Chapter 144 A very naive good idea
The night talk business was really booming. Sometimes, I had to move the "night talk" to the daytime and turn it into a "day talk".
Fortunately, Yifan is making rapid progress. After choosing a date and a name, he can hold on for a while.
Oddly enough, fewer people are coming for fortune-telling. One reason is that I have a master, and two, people find my night talks truly informative and helpful in resolving their doubts and questions. Consequently, a lot of people are coming to me.
One day, Yifan told me, "A teacher named Zhang called me several times and asked if he could come earlier."
"What's his ranking?"
"No. 18. He wants to talk to you before New Year's Day."
"Who is coming to talk tonight?"
"A businessman."
"Then you need Teacher Zhang to come to talk tonight at nine o'clock. I will try to finish it before eight-thirty."
Yifan smiled and said, "Entrepreneurs should talk about business matters. Can I sit in?"
"Well, I'll ask him about that later."
…
At seven in the evening, I sat in my "secret room," still reading Mr. Yang Zhiyi's medical book. The book said: Pale nails must indicate anemia. Swollen eyelids are definitely kidney disease...
Yifan poked half of his head in and said, "Mr. Hu is here."
I stood up and saw a middle-aged man with a pale face and depressed mood coming in.
He smiled wryly and said, "Hello, Mr. Wan. I've heard of your great name for a long time. It's like thunder in my ears."
I've heard this kind of polite talk so often, so don't take it so seriously. I bowed and said, "Please sit down."
Yifan came in to pour tea and glanced at me. I said, "Mr. Hu, what you want to talk about tonight is nothing private, right?"
He gave another bitter smile: "There's no privacy at all. My affairs are known to the whole city. I just have no place to vent my grievances. Talking to you makes me feel better."
"Oh, then this young man will help us make tea."
Mr. Hu nodded.
The aroma of tea and cigarettes drifted in the air. I looked at Mr. Hu with a smile.
He took a sip of tea and said, "My name is Hu Fangyuan. My parents named me in the hope that I would be famous. Now, I am really famous for a hundred miles."
Listening to him making fun of himself, I laughed a little: "Bad things will turn into good things. Tell me what happened to you?"
He began to narrate:
He originally worked in government agencies, but early in life he ventured into business, struggling for over a decade without success. Later, he met a benefactor who offered him the position of office manager. He then learned the ins and outs of the food industry. Seeing the strong sales and high profits of children's food, he set up a jelly food factory.
He made good money for several years, but then a year ago, a two-year-old child choked to death on jelly from his factory. The lawsuit was settled only last month, and he lost a large sum of money, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted, and the factory closed for restructuring.
"Mr. Wan, can you help me calculate this? Is it because I'm just unlucky? With so many people running a jelly factory, the chances of someone choking to death are extremely low. Besides, the instructions clearly state: Children under four should consume under adult guidance. If the verdict is made, I'm almost entirely responsible."
I thought about it and decided that I couldn't comfort him.
Comforting someone is counterproductive. The key to saving someone from danger is to find a solution for them. I went to look for a cigarette, and he immediately gave it to me and lit it.
I put the cigarette to my lips, but didn't smoke. Like a frozen statue.
Yifan reminded me that the fire was almost out.
I still didn't move.
Choking to death, why would he choke to death? The child's throat is too small and the jelly is too big. An idea gradually matured in my mind, but now was not the time to speak it out.
I relit the cigarette, took a puff, and said slowly:
Mr. Hu, to be honest, I won't comfort you. What's the point of comforting you? After the rectification, I don't think you will go into other businesses and continue to run the jelly factory. Although choking to death is a small probability event, I can't guarantee that it won't happen in the future, right?
He shuddered and said, "Right. I'm almost fifty years old. If I try to do something else, it'll be like a blind man groping in the dark. I won't be able to figure it out for a long time."
"Well, you can contact all jelly factories nationwide and ask the relevant departments to revise industry regulations to require that jelly be eaten under adult supervision. If a child chokes to death due to negligence, the jelly industry will not be held responsible."
After hearing this, he turned his head away and laughed out loud. Even Yifan couldn't help laughing and bent over.
After Mr. Hu finished laughing, he said with a bitter face, "If I had such great ability, would I still run a jelly factory?"
"Have those big jelly companies not been asking the authorities to revise the regulations for a long time?"
"They are rich and powerful, and they can afford to compensate for the loss of ten people. But it is hard for a small factory like ours, and we can only rely on God's blessing."
I said coldly: "I was just joking with you."
He blinked and said, "I think it was just a joke. A famous master like you would never give me such childish advice."
"Listen carefully. I have a suggestion for you. This suggestion is even more childish than the previous one, but it will be useful."
He stubbed out his cigarette and stared at me intently.
"Why do children choke to death? It's because the jelly is bigger than their throats. I have an idea. Cut your jelly into four or eight small pieces. No matter how much they suck, once it reaches their mouth, it will break into small pieces. This way, the child won't choke to death."
His eyes were glazed over.
I fanned his eyes with my hands.
His eyes were still glazed over.
I was about to take a sip of tea and spray it in his face.
He regained consciousness, stood up, and jumped four or five times like a child.
Then he sat down again, muttering to himself, "Why hasn't any jelly company thought of this for so long?"
"People are conditioned by inertia. For a long time, people have believed that jelly is just the way it is, a whole, and no one wants to change it. If it chokes people to death, they lose money, and then they make more choking jelly."
Mr. Hu slapped the coffee table like crazy, slapping it several times, and looked at me: "Why are you sitting here?"
"Where should I sit?"
"You should be the chief think tank of Chinese enterprises."
I laughed, laughed happily, and stood up and burst into laughter.
After laughing, I said, "If you really do what I say, it's a very naive idea, but you must apply for a patent. If any manufacturer imitates you in the future, you can sue them. I guess you won't even have time to run your factory. One is to collect patent fees, and the other is to fight counterfeiting. You will make a lot of money.
He said, "Come on, Master, add me on WeChat."
Of course I have to add this WeChat.
Then, he frantically took out cash from his pocket, probably more than 10,000 yuan. He slapped the money and said, "This is the change. I've made a fortune, and you have a share." Then he stood up.
There was a knock on the door. Yifan went out and came back and winked at me.
I knew Teacher Zhang had arrived, so I said to Hu Fangyuan, "I don't want any extra money from you. I just wish China's children happiness and that they won't choke to death again. Let's talk about this now. I have things to do."
He bowed deeply to me and said, "See you later." Then, almost like a 100-meter sprint, he rushed out the door.
Yifan led Teacher Zhang in. When we met, I was surprised. Isn't this Mr. Urgent to Pee? He looked ashamed and said, "I'm sorry, I neglected you last time."
I pointed to the sofa and motioned him to sit down.
He looked at Yifan who was making tea.
I said to Yifan, "The teacher is here. I'll make tea myself. You go out."
After sitting down and exchanging a few pleasantries, I said, "Teacher Zhang, it's so late, let's get straight to the point. Do you have anything in your heart that you want to talk to me about?"
"Sorry, mine is a little difficult."
"Go ahead."
"I kind of hate my dad."
…
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