Saturday night was not thrilling, but it was also very involved and exhausting. After days of planning, Wen Liang was too tired to talk to Wen Huaiming about the progress of the province. After returning home, he went straight to the bedroom and fell asleep. He vaguely heard Ding Mei's voice, but he was too lazy to even open his eyes.
A dreamless night!
After three or four months of persistence, Wen Liang's biological clock is now extremely punctual. Even if he sleeps late at night, he wakes up at six in the morning, almost as accurate as Beijing time. Wen Liang exhaled a long breath, feeling refreshed and energetic. He hummed Jacky Cheung's song, exerted force on his waist, and jumped up from the bed.
When he got to the living room, he turned around and saw that the door of the master bedroom was still tightly closed. After all, Wen Huaiming was old. He had been running back and forth and making plans for a while. It was rare for him to have a chance to rest, so he naturally had a good sleep. Wen Liang washed up quietly, hung a white towel around his neck, changed into sportswear and went out for a run.
Six o'clock is the coldest time of the day. The north wind wrapped in the cold current of Siberia blows through the whole city with a whistling sound. The dead leaves on the ground make a creaking sound when stepped on, as if the wooden bed is shaking when some piston moves. As the night fades, the number of pedestrians on the road gradually increases. Occasionally, sanitation workers can be seen cleaning the streets. From time to time, simple plastic sheds can be seen on some remote streets or at the entrance of alleys. Several small tables and stools are arranged in a mess. Two or three coal briquettes are fully burning. Spicy soup, tofu brain, millet porridge are all available. People who work the early shift usually eat in these places, sitting, squatting, standing, and some even ride on bicycles. They order two tea eggs and pick up a bowl of millet porridge. They finish them in no time, wipe their mouths, pay the bill, and ride away without moving their buttocks.
The bustling breakfast stalls are always the most humane scene in the city.
But Wen Liang, the bitch, automatically ignored this point, and his venomous eyes pointed directly at the root. The dirty water flowing everywhere, the dust flying in the wind, the dishes that had not been washed in time, and the bucket of dirty dishwashing water, the well-dressed and neat women quickened their pace to walk past the stalls, and the men with bulging bellies who seemed to be leaders frowned and carefully stepped over the egg shells on the ground.
Wen Liang smiled as he passed by these people, and silently said in his heart:
Have breakfast and go to Qinghe!
Not long after, Qinghe Soy Milk’s first commercial slogan resounded throughout Qingzhou!
An hour later, Wen Liang stopped at the door of the soy milk shop on Bayi Road. Business seemed to be better than before, with customers coming in and out in an endless stream. Even standing on the roadside, one could hear the bustling noises inside.
Wen Liang squeezed into the store sideways. Xiao Yin was busy collecting money, Li Shengli was frying dough sticks in the operation room, and it was Li Siqing who was serving rice at the window. Seeing Wen Liang, Xiao Yin didn't even have time to say hello. She hurriedly said that the boss was inside and was busy giving change to a customer.
Wen Liang smiled and said, "Sister Xiaoyin, it's okay to go slowly, but don't make a mistake in the calculation."
Xiaoyin made a face at him in her busy schedule. A female customer in her fifties beside her was amused by her cute appearance and praised her, "This girl is very skillful and pretty. She is very good, very good!"
Xiaoyin looked at Wen Liang proudly, and Wen Liang laughed and agreed with her. The female customer left contentedly with two cups of soy milk and five fried dough sticks.
Pulling open the partition door of the operation room, Li Shengli was putting the semi-finished fried dough sticks next to him into the pot. The long chopsticks in his hand were turning them up and down in a very regular manner, with a focused look as if he was creating a work of art.
Wen Liang stood quietly by the side. After a while, golden, soft and fragrant fried dough sticks came out of the pot. Li Shengli saw Wen Liang and smiled slightly. He pushed the plate with fried dough sticks over and said, "Try it!"
Wen Liang took a bite and praised it highly, "Good! Crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, flexible and chewy, with a hint of sweetness left in the mouth at the end, delicious."
As they were talking, another one came out of the pot. Li Shengli handed it to him and said, "Try this one."
"Hmm... The taste is very similar, especially this one has a great aftertaste. There are very few fried foods that can leave a lingering fragrance in the mouth. Did you make it?"
"Not bad!" Li Shengli said with a proud look on his face, "I finally made the most delicious fried dough sticks. All the procedures are recorded in a book, accurate to every step and every second. As long as you follow this technique, the taste of the food you make will be very close, which means..."
"That means our promotion plan can finally begin!"
Wen Liang gave the correct answer. Li Shengli tore off his waistcoat and threw it aside. He walked back and forth excitedly and said, "Yes! With this, we can develop Qinghe according to your plan until we can open it in every city in Jiangdong Province, so that hundreds of thousands or even millions of people can eat breakfast in Qinghe every day!"
