Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 1 Sweet Soup Storm (Please add to your favorites, vote for monthly tickets, and recommend!)
Chan Kee Dessert Shop, Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong Island.

In the corner, Chen Bingwen sat quietly, lost in thought.

Just a week ago, he was a business manager at a well-known investment firm, and was sought after by many entrepreneurs.

Suddenly, he found himself transported to Hong Kong Island in January 1978, becoming the son of a dessert shop owner in Sham Shui Po.

In the past few days, he has been merging his predecessor's memories while adapting to his current identity and environment.

This young man, also named Chen Bingwen, was born in 1960 and is 18 years old this year.

After graduating from Form Six, I ran the family's dessert shop with my parents.

Thanks to Chen Ji's small dessert shop, Chen Bingwen's family of three lived a peaceful life, though not wealthy.

In 1978, Hong Kong Island stood at a turning point in history. The mainland was about to open up and reform, and Hong Kong Island was about to usher in a golden age of economic take-off.

He gazed at the slightly worn tables and chairs in the dessert shop, but images of the future floated into his mind: real estate tycoons, financial giants, tech upstarts...

In this era, opportunities abound; seizing just one can completely change one's destiny.

"Awen, stop spacing out and go wipe the glass in the shop window by the door."

His father's voice came from the kitchen, interrupting Chen Bingwen's thoughts.

He grunted in agreement, picked up a rag, and walked to the door.

The streets of Sham Shui Po outside the door are noisy and dilapidated, with low-rise arcade buildings crammed together and countless bamboo poles for drying clothes sticking out of the windows, like a messy jungle.

From time to time, stylishly dressed young people, housewives carrying shopping baskets, and groups of workers walk through the streets.

Chen Bingwen was wiping the glass with his hands, but his eyes involuntarily followed the passersby on the street.

These people passed by Chen's shop, but none of them went in to order a bowl of sweet soup.

Across from Chen's Dessert Shop is Song's Dessert Shop.

The shop is brightly lit and eye-catching, with two young men in uniforms busy at work, and customers coming in from time to time to order a bowl of sweet soup.

Compared to Songji Dessert Shop, Chenji Dessert Shop's business is beyond dismal.

Chen Bingwen learned from his predecessor's memories that since the opening of Songji Dessert Shop across the street, the turnover of Chenji Dessert Shop had plummeted.

As things stand, Chen's daily turnover is now less than 30% of what it used to be.

"Awen, come in and help me make red bean paste after you're done wiping."

I had just finished wiping the shop window when my mother's voice came from inside the store again.

"Just come."

Chen Bingwen readily agreed and turned back into the shop.

In the kitchen, Chen Guofu, the father, was making red bean paste by the stove, sweat dripping down his temples.

Mom was kneading glutinous rice dough on the side, preparing to make tangyuan (sweet rice balls).

Chen Bingwen stood by the stove, watching his father cook red bean paste.

The beans are distinct, the syrup is thick, and there is a layer of oil on the surface.

It has the typical Hong Kong dessert style of the 1970s: sweet, rich, and filling.

But that's also the problem: it's too traditional, lacking differentiation and distinctive features.

It doesn't appeal to young people.

The reason why Song Ji across the street was able to steal business was because they improved their sweet soup.

The predecessor once secretly bought Songji's red bean paste behind their parents' backs. It was sweet but not greasy, and the bean aroma was even stronger, which really suited the tastes of young people.

Taking the wooden spoon from his father, Chen Bingwen slowly stirred the red bean paste in the pot.

Chan Bing-man's initial impression of Hong Kong's desserts came from TVB dramas.

You can find scenes of drinking sweet soup in almost every TVB drama.

At that time, he really thought that sugar water was just hot water with white sugar.

It wasn't until later, when he invested in a dessert project in Guangdong Province, that he realized this sweet soup was not the same as the sweet soup he had imagined.

Sweet soups in Guangdong and Hong Kong are not as simple as just stirring sugar in hot water; they involve a full range of processes, including simmering, stewing, and boiling, and include both soups and dry dishes.

