Chapter 43 Of course I want to be the boss: 10,000 words update

A shout came from outside the house, and Xiang's cousin came running in again, shouting anxiously, "What are you doing running a supermarket? People's Department Store is such a big place, and they've already set up a supermarket there. What chance do we have?"

Xiang Dong was completely baffled by this guy: "Brother, didn't you leave by car? Why are you back again?"

My cousin grabbed the pager he'd tossed on the table, annoyed. "I'll take this." Then he warned, "People's Department Store is a huge company. They've already taken care of it. Where are you going to find a place to do it? You don't care about the 50,000 yuan fine this time. Next time, they'll put you in jail for five years. Let's see what you do then!"

Tang Yicheng was even more annoyed than him.

No wonder people say that self-employed individuals lack manners. He used to deal with Xiang Dong a lot, so he didn't have any complaints. But now he's really annoyed by this cousin Xiang.

He started complaining when the self-service supermarket was making big money, and now he's going on and on.

So this time, before Wang Xiao could even speak, he preemptively retorted, "Whether it works or not is none of your business, why are you worrying about it?"

Xiang's cousin had always treated him like Wang Xiao's lackey, or to put it bluntly, he treated him as if he didn't exist. Now, suddenly confronted by him, he was instantly enraged: "What are you doing? You want to go against the People's Department Store?"

Xiang Dong was already thinking of stuffing a towel into his cousin's mouth, shouting angrily, "So what if we fight back? We all work at the same counter in the mall, which of their clothes can outsell mine? They resort to underhanded tactics when they can't win, shameless!"

Yes, they're no good at running counters. But they think they can handle a self-service clothing supermarket? Ha, they're easy prey; he'd never be afraid of them!

He immediately turned his head and looked intently at Wang Xiao: "Engineer Wang, do whatever you say."

Xiang's cousin wanted to say something more, but he was forcibly sent out again: "Alright, I'm not a three-year-old. Mind your own business."

His cousin was so angry that he threatened that his family shouldn't come looking for him while he was in jail.

Wang Xiao waited until the commotion subsided before speaking: "If you ask me, of course we should do it properly, build a clothing city, a clothing city even bigger than the People's Department Store!"

Xiang Dong and Tang Yi were both stunned.

My goodness, the People's Department Store is five stories high and covers tens of thousands of square meters; it's already the largest department store in the provincial capital. It carries a complete range of products; locals say that you can buy almost anything there except airplanes and cannons.

With this scale, she actually wants to expand to an even larger scale?

Wang Xiao asked in surprise, "The provincial capital alone has a population of one million. How could 10,000 square meters be enough to sell clothes? I think the scale is a bit too small."

She reassured the two men, "Don't worry, that supermarket in the People's Department Store can't possibly be our competitor."

Why was she so resolute? Because she knew their nature all too well.

One of the biggest problems with state-owned stores is their rigid business mindset. Adhering to the principle of "doing less to avoid mistakes," they have very little initiative in actively seeking out popular products.

Another issue is the perennial problem of service attitude.

The sales clerks with their secure jobs may not realize it, or they may be pretending not to know, but even after 12 years of reform and opening up, they still refuse to face the fact that their once superior social status was forged by the objective reality of tight supply of goods, not by any powerful and irreplaceable ability they possessed.

This sense of detachment has disappeared with the adjustment of the socio-economic structure and the reality of abundant material supply leading to overcapacity.

If you cling to outdated ideas and think that customers are begging you, how can you possibly do a good job in sales?

Even if they realize this, as long as the iron rice bowl remains intact and the egalitarian system continues, they will still not make any fundamental changes.

After all, no matter how bad their lives are, they are still better than those who can only do odd jobs and dream of having a stable job.

"And—" Wang Xiao smiled meaningfully, "you just wait and see, the People's Department Store's supermarket won't last long."

Xiang Dong and Tang Yicheng exchanged a glance and asked in unison, "Why?"

Even if the sales staff's attitude can't be changed, it shouldn't have a significant impact on the supermarket's business.

Conversely, the self-service supermarket model is best suited for today's shopping malls. Aside from interacting with the cashier at checkout, the entire process is completely self-service. Customers don't need to deal with unfriendly salespeople, and it shouldn't affect their shopping experience; transactions should be easily completed.

Wang Xiao laughed: "Have you forgotten what we fear most when running a self-service clothing supermarket?"

"Someone stole clothes." This was the part that impressed Tang Yicheng the most.

