Rebirth in Hong Kong: From Dessert Shop to Industrial Empire

Chapter 8 The Road to Expansion
Three days later, the kitchen of Chen's Dessert Shop was completely renovated.

The blender hummed, and two 50-liter stainless steel pots steamed with heat. Gao Meiling carefully stirred the sesame paste in the pots with a long-handled wooden spoon.

"Brother Wen, do you think this consistency is okay?" Gao Meiling wiped the sweat from her forehead and turned to ask.

Chen Bingwen walked over, scooped up a spoonful of sesame paste, and carefully observed how well it clung to the spoon: "Cook it for another five minutes, until the aroma is fully released."

On the other side, Aunt Zhang was deftly frying salted dumplings.

The deep-fried salted dumplings are golden and crispy, neatly arranged in a bamboo basket, emitting an enticing aroma.

"Aunt Zhang's cooking skills are truly superb." Chen Bingwen tasted a freshly made salted dumpling and couldn't help but exclaim, "The crispy outside and tender inside texture is so delicious that I could eat it every day without getting tired of it."

With new equipment and helpers, Chen Ji's production capacity quickly increased to twelve buckets of sweet soup per day.

In the evening, Amei and Aunt Zhang went back to rest, while Chen Bingwen's family of three sat around the table eating dinner and talking about what they had seen and heard that day.

When the topic of sugar soup production came up, Chen Bingwen put down his chopsticks and said seriously, "Dad, I plan to start selling sugar soup at two different locations tomorrow."

"Two locations?" Chen Guofu's hand, which was picking up food, froze in mid-air. "Can we handle it?"

"The situation at Huafeng Garment Factory has stabilized. Six buckets of sugar water a day are basically enough to meet the needs of the workers in the surrounding area. We just need to maintain the current sales volume."

I plan to add more sales points in Lai Chi Kok. The industrial buildings there are full of electronics and hardware factories, employing at least two thousand workers.

Wang Qiaozhen put down her chopsticks and said, "Wouldn't that mean we'd need to hire more people?"

"One person per stall isn't enough to handle the workload, and we also need to keep people in the shop to serve dine-in customers. We don't have enough staff right now."

"Don't worry, Mom." Chen Bingwen was prepared. He explained with a smile, "I plan to have Ah Hai come and help."

His wages at the hardware factory were low, and he often worked night shifts.

I'm planning to hire him to be in charge of sales in the Lai Chi Kok area, with a monthly salary of nine hundred yuan.

My dad and Amei were in one group at Wah Fung Garment Factory, while Ahai and I were in another group at Lai Chi Kok.

My mom and Aunt Zhang are in charge of serving meals at home.

"Ah Hai?" Chen Guofu frowned slightly. "Wasn't he doing just fine at the hardware factory?"

Chen Bingwen laughed and said, "Ahai only earns a little over 800 a month at the hardware factory, and he often has to work the night shift. I offered him 900 and provided two meals a day, and he agreed without hesitation."

Wang Qiaozhen nodded: "Ahai is a reliable and hardworking kid. He came to help move equipment a couple of days ago, and he left without even taking a sip of water."

After saying that, Wang Qiaozhen added, "Six barrels from Huafeng, and another six barrels of lychee pods, that's twelve barrels of Awen. Can our little shop handle that?"

"I've calculated it; twelve barrels is our maximum production capacity. Any more than that would affect the quality. Besides, we don't have enough space in the store."

After adding two large pots and a mixer, not only was the kitchen packed full, but even a corner of the front shop was taken up by spare ingredients.

To increase production capacity, you either need to rent a larger storefront or rent a food processing plant and put all the production processes on-site.

Chen Bingwen was more inclined towards the latter.

However, Chen's is only just starting to turn a profit, and its existing funds are only enough to maintain normal operations, not enough to support Chen Bingwen's rapid expansion.

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Gao Zhenhai appeared at the entrance of Chen's Dessert Shop with his sister.

