Chapter 2860: Ma'niao Burger (2)

Tan Shuangxi quickly stopped his mother, pressing the Ma'niao Burger back into her hand. "That was during pre-war training when I ate a lot," he reassured her. "I'm on leave now, not training, so my appetite has shrunk. I've even put on weight, if anything. I'm drawing war allowances these days—if it's not enough, I'll order another portion."

His parents exchanged a glance and smiled, tacitly accepting the explanation. His father chuckled, "Today, we're having ourselves an Aussie feast with our son." His mother and Tan Shuangxi both laughed—sweeter laughter than they'd shared in a long time.

Tan Shuangxi sampled all the different dishes, drawing on his imagination to spin glorious histories and colorful anecdotes about these foods in the Fubo Army for his parents' entertainment. The vast majority of these stories were invented on the spot.

The Ma'niao Burger is the signature dish of the Army canteen. The Navy needs authorization from the General Staff just to come eat it.

The Navy's curry rice looks like pig slop, and the smell is overpowering. One bite and your whole head breaks out in sweat.

The meat patty of the Ma'niao Burger comes in various flavors: pork, beef, horse meat. It mainly depends on which animal was just slaughtered at the front.

Grassland rations boiled into a paste—dip the barrel of a Minie rifle in it before firing. After one shot, it bakes into a cylinder. Fragrant and crispy when you eat it.

Grassland rations boiled into a paste, with potatoes and vegetable leaves added—whatever's on hand. The key is to add a spoonful of chili and vinegar before eating. The cold zone version is the best.

Grassland rations boiled into a paste. Crack open a bucket of spicy cabbage from Tianchu Sauce Garden and throw it in. Makes everything delicious. Has to be the large military bucket—the small bottles they sell outside just don't taste right.

...

His parents exclaimed "Oh!" and "Ah!" repeatedly, marveling at the life of the Fubo Army over and over. The family ate their meal in warm harmony. Tan Shuangxi didn't even notice the other diners glancing sideways at them.

As they neared the end of their meal, Tan Shuangxi reflected that the food here was not only novel in taste but also reasonably priced. He went to the counter and bought three cups of "Lemon Black Tea." They had seen it sold on the street earlier, but his parents hadn't bought any—too expensive. Here, it cost less than half the street price.

The sweet and sour beverage with its rich tea aroma made the two elders' brows relax with pleasure. Though they verbally scolded him for "spending money recklessly" and grumbled about "selling a cup of sweet water for so much," it was obvious they liked it very much.

Seeing how much they enjoyed it, Tan Shuangxi went back to the counter for refills.

"This second cup is diluted—won't taste as good as the first." The owner topped up the water. "How about I add some more tea concentrate? At least it'll look strong."

"Thank you." Casting about for a topic, Tan Shuangxi's gaze fell on the war wound ribbon on the man's chest. "Shopkeeper, did you also retire recently?"

"That's right. Got wounded in Lianzhou last year." The owner nodded. "The wound itself wasn't serious, but I caught an infectious disease in the hospital and nearly lost my life. My body was weakened, so I was discharged."

Many wounded and sick had died in hospital from infections. Tan Shuangxi had known several of them. He nodded and said with feeling, "Fighting isn't the scary part—death comes in an instant. The truly terrifying thing is getting injured."

"Isn't that the truth!" The owner's spirits lifted at once. The two traded stories about marching and battle. The Fubo Army was still relatively small in scale, and within a few minutes they had discovered mutual acquaintances, their conversation taking on the warmth of old friends meeting for the first time.

"...But it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I learned this trade while recovering in Foshan, so I came back to open a shop. Been at it less than a month now. Feels all right—enough to keep myself fed."

"Hehe... Grassland rations boiled with everything, Fubo Army-style Budae Jjigae... That's a good angle!" In a corner not far from the counter, a man in a homespun "cadre suit" had been listening intently to Tan Shuangxi's family while jotting notes in a small notebook before him. He had already recorded quite a bit: customer flow numbers for different time periods over the past two days, along with some feedback comments.

Watching the lunch crowd gradually disperse and the restaurant empty out, the owner began cleaning up while he had the chance. The man in the cadre suit didn't leave. Instead, he crossed his legs and began reviewing his notebook.

After the owner finished busying about, he sat down across from the man.

"Chief..."

"Don't call me 'Chief.' I'm here doing market research. You keep calling me 'Chief' and you'll scare customers away."

"All right." Old Mai nodded helplessly.

"See anything in those stories we can use?"

Old Mai smiled. "Chief Du, most of it was bragging. That way of preparing grassland rations he described... I've never tried it. Making grassland rations into a paste and baking it dry on an entrenching shovel does make it a bit crispy—the taste is passable. Some soldiers bake it specifically to keep in their packs as snacks."

"Interesting. I'll try it later." Du Yibin turned to a blank page in his notebook. "Let's talk about the problems during the trial operation phase. It's been over a month of trial operation now; you should have data, right?"

