Chapter 26 Uncle Mo
After deciding to come to the mainland, Cui Huiyi sent several boxes of Li De's Yuanzai instant noodles to two candidate factories for cooperation.
Director Liu brought over a box of instant noodles. Yue Ning asked Master Zhang to help cook five packets of noodles first, and then used the seasoning that came with the instant noodles to do a taste research.
A large bowl of sesame oil chicken noodles was brought to the window, and the auntie serving food served some to everyone.
"This is our best-selling Yuanzai sesame oil chicken noodles. I'm worried that it may not suit the northern taste. You can try it first." Cui Huiyi said to everyone.
"Boss Cui, your noodles are delicious. They are much better than the instant noodles we have here. The instant noodles in Beijing and Shanghai all have a greasy smell."
Director Xie said: "We used to use duck fat, which has a stronger smell. Now we have switched to palm oil. Our palm oil is domestically produced, and our refining equipment is not as good as that of foreign countries, so palm oil has a bit of a foreign smell."
Cui Huiyi nodded: "We use refined palm oil from Malaysia, so the noodles don't have any odor."
"The noodles are also very chewy. Their noodles become soft and fluffy after being soaked in water."
Director Xie said helplessly: "Our equipment is made in China. Ask Mr. Cui where his equipment is from?"
"We have introduced a complete set of instant noodle production lines from Japan."
"Our ancestors have been making noodles for thousands of years, but why do we still rely on Japan for the production line?" The person who spoke savored the taste in his mouth, "But to be honest, this noodle is indeed much more delicious. The Japanese are really good at it."
"Boss Cui, you are really demanding. We think this instant noodle is already delicious."
"Yes, yes! It's delicious."
"This instant noodle will definitely be snapped up."
"By the way, Mr. Cui, when will you form a joint venture with Director Xie?"
"After the joint venture, will Mr. Cui use the Japanese production line?"
"Boss Cui, after your joint venture, will the quota be larger? Can we get more goods?"
"Yes! Yes! Do you want to approve the note?"
“…”
Hearing such comments, Cui Huiyi wondered if she was overthinking it for a moment. It seemed that everyone liked their noodles very much.
There are some things that are useless to figure out by yourself. You still have to let professionals judge them. For example, this group of people are professionals in this field. They understand the market here...
"What does it smell like?"
The aroma of chicken rice in the air had not yet dissipated, but a smell of soy sauce washed away the original fragrance. Yue Baohua held an enamel basin and Yue Ning held a bowl, and the two came to the window.
As soon as they arrived at the window, people gathered around. Yue Ning held a bowl of oily brown sauce, and Yue Baohua held a bowl of cooked instant noodles. In front of everyone, Yue Ning poured the sauce into the instant noodles and quickly mixed them. The aroma of the sauce rose with the steam from the instant noodles, and everyone's stomachs began to growl again.
Yue Ning looked up at Cui Huiyi and said, "Lo mein, would you like to try it first?"
Cui Huiyi handed over her bowl, and Yue Ning picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks and said, "When we get back to Hong Kong City, we will improve the noodles together. The noodles for the lo mein should be chewier. I also have a thick soup noodle, which will be ready soon."
Yue Ning handed the task of kneading the noodles to the aunt who was serving rice, and went back to the stove, waiting for the residual heat from the stove to dry the broth powder.
When the instant noodles were covered with oily sauce, everyone's mouth was full of saliva. In the past, I only knew that instant noodles were for convenience, and never thought they could be so delicious.
So just now everyone thought that as long as the instant noodles in Gangcheng were not greasy and the soup was fresh and salty, they would be delicious and would definitely sell well. But now they don’t think so.
Yue Ning brought a bowl over: "The sauce isn't spicy, does anyone want some chili oil?"
"I'm done." Someone looked up and said, "One more bite, I'll try it with spicy sauce."
"No, all gone."
"Anything else? I like spicy food, I want it more spicy."
"Well... forget it. How about adding it to the chicken noodle soup later?" Yue Ning asked with a smile, "Does it taste good?"
"Can you sell this sauce?" someone asked.
"Yes, yes, this sauce is delicious whether you mix it with rice or noodles."
Yue Ning gestured to Cui Huiyi: "You discuss it with President Cui. I'm just helping her improve the taste."
Cui Huiyi smiled. Instant noodles actually created a new business, sauce? But shouldn't they go back and develop this new product, lo mein? Wasn't it said to suit the taste of northerners? How come she, a Hong Konger, also thought it was super delicious?
