Chapter 145: Digging the Earth and Burying It—Delicious and Fresh

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“Let’s see whether we can develop a model for this and then produce a batch to sell with the coal stoves.”

Chen Huaijiang took out another heat-concentrating ring—the kind later used on liquefied-gas burners to concentrate the flame and block the wind.

He had it specially made to fit the dimensions of the coal stove. It was nothing more than a strip of sheet iron bent into a circle, with three raised points formed along the top.

“What is this?”

Liang Long took it and examined it curiously, looking somewhat puzzled.

Engineer Zhang, Engineer Zhao, and the other craftsmen also leaned over with interest, pointing and discussing among themselves.

“This should go on top of the coal stove to block the wind, right? But it doesn’t seem all that necessary.”

“It might actually be useful. When the fire is burning strongly, it should help concentrate the heat.”

“It’s easy to make, too. It doesn’t require much material. Ordinary scraps would do.”

After a lively discussion, everyone had more or less guessed the purpose of the device.

Chen Huaijiang explained it to them in detail, and they all nodded repeatedly.

“Brilliant. I never imagined, Boss Chen, that you understood coal stoves so thoroughly. They’re only two minor improvements, but they show that you must cook at home quite often.”

“Haha, no wonder Boss Chen became wealthy. You see farther into the future of these products than even those of us who specialize in making coal stoves.”

“I’m certain that once our coal stove is produced, it will sell like hot cakes!”

The men showered Chen Huaijiang with flattery, growing more and more enthusiastic.

Chen Huaijiang merely smiled and said nothing. Coal stoves would eventually be phased out. In later generations, they would still be used in the catering industry, but they would vanish almost entirely from ordinary households.

He had plenty of other improvements in mind: an enamel insulation layer, a secondary air intake, a hand-cranked ash scraper, and more.

Take the hand-cranked ash scraper, for example. With old-fashioned coal stoves, ash had to be cleared through the air inlet by hooking it out with an iron rod, which was both time-consuming and exhausting. The hand-cranked scraper simply added a steel plate beneath the stove, connected to an external hand-operated lever. With a single turn, the ash at the bottom could be scraped out, making the process far easier.

Chen Huaijiang had no intention of revealing all these improvements at once. Coal stoves could remain popular for more than a decade. It would not be until around the year 2000 that they became a sunset industry and disappeared completely from ordinary homes.

Thus, releasing a new technology every two or three years and gradually upgrading the product would do a much better job of enhancing the brand’s reputation.

Perhaps in later generations, this industry he had entered to strike at the Wu family would make him the leader of the coal-stove sector and the pioneer of its technology.

“This logo must be clear and distinct. The mountain can be somewhat blurred, but Kunlun must stand out. Paint it in black oil paint.”

Chen Huaijiang placed great importance on the brand. Before leaving, he reminded Liang Long and the craftsmen once again.

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The next day, Chen Huaijiang was awakened by Liang Long. The loud, rapid pounding on the door startled Lin Jiayin, who thought something had happened.

“Can’t you be a little more composed?”

Chen Huaijiang got up and opened the door. Seeing Liang Long outside, he immediately grew irritated.

“Brother Chen, how can you still be sleeping? Do you know what time it is?”

“Something’s happened. Something major. Feng Weizhi has brought a large crowd to the factory gates. He says he’s going to smash your shop.”

“Damn it. I had the brothers hold them off for now, but they have the numbers. And Feng Weizhi has already obtained the lease for your shop from the factory. If they really make a move, our security department won’t be able to stop them.”

Liang Long was flustered as he hurriedly explained the situation to Chen Huaijiang.

“What’s the big deal? Wait here. I’ll brush my teeth and wash my face, then I’ll go with you.”

Seeing the worry on his wife Lin Jiayin’s face, Chen Huaijiang deliberately yawned and spoke in a casual tone to reassure her.

His calmness also allowed Liang Long to relax. He smiled and said, “Brother Chen, it seems you were prepared for this all along. I was worried for nothing.”

Chen Huaijiang ignored him. After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he left with Liang Long.

“Huaijiang, be careful.”

Lin Jiayin stood by the door and called after her husband. Chen Huaijiang waved to reassure her.

They soon arrived at Red Flag Factory. A large crowd had gathered outside the gates. Many were pushing bicycles and wearing the factory’s uniforms.

They were clearly employees of Red Flag Factory, there to watch the spectacle.

“Why are there so many people here? Don’t they have work to do?”

Liang Long grumbled unhappily. When he had arrived earlier, there had not been nearly so many people.

“Chen Huaijiang is here!”

“Boss Chen is here!”

“What boss? He’s nothing but someone who took advantage of the factory. Hmph. His shop is about to be cleared out.”

When Chen Huaijiang arrived, the workers standing around the perimeter all turned to look.

Ever since Chen Huaijiang had left the factory and begun prospering—more and more with each passing day—his success had sparked several rounds of debate among the factory workers.

If he had been doing poorly, everyone could have pitied him. But because he was doing well, some narrow-minded people felt resentful and thought it unfair.

With that attitude, they naturally made sarcastic remarks and often gathered in small groups to speak ill of Chen Huaijiang.

Chen Huaijiang had never paid such people any mind. Even before he crossed into this era, there had always been plenty of people who mocked others’ misfortunes and resented their good fortune.

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“Chen Huaijiang, you dare scheme against me?”

“Today I’m going to teach you a lesson in how to conduct yourself. I was originally going to give you a week to clear this place out.”

“But now that chance is gone. Today I’m going to smash your shop to pieces and let everyone see how the first shop opened by you, Chen Huaijiang, gets turned into a public toilet!”

When Feng Weizhi saw Chen Huaijiang appear, he glared at him viciously and spoke with arrogant menace.

His words drew a burst of laughter from the surrounding crowd.

Feng Weizhi’s methods were undeniably vicious, but they catered perfectly to the onlookers’ eagerness to watch a spectacle unfold.

“Scheme against you? Why would I need to?”

Chen Huaijiang remained completely indifferent, his face betraying neither joy nor anger, with even a trace of disdain in his eyes.

“You still dare argue? Are you saying you weren’t the one who incited those people to return their membership cards a few days ago?”

“Are you saying you weren’t the one who spread those rumors around town?”

Seeing that Chen Huaijiang still dared to deny it, Feng Weizhi’s expression grew increasingly vicious, and his anger burned hotter.

What had happened a few days earlier had nearly caused him to capsize in the gutter, and the more he thought about it, the more frightened he became.

“You’re overthinking things. Even a fool could see through your little trick. It’s nothing more than a scheme to fund your expansion with borrowed money: use membership cards to gather capital, expand, gather more capital, expand again, and repeat the cycle.”

“The faster you expand, the greater the crisis becomes. In the end, collapse is inevitable. It’s like a cup and its lid. Under normal circumstances, one cup goes with one lid. Someone clever might use one lid for two cups. But you’re using one lid for five cups. It would be strange if nothing went wrong. Once something does go wrong, there’s nothing strange about it at all.”

Chen Huaijiang spoke with disdain, exposing the mechanism of Feng Weizhi’s scheme in plain terms.

Feng Weizhi’s expression changed abruptly. He roared, “You’re talking nonsense! What cups and lids? My Tasteful Fresh Restaurant has abundant funds and plenty of money. Even with you causing trouble, I’m still doing perfectly fine!”

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