Chapter 330: Deng Yunheng: Damn, I'm Shaken Up!
Chapter 330: Deng Yunheng: Damn, I'm Shaken Up!
Nanning Architectural Design Institute.
After the usual pleasantries, Deng Shirong said, "Dean Huang, I came here mainly to inform you that I have secured the funds. The other floors of the house in the county can now be renovated."
Dean Huang smiled and nodded, "Alright, my team is already prepared and can start the renovation at any time."
Deng Shirong instructed, "Dean Huang, the wood for the renovation and furniture must be one of these three types: Hainan Huanghuali, Zitan, or Jinshan Nanmu. Please follow my requirements strictly and don't make any mistakes!"
He wasn't very familiar with the woods of the future, but he remembered that Hainan Huanghuali, Zitan, and Jinshan Nanmu were all very precious.
Therefore, when signing the renovation contract with the architectural design institute, he specifically requested that these three types of wood be used for the renovation and furniture. This was the main reason why the seven-story building would cost 2 million yuan.
Dean Huang reassured him, "Rest assured, Mr. Deng. We will ensure strict quality control and there will be no mistakes."
Deng Shirong nodded and then discussed the renovation of the Wuyue Square with Dean Huang.
Deng Shirong already had plans for the renovation of the other floors, but he was still unsure about the style for the fifth-floor luxury apartment. He wasn't sure what style would be best.
His favorite style was the modern Chinese style, which combines traditional elements with modern design. This style is both elegant and modern, and it will remain stylish for decades. The fusion of Chinese and Western styles he had mentioned to the architect before was somewhat similar to this.
However, the fusion of Chinese and Western styles combines the best of both worlds, while the modern Chinese style focuses on traditional Chinese cultural elements and modern design concepts to create a unique style. It uses lighting to highlight the traditional Chinese flavor.
This modern Chinese style would only emerge at the end of the century and gradually mature. The current architects lacked the design philosophy for this style, and Deng Shirong wasn't sure if they could grasp the essence of the modern Chinese style and achieve the effect he wanted.
After discussing the renovation of the first and second floors, Deng Shirong mentioned the fifth-floor luxury apartment: "Dean Huang, the fifth floor is intended for my personal use. I have tentatively decided on a modern Chinese style, primarily using traditional Chinese elements..."
Deng Shirong explained his understanding of the modern Chinese style to Dean Huang and then asked, "Dean Huang, do you think your architectural design institute can design this style?"
Dean Huang, being an architect himself, immediately understood what Deng Shirong meant by the modern Chinese style.
This style was different from the traditional Chinese style they had previously worked on, which was a true imitation of ancient styles, making people feel as if they had traveled back in time to different dynasties.
The modern Chinese style, on the other hand, uses modern design to present traditional Chinese elements, capturing the essence of traditional Chinese aesthetics without being bound by specific forms.
Understanding this, Dean Huang nodded and said, "Mr. Deng, I understand. I will personally design the modern Chinese style for you. Once the design renderings are ready, I will show them to you. If you are not satisfied, I will redesign them until you are satisfied."
Deng Shirong replied happily, "Great, Dean Huang. Let's settle on that. Please have other architects design the renderings for the first and second floors as well as the overall exterior renovation. Once all the renderings are ready, we can discuss the price."
This was another major project, and Dean Huang was genuinely pleased.
The current Mr. Deng was truly wealthy and generous, having spent 3.68 million yuan on the Wuyue Square and 2 million yuan on the county's renovation. The renovation of the Wuyipe Square, although the exact cost was unknown, would certainly not be less than 2 million yuan, possibly even more.
Altogether, it would be around 7 to 8 million yuan.
While it wasn't unusual for a collective to come up with such a sum, for an individual to do so was quite daunting.
In summary, among all the people Dean Huang had met, Mr. Deng's wealth was undoubtedly the highest.
Such a big client, Dean Huang naturally wanted to build a good relationship with. He would put his heart into the design and ensure that the client was satisfied.
They then discussed some details, and seeing that it was getting late, Deng Shirong bid farewell and left.
...
After spending the 14th of July at home and traveling to the capital with his third son, when Deng Shirong returned, it was almost the 15th of August.
In the past, every household in the village would eat tofu to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival. Life was tough back then, and tofu was a luxurious dish for rural people. Eating a meal of tofu was more satisfying than a seafood feast in the future.
Since the production team would grow soybeans, each household could receive a varying amount of soybeans every year. These soybeans were usually saved and not easily used. Only on special occasions like the 15th of August would they be willing to use some.
