Chapter 19 Running a Hotel Business: Young man, don't you feel ashamed?

Why sell soap in smaller sizes?

Of course, it's because the buyer can't resell it directly to make money, so they can only give it away as a gift.

Who would give away soap for free for no reason?

Hotels can't offer free soap to guests, otherwise what are they supposed to use to take a shower?

Wang Xiao was confident in running the hotel business. After all, it was 1990, the market economy couldn't be mentioned, and many aspects were still unexplored.

Take the guesthouses nowadays, for example. They are really rudimentary. It seems that the only thing provided to guests is two thermos flasks.

This is already a result of great progress.

According to the experience of Comrade Wang Tiejun and Dr. Chen Yanqiu, when they were young, they had to bring their own kerosene stove, aluminum pot, cutting board and kitchen knife in addition to national food coupons when they stayed in guesthouses, otherwise they would not be able to get a meal outside.

Fortunately, by 1990, the problem of feeding the people of the whole country had been basically solved. Although food coupons were not abolished, you could still go out without food coupons. So, people living outside naturally had higher requirements for accommodation.

For example, taking a nice, thorough bath while lathering up soap.

Melting and reshaping soap is a piece of cake for soap factories; they can make a bagful of samples in no time.

The factory leaders only wondered, if the large soaps weren't selling well, would the small soaps be? Were they afraid that customers would find the large soaps too expensive and would only want to buy the small soaps to feel satisfied?

That can't be right. They only bought such a big bar of soap for two yuan. If a family of three bought one, it would last them a year's worth of baths.

Speaking of this, Wang Xiao was also shocked when she first heard the price of the soap.

Two yuan a bar, back when imported Lux ​​soaps only retailed for 1.98 yuan (I heard Dr. Chen mention this before I left home), who gave the Xinxian Soap Factory the courage?

Is it Florasis?

Don't they realize that their target audience wants affordable alternatives to imported goods?

When the soap factory explained further, Wang Xiao learned that the reason they dared to sell two bars of soap was because their soaps were exceptionally large. While Lux soaps were 100 grams each, they made theirs the same size as a stinky bar of soap, weighing 300 grams.

The office director even argued that this was a golden marketing method from abroad. They claimed that by using large volumes and low prices to capture the market, customers who bought one bar of their soap would become loyal customers and would never use soap from other brands again.

Wang Xiao's reaction was a chuckle. God, who gave you the courage to spout such nonsense this time?

Look back at your warehouses, with inventory piling up to this extent, and you still have the courage to say this?

At this moment, Wang Xiao remained silent, only smiling, not letting out a single word: "I'll take them and see how they sell. If they find a market, the factory's soap sales shouldn't be a problem in the future."

Wow, that's quite a boast. You, a technician at a chemical engineering institute, have the connections to sell soap?

Wang Xiao looked up at the sky and asked, "Are there any cars going to the provincial capital now? If so, I'll leave today."

When the factory leaders saw that she was serious, they quickly helped her by calling the bus station and arranging for her to have a meal before leaving.

Wang Xiao refused outright: "It's okay, I brought cookies and apples, I'm not hungry."

This made the factory leaders even more uneasy. The deputy factory director even ran back to his office to get some dried persimmons that his mother had personally dried for Wang Xiao, regretting that he hadn't treated him to a meal at a restaurant.

The factory manager looked around and called out to one of his subordinates: "Tang Yicheng, come here. Um, you go with Engineer Wang to do some sales."

Wang Xiao looked up at the person who had carried her luggage. It was the man with the buzz cut. She instinctively declined, saying, "No need, I can run it myself."

The bag of soap samples wasn't heavy, so she didn't need to carry a bag.

The factory manager, however, had a strange expression and earnestly tried to sell: "Engineer Wang, why don't we have Section Chief Tang accompany you? Don't worry, he's the head of our security department, a retired special forces soldier, his skills are beyond question."

Wang Xiao was not moved at all. She knew that the head of the security department in this era was a different concept from a security guard decades later.

To put it simply, the security department of a large factory, such as the steel plant where Comrade Wang Tiejun and Dr. Chen Yanqiu worked, was essentially a security police force, capable of catching thieves and dealing with petty thieves themselves, and had considerable power and status.

But what does that have to do with her? She's going to sell soap, not pick a fight.

The man with the buzz cut glanced at her and spoke up, "You're just a young girl running around all by yourself, aren't you going to make arrangements?"

As if worried that she might become complacent after spending too much time in the lab, he added, "Things aren't safe right now. It's too dangerous for a young girl if she runs into robbers."