Boss Cui was still savoring the taste in his mouth. He started out as a seasoning business.
When he was young, he worked as an agent for a sugar factory in Malaya and sold sugar to Lide. He was diligent and would do everything he could to satisfy customers as long as they had needs. At that time, cinnamon powder was not a very popular seasoning. The foreign company that Lide had been cooperating with did not supply cinnamon powder to Lide on time. Lide’s people called him, and he ran all over the port city overnight, but could not buy enough cinnamon powder. Later, he found out that a company in Hanoi had the goods, so he asked someone to take a flight the next day to deliver the cinnamon powder to Lide. Although he spent a lot of money, he only charged the normal price of cinnamon powder.
After this incident, Mr. Xiang from Lide became more fond of him and handed over the entire seasoning business to him.
In Hong Kong after the war, most of the Chinese upper class were wealthy businessmen from Shanghai, and a small number were people like him who came from Chaoshan to Hong Kong to make a living and slowly made their fortunes. If you caught the eye of Boss Xiang, you could integrate into his circle. Through the Qiao family, his products were sold in Hong'an Supermarket and Hong'an Department Store, and his sales channels were suddenly widened. His business was booming, and later he built his own seasoning factory. Boss Xiang also took a fancy to him, and in the end he married his only daughter to him.
As a boss who started from scratch and worked hard to reach his current net worth, he tasted the flavor of cinnamon powder that made his career take off in this sauce.
"Everyone, in addition to making instant noodles, our Cui family also makes seasonings. Cui's seasonings are not only famous in Hong Kong, but are also sold throughout the Southeast Asian market and even in the European and American markets. This sauce is indeed very delicious. After returning to Hong Kong, we will also consider cooperating with the mainland on seasonings as soon as possible." Boss Cui told everyone.
"What seasonings do you have?"
"In addition to the daily soy sauce and oyster sauce, we also have southern special seasonings such as shacha sauce, chu hou sauce, and barbecued pork sauce. We also produce flavored sauces such as tomato sauce and curry sauce." Boss Cui looked confidently at the grandparents and grandchildren who were still busy. He and Yue Baohua have known each other for many years. Yue Baohua even gave Huihuang the recipe for roast meat back then. It seems that the friendship can continue to the next generation. He said, "After we go back, we will do a good job of researching and developing sauces for the mainland, especially the northern market."
Yue Ning was already prepared. She brought a bowl of ingredients and a thermos over and said, "Sister, this is the soup stock powder I made. You mix it and I'll cook the noodles."
The auntie who served the food brought an enamel basin, Cui Huiyi put in the broth powder, poured hot water over it, and the boiling water instantly turned milky white.
Yue Ning brought the cooked instant noodles over, poured them into the prepared noodle soup, added a spoonful of garlic chicken oil, and said with regret: "I was afraid of trouble, so I tried to choose common ingredients. In addition, time was limited, so I didn't make oil packets to go with the broth. The soup is still a little bland. Everyone, just make do with it and try its flavor."
"You call this tasting the noodles?" said the eldest brother who was the first to eat the noodles. "This tastes like the chicken soup at home."
"Not really. The chicken soup at home only has the aroma of chicken soup, not this aroma."
"I still like the mixed noodles just now."
"Yes, that mixed noodles is absolutely amazing."
“…”
Obviously, the seasoning of this chicken noodle soup is better than that of the Yuanzai noodles, but the impact of the sauce on the mixed noodles was too strong. Everyone agreed that the soup noodles were good, but still not as delicious as the mixed noodles.
Yue Ning was still waiting for Cui Huiyi's reaction, but she found that Cui Huiyi was staring at her lovingly. Yue Ning's scalp was numb: "Sister, what are you doing?"
Cui Huiyi dreams of entering the Japanese market. Today, Japan's economy is booming, and the Japanese are buying everywhere. In order to attract Japanese tourists, famous tourist destinations around the world have hung up Japanese signs.
To put it bluntly, Li De’s Yuanzai Noodles are just a copy of Japanese Qingzai Noodles and had no recognition at all in the past.
However, in this chicken noodle soup, she tasted the flavor of black garlic oil in Japanese ramen, as well as the richness of ramen. What if she used this recipe to enter the Japanese market? Cui Huiyi became more and more excited the more she thought about it.
Cui Huiyi came back to her senses: "I have a rough idea now."
She stood up and bowed to everyone present: "Thank you for your hard work today. I will contact you through Director Xie after I discuss the follow-up matters with the Commerce Committee."