Wen Liang shook his head, his eyes sparkling brightly, and he whispered, "No, not just Jiangdong, I want every city in the country to have a Qinghe store, so that every day when I open my eyes I can smell the flavor of Qinghe. At that time, Qinghe will not only have soy milk and fried dough sticks, but wherever it goes, it will absorb all kinds of local food and beverages, and integrate them with the characteristics of Qinghe, and then grow like a snowball into a towering tree, overlooking the entire Republic."
Li Shengli looked excited, unbuttoning several buttons of his white shirt, and asked, "What should we do next?"
This brought him back to square one. Wen Liang was in urgent need of funds for rapid expansion. He pondered over and over again, what opportunities would there be to make a fortune in 1995? However, inflation, economic downturn, and the prospect of a soft landing were worrying; the pain of reform, the dilemma of state-owned enterprises, and the difference between life and death were like ice and fire. This was the general trend. There were a few opportunities that could be used in small matters, but none of them could be used to get something for nothing. Speaking of getting something for nothing, Wen Liang couldn't help but think of Mr. Mou, who was very proud of himself this year. First, he won the titles of "China's Top Ten Private Entrepreneurs" and "China's Reform Figure" last year, and was ranked fourth on the Forbes China Rich List in February this year, and was in the limelight. Who would have thought that this representative of "getting something for nothing" who changed planes, built satellites, and developed Manchuria would experience a four-year power game starting in March next year, and ultimately be powerless and imprisoned.
So Wen Liang decided to proceed steadily and step by step.
"You can go to No. 19 Middle School in the next few days and refer to the requirements of the Bayi store. Choose a store near the school. It doesn't matter if it's a little far away. I decided to open the second Qinghe store at No. 19 Middle School."
There is a reason why he chose No. 19 Middle School. No. 1 Qing Middle School is in the central area, not too far from Bayi Road, and on the same bus route. It is very convenient for students from No. 1 Middle School to buy breakfast here. No. 19 Middle School is in Dongcheng District, which is relatively remote. Many students live on campus. Once a store is opened, it will definitely attract a large number of students to dine.
This is one of them!
Secondly, Wen Liang knew that Qingzhou would plan to expand eastwards starting next year, and the area around No. 19 Middle School would soon become a new and prosperous place. If he took a step ahead, he could be ahead for a long time.
Li Shengli nodded. He was only responsible for execution, and Wen Liang was in charge of all decision-making. "But if this happens, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle it. This is not a franchise store, so the store manager must choose someone he can trust... Otherwise, how about your mother?"
Wen Liang smiled bitterly and said, "I don't care, but she is still holding on to the dream of a stable job. It is impossible for her to switch to other jobs unless the agricultural machinery factory closes down."
Li Shengli could only smile bitterly. He was a person who had jumped out of this circle, so how could he not understand Ding Mei's idea? "Then what should I do? If it doesn't work, I can only run both ends first?"
Wen Liang smiled and said, "Don't be so petty. In the future, you will be a big shot who will manage thousands of stores. If you do everything yourself, Nuan Nuan will feel bad..."
Li Siqing over there heard his name and turned around and shouted, "Brother Wen, I'm done with my work. Come and talk to you."
Wen Liang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Why did these words sound like someone trying to coax a child to sleep
"If you're tired, take a rest. I'll help you, okay?"
"No, I can do it! Brother, you are tired, take a rest!"
This girl! Before Wen Liang could say anything, Li Shengli started to feel jealous of his daughter and said, "My daughter is almost married, and I can't sleep if I don't mention Brother Wen ten times a day, haha."
Li Siqing raised her little fist and glared at her threateningly. The little girl looked very cute with her lively eyes, playful expression, and delicate skin!
Wen Liang and Li Shengli looked at each other and couldn't help laughing. Li Siqing pouted and looked very distressed: My brother and dad are on the same side, what should I do? I got it, I'll find Sister Ning...
It's fate that matters between people. Ning Xiaoning's cold personality and proud temper made her a difficult person to approach. But Li Siqing just got along well with her. Every time, he loved to hold Ning Xiaoning's hand, looking up at this tall, beautiful and cold sister with envy, dreaming of growing up quickly and becoming such a proud girl!
Warm moments always make people nostalgic. Wen Liang almost forgot to continue the previous topic after being interrupted by Li Siqing. It was only when Li Shengli asked again that Wen Liang smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have found a good candidate. He is very smart, practical and capable, and absolutely trustworthy. You can choose an address in the next few days. I will go over to take a look when I have time. If it is suitable, we will start work immediately. Find a professional company to do the decoration and design a layout that conforms to Qinghe's concept as a template for future stores."
"Well, I'll go check it out after closing time."
"Uncle Li, love what you do, and never say the word 'close' from now on. Say 'go out of business' instead!"
Li Shengli has known Wen Liang for a long time, and has picked up a bit of black humor. He said, "I was wondering why the last store closed down. It turns out that they said 'closed' too many times."