The Era of Hard Work

Beihe, a small market near the edge of the county seat.

As the sun gradually rose, the crowds in the morning market dwindled rapidly. Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei saw the last customer put down their spoons and leave, and hurriedly cleaned up the fried dough sticks and tofu nao stalls.

The plastic bags covering the bowls were removed and thrown into the trash can. The bowls were piled up one by one and put into wooden boxes.

The summer sun was scorching, the temperature rose rapidly, and the couple soon broke out in sweat.

There was no time to rest, the morning market occupied part of the street, and according to the regulations of the city administration, all stalls must be removed before 8:30.

Every day when I leave, I am anxious.

After packing up the things and loading them into the trailers of the two underbone motorcycles, the couple rushed back.

They lived not far away, in a village near the county seat, a very ordinary farmyard.

When I got home, I couldn't rest yet, and had to unload the car and pack it up.

The weather was getting hotter and hotter, and the sweat dripped down Shi Hongmei's face. She took down the wooden box containing the bowl and small spoon, put it in front of the water tank, scooped up cold water and poured it into her mouth.

Ordinary people looking for a living, tired, hot and thirsty, how can they be so particular, they gulp down most of the ladle.

Qi Yubao felt sorry for his wife: "Don't move, wash the dishes, I'll do the rest."

Shi Hongmei sat down with a Mazha, poured water into the big basin to wash the dishes, and said while washing the dishes: "Old Qi, we can't do it just by tossing around like this. It's okay to say that when encountering severe crackdowns from above, it's like fighting guerrillas. Like the third grandson, avoiding this and that, you can't worry enough."

Qi Yubao lifted two tofu brains and poked them, crossed his hips to catch his breath, the weather was so hot, it felt like everything was burning from his mouth to his stomach.

"Huh..." After taking a deep breath, Qi Yubao said, "What do you think?"

Shi Hongmei wiped the sweat off her face: "We have saved a lot of money, why don't we rent a door in the county and open a shop?"

Qi Yubao glanced at the low table and Maza: "The rent at the front door is not cheap in places with a lot of traffic, and it's not suitable for remote places. If the rent at the front door is too small, it's better to set up a stall. It's too big..."

Having said that, Shi Hongmei is also hesitant. Ordinary people who make a living, especially those who make breakfast, really earn hard money.

Although the business has been good in the past few years and I have saved tens of thousands of yuan, it is all done by working hard from dawn to dusk.

Rent a better door, and most of the accumulated money has to be invested. Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei are not so determined.

The small farmyard gradually became silent, only the sound of working was left.

After finishing the work, it was almost noon, the couple had a meal and went to sleep quickly.

When I got up in the afternoon, I had a lot of work to do, and the responsible field was taken out, but the vegetables in the private plot needed to be sprayed, and Qi Yubao had to buy.

In the evening, when the children are out of school, the whole family can get together and have a real rest.

A family of three, blowing ceiling fans, sitting in the main room, preparing to watch "Black Hole" on Taito TV during prime time.

Before the TV series is broadcast, it is a routine commercial time.

The host of "Everyday Diet", who seemed particularly lovable, jumped out and skillfully stewed a delicious yellow braised chicken in a casserole.

"Taifeng Garden in Taidong, China's braised chicken!"

The food in the ad looks delicious.

In addition to these, there is also an introduction about the franchise store, which is a bit like the excavator advertisements that Taito TV often broadcasts.

"Taifengyuan Yellow Braised Chicken, looking forward to your joining!"

Then there is the investment promotion call, and you can also go to the local Lu's Hot Pot, Lu's Malatang or Burger King for consultation!

Shi Hongmei knows that these three stores are located in the most prosperous commercial area of ​​the county, and their business is very good. According to the mouths of Beihegan restaurants, some news spread widely. It is said that the average daily turnover of each store this year can exceed five thousand.

Compared with others, what they make can only be called a peddler.

Qi Yubao said at this time: "In the advertisement, the braised chicken seems to belong to the same company as those three restaurants."

Shi Hongmei also noticed: "It's called Lu's Catering. I've heard people say that this company is the leader in Taidong's catering industry."

Hearing about Lu's Catering Company and seeing the ad for braised chicken, Qi Yubao's thoughts came alive, and during the day he refuted his wife's lease of the storefront, which was cautious in small business, not conservative.

After all, it is not easy to earn two money, but it is quick to lose it.

Qi Yubao pondered: "You say this yellow stewed chicken is not reliable, recruit franchisees, how about we join one?"

This time it was Shi Hongmei who was more cautious: "Opening such a store requires a small investment. It seems that there is a franchise fee for the franchise. It is said that there are some scams..."

Qi Yubao didn't worry about this: "It was broadcast on the provincial TV station, and Liu Yiwei made an advertisement. Lu's Catering Company is a big restaurant company in our province. Those three restaurants are in our county. Is it possible for someone to lie to us?"

Not to mention anything else, as far as credibility is concerned, there is really no problem.