Even with so many people watching them when they were selling suits, they still managed to have over three hundred suits stolen right under their noses.

“Yes,” Wang Xiao nodded. “This is normal loss during operation. However, as long as this loophole exists, the loss will soon become abnormal.”

It's not that she's prejudiced against public service workers; it's just human nature to be like this—in a collective crime, no one feels like a criminal. Taking advantage of public resources is even more justified.

When defective products in a factory can be taken away by internal employees at low prices and sold for money, the defect rate of the products will be particularly high.

When supermarkets allow employees to take away fresh produce and baked goods at low prices or even for free when the time comes, then real customers can't buy anything they want.

If you put clothes in a self-service clothing supermarket, since everyone knows that people will steal clothes, and the store doesn't know who to hold responsible, then just wait and see, the day when the sales are less than the thefts won't be far off.

The two men fell silent.

That's true.

Tang Yicheng stopped talking; he worked at the soap factory and had certainly seen it all.

As for Xiang Dong, there was a small food factory in their village, but it went bankrupt after less than two years.

Because all the workers would sneak food while working, and they would also take home the flour, oil, and red bean paste used for making cakes and pastries.

Yes, he ate quite a lot of what his mom brought home back then.

Wang Xiao was full of confidence: "Therefore, we must go big. It's a good thing that the People's Department Store is opening a self-service clothing supermarket. It has a big reputation and a lot of customers. Just putting up its signboard is like giving us free advertising. When everyone accepts the concept of self-service clothing, and the People's Department Store can't keep going and can't meet the needs of customers, our clothing city will be waiting for us, and we can inherit this huge fortune."

Both men laughed. Engineer Wang always talked about immense wealth, and it was quite a vivid description.

Exactly! People's Department Store is utterly inhumane; it deserves to be made to work for them for free.

However, shouting slogans loudly is useless; the key is to turn them into reality.

To achieve their goals, the first step is to find a suitable business location.

“My initial thought was that since the shopping mall was willing to set up a self-service supermarket, but the sales staff were not, then we would get rid of the sales staff, sign a separate contract with the shopping mall, and have the shopping mall rent the space and then sublet it to you to run a supermarket.”

Wang Xiao clapped his hands, "But since they think they're so capable, we don't need to involve People's Department Store. We'll do it ourselves."

People's Department Store is no good, and neither are other department stores.

Firstly, they are not as large as People's Department Store. Secondly, even People's Department Store does not dare to allow private individuals to contract out counters. Where would other department stores get the courage?

Wang Xiao had his eye on the oxygen plant attached to the steel mill.

Don't ask why a steel mill needs an attached oxygen plant. The answer is that in this era, most large state-owned factories had a bunch of attached small factories that survived by relying on the business that leaked out from between the big factories' fingers. Their main task was to provide housing for the children of the big factories' employees.

After all, although succession is popular now, parents in this era generally marry and have children early, and when their children grow up, the parents are still in their prime; moreover, every family has many children, and there is not enough work for both parents.

Wang Xiao was able to target the oxygen plant because it had gone bankrupt.

Last year, a young worker mishandled the oxygen compressor, causing it to explode and burn down the factory.

It just so happened that the steel mill was already in a triangular debt crisis at that time, and it was in a state of chaos. It simply couldn't afford to purchase new equipment. In addition, the oxygen plant had been losing money for many years, so the steel mill simply gave up on it, tried to transfer the workers to other plants, and closed down the factory.

When Wang Xiao wanted to open a self-service supermarket outside the shopping mall, the first thing that popped into his mind was an oxygen plant.

Because after the fire, the steel plant did not immediately give up but planned to try to save it, the oxygen plant was repainted and looked particularly bright.

Now, if Wang Xiao wants to set up a self-service supermarket, all he needs to do is re-divide the areas, rewire, and create fitting rooms. Even the public restrooms and the oxygen plant are readily available.

but--

The three stood at the entrance of the oxygen plant, looking east with regret: "It's still a bit small."

The entire factory building combined is less than the size of one floor of the People's Department Store.

Wang Xiao remained calm, pointed to the palm fiber bed factory next door, and raised his chin: "They've been shut down for several months. It's not that we can't reach an agreement even if we want to."

Although Tang Yicheng frequently visited the steel plant, he hadn't really paid attention to the subsidiary plant. Hearing this, he was quite surprised: "How come even your plant can't hold on?"

