjiang Restaurant. He took a bite with chopsticks and put it in his mouth - the taste was no different either.
The herbal tea in the set meal is really "cold" and has a little sugar, which is very thirst-quenching on this hot summer day.
Achang drank the herbal tea in one breath and ordered an extra cup.
The ceiling fan above his head was spinning at full power, bringing a few wisps of cool breeze. Ah Chang held the herbal tea in his hand and squinted his eyes comfortably.
Although the prices in this small shop are not very favorable and the food does not taste very good, it is close to the border, the food is served quickly, and the taste is above average.
More importantly, this restaurant even gave me a receipt for my meal. Although it was not a formal invoice, but a handwritten set menu with prices, at least I had a receipt, so I wouldn't be complained by the accounting department when I asked for reimbursement.
He will probably come here more often in the future. Well, you can also talk to the people in the company and let them stay here when they come here on business trips.
While the diners were resting under the fans, Chen Lanjun and Chen Fengjun were as exhausted as firefighters.
In addition to the cyclist leading the way, Chen Lanjun originally wanted to put up a billboard at the checkpoint. However, as soon as the billboard with the words "Wutong Hotel Newly Opened" arrived, someone immediately came out to say it was not allowed, saying that there was no precedent for such a small shop to advertise, and it might damage its image, so it was not allowed.
Chen Lanjun went to mediate, but it was useless. Fortunately, the original plan of the cyclist leading the way was quite effective, and by noon the store was full of people.
However, this brought another problem. Too many people came, beyond expectations, and the original stock of instant noodles was running out. But there was no phone to notify people to restock, so Chen Fengjun had to run back and forth between the two ends of the border.
After two or three days of busy work, Wutong Restaurant was finally back on track.
As soon as Chen Lanjun returned to the restaurant, she didn't care whether there was any oil stain on the table, and she just lay down on the empty table. After running for two days, her feet were almost broken!
There was the sound of a cup being gently placed on the table. I looked up and saw that it was a cup of herbal tea brought by Ajing.
This herbal tea is brewed with well water, so it is cooler. Originally, Chen Lanjun was thinking about making iced lemon tea, but she couldn't get small cubes of ice, and she couldn't get an ice maker for the time being, so she had to use herbal tea instead.
Fortunately, the weather is hot now, and drinking herbal tea can help reduce internal heat, so the customers don’t have any special complaints.
Chen Lanjun picked up the herbal tea and gulped it down. When she was done, she asked, "Where are Mrs. Chen and Brother Hong?"
In order to maintain her image, Chen Lanjun called Chen Fengjun and Zhao Hong like this when she was in the store.
Ah Jing sat down next to her and said, "Mrs. Chen has gone back to get supplies, and Brother Hong is in the countryside collecting side dishes and eggs."
The dinner time was almost over and there were not many tables of guests.
Chen Lanjun asked: "Is there any trouble in the store today that is difficult to solve?"
"There are a few minor issues, but they can be resolved."
"That's good."
Chen Lanjun put the paper back on the table and listened to Ah Jing say, "However, there is a guest who wants to see you."
"Who is it?" Chen Lanjun asked casually.
Ah Jing whispered, "It was the person who helped drive my grandma to the hospital last time."
"who?"
"Just sit behind you."
Chen Lanjun turned around and saw a lonely man sitting there in the dim light.
It was Shao Qinghe.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
