Dreaming back to the 90s to help my dad catch a rival in love

"The cheongsam business?"

The next night, Zhao Jingwen brought his nephew to Ning's house for dinner as usual.

In the middle of speaking, he frowned, pointed to a pile of beans on the table and said to Ning Jianguo, "Jianguo, don't take out the broken edamame, what should Xiaobei and Xiaoxia do if they have diarrhea after eating it?" ?”

"That's right, Uncle Ning, I just wanted to say, this bean smells so bad, did you forget to put it in the refrigerator, and just remembered to take it out to eat today."

Fan Xia pinched his nose and said.

Ning Xiaobei, who was accompanied by natto, looked at the two people who made a fuss speechlessly.

"This is not edamame. It's Japanese 'natto'. Ding Zheyang's mother specially sent it to us. This stuff is good for the body, and it doesn't stink because it's broken."

"Huh? Is that similar to Shaoxing stinky tofu? It turns out that the Japanese also eat stinky tofu."

Hearing the words "good health", the uncle and nephew followed Ning Xiaobei's example and ate two beans, and finally both raised their hands in surrender.

"Ala Chinese stomach, I can't enjoy any 'Japanese cuisine'. Sashimi, sushi and so on are okay, but I really can't eat this, I have no luck."

Ning Jianguo had no choice but to remove the dish of natto, and then took out a dish of pickled pickles from the refrigerator, which finally satisfied the appetite of the two.

"Uncle Zhao, go ahead and talk about the 'cheongsam business'. Don't Ding Zheyang's parents run a tour group? Why do they also have a clothing business?"

Intuition told Ning Xiaobei that this message was very important.

It is even related to the future life choices of Uncle Zhao and Ding Zheyang's parents.

"Oh, they have taken a lot of tour groups over the years. Those Japanese rich ladies and rich ladies wear too many kimonos, and they also want to wear the old Shanghai cheongsam. Japan seems to have missed some Chinese movies. Gong Li's " "Raise the Red Lantern", and "A Dream in the Garden". Anyway, they also want to buy cheongsams when they arrive in Shanghai."

Zhao Jingwen said.

"My wife told me that the cheongsam must be tailored to the body. The cheongsam ordered last year may have to be changed this year. The tailor at the alley will either relax or narrow it. Don't compete for an inch', the cheongsam is not to be missed by half an inch. If it is wider, it will be a sack upper body, and if it is narrower, it will be 'tied vegetarian chicken'."

Although Ning Xiaobei has never seen a pig run, he has eaten pork anyway.

In the big rosewood cabinet on the second floor of Ning's house, more than half of the clothes were cheongsams worn by the good woman when she was young.

Although the old lady will no longer wear it when she enters the new society, she still has a set of clothes when it comes to these things. Both father and son of the Ning family have been influenced by her.

"That is to say, when a tour group comes to Shanghai for a short tour, it is only a week, and it is no more than half a month. There is no way to make it to order. You must buy ready-made clothes."

Zhao Jingwen waved his hands, "What the couple mean is that there are too few shops in Shanghai that make ready-made cheongsams, so there is only one store that sells cheongsams in such a large clothing market, and it is the kind of restaurant waiter's, not Dahong. , it’s big green, with slits all the way to the thighs, no classical charm at all.”

"So what they mean is that they want to invest in a clothing store with you and sell ready-to-wear cheongsams?"

Ning Jianguo put the three peeled shrimps into the bowls of the three of them, and said with some concern, "But the initial investment will be huge. There are not many manufacturers who make ready-made cheongsams, and they may have to invest in their own factories." , Hire a designer. I’m afraid it won’t work just relying on the tour group business.”

"It's not just a tour group business. They have a way in Japan and can help export to Japan for sale. But I can't just do Japanese business. How many people in Shanghai still wear cheongsam now? I grow up so big , that is, I saw it when I was a child, and then I only saw women dressed like this when I was watching funny shows and Shanghai dramas."

"Yeah, who still wears those old antiques now."

Fan Xia said as he picked up the preserved egg and dipped it in soy sauce.The preserved egg was too slippery to hold with chopsticks, and he failed repeatedly, which made the soy sauce dish surrounded by dots.

Ning Xiaobei couldn't see it, so he just scooped up the preserved egg with a spoon and handed it to his mouth. Fan Xia opened his mouth wide and ate half of it.

"Boss, you are so kind to me..."

Fan Xia chewed on the preserved egg and smirked.

Ever since Ning Xiaobei became a librarian, among other things, Fan Xia's life has become better and better.