Since the end of the year before last, many factories in Xin County have either stopped production or gone bankrupt. He had thought the situation in the provincial capital would be much better.

Xiang Dong shook his head: "It's all the same. More have collapsed outside, and many of those that haven't collapsed are also unable to pay their wages."

He felt that the current situation was quite similar to the Great Depression in the United States, but of course, he wouldn't dare to say such a thing.

Tang Yicheng sighed, "I don't know when it will get better."

Wang Xiao secretly thought to himself: "Let's wait for the Soviet Union to collapse, and then all the countries will take over the Soviet Union's assets."

One whale falls and all things come to life.

She cleared her throat: "In short, we'll focus on selling women's clothing first, and once it gains popularity, we can open a men's clothing section there."

Xiang Dong has no objection to this.

When it comes to buying clothes, women are still the main force.

only--

From a businessman's perspective, he had to tell the truth: "The location is a bit out of the way."

The People's Department Store is located in the city center, in the most bustling and prosperous area of ​​the provincial capital, so it has no shortage of customers.

Steel plants are not an option. Like all large factories, they are large in scale and occupy a large area, so they cannot be built in the city center. Instead, they are located in the suburban factory area.

Yes, it's definitely bustling here. After all, a large company is like a city within a city in any city, with its own complete operating system, complete with schools and hospitals.

But the foot traffic is nowhere near that of the city center.

If you choose the wrong location in business, it can cost a businessperson their life.

Wang Xiao smiled and said, "I've thought about this. Big companies have fewer employees, but they have strong purchasing power."

She chose this location for two reasons: first, it belonged to the steel factory, and they could rent it under the guise of helping the factory absorb its triangular debts; second, she considered that people living near the factory had strong purchasing power.

It doesn't matter if there are few people, as long as there's money.

Otherwise, there are even more people in the countryside. Would you dare to open a clothing market in the countryside? People there might not buy a single new piece of clothing in a whole year.

Given the current average national income, the clothes, watches, and cameras they sell can at least be considered mid-range luxury goods.

Who is the relatively stable target customer group for affordable luxury goods? Urban middle class.

Who in the provincial capital can currently be classified as this group? The first choice is employees of large factories.

Thirty years later, the ultimate goal is to secure a government job, and everyone will be working hard to pass the civil service exam; but in 1991, the income of employees in large factories can easily surpass that of employees in government agencies and public institutions.

For example, Sister Miao from the Chemical Engineering Institute is a senior engineer, but her combined salary and bonuses are still less than those of Chen Yanqiu, the factory doctor at the steel plant, not to mention her various benefits.

Big companies are known for providing everything except wives.

Let me give you another example. All organizations are currently plagued by "triangular debt." You've heard of the famous Ansteel, right? They were also severely affected, even sending a telegram to the Premier for help. In the end, they managed to stay afloat by raising funds from their own employees.

What does this mean? It means they have a solid foundation.

If it were any other ordinary company, how much money could they raise by organizing employee fundraising?

This is the confidence of large companies.

Wang Xiao gestured, indicating to them: "The four major steel mills, thermal power plants, petrochemical plants, and chemical plants in the provincial capital are all here, along with more than a dozen other factories. Each one is a well-known name, with disposable income ranking among the highest in the city. People from these large factories have money and the desire to improve their lives. In the past, everyone would go to the big shopping malls in the city center to buy clothes. Now, we've moved the clothing market directly here, so we have a basic sales base."

In other words, they opened their clothing mall in an affluent area.

In an era where urban transportation relies mainly on bicycles, buses, and walking, targeted regional sales are extremely important.

Whether it's in the city center or not isn't the point; the point is where the money is.

Tang Yicheng thought about how generous the steelworkers were and nodded in agreement: "That's true. I've seen them go to the city center every time they have a holiday, and they come back with big bags and small bags."

Xiang Dong thought about it and felt it was a good idea. The factory had a large workforce, and the population of this industrial area exceeded 100,000, so it was feasible to set up a clothing market there.

Once the supermarket location was determined, the next steps were straightforward.

"I'll contact the factory's logistics department to handle the factory renovation."

The reason large companies are called large companies is because they have self-contained systems for everything. Forget about small things like upgrading water and electricity systems; they can even build their own houses. They're practically bricklayers!

Xiang Dong also readily agreed: "You guys keep an eye on things here, I'll go get the clothes."

He was able to do so well at the People's Department Store counter not only because his sales staff had relatively good attitudes, but most importantly because he had a good eye and was skilled at picking out and acquiring trendy clothes.