"Boss Cui, please give us news as soon as possible. It would be great if the quota issue can be resolved."
"Yes! Yes! We are all waiting."
Cui Huiyi nodded: "I will do it as soon as possible, but I am not familiar with the procedures in the Mainland, so I can only do it step by step."
"Boss Cui, then we will wait for your good news."
Cui Huiyi said goodbye to them. Master Zhang was a master who particularly liked to hear good words. Yue Ning kept praising him. He felt like he had met a bosom friend: "Next time you come to Beijing, come and visit me."
"Well, my sister wants to invest! This is just the first time to try it out. The recipe still needs to be improved. I will definitely come when the time comes. I will have to ask you, the master, for guidance."
"Isn't this a matter of just one sentence?" said Master Zhang.
"Next time I come to Beijing, I will stay a few more days and I must eat the noodles with soybean paste that you made yourself."
On the way back, Director Xie and Director Liu did not see them off, and everyone waved goodbye. They got in the car, and Cui Huiyi asked Boss Cui in Cantonese: "Dad, do you think it's okay to invest?"
Is there any need to ask this? Yue Ning's approach has opened up new ideas. Boss Cui said: "I have no objection. This recipe was given to you by Ning Ning. You should know how to make it."
"Of course." Cui Huiyi said, then turned to Yue Ning and said, "Ningning, when I drank the chicken noodle soup you made just now, do you know what I thought of?"
Yue Ning couldn't tell her that it should be Japanese ramen, and the inspiration for this soup stock came from Chaoshan beef soup. However, one of her characteristics is that she likes to integrate and draw inspiration from various cuisines, otherwise their roast meat rice would not have long queues in Japanese restaurants. Roast meat seasoned with kelp and bonito flakes was introduced to China. On the one hand, the coffins of our ancestors were about to burst, and on the other hand, customers were asking for the Japanese version of roast meat to be launched in China.
Anyway, her Ning BBQ may not be the most delicious catering brand, but it has always been one of the most popular catering brands.
"What?" Yue Ning asked Cui Huiyi.
"Like Japanese ramen. I can imagine it. I can explore the Japanese market." Cui Huiyi said excitedly.
Yue Ning shook his head: "This soup is not good. The ingredients are not enough. I have to try it again when I get back."
"I know. My idea is that if you help me improve it, I will give you the licensing fee for this one, and each bag will also be marked as being from Baohualou. Is that okay?"
Yue Ning still shook her head. Cui Huiyi was getting anxious. She said, "Ning Ning, what do you want? Just tell me!"
Yue Ning simply sat over and whispered into Cui Huiyi's ear: "Your second wife has been staring at me. What is she trying to do?"
When Yue Ning said this, Mrs. Cui rolled her eyes at Cui Huiyi again.
"I plan to launch a whole series of Hong Kong-style lo mein, including soy sauce chicken flavor, Hong Kong-style roast goose flavor, and barbecued pork flavor. I will also launch a series of soup noodles, focusing on the delicious soup."
Cui Huiyi stared at her with eyes wide open: "Let's talk about it when we get back to the hotel?"
Yue Ning nodded: "Let's talk by candlelight at night."
"Um."
"Sister, do you know about Hong Kong's newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and radio stations?" Yue Ning asked. Qiao Junxian had just returned to Hong Kong. Although his uncle was a Hong Kong media tycoon, he probably didn't know much about the specific operations. Since Cui Huiyi had introduced Yuanzai Noodles to the market, she should be more familiar with it.
Boss Cui is very happy now, but he knows that he can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. He can't be like his daughter, showing her love on her face without any concealment. This kind of thing needs to be done slowly.
In the afternoon, when chatting with Yue Baohua and Qiao Qiming, he learned that Yue Ning's biological mother had come to Hong Kong City. Isn't this an opportunity? He asked, "Does Ning Ning want to find her mother? It's easy. Let Qiao Junxian find his cousin. Hengtong TV, radio and newspapers have them. He will definitely find her right away."
The fire of hope rekindled in Cui Ertai's eyes.
"No, no!" Yue Ning hastily denied, "Uncle Cui, please don't make blind guesses. My only hope for this mother is that she will never bother me again. I have some small business matters to discuss with my sister."
Cui Ertai was instantly disappointed.
"What's the matter?" asked Boss Cui.
Yue Ning showed an embarrassment on her face. Cui Huiyi didn't want to discuss business in front of the second wife. She said, "Tell me later."