Red bean paste, mung bean paste, sesame paste, and ginger-flavored glutinous rice balls can all be classified as sweet soups.

Chen's Dessert Shop is most famous for its red and green bean soups and ginger-flavored glutinous rice balls.

After cooking the red bean paste, Chen Bingwen helped his mother knead glutinous rice balls. They worked until late at night, preparing all the ingredients for the next day before the family of three finally closed the shop, washed up, and rested.

To save money, the family of three lived in the shop.

Mr. and Mrs. Chen slept in the attic. Although the space was small, it was just enough to fit a wooden bed that could barely fit two people.

Chen Bingwen slept downstairs on a makeshift bed made of a few planks of wood.

After a long day, Chen Bingwen was exhausted, but he couldn't fall asleep at all when he lay in bed.

Having shaken off the initial confusion of his time travel, Chen Bingwen is now very satisfied with his life.

In his previous life, his parents died one after another when he was a minor, and he grew up in loneliness.

Although he later achieved success in his career through his own efforts, there was always an unfillable void deep in his heart.

Now, having traveled to this parallel world, he has a complete family. Although life is ordinary, it is full of family love, which he cherishes deeply.

Moreover, since I've been fortunate enough to travel back to an era where gold is everywhere, it would be a shame not to do something about such an opportunity.

However, the current state of Chen's Dessert Shop made him uneasy.

If the situation cannot be reversed, the family's economic foundation will be shaken.

His mind kept flashing back to his past life's business experience and analysis of the dessert market, trying to figure out what good ways he could change the current situation of the dessert shop as soon as possible.

Perhaps because of his time travel, his memory is now exceptionally good.

He can clearly recall every detail of the news, documents, reports, etc., that he saw in his previous life.

This extraordinary memory gave him more confidence and direction when he was thinking.

"By the end of the month, the landlord will be demanding rent for the shop; if it's not paid, the landlord will take it back."

"If all else fails, borrow some money from relatives,"

"But at this rate, we can't hold out for much longer."

"."

The faint, intermittent voices of her parents could be heard coming from the attic, carrying a hint of helplessness and bewilderment.

Every year at the end of January, the landlord of the shop comes to collect the rent for the year.

Even though Chan Kee Dessert Shop is less than 30 square meters, the annual rent is HK$5,000.

A monthly rent of over 400 HKD isn't considered high in Sham Shui Po, an area with a high concentration of low-income residents, but it's definitely not cheap either.

The dessert shop is currently struggling financially, and maintaining normal operations is already putting a strain on the family's finances.

Having to come up with another 5,000 yuan to pay rent would undoubtedly be adding insult to injury.

Chen Bingwen knew that the most urgent task was to make money as soon as possible.

Otherwise, the landlord might take back the shop if the tenant can't pay the rent.

The family will not only lose their only source of income, but they will also have trouble finding a place to live.

He didn't want to end up sleeping on the streets just a few days after transmigrating.

The next morning, Chen Bingwen got up early to help his parents prepare sweet soup.

The unique geographical location of Lingnan has created unique eating habits.

The meal begins with a slow-cooked soup and ends with a sweet soup.

Sweet soup plays an important role in the lives of Hong Kong people.
Different seasons call for different sweet soups.

In summer, there are refreshing and nourishing sweet soups to clear heat and promote urination; in autumn, there are nourishing sweet soups to relieve coughs and dryness; and in winter, there are porridge-type sweet soups to warm the stomach.

Although dessert soup has become an indispensable part of life for people on Hong Kong Island, most people are used to drinking it after lunch or dinner.

Only a minority of people drink sugar water for breakfast.

So, after helping his parents prepare red bean paste, sesame paste, ginger glutinous rice balls, and other sweet soups to sell, Chen Bingwen had a few hours of free time to spare.

"Dad, Mom, I'm going out for a bit."

After saying goodbye to his parents, Chen Bingwen left the dessert shop.

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(End of this chapter)