Where do the clothes come from? From Guangzhou, of course! Over 90% of the clothing in China comes from Guangzhou.

He had prepared spring clothes based on the sales volume of one store, which is definitely not enough now.

Wang Xiao still trusted Xiang Dong's judgment.

Although she considered herself a fashionista before transmigrating into the book, fashion is truly a complicated thing. Trends that are popular for a period of time, even seven or eight years later, will seem awful to look at.

But that's how popular it was back then.

If Wang Xiao wants to run a clothing business catering to people from the 1990s, she can't be presumptuous and use 2020s aesthetics to judge herself. Otherwise, she'll be shooting herself in the foot.

She nodded in agreement: "Okay, Tang Yicheng is going to the train station to book tickets anyway, let's buy a sleeper berth for Xiang Dong too."

Xiang Dong laughed: "Great, saves me the trouble of paying extra to get a sleeper berth."

Ah, good days are like sugar water; once you soak in it, your bones feel weak. He still vividly remembers the days when he couldn't buy a train ticket and had to lie under a train seat for two days and one night. Now, when he goes out to buy goods, he'll pay three or four times the price to get himself a sleeper ticket.

The location and supply of goods for the self-service supermarket have been decided; all that's left is to recruit employees.

With the venue and supply secured, the next key task was naturally recruiting workers.

The sales clerks Xiang Dong had previously hired didn't look down on him for being self-employed and were still willing to work for him. As a conscientious boss, he naturally remained loyal to his employees.

Wang Xiao declined to comment. In any case, although she didn't think these sales clerks were very qualified, the self-service clothing supermarket needed more staff, so she figured she could let them continue working as cashiers.

As for in-store guidance and service, the store will have to hire additional staff.

Tang Yicheng laughed: "Then the steel factory has to give you a big credit for creating jobs for the factory's employees' children."

Wang Xiao shook his head: "No, let's recruit from the general public instead."

The children of employees at the large factory grew up together, and almost everyone is related or acquaintances. If you hire them, the personnel decisions are no longer in the hands of the self-service supermarket. If anything happens, a bunch of people come to make requests, making it impossible to manage them.

Wang Xiao wouldn't do something so foolish. She was paying people to do the work, not to have them worship her like royalty.

What? You're saying she's prejudiced against people from big factories, discriminating against their children and depriving them of their right to work?

Sigh, to put it bluntly, the children of employees in large factories these days are equivalent to three generations of tobacco workers 30 years from now, and they already receive enough preferential treatment.

When it comes to the difficulty of finding a job, there are many people out there who not only can't find work themselves, but their parents also can't pay their wages.

Wang Xiao has strict requirements for new recruits: "They must have a high school diploma, be of decent appearance, and have no body odor."

Xiang Dong and Tang Yi both agreed with the latter two points, since salespeople are ultimately in a service job and it's normal for them to have certain requirements regarding their appearance.

But isn't having a high school diploma a bit of an exaggeration? Honestly, as long as the sales clerk can read and do basic math, that's enough; there's no need for a high school graduate. Besides, this isn't a state-owned store; would they even consider a high school graduate?

Wang Xiao was full of confidence: "Why wouldn't I like it? There are high school graduates looking for jobs everywhere."

If we go back two years, no, even just one year, I guess everyone could still maintain their composure.

However, starting in the autumn of 1988, almost all factories across China were mired in a cycle of triangular debt, with some ceasing operations and others going bankrupt. This de facto financial crisis formed the socio-economic foundation for the nationwide movement that swept the country in the spring and summer of 1989.

Okay, high school graduates from 1989 who can't find jobs for the time being can just grit their teeth and wait.

By 1990, they might be able to grit their teeth and hold on.

But it's 1991 now.

Even in urban dual-income families, where parents can afford to support a stay-at-home, idle child, they still worry that their child will go astray if they don't have a job.

Who are those petty thugs on the street? They're all unemployed vagrants.

Moreover, the family planning policy was only implemented on a large scale in the late 1970s and officially established as a national policy in the 1980s. Currently, the vast majority of high school graduates come from families with multiple children.

It's manageable for parents to raise one child, but when they're grown up, they can't just stay at home and do nothing. They have to find a way to support themselves. Otherwise, even if their parents don't say anything, their siblings will have complaints.

At this point, why be so picky? It would be good enough if you could just find a decent job to support yourself.

