Rebirth: Starting from the Cafeteria

Chapter 144 Reality of society, social reality

It was not a big deal to go back to the old house to celebrate the New Year, so Du Shaojie immediately nodded and agreed.

To be honest, if there was a lack of water and sewage, he would also like to live in the old house, which has a yard, is spacious and does not require climbing stairs.

Wang Yuxiu was very happy and took her two daughters back to the old house the next day.

Du Shaojie had to go to work, so he rode his bike there during his lunch break and brought some New Year's goods with him.

"Shaojie, why did you move back again?"

As soon as he walked in, Su Dapeng arrived.

Xiaomei met the other person when she went to fetch water before, so he knew about this.

"Come back for the New Year, and move back to the new house after the New Year. Dapeng, aren't you going to work?"

"What kind of work is this? We can barely get paid. We had a holiday two days ago."

Su Dapeng curled his lips, looking helpless.

The hardware factory is now close to a semi-shutdown state. The products it produces are of poor quality and high cost. If no major surgery is performed, it is likely to collapse.

There are still many large and small collective units like the hardware factory, especially some small factories in the streets, which are already in a state of suspension of work and production.

No one had any idea what to do next.

In fact, the earliest changes started from these collective units, including the earliest contract system, the earliest batch of private enterprises under the name of township (collective) enterprises, and so on.

"Have you ever thought about transferring to another unit?"

Du Shaojie and Su Dapeng came into the room and sat down. Wang Yuxiu poured them each a cup of tea.

"It's not interesting to change to a collective unit. It's really difficult to get into a state-owned unit. I went to see Section Chief Guo and he agreed to help, but after working for several months, it still didn't work.

Now the free market is basically open, and no one cares if individuals do small business. I want to open a shop and sell some small hardware, small sundries and so on. Unfortunately, I don’t have such good skills as you, otherwise I can sell [Dezhou Braised Chicken].”

Su Dapeng wanted to work on his own, but his company told him that they would only pay him half of his basic salary starting from the new year. If he had no work, he would have to find a way out on his own.

Du Shaojie smiled slightly. He felt that if Su Dapeng could put his ideas into action, he would definitely be one of the first "self-employed individuals".

Although self-employed people were looked down upon in the early days, they could make money and their mindsets would slowly change over time.

"I think it's okay! But you have to think it through. If you work alone, no one will back you up. You have to rely on yourself for everything. I can't give you more advice on what you want to do, but if you want to sell [Dezhou Braised Chicken], I can help you prepare the stew and so on."

If Su Dapeng wants to open a shop to do business, Du Shaojie cannot guarantee that he will always help him make [Dezhou Braised Chicken].

But I can teach him step by step, and help him prepare the key marinade ingredients. The recipe will not be handed over for the time being. There should be a limit to helping others. The saying "too much is as bad as too little" probably means this.

"I'll think about it. Anyway, no matter what we do, we have to wait until after the New Year. Shaojie, if you open a restaurant, your business will definitely be booming. It's a pity that you have a stable job, so you can only think about it."

Nowadays, anyone who gives up his iron rice bowl to become a self-employed person will definitely be criticized.

Isn't that stupid? State-owned enterprises have guaranteed income, medical expenses are reimbursed, the company provides housing, and you can get a pension after retirement. What is a self-employed person? That's the work of the unemployed, the second-rate people, and the educated youth who have no place to go after returning to the city.

Su Dapeng's thinking is relatively advanced, and he also disagrees with giving up his iron rice bowl.

Du Shaojie smiled and shook his head. He didn't say anything. It was just the other party talking on his own. In the end, he was still implicated.

He will not leave the company at this stage. If nothing unexpected happens, Xiaomei will definitely be admitted to university this year. Even if the university does not charge tuition and provides subsidies, her family will still have to send her some money every month.

I won’t say too much, but 15 or 20 yuan a month is at least, right?
There is also a little girl named Xiaoya who will go to college in the future. When the two younger sisters graduate from college and the government assigns them jobs, the family will be completely transformed.

Du Shaojie, who has lived two lives, is indeed as steady as an old dog.

"Dapeng, if you still need [Dezhou Braised Chicken], I can make it for you in the evening."

Du Shaojie glanced at his childhood friend and for the first time offered to help him make some [Dezhou Braised Chicken].

As the Chinese New Year approaches, foods like Dezhou Braised Chicken are the best sellers. Ordinary people may not be willing to spend money on them, but when the Chinese New Year comes, everyone is more generous than others.

"That's great. I've been waiting for you to say that. I'll go buy some chicken now, and we'll cook it together when you get home from get off work."

Su Dapeng is not as miserable as he looks. He is good at making money. He makes all kinds of hardware accessories, frozen meat without tickets, and [Dezhou Braised Chicken].
If we really talk about the savings in hand, Du Shaojie may not have as much as others.

But this guy has a strong sense of crisis. He foresaw that the company was about to fail, so he did not miss any opportunity to make money. He never thought that 10 or 8 yuan was too much, and 10 or 20 cents was not too little. He was a very practical person.

night.

When Du Shaojie got home from get off work, Su Dapeng had already washed and marinated 40 chickens.