Back then, tofu was mostly made at home. If some families were too lazy to make it themselves, they could exchange soybeans at a certain ratio with others.
When frying tofu (which means frying the tofu and then boiling it in water), if a family could add some vermicelli, the taste would be absolutely amazing, and people could eat until their bellies were almost bursting.
Now, in villages further away where the economic conditions are still not very good, the villagers still adhere to the tradition of eating tofu on the 15th of August. However, in Naye Village, this tradition has gradually been abandoned.
After all, over the past couple of years, eating pork has become common for the villagers of Naye Village, and tofu can be enjoyed whenever they want. This custom, which both adults and children looked forward to, has naturally been phased out.
This year, on the 15th of August, Deng Shirong's family did not celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival in the county but chose to return to Naye Village.
Last year, while celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival in the county, Deng Shirong had thought about organizing a self-service barbecue with his grandchildren in the future when they were older, to make the festival more interesting.
However, that was for the future. Currently, organizing a barbecue was too much trouble. For this year's Mid-Autumn Festival, Deng Shirong planned to make a very delicious snack for his grandchildren—Shrimp Kueh.
Shrimp Kueh is a very distinctive snack in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions, loved by people of all ages.
Frying Shrimp Kueh for the Mid-Autumn Festival is not only a great accompaniment to alcohol but also provides a bit of the fun of a self-service barbecue, making it very interesting.
So, during the day, Deng Shirong got busy.
The main task was to make the molds for frying Shrimp Kueh and prepare the ingredients.
When the round moon rose, Deng Shirong set up a pot outside the wooden shed and started heating the oil. He brought out all the prepared tools and ingredients and instructed his eldest daughter, "Ah Zhen, boil more cooling tea. Eating Shrimp Kueh can easily cause heatiness, and drinking cooling tea is a must."
Deng Yunzhen nodded and said, "I know, I've boiled a big pot, enough for dozens of people."
Little Dong'er and Dongzi followed their grandfather around, watching him busy himself.
Seeing the fire already burning, Little Dong'er asked with anticipation, "Grandpa, how much longer until we can eat the Shrimp Kueh?"
Deng Shirong smiled, "Soon, soon. Once the oil is hot, Grandpa will put them in to fry. It'll only take a few minutes!"
Hearing this, Little Dong'er and Dongzi stared at the oil pot. They had never eaten Shrimp Kueh before and didn't know what it was, but they were eagerly looking forward to it after their grandfather said it was very fragrant and delicious.
Zhang Xiuping saw her children squatting on either side of their grandfather, waiting to eat, and couldn't help but laugh. She brought two small stools for them to sit on and reminded them, "You two must drink a bowl of cooling tea after eating the Shrimp Kueh. Otherwise, you're not allowed to eat, understand?"
"Understood!"
The siblings answered quickly.
At this moment, Deng Yunzhu, Deng Yunhua, and Deng Yunheng also took small stools and gathered around, watching their father work.
Frying Shrimp Kueh is not only delicious but also very therapeutic to watch.
Deng Shirong held a mold spoon in his left hand and a bamboo stick like a ruler in his right. He used the bamboo stick to spread the prepared rice batter evenly on the mold spoon, placed two clean small shrimps on it, and then slowly lowered it into the hot oil.
He repeated this process, one mold spoon after another, until they were all in the oil.
After a while, once the Shrimp Kueh had set, he took the mold spoon and tapped it against the edge of the pot, and the Shrimp Kueh slid smoothly into the pot. The empty mold spoon was then used again to spread more rice batter and fry more Shrimp Kueh. This cycle continued, and the Shrimp Kueh in the pot kept increasing.
Deng Yunzhu then took a pair of chopsticks and started flipping the Shrimp Kueh that had detached from the mold spoons.
Soon, the first batch of Shrimp Kueh turned golden brown.
Deng Yunzhu used the chopsticks to lift them out, let them drain a bit of oil on the edge of the pot, and placed them in a clean bamboo basket.
Seeing this, Little Dong'er got anxious and shouted, "Auntie, give me one, that's mine!"
Dongzi, not to be outdone, shouted, "Mine, that's mine!"
Little Dong'er said fiercely, "I said it first."
Dongzi, though a bit afraid of his sister, couldn't resist the temptation of the food and said stubbornly, "I said it too!"
Deng Yunzhu laughed heartily, "Don't be in such a rush. They're still hot. Wait until they cool down a bit before eating. There's plenty for both of you!"