Tang Yicheng nodded enthusiastically and said, "That's perfect, the preliminary exam results are coming out soon. Those who didn't pass can come and register."

He joined the army because he didn't pass the preliminary exam and didn't want to repeat the year.

Unfortunately, Wang Xiao still shook his head: "I want someone who has already obtained a high school diploma."

Tang Yicheng was taken aback: "We don't need to ask for it now, they can get it later."

“No, what I mean is I don’t want recent graduates,” Wang Xiao said seriously. “I want high school graduates from the class of ’89 and ’90.”

Why? Because fresh graduates are like blank canvases, perfect for being molded. Their innocent naiveté makes them ideal for being "trained."

Why does she still have a prejudice against recent graduates?

"Because recent graduates haven't experienced the harsh realities of society, they tend to have an inflated sense of self-worth."

In this era, graduating from high school was considered a high level of education, and self-service supermarkets were not state-owned stores, so the social status of individual business owners was inherently low.

If they haven't been toughened up by society and don't know how hard it is to find a job and how difficult it is to support themselves, how could they be willing to take on the job of a self-employed individual?

As I said before, you're paying someone to do the work, not to bring back your ancestors to worship.

Xiang Dong was quite worried and couldn't help but ask, "But what if more factories start hiring later? Won't they all just disappear?"

People strive for higher positions, just as water flows downhill; this is a basic principle.

Wang Xiao laughed: "They have high salaries, high commissions, and can buy the latest and most fashionable goods first. Why would they run away?"

Honey, what misconceptions do you have about high school graduates? Aren't we all just ordinary working people in society?

What's the point of working if not for money? Is the picture just a way to contribute wheels to the boss's Ferrari? Think too much.

Wang Xiao comforted him again: "If he really runs away, we can just hire another worker."

To put it bluntly, this era is a true demographic dividend era. Any job posting can arrogantly proclaim: "Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged people are everywhere."

Haven't you seen how even the wealthiest state-owned factories are going bald from worrying about the employment of their employees' children?

Tang Yicheng dutifully played the straight man, nodding enthusiastically in agreement: "That's right, a lot of people can't find jobs."

Okay, okay, Xiang Dong has nothing to say about that.

OK, the basics are settled, everyone get to your positions.

Tang Yicheng went to book tickets and handle the shipping procedures for underwear and shoes. He also had to escort the goods to the capital to complete the next barter transaction.

Wang Xiao was in charge of contacting the steel plant's logistics department to renovate the factory buildings and arranging recruitment.

As for heading east, that would obviously be to apply for a business license.

Previously, he contracted a counter at the People's Department Store, and not having a separate individual business license wasn't a big problem.

Now that everyone's going out to work independently, they need to be certified to do so.

None of the three dared to waste time, and once they had discussed it, they immediately took action.

Although Wang Xiao had no experience in interior design, she was, after all, a transmigrator from 30 years in the future, so she was familiar with the layout of a self-service supermarket. She explained it to the construction team and drew a simple sketch, and they understood immediately.

The self-service clothing supermarket is characterized by its empty layout; apart from the fitting rooms and the cashier, the rest of the space is empty with clothes hanging around.

That's very simple.

After explaining his requirements and discussing the price, Wang Xiao immediately went to the Jinning Grand Hotel to find Manager Huang.

What for? Of course, it's to ask someone to help her find a professional who trains restaurant staff to train her as a salesperson.

Both are in the service industry, focusing on cultivating service awareness and skills. When it comes to this, no one in the entire provincial capital can rival the Jinning Grand Hotel. Its service quality is renowned.

When Manager Huang heard her request, she didn't think that training salespeople for individual business owners was anything uncivilized. However, she still took a friendly stance and gave Wang Xiao a heads-up beforehand: "If you go through the same training process, the results may not be as good as the salespeople we train."

This is not just a matter of the qualifications of the practitioners themselves. The waiters at Jinning Grand Hotel are selected from the best of the best, according to the standards of flight attendants; the mentality of the practitioners also plays a role.

The staff naturally feel a strong sense of pride in working at the Jinning Grand Hotel and serving foreign guests. This pride allows them to provide genuine and heartfelt service.

But if it's an individual store selling clothes to ordinary customers, they might not have the same mindset.

Wang Xiao laughed: "I understand, and I don't dare to expect them to reach the level of your waiters. What I need is their basic professionalism, to remain composed even when facing customers they don't like, instead of causing a scene."