He walked into the kitchen, picked up the marinated chicken, looked at it carefully, and said, "It's okay, but the proportion of the seasoning is wrong. I'll tell you again, you have to remember it!"

Du Shaojie taught Su Dapeng hand in hand. Su Dapeng was actually a clever guy and learned things very quickly.

He didn't dare to do it before, but now that he has the opportunity to practice, he has made rapid progress.

For the next frying, Du Shaojie fried 10 chickens himself, and then watched from the side while Su Dapeng did the operation. If the other party did something wrong, he would correct it immediately, and Su Dapeng's head was hit red by him. "Did you remember it?"

"remember."

"Okay, from now on, you will be in charge of the cleaning, marinating and frying steps. Then you can learn how to stew from me a few more times, and you will be basically done."

The recipe of the marinade is the key, and the other processes are relatively easy to master.

Some people may not be convinced and think that the formula is not that magical and they can try to make it themselves.

In fact, people who think like this are definitely outsiders. The formula is not that mysterious, but behind every mature formula is the accumulated experience of countless predecessors.

There is a term called "trial and error cost". To get an almost perfect formula, you need to go through a lot of attempts. Sometimes it may be a flash of inspiration, and suddenly it works. But most of the time, it takes several generations of unremitting efforts to perfect it.

Du Shaojie is willing to provide the prepared marinade and soup, so Su Dapeng's own production of [Dezhou Braised Chicken] is 90% successful.

"You two are really amazing. You work during the day and still have to work overtime when you get home at night. Xiaojie, is this [Texas Braised Chicken] you made really so popular?"

Du Shaojie and Su Dapeng were teaching and learning at the same time, both very devoted to the lesson, and they didn't even notice when Wang Yuxiu came in.

Wang Yuxiu is not well educated, but she knows some tricks. Over the years, she often helps people cut and sew clothes. It is not free, but she does earn some money.

She knows that the Dezhou Braised Chicken made by her son is delicious.

She didn't think much about it before because the policy didn't allow it, but now the policy has changed, and she can feel it. After all, she often listens to the radio at home when she has nothing to do, and seeing Su Dapeng so concerned, she also has some ideas.

"Shaojie's [Dezhou Braised Chicken] is in great demand. If he opens a shop, he will definitely do good business."

Su Dapeng responded first, but in fact he was also worried. If Du Shaojie's family opened a store, he would have nothing to do in the future.

Ultimately it comes down to the recipe. If he wants to do this business, he can only rely on others to provide prepared marinades.

"Well, you guys should rest early after you finish your work, because you still have to go to work tomorrow."

Wang Yuxiu didn't say much. She walked around the kitchen and went back to the house.

Next, Du Shaojie and Su Dapeng started stewing. With three stoves and three soup pots, the whole kitchen was filled with the aroma of chicken and marinade.

The task of watching the fire was given to Su Dapeng. Du Shaojie had to go to work the next day, so he went to bed early.

At night, he got up and checked once, and found that Su Dapeng was still hiding in the kitchen.

"Dapeng, it's almost cooked now. Pay attention to the chicken skin and meat. They are just soft and tender. It's getting late. Go home and take a rest. Come back tomorrow morning to take it away."

Du Shaojie sent Su Dapeng away, sealed the furnace, and went back to his room to continue sleeping.

In the next few days, Su Dapeng basically brought 40 chickens every day. From the beginning, he still needed Du Shaojie's guidance, but later he could complete the operation completely by himself, which took only five days.

It was almost New Year when Qi Yan's letter finally arrived.

She said in the letter that she would not go back home for the New Year and that she and her parents would go to her aunt's house to celebrate the New Year.

"What did I say? When you go to college, your swallows will fly away."

At noon that day, Du Shaojie went to Wang Liwen's house for dinner, and actually just helped her cook two dishes.

The two of them were eating and chatting, and Wang Liwen suddenly asked about Qi Yan, and he told her the truth.

Wang Liwen thought it was normal. The life trajectories of a college student and a chef were completely inconsistent, and drifting apart was an inevitable result.

"You're still laughing! Are you gloating?"

Du Shaojie quit and put down his bowl and chopsticks immediately.

Wang Liwen saw that the other party was really a little unhappy, so she quickly coaxed him:
"I was wrong, you are a big person and don't bear grudges, just pretend I didn't say anything. Be good."

After saying that, she pecked Du Shaojie's face like a dragonfly touching the water, then got up to make tea for him.

Du Shaojie was not really angry, nor did he think there was anything wrong with what Wang Liwen said.

He had already experienced the reality of society and the reality of society, and he was not so naive. But he was unwilling to let the swallow fly away.

That's it.

"Sister Liwen, come to my house for New Year's Eve dinner on New Year's Eve. It's troublesome for you to cook a table of dishes by yourself. My mother asked about you yesterday and said that if you are not on duty, she would let me invite you over."

After Wang Liwen came back from making tea, Du Shaojie took the initiative to change the subject.

Wang Liwen didn't say whether she would go or not, she just said she would see when the time came, because the duty roster for the New Year period had not yet been released.

Du Shaojie drank a cup of tea and rushed to work, leaving Wang Liwen sitting alone in the room in a daze.

(End of this chapter)