1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 144: Fantastic Thoughts (1)

Saturday, in Yang Mo’s yard.

"What!?"

“Opening a chain of herbal medicine stores in an island country?”

"Yang Mo, are you joking with me because you are bored, or... are you simply out of your mind?"

Miss Mu stopped what she was doing and looked at Yang Mo, who was stealing cicada monkey food from the plate, with a suspicious look on her face.

It can be seen that the personal relationship between the two has gone a step further than before. If it were two months ago, Miss Mu would never be so casual and outspoken.

Yang Mo slurped the hot cicada monkey in his mouth and muttered incoherently, "Whatever you think... just think I'm joking with you... I'm free anyway, and it's not against the law to fantasize about it."

As he spoke, he gestured with great excitement: "The five-colored buns and dumplings represent the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth;"

“Angelica Blood Nourishing Barbecued Pork Buns;”

"Red bean buns to strengthen the spleen and eliminate dampness;"

"Beef noodles to replenish qi and nourish the body;"

"Milk tea that strengthens the spleen and kidneys;"

"Yinqiao throat-relieving milk tea;"

"Four Gentlemen Caramel Double Milk;"

“Eight Treasures Milkshake Cake;”

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, it sounds like it's full of mysterious colors from China... How attractive!"

Seeing him so nonchalant, Mu Liya's pretty mouth twitched: "What are these... I've heard of Four Gentlemen Soup, and I've also heard of Double Milk, but what the hell is this two together?"

"And there are five-element buns... Could you please explain to me how you intend to interpret the five elements of gold, wood, water, fire and earth... Are you going to just add pigments to the bun skin?"

Yang Mo chuckled, "How can that be possible? The island nation and the United States are the two countries that use the most food additives in the world. Dyeing the buns and selling them there? Isn't that like using a big axe in front of Lu Ban?"

Miss Mu rolled her eyes and said, "It's good that you know... You said it yourself. Regardless of whether the logic of the usage scenario works, in a relatively mature market, any commercial project that only talks about gimmicks but lacks the corresponding content will not be able to survive!"

Yang Mo choked: "Look at you, how could I make such a mistake?"

Mu Liya tilted her head and looked at him: "Why are you making up so many nonsense... Let's not talk about anything else, just the so-called five-color buns, it sounds very unreliable, right?"

Yang Mo became unhappy: "Why is it unreliable... Hey, I really gave you a lot of nagging today!"

As he said this, he jumped up from the second-hand deck chair he had just bought and began to count on his fingers: "In Chinese medicine, the liver belongs to wood, right?... Wood is represented by green, so spinach juice is used to dye the dough to show its shape;"

"People in Japan are under great pressure at work now, and 90% of them are social animals. Therefore, the main purpose of the green wood-type buns is to [soothe the liver and regulate qi, soften the liver and relieve urgency]... They are made with Chinese medicinal materials such as bupleurum, white peony root, raw malt, and hay, and stuffed with local chicken and pork. Eating them regularly will ensure their effectiveness;"

“The heart belongs to fire, which is represented by red, so carrot juice is used to dye the dough to show its shape;”

"It is normal for office workers in island countries to feel depressed, irritable, and even insomnia under the huge pressure of work and life. Therefore, the main purpose of the red fire element buns is to [nourish the heart and calm the mind, clear the heart and relieve troubles]... They are made with Chinese date seeds, longan meat, gardenia, moxibustion licorice and other medicinal materials, and pure local pork as the filling. It is absolutely suitable for the symptoms!"

“The spleen belongs to the earth, which is represented by the color yellow, so millet mixed with flour is used to make the skin to represent its shape;
"The natural environment and sleeping habits of the island country cause the people to have more dampness in their bodies. When working at a high intensity, it is normal for them to have various discomforts in their bodies. Therefore, the main function of the fire-type buns is to [strengthen the spleen and aid digestion, eliminate dampness and harmonize the stomach]... They are made with Chinese medicinal materials such as Poria cocos, Atractylodes macrocephala, Perilla frutescens, and Amomum villosum, and stuffed with local pork, chicken, and fish. Eating them regularly will ensure their effectiveness;"

"Lungs belong to the metal element, which is represented by white, so there is no need for plant dyeing;"

“Although the exhaust pollution in the island’s big cities is not that serious, it is not light. In addition, the office workers in the island country have been in a sub-healthy state for a long time, so the lungs are most likely to have problems. The main feature of the white Jinxing buns is to [nourish the yin and moisten the lungs, resolve phlegm and relieve coughs]… It uses Chinese medicinal materials such as almonds, ophiopogon, platycodon, lily, etc., and directly makes the filling with pork. Not only does it have a unique flavor, but you can clearly feel the effect after eating it for a few days!”

