Chapter 1978 - Expanding Production

"Mm, mm... the taste is still lacking something." Zhang Xiaoqi sat in the shop hall chewing the pancake made under her personal "guidance," sensing something absent in her mouth. The missing potato shreds and carrots were problems, certainly, but it seemed there was still some quality difference compared to the Veggie Pancake in her memory.

Watching Nan Wan'er order a second portion, she still hadn't identified precisely what was missing. Chili not spicy enough? Cumin too sparse? Neither seemed the critical factor...

Meanwhile, as soon as they'd entered the dining room, Dong Mingdang managing behind the counter had spotted them. Miss Dong and Liu Xiang's Life Secretary Guo Xi'er were close friends. With daily exposure and the distinctive bearing and physique of Senators, she'd recognized at a glance that the woman with two children was a genuine Australian. Naturally seizing the opportunity of delivering pancakes to cultivate relations, she'd immediately served two bowls of thin porridge.

Zhang Xiaoqi observed this "thin porridge" wasn't the locally common "congee" boiled with peanut oil until rice grains bloomed into snow-white thickness, but "porridge" so thin one could scarcely discern individual rice grains. Stirring with a spoon revealed a mix of rice and millet. Precisely the porridge consumed with pancakes at home in early years. She felt great warmth in her heart.

"Greetings, Chief. I wonder if the pancake suits the Chief's taste?"

The girl before Zhang Xiaoqi executed a light curtsy with grace. She appeared approximately Nan Wan'er's age. Over the common skirt and jacket, she wore a blue-and-white sleeveless long vest. At a glance, one recognized it as a modified version produced by "Huaxia Society," conveying an indescribable sense of incongruity.

"Quite good. Are you Dong Mingdang?"

"It is this slave."

"Not busy at present? Guoguo, go sit beside Auntie. I heard about you, Miss Dong, before arriving in Guangzhou. Heard you're a capable woman."

"I dare not. Those are exaggerated praises from outside." Dong Mingdang lowered her head. "This slave opening this shop stems from necessity. First, to support my mother; second, to respond to the Senate's proposition of 'Self-Reliance, Production for Self-Salvation'..."

Zhang Xiaoqi felt mildly surprised. She'd originally imagined this Miss Dong as the sort of pungent, capable street shop proprietress she'd frequently encountered in the past. Unexpectedly, she not only maintained the full airs of a "Great Miss" but also spoke with logic. Especially this phrase "Self-Reliance, Production for Self-Salvation"—though one of the slogans painted throughout the streets, local people didn't take it seriously. They merely glanced and passed by. Yet this woman had memorized it clearly and deployed it appropriately!

"This is our Finance and Tax Bureau's Chief Zhang." Nan Wan'er stood, pulling Guoguo over, and made introductions.

"Come, sit and chat."

"This slave can simply stand to reply." Dong Mingdang's attitude was respectful yet graceful. Entirely the bearing of a great family. Zhang Xiaoqi formed a very favorable impression of her.

"Come sit. Don't be ceremonious. I'm unaccustomed to you standing while conversing."

The statement carried weight. Dong Mingdang immediately apologized for presumption and pulled a stool to sit diagonally opposite.

Indeed a lady from an illustrious household—appearance and conduct were genuinely distinctive. Zhang Xiaoqi silently praised, involuntarily comparing Nan Wan'er with her. Indeed, a considerable gap existed.

"You comprehend the Senate's policies quite well..."

"I dare not claim comprehension. Since this slave exists under Great Song rule, naturally I must understand Great Song principles..."

Zhang Xiaoqi nodded with a smile. She harbored no interest in these "principles" of "Senate" and "Great Song." At night she'd tease Vice Director Wang about them after lights out. But for the other party to quote these formulas fluently wasn't bad. This capacity to grasp new concepts far exceeded Nan Wan'er's.

Examining this young woman up and down, she appeared under twenty, yet her expression was seasoned, exuding a shrewd, capable aura throughout—which Zhang Xiaoqi found mildly distasteful.

However, for a young girl to sustain such an establishment, even if secretly supported by a legendary Senator, remained no easy accomplishment. Truly, without some audacity, one dares not open a dye shop.

Zhang Xiaoqi's gossip instinct stirred, so she mentioned intentionally or otherwise:

"This sleeveless vest you're wearing is a new release from Lingao."

"Yes, I heard it's a new style from the Cooperative."

...

The three women gossiped briefly about the improved Hanfu appearing on the market recently. Unfortunately, Zhang Xiaoqi never discovered where Miss Dong had obtained this outfit—undoubtedly gifted by someone, as purchasing such clothing locally was impossible. No matter how she insinuated, Dong Mingdang invariably deflected with a modest smile.

Zhang Xiaoqi felt mildly disappointed. She turned to survey the shop. The small establishment was clean and orderly, evidencing considerable effort. However, though the Dong Family Shop enjoyed high popularity, the foot traffic concentrated entirely at the outside stall. Inside the dining room, seats were never full. Of the ten-odd tables, three or four invariably stood empty.

"There aren't many people dining inside..."

"Thanks to Chief Liu and other Chiefs' patronage, this slave's small shop can exist peacefully until now. We orphans and widow don't pursue wealth flooding in, merely rely on this for sustenance."