It turns out that in addition to the advantage of unlimited borrowing of books, the librarians in No. [-] Middle School also have another wonderful advantage-because the librarians have to help in the library during their lunch break, Teacher Wang sent each of them a representative With the card of administrator status, you can enjoy VIP treatment without queuing up in the cafeteria with the card!

After Ning Xiaobei and the others were promoted to the second year of junior high school, they changed to a new classroom.The new classroom is located on the north side of the school. The five-story school building was newly renovated last year. The desks are brand new and the floor is covered with sound-proof carpets. The facilities are absolutely first-class.

But there is a fatal shortcoming, that is, it is too far away from the canteen of the junior high school.

Even a group of young runners, Fan Xia, rang the bell for the last class in the morning and ran down from the fourth floor. Instead of taking the main road, they took the garden path and crossed the rockery. It took 5 minutes to walk this distance.

What is the concept of 5 minutes?

The boys and girls in the entire junior high school turned into "fan-digging warriors" as soon as the meal time came, and the black crowd rushed to the cafeteria like a large army.When their group of people arrived, almost all the people who bought food had already lined up at the entrance of the dining hall.

It will be at least 10 minutes before the meal is actually eaten.The dishes are cold, the meat is gone, and the free soup is running out.

The other students were fine, but Fan Xia, the "Heaven Eater", couldn't get hungry for a moment.Usually the last class in the morning is only halfway through, and his ass|ass can't sit still like nails.Moving back and forth up and down, crying out hungry, Ning Xiaobei was harassed to the point of despair.

But it's different now. With the "VIP card" hanging around his neck, Ning Xiaobei walks into the cafeteria at noon every day, regardless of whether he is on duty or not. Have a good lunch with Fan Xia.And Fan Xia didn't have to queue up when he entered the cafeteria, he just occupied a seat and waited for Ning Xiaobei to deliver the food.

"Hey, Boss. 'How do I live without you? Anyway, I've got a broken heart and I can only make trouble.' (Note 1)"

At this time, Fan Xia would hug Ning Xiaobei's shoulders, sing songs indiscriminately, and pretend to kiss him, and then Ning Xiaobei pushed him away.

He, a gay guy, can't hear such words, even if they come from the mouth of the second child.

"Boss, if we separate, I'm afraid my life will be really difficult..."

Fan Xia said in a low voice while rubbing his chopsticks.

Zhao Jingwen put a piece of duck leg into Ning Jianguo's bowl, and continued, "Nowadays, all kinds of western clothes, leather bags, and belts are popular in Shanghai. Japanese styles, European styles, especially those famous brands that imitate France and Italy. , It’s on the shelves today, and it’s sold out tomorrow, this is a big deal. Cheongsams are all out of date, and no one buys them.”

"Then, Uncle Zhao, did you reject Ding Zheyang's parents' proposal?"

Ning Xiaobei put down the spoon and asked quickly.

He felt that this proposal was not generally good, but it was simply excellent.

Although the cheongsam has declined in Shanghai over the past few years, he still remembers that in 2000, the work "In the Mood for Love" directed by Wong Kar-wai was released.Although the film tells stories that happened in Hong Kong, it reveals the style of Shanghai everywhere.

In the play, Maggie Cheung changed more than 20 sets of cheongsams, all of which were graceful and swaying.Back then, there was a wave of cheongsam craze in Shanghai. The little girls opened the wardrobes of their grandmothers and grandmas and searched for "Maggie Cheung's same style".

Another year later, the Ninth APEC Informal Leaders' Meeting was held in Shanghai.On the last day, when the leaders took a group photo, these leaders from all over the world will wear gorgeous "Tang suits" for a group photo.

After that, there was a retro craze in Shanghai and even in the whole country.

Tang suits, mandarin jackets, and cheongsams have come back into the public eye.

I remember that during the Spring Festival of that year, the business of the tailor shop downstairs in the community could be described as "hot". The shop was full of people with silk and satin materials who came to him to make clothes.

Most of the clothes are old goods from the bottom of the box, and after opening, there is a smell of old moth balls, most of them were bought from old silk shops.

The three major silk and cloth shops in Shanghai in the past were all opened by Ningbo people, namely the so-called "Da Sanxiang" of Bao Daxiang, Xie Daxiang and Xin Daxiang.

The master of the tailor shop in the community is also from Ningbo. He has not made Chinese clothes for many years. Seeing these old fabrics is like meeting old friends who have not seen for more than ten years.Silk satin, brocade, veil, plain crepe, flannel, gabardine, when you touch it, it's like opening a book that has been dusty for many years, and stepping into that glorious time.

