Chapter 12
Having a car is convenient. In a short while, he visited all the places that Su Miao didn’t visit the day before yesterday.
From the perspective of human flow, large factories and schools are the best.
However, students eat their main meals in the cafeteria, and those who live close to home go home to eat. Porridge stalls are not as attractive to them as snacks.
Therefore, the sugar factory with large scale and high wages became the first choice for Su's father and daughter to set up a stall.
Ning County is the main sugarcane producing area in the south. Sugarcane is the pillar industry of the county. It has the title of "Sweet Town" and the sugarcane products produced each year are sold all over the country.
But this choice made Su Yuanzheng feel troubled:
"Miao Miao, the sugar factory is different from other factories. Since the reform and opening up and the encouragement of privatization, other factories have been impacted and their efficiency has declined. Therefore, the food in the cafeteria has gradually become less oily. But the sugar factory is thriving. Is this... okay?"
"Dad, we're not setting up a stall to completely replace the cafeteria! We're setting up a stall to give the workers more choices. No matter how delicious something is, you'll get tired of it if you eat it every day, right? There are over a thousand workers in the sugar factory. As long as some of them can patronize the stall from time to time, we'll make enough money from this business."
When they arrived at the sugar factory, it was time to get off work, and a large group of workers were walking out.
Many small vendors pushing carts came towards the gate, selling steamed buns, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and cold rice noodles.
There was also a stall selling porridge, but it was a thick pork porridge, scooped hot from a large aluminum bucket, which was not popular in this hot summer.
Su Miao nodded in satisfaction. Fewer competitors of the same type meant better. She still had to find a good spot to put the tables and chairs.
There are shops on both sides of the gate, and no one would agree to put the shop in front of anyone's door. The only option is to have a small open space just to the left of the gate, with a big banyan tree growing on one side.
The banyan tree has lush branches and leaves, and many fruits fall from it. Passers-by also crush the fruits, so every time during the fruit falling season, that small area is not very clean and no one is willing to use it.
Su Miao asked his father to park the car under the tree, gestured with his hands and asked, "Dad, what do you think of this? It's right next to the gate, so the workers can see it as soon as they come out. There's also such dense shade, so it's cool to sit down and drink porridge."
Su Yuanzheng looked carefully and said, "This place is suitable in terms of size and location. There's still some breeze under the shade of the tree. But what if the fruit falls into the bowl?"
"Let's find a sunshade cloth and spread it out to cover the tables and chairs. That way, fruits and fallen leaves won't fall into the porridge."
"Okay, usually the sanitation outside the factory gate is not taken care of. The factory arranges people to sweep it every few days, so it looks a little dirty here. Then I will sweep it once every day before opening the stall, and it will actually be very clean."
…
The father and daughter talked about it for a long time and both agreed that this was a feasible idea. Then they went to buy two bowls of cold noodles and ate them under a tree.
As far as Su Miao knows, disposable tableware should be produced now, but few businesses use it, especially these small vendors who will not use it on their own initiative in order to save costs.
Most of the time when people go out to buy food, they bring their own lunch boxes, or they eat at the stall before leaving.
The father and daughter did not bring lunch boxes, so they took the iron bowls provided by the vendor and returned them after eating.
At this time, the workers had all gone back to rest, and the vendors had also dispersed. Su Miao asked his father to go to the nearby grocery store to buy two bottles of canned fruit, and then they went to talk to the security guard together.
The security guard was in the guard room, enjoying the breeze and humming a tune on the radio. When he saw the two heads appear at the window, his eyes narrowed.
"It's very hot. Bring the children in to get some fresh air."
Su Yuanzheng brought Su Miao in, placed the canned fruit on the wooden table, and said straight to the point, "Uncle, I want to set up a food stall in the open space under the banyan tree. It's part of the factory. I'd like to ask if I can set up there."
The security guard turned off the radio, looked at the father and daughter, and said, "Didn't you see it just now? Many vendors come here to sell food at noon. You can just come here like them. There's nothing wrong with that."
Su Yuanzheng glanced at his daughter, and Su Miao took over the conversation: "Grandpa, we want to set up tables and chairs so that diners have a place to sit, so we need a fixed place. If possible, we would like to rent this stall from the factory. We will be responsible for the hygiene of that area in the future."
The security guard thought the little girl was interesting and seemed more like the boss than her father.
"So what are you selling?"
"We sell porridge, white porridge and corn porridge."
The gatekeeper laughed. "Selling porridge? Hahahaha! Little girl, you know our sugar factory is the most profitable in the county. If you want to sell something unusual, there are some ways to get it. Selling porridge?"
Su Miao asked calmly, "Grandpa, do you like porridge? Cool corn porridge with pickles, refreshing cucumber, or crispy radish with sauce?"
The old man stopped smiling instantly, thought about it seriously, and did not answer Su Miao's question. He picked up the receiver and made a call.
"Hey! Me! Come over here, someone wants to rent the vacant space under the banyan tree at the door to sell food."
The old man hung up the phone, put the two cans of fruit into the cabinet, said "wait" to them, and then turned on the radio again.
Less than five minutes later, a handsome middle-aged man arrived on a 28-inch bicycle. The security guard pointed at the Su father and daughter.
The handsome uncle said, "Comrade, I'm Wang Gang, the director of the logistics department of the sugar factory. Is it you who wants to set up a stall at the door?"
Su Yuanzheng didn't expect that the old man would call the logistics director directly with one phone call, and he rubbed his hands nervously.
"Director Wang, hello! Yes, I want to set up a porridge stall under the banyan tree. It's part of the factory's territory. I'd like to secure a fixed location with the factory. I can pay the rent, and I'll definitely be responsible for the sanitation of the place."
Director Wang rubbed his chin. "Renting out a stall?" This had never happened before. But the place was empty anyway. Renting aside, it would be nice to have someone to help clean it up.
"How about this, for 8 dollars a month in rent, you must not make the place dirty. Is that acceptable?"
"Okay, okay! Don't worry! I'm a cook and I know the place needs to be clean!"
"Let me tell you first, we're just renting the space to you. Whether your business makes a profit or a loss has nothing to do with our factory. If anything goes wrong, you're responsible!"
After hearing this, Su Miao said, "Uncle Wang, we can sign an agreement with the factory. This will clearly divide the responsibilities of both parties and avoid risks."
"Well! That's one way."
Director Wang made another call, and this time it was the finance department who came with the seal.
Su Yuanzheng rented the property for three months. Director Wang drafted two agreements by hand, and after they were signed, each party held one copy.
When the finance department was issuing the receipts, Director Wang asked the security guard quietly, "Dad, have you had lunch?"
The security guard snorted, "Eat, eat, and drink a whole bucket of oil. Let me tell you, no matter how good the factory's performance is, the cafeteria shouldn't use oil like water. It's so greasy!"
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