Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 52 (Part 3)
Translated by Pure
Edited by Alkonost
Chapter 52.3 Rice or Millet?
Wang Quan intended to cooperate with Lin Jingzhe. His electrical appliance factory was almost fully self managed other than preparing and shipping goods, he didn't need to worry too much. It was about time for him to expand to some new businesses.
The food industry was undoubtedly a good choice. Now that the upward trend of the market economy had just begun, people's demand for quality of food could already be seen. What does one work so hard for decades for? Wasn’t it for the food, clothing, housing, and transportation of yourself and your family? This was evident in the countless people who willingly queued under the blazing sun outside Mother Zhou's small shop for a taste of her delicious food. In a few years, people's lives will continue to improve and more and more people will have more disposable income. Then this growing number of potential clients would be willing to spend money on the so-called ‘food’. No longer do they just pursue fullness, everyone wanted to eat delicately and well.
Without Lin Jingzhe, Wang Quan might choosen to invest in some high-end foreign restaurants in the major cities. He was as optimistic about the catering industry as he was when he first entered the manufacturing industry.
However, investing in Mother Zhou's factory now seemed like the superior choice. After so many years of processing and manufacturing, his understanding of factory operations was far superior than most. Undoubtedly, it could save himself and his partners a lot of detours.
In this regard, both parties were in agreement.
Lin Jingzhe simply handed over the work of finding the factory site and production line to this expert. Changqing was too far away. For the time being, he still preferred to build the factory in Yan City. Even if it was in a more remote area of the city, it was easier to prepare and manage.
However, it was obviously impossible to find the preliminary production equipment and get certain permits approvals so quickly. Mother Zhou's short-term anxiety was relieved a lot after she learned that the factory would not open so soon. She went back to work in her store as usual. She continued to receive customers with a smile, and kept the news to herself, without showing any hints outwardly.
However, there was a small change.
Mother Zhou's bottled pickles and pastes were no longer freely given out. They were now bottled and lined up in the newly built cabinets behind the counter in the store.
They were divided into different categories and different sizes, but every one was marked with a clear price.
This new product, which could be bought and taken away without queuing for tables, was immediately well received. Over time, Mother Zhou's shop started to gain recognition primarily because of these complex condiments. Many regular customers would purchase upwards of twenty bottles at a time on the behest of others. Therefore, the cabinet that should have been filled with glass jars was often sold out and empty.
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As Lin Jingzhe returned home from work, he noticed a familiar black car already parked in his lawn's garage. It was parked in the parking space inside.
Lin Jingzhe took a quick glance and found that the damaged headlight on the right side of the front of the black car had been repaired, and there was no sign of it being smashed in the first place. The car body was also scrubbed spotlessly, extruding the same pretentious temperament as its owner.
Lin Jingzhe didn’t know how to feel. Xiao Chi was too self-conscious and actually came here right after work.
Upon entering his house, Lin Jingzhe was greeted by a fresh, clean aroma. The living room's glass door was ajar, allowing the scent of the backyard plants to waft in. There was no one in the living room, but a martial arts drama was playing on the TV; the sound of swords colliding flowed from the stereo. The dim lights in the room were full of warmth.
He couldn't help but stop in a daze for a few seconds.
Suddenly, he heard the distinctive sound of bare feet against the wooden floor. Lin Jingzhe turned his head following the sound, and saw Xiao Chi looking at him. Xiao Chi dressed very simply at home. He was only wearing a white linen top and a pair of beige pants, but he looked good nethertheless. It emphasized his broad shoulders, straight waist, long legs; clearly flaunting the advantages of being tall.
"You’re back?" Xiao Chi asked him naturally, as if his name was also written on the property certificate of this house. He walked to the living room barefoot, and put a simple paper bag on the table. "Have you eaten?"
He had probably just taken a shower, there were still some water droplets on his face that had not dried. He unpacked the paper bag with one hand, while the other was holding his buddhist beads. After living together for a few days, Lin Jingzhe discovered many quirks of Xiao Chi that he hadn't noticed before.
For example, because Xiao Chi had a high body temperature, he usually did not like to wear shoes at home. He also liked to sit barefoot and cross-legged on the floor.
Another example was his superficial display of being a devout buddhist—the second day when Xiao Chi moved in, he also brought a solemn statue of Guanyin[1]. It was enshrined in a small room on the first floor near the garage. He made it a daily ritual to burn three sticks of incense before it, never missing a day.