“Okay!” Manager Huang readily agreed. “Once the new staff are recruited, they can be trained together with our new batch of service staff.”

Wang Xiao smiled broadly: "Sister, then I'll leave it to you."

She turned around and immediately ran to the newspaper office to place a job advertisement.

The reasons for not choosing television are twofold: firstly, television advertising is expensive, and secondly, most people nowadays look for job postings on company gates or in newspapers.

Of course, there's another trick: go directly to the high school and tell them you want to recruit high school graduates. Naturally, there will be plenty of graduates waiting for you to choose from.

However, she first needs to figure out which direction the high school gates open to.

Or should we try Chengnan High School first?

When Ruan Rui's bigamy and fraudulent marriage scandal broke out at the end of last year, a reporter interviewed the principal of Chengnan High School. The principal was indignant and rebuked Ruan Rui, scolding him for his bad character. He also sincerely apologized to her in front of the camera, regretting that the school had trusted Ruan Rui too easily and failed to do a good job of verification, which led to the issuance of that harmful single certificate.

Yeah, that's pretty generous of them.

Wang Xiao didn't know whether high schools were involved in student employment these days. When you give a favor, it has to be something the person actually wants.

Maybe they're only concerned with getting into a good school and don't want the hassle.

It's better to find out more before making a decision.

The three parties agreed to meet at Wang Xiao's house.

It's late at night, so it's fine for the two young men to go home after meeting, but it's not safe for Wang Xiao to go home alone. It would be too much trouble to have someone take him home.

When she arrived home, Tang Yicheng and Doctor Chen had already served the dishes, but Xiang Dong had not yet arrived.

It's still early January, and the food gets cold quickly in the cold weather; besides, people from all walks of life don't have many formalities, so everyone simply eats while waiting for Xiang Dong.

After they had finished eating, Wang Xiao, unusually diligent, went into the kitchen to clear the dishes before the door was knocked on.

Xiang Dong finally returned, bringing bad news: the individual business license couldn't be obtained.

Why?

Since the autumn of the year before last, the provincial capital has stopped issuing individual business licenses.

Xiang Dong tried to pull strings and ask around, but this was a strict rule; asking for favors, giving gifts, or even bribing people wouldn't work. Nobody dared to cross this line.

He ran so hard today that the soles of his shoes fell off, but to no avail.

Tang Yicheng was stunned and very anxious: "Then what should we do? Without a license, the shop can't open."

Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu were also worried.

To be honest, they didn't like their daughter doing business. But Xiangdong was their daughter's friend, and he was in business, so the situation was different.

Oh dear, if we don't issue licenses to people, aren't we forcing them to starve?

Wang Xiao thought to himself that with Xiang Dong's current wealth, if he deposited all his money in the bank and just earned interest, it would be enough for him to happily retire early with a comfortable standard of living.

She remained silent, so Tang Yicheng subconsciously looked up at her.

Xiang Dong involuntarily turned his head, hoping to hear a good idea from her.

Seeing the two men's reactions, Wang Xiao was finally satisfied and spoke up: "If all else fails, we'll have to take over the contract."

Huh? You can't contract it out. The mall doesn't allow private individuals to contract out counters anymore.

“What I mean is to contract the factory buildings, under the name of the service center,” Wang Xiao said seriously. “The steel plant’s bathhouse and service center have already been contracted out, and the plant has no intention of taking back the contracting rights, so contracting the factory buildings under the guise of dealing with triangular debts is not a problem.”

Tang Yicheng still didn't realize what was going on. Hadn't this already been done? She had previously said that she had used this as an excuse to ask the steel mill to rent the factory building.

Xiang Dong, however, having been in business for a long time, understood what she meant: "You mean contracting it out like a bathhouse? Steel mills shouldn't allow outsiders to contract out, right? I'm not a factory employee, so I can't contract it out."

Wang Xiao nodded, his face serious: "Yes, that's the problem. Only my parents can handle this contracting."

Wang Tiejun and Chen Yanqiu, who were sighing and complaining on the side, felt their hair stand on end when they heard the sound.

Are you kidding me? One of them is an eighth-level fitter and workshop director, and the other is a doctor. Why would they contract a store? Isn't this just ridiculous?

The two immediately shook their heads vigorously, saying no, no, they couldn't do it, and it wouldn't have a good impact.

To put it bluntly, who are the people who contract bathhouses and service centers? They are marginal employees and children of employees who can't get permanent jobs.

