Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Six shopkeepers listening...
After hearing this, the six shopkeepers looked at each other and saw surprise and approval in each other's eyes.
Previously, they adopted a commission system, and they tried to report less annual profits in order to pay less money - after all, all costs were borne by the headquarters, so even if they reported as much as they could, there was no guarantee that other shops would report less.
If the quota were changed to 10,000 taels, there would be no need to worry about the financial data. Furthermore, giving the shop owners the power to manage employees and produce products would be a sign of trust and would maximize their enthusiasm. It would also allow for tailoring to local conditions, allowing each shop to develop its own unique characteristics.
Jiang Wan's decision was obviously made after a detailed on-site investigation, which made the six shopkeepers very satisfied.
What impressed them even more was the new owner's courage. He personally visited the shop to check the actual situation and was willing to delegate power to the branch owner, whom he had just met. This was coupled with his excellent business strategy and superb technical skills.
The shopkeepers' eyes changed when they looked at her. They no longer looked at her as a little girl, but began to regard her as a future leader.
The six shopkeepers all said, "The boss's idea is excellent. I have no objection."
"That's fine with me."
Shopkeeper Zhou, who sat across from her, said, "I've already been implementing the boss's rectification plan as requested, but I've run into some problems that I'd like to discuss with you. I wonder if you'd be free to come to our shop someday—"
He was interrupted by the sound of a door being pushed open. A man with a beer belly stood at the door, looking furious.
Shopkeeper Zhou recognized him: "Shopkeeper Zhu——"
"I haven't even arrived yet, why are you already feasting?" Shopkeeper Zhu's eyes widened. "Jiang Wan, do you look down on me?"
Shopkeeper Zhou hurried to smooth things over: "Old Zhu, please sit down first..."
After saying that, he stood up and tried to pull out the chair. Jiang Wan shook her head, signaling him not to move.
Shopkeeper Zhou was stunned for a moment, but decided to listen to her and sat back down.
Jiang Wan's face turned stern. "Manager Zhu, the invitation I gave you already has a scheduled banquet time. Are you going to let the other guests go hungry and wait for you alone?"
Shopkeeper Zhu pointed at her nose and said, "You little brat, you're acting like the boss in front of me. Even Master Liu Guang didn't dare to wait for me before! Do you know that I'm a veteran of Yuwan Tower and many things depend on my support?"
Jiang Wan calmly corrected him, "It's Qingjiangju. Also, whatever happened with the previous owner is in the past. Now that I've taken over Qingjiangju, I'll naturally follow my own rules."
"I should have listened to my sister and not come to this banquet!" Shopkeeper Zhu yelled, "You'll have to come to me and beg me later."
Of the eight branches, the Zhu siblings each managed one. It was these two who had neither responded to the rectification progress nor attended the banquet in a timely manner.
Jiang Wan ignored this and asked, "The requirements for industrial rectification were sent to all the shopkeepers 20 days ago. Why hasn't Shopkeeper Zhu responded yet?"
Shopkeeper Zhu snorted, "What are you doing, little girl? Isn't it fine now?"
"Ahem, Old Zhu, I think the boss's suggestions for improvement are pretty good. Why don't you listen to them first?" Shopkeeper Zhou interrupted.
The other shopkeepers also nodded. Shopkeeper Zhu shouted, "You wimps! Being a boss is so great, why should I listen to her? If I want to listen to you, then listen. Anyway, I don't admit it, so don't expect me to make changes."
Seeing him so excited, the six shopkeepers didn't know how to persuade him and could only look at Jiang Wan with sympathy.
There are two such stubborn bones, and it will not be easy for the new owner to chew them.
Jiang Wan wasn't surprised and said calmly, "If that's the case, then our Qingjiang Residence can't accommodate two of you. Please find better jobs for you and your sister."
Six shopkeepers: ??? No, you just threw the bones away?
Shopkeeper Zhu hadn't expected this to happen and was furious. "Fine, fine! Without us, who can you find to run these two shops? You're firing the shopkeeper right after taking over. Aren't you afraid of the employees causing a commotion?"
"That's not something you need to worry about," Jiang Wan said. "The two shops belong to Qingjiangju. The employees are managed and assigned by the headquarters, and the goods are also supplied by the headquarters. You can't take them away. There are many good shopkeepers. Please leave without seeing me off."
Seeing that she was serious, Shopkeeper Zhu was visibly panicked. This was not what he had expected. Didn't new employers usually try to please him and beg him to do things? How could he dare to fire her right away?
Moreover, Qingjiangju's treatment of its shopkeepers is among the best. If he is fired, he will not be able to find a better job for a while.
Shopkeeper Zhu was in a dilemma, and finally, with a red face, he managed to utter, "You can change it to Qingjiangju... but you have to cut my franchise fee in half. For a shopkeeper with such rich experience like me, it's easy to find a job—"
Jiang Wan didn't have the patience to listen anymore and waved his hand: "Waiter, this is not my guest, please ask him to leave."
As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the six shopkeepers present were very interesting. Some were glad that they had arrived early, some were afraid of the consequences, and some secretly gave her a thumbs up.
Seeing the waiter coming to chase people away, Shopkeeper Zhu's face changed several times. Finally, he flicked his sleeves, left a sentence "Don't regret it", and rushed out.