It's the end of 1998, and we're only two years away from these two retro crazes.If you start the layout one step ahead of others now, you can definitely make a lot of money by then.

Not to mention that 20 years later, the general trend of "national trend" such as "ethnic style" and "Hanfu craze" will rise.

Uncle Zhao turned the tap now and plunged into this blue ocean, wouldn't he be afraid that he wouldn't be able to make money or buy a house?

"As for me, I didn't reject them directly. I just said that I would consider it..."

Zhao Jingwen thought about it, but still felt that this proposal was not very reliable.

For the needs of a group of Japanese people, I went to a factory to do the cheongsam business. What if these little devils' tastes change in a few years and they don't like it?Wouldn't it be all in the hand?

"I found several factories in Guangzhou that make counterfeit leather goods. They have already produced samples for me. From leather materials to hardware parts, dust bags are all imitated one-to-one, even if they are really placed next to them. It’s also the same. There are also counterfeit goods in Shanghai now, and they are not even A-grade, let alone super-A. If this business grows bigger..."

"Then you will be sued."

Ning Xiaobei couldn't help but interjected.

"Nonsense, who will sue?"

Zhao Jingwen smiled indifferently.

"The manufacturer is here to sue you."

"Foreigners are full. How big of a business am I? Is it worth them traveling across the ocean to trouble me?"

He rubbed his chin, paused, and said, "Then let's not imitate leather bags... let's imitate shoes. Jianguo, this is our old profession. High-end leather shoes are not cheap. In this way, your canteen is now It’s on the right track, so you don’t need to stare at it every day. You come to help open the mold, maybe..."

"Maybe they were caught together."

Ning Xiaobei was really in a hurry, put down the bowl and chopsticks and walked to Ning Jianguo, waving his hands constantly, "Dad, this is absolutely not acceptable."

Organizing the sale of counterfeit products and participating in counterfeit manufacturing——hey, Uncle Zhao was charged with two crimes in one meal, and he also tried to drag his father, a good man, into the water. Absolutely not!

"Xiao Bei, what's the matter with you? Today, if you say something to Uncle Zhao, you just refute it. Children can't do this."

Seeing Zhao Jingwen's uneasy expression, Ning Jianguo glared at his son, feeling that he was a little too modest today.

"No... I think that since Ding Zheyang's parents have been abroad for so many years, their horizons are still very broad. Although there are not many people who like cheongsam now, maybe it will become popular in two years?"

Ning Xiaobei began to organize vocabulary after searching.

"Isn't there that song—even though I wear a foreign dress, my heart is still Chinese. Didn't Mr. Lu Xun also say—"Only what belongs to the nation belongs to the world."

Ning Xiaobei licked his lips and continued, "In a few years, Beijing will host the Olympic Games..."

"Ah? When, why don't I know?"

"Didn't we fail in the 91 Olympic bid? The 2000 Olympic Games were held in Australia, right?"

Zhao Jingwen and Ning Jianguo looked at each other.

It's over, Beijing's successful bid for the Olympic Games seems to be a matter of 2001, I accidentally leaked the secret!

Ning Xiaobei slapped his thigh fiercely.

"I guessed it... I think we will definitely win next time. And we will definitely hold a wonderful Olympic Games that the whole world will never forget. At that time, what will the pre-promotional videos, Olympic hostesses, and award presenters wear—for sure It’s wearing cheongsam, right! Cheongsam will definitely be popular by then.”

"What happened in 2008... Be darling, Jianguo, how old were we going to be at that time? Both Xiaobei and Xiaoxia graduated from college, maybe they're both married, right?"

Zhao Jingwen clasped his arms around his chest, feeling that he couldn't imagine these two little guys getting married and having children.

"Xiaobei, what you said is too long ago. Uncle is in a small business, not for the development of the country, but he has to formulate a five-year and ten-year plan. The plan is not so long-term."

Zhao Jingwen seeks truth from facts.

"Make imitations, and the money comes in quickly. There is already a complete industrial chain in Guangdong. I only make a few looks in a season, and I earn fast money. The cheongsam business has too long a front line, fabrics, workers, designers. I have to find them one by one. By then, everything will be ready and the money will be invested. If the sales are not good, I will lose more than I gain."

"Let me say something."

Ning Jianguo listened silently for a long time, and finally expressed his opinion.

