Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 928, pages 7-11

Xiao Wei looked at the bowl of noodles on the table and asked, "Do we have to have this too? Where do we get this stuff? How much does it cost?" He picked up the small fork to examine it.

Xie Xiaolong said, "I think it's amazing. This is so convenient, and I feel it will definitely be a bestseller in the future. Just think about it, on construction sites, in offices, you can have a bowl of food whenever you're hungry, as long as there's hot water. And then there are trains, where you can sit for days on end, and the food on the train is expensive."

Xiao Wei looked up at Xie Xiaolong, thought for a moment, nodded, and said, "That makes sense. Before, when taking the train, we would boil eggs or bring our own lunchboxes and dry food, which was inconvenient and couldn't be stored properly. We were afraid of them getting squeezed or crushed, and they would leak everywhere. This is really convenient."

Xie Xiaolong said, "I'm thinking of going to Tianjing in the next few days to see if I can sneak into their factory and take a look." He chuckled, "There are so many workers in the factory, I should be able to find out some information by spending a little money, and while I'm at it, I can check where the equipment is from. I reckon it's definitely from Japan."

Xiao Wei thought for a moment and said, "Okay, you take two people with you. I'll also ask around. I think Han San might have some connections. I'll give him a call." He took out his phone and dialed.

The call connected, and Han San's loud voice boomed, "Xiao Wei? What brings you to call me? What's up?"

Xiao Wei said, "Third Brother, I have a question for you. Do you have any connections in the instant noodle equipment business?"

Han San said, "Yes, didn't I already get it for you?"

Xiao Wei said, "It's not this kind, it's the kind in a bowl where you just pour water in and eat, and it even comes with a fork. See that Master Kong instant noodles? It's from Tianjing."

Han San asked, "You mean that bowl? Forks are easy to find, they're made everywhere, but I'll have to look for that bowl. I don't think it's available in China, I've never heard of it. Wait a minute, I'll ask around and get back to you in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Xiaowei said, "He went to inquire. When are you planning to leave?"

Xie Xiaolong said, "I'll arrange what I'm doing and then leave. I'll be back as soon as possible. There's nothing major going on here for now, and production is fine, so don't worry."

Xiao Wei said, "Let the office book your plane tickets. You can fly there and back. It'll be quick."

Xie Xiaolong laughed and said, "Really? Then I'll really book it! I've never been on a plane before."

Xiao Wei said, "How could that be a lie? The plane is fast, saving time on the road. It only takes about two hours to get there."

Xie Xiaolong opened his mouth as if to say something, but then hesitated and said, "We still need to find a way to change the oil buns. Ours still look a bit bland. We need to make them a bit richer and stronger in flavor. I'll think about the vegetable buns some more."

Xiao Wei said, "The oil packet is easy to make, I'll take care of that. You'll have to make the vegetable packet, seasoning, and the bread."

Xie Xiaolong said, "I feel that they are more precise than us in terms of oil temperature, and there are also some differences in the things they add. Okay, I'll handle this part. I'll try it a few more times and finish it when I get back."

A few minutes later, the instant noodles were ready. Xiaowei and Xie Xiaolong each had a bowl and started eating. After finishing, they drank some soup. They looked at each other and Xiaowei said, "It feels chewier than ours. The flavor is indeed stronger, but to be honest, it's not as good as ours with the oil packet."

Xie Xiaolong said, "Their flatbread is better than ours. I'll go see what kind of flour and glue they use. The glue is different. The oil buns don't taste as good as ours, but they're richer. Ours are a bit bland."

Xiao Wei nodded and said, "I'll try to change it; it's a small matter. His dish has scallions, cabbage, and carrots, right?"

Xie Xiaolong said, "Hmm, there's something else, but I can't quite taste it. It seems like this dried vegetable bun is just for show; it doesn't really affect the taste."

Xiao Wei said, "This beef doesn't have much flavor at all; you can't taste anything. It's just a gimmick."

Xiao Wei said, "Let's contact them and see how much it costs and how big the project is. It all comes down to cost. Let you get back to it; there's no rush."

The two chatted for a while, and then talked about things at the factory, before Han San called back.

"Xiaowei, I asked around, and all the equipment is from Japan. We have to order it from there, from Fuji. In China, they only have it in Kyoto right now. I've never seen the products before, and I don't know how much they cost."

Xiao Wei said, "Who knows Kyoto?"

Han San said, "The Great Wall Food Factory is located in Changping. You can find out about it if you go there."

Xiao Wei said, "There are also vegetable drying machines. You should inquire about them and see what models they have and how much they cost."

Han San said, "Okay, I'll have someone go to Japan to ask. I have a friend there. I'll get back to you once I've found out. So you're planning to make them in bowls? You might actually have to build your own production equipment. If you order from outside, they'll make a profit, which will increase your costs. How will you price them then, right?"

Xiao Wei said, "Why don't you ask how much it will cost first, and then I'll discuss it further."

Han San said, "Okay, I'll find someone to talk to them right away. By the way, Xiao Wei, do you know that convenience store you own in eastern Guangdong? It's run by Americans, something like 7-Eleven, I don't know what the name means. My friend said it's not a big store, it sells daily necessities, drinks, food, and stuff like that. The owner is from Hong Kong."

Xiao Wei said, "I don't know, it wasn't there when I went to Guangzhou. It's everywhere sooner or later, it's normal."

Han San said, "Well, just keep that in mind. This is all about having an early advantage; everyone's selling pretty much the same things. I'll have my buddy take some pictures and bring them back for you, so you can see how they do it. He said that shop is only a few dozen square meters."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay, thank you. I really had no idea how to run such a small shop. This is a good opportunity to learn."

Han San said, "Okay, wait for my call. I have something to do here, I'm hanging up now." He then hung up the phone.

Xiao Wei said to Xie Xiaolong, "Han San said there's a convenience store in eastern Guangdong run by Hong Kong people, an American brand, only a few dozen square meters."

Xie Xiaolong said, "The Americans and Japanese are decades more developed than us. These things were originally passed down from them, so they must have done it better. We should learn from them. Actually, I feel that you should go abroad to broaden your horizons. Your business is so big now, you need to go out and explore. That's how it is in China; we always wait for others to do everything."

Xiao Wei scratched his head and said, "Later, there's too much to do right now. Once all our companies are stable and we have the right people, Xiao Hui and I will go out and travel around. At least we should go and see Japan and Hong Kong."

Xie Xiaolong nodded and said, "It just so happens that our factory is newly built. It seems to be the will of heaven. Otherwise, even if we wanted to start making instant noodles, we would be anxious and flustered, and it would be easy to cause business trips. Now it's great, we can just start designing."

I'm going to visit this time to carefully observe their production line layout, but I estimate that it won't be small. Our ten or so acres are definitely not enough to do anything. Our instant noodles haven't even been fully distributed in Liaodong yet. In the future, we want to expand to Jilin and Heilongjiang, and even Inner Mongolia. You're saying we want to go to North China? How big of a factory would that be?

I think there are two paths to this. One is to buy land and expand the factory into a dedicated instant noodle plant, then branch it out. Go wherever it's cheapest, as long as there's a road. The other is to set up a branch factory, build another one in the city center.

Xiao Wei frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Go take a look first, and take my camera with you before you leave."

(End of this chapter)