The room fell into a rare silence for a few seconds. Then, several shopkeepers rushed to toast Jiang Wan, promising to follow her lead and make Qingjiangju bigger and stronger.
Jiang Wan raised his glass in response, and Jiang An, who was sitting next to him, secretly gave him a thumbs up under the table.
After this hurdle, the specific details were easy to discuss. Jiang An discussed the situation of each shop owner in detail, and those who needed to visit the store for an actual inspection also arranged a time.
Jiang Wan handed most of the heavy lifting to his brother, and ate heartily beside him. When he was almost full, he heard the system's announcement:
"Congratulations to the host for successfully conquering the Lin'an store and obtaining fifty points."
"Host's current points: 470."
Jiang Wan smacked her lips. After getting used to the system adding 100 points at a time, 50 points felt like too little.
But there's no rush: Yuwanlou, while originally founded in Dunhuang, is primarily focused on Lin'an. Once Lin'an is conquered, conquering other locations will be much easier. Once the overhaul is complete, I should be able to earn quite a few points.
She could relax for the next few days and just wait to find Wen Shen on the 24th to ask about He Wanrong's whereabouts.
Although I don't know why I have to wait ten days, since Wen Shen asked her to call back those people from the martial arts world, He Wanrong's actions must have attracted attention.
If she acted rashly, she might alert the enemy. After all, Wen Shen was the emperor's uncle, and with the help of the Imperial Guard, he was definitely better at finding people than she was. All she had to do for the next few days was hold her temper and wait.
After taking a nap, Jiang Wan got up and went to the shop for a walk.
Because the two shopkeepers were dismissed, the two shops were temporarily managed by Jiang An and Chen Xi until suitable people were recruited.
The sun was scorching and there were few customers. Chen Xi was sitting in the inner room embroidering clothes.
Jiang Wan walked over and looked at it for a while before praising it, "Not bad, you can even embroider a whole piece. I'm an amateur, but I can tell you've improved a lot since Dunhuang."
Chen Xi put down the needle and thread in her hand and looked up. "Master is so smart and works so hard, so of course I can't slack off. This is just a basic embroidery. I will practice more and try to embroider something more beautiful. Then I can sell it for more silver and add some value to Qingjiangju."
"Okay, I'll open an embroidery department just for you." Jiang Wan patted her head. "If you need anything, just tell me."
"I want an embroidery room. Master, the space here is small, so I can only embroider some basic patterns. To embroider something more complex, I need a lot of professional auxiliary tools. If I could have a dedicated embroidery room, I could learn more complex embroidery patterns, and I could also learn from my master and hire a few embroiderers to accompany me in embroidery."
Jiang Wan nodded: "Of course. I happen to be free today, so I'll take you to choose an embroidery studio you like."
"Really?" Chen Xi jumped up. "Can we do it now, Master?"
Jiang Wan smiled and poked the little girl's head with his finger: "Right now."
"Master is so nice!" Chen Xi smiled happily and ran out the door happily.
A quarter of an hour later, their carriage stopped in the suburbs of Beijing. It was over thirty miles from the city of Lin'an. Before them lay a winding river, sparsely planted with poplars, and the banks were covered in lush green grass and charming flowers.
The river is called Yuedu, which is a tributary of Qianjiang River. It passes through the city, and various factories and embroidery rooms are scattered along the lower reaches of the river.
Jiang Wan and Chen Xi walked along the Yuedu River, looking around as they went, and soon found an empty embroidery room.
The embroidery room was by the water, fully equipped, and spacious and bright. Chen Xi was very satisfied. Just as he was about to ask the price, he heard the voice of the aunt behind the house:
"My embroidery room is fully equipped, and many famous embroiderers are vying to rent it. The rent is not something that ordinary people can afford. You girls who have just learned Suzhou embroidery should find someone cheaper!"
Jiang Wan pushed open the back door and saw piles of embroidery fabric in the yard, along with a row of clothes drying racks. The woman was talking as she hung the clothes, her movements very skillful.
Jiang Wan smiled and said, "Auntie, don't look down on my young age. I can still afford to rent an embroidery room. If my disciple likes it, I can even afford to buy it."
If it were an ordinary landlord, seeing a wealthy tenant, their attitude would have softened somewhat. But the old lady frowned and said warily, "I only rent, not sell, no matter how much you offer."
"I'm just looking for a place for my apprentice to learn Suzhou embroidery. I don't have any other intentions," Jiang Wan said, quite surprised. "But with all due respect, this embroidery room is quite old. Selling it would obviously make more money. I wonder why you don't sell it?"
The old lady's expression softened a little as she explained, "Please forgive me, young lady. This embroidery room was once left by an old friend of mine, so I only rent it out and don't sell it. It's a keepsake."
She put down the clothes that had not been hung out to dry and walked over: "The rent is three taels of silver per month. If you rent it long-term, I will give you two taels of silver per month. Who is your disciple——"
Her words stopped abruptly the moment she saw Chen Xi.
The old lady stared at Chen Xi, motionless, as if she wanted to stare him till he was staring through a hole. For a moment, Jiang Wan had the illusion that she had seen her own disciple somewhere before.
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