At this moment, Zhang Xiuping had brought over some salt. Seeing the siblings' impatient expressions, she reminded them, "Listen carefully, each of you can only eat three Shrimp Kueh. Whoever eats too fast and finishes their share can't ask for more!"
"Ah?"
Little Dong'er pouted, unwillingly asking, "Mom, why only three?"
Dongzi extended his palm, insisting, "I want to eat five!"
Zhang Xiuping said, "Because eating too many will cause a heaty feeling."
Little Dong'er, who was now in the senior class of kindergarten, quickly responded with her quick wit, "We're going to drink cooling tea later, right? If we drink cooling tea, we won't get heaty, right, Grandpa?"
Deng Shirong chuckled and replied, "That's right, drinking cooling tea won't cause heatiness. Grandpa will make the call, you can eat as many as you want tonight."
He was doing this just to make the children happy, so he naturally wouldn't restrict them. Besides, children don't get heaty as easily as adults do, and drinking cooling tea would prevent any issues.
Despite being not yet five years old, Little Dong'er was smart enough to know that her grandpa was the most influential person in the family. Seeing that he approved, she beamed with joy and exclaimed, "Wow, Grandpa, you're so nice!"
By this time, there were already several Shrimp Kueh in the basket. Zhang Xiuping sprinkled a bit of salt evenly over them and then picked up two, giving one to each of her children, saying, "Alright, since Grandpa has approved, you can eat them!"
The siblings took the fragrant Shrimp Kueh and, without another word, took a bite.
The cooking time for Shrimp Kueh can be adjusted according to personal preference.
If you prefer a softer, stickier texture, you can take them out once they are cooked.
If you like them crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, you can fry them a bit longer before taking them out.
If you prefer a crunchy texture, you can fry them until the entire Shrimp Kueh changes color. This is the most fragrant option, with a satisfying crunch, but it also has the highest heatiness.
The ones Little Dong'er and Dongzi were eating were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This snack, beloved by both adults and children, was so delicious that the siblings couldn't stop eating, constantly exclaiming how good they were.
Deng Yunhua and Deng Yunheng couldn't resist either. Seeing that their sister-in-law had already sprinkled the salt, they each took one and started eating.
Soon, one after another, the fried Shrimp Kueh were ready, with various levels of crispness. Deng Yunzhen, Zhang Xiuping, and others also joined in, bringing wine and cooling tea. The family enjoyed the Shrimp Kueh and admired the moon, with the adults occasionally sipping wine and the children drinking cooling tea, creating a warm and joyful atmosphere.
Deng Yunzhu, whose business acumen had grown significantly over the years, said while eating the fragrant and crispy Shrimp Kueh, "I think anyone who sets up a small stall in the county to sell Shrimp Kueh and cooling tea could make some money."
Deng Shirong smiled and said, "It's not just possible, but certain. The cost of this snack is low, and a pot of oil can last a long time. The cost of cooling tea is even lower. Setting up a small stall in the East Market of the county, you might not make a fortune, but earning a few hundred yuan a month is easy, and even breaking a thousand is possible."
Deng Yunzhu, though aware that this small business could be profitable, hadn't expected it to be so lucrative.
For them, a few hundred yuan or even a thousand yuan a month wasn't much, considering their Yongjia Supermarket made tens of thousands of yuan in profit every month. But a few years ago, when Deng Yunzhu worked tirelessly at the brick factory, he earned only about 200 yuan a month, which was already a highly envied job, earning more than 99% of the villagers.
Even now, after several years, while more people were making money, a few hundred yuan a month was still a dream income for many families.
Not to mention, even a decade or more later, some factories in Shenzhen paid only 400 to 500 yuan a month, with work hours exceeding 12 hours a day, yet they still attracted many rural workers. So, this income was even more appealing now.
Zhang Xiuping was intrigued and asked, "Dad, how much could we make if we set up a stall in Longtan Market?"
Deng Shirong replied, "If you set up a stall in Longtan Market, there's no need to do it every day. You can focus on market days. With the large number of customers in Longtan Market, making a few dozen yuan on a market day shouldn't be difficult."
He wasn't just saying this. Longtan Market, one of the top three markets in Baise, had a high footfall, with over 27,000 people visiting on each market day. Even if only 1% of the visitors bought the Shrimp Kueh, it would still be a very profitable business.
Zhang Xiuping did the math: Longtan had six market days a month, and if they could make a few dozen yuan on each market day, that would be a few hundred yuan a month. Plus, the work wasn't strenuous, making it a very good business opportunity.
She could talk to her mother about it. If her mother was interested, she could set up a stall on market days and earn some extra money.