It's more than just robbery. When a single woman is out alone, she's the first target of thieves, robbers, and human traffickers.

Therefore, there are very few female salespeople in this era; most of those in the industry are men.

The factory manager didn't assign any other salespeople to accompany Wang Xiao because they were all out in the market, trying to sell the products.

Wang Xiao vaguely recalled the "Strike Hard" campaigns of the 1980s and 90s, guessing that public security in that era was indeed quite poor, otherwise the public security organs wouldn't be idle and cracking down on things every day.

"Alright." She nodded reluctantly, but instead of giving him a hard time, she smiled and said, "Tang Ke, then I'll have to trouble you."

Tang Yicheng was still a little unaccustomed to it. Although the man looked young, he was indeed an engineer at the Chemical Engineering Institute, so he humbly said, "Just call me Xiao Tang."

Wang Xiao readily agreed: "Okay, Xiao Tang, let's not delay any longer and hurry to the provincial capital."

Even though they rushed as fast as they could, it was still dark when they arrived in the provincial capital.

Wang Xiao didn't even bother going home to say goodbye to her parents; she grabbed her bag and headed straight to the Jinning Grand Hotel.

Don't be fooled by the restaurant sign; restaurants don't just serve food, and hotels don't just serve drinks. This is the highest-standard venue for foreign guests in the province, providing food, drinks, and accommodation.

Because he sells recipes for chicken feet, roast duck, and Sichuan pepper chicken, Wang Xiao shamelessly calls Master Fang an acquaintance.

Now that Wang Xiao has come to his door, Master Fang is very happy, genuinely happy.

Because the recipe that this young girl sold to the restaurant made the restaurant money.

Braised roast duck, though seemingly an unrefined dish, was exactly what the group of guests from the southwest wanted. During their week-long stay at the hotel, they ordered it almost every day. The hotel was overwhelmed and tried replacing the duck with roast chicken, which also proved popular.

The rich aroma of the roasted vegetables was very appealing. When they were eating in the hall, many guests at the next table were curious and asked for the same dish.

It must be said that although Chinese people's wallets are now fuller, their highest praise for food is still basically limited to the standard of making it more palatable than eating rice. Whether braised roast duck can win over foreign guests is unknown to Chef Fang, but its popularity among domestic customers is a fact.

In addition, various cold chicken feet dishes and hot braised chicken with Sichuan peppercorns are also quite popular with customers. Many customers, especially female customers, ask to pack some chicken feet to take back to their rooms after their meal, where they can eat the chicken feet as a snack. As for the chicken, many people like to use the broth to cook noodles after eating the chicken pieces, saying it's flavorful and satisfying.

This made Chef Fang suspect that their restaurant would have to change its main cuisine from the sweet and sour Huaiyang style to spicy and numbing.

The customer is king, and restaurants must meet their needs. Chef Fang also asked Wang Xiao, "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Sell them to our restaurant! We've known each other for a long time, I certainly won't let you suffer a loss."

As he spoke, he casually handed Wang Xiao a plate of glutinous rice lotus root, saying, "Try it. You've been traveling a long way, this will help fill your stomach."

Wang Xiao didn't stand on ceremony. She loves gnawing on chicken feet and sucking on chicken heads, but that doesn't stop her from loving the secret-recipe sweet lotus root, the kind she'd queue up for.

She took a bite and then ate another slice. Having figured it out, she smiled and said, "Okay, Uncle Fang, I do have a recipe for making honey-glazed lotus root that I can sell."

And they have to sell them as soon as possible.

She was afraid that she would forget how to make it if she stayed in the book for too long. After all, this honey-glazed lotus root took a long time to make, and she had only seen others make it and eaten it, but she had never actually made it herself, so her memory of it was relatively shallow.

"Uncle, this honey-glazed lotus root can't just be made with sugar. You need to add red dates for color, and cook it in a pressure cooker for 50 minutes (don't ask why it's not an hour, that's how the chef does it, she's just an ordinary porter). After it's cooked, you can't put it in an iron pot, you can see your lotus root is already turning a bit black, you have to put it in a large stainless steel bucket. Then put it on a coal stove to reduce the sauce, reduce it for an hour or so, you have to turn the lotus root over, the top one to the bottom, and the bottom one to the top, and continue reducing. After it's done, you can taste the honey-glazed glutinous rice lotus root and then decide what price to give."

