Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 311 Discussing the Trip

Xiao Wei brought out the steamed pickled cabbage, then served himself some noodles and sat down to eat. In the north, noodles cooked without any additives are called "white noodles," and they are often eaten this way, or mixed with whatever they like, or eaten as a meal with side dishes.

After a few bites, Xiaowei said, "Steaming the pickled cabbage like this makes the steam too strong; it doesn't taste good." He picked some sauce and mixed it into the noodles, saying, "It needs to be stewed over a fire to be flavorful. It would be great if there was some blood sausage; do they sell it at the market?"

Xiao Hong ate her noodles in small bites and said, "I don't know, I'll go look for it tomorrow. If I can't find it, I can just order some blood from the butcher."

Xiao Hong glanced at Xiao Wei and said, "I can. I learned it from my mom, knowing you love that stuff. Nothing beats potatoes."

Xiao Wei didn't say anything. If women and potatoes were linked together, there was no solution to this problem.

After dinner, the two of them cleared the table together, washed the dishes, wiped their hands, and sat down to watch TV.

Xiao Hong held up the cigarettes and asked, "Is this the one you ordered? The design looks alright, kind of antique." She opened the packaging and took out a box. The cigarette box was a flip-top hard box, which looked quite classy. Since it was originally supposed to be an imported product, there was no plastic seal on the box, so it could be opened directly. The dark blue and gold-stamped cigarette holder looked very pleasing.

As Xiaohong fiddled with it, she asked, "Why did you come back without a word?"

Xiao Wei reached for a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and exhaled the smoke, saying, "Han San wants me to go to Andong. He said it'll take a week. Didn't he say he'd help us sell cookies in Korea? He said he wanted me to go and check it out."

Xiao Hong put down her cigarette, looked at Xiao Wei, and said, "I want to go too. I've never been before, and I want to see the Yalu River. 'Marching across the Yalu River with high spirits and great strides.' By the way, my classmate said Phoenix Mountain over there is really beautiful. Shall we go see it together? Hehe."

Xiao Wei said, "Aren't you going to class?"

Xiao Hong said, "It's just a few days of free time. University isn't as intense as high school. This genius can relax a lot and keep up."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Go if you want to. It's good to go out and see more of the world. Oh dear, I forgot to bring the camera back. I should have called you before I left."

Xiao Hong leaned against Xiao Wei and said, "See? Acting on your own without asking for permission or reporting to others is bound to lead to mistakes."

Xiao Wei smiled and put his arm around Xiao Hong, saying, "It's okay, I'll go pick up Chen Hui's tomorrow. I guess Chen Hui will want to go too. What to do? Chen Xiao can't move."

Xiaohong said, "What's there to be unable to move at four months? Just be careful. Your belly hasn't really gotten big yet."

Xiao Wei said, "We can't climb Phoenix Mountain, can we?"

Xiao Hong paused for a moment, thought for a second, sighed and said, "Never mind, if she's going, she won't climb the mountain, she can just stroll along the An Dong River."

Xiao Wei said, "We'll see when the time comes. If it doesn't work out, we'll find a place for them to stay in Phoenix while we go hiking."

Xiao Hong said, "Let's forget it. We went out together, we can go again another time. It's not that far."

After watching TV for a while, Xiaohong got sleepy. The two of them washed their feet and went inside to sleep, which naturally led to another passionate and indescribable encounter.

The next day, after having breakfast and taking Xiaohong to school, Xiaowei went to Shiyiwei to find Han San.

"Third Brother," Xiao Wei said as he entered the store. Han San was leaning back in his chair warming himself by the fire. He turned his head and saw Han San, saying, "Come, sit here and warm yourself by the fire."

Xiao Wei said, "It's almost May, why are you still using an electric heater?"

Han San said, "It's cold! Does this thing even have a specific time of day? If it's cold, just bake it. You got back pretty quickly, didn't you run back last night?"

Xiao Wei nodded, took out two boxes of Anji Special Edition cigarettes, and tossed them to Han San, saying, "Try some."

Han San picked it up and looked at it, saying, "What kind of cigarettes are these? Anji Special Supply? I've never heard of them. Where did you get them?"

Xiao Wei said, "It was custom-made. Try it; they say the tobacco used is specially supplied."

Han San took a cigarette, lit it, took a puff, and nodded, saying, "It's really good. We don't know if it's a special supply, but it's definitely good. Why are you ordering cigarettes?" Xiao Wei said, "To deliver. Two packs for each table that comes to eat."

Han San was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Your idea, right? Impressive! That's a great idea; it immediately elevates the class."

Xiao Wei said, "We originally went for the high-end market. Ordinary people can't afford that kind of food. To be honest, it's not easy to go for the low-end market, but it's not difficult to go for the high-end market."

Han San nodded and said, "That makes sense, let's just pay up. So when are we leaving? By the way, you haven't come over yet, have you? Come on, let's go take a look over there." He turned off the electric heater, stood up, and pulled Xiao Wei to walk towards the back.

After exiting the store through the back door and walking into the lobby, turning a few corners, Han San said, "We're here, this is the place." He then led the way inside.

Inside, there were all kinds of pastry equipment and tools used in cake shops, all neatly arranged.

After looking around, Han San said, "Buddy, my shop is counting on you for now, so you have to teach it well."

Xiao Wei looked around the shop and said, "I'll have no problem with mine, and your shop should be very popular soon. There are a lot of cake shops opening now, and people from Jiangsu and Zhejiang are opening them in Longcheng. I estimate that this industry will take off in about six months to a year."

Han San said, "Was it sold quite cheaply? Why are you trying to lower the price right away?"

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "Yes, that's right."

Han San curled his lip and said, "Those people over there are a bit selfish in their business dealings, that's all they do, they have no bottom line. How did you deal with them?"

Xiao Wei looked at a household appliance egg beater from head to toe and said, "I'm not renting that place, and coal is cheap, so I'll just carry it like this and see who collapses first. How much is this?"

Han San glanced at it and said, "These small pieces of equipment are all imported now. This one costs over three thousand. True, you've got plenty of money to make, so you don't care about this one. This guy's unlucky to try and haggle with you, haha."

Xiao Wei said, "Give me one of these. And give me two of those big doormats, the biggest ones. I really don't have any particular ideas. Anyone can do business, and it's their freedom to do whatever they want. If he wants to come up and raise the price, let him. Nobody's forcing him. I think they're mentally ill. Why do they always want to ruin their competitors instead of thinking about how to make good products?"

Han San nodded and told the salesperson to get the items, saying, "Indeed, whether it's food or household goods, their products are generally mediocre. They're only thinking about lowering prices and reducing costs, and they've squandered a lot of good products. Look at this knife, this one is imported, and this one is made there. You don't even need to test it; you can tell the difference just by looking at it." He picked up two scrapers and compared them in his hands.

Xiao Wei went over to take a look and indeed, the difference in their eyes was quite significant.

Han San put down the imported knife, picked up the one made in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and said, "Steel is no good. It has no elasticity and will rust. It's just cheap." He held the handle in one hand and the blade in the other, bending it back and forth a few times, saying, "See, if it's an imported one, it will straighten up as soon as you let go. This one won't do." The blade was obviously crooked, and the salesperson standing to the side watched with a twitching face.

Xiao Wei looked at the various sizes of knives displayed in the cabinet and asked, "Are these all for making cakes? What's this for?"

(End of this chapter)