"Ready, ready—I've organized everything." Boss Mai hurriedly retrieved a ledger and a few crumpled pages from the drawer behind the counter, all covered with dense writing.

"The first problem is pricing. The Ma'niao Burger's price should be acceptable here in Lingao. After all, for a meat patty this size, buying the meat and making it at home would cost about the same. But it doesn't feel cheap either. The thing is, ordinary families wouldn't eat this much meat every day, so many customers say they can't come often. I think prices shouldn't be set too high. Only when customers feel they're getting a bargain will they come regularly. Best to have some cheap alternatives. Pork and chicken are still too pricey. I wonder if adding more fish meat might work..."

"The second problem is profit. Based on the food factory's wholesale prices and customer volume during this period... I filled out that calculation form you gave me. Feeding my wife and myself is no problem, but it's not enough to cover rent. Of course, once the promotional period ends and prices rise, profits will improve—enough for rent and such. But I'm worried about customer volume... Everyone's just here for the novelty right now. In my assessment, this shop is only suited for the husband-and-wife model, enough to feed a family. Hiring staff would be difficult; it can't be scaled into a big business..."

"The third problem is taste. Most customers say the Ma'niao Burger itself tastes very good, but the evaluation of other items is middling. Honestly, this isn't a shop suited for hosting guests for drinks. It can only be a quick-service snack shop—for passersby to grab a fast meal. Success depends entirely on whether the location is good..."

"The fourth problem is portion size. I've eaten here a few times myself. Actually, one Ma'niao Burger is completely sufficient to last until the next meal, but it just doesn't give that satisfaction of eating several bowls of white rice. Many customers also say it's not quite satisfying. Best to add something more filling. I think rice cakes could be offered separately as a side dish. If the grassland ration paste is improved, that stuff is actually very filling—can add water if it's not enough. It's just that the taste isn't good..."

Boss Mai had come prepared, listing more than ten problems in rapid succession. He didn't merely state the issues; he also discussed his own proposed solutions.

Du Yibin took notes as he listened. When Mai finished, he laughed. "You speak about business logic quite eloquently. No wonder the Commercial Division recommended you to open this shop!"

"This humble one made a living opening shops before coming to Lingao. You could say it's my old trade." Boss Mai smiled, feeling proud yet somewhat wistful. "It's a pity I kept opening small shops over and over, just scraping together a living for my family. Never did manage to build anything big."

"The Senate helped you open this shop. Bring out all your skills and figure out a viable business model. Not only will you make money yourself, but you can also benefit those comrades who've been similarly injured and discharged."

"Yes, it all depends on the Senate's cultivation." Boss Mai had a gift for gracious words.

What Senator Du was doing now was yet another of his new initiatives. Currently, it was one of the financial support entrepreneurship projects jointly organized by the General Staff Political Department and the commercial departments. Strictly speaking, his actual position was County Director of Enping. But in that backwater, the County Director had nothing much to do except drum up sales for the Tiandihui.

So whenever he had free time, he would run off to Guangzhou or Lingao to "do projects." Quite a few people grumbled that he was "neglecting his proper duties."

The current project was part of the "Retired Veterans Re-employment Support Plan" proposed by Du Yibin and a group of Senators. The plan aimed to address the livelihood concerns of retired soldiers. Of course, given the Senate's current rate of expansion, ordinary retired soldiers could easily find employment through recruitment and examinations. This support plan was actually aimed primarily at soldiers discharged due to injury who still retained certain labor capabilities, helping them become self-employed.

Besides processing workshops using small amounts of machinery, the projects were mainly low-investment life service ventures like grocery stores, small restaurants, tea shops, and modest inns. The Senate provided venues and goods at a discount or free of charge, offered complimentary skills training, and followed a model where the supported person operated independently and bore sole responsibility for profits and losses.

Following the Liangguang Campaign, the Senate had acquired a large amount of confiscated property and related operating assets available for use. Startup capital came from Delong's loans. Except for the need to provide loan guarantees, the input cost was limited. If these business projects could succeed, generate tax revenue for the regional government, and solve the placement problem for the wounded that burdened Civil Affairs and the military... more importantly, these retired soldiers could become the backbone of town and village organizations, inserting themselves into the lives of local commoners like nails, giving the Senate reliable spokespersons and mouthpieces at the grassroots level.

Such a beneficial plan naturally received wholehearted support from all departments. Of course, if the project were bungled—never mind how many people would be offended—just the four-word verdict "ineffective handling of affairs" would ensure the Senator could never recover politically. Du Yibin felt a chill just thinking about it.

Therefore, Senator Du approached the feasibility of each project with extreme caution. Although the plans were borrowed from the most successful small businesses of the old timeline, ensuring these ventures didn't suffer massive losses due to acclimatization issues genuinely required Senator Du's worried attention and personal oversight.

(End of Chapter)