The car stopped at the hotel building and several people got out and walked inside.
Yue Ning walked inside with her grandfather: "Sister, I'm going to go back to my room to take a shower first, and I'll find you in your room later."
"OK!"
After the two of them had discussed it, they saw the Qiao family's grandparents and grandchildren coming out of the elevator and walking towards them.
Qiao Junxian saw them, trotted a few steps and asked, "How is it?"
"Do you know what I ate today?" Cui Huiyi said excitedly.
"What did you eat?"
Cui Huiyi said proudly: "Ningning made the Dongping chicken rice herself. I never knew chicken rice could be so delicious."
"Really? Really? I've always eaten Uncle Hua's fish soup. When I ate Yue Ning's fish soup, the ingredients were obviously different, but the taste was just as good as Uncle Hua's. What a pity! I didn't get to eat it." Qiao Junxian turned the topic back, "So, how did you guys try it?"
"It opened up my mind. I found that not only the mainland market, but also the Japanese market has a direction." Cui Huiyi saw that Qiao Qiming was also listening, so she said, "Grandpa Qiao, you are known for being fair among the bosses in Hong Kong City. The direction Ningning pointed out to me today was very helpful. It's not good for me to take her prescriptions and ideas for nothing. I would like to ask you for some advice on how to distribute the benefits between us so that we can have a long-term cooperation."
Qiao Qiming smiled, "Not today. Junxian's aunt and uncle were called away for an urgent matter halfway through their meal. They are rushing over right after finishing their meal. Let's make another appointment. You are not in a hurry for one or two days. You can go back to Gangcheng and sit down to talk."
"Grandpa, my aunt and uncle are here." Qiao Junxian stepped forward to meet them at the door.
Yue Ning saw a man and a woman appear at the door. They walked in from the light and shadow of the gate. The man had gray hair, black-rimmed glasses, a white shirt and black pants.
That is...that is...Yue Ning staggered forward two steps and quickly passed Qiao Junxian, his voice already choked with sobs: "Uncle..."
"Nannan..." The man handed the bag to the woman next to him and walked over quickly.
As soon as she touched Uncle Mo, Yue Ning couldn't stop crying.
Boss Cui was very surprised. Why did Yue Baohua's granddaughter cry to such a gentle man? He looked at Yue Baohua, who also looked confused.
Qiao Qiming walked over to Yue Baohua and said, "I was wondering if Ningning's knowledge was different from that of a child who grew up in a mountain village. Now the mystery is solved."
"What do you mean?" Boss Cui asked curiously.
"This is Junxian's uncle-in-law, from the Wu Yue Mo family." Qiao Qiming said.
Yue Baohua now knew that this was the Uncle Mo that Ningning had mentioned, but he didn't know what the Wu Yue Mo family was.
Boss Cui said with envy: "Ningning has an incredible opportunity."
The woman handed over a handkerchief, and the man used it to wipe the child's tears: "Don't cry, Nannan."
This is the girl he has loved for so many years!
That year, he and his father-in-law and his daughter went to the northwest for reform at the same time and were arranged to live together.
His own problem was more serious than that of the father and daughter. After several repeated ordeals, his knees became injured. In order to prevent him from being tormented again, Yue Zhirong took the initiative to help him complete the task for the day.
They had special statuses, and Yang Fugen had not yet returned from the army. They were doing all the dirty and tiring work. How could he feel at ease with that?
Yue Zhirong comforted him, saying that they were all in the same boat, so what else could they do if they didn't take care of each other?
He has two daughters. The younger daughter is only one year older than Yue Ning. When he sees Yue Ning, she treats her as if she were her own daughter and calls her "Nannan".
Yue Zhirong believed that children should read more, which was exactly what he wanted. He was grateful to Yue Zhirong and liked Yue Ning, and whenever he had time, he would teach the little kid to recognize words, recite nursery rhymes, write and draw.
Even when Yue Ning was older and he started teaching her English, he always said, "Nannan, this country can't stay closed forever. There are many new technologies out there that need people who know foreign languages to communicate and learn. You can learn quietly, okay?"
He always felt that he would not live to see the day he returned home, but he did not expect that Yue Zhirong, who had always been strong and healthy, would collapse after catching a cold.
Before Yue Zhirong died, there was no end in sight and he himself could not take care of himself, so even though he said he would take good care of Yue Ning, Zhirong still did not leave with peace of mind.
After Yue Zhirong left, only Yue Ning, who was only thirteen years old, and he, who was plagued by injuries, were left.
