svetikya Page 265
Page 265
Shadow puppetry is a traditional Chinese folk art. It is usually performed by a single person. The prop used is a wooden box with lenses mounted on all four sides. The box contains several pictures and is illuminated by lamps.
During the performance, the performer pulls a rope outside the box, manipulating the images to scroll. Viewers observe the changes in the images through a camera lens. The images typically tell a complete story or contain related content. The performer also sings and explains the content of the images.
Fueled by alcohol, Pian asked in a low voice, "Boss He, do you have any extra grain?"
"Isn't everything rationed now? Why don't you have enough food, Grandpa Pian?"
The old man asked, "It's not quite enough. Do you have any extras?"
"At this time, there's no spare food. Everyone's in this situation; no family has enough to eat."
Niu Ye said something fair: "Alright, Pian Ye, don't make things difficult for Boss He. The shop has a limited supply."
Grandpa Pian chuckled and didn't bring up the topic of grain again.
Mr. Niu asked, "Boss He, your breakfast shop has been closed for the past two days, making it inconvenient for us to buy breakfast. When will you be able to reopen?"
"Yes, your family has a complete breakfast selection, so there's no need to make an extra trip."
"I'm sorry about this. I'm currently working at a braised meat shop, and the breakfast stall here is too busy. I'll have to quit. I'll just have to trouble you all to walk a little further every morning."
People in Beijing aren't used to eating breakfast at home; they usually go out to buy breakfast and eat it directly from a stall. Very few people make it at home.
He Yuzhu's breakfast stall, located in the alley, catered to the local residents, mostly ordinary people from the two or three nearby alleys. This caused quite a stir among the people in the tavern.
"Boss He, please keep going."
"Yes, otherwise we'll have to walk a long way."
"Yes."
Seeing that everyone was talking, He Yuzhu stood up, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, and then said:
"I'm so sorry, everyone. There's really no one to take care of things. My aunt is already married, my wife is pregnant, and I have to go to work. I just can't manage, so I have to close the breakfast stall."
"It turns out the landlady is pregnant again."
"Mr. He, you're too kind. It's nothing."
"Yes, congratulations, Mr. He."
Congratulations, Mr. He!
......
Thinking about it, it makes sense. There's no one at home, so who's going to look after the shop? There's no reason to entrust this small business to outsiders.
He Yuzhu just disliked that the breakfast stall was right in front of the courtyard, and he had to get up at 4 a.m. every day, which made a lot of noise and disturbed his rest.
Just as He Yuzhu had calmed everyone down, he thought the matter was over, but unexpectedly Fan Jinyou jumped out at this moment.
All I heard him say was, "Boss He, you can't close your shop like this."
"It's my own shop, I can close it whenever I want, open it whenever I want, what's it to you?"
Fan Jinyou said, "That's not how Boss He said it. Right now, we are in the stage of public-private partnership, and your shop has been included in the list of partners."
"That's what you listed, what does it have to do with me?"
He Yuzhu's retorts, "What's it to you?" and "What's it to me?" infuriated Fan Jinyou, who shouted:
“Mr. He, what you’re saying is going too far. This has nothing to do with me or you. This is a matter for the street.”
"Oh."
He Yuzhu asked with a smile, "What does what happens on the street have to do with you? You're just a temporary worker."
"you..."
I mentioned before that Fan Jinyou was a temporary worker, which made him very angry. Now that they're bringing up this temporary worker again, I'm so angry I could explode.
"Mr. He, I'm warning you, your breakfast shop has been included in the list of public-private partnerships. You can't just quit on your own; you need the approval of the local street committee."
"Oh, is that how it's said?"
"Of course, Mr. He, what do you mean by this? Why did you close the shop when we're about to implement public-private partnership? Are you passively resisting our public-private partnership?"
Seeing that He Yuzhu was easy to talk to this time, Fan Jinyou resumed his cadre-like behavior, adopting the demeanor of a leader holding someone accountable.
He Yuzhu retorted, "Fan Jinyou, don't try to pin this on me. Whether my shop is open or not is none of your business. And if the street doesn't feel right, it's none of your place to manage it as a temporary worker."
"you..."
Fan Jinyou was furious. A meeting had already been held in the streets to convey the instructions from higher authorities: this year, all shops and craftsmen within the jurisdiction must be registered.
This work needs to be completed within this year. In the second year, that is, the fifth or sixth year, all shops will be put into public-private partnership.
He Yuzhu's breakfast shop had already been registered by himself. The alleys in this area were his task area. If the shop closed down during this period, the blame would fall on him, making it a failed public-private partnership.
This affected the quality of his task completion, which is why Fan Jinyou reacted so strongly when He Yuzhu said today that he would never do it again.
I saw the breakfast shop was closed a couple of days ago, and I thought it was just temporarily closed because of something. Only then did I find out that He Yuzhu actually wanted to quit.
