Siheyuan: Cooking journey

the next day.

He Yuzhu continued to read the newspaper with a bad look on his face.

At this time, the phone rang and he picked it up.

He frowned slightly and hung up the phone.

After thinking about it, it turned out that there was a seminar about to be held, and his aunt specially invited him to attend as an observer.

I didn’t think much about why I was invited. Since I had nothing to do anyway, I decided to go.

The meeting lasted from noon to evening.

Seeing that it was almost time for dinner, his aunt asked him to stay for dinner.

He Yuzhu was too embarrassed to refuse, so he simply stayed and helped in the kitchen to cook a meal.

In the kitchen, Auntie asked with a smile: "You haven't said anything, are you worried about something?"

"No idea."

He Yuzhu responded that even if he really had any ideas, he was unwilling to speak them out loud.

Speaking out means taking responsibility, so you have to do it and complete it well.

How nice it is to have a leisurely and comfortable life. Who would want to find trouble?

"What do you think about what's happening in Longkou?"

Seeing that he didn't say anything, the aunt thought for a moment and asked again.

Longkou was just a minor issue mentioned at the seminar.

He Yuzhu hesitated for a moment and said:

“The problem at Longkou is not difficult to solve;

“We are worried that if we relax the controls, a large number of external influences will come in, so we can put some restrictions in advance to deal with it;

“Such restrictions are like putting a lid on the dragon’s mouth;

“For example, it is stipulated that foreign-funded factories in Longkou can only export, not sell domestically, etc.

“In this way, the products of Hong Kong Island as a processing base can be mainly exported to other Southeast Asian countries;

"With this operation, the transfer of Xiangdao's industry to Longkou will not have much negative impact on either place."

The aunt thought for a while and said with a smile: "Your method is very good and can indeed solve the problem."

“But things are never perfect.”

He Yuzhu sighed and continued, "No matter how good the policy is, if it is not implemented effectively, it is the same as if it has no effect. After all, this cover is not a real dam that can block everything. "

“People are willing to take any risk for money.”

“Even the sea and the border cannot stop the flow of goods from Hong Kong Island to the mainland, let alone Longkou.”

Hearing this, the aunt frowned and asked seriously: "Do you mean you don't agree to do this?"

He Yuzhu paused for a moment without commenting and continued:

“There is a phenomenon of ‘banana people’ in Hong Kong;

“On the surface, he looks the same as us, but in his heart he has already changed;

“Money can easily make people lose their original faith, and prosperity can easily shake people’s will;

“Foreign trends not only bring in capital and technology, but also bring in a lot of new things and change everything around;

“Money lost can be earned again;

“If you fall behind, you can catch up slowly;

"But what if a person's heart has changed? What if they still look the same, but are actually completely different?"

There was silence in the kitchen for a while.

Then, the aunt smiled and asked, "Do you think you will be deceived by material things?"

This question left He Yuzhu speechless.

After a long while, he replied softly:

"I'm already very rich and have long been accustomed to this kind of life. I can say that I have been 'corrupted' to the extreme."

"Oh, I almost forgot that you are actually a rich man!"

Auntie joked,

"How much money does it take for you to say that? Tell me!"

He Yuzhu shook his head:

"I really haven't counted them all. Lou Xiao'e takes care of all this. I don't usually take care of this kind of thing myself."

The aunt deliberately showed a surprised expression: "Oh, I didn't expect you to have such a huge fortune hidden. No wonder your family pretends to be good at spending money."

The days passed quickly, and Lao Guo came with a construction team to start building an instant noodle factory.

In addition, I also customized some accessories needed for instant noodles through an old friend.

At present, China is indeed lagging behind in this regard, and many relevant materials need to be imported from foreign countries.

Therefore, He Yuzhu decided to cooperate with some local companies to carry out local production in order to form a complete supply chain.

Like the stainless steel industry, instant noodles are also planned to be exported in exchange for foreign exchange.

Although the mainland's technology is relatively backward, it is rich in grain.

Simply exchanging food for cash is a very unprofitable business;

But if it is made into instant noodles, the price will increase exponentially.

However, it is not planned to be sold in the domestic market because according to the local average income (50 to 60 yuan), each pack can only be sold for around 50 cents at most.