Anyway, now that her eldest and second brother's children were not so young anymore, they didn't need their mother to take care of them as much.
While Zhang Xiuping was thinking about this, Deng Yunzhen also kept it in mind. With her Sui Feng Restaurant, she naturally didn't need to engage in such a small business. However, she was soon to be married, and using such a small business to win over her husband's relatives could be a good idea.
Since a single Shrimp Kueh wasn't very big, even Dongzi, the little one, could eat five in one go, easily meeting his initial request. As for Little Dong'er, she ate six before stopping.
Once they were done eating, Zhang Xiuping reminded them, "Remember the promise you made to Mom. You have to finish this bowl of cooling tea."
The siblings had readily agreed earlier, but when it came time to drink the cooling tea, they started making all sorts of excuses. At one moment, they complained that the tea was too bitter, and at another, they said their stomachs were too full. They found all sorts of reasons to avoid drinking the tea, but no matter how they tried to evade it, they still had to drink it.
After all, this wasn't the north, where people didn't drink cooling tea. In the north, they could consume all sorts of heaty foods without worrying about getting heaty, so they didn't need cooling tea. If the future Wang Lao Ji had been a sweet drink instead of a cooling one, it probably wouldn't have sold well in the north.
In the south, however, if people ate too many heaty foods and didn't drink cooling tea, they would soon feel the effects of heatiness.
Deng Shirong handed over the task of frying the Shrimp Kueh to his youngest daughter and took a sip of wine with a Shrimp Kueh. He then said to his youngest son, "Xiao Heng, you'll be taking the high school entrance exam next year. Your current grades are in the top ten of your class, which isn't bad, but to get into Bo Gao, you still need to work harder."
Deng Yunheng nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. I'll work hard."
Deng Shirong continued, "Neither Songshan High School nor Longtan High School can compare to Bo Gao. The quality of teachers and students is different. It's rare for someone from Songshan High School to get into Peking University, like your second brother, but Bo Gao has students getting into Tsinghua and Peking University almost every year. That's the difference."
Deng Yunheng sighed and said, "I don't have the talent for studying like my second and third brothers. No matter which high school I attend, I have no hope of getting into Tsinghua or Peking University. Being able to get into a regular university would be a success."
Deng Shirong was well aware of this. Among his seven children, their academic performance could be divided into three levels:
- The top level: his second and third sons, the scholars.
- The middle level: his youngest son, whose grades were average.
- The bottom level: his eldest son, eldest daughter, youngest daughter, and fourth son, the underachievers.
Deng Shirong had no high hopes for his youngest daughter and fourth son, who were still in high school. However, his youngest son, who was in the middle, still had some hope. He was the type who had a chance to get into university if he worked hard, but no chance if he didn't.
"If your chances of getting into university at Songshan High School or Longtan High School are 30%, then your chances at Bo Gao should increase to at least 80%. The difference is significant, so you must not slack off in your studies."
"Okay, I understand."
"Also, our Naye Deng Clan Ancestral Hall is under construction and is expected to take two to three years to complete. However, the merit stele will be carved in advance. Our family's donation is the highest, so our family's merit stele will be placed in the most prominent position. The stele will record detailed information about our family.
Since you are still in school, the information recorded about you will only include the high school you attend. This will be for future generations to admire. Do you want the stele to record Songshan High School or Bo Gao?"
With these words, Deng Yunheng's expression changed, and he nodded solemnly, "Dad, I'll work twice as hard from now on to get into Bo Gao."
After giving his youngest son a small push, Deng Shirong said no more. Studying required not only talent but also self-motivation. If one wasn't self-motivated, no amount of parental pressure would help.
As for his youngest daughter and fourth son, Deng Shirong didn't bother to say much. Even if he used the merit stele to motivate them, given their current academic performance, promising them immortality after getting into university wouldn't make a difference.
...
After spending the Mid-Autumn Festival at home, Deng Shirong went to Shuangwang Credit Union to pay back the second loan of 800,000 yuan. He still owed 2 million yuan to Bobai Credit Union, but that wasn't due for a while, so he didn't need to rush to pay it back. He could wait until the due date to settle it.
Now, Deng Shirong was a well-known figure in Shuangwang, and everyone at Shuangwang Credit Union knew him. Repaying the 800,000 yuan loan on time made him a top-tier client in the eyes of the credit union director.
Although banks were starting to tighten their lending policies, it didn't mean that no one could get a loan. For a high-credit client like Deng Shirong, obtaining a loan would always be easier than for others.
(End of Chapter)
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