No matter how much Wang Xiao pleaded, the elderly couple stubbornly refused to agree.

One thing at a time. It's not that they're unwilling to help Xiang Dong; it's just that they believe in rules and regulations. They have their own careers and can't afford to let kids mess around.

Wang Xiao's throat was dry from trying to persuade him, but in the end he couldn't take it anymore: "Alright, alright, I'll go and take the contract, okay? I'm also the child of a steel factory worker."

"You're taking over? If you're taking over, you're not going to work?" Chen Yanqiu was really anxious and brought up old grievances again. "It's already past the New Year, the soap factory matter is settled, right? Aren't you going back to work at the chemical institute?"

Wang Xiao was immediately at his wit's end and quickly begged for mercy: "I'm just a contractor, the operation is still Xiang Dong's responsibility. Um, the research institute, I've already talked to the leaders, I need to make money to replace the institute's equipment. Our institute also wants to visit and learn from the Soviet Union later, we have to find a way to cover the expenses ourselves."

Chen Yanqiu was furious: "What does that have to do with you? Are the leaders just sitting around doing nothing? They don't try to raise money themselves, they expect you to do it. You're a researcher, you're an engineer, you're not an accountant."

Wang Xiaoqiang mustered his courage: "But what our chemical engineering institute needs most right now is money, and an accountant. Professor Qian Weichang said that I have no expertise, but the needs of the country are my expertise. Professor Yu Min also said that developing a hydrogen bomb is a very difficult task and does not align with my interests, but patriotism overrides my interests!"

Chen Yanqiu was speechless, choked by her words. She couldn't very well say in front of outsiders that her daughter was wrong to prioritize her workplace. It was a difficult thing to say.

Ugh, this is infuriating! Why is this brat so stubborn?

Wang Tiejun stood by as if facing a formidable enemy, fearing that if his wife lost her temper, she would give their daughter a beating again.

She's a grown woman now, we really can't hit her anymore, what if she runs away?

Tang Yicheng and Xiang Dong stood by like quails, mainly because Qian Weichang and Yu Min were somewhat distant from their lives. Since neither of them had attended university, their topics of conversation were completely different.

They couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Taking advantage of the situation, Wang Xiao pushed the two of them out the door: "Alright, alright, I'll go to the factory tomorrow to get the contracting paperwork done. Don't worry, there will definitely be a place to continue selling clothes."

Having faced a bleak life to this point, Xiang Dong no longer dared to have any more extravagant hopes, and said with a bitter smile, "I just hope I can sell the clothes."

He's been in the industry for many years and has finally gained some experience in selling clothes. Now, if he were to change careers, he wouldn't know what else he could do.

After the door closed, Wang Xiao turned back to comfort Dr. Chen: "Mom, my business dealings with the Russians aren't just for our chemical institute, but also for my future development."

She was talking nonsense. "Mom, think about it. When it comes to college graduates, don't we have enough in our chemical engineering institute? What unique advantage do I have compared to them?"

"How can you say you have no advantage?" Chen Yanqiu couldn't wait for her daughter to finish speaking before getting angry. "Engineer Miao said that you are the most talented one among this batch of college students."

"Does the Chemical Engineering Institute only have a batch of college graduates? We bring in new people every year." Wang Xiao didn't dare to make such a big accusation. "Besides, Sister Miao said I was good, mostly because there are few female engineers in our Chemical Engineering Institute."

Seeing that Dr. Chen was about to glare at her again, she hurriedly emphasized, "Mom, let me finish. I'm dealing with those Russians because I need to get a chance to study abroad!"

This left not only Chen Yanqiu stunned, but also Wang Tiejun speechless.

Studying abroad? What was this kid thinking?

Wang Xiao said seriously, "There are plenty of undergraduates in our chemical engineering institute. My academic background doesn't give me any advantage. If I want to get ahead, I definitely need to improve my academic qualifications, which means pursuing a master's degree anyway. Instead of studying in China, I might as well study abroad. Then, as a returned overseas student, I'll naturally have an extra layer of prestige."

She's not exaggerating, but studying abroad these days is a very fashionable and prestigious thing. It's the kind of situation where a university has to celebrate and announce the good news when a student successfully receives an offer from a foreign university.

How did she know? She was reading the newspaper and chatting with people.

Dr. Chen was indeed tempted.

Unlike short-sighted parents who are afraid of their children slipping out of their control and even hide their college acceptance letters, she, as a career woman, highly values ​​her daughter's career development.