"The kidney belongs to water, which is represented by black, so sesame powder is added to color the dough to show its shape;"

"To survive in an island nation, the first priority is to have a healthy and energetic body. In addition, both men and women hope that the man is more energetic, so the main feature of Shuixing Baozi is to [warm the yang and benefit the kidneys, replenish the middle and benefit the qi]... It uses Chinese medicinal materials such as Rehmannia glutinosa, wolfberry, Codonopsis pilosula, and licorice as the filling, mixed with pork, mutton, and fish. Although the taste is definitely not as good as the other types, when it comes to kidney-related things, as long as it works, the taste is secondary... Don't you think so?"

Seeing that bastard Yang Mo gave her a look that said "you know" at the end, Miss Mu's face turned red and she felt so angry that her teeth were itching.

I am still a virgin, what do you mean by looking at me like that?!

But she had to admit that she was fooled by Yang Mo's deception. She never expected that the five-color buns, which sounded so immature, actually did not sound like nonsense.

Looking at Miss Mu's expression of astonishment, Yang Mo's stomach was about to burst with laughter. The inspiration of this five-color bun/dumpling can actually be traced back to the famous Japanese food animation "Cooking Master Boy". This animation full of creativity and imagination really opened a door for Chinese people. Restoring the food in this animation in reality is still one of the hot topics of UP masters on the small broken station... Whether it tastes good or not is not discussed for the time being, but the visual effect and gimmick are really sufficient.

In fact, you can’t say that Yang Mo was just daydreaming. In later generations, these five-color buns were indeed made and sold in the herbal medicine rooms opened in some Chinese medicine clinics. They were cheap, and eating them often really had certain effects... Not only did they not taste as bad as imagined, but eating them one or two more times would give them a different, indescribable flavor that was quite addictive.

Although achieving this level of cooking certainly requires the joint efforts of chefs and doctors and countless repeated experiments and seasonings, Yang Mo does not think this is an insurmountable problem as long as one is willing to put in the effort... What Chinese people have always lacked is imagination and opportunities to try, rather than execution.

………………

"Then...what is this Yinqiao throat-relieving milk tea you mentioned? Could it be that Yinqiao granules are mixed with milk and tea? That would be so unpalatable!"

With the previous experience of the Five Elements Buns, Miss Mu no longer dared to think that Yang Mo was talking nonsense, but she was still skeptical about how delicious the things he talked about were.

Yang Mo waved his hand, "How can that be? Although Yinqiao Liyan Milk Tea sounds like Yinqiao Granules, the taste is different... Although this thing mainly uses Chinese medicinal materials such as honeysuckle, forsythia, mint, lily of the valley, and its main function is to [clear heat and relieve throat pain, and remove dampness with fragrance], as long as the mixing method is appropriate and the amount of Chinese medicinal materials is controlled, it will still taste unique with the sweet taste of milk tea."

Seeing that this young lady was still a little worried, Yang Mo became impatient: "Miss Mu, I don't know if you have ever drunk angelica chicken soup or eaten Gastrodia elata ham chicken... Um, sorry, I didn't pay attention to the taboo for a moment, sorry! Sorry!"

After realizing that he had said something wrong, Yang Mo quickly bowed and apologized. After thinking for a while, he continued, "Our country has always advocated the same origin of medicine and food since ancient times;"

"In fact, famous medicinal foods such as river shrimp with astragalus, beef stir-fried with ginkgo and mulberry, sweet-scented yam, steamed dumplings with tuckahoe powder, five-treasure tea, rose tuckahoe tea, etc., not only have the effect of nourishing health, but also taste wonderful... You know, Chinese medicinal materials in our country are also often used as seasonings. Take the stewed dishes that I personally think are the most recognizable. No matter which faction it is, the marinade used is basically some Chinese medicinal materials."

"So, equating medicinal food with bitter Chinese medicine soup that makes your tongue numb is a stereotype that couldn't be more wrong!"

"Everything should be done in moderation. Just as skatole can be diluted thousands or tens of thousands of times to become a pleasant perfume, as long as the amount of Chinese medicinal materials is controlled, these herbs can still become unique condiments."

Although she was disgusted by this guy using the relationship between skatole and perfume to annoy her, she had to admit that Yang Mo's analogy immediately eliminated many of Mu Liya's concerns... Due to the times and the fact that she was in the north, she had never tasted any of the famous medicinal foods that Yang Mo mentioned, except for the angelica chicken soup. However, many of the same sex she had known before had the habit of applying perfume, so when the two were combined, she understood the mystery.

However, she still didn't think that Yang Mo's attempt to open a chain of herbal medicine stores in the island country would be successful: "Yang Mo, even if herbal medicine really has a market in the island country in the future, it will take a few years for the island people to get used to and adapt to it... You know, the island people don't have the habit of eating herbal medicine, and in the island country today, the most expensive thing is rent!"

