I'm incredibly ambitious after being reborn.

Chapter 13 The uncle looked completely bewildered
Getting friends and family to join in isn't as simple as just saying hello.

There are benefits to it.

"The site is already so big, do you still want to expand it?"

Cheng Wenlin, the uncle who was following Zhang Daxiang to observe the process, was utterly astonished to hear that Zhang Daxiang planned to expand the current venue.

Zhang Daxiang has been spending money like water lately. Just bringing in masons from Zhangshi Village to do the ground leveling and build brick-and-mortar bungalows costs 600 yuan a day for twenty workers.

The project will take twenty days, and the cost of over ten thousand yuan will have to be paid out in full.

However, Cheng Wenlin was somewhat taken aback by many things, namely that some parts that required hiring experienced craftsmen were basically handled by Zhang Daxiang all by himself.

“Now that I’ve taken over a small dock, it’s definitely not just for show. We’ll build a processing plant next to it, and the goods will be transported directly by water. In a couple of days, we’ll refurbish the old boats belonging to our family and put them into use.”

Small bulk carriers in the countryside, even if used for fishing, can easily carry five or six tons of cargo. They are much more stable than large eight-wheeled vessels, and their fuel consumption is very low.

"Are you really opening a factory?"

"It's really open."

After climbing down the ladder, Zhang Daxiang connected the wires and now waited for the power supply station to install the meter. Since the meter installation required a schedule, it just so happened that an electrician from this town was the son-in-law of Zhangshi Village. According to seniority, Zhang Daxiang had to call him uncle, so after giving him a pack of decent cigarettes, he would bring people to install the meter in the afternoon.

There's no need to set up a table; it's a fast food restaurant, and it's also doing business like a "cart shopper," with plenty of drinks.

"Is that fast food restaurant still open?"

My uncle really couldn't understand how his nephew from the Zhang family could manage so many things.

"The renovation is already underway, and Uncle Zhengjin is keeping an eye on it at the North Gate."

"So fast?"

"The storefront sign is finished; I had someone print it out a couple of days ago."

Zhang Daxiang washed his hands and then took Cheng Wenlin to see the temporary warehouse, which had everything from storefronts and light boxes to signs and stickers.

Moreover, the storefront was specially designed, using handwritten lettering: Zhang Family Canteen.

In the lower right corner of "Zhang Family Canteen" is the small print "Store No. 1".

"Zhang Family Canteen?"

"What it's called doesn't matter, it's just a fast food business."

These past two days, while Zhang Daxiang urged the old man to find a matchmaker with great connections, he also told the old man to look for individual pig farmers and sign contracts with those who could be signed. The price of live pigs is like that of rice, flour, and cooking oil; it won't be much higher or lower. Making money depends entirely on scale.

The idea that unit prices can skyrocket is just wishful thinking.

Cold storage rentals are too expensive, so Zhang Daxiang doesn't plan to rent one for the time being. He'll just buy a few large freezers to stock up on pork, dog, beef, and mutton.

However, Lao Zhou, who had previously asked Zhang Daxiang if he wanted a wife, did know that there were vacant cold storage facilities around Jiyang City. As for the specifics, we would only know the general situation after Lao Zhou brought someone over for a blind date.

“Uncle, before the first ‘Zhang Family Canteen’ opens, I need to finalize the staffing. The main dining area will need about eight people in two shifts. We don’t need experienced chefs for the stir-fries; anyone who can make toppings and stir-fries will do.”

"Topping? And noodles too?"

"We mainly serve noodles during the morning shift and fast food during the evening shift."

In the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, where noodle-making skills are generally average and there isn't much of a tradition of eating noodles, the focus isn't on the noodles themselves, but rather on the "toppings." These toppings are like the stir-fried dishes on "rice bowls" or "noodle bowls," and that's what people mainly eat.

Compared to noodles, the "topping" is the main attraction.