"What do you mean, 'I can close my shop whenever I want'?" He Yuzhu wasn't going to talk things out. The angrier Fan Jinyou got, the happier he was.
Fan Jinyou could tolerate the conflict earlier, but he was furious now. Closing a shop would leave two stains on his record, and the final tally would be too ugly.
So far, I haven't heard of any other shops having this problem; it's only in the area I'm in charge of.
"Just wait for me."
After finishing his last cup of wine, Fan Jinyou stood up, left those words, and turned to leave the tavern.
Uncle Niu couldn't help but warn, "Boss He, be careful not to let him trip you up again. You've offended him this time."
"Thank you, Master Niu."
I own a house near Qianmen, and the shops on Qianmen Street are also rented. I've sold out of radios, watches, and other items there, and I've almost sold out of electronic parts. Business is so-so.
If he's not happy living here, he can go back to Yandaixie Street. Fan Jinyou can't do anything about it.
Of course, this was the last resort. He Yuzhu believed that he would not be forced out by Fan Jinyou.
Without Fan Jinyou, the tavern returned to normal, and it wasn't until after 10 p.m. that I returned home.
With his wife pregnant, He Yuzhu wouldn't do anything reckless, so he had no choice but to sleep alone in the same bed, unable to sleep.
The next day, He Yuzhu arrived at the cannery and saw that there were many more people at the gate.
Aunt Yi and Aunt Xu were also waiting inside. When they saw He Yuzhu arrive, they were a little embarrassed.
He Yuzhu quickly gave them a look, telling them to calm down.
Well, since they were already there, He Yuzhu and Factory Director Shen took charge of recruiting people. Soon, both of them were retained and became temporary workers at the cannery.
Yesterday there were only a few people, but today there are more than 20 people working. Washing and cutting the fruit is very simple. As long as we strictly control hygiene, there won't be any problems.
The most important thing is actually to sterilize the canned food at high temperatures and then seal it in a relatively clean workshop. This step is the most crucial.
It's just the beginning. He Yuzhu is already working at the cannery, mainly responsible for strictly controlling quality, ensuring hygiene standards are met, and producing qualified canned goods.
As time went by, the cannery steadily expanded its production capacity, gradually increasing from 500 cans a day to more than 2000 cans a day.
Canned food production is not very stable, mainly due to the availability of sufficient fruit.
The neighborhood committee also placed high hopes on the cannery and provided it with ample support, allowing it to maintain stable production.
That day, Director Li brought his superiors to inspect the warehouse and was very satisfied to see it filled with canned goods.
After the inspection, Director Li and Tian Zao called on Factory Director Shen, the accountant, and He Yuzhu to have a meeting.
"Now that production is going smoothly, it seems the cannery is on track. I wonder what the costs are?"
All the bottles produced before are still piled up in the warehouse, and not a single one has been sold yet.
Right now, we need to check the costs, set a wholesale price, and discuss follow-up issues.
The accounting staff, sent by the neighborhood committee, have been compiling production cost statistics lately. He opened his diary and said:
"Because we combine direct purchasing with buying fruit from the countryside, the cost varies each time. However, after long-term calculations, the cost of fruit used in each can is between 6 and 7 cents, which includes transportation costs."
Seeing that everyone was looking at him, he continued, "The cost of sugar is relatively high, reaching ten cents. Next is the cost of the canning jar and the lid. The cost of these two items plus the label paper is six cents."
"The total cost of these materials is 22 cents. If you include the cardboard box packaging, the cost of each bottle will increase by 2 cents. Adding labor costs, the total cost of a bottle of canned food is 28 cents."
He Yuzhu said, "The price of fruit fluctuates, so we need to be more flexible and calculate it based on a cost of three cents."
Director Li asked, "Based on this calculation, what would be a suitable wholesale price?"
Factory Director Shen said, "The current market price for a can of food is about 4 cents. After deducting the seller's profit, our wholesale price should be between 4 and 5 cents."
At all times, the seller's gross profit is high, while the manufacturer earns less per unit.
Director Li quickly did some mental calculations. Currently, the cannery can produce 2000 to 3000 bottles of canned food a day. Based on a production capacity of 2000 square meters, it can earn 200 yuan a day, which is 6000 yuan a month.
This money is to be handed over entirely to the local government, since it is calculated based on the minimum scale, so the profits to be handed over are not included.
In other words, a normal month's production on the street can generate a profit of 6000 yuan, which can be invested in building another factory.
The cannery is different from the braised meat factory. The braised meat factory uses a profit-sharing system, with only 25% of the profits going to the local government. Although the braised meat factory earns more, the local government still receives less money than the cannery factory.
Previously, He Yuzhu earned more than 1 yuan a year, but it was still less than 2 yuan. His braised meat shop only contributed more than 3000 yuan in revenue to the street in a year.
After calculating, Director Li said, "For small customers, we'll calculate the wholesale price at 45 cents per bottle. So, the price for He Yuzhu will be 40 cents. That's settled."
Chapter 197 Profit Distribution