pjbooks Chapter 86 [Blocked at Both Ends]
Chapter 86 [Blocked at Both Ends]
Chapter 86 [Blocked at Both Ends]
Upon hearing the term "school cafeteria," several people in the meeting room seemed to lean forward slightly.
This is a very specific and weighty topic, involving education, people's livelihood, and food safety —
Each of these is closely connected to the most sensitive nerves of society.
Fortunately, the manuscript had been confirmed in advance.
These are things that can be said.
Those involved, led by the wholesalers, had already been led off-camera.
They hadn't been able to hear the specifics of what was being said before, nor did they have the right to look at their own drafts. Now, their faces were filled with disbelief and astonishment, as if they had guessed what they were about to say.
Six months ago, I was still a student.
Liu Zhuohao stood in front of the camera, taking in the expressions of these people without paying attention. His tone was full of reminiscence. "Some students, like me, can commute and go home for meals, but many students who live far away have to live on campus and eat all three meals in the school cafeteria. They can only go home on Saturdays and Sundays."
He smiled, a smile devoid of resentment, but containing an unspoken understanding only those who have been through it all: "The cafeteria food—well, those who know, know."
"Hard rice, wilted vegetable leaves, murky soup, and the same few kinds of frozen fried food over and over again, like chicken strips, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets. Well, they're not bad, but I really can't stand eating them every day."
"At that time, I was thinking, and I heard many classmates murmur, was it possible to let a local restaurant that truly cares about its reputation and can withstand market scrutiny participate in, or even be in charge of, the cafeteria's meals?"
His tone gradually became serious, and his gaze swept over the people present, as if looking outside through a camera lens: "As far as I know, many school cafeteria stalls are actually run by individual vendors."
"They don't have their own brand, or even a physical store; they just contract out the cafeteria."
"The chefs in the kitchen may not all be real chefs. They may just cook at home often in private. Even if something really happens, they don't have much responsibility to shoulder."
He paused briefly, then slowly began, "But what if we introduce local, tangible restaurant brands? Then everything would be different."
""
"Whether the food is good or not, and whether the students are satisfied, will directly and immediately affect the restaurant's reputation and business in the whole city."
"Under this pressure where reputation is life itself, they have to go all out, not only to ensure safety but also to achieve the best taste, which is completely different from some situations nowadays."
"Nowadays, for some contractors, whether they do a good job or not, it may just mean losing a job. They can just move to another school or another city and still do the same thing. They don't have a brand to protect, and they lack that fundamental motivation to do things right."
At this point, his voice softened, but his words remained clear, facing the flashing red camera light: "So, this is something I want to try to do in the future, something a young person born here would want to try."
"Of course, it's just a possibility, after all, I don't even own a store yet."
"Now that I have this opportunity to speak in front of the camera, I hope everyone can keep an eye on me and watch me, so that I don't forget why I started this journey—yes, I mean, to stay true to my original aspirations."
The words fell.
There was silence in the conference room.
Only the camera's red light remained steadily lit, recording this brief statement.
There was no verbose expression of gratitude, nor any impassioned statement.
On the stage set up by the authorities to honor him as a role model, Liu Zhuohao tried to explain one of his future plans, leaving a memento for his fans and customers.
He wanted to take over the school cafeteria.
To be precise, we're going to contract out the cafeteria in the future.
This is the best way to accumulate local reputation, but it is also the most difficult.
This matter is both difficult and simple.
The simple thing is that, in this small town, school cafeterias are essentially a business in the eyes of many administrators.
Individual business owners can get a window of opportunity as long as the rent or profit sharing is paid in a reasonable amount, or if they have some connections.
The school views the cafeteria as an operating asset, with the primary goal of generating revenue.
Some schools have even implemented closed management under the pretext of food safety, leaving students with no other choice.
Therefore, the taste, portion size, and hygiene behind the window depend entirely on the conscience of the operator.
Those with a conscience will try to offer the best quality at the lowest price.
Those without conscience will use inferior products or cut corners.