"Sister, you probably don't harbor just this meager ambition. Chief Zheng said you aren't such a person."

"Chief mocks me. The only staff here are Lan'er and her husband Dong Xiang. Moreover, we master and servants are all amateurs. Having this small operation to work on now already brings contentment. Fewer people dining inside means I alone can attend the shop."

"You plan to guard a stall and muddle through?" Zhang Xiaoqi sensed she wasn't such a person. "This shop commands very high reputation in Guangzhou presently. It's wasteful not to leverage it properly. Add some varieties, sell some prepared dishes, wine, and meat..."

"This slave's shop, frankly speaking, operates on capital barely covering the instep," Dong Mingdang said. "Chief, don't laugh—since Chief Liu constructed the vegetable wholesale market, vegetable prices dropped several wen per jin. This slave feels conducting this business is considerably more relaxed. As for preparing substantial dishes, that's something I dare not even contemplate..."

Zhang Xiaoqi knew this matter. Suppressing the Guan Di Temple gang, constructing a wholesale market, shattering the previous violent monopoly on vegetable distribution—not only had vegetable supply from the four countrysides grown substantially smoother, but it also facilitated circulation tax collection. It was a governance measure Grand Magistrate Liu took considerable pride in.

However, Miss Dong stating this essentially meant her own capital was modest and couldn't sustain larger enterprises. Zhang Xiaoqi surveyed the food sold in the shop. Meat beyond pig head consisted of various organ meats. Obviously, they couldn't afford producing "premium dishes" here.

"Small capital business also possesses numerous methods." Zhang Xiaoqi said. "Look at those purchasing pancakes—notice anything?"

"Many cadres?"

"No."

"Many young people."

"Also no. You haven't realized there are many women? Let me enlighten you—these items you produce are 'snacks.' Even after several hundred years, women remain more inclined to consume these things. Men prefer securing a table and drinking some light wine. Have you observed groups of grown men huddling head-to-head gnawing veggie pancakes and chatting?"

"What Chief says is accurate." Dong Mingdang smiled faintly. Indeed, among naturalized citizens purchasing pancakes, women constituted the majority.

However, the Chief only observed conditions during this mealtime. She'd personally studied the customer base—ordinarily, men remained the majority, mostly laborers eating a veggie pancake that cost little but satisfied cravings.

But since this female Chief addressed her earnestly, she naturally couldn't refute.

"So Chief means directing this slave to add personnel and stalls, increase variety, and pursue more men's business?"

"Approximately. Beyond Lan'er's couple, recruit two additional female workers to continue producing Pancake Rolls. The critical point is you must modify this counter: collect payment and issue tokens uniformly at the counter. After they finish preparation, customers collect food by token... Incidentally, can you make Sandwiches (Jia Bing)? What about Teppanyaki? And Malatang and Oden (Guandongzhu)? These are simpler, requiring no substantial meat chunks. Let me tell you, they don't use much oil either. Also, I notice you still employ a spreader for pancakes. If you add a small vertical stick to this board forming a T-shape, then spin and scrape like this, wouldn't it be faster and lighter..."

Dong Mingdang couldn't discern which of Chief Zhang's neural circuits had misfired—eyes gleaming, talking incessantly for an hour, practically wishing she could commence learning to produce these items immediately. Naturally, she'd never seen Oden, didn't know what Malatang was, and couldn't possibly comprehend how things were made from the Chief's fragmentary sentences. Mother always said, the simplest thing in the world is cooking; the most difficult is also cooking. Are steamed buns easy? White flour plus water, old dough leavening, alkali kneading—yet some people can't master it! How could these exotic dishes and dim sum be explained clearly in mere sentences? Besides, whether people would willingly consume them was another matter entirely.

Though privately skeptical, she listened with a smile throughout, while calculating internally: what did this Chief Zhang intend? Though her small shop thundered throughout Guangzhou, it remained ultimately just a minor eatery—genuinely as modest an enterprise as could be. The Chief surely didn't covet her shop? Otherwise? Could some Chief have taken fancy to her and intended using this woman to broker introductions?

She calculated internally while maintaining an extraordinarily attentive expression, posing occasional questions. Finally, the Chief ceased talking with evident reluctance. She then ventured a cautious inquiry: "Chief Zhang, will there truly be so many patrons? Not many women dine on Guangzhou's streets."

"What are you fretting about!" Zhang Xiaoqi brimmed with confidence. "Don't fixate on the scarcity of women on streets presently. Soon Guangzhou Girls' School and primary-middle schools will commence operations. Various factories and shops have already begun recruiting female workers. Plus there'll be substantial cohorts of female cadres arriving to support Guangdong construction. You fear lack of patronage? Naturally, your flavors can't be entirely Shandong—locals remain the majority, after all."

"Yes." Dong Mingdang harbored no interest in grandiose visions, but still displayed an expression of "trust" and "overflowing hope," permitting Zhang Xiaoqi to fully satisfy her desire for "strategic planning and guidance."

Propelled by the impulse of completely gratified emotions, Zhang Xiaoqi declared: "Don't you feel meat is expensive and can't produce meat dishes? Next time I'll teach you to make Braised Meat (Zha Rou)!"

(End of Chapter)