However, in places like Japan where wages are much higher (nearly 10,000 yuan per month), the price of three yuan a pack is still very attractive.

In addition to Japan, other Southeast Asian countries with good economic development are also one of the target markets.

When Jiqi was sent to Singapore to develop new markets earlier, it was originally just a way to suppress competitors, but now it seems that this move was a very clever one.

As for the market expansion of products like Red Bull, there is no need to be too anxious for the time being, but instant noodles must speed up.

Although the factory is not yet completed, He Yuzhu has already designed preliminary promotional activities.

No matter how good the product is, it will not work without good promotion.

So we plan to give free samples to consumers to try out how delicious the instant noodles we produce are.

During this period, construction matters occupied almost all of his attention, and he no longer participated in other activities such as seminars.

In the blink of an eye, two weeks passed and it was Saturday.

At this time, He Yushui returned home with a piece of news that was hard for him to digest:

"The school is organizing a group of students to study abroad, and Xiaobai has been selected,"

"Considering that we may not see each other for a long time, should we invite her to our house for a gathering..."

He Yuzhu was stunned and couldn't say a word.

His younger sister He Nianqiu was even more shocked. She couldn't understand why Xiaobai wanted to study abroad.

What if Zhou Xiaobai never comes back?

Could it be that some small misunderstanding between them led to this situation?

He Nianqiu felt very sad and blamed himself, and wished he could have stopped this from happening.

But at the same time, I also know that nothing can be changed...

Invite Zhou Xiaobai to be the guest.

He Yuzhu didn't object, thinking of finding an excuse to work overtime that day.

In the end, this thing didn't come to fruition.

The original departure time for studying abroad was set after the Chinese New Year.

Suddenly there was a new notice saying that by going abroad in advance, one could learn advanced knowledge earlier.

So, the first batch of international students left early.

He Yushui brought back the news at the weekend, and Zhou Xiaobai had been gone for several days.

He had originally planned to never see her again, forever.

Going abroad is good for both of us.

This is what he thought in his heart and he felt it was right.

But when he really knew that she was gone and he would never see her again, He Yuzhu felt confused and lost.

In the next few days, I felt inexplicably irritated.

However, life went on as usual, and Zhou Xiaobai's departure did not bring any changes.

The Guo family was responsible for the construction of the new factory.

Now is not the busy farming season, so we have mobilized manpower from surrounding communes, and the efficiency is extremely high, with new progress being made every day.

He Yuzhu went to check on the progress almost every day, and spent the rest of the time teaching Yu Li how to drive or handling things in the factory.

This feels much busier than leisurely drinking tea and reading the newspaper.

My aunt is particularly concerned about the new factory.

I often call to inquire about the situation, but I can't find the specific person in charge.

Director Yang also went to the construction site every day, but still couldn't find anyone.

Later, He Yuzhu received a notice to write a work summary.

......

In the cafeteria office.

It was a rare occasion that He Yuzhu was present. He read the newspaper while answering the phone and briefly introduced the situation of the factory.

“When can we officially start construction?”

The aunt asked on the other end of the phone.

He Yuzhu thought for a while and said, "The factory building should be completed before the end of the year. The commissioning of the production line is relatively simple. It mainly takes some time to train the workers. It is estimated that production can start in January or February next year."

"If we start production, will there be any problems? I remember that instant noodles are very particular about packaging. We need to solve the technical problems of packaging. Do we have the conditions to do so?"

The aunt was no stranger to instant noodles. When she was inspecting, she even asked someone to buy some for her to try.

The taste is average, but she thinks this format is very novel and has a market.

"In China, apart from flour and workers, we basically cannot solve other problems on our own. For example, palm oil and packaging need to be imported..."

He Yuzhu briefly explained the situation.

Auntie listened carefully and suggested:

"Isn't it too expensive to import everything? Can't we use soybean oil or peanut oil? The domestic production of these is sufficient."

"When making instant noodles, the main function of oil is heating and drying. Soybean oil or something like that can also be used, but the shelf life is only about half a year."