Anyway, with a monopoly on customers, it's a sure-fire way to make money. From a purely business perspective, it's a lucrative job.
And that is precisely where the difficulty lies.
What Liu Zhuohao said to the camera was not that he viewed this as a lucrative business that allowed him to reap the rewards without effort.
His vision leans more towards a strong focus on public welfare and service.
If he truly enters the realm of schools and participates in education, he must not be like some of his predecessors, who, after making mistakes and receiving complaints, simply patted their butts and turned away without any burden.
If Liu Zhuohao were to do it, he would be risking his brand reputation entirely, going down with it.
This path is destined to bear a heavier price and more demanding expectations.
"It's a good thing that young people have many ideas —"
"However, in the end, we must remain grounded."
After the photoshoot, the individuals involved practically rushed to sign and leave their fingerprints before turning away without looking back.
Liu Zhuohao didn't leave.
Several elderly comrades who had been standing off-camera strolled over and naturally struck up a conversation with him in the local dialect.
Unlike the younger comrades, they didn't speak Mandarin in a proper and orderly manner.
One of them even offered him a cigarette.
Liu Zhuohao smiled and took it with both hands, holding it between his fingers without touching it.
"The fact that you young people are willing to step forward and do things for the development of our local area shows that our education system is still very successful." An elderly comrade with a deeply wrinkled face lit a cigarette and exhaled a puff of white smoke. "But once you've made the promise, you have to think carefully about whether you can actually keep it."
"There's a reason why some school cafeterias can only find individual vendors—there are many issues involved."
Liu Zhuohao didn't respond or interrupt, but simply leaned forward slightly, adopting a posture of focused listening, like a truly humble junior seeking guidance.
This attitude is very appealing to veteran comrades who have been immersed in the system for decades.
"Yes, it's like the simplest question in it: pricing and cost."
Another person chimed in, not looking at himself, but at the older colleague who had spoken first, "While it's true that there are cases where canteens cut portions to make more money, the policy requirement for school canteens has always been to break even with a small profit."
After saying that, he finally looked over at us. "You understand what I mean, right?"
"clear!"
Liu Zhuohao quickly chimed in to show that he was indeed listening attentively, "The price just can't be too high. We need to add a few cents to the purchase price for profit so that students can afford it."
"Yes, the kind of brand stores you're talking about rarely accept such low profit margins, and the communication costs are also very high. Schools don't have that many dedicated people to talk to these companies about these things." The older gentleman nodded. "After all, schools are places for teaching and nurturing people, not places for doing business."
"Of course, if, as you said, it's done as a public service—that's a different story."
He flicked his cigarette ash and looked at Liu Zhuohao's face: "You can accept not making money, or even losing money, but what you want to make is not money, but reputation."
"So we support you." Another person chimed in, their tone a bit more serious. "But the premise is that you can actually get it done. Right now, this is still in the meeting room, so there's still room for maneuver."
"But once it airs—the pressure you'll face will be immense."
"You need to think this through yourself."
As Liu Zhuohao listened, he couldn't help but think to himself, "You were the ones who were so eager to push me out as a role model yesterday, but now that I've really taken on the responsibility and taken on all the burdens, you're the ones advising me to be cautious."
But he showed no sign of it on his face, and simply replied sincerely, "Thank you for your advice, leader. My family has been going back three generations, and we've all been ordinary, honest people. We're not particularly capable, but we've lived a stable life."
"Now that I've had this opportunity, I really want to give it a try."
"But that will definitely be in the future. I'm just a small vendor without even a shop right now, how could I be qualified to do such a good deed?"
He paused, his voice softening as if he were just mentioning it casually: "And if it really works out, maybe in the future we can even properly offer incense at the Liu family ancestral hall."
This is a great honor.
At least, in this small city that values ancestral hall culture, it's very high.
The words "ancestral hall" made another elderly comrade, who hadn't said much until now, raise his eyes: "Oh? Where is Boss Liu from?"
