Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 127 Master Zhai

Sister Shang slowly savored one dumpling, then picked up another. After finishing three dumplings, she threw her chopsticks on the table and said, "This is too much trouble! Is it really necessary to make it so complicated?"

Xiao Wei asked, "Do you think it tastes good?"

Everyone at the table nodded in agreement. Sister Shang said, "It is indeed delicious, but it's so much trouble to make. Is it worth it?"

Xiao Wei put down his chopsticks, thought for a moment, and said, "Look at the famous foods in our country that have been passed down from the past: Tianjing Goubuli steamed buns, Tokyo soup dumplings, Jiankang salted duck, Goubangzi roast chicken, Dezhou braised chicken, Laobian dumplings, Beijing roast duck, Li family smoked meat pancakes, Ma family shumai, Yibei donkey meat sandwiches, and so on. More than half of them are steamed buns, dumplings, and pancakes. Why?"

"First, the food has a wide appeal; everyone eats it. Second, anyone can make it, but making it well is not easy, so it becomes famous quickly. Third, it's convenient; it's easy to take and store, and you can even have a meal with rice. It's filling, satisfying, and nutritious. If we open a restaurant, we need a signature dish that people can remember and that they can spread the word about. Do you think a single dish will do? No matter how well a dish is made, there will always be people who like it and people who don't. And can such a dish be cheap?"

"Fifth Brother, your bones are famous in Longcheng, right? Delicious, isn't it? But look, we've almost finished this meal, and we haven't seen many customers. Why? The price. Everyone knows it's delicious, but how many are actually willing to spend the money?"

An Laowu chimed in from the side, "So I've become your negative example." Everyone laughed.

Xiao Wei laughed and said, "That's why I plan to make dumplings our main dish, build our reputation, and business will naturally follow. Sister Shang, you've worked so hard. When our trainees come up, there will be more people to do the work, and you can just direct them. Of course, we must protect the core products."

Sister Zhang asked, "So what do we do now? Should we open or wait for the chef?"

Xiao Wei said, "Let's open tomorrow. Let's start with the dumplings. Let Lao Xia handle the vegetables for now. There's a 'Four Great Dishes,' right? Lao Xia and I will go look for them this afternoon and try to invite them. These next few days, you guys help Sister Shang get the dumplings ready. If you don't understand anything, just ask Fifth Brother. Fifth Brother, don't keep anything from me!"

An Laowu laughed and said, "This bastard's trying to pin this on me? Why should I?"

Xiao Wei turned to An Laowu and said, "Fifth Brother, once you've settled things on my end, I'll find someone to help you open a shop in Fengtian, okay?"

An Laowu was taken aback, then became serious, and after thinking for a moment, asked, "Really?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Really, your bones will definitely be useful in Fengtian. But you might have to give up some things and we'll have to partner with someone. Think about it and see if it works. If it does, then there's no problem."

Old Man An nodded and said, "If we could really go to Fengtian to partner up, that wouldn't be a problem. It's not like I haven't thought about it. This stuff is still too expensive here. The price has never gone up, so we can't make much money. But I'm afraid I won't be able to stand on my own, so I haven't dared to talk about it. Also, how big can the shop be? If it's too small, it's not worth it."

Xiao Wei asked, "How high do you think it should go?"

An Laowu gestured with his hand and said, "It should be at least a hundred square meters, with a dozen or so tables."

Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "It's too small, people can't handle it. Let me put it this way, could you manage to open a shop of about a thousand square meters?"

An Laowu was stunned, the toothpick he was biting fell out of his mouth, and after a long while he said, "Damn, if it's really going to be this big, I'll take 30%. Really?"

Xiao Wei said, "I don't have time right now, but I'll give you a definite answer after the New Year. As long as there are no problems on your end, that's fine."

Xia Maosheng interjected, "How do we do it?"

Xiao Wei said to Xia Maosheng, "Let's find Hui Zi some work to earn some money. He told me this before. He meant that he would find a place for us to work together. Now that we've set up this place, I thought that Fifth Brother would definitely be able to handle it."

Xia Maosheng turned to An Laowu and said, "It's a success. Don't worry. Another buddy of ours in Fengtian can do it if he wants to. Just wait and see how rich you get."

An Laowu asked, "Who is it? Someone pretty powerful, huh? This kind of person needs to be influential not only in society but also in government. Fengtian is not like our small place."

Xia Maosheng said, "Don't worry, my buddy's dad is the director of the provincial power bureau, and his father-in-law is an official in the post and telecommunications bureau. They're very influential. Besides, they're good people and don't put on airs at all. You won't suffer any losses."

An Laowu exclaimed, "Holy crap, a ministerial-level official?"

Xiao Wei shook his head, at a loss for words with Xia Maosheng's stubbornness, and said, "Deputy, but he's a full-fledged department head, though he's capable of getting things done."

An Laowu rubbed his hands together and said, "Okay, I'll wait for your message. Tell him I'll only take 30%, 30% of the business revenue, and the rest is all his."

Sister Shang said, "Boss, with your connections, why did you come to this small place? Just work in Fengtian; it's better than here."

Xiao Wei shook his head and smiled, saying, "That's their relationship, not mine. We should only eat as much as we can tolerate. But you can do it, so what? Want to go? I'll help you get it done."

Sister Shang shook her head, thought for a moment, and said, "I'm getting old, and my kids are grown up, so I'd better not make any more trouble."

Sister Zhang said to Old Wu, "Boss, get some hot water to wash your hands. They're all sticky."

An Laowu agreed and went to the kitchen to fetch water. Sister Zhang said to Xiaowei, "So, what's up with the opening? It's opening tomorrow?"

Xiao Wei said, "You can start working normally tomorrow, but these few days won't be the official opening. If any of you have anything going on at home, just let us know in advance. I'll discuss the official opening date with Lao Xia. We need to hire people, and we'll have to see when they're available. You guys just focus on making dumpling filling these few days. Anyway, the store is open, so we'll make it for anyone who comes in. We won't post the menu yet."

Sister Shang said, "Such a big storefront, shouldn't we just hang a sign?"

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Well, there's only one case these days, and I want to hang eight of them. Who's going to do it?"

Xie Na said, "Liu Hongliang, you're really something else." She laughed heartily. Liu Hongliang glared at Xie Na indignantly and said, "Sister Na, what have I done to offend you?"

An Laowu brought over hot water, and the group got up to wash their hands. The meal was over. They said goodbye and left together. Xiaowei and Xia Maosheng stayed behind to settle the accounts. They still had to wait for Bozi to take them to find Master Zhai from the Four Great Halls.

After finishing lunch, it was almost 2 PM. They waited for An Laowu and the others to clean up. His wife and the waitress Yingzi weren't there, so it was just him and Bozi who were busy inside and out, which made things a bit slow.

At 3:30, Bozi changed into a leather jacket, led Xiaowei and Xia Maosheng out of the bone restaurant, and headed towards Master Zhai's house, saying, "Yingzi's mother is in the hospital. Yingzi is in the hospital during the day, and her father goes there at night. He's probably cooking at home right now. It wouldn't be good to go too early when they're still sleeping."

According to old Northeastern customs, it's not appropriate to go to the hospital to find someone for this kind of thing. Going empty-handed is disrespectful, and if you bring something, it's awkward since you don't know the person well.