North Family Letters

Five years have passed in the blink of an eye. The daily chemical industry in Guangzhou has undergone tremendous changes. Many peers followed the trend of expansion and blindly transformed, only to fall into a trap. Only Qiuju's business has always been steady and solid, taking solid steps one by one.

Her company is no longer the small wholesale shop it once was. It has secured the South China regional agency for three top-tier daily chemical brands, expanded to two warehouses, and now has more than a dozen employees. From customer relations and warehousing logistics to after-sales settlement, everything is managed meticulously. Her second sister, Xia He, remains her most capable assistant, overseeing the company's daily operations and managing the accounts and internal affairs flawlessly. Her nephew finished middle school in Guangzhou and was admitted to a local university. The family lives a stable and prosperous life. Her parents are getting old and have become accustomed to Guangzhou's mild climate, but they often reminisce at the dinner table about the sauerkraut and pork belly dishes from Northeast China, the warm kang (heated brick bed) back home, and the neighbors and relatives. As they talk, their eyes well up with homesickness.

Qiu Ju saw it all and kept it in her heart. Over the years, she had worked hard in Guangzhou, relying on honesty and diligence to accumulate a substantial amount of savings, fulfilling her initial wish to make a living in the city. But in the quiet of the night, she often thought of the black soil of her hometown in Northeast China, the aroma of food from the alleyways of her childhood, and the relatives and friends who remained there. Guangzhou was where she had put down roots and achieved success, but the Northeast was the root that haunted her dreams.

That evening at dinner, her parents sighed again at a plate of Northeastern-style home-cooked dishes. Qiuju put down her chopsticks and said firmly, "Dad, Mom, Second Sister, I've made up my mind. Let's go back to the Northeast."

The second sister paused, then put down her chopsticks: "Go back to the Northeast? Our business in Guangzhou is so stable, what will happen to everything if we go back?"

Qiuju smiled as she served her parents some food, then slowly explained her plans: "We won't abandon the company in Guangzhou. We'll hand it over to a reliable manager, and you can stay and oversee things, reconcile accounts with me regularly, and make sure the business doesn't suffer. Over the years, I've seen the restaurant business booming in Guangzhou. Our Northeastern cuisine is generous in portion and authentic in taste, and it's popular even in other places. Back home, however, there are very few restaurants that serve authentic and clean food. I want to go back to the Northeast and open a restaurant serving genuine Northeastern cuisine, no gimmicks, just quality ingredients and fair prices. With our down-to-earth spirit, we can still do well."

She had long since figured it out: the key to success in the daily chemical business is integrity, and the same applies to running a restaurant. The principles of business are universal; whether you're selling goods or food, as long as you act with a clear conscience, don't cut corners, and don't cheat your customers, you can succeed. Back in Guangzhou's daily chemical wholesale alley, she resisted the temptation of secret recipes and withstood pressure from competitors, all thanks to her honesty and integrity. Now, back in Northeast China opening a restaurant, she still wants to keep those two principles ingrained in her very being.

Upon hearing that they were going back to Northeast China, the parents' faces lit up with smiles, and they nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, it's good to go back to our hometown. It's always more comfortable at home." The second sister understood Qiuju's thoughts and knew that once she made a decision, she would never change it, so she immediately agreed, "Okay, I'll take care of things in Guangzhou. You can go back and take good care of the restaurant. If you need anything, just let me know."

After making up her mind, Qiuju began to arrange things in an orderly manner. She first selected diligent, reliable, and skilled veteran employees in the company and promoted them to regional managers. She then handed over the daily business and customer maintenance in Guangzhou one by one. She also established strict rules and regulations with the managers, adhering to the bottom line of genuine product guarantee and honest operation. She regularly checked accounts and goods via video to ensure that the business in Guangzhou was not affected.

In her spare time, she began to inquire about the catering industry in her hometown in Northeast China, visiting authentic Northeastern restaurants in various places, and learning cooking skills from master chefs. She wrote down everything in her notebook, from ingredient selection and dish flavor to restaurant location and decoration style. The restaurant she wanted to open would not be luxurious or extravagant, but would take a down-to-earth approach. The restaurant would be clean and tidy, the dishes would be generous in portion and authentic in taste, stews would be simmered for a long time, stir-fries would be fresh and flavorful, and even the rice would be Wuchang rice from Northeast China, so that people from her hometown could eat comfortably and Northeasterners living away from home could taste the flavors of home.

On the day she packed her bags, Qiuju picked up the almost transparent note again; the two characters "steadfast" were still strong and powerful. She carefully placed the note in her inner pocket; it was her talisman for half her life, and the foundation of all her business ventures. The office buildings and warehouses in Guangzhou were gradually handed over to her second sister and the manager. Looking at the family business she had built with her own hands, she felt reluctant to leave, but also full of anticipation for her new life in Northeast China.

Before leaving, the old vendors in the wholesale alley came to see her off, offering their blessings: "Qiuju, you're a very honest person. You'll definitely do well opening a restaurant back in Northeast China. We'll definitely come and support you when we have time!" Qiuju smiled and thanked them, knowing in her heart that from the daily chemical stall in Guangzhou to the restaurant in Northeast China, what changed was the industry and the location, but what remained unchanged was her original intention in being a person and doing things.

As Qiuju boarded the northbound train, she gazed at the receding city of Guangzhou outside the window, a flood of bittersweet memories washing over her. From a bewildered young woman clutching meager capital, lured by a secret recipe, to a successful businesswoman who has now established herself in Guangzhou and returned to her hometown to start a business with her savings and original aspirations, every step she has taken has remained on the right path.

The train headed north, towards her homeland in Northeast China, thousands of miles away. In Qiuju's mind, she had already envisioned the restaurant: a bright, spacious storefront, steaming hot pot stews, enthusiastic greetings, and satisfied smiles from customers. She knew that opening a restaurant might bring new challenges and difficulties, but she wasn't afraid. Just like back in Guangzhou, as long as she held fast to her honest and trustworthy principles, taking one step at a time, there was no obstacle she couldn't overcome.

Those speculative secrets that once lingered in Guangzhou have long since vanished like smoke. Her new business, about to begin in Northeast China, will once again prove, with every pot and every dish, that there are no shortcuts to getting rich quick. Only by being down-to-earth can one go far, and only by being sincere can one achieve lasting success.