"I grew up in the old city area," Liu Zhuohao answered frankly. "They're all nameless old alleys, and I don't know their specific names."
The old man listened and didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded slowly.
"Oh, Zhang."
He mumbled a response, it was unclear whether he meant he understood or something else.
"Actually, you can't say that. Doing good deeds doesn't require any qualifications; everyone can do good deeds."
Then another leader smoothed things over, these words seemed to come out of their mouths without even thinking, as if it were some kind of instinct, "We're just worried about whether you, a child, can shoulder this responsibility."
"
"Sometimes, your initial intentions may be good, but the things you do may not turn out the way you expected for some reason."
"But it's already great that you have this idea. Open the store first and let the public see if you can really handle it."
It's another case of being blocked from both ends.
They said that anyone could do this, but then they added that you have to open a shop first before you can take on the responsibility.
No matter how you look at it, you can't find fault with what the leader says.
Liu Zhuohao nodded humbly, showing great compliance.
Contracting the school cafeteria was indeed an idea he had long ago, but it was definitely not something that should be put on the agenda at this point in time.
This is definitely not an easy task.
Since returning in 25, during a time when media reports spread extremely quickly and widely, he was aware of countless news stories about school cafeterias across the country going bust.
Whether the managers or contractors truly had problems, were framed, or something else entirely, or...
Anyone can see that the waters here run deep.
In almost every city and school, this kind of work is contracted out to people from other places.
The locals wouldn't dare touch this thing; if something went wrong, they wouldn't even dare go back to their ancestral graves.
The reason I'm speaking out today is purely because of the special circumstances. It's a rare opportunity to appear on the local news channel alongside law enforcement as an honoree.
It's like when people run for important positions abroad, they go out into the streets to give speeches and boast about what they will do after they take office.
This pie needs to be drawn first.
A young man came over and whispered something in one of their ears. Liu Zhuohao could only vaguely make out that it was a boss, and someone from the Chamber of Commerce.
"Then you'll have to work hard, young man."
After listening to what was said, the leader waved his hand and said, "Let's go over there, Old Li is coming over."
He looked at the others.
The group then walked out of the meeting room with their hands behind their backs, just as they had done when they strolled over earlier, as if they were taking a walk after a meal.
A group of people were living a leisurely life; it was unclear whether they had actually retired or not.
"Mr. Liu, we need to come over and sign something—"
During the conversation, the other young comrades didn't dare to come over, but now that it's over, they've come over to talk to Liu Zhuohao about signing documents and such.
Incidentally, Liu Zhuohao also confirmed the content of the filming with the media.
The basic procedures were completed in about ten minutes.
"You guys go on the show first, and then I'll cut some footage for my own videos." Liu Zhuohao confirmed again, "Is that alright?"
"certainly."
The lead reporter in the media nodded. "If you need it, I'll email you the materials and then give you a call."
"Thank you for your help."
Liu Zhuohao gratefully cupped his hands in greeting and tried to offer him a cigarette, but was stopped by a raised hand.
"You, who run your own media outlet, are actually one of us media reporters."
The reporter said familiarly, "We report on this in the local news, and you spread the word online. We both generate buzz, it's a win-win situation."
Liu Zhuohao chuckled and said, "I understand, I understand."
He said goodbye to the group and left.
As he got on the motorcycle and put on his helmet, Liu Zhuohao took out his phone, looked at the extra contacts listed, and then pulled out a few business cards from his pocket.
He met quite a few people that day, including colleagues from the regulatory bureau, police officers, reporters, and all sorts of other people.
Can we really count on these people to help?
Liu Zhuohao took back his business card and phone, and for the time being, he had no such delusions.
Human relationships are always a give-and-take affair.
You have to offer them something first, you have to have something first, before they will reciprocate or give you anything in return.
This is normal social interaction.
If you're not strong enough, you'll probably end up like those leaders who just talked a lot about education.
However, they did not promise any substantial help.
But that's the reality. What makes them make such a promise? Just by saying they'll do something good for the local area?
Of course not.
You have to submit your report card first!