Source | Xiaoxiang Morning News
Reporter | Li Shu
At 5:00 a.m., the sky was bright, and the "Hongshun Bun King" located at No. 76 Wenxingqiao Lane, Kaifu District, Changsha City, had already opened a store. As the city slowly awakens, there are more and more customers in the small shop, "Hello, four burns, scan the code to pay." "Two bean pastes." "Ten meat buns, ten silver wire rolls." This is the daily life of the boss Wu Xincheng.
Don't look at the endless stream of customers in small shops, but the gross profit of a bun is only a dime. The store has been open for almost 20 years, and the price has risen, but the price of buns has not increased much. The best-selling roasted wool, silver wire rolls, bean paste buns or 5 cents. "Recently, Alipay is doing the activity of scanning the code to pay for red envelopes, and one yuan of red envelopes can buy two more buns!" Wu Xincheng said with a smile.
Studied under Teacher Deyuan
I have been making buns for more than 20 years
Wu Xincheng has made buns for most of his life, and his craftsmanship comes from the most traditional way: to learn from a teacher.
In 1997, Wu Xincheng, a native of Ningxiang, formally apprenticed to his teacher. The master's name is Tan Houru, and the master is the teacher of the Deyuan Ofeyuan of the Eight Classics of Zheng'er. Wu Xincheng began to learn the basic skills, and he studied it for half a year just by making noodles. According to the master, "the noodles should be cooked and thorough", and the final dough should be strong, and gently placed on the board to be untouched.
After learning to make noodles, the first to learn to make bean paste, "bean paste is the most basic skill." Wu Xincheng said. The bean sand bun should be evenly kneaded, the material should be just right, no leakage bottom, no skin, to ensure that the bean sand bun made no matter from which angle to bite, the thickness of the dough is the same. For three months, Wu Xincheng only made bean paste bags, and constantly polished the feel of the material.
"For the first three months, I can only watch on the side, and after half a year, I can slowly get started, and Master will immediately pull over to the side." During the two years of study, he ate and lived in Master's house. Day after day of monotonous practice, he even gave up at one point and ran out to work, but finally chose to return to Master's home to continue his studies.
In the business of making buns, it follows the immutable simple truth: you must not be lazy and play with it.
After being able to "go to the case" independently, in 2002, Wu Xincheng went to the brother's bun shop to help, and in 2005, he officially took over the "Hongshun Bun King", which has been insisted on until now.
Regular customers who moved away came back every week to buy buns
At two o'clock in the morning, Wu Xincheng got up, and noodles, making, and steaming baskets. At five o'clock in the morning, the buns are spread out. The meat buns are basically sold out by noon, and the remaining buns can be sold until the afternoon. But even if the buns are sold out early, Wu Xincheng will still not close the store. "You can't let customers come and see the store close. Even if it is sold out, tell the customer that the bun is sold out. Wu Xincheng insisted.
With the improvement of living standards, there are more and more types of breakfast, and even the variety of buns alone is also varied. More efficient and convenient chain bun shops began to appear, and these more modern bun shops used unified distribution and a wide variety of buns.
Wu Xincheng's bun shop is different. In his shop, the board is covered with flour from white flowers, the oil residue used in the morning fried in the iron pot is fried, the aroma of lard is emitted, and the steaming steam in the steamer is steaming. The day of the old Changsha people begins with such ironing.
With the demolition of old houses, some old customers have moved, or can not be separated from the "Hongshun Bun King" buns. A seventy-year-old Jiaoyu said to Wu Xincheng: "My family has been in a family for three generations, and they all designate your buns." "There are also regular customers who have moved to Jingwanzi, and they have to come to the store once a week to buy fifty or sixty buns for the whole family to eat for a week.
Once, an old customer came back to buy buns, and Wu Xincheng was too busy to pay attention to finding dozens of dollars. The next day, the old customer came from afar to return the money.
Traditional flavors make competitive
Only 4,000 per day are made
The trust of old customers touched Wu Xincheng. For more than 20 years, although prices have risen, Wu Xincheng rarely raises the price of buns. Until now, popular types such as roasted wool, silver wire rolls, and bean paste buns are still only 5 cents, and soup buns are 1.5 yuan for two. Such a price is not easy to find in Changsha.
"I don't like price increases, I always feel like a hurdle." Wu Xincheng said.
Just like when he followed his master to learn to make buns, relying on day-to-day perseverance, now Wu Xincheng's business approach is also based on ten years of persistence: in some ways, Wu Xincheng is very traditional, he adheres to the traditional bun practice, because "this is the authentic old taste." He stuck to a ten-year rhythm: buying fresh pork every day, freshly frying the oil residue needed to roast wheat every day, and making only 4,000 in total. "Only in this way can we ensure that the buns are sold out every day, and the customers buy fresh buns." Wu Xincheng said.
Times are changing, and old bun shops must also keep pace with the times. About five or six years ago, Wu Xincheng, who did not like to change, took the initiative to receive an Alipay two-dimensional code to paste in the store, and also exchanged points for a collection speaker. Unexpectedly, the two-dimensional code was just pasted on, and many people preferred to scan the code to pay. Although many of the customer groups are elderly, fewer and fewer people are paying in cash. "Once, a grandpa in his eighties came, and the scan code payment was very slippery!" Wu Xincheng said.
For Wu Xincheng, scanning the code to pay saves the trouble of taking money and finding change, and Alipay audio can clearly synchronize the amount of payment, avoiding the rush at peak times. "Finding the wrong money won't happen again."
The city is developing, not far from the "Hongshun Bun King" not far from the Wuyi business district, a series of high-rise buildings refresh the skyline of Changsha, but the most authentic fireworks Changsha smell, or in the ordinary alleys to find. "Hongshun Bun King" has used 20 years of persistence to enable old customers to start every day's life in the most familiar way.