<0xBC> <0xA6> ), ▁a ▁coal ▁factory ▁and ▁d ye - house ▁owner . ▁Chen x un ' s ▁father ▁Z eng ▁Ben can ▁( <0xE6> <0x9B> <0xBE> 本 <0xE7> <0x81> <0xBF> ) ▁took ▁over ▁the ▁business ▁from ▁the ▁el dest ▁Z eng . ▁He ▁began ▁working ▁in ▁salt ▁har vest ing ▁at ▁the ▁age ▁of ▁ 9 , ▁and ▁became ▁a ▁salt ▁merchant ▁around ▁ 1 9 0 5 , ▁for ging ▁connections ▁with ▁other ▁trad ers ▁and ▁local ▁authorities . ▁Con current ly , ▁he ▁worked ▁at ▁the ▁Lu z hou - based ▁R ong ▁Ji ▁Pro vis ions ▁Store ▁( <0xE8> <0x8D> <0xA3> 记 <0xE7> <0xB2> <0xAE> 店 ) ▁with ▁his ▁wife ▁and ▁uncle . ▁O wing ▁to ▁local ▁un rest , ▁food ▁prices ▁were ▁high ▁and ▁Z eng ▁prof ited ▁from ▁the ▁situation . ▁He ▁used ▁these ▁ear nings ▁to ▁open ▁a ▁ta vern ▁named ▁" Big ▁D iner " ▁( 大 <0xE9> <0xA4> <0x90> <0xE6> <0xA5> <0xBC> ) ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 4 ; ▁it ▁was , ▁at ▁that ▁time , ▁the ▁biggest ▁food ▁establishment ▁in ▁Lu z hou . ▁In ▁ 1 9 2 8 , ▁Z eng ▁partner ed ▁with ▁a ▁fellow ▁salt ▁merchant ▁to ▁establish ▁a ▁H ube i - based ▁trad ing ▁firm ▁named ▁Yu ▁Mark eting ▁( <0xE6> <0xB8> <0x9D> 运 <0xE9> <0x94> <0x80> 湖 北 ). ▁At ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁its ▁operations , ▁their ▁business ▁handled ▁three ▁hundred - odd ▁" loads " ▁( 载 ) ▁of ▁salt ▁daily , ▁with ▁one