But as happy as I am, I still need to make money.
It was already June, and Suzhou was getting warmer. Liang Guiying took advantage of the weekend and asked Zhou Yue to take her to the city.
She discovered that Suzhou didn't have the term "ice room" but rather "cold drink shop," selling things like popsicles, ice cream bars, and sour plum juice.
Opening a Kowloon Cafe here would be a good business opportunity.
Liang Guiying acted immediately—of course, she didn't do it herself.
She called back to Jiangcheng and told the three store managers about her idea of opening a store in Suzhou. All three were quite excited, but also a little nervous, especially Xiao Zhao, who was only twenty years old and had never been outside of Jiangcheng.
Xiao Zhao said, "I need to go back and ask my parents, Sister Guiying. I will try my best to persuade them. I want to work with you."
Amei readily agreed: "Sister Guiying, I won't hide it from you now. I divorced my husband last year. My two sons are with him, and my daughter is with me. She's staying with my mother, and she's taking care of her... If I can establish myself in Suzhou, I'll bring my daughter here. I never want to see that family again in my life."
Ah Tian has a family to support, and after thinking about it for one night, it took him three more days to convince his family.
In the end, Amei and Atian went on their trip, while Xiao Zhao had to stay in Jiangcheng due to strong opposition from his family.
Xiao Zhao was almost in tears.
Liang Guiying comforted her, saying, "Amei and Atian have both gone to Suzhou, so there's no one to look after the three stores in Jiangcheng. If you stay, you can take charge of all three stores. Here's what we'll do: you can nominate two people as assistant store managers to help you. As for McKinsey, I'll have Atian recommend an assistant store manager to help you..."
Two weeks later, Ah Mei and Ah Tian arrived in Suzhou, and Liang Guiying went to Suzhou to see them.
“I live far from here, so it’s not easy for me to come out. Therefore, you two have to be fully responsible for everything, including market research, finding store locations, sourcing raw materials, and doing advertising.”
Liang Guiying said, “I know you’re all nervous, but treat this trip as a learning experience. If it doesn’t work out, it’s not because you’re incompetent, but because Suzhou isn’t a good fit. Just go for it boldly. If you’re really unsure, just call me.”
Liang Guiying left the duty room's phone number and a bankbook, had a meal with them, and then hurriedly went back.
Knowing that Liang Guiying was going to open an ice cream parlor in Suzhou, Zhou Yue was very happy: "Suzhou city is still too far from here. Why don't you assess whether you can open an ice cream parlor in the town sometime? There are several settlements here, as well as three middle schools and seven or eight factories. There are a lot of people here."
Liang Guiying thought about it and thought it was feasible: "Then I need to buy a tricycle first. Oh, and I also need to get a refrigerator for the house."
It was already the summer of 1986. The government had already introduced a policy to abolish ration coupons the previous year. The purchase restrictions on scarce goods such as tricycles and refrigerators were gradually lifted. Basically, as long as you had money, you could buy whatever you wanted.
After buying the tricycle, the refrigerator followed. Liang Guiying thought about it and decided that she should still buy a television so that Niannian could watch TV.
Putting everything else aside, Zhou Xiaonian learned a lot of her knowledge from cartoons on TV. She thought that as long as she managed her time properly and didn't get addicted, watching TV wouldn't be a big deal.
Ah Mei and Ah Tian were hardworking, persevering, and intelligent, and soon they rented two suitable shops.
The two were ambitious; the shops they rented were two-story buildings in good locations.
Liang Guiying also found a suitable shop in town. Although it was only one floor, it was big enough and located opposite the town government. It used to be a restaurant, but it went out of business due to poor management. There were ready-made tables and chairs.
Three shops needed renovations at once, and Liang Guiying didn't hesitate to ask Boss Zhang to come over.
A few months later, when the opening of three trendy ice cream parlors caused a sensation, Mr. Zhang's Xinghui Decoration Company also gained fame in Suzhou. He simply set up an office in Suzhou and recruited a group of people from his village and town, bringing them over directly.
Boss Zhang successfully expanded into the Suzhou market, and Liang Guiying's ice cream parlor became a sensation throughout the city, but Zhou Yue encountered a small problem.
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