Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 909 Ideas

Several people here greeted Xie Xiaolong.

"Factory manager, you seem to have gained some weight. Are you eating well here?"

Xie Xiaolong's face darkened, and he said to Zhang Guiqin, "Are you going to open a shop or continue working in the factory?"

Zhang Guiqin said, "Sister Shang said it would be better to open a shop, but I... I haven't thought about it yet."

Hou Wei took the receipt, and the group went into the courtyard with Xie Xiaolong. Xie Xiaolong said, "You guys go find Zuo Hong and settle in first. Those who want to open a shop, go find Shan Hongmei. The canteen is on the second floor. I'll go in first."

The school and factory offices were all on the first floor. There was a vehicle passage in the middle, a warehouse on the left, and a row of offices on the right with signs hanging on them.

Xie Xiaolong entered the factory, and Zhang Guiqin and a few others found the office clerk, opened the door, and went inside.

The first two batches of trainees were incomparable to the later batches. Back then, everyone was a newcomer, and later they worked in the factory, so they became very familiar with each other. Unlike the later trainees, it was unlikely that they could become as close as Shan Hongmei and the others.

Zuo Hong heard the door open and turned around: "You're here? Is everything arranged over there?"

Hou Wei said, "What arrangements are there? Just come over if you're called. It's the same wherever you are."

Zuo Hong said, "Your things arrived last night. I was wondering what time you'd get there. The dorms are all set up. I'll show you around." She tidied up the things on the table, stood up, and said, "The things are over here. Come and get them, see if anything's missing."

Several people went into the inner room and took out their belongings. This was no longer the case when they first arrived; they had all lived here for over a year, especially the women, who had many more things than before, some several times more.

Two men offered to help carry some things, and Zuo Hong also came to help. The six of them carried and hauled the things up to the second floor, went into the room and put them down. Zuo Hong said, "Let's make do here for now. Next year when our new factory is up, all the workers will move there, and this place will be given to the school. Then it will be much more spacious."

Actually, the conditions aren't bad, even better than in Longcheng. In Longcheng, we slept in shared rooms, but here there are partitions between two people.

People always have different ideas. Most of the trainees still choose to work, feeling it's stable, while only a small minority want to open their own shops. People in Northeast China these days have a narrow perspective and limited information, and are used to a life of finding a job and earning a salary.

After packing up, Hou Wei took the train tickets to Xie Xiaolong for signature and reimbursement. Zuo Hong then led Zhang Guiqin and Lang Yan to Xiao Wei's office.

Xiao Wei is looking at the business plan sent by the cake chain company.

After nearly six months of research, the company analyzed the economic situation of major cities in the three provinces, including the city's status, economic structure, main sources of income, market development, and average consumption level, and made suggestions for the company's next steps.

While reviewing the materials, Xiaowei also had to compare the cities where the students who chose to open stores were located to determine the feasibility.

The statistics list from Shan Hongmei's side has been sent over, and one-third of the students in this batch chose to open their own independent stores.

This is perfectly normal. Some people are financially better off and feel they can run their own businesses without the hassle of partnering with a company, sharing profits, being managed, and paying management fees. These days, few people value something as intangible as a brand.

In the early 90s, most people didn't have much of a concept of brands, so they didn't have such a strong mentality of comparison, and the direction of comparison was also different.

It wasn't until the late 90s, when people had more money and their living standards had generally improved, that the concept of "brand" began to take root in people's minds, thanks to deliberate promotion and media guidance, and led by the newly wealthy. A ranking emerged: foreign brands > major domestic brands > minor domestic brands > local brands, largely unrelated to quality. This remains true to this day.

People's comparisons have begun to shift from aspects such as quality of life, work, health, and children to meaningless foreign brands.

"You're here? When did you arrive? Come in and have a seat." Xiao Wei put down the documents in his hand and stood up with a smile when he saw Zuo Hong, Zhang Guiqin, and Lang Yan come in.

Zuo Hong said, "They just arrived. The accommodations are arranged. I have something to do over there. You talk to them. I'll go downstairs first." She left in a hurry. Xiao Wei walked over to the sofa and asked Zhang Guiqin and Lang Yan to sit down. He said, "I called you two over because you are trainees who are going to open a shop this time. Only you two didn't choose to go back to open your own shop. You chose to follow the company's arrangements."

Zhang Guiqin said, "I'm not going back. There's hardly anyone left at home, and I'm divorced. What would I do back there?"

Lang Yan said, "My family is from Sifangtai. We're so poor we can barely afford to eat. I can't go back to open a shop there. Actually, many people didn't choose places near their homes either. Maybe they have relatives there or it's close to home or something. As a woman, I feel it's more reliable to follow the company's arrangements."

Zhang Guiqin said, "Actually, there are quite a few trainees who are similar to us. They are afraid that they can't open a business back home, but they really want to open their own shop."

The main reason is that families with little money are worried about the risks. Those who can afford to learn this are usually from relatively well-off families, since the tuition is quite high. There are very few students like Lang Yan who come from rural areas, and most of those from rural areas are boys. Most of them learn to be chefs because the tuition is low and jobs are easy to find.

Lang Yan said, "Actually, although most of the trainees stayed to work, it's because they borrowed money to study and wanted to earn a salary to pay it back. They still want to open their own shops in the future. Besides, they wouldn't be able to find a job if they went out."

The school has had several batches of students. Very few of them went home after graduating from the baking program. Most of them stayed, either in factories or noodle shops, because for the time being, Xiaowei's place is the only place where they can find work, and they can't find jobs elsewhere.

Xiao Wei said, "It's all the same. As we get more manpower, we won't be short of people anymore. I support anyone who wants to open a shop. I'll be happy if all our students can have their own jobs and become rich. That's when the school will be famous."

Zhang Guiqin said, "Other people who open shops have money, but we have nothing. It's just an idea. It's okay if we don't open a shop. Working in the factory is fine."

Xiao Wei said, "It's nothing. I'm not giving you money for nothing. The company invests and only gives you the store after we recoup our costs. Besides, you'll still have to follow management and pay management fees. There's no question of anyone taking advantage of anyone. Don't overthink it, just do your job well. I called you here because neither of you suggested a location. Sister Zhang, I originally thought you'd want to open it in Andong."

Zhang Guiqin said, "I don't want to go back. If possible, I'd like to stay in Fengtian. If I can't open a shop, I'll just work in a factory or shop."

Lang Yan nodded and said, "Yes, yes, it doesn't matter whether we open a shop or not now. It's fine to have a job. Our company also has a shop, right? I can work at the shop. The factory doesn't need any more people now, and I really don't want to stay in the factory anymore."

A few days ago, I went back to Wushan and set a fixed update schedule, ending yesterday. I misremembered and almost forgot to update today. The bonus update event starts on the 30th; if I reach 10000 words, I'll receive an official bonus. These next few days, you need to like my posts; the bonus will double if you reach a certain number of likes. My laid-back readers, go and give me a like!

(End of this chapter)