Wang Xiao, having already tasted the sweetness of the date, quickly made a request, "Uncle Fang, I came here to ask for your help. Who is in charge of purchasing for the logistics and guest room department? I want to promote some products."

Uncle Fang didn't care what she was selling.

Although few people have the courage to give up a secure job and start their own business in this era, there are quite a few people who secretly run small businesses as brokers.

Old Wang's daughter is selling recipes and cookbooks; she's clearly got a good head for business.

Master Fang didn't even ask Wang Xiao where the ingredients came from. He just told his cold dish chef, "Did you hear that? Try changing it according to what this girl said. I really want to taste it and see what it tastes like."

Honey-glazed lotus root is a traditional dessert in the Jiangnan region, similar to shredded potatoes with green peppers. It's something that almost every family, not just chefs, knows how to make, even grandmothers and mothers. But truly creating a unique dish that everyone praises is no easy feat.

This dish takes time to prepare, so Chef Fang naturally couldn't just stand by and wait.

Taking advantage of this break, he took Wang Xiao to find an acquaintance, Manager Huang, who was in charge of purchasing guest rooms.

Manager Huang is really beautiful, with a particularly elegant and dignified air, the kind of beauty that exudes peace and prosperity. Although she's almost forty, her figure is no different from that of an eighteen-year-old girl, showing she's a person of great perseverance.

Her smile was warm and friendly, perfectly illustrating what it means to have someone who makes you feel like you're basking in a spring breeze. Looking at the soap sample Wang Xiao presented and listening to her sales pitch, Manager Huang showed no sign of impatience. Instead, he said in a particularly regretful tone, "Our restaurant already has that."

She took a whole set out of the shopping cart and showed it to Wang Xiao, “Disposable toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shower gel, slippers, comb, we’ve prepared all six items.”

Tang Yicheng couldn't help but exclaim, "Your hotel is really high-class. I've never seen anything like this when I stayed in guesthouses."

Manager Huang smiled demurely. High-class private guesthouses don't lack these things, but ordinary small hotels certainly can't keep up.

“We sent people to Hong Kong hotels for training to learn the rules there, such as providing guests with six small items to meet their needs.”

After all, it's not really appropriate to ask guests to bring their own toiletries when they go out; that would be too much trouble.

Wang Xiao nodded, indicating that she understood, and apologized with a smile, "I'm sorry to have taken up your time."

"It's alright," Manager Huang said easily. "You're just trying to help our restaurant. If you have any new ideas in the future, please be sure to give us your suggestions."

Goodness, no wonder those big hotels do so well. Look at that attitude; small hotels often give their guests the cold shoulder.

As Tang Yicheng followed Wang Xiao out of the Jinning Grand Hotel, he remarked, "It really is a hotel catering to foreigners."

Wang Xiao felt that something was off about those words.

Fortunately, Tang Yicheng didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked Wang Xiao, "Do you live in the provincial capital? It's getting late, let me take you home first."

Wang Xiao turned to look at the clock at the Jinning Grand Hotel, almost doubting his own eyes.

"Not early my foot! It's not even 8 p.m. yet, why are we going home?"

Young man, you have to leave work before eight o'clock. Look at your bank account, aren't you anxious?

It's absolutely your own fault that you haven't been able to save up enough money to buy a large apartment in the city all these years!

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Yes, it will be a paid subscription tomorrow. As usual, there will be a 10,000-word update at midnight on the 15th, which is tonight at 12 o'clock.

Warning: 1. The female lead only cares about money and puts her own interests first. She has no compassion for helping others.

2. This is a really satisfying story, a truly satisfying story. The female lead doesn't encounter any major obstacles that she can't overcome, and I feel that it's all too peaceful (after all, Ah Jin likes dramatic ups and downs, haha).

3. The villain has gotten smarter, and the female lead is even smarter (which makes me really want to add some more twists and turns, but they're not in the outline yet).

4. The female lead is very good at using the rules and can promote herself; she has the qualities of an internet celebrity.

5. Don't expect a sweet romance; the female lead is busy making money. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a no-romance story, but given that she slept with a man, I was afraid of controversy if I released it without a romantic pairing, so I didn't change the channel. There won't be a strong female lead and an even stronger male lead, because the female lead is the strongest.

This is basically a wish-fulfillment novel where the female protagonist makes money hand over fist. The good news is that the author has already written 40 chapters, and barring any unforeseen circumstances, updates will be guaranteed.

I researched prices and asked my elders. I would also like to emphasize that there are large price differences across the country; otherwise, people wouldn't have been able to make a fortune by setting up a stall back then.