Grandma Hu’s big meat dumplings quickly became the “annual hit” on Provincial Highway 336 in 1986.

It sold so well that it inevitably attracted some imitative "pirated copies".

Especially after Grandma Hu rejected those shop owners who liked to delay payment, many people were angry and thought, isn’t it just a zongzi? If Grandma Hu doesn’t supply them, can’t they make it themselves?

Some people were smart and imitated Grandma Hu’s big meat dumplings. They made dumplings at home and then went out to find convenience stores to sell them.

Their rice dumplings are not vacuum packed, and the glutinous rice and pork used are of lower quality. The wholesale price is 30% cheaper than that of "Grandma Hu's Big Meat Rice Dumplings".

Anyway, they all look the same after being cooked. How can a passing tourist from another place tell the difference?

Because these shop owners buy goods at low prices and sell them at low prices, the sales volume of Grandma Hu's big meat dumplings was affected for a while.

"Uncle, we can go talk about the franchise store now."

"We will make a batch of signs for free for the stores that are willing to join us. In the future, only the stores that purchase goods from us can hang up the sign of 'Designated Sales Point of Grandma Hu's Rice Dumplings'."

“Not only that, we also have to tell franchisees that when customers come to buy zongzi, they should remember to remind them that only the store with the sign sells the most authentic Hu Granny’s large meat zongzi. Others like Zhang Granny’s and Liu Granny’s are all counterfeits. If you get sick from eating them, don’t come to us.”

Jiang Tian is not afraid of the run on these counterfeit goods at all.

The weather is about to get warmer. If the rice dumplings are not vacuum-packed and kept in the freezer, they will go bad the next day.

Those shop owners who get their goods from copycat workshops and now sell rice dumplings under their own brand names, if their customers get sick after eating them, they will be the ones who suffer.

Jiang Tian asked her second uncle to take care of the registration of the franchise store, and she was not idle either. She took a bus to the newly built bus station in the county town.

She had set her sights on this place before the Chinese New Year.

The county's original old bus station was squeezed into the old city area. Not only was it small, it was also inconvenient for passengers to get on and off. Traffic accidents also frequently occurred due to blind spots at the entrances and exits.

But they have to demolish it. On the left is the county government staff quarters, and on the right are the supply and marketing cooperative and the Agricultural Bank. Tell me which one should be demolished?

No one dared to touch the bosses' territory, so the bus station could only be moved to another place.

Of course, in order to ensure a smooth relocation, the newspapers would not say that the bus station was moved because the family compound and the supply and marketing cooperative cannot be demolished. It must be said that it was for the safety of the passengers and for the development of the city.

In short, the new passenger station, which started construction the year before last, was finally put into use in April this year.

The new bus station is bigger, and there are some shops inside, which will be rented out...

Jiang Tian had been keeping an eye on this matter because she had heard someone say in her previous life that in the beginning, because the bus station moved to a new location, there was too little traffic and many shops could not be rented out, so they just stood there empty.

After all, in this day and age, ordinary people don’t necessarily have to go to the bus station to take a bus. Most people are still accustomed to standing on the side of the road, waiting for the bus to arrive, and then waving to stop it.

Tickets are sold manually anyway. Once you get on the bus, you don't have to take the initiative to buy the ticket. The conductor on the bus will come to you with the ticket folder and ask you for money.

But Jiang Tian knew that in a few years, the passenger transport system would begin to be rectified, and for some long-distance passenger buses, passengers would have to buy tickets at the bus station before entering the station to wait for the bus.

By then, some long-distance buses can still be stopped on the roadside, but it also depends on luck.

If the bus is full at the station, the driver will not let you on the bus even if you break your arm on the side of the road.

Therefore, in order to get on the train, everyone has to go to the ticket hall of the station to buy tickets.

It was at that time that the rents of shops at the county bus station began to increase wildly.

Jiang Tian didn’t plan to rent a shop. She wanted to buy one directly and use it as the station’s direct-operated store for “Grandma Hu’s Big Meat Zongzi”.

Selling rice dumplings is secondary. The most important thing is that the station is a good place to promote the brand.

The waiting hall is bustling with people coming and going every day, from all over the country.

Nowadays, ordinary people don’t often take the bus to travel around the country. Generally, those who need to take the bus frequently are either doing business or working in public institutions.

Simply put, these people are potential customers of "Grandma Hu's Big Meat Zongzi".

As long as Jiang Tian opens a direct-operated store and hires a few good-talking salespeople, she doesn't have to do anything but wait for franchisees to come.

Moreover, in addition to selling individual cooked rice dumplings, the station’s direct store will also stock a batch of gift box packaging.

After all, after April, the Dragon Boat Festival will soon be here.

What to eat on Dragon Boat Festival?

The unification across the country must be zongzi!

Put the rice dumpling gift boxes on the shelves before the Dragon Boat Festival. By then, not only will people entering the station or taking the train buy them as gifts, but some smart people may even directly purchase these gift boxes in large quantities from them, whether for company welfare or to sell at a higher price in other places. Rice dumplings packaged in gift boxes are definitely more respectable than those sold in bulk.

Coincidentally, the new bus station in the county town is also on Provincial Highway 336. It only takes more than half an hour to get there by bike from home.

However, this time, Jiang Tian miscalculated.

She ran to the new bus station and found a staff member inside to ask about the purchase of the shop. Unexpectedly, the staff member looked at her strangely and asked her where she heard the news.

"This is a state-owned bus station! The shops inside are all owned by government agencies. Who told you they would sell food to outsiders?"

The person who spoke seemed to have been greatly insulted.

Jiang Tian was stunned.

She suddenly remembered that this was not 2023, but 1986. The bus station was now the most popular public institution, and the shops inside were almost the same as supply and marketing cooperatives.

Do supply and marketing societies sell their shops to private individuals?

Dream on!

No wonder this person looked so ashamed and angry when he looked at himself.

Jiang Tian stuck out her tongue, and immediately straightened her back, saying righteously: She heard the rumor from outside, and was afraid that the state-owned assets would be resold, so she came here to test them!

The implication is that if you had dared to say that the shops at the bus station could be purchased by individuals, I would have reported you to the county government...

The staff member who was full of anger just now immediately broke out in a cold sweat after hearing Jiang Tian's words.

No wonder the newspapers say that today’s students are all the future successors of socialism. Looking at the righteous look on this little girl’s face, she really has the demeanor of a “successor”.

He has not even taken over yet, but he has already started to care about state-owned assets.

If you think about it carefully, there is nothing wrong with this statement. The future of the country belongs to these successors, and the country's assets, of course, also belong to them...