"Brother Wen! I've brought Amei to report for duty!" Gao Zhenhai said excitedly.

Chen Bingwen smiled and led them into the kitchen: "You've come at the right time. Amei, go and help Aunt Zhang prepare the ingredients. Ahai, come and learn how to make sweet soup with me."

Amei obediently responded and skillfully tied on her apron.

She deftly rinsed the red beans, glancing up every now and then at Chen Bingwen, who was teaching her brother how to make sweet soup, before quickly looking down again. "Ah Hai, red bean paste needs to be simmered over low heat," Chen Bingwen instructed, showing her step by step. "Look, when small bubbles start to appear on the surface of the bean paste, you need to turn down the heat."

At 11:00 a.m., two modified tricycles set off from Chen Ji's place.

Chen Guofu took Amei to Wah Fung Garment Factory, while Chen Bingwen and Gao Zhenhai went to Lai Chi Kok Industrial Area.

"Brother Wen, this cart is really heavy." Gao Zhenhai pushed the tricycle loaded with six insulated buckets, sweat beading on his forehead.
Chen Bingwen wiped his sweat and said, "Once we make some money, we'll buy a small truck and won't have to work so hard anymore."

Upon arriving at the Lai Chi Kok Industrial Area, Chen Bingwen found the security booth of Wing Hing Electronics Factory with ease.

"Ah Hai, serve a bowl of sesame paste," Chen Bingwen said in a low voice. "I'm going to pay my respects to the local magistrates first."

Gao Zhenhai deftly ladled out a bowl of steaming hot sesame paste and handed it to Chen Bingwen.

Inside the security booth, a burly man in his forties was reading a newspaper with his legs crossed.

Seeing a tall, handsome young man carrying a bowl over, he couldn't help but ask with some doubt, "Young man, what are you going to do?"

Chen Bingwen chuckled as he placed the bowl on the table, then pulled out a packet of Nanyang Red Double Happiness cigarettes and placed it beside the bowl, saying:

"Uncle, I'm from Chen's Dessert Shop on Guilin Street. This is my first day doing business here, so I brought you a bowl of sesame paste to try."

As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face. When the security guard saw Chen Bingwen smiling and offering him sugar water and cigarettes, his attitude naturally improved a lot.

"Chen Kee? You mean that old-established shop in Sham Shui Po?"

“Indeed.” Chen Bingwen bowed slightly. “This is our special sesame paste, with walnuts and almonds added. It’s very nourishing. Please try some!”

"I remember Chen's didn't taste anything particularly special."

As he spoke, the security guard scooped up a spoonful of sesame paste and put it in his mouth.

Before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly froze. He looked at the sesame paste in the bowl with a puzzled expression, and then at Chen Bingwen.

"You changed the recipe? This tastes completely different from what I had at your shop last year."

"Uncle has a good memory," Chen Bingwen complimented. "This is our newly improved formula, with added walnuts to nourish the brain and almonds to moisturize the lungs. It's perfect for replenishing energy after a long day of work."

"Hmm, not bad, not bad!"

The security guard savored the taste, then suddenly changed the subject, asking, "Don't you sell sweet soup at Huafeng?"

"Thanks to my fellow workers."

Chen Bingwen subtly pushed the Double Happiness cigarettes towards the team leader, saying, "We'll be coming here every noon from now on, so we hope you'll do us a favor, Uncle."

"That spot is available for you!"

The security guard pointed to a corner on the east side, then pushed the cigarettes on the table in front of Chen Bingwen, "However, I don't smoke!"

The security guard's actions were self-evident.

Chen Bingwen immediately understood and quickly said, "Don't worry, I'll help you get the cash."

As he spoke, he took out a hundred Hong Kong dollars from his pocket, placed it on the table, and weighed it down with a newspaper.

"Thank you for your hard work this month!"

The security guard looked at the banknotes on the table, which were covered by newspapers, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face.

"Young man, you know how to behave. Go on with your work."

(End of this chapter)