Studying abroad does mean that my daughter will be away from me for several years.

But life is several decades long. Compared to the vast future, what are these few short years?

In life, you have to give up something to gain something.

only.

Chen Yanqiu was still unhappy: "You can study abroad, but why are you getting involved with them? Just focus on your exams, it's not like you're bad at academics."

Wang Xiao was speechless.

My dear mother, you're supposed to be a grown woman, how can you be so naive?

If you don't make arrangements with your prospective supervisor before taking the postgraduate entrance exam, what's the point of taking it?

The matter is already settled for them, are you going to go and just be a runner-up? You really have a noble character.

"I have to find a mentor. It's agreed that it would be best if someone could write me a letter of recommendation, otherwise there's no hope."

Wang Xiao had never studied abroad, and none of her friends who studied abroad went to Moscow.

Moreover, Moscow thirty years from now will be a completely different concept from Moscow today.

So she was completely talking nonsense: "This matter must be planned carefully, otherwise I'll be wasting my time."

As for whether she will go to Moscow to study? Of course not right now.

According to current regulations, she must serve at her workplace for at least five years after graduating from university before she can apply for overseas study.

How did she know all this?

Sigh, didn't I not want to work in chemical engineering?

Honestly, she was already considering taking the postgraduate entrance exam at that time. Anyway, she wasn't worried about English, and she didn't seem to have forgotten all of her major courses. If she gave it a shot, she might have a good chance.

Then she took a look at the study abroad policies and felt that they were indeed quite subtle, with the current overall direction not encouraging studying abroad.

You need to serve for two years after graduating from a two-year college program before you can apply for a diploma; for a three-year program, it's three years; and for a four-year or higher program, it's five years.

Wang Xiao is just using this as an excuse to appease his parents.

However, if the policy changes in the future, going to Moscow would be helpful for her business, so she could consider studying abroad.

Dr. Chen finally accepted her daughter's explanation with reluctance. But back in the bedroom, she started worrying like a mother again: "Don't you think Xiaoxiao is too concerned about Xiang Dong? That won't do."

Wang Tiejun wasn't afraid: "You don't know why your daughter took a fancy to that guy in the first place..."

"Shut up. Don't even mention it, it's bad luck!" Chen Yanqiu comforted herself again, "That's true, Xiaoxiao didn't even like Xiao Tang after he graduated from high school, let alone Xiang Dong who didn't even finish junior high. No, no, it won't happen."

In those days, houses had poor sound insulation, and Dr. Chen didn't pay much attention to his speech in his own home, so Wang Xiao could hear everything clearly.

She rolled her eyes, completely speechless.

Of course, she has to care about the self-service clothing supermarket; that's her territory.

That's right, it was entirely within Xiang Dong's expectations that he couldn't get a business license; she wasn't surprised at all.

It wasn't that she had inquired about the policy beforehand.

If that's the case, knowing the outcome but still watching Xiang Dong make a wasted trip, then she's deliberately offending people.

She was just making a reasonable guess.

Since major shopping malls throughout the city are no longer allowing privately contracted counters, it's clear that policies are tightening further, and it's only natural that they're not issuing any more individual business licenses.

Why didn't Wang Xiao remind Xiang Dong?

Sigh, humans are creatures that easily fill in the blanks with their imaginations.

If Xiang Dong learns from her that it's very likely he won't be able to get a business license, he'll inevitably wonder: Did you already know this all along?

Knowing the situation was bad, why did you still open a self-service clothing supermarket and cause such a big commotion?

If Wang Xiao were to explain then that she only guessed the policy had changed and that individual businesses were being severely restricted after the People's Department Store kicked people out, how many people would still believe her?

Never mind, she never tests human nature.

Moreover, the current situation is actually a good thing for her. Rather than a partnership between Party A and Party B, she prefers Xiang Dong to be her subordinate, with her in charge of the self-service supermarket.

Otherwise, in the course of operation, who listens to whom?

As for Xiang Dong himself, he was used to being a boss. If he hadn't run into a lot of trouble outside, how could he have been willing to work for someone else?

Only under such circumstances could he honestly work for her.

Of course, this time will not be too long.

Once the policy is relaxed, people who are used to making their own decisions will definitely leave.

After all, a soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier, let alone a soldier who has been a general.

But Wang Xiao never expected him to work for him forever.

What she needs is this time to catch her breath and calmly cultivate her core team members.

This is just right.