He Yuzhu explained: "Palm oil is more stable and healthier for the human body. It is easy to absorb and does not deteriorate easily. Instant noodles made with it can have a shelf life of up to one year. And in terms of price, although palm oil has to be imported, it is cheaper than soybean oil."

After briefly introducing the plan, he added some future ideas:

"After the instant noodle factory goes into production, apart from palm oil, which will be imported, we will consider cooperating with mainland factories for other materials to form an upstream and downstream industrial chain. There will be one company specializing in this and another specializing in that..."

Auntie thought for a while and said with concern:

"You have clear ideas, which is great, but the most important issue is whether you can make money. Putting aside the relationship, from an investor's perspective, such a large investment must have a return. If you can't make money, no one will be willing to participate, and attracting investment will become an empty talk. Our income is generally not high, and a package priced at a few yuan will definitely not sell; even if it is a few cents a package, the profit is very thin."

After a sigh, the aunt continued, "You can only use your own money to do this. Others may not do this. This method is not a reference and cannot play a leading role."

He Yuzhu seemed a little confused and explained:

"I never intended to sell instant noodles to domestic consumers, but to export them to earn foreign exchange;"

"This complete industrial chain can drive a series of links from production to outer packaging."

“Using foreign exchange to introduce technical equipment can further promote the development of the entire industry.”

After hearing this, the aunt was silent for a long time before she spoke: "How is the export of the stainless steel material you mentioned going?"

"Almost done. We have already contacted Japan. The first batch of goods will be shipped out soon..."

He Yuzhu said.

"The steel rolling mill currently mainly produces stainless steel raw materials... This type of processed products has obvious competitive disadvantages there, as other people use machines to make them at a lower cost. So he did not directly engage in this business, but he did not completely stop production. He hired a master to lead the craft workshop to continue working, and then sell it locally."

"After the first batch of stainless steel exports makes money and generates actual benefits, I will discuss with Director Yang to let several subordinate steel mills concentrate resources to produce this kind of steel to supply overseas markets. If possible, we will also import iron ore for further processing before selling it. This will form a cycle."

"This is the benefit of technological leadership. The reason why a small place can become one of the world's economic powers is because it masters core technologies..."

"But our country is vast, and with the development of society, the demand for steel is increasing. This model may no longer be applicable in a few years."

He briefly described his long-term plans.

There was a long silence on the other end.

He Yuzhu thought the other party was distracted and looked elsewhere, so he called out tentatively:

"Auntie, are you still listening?"

"Um..."

She sounded serious.

"Xiao He, remember you are a deputy director-level cadre, right? Between Lou Xiao'e and Ran Qiuye, how will you choose?"

He Yuzhu blinked and quickly evaded the question.

In fact, he no longer needs to think about this question. It is no longer as simple as choosing between two options.

.........

I just got home from get off work and just walked in.

Ran Qiuye was busy in the kitchen.

Little Nianqiu sat in the living room in a daze.

He Yuzhu picked her up as usual and kissed her on the face.

"Do you miss Dad?"

"Think about it..."

Little Nianqiu answered weakly, and his smiling face that usually filled his eyes was now dull.

He Yuzhu frowned.

This situation has been going on for several days.

He initially thought that Xiao Nianqiu was not feeling well, but after taking her pulse he found that she was very healthy.

Everything checked out normal, but the condition was still not good and the problem seemed to be getting worse.

After putting Xiao Nianqiu down and seeing her sitting there with her head down, He Yuzhu felt very uneasy and went to find Ran Qiuye who was cooking.

"Have you put too much pressure on Nianqiu recently? Don't ask her to recite those poems anymore. She hasn't smiled much recently."

"I was just about to talk to you about that, too."

Ran Qiuye snuggled in his arms and said worriedly:

"I don't know what happened to her. She suddenly became so listless. She couldn't get motivated no matter what she did. She was always in a daze. I stopped forcing her to study these days, but the situation didn't improve. When her friend Xiao Deng came to play with her, she refused to go out. She just sat there and was lost in thought all day."

"If I don't call her, I can stay still all day."

"I thought she was feeling unwell. I asked her several times and she said she was not sick. But she was still like this. It really worried me."

"Let's take her to the hospital for a thorough check-up tomorrow."