"As for me, I'm not a businessman. Even if I contract the school cafeteria now, I still regard myself as a worker, doing things cleanly, and working hard."

Ning Jianguo's words are not wrong at all.Since he contracted the canteen of the Textile School, not only has the quality of the food risen a whole level, it has been well received by the teachers and students of the school, and the price has dropped even more than before.

Ning Jianguo felt that all the people who came to eat were teachers and students, so it must be of good quality and cheap, hygienic and clean, so that they could eat happily and at ease - in stark contrast to the dilapidated canteen of No. [-] Middle School.

"After I graduated from junior high school, I went to Heilongjiang as a volunteer. Later, I was demobilized and returned to Shanghai, where I was assigned to a leather shoe factory. I didn't know anything about Seiko or molds. It was my old master who brought me out little by little. of."

"My master once said a word, I will remember it all my life-to live (work) is to be a man, and to be a man is to live. Life is face. No matter how nice the words are, if the work is not done well, it is shameless .But there are no shortcuts to being a human being and doing life.”

Zhao Jingwen looked at him without saying a word.

Ning Xiaobei and Fan Xia also looked at Ning Jianguo together.

The father in my memory has always been quiet. Unlike Zhao Jingwen, who is eloquent and eloquent, he is always doing things in silence, like an old scalper, diligent and silent.

Ning Xiaobei has never seen it in his "two lifetimes" when he said it so happily.

"When we make molds, we use human flesh and blood to run in with machines. My master is an 'eighth-level fitter'. Just relying on the feel of the hand, he can polish a fine steel abrasive tool to the precision of one-sixteenth of a hair. .I asked the master before, what does it depend on? Are you relying on machines imported from the United Kingdom or the United States? No, it depends on one word—practice. Practice it in your hands, just touch a piece of paper, and you can prepare to measure How many microns is this piece of paper, how many filaments are thick.”

"There is absolutely no shortcut in this kind of thing. There is no shortcut in life. If you want to take a shortcut, you will lose face in the end... I think the principles in the world should be the same. If you don't do life in a down-to-earth way, do business It’s just a matter of nonsense...Xiao Bei, do you think what Dad said makes sense?”

Seeing that the three of them didn't say a word, and all of them stared at him with wide eyes, Ning Jianguo scratched his head in embarrassment.

"I don't read much, I only have a junior high school diploma, and I can't speak. Don't laugh at me."

"Jianguo, the two of them don't even have a junior high school diploma, how could they laugh at Nong? What Nong said is so reasonable and level."

Zhao Jingwen couldn't help stretching out his two claws, trying to grab Ning Jianguo's hands, but he opened them.

"Cough... Dad said it well."

Ning Xiaobei gave a dry cough and raised his hands to applaud.

Fan Xia also chirped twice.

"Then... how about it. I will find time tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to discuss with Ding Kai and his wife in detail. Let's see how to arrange it..."

Zhao Jingwen still felt a pain in his heart when he thought that all these efforts were wasted in Guangzhou, where he had inspected and spent money on proofing.

But Ning Jianguo had already spoken, so he naturally wanted to take it seriously.This appears to be a matter of long-term consideration.

Seeing Ning Jianguo's statement, Ning Xiaobei took a deep breath, pressed his chest that was heaving violently, and sat back at the dining table.

He told himself that at least things had developed in a good way, and he couldn't act too hastily.

"But when it comes to 'cheongsam'. We stinky men don't understand it at all. We still need to find an expert to ask for advice."

As Zhao Jingwen said, he couldn't help hooking Ning Jianguo's shoulder again.

"Before the festival, I will prepare a big gift, and then I will go to Jiandli to visit Mrs. Ning. See her mahogany wardrobe that is said to be worth several 'little yellow croakers'."

Seeing that the two children were eating with their heads down again, Zhao Jingwen suddenly put his mouth next to Ning Jianguo's ear, and whispered in a narrow tone, "The main thing is to visit the mother-in-law..."

Before he could finish speaking, Ning Jianguo stepped on him severely.

So on the eve of the Spring Festival, Zhao Jingwen went to Jiandeli with big and small packages of New Year gifts.Everyone hadn't opened their mouths yet, but they heard a big piece of news from Mrs. Ning——

Miss Xiaomei is going back to her hometown to get married this Spring Festival.

The author has something to say:

Note 1: Yi Nengjing "If Without You"

It was only when I wrote this that I found out that the Beijing Olympic Games was successfully applied for in 2001. . .Wow, 20 years, I can't believe it.At that time, we were still welcoming the Olympics every day.