Xiao Chi was also quite superstitious. After Lin Jingzhe had added a simple home altar for his deceased maternal grandfather into the Buddhist room, he even caught Xiao Chi reciting merit sutras to the portrait!
Lin Jingzhe stared at Xiao Chi's bare soles and strong calf muscles for a while, and then withdrew his gaze. He easily concealed the momentary feeling of discomfort when he entered the house. "Not yet." He answered Xiao Chi's question nonchalantly. He watched Xiao Chi unpack the paper bag and asked as he entered the house, "What is that?"
"I don't know. Hu Shaofeng gave it to me. He said that these are the trending pickled vegetables that were circulating in Yan City recently." Xiao Chi couldn't open the paper bag, so he simply tore it open. He took out a few small glass bottles and held it close to examine. The glass bottles were not big, only about five hundred grams at most. The light blue bottle was covered with an ordinary pattern, and a small black note was attached on top of the pattern. Xiao Chi read the name on it, "Haitang Marinated Bamboo Shoot? What is this?"
Ah. As soon as Lin Jingzhe heard the name, he immediately understood that these were the pickles sold in Mother Zhou's store.
Despite the factory not yet being operational, Wang Quan had already applied for their product’s patent name under Lin Jingzhe’s suggestion[2]. Lin Jingzhe was a bad namer while Wang Quan’s two factories were named Biggest Growing Manufacturing and Biggest Profits Manufacturing, so they were immediately deprived of naming rights. The decision of the brand name finally fell on Mother Zhou. She hesitated for a while before finally deciding on a brand name.
Mother Zhou's maiden name was Ding. Her full name was Ding Xiang, which meant lilac. It was a good name, but it had already been registered by someone else. After much deliberation, Mother Zhou could only choose to name it after Zhou Haitang. Haitang was also another flower, chinese crab apples to be more specific.
Only after the patent was officially approved, did Lin Jingzhe allow Mother Zhou to put the names on the pickles in her store. Don’t blame him for being too cautious. Lin Jingzhe had seen too many disputes and too many confrontational people in his previous life. There were endless incidents of deliberate impersonation or confusion. Some intelligent people just didn’t want to use their heads to profit the lawful way.
With a patented name, at least they didn't have to worry about having no evidence to defend their rights.
However, the scale of their product had not yet developed to the extent that they needed to worry about being copied. At least they had to wait until the construction of their factory area was approved and the assembly line was put into use.
Although it was only recently launched, due to its extraordinary taste, the reputation of Haitang’s pickles had quickly spread by word of mouth. It had even reached Xiao Chi.
Lin Jingzhe didn't mention the relationship between this brand and himself. He just stepped forward and replied casually, "They’re just pickled vegetables."
Xiao Chi put down the bottle and looked back at him. "Then shall we have porridge tonight?"
Lin Jingzhe was surprised to find that his conversations with Xiao Chi were becoming more and more domestic. It was a very foreign feeling for him, but at the same time he couldn't help indulging in this kind of family-like, inconspicuous, but supple and silent softness. He nodded, and then heard Xiao Chi continue to ask, "What kind of porridge do you want? Rice or millet?"
Lin Jingzhe stared at Xiao Chi's fluffy and natural hair. He suddenly stepped forward, stretched out his hands to wrap around Xiao Chi's waist, and leaned his body and head into Xiao Chi’s broad chest.
Xiao Chi instinctively hugged him. He patted Lin Jingzhe’s back indulgently, sliding his warm hands up and down. Xiao Chi lowered his face to the top of Lin Jingzhe’s head and took a whiff of his hair, waiting for an answer, "Hmm?"
Lin Jingzhe rested his chin on Xiao Chi’s shoulder, as if the tired traveler had finally found a place where he could rely on to rest. This was completely different from the distance and relationship he had originally imagined that the two parties should maintain tacitly.
Oddly enough, he didn't feel any resistance. He just squinted his eyes comfortably, indulging in the tenderness that he wasn’t sure how long could be maintained, and replied absentmindedly, "...probably rice?"
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Footnote:
Guanyin - In Chinese Buddhism, Guan Yin is synonymous with the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara, the pinnacle of mercy, compassion, kindness and love. Read more HERE
The author had used the word patent(专利) in this sentence, but just to expand on this- One can patent their unique recipes. In this case, both Alkonost and I agree that they should have trademarked the name and patented the recipe.
Translated by pure, hosted on puretl.com / do not repost!