So it's not that people in Jiyang City don't like hand-pulled noodles, but rather... they don't know how to make them.

The machine-rolled noodles will do.

Of course, it's not without its advantages; at least for the shop owners, it saves them a lot of trouble.

"The lobby needs two classes, eight people in total?"

Uncle Cheng Wenlin was shocked, "Why would you need so much?"

"The storefront is large, and the main customers aren't just retail customers. You'll see when the time comes." There are eight people working two shifts in the lobby, and at least three in the kitchen. Plus Cheng Wenlin and a cashier or vote counter, there are definitely twelve or thirteen people.

This is no small shop; it's a huge one. Only established brands in Jiyang City employ this many people.

The main problem is that most dine-in fast food businesses operate on a small scale. The more staff they have, the less they earn. Usually, staff come and go like a never-ending stream, and it's normal to treat people like cattle and horses.

However, Zhang Daxiang did not intend to treat women like men or men like animals. While the wages were so-so, the working hours were kept within a reasonable range.

Several of my uncles and cousins ​​died young, leaving my aunts and cousins ​​to raise their children alone. In the past, when the elders had family festivals or banquets, they would pay people to help out.

But it's not a long-term solution. When the old man was still at the Second Chemical Plant, he helped out a bit, doing temporary work or odd jobs. Now that he's retired, face won't work anymore. It's just a matter of time.

So the old man also talked about making a living slowly and steadily, but unfortunately his skills were limited and he didn't have the ability to do so.

Zhang Daxiang is different; he has the ability to handle things.

The aunties and sisters-in-law who were helping out at "Shizipo" had actually already started training. Before, they were laughing and joking around without any seriousness, but after Zhang Daxiang pinned the troublemakers to the ground like dead dogs, he not only intimidated the old drivers who had parked and were eating, but also silenced the old women from his own clan and made them behave.

After all, Zhang Daxiang can treat outsiders like dead dogs, and he can treat their sons like dead dogs too; that's fair.

We all share the surname Zhang?

You, a direct descendant of Laozi (a famous Chinese scholar), dare to claim the surname Zhang?!

You don't deserve it, do you?
I carry twelve households on my shoulders. I'm strong, I eat a lot, and whatever I say goes. I'll even write your name in blue pen on the family tree.

He's quick to pay and ruthless, and even the uncles who clean the ancestral hall accept his money. Who would dare to say a word?

Zhang Daxiang is the eldest of the "Da" generation, the eldest among the eldest brothers.

“But Ah Xiang, if there really is such a large quantity, I’m afraid the supply of vegetables might not be enough.”

"Don't be afraid."

Faced with his uncle's concerns, Zhang Daxiang smiled and said, "For any dish that has a thick sauce or a lot of broth, we vacuum pack it and then freeze it."

"what?!"

Cheng Wenlin was stunned. "How can the taste remain unchanged?"

"There won't be much change. As for the sealing method, I'll design a semi-automatic vacuum packaging machine in the next few days. Buying a dedicated machine is too expensive, so making it myself can save tens of thousands of yuan."

"..."

At this moment, Cheng Wenlin's mind was buzzing. He couldn't understand how something like this could be designed so casually.

He doesn't understand.

"No... Ah Xiang, you can design mechanical equipment?"

"I was taught by a teacher at the school-run factory."

"..."

Zhang Daxiang took out a file folder as he spoke, "These contain the blueprints I drew. We just need to buy the drive motor. For things like fasteners and nuts, we can buy them according to the size standards. I'll cut and process the rest of the materials tomorrow. I'll also buy a small lathe while I'm at it. We'll get it done within ten days."

"No programming or anything, right?"

"Not yet, we'll talk about it when we need to."

"..."

Cheng Wenlin, who thought he had watched Zhang's nephew grow up, felt particularly unfamiliar with him at this moment.

Bah, this is no longer a matter of being unfamiliar or not.

He was going to offer incense to his brother-in-law and kowtow to him.

(End of this chapter)