His lover Zhuang Baoru had been working hard for him, and finally, more than a year later, Mo Weiwen's problems were investigated clearly, and he received a transfer order back to his original unit in Shanghai.
He was reluctant to leave his daughter, whom he had watched grow up, because it was too difficult for a girl to live in the northwest. However, in Shanghai, there was his wife who ran around for him desperately, never gave up despite repeated setbacks, and his two daughters who were waiting for him to come home.
"Uncle, you see now, Secretary Fugen has arranged for me to herd sheep, and I still have Uncle Agen and Aunt Chunmei to take care of me."
When he left, Yue Ning smiled and saw him off out of the village and to the commune. She watched him get on the car without shedding a single tear.
After he left, he knew that he could only go back thanks to his lover's desperate efforts, and that Shanghai and Yuecheng were thousands of miles apart, so he couldn't do anything for the little girl. He could only send some food coupons, cloth coupons, and remit some money so that she could live a better life.
The little girl returned all her things to him, saying that she didn't need anything, especially that Six-Fingered Agen took good care of her and gave her some watering, and the work of herding sheep was also easy, and she could also go to pick wild vegetables. The letter was full of life, and he knew that this child was just like that, and even if he sent more things to her, she would not accept them.
Not long after, the country announced the resumption of the college entrance examination. He immediately sent a telegram to Nannan and sent her study materials, repeatedly urging her to sign up for the college entrance examination and to apply for a school in Shanghai. Who would have thought that Nannan would be stuck in the first college entrance examination due to political review. Fortunately, half a year later, the college entrance examination was held again, and this time the policy was relaxed. But the little girl wrote to say that there was an outbreak of sheep plague in their place and she could not leave, so she was delayed for another year.
The college entrance examination was just half a month away, so why did Nannan appear in Beijing? Mo Weiwen suddenly shuddered, gently pushed Yue Ning away, and asked anxiously: "Nannan, aren't you going to take the college entrance examination? Why are you coming to Beijing instead of studying hard at home?"
Yue Ning cried so much that her nose was blocked. She turned around to look at Yue Baohua and said in a muffled voice, "Grandpa went to the northwest to find me and wanted to take me to Hong Kong City."
When Yue Baohua heard himself being mentioned, he stepped forward and said, "Hello, Mr. Mo, I am Ningning's grandfather."
Mo Weiwen stretched out his hand to shake his hand: "I know, Xiao Yue mentioned you, saying that your cooking skills are amazing."
Yue Ning wiped her tears and turned to face Uncle Mo's lover. Although they had been communicating for a long time, this was the first time they met. Yue Ning called softly, "Grandma."
Zhuang Baoru reached out and gently wiped away the remaining tears on Yue Ning's cheeks, and responded affectionately: "Nannan."
Qiao Qiming came over and said, "Weiwen, Baoru, Ningning, let's not stand at the door. Let's go upstairs and find a place to sit down and talk slowly."
"Aunt, uncle-in-law, grandpa asked me to wait for you two downstairs. Since you and Yue Ning know each other, that's great. Why don't you go upstairs and chat together?"
"Okay!" Mo Weiwen extended his hand, "Mr. Yue, please."
Yue Ning took Zhuang Baoru's arm, turned to Cui Huiyi and said, "Sister Huiyi, I'll accompany my uncle and grandma first."
Cui Huiyi nodded: "Go!"
Boss Cui looked at their backs, and the second concubine asked quietly, "Who are Qiao Junxian's aunt and uncle-in-law?"
Boss Cui said, "His aunt is the adopted daughter of the Nanyang Ye family. Miss Ye, this identity needs no further explanation. The Wuyue Mo family, not to mention the history of six or seven hundred years, in the past hundred years alone, there are more than one or two people who can be recorded in the history books. In the old saying, it is a family of scholars and a noble family."
After Boss Cui said this, Cui Huiyi couldn't help but roll her eyes and said, "No matter how rich the Ye family is, or how prominent the Mo family is, they can't compare to the outstanding talents of the couple. Junxian said that his aunt is almost a genius in ship design, and his uncle-in-law studied under the father of digital signals and is an outstanding figure in the field of communications. After the founding of New China, the two of them broke through many obstacles and returned to their motherland. Meeting such people is Ningning's greatest opportunity."
The second wife looked at the people who were waiting for the elevator.
Yue Ning, with the delicate look of a little girl, gently pushed her Uncle Mo into the elevator.
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