Making such a decision is not ordinary difficult, even if you don't inquire about it, Shi Hongmei, who is also in the catering business, has a little calculation, and there is a rough idea. Such a store will definitely invest tens of thousands of dollars.

"Can it work?" Shi Hongmei said.

Qi Yubao thought for a while: "Why don't we close the stall tomorrow, let's go to the county shop and ask, it's not far away."

Some things are easy to say, but hard to do. Shi Hongmei hesitated for a while before saying: "It's okay to go and have a look."

The next day, after cleaning up the stalls and returning home, the two unleashed an underbone motorcycle, specially changed their clothes, and rushed to the three shops on the commercial street in the county seat.

The three stores of Lu's Catering were originally close to each other, so I randomly found one to enter, and there was a promotional display rack of Taifeng Garden Braised Chicken in front of the store, and Liu Yiwei who was holding the Braised Chicken looked particularly pleasing.

Qi Yubao just asked a waiter casually, and he got a lot of detailed information, including various introductions and prospects of braised chicken, as well as the current operation of some stores.

These materials are heart-warming.

After getting the news, the manager of the store received them. After learning about their basic situation, he made it clear that if he was interested in Taifengyuan Braised Chicken, he could organize a vehicle to send them to the factory to learn more about the situation. , during which there is no need to bear any costs.

The three largest fast food restaurants in Beihe are placed here, guaranteed by Lu's Catering Company, Taifengyuan is also a time-honored brand they have heard of, and they don't need to pay any fees. Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei finally decided to go to Taifengyuan in Quannan University Town Braised Chicken Headquarters to see it on the spot.

What if it really is an opportunity?

In the material introduction, Lu's catering company started with a street stall. From 1999 to now, it has achieved such a huge scale in just a few years.

What the store manager said here is clear and logical, after all, it is not as good as going to see it with your own eyes.

Four days later, Qi Yubao specially found a leader to come down to inspect. On the days when the superiors informed that no stalls were allowed, he and Shi Hongmei took the car rented by Lu's restaurant to Quannan University Town.

The distance between the two sides is a bit far, and it took more than an hour to arrive at the place.

As soon as they got out of the car, the couple saw a huge park, covering an area of ​​dozens of acres, with factories and office buildings.

There is a special person here to receive them. First, they will be taken to visit the office building, then the storage center, and the delivery fleet.

Some of these experiences left a deep impression on Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei.

For example, in aseptic operation, special work clothes need to be replaced when entering and leaving the warehouse, and air shower disinfection is also required.

For example, standardized management and strict self-inspection ensure food safety and hygiene.

If you really want to join, the cooperating shopkeepers at least don't have to worry about supply problems.

After reading Taifengyuan Braised Chicken Company, Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei's biggest impression was that it was a company with strict management and regulations.

Afterwards, another special car took them to visit the headquarters building of Lu's Catering Group.

Seeing a building with a total height of 29 floors, ordinary people will believe that this company has strong strength as a guarantee.

Near noon, they went to the nearby Taifengyuan braised chicken shop. They had braised chicken and rice for lunch, which tasted really good.

The manager of the store also communicated with them and visited the kitchen. The dishes are simple and cheap to make, and semi-finished products are made into dishes on the table. It is not much more difficult than making a tofu nao at the breakfast stand.

In other words, it will be very fast to get started, and there is no need to worry about not doing well.

The people from Taifengyuan were not in a hurry to take them away, but stayed in the store for a while.

Qi Yubao and Shi Hongmei saw the rush of people coming and going, and there were a lot of people coming to eat. At around twelve o'clock, every table in the store was filled with people, and some people who didn't have a seat started sharing tables for dinner.

Little people who work hard in the market have their own survival wisdom. Qi Yubao found an excuse to talk to people on purpose and asked about the situation of the diners.

After reading a lot and asking a lot, according to Qi Yubao's judgment, these are all true.

When it was past one o'clock, they followed the people back.

Shi Hongmei whispered to Qi Yubao, "I've seen that, on average, each table is turned over two or three times."

Qi Yubao nodded slightly: "Business is very good."

Shi Hongmei added: "Did you see that there is also a door-to-door service of food delivery. There is a person who delivers food to the nearby commercial center. It seems that seven or eighty meals have been delivered in more than an hour."

"The food tastes good, and the price is not too expensive." Although Qi Yubao has a street stall, he is also used to catering: "The consumption in Beihe County is not as good as that in the university town. In places with many schools or factories, open such a store, buy and sell It shouldn't be too bad."

Back at Taifengyuan Braised Chicken Headquarters, the couple were taken to a reception room and asked to take a break at noon.

In fact, it also gives them a private space to digest what they saw and heard in the morning.

The employee of Taifeng Garden who has been with the couple all the time is called Xing Yuanpeng, who was transferred from Lu's Catering. Because of his sharp tongue, he is currently one of the deputy directors of the investment promotion department.

State the facts first, then reason.

Xing Yuanpeng didn't take a break, and was going to talk about reasoning in the afternoon. After contacting them all morning, he learned a lot about the couple from Beihe.