This is a very objective statement. Any business project must pay attention to the input-output ratio and also consider whether the initial investment is within one's tolerance.

Obviously, even if medicinal food may have certain market potential in the island country in the long run, it will take at least several years to cultivate the market... or even ten to twenty years.

Although as a member of the state-owned enterprise system, Mu Liya would not be as eager for quick success and instant benefits as ordinary private enterprise bosses, the problem is that after a rough estimate, the cost required has exceeded her psychological limit.

You know, what is the most expensive thing in the island country now?
That must be the housing price!
Let’s not even talk about megacities like Tokyo where housing prices are sky-high. Even in ordinary first-tier cities like Osaka, Kyoto, and Nagoya, housing prices are absolutely extremely high... Now that all the funds of the world's second largest economy, the island country, are pouring into the stock market and the property market, the rent prices are simply terrifying.

Think about it, for a catering project that may not bear fruit until ten years later, she has to invest countless astronomical amounts of money. Even if Miss Mu now has a special deposit of more than 500 million yuan, she can't play it this way!

Hearing this, Yang Mo sneered, grabbed a cicada monkey that was no longer so hot and put it into his mouth to chew: "Miss, I'm not saying anything bad about you, but if you continue to focus on a single project...sooner or later you will be killed by yourself!"

Upon hearing this, Mu Liya suddenly became a little angry.

The two sides have been together for more than half a year, and with the presence of Tugou, Yang Mo's childhood friend, she of course knows that this guy is actually quite prejudiced against women... The most unbearable thing for her is that Yang Mo believes that women are naturally lacking in the overall perspective and vision. They may be able to be middle-level managers or the person in charge of a single small or medium-sized project, but to be the operator of a large project, there may not be one woman out of a million.

She admitted that women did have some problems in this regard, but she also considered herself to be one in a million... If these words came from the mouth of a small ant, she could just smile and treat the other person as a fart; but these words came from the mouth of Yang Mo, whom she valued very much, so she couldn't help but be angry.

"Tell me why I lack the overall perspective... If you can't explain it, I'll smear this rabbit meat on your face!"

Miss Mu raised the wild rabbit that had just been pickled with white wine in her hand in a threatening manner, revealing a rare hint of anger that an ordinary girl should have.

Yang Mo took a look at the wild rabbit that was said to have suddenly jumped out on the way when Miss Mu was returning from the county town and crashed headfirst into the hood of the car and died. He suddenly felt a tingling sensation on his scalp.

Wild rabbits and domestic rabbits are actually two completely different species. This thing is extremely fishy. Even if you want to roast it, you have to marinate it thoroughly with white wine, onions, ginger, garlic and other things before you can put it on the shelf. If you paste this raw meat directly on yourself, the smell will not go away for a day or two, and you won't be able to sleep well tonight.

Without thinking about whether the rabbit strictly speaking could be considered as "dying of its own accord", nor was he thinking about why this young lady was willing to eat wild rabbit meat, Yang Mo quickly took a defensive posture and said in a provocative tone: "Hey, hey, hey, young lady, have you forgotten that a few days ago we also discussed how to use our country's former status as a [cultural suzerain] to gradually open up the island country market?"

Mu Liya curled her lips and raised the hare in her hand higher: "I remember, but if I remember correctly, we were talking about how Chinese herbal medicine products can take advantage of this historical advantage to enter the market. What does it have to do with your herbal medicine chain project, which is essentially a restaurant?"

Yang Mo rolled his eyes. "So I said you still lack the overall perspective... Using a point to lead the whole is certainly the most labor-saving method, but the risk of failure is high and the effect is slow!... In fact, a trader like you who has countless resources and potential projects should consider how to use the whole to lead the point."

"I think you still haven't figured out one thing... As long as the mental penetration rate of a certain concept exceeds 10%, the surface is spread out. For any project of this type, as long as there are no major mistakes in execution, the commercial success rate can be increased by at least 15 to 30 points... By then, the projects in hand will be bright in all directions... Isn't it great?"

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PS: Since the country has made up its mind to revive traditional Chinese medicine, we must express our support, right?
I must say that in this regard, the Guangdong and Guangxi regions and the Suzhou and Hangzhou regions have done a good job. And just as taking photos and short videos have driven the revival of Hanfu, I personally believe that the key point in the early stage of the revival of traditional Chinese medicine lies in medicated diet. After all, only when the whole nation understands it and reduces the sunk costs of the experience, can we talk about true acceptance, right?

I would like to recommend Hu Qingyu Tang’s medicinal food here. It is delicious and inexpensive, especially the dish of beef with ginkgo nuts, mulberries, etc. It is very delicious. If any classmates go to Hangzhou for a trip next time, you might as well try it. I personally think it is much more delicious than the dishes at Louwailou.

(End of this chapter)