I stared at Lu Jia in surprise. She took off her sun hat, smiled, and said to me, "Why are you looking at me like that? Don't you recognize me?... If so, then I'm really going to be sad... because I came here specifically to see you."
I finally spoke to her and asked, "Why did you come all the way here to see me?"
"Don't be nervous, I'm here purely for work..." She paused slightly, then asked, "Do you have anything to eat? I've been on a plane all day and haven't had anything to eat yet..."
"Only instant noodles are available; they can be boiled or soaked."
"Inside the house, right?"
"Yes, the first shelf of the refrigerator."
Do you have any eggs?
"Put it on the second shelf."
"That's all there is. I'll cook it myself."
As Lu Jia spoke, she dragged her suitcase into my room. She seemed quite familiar with the place. She first washed the pot I had just used to cook noodles, then boiled water, and after a while, she put the eggs and noodles into the pot together.
She still prefers to fill her stomach with the simplest food, instant noodles, when she's hungry, just like before.
...
A short while later, she came out with a bowl and sat down opposite me. While eating, she said, "Let's get down to business. Accompanying me this time is a manager from our company's business development department. She's already checked into a hotel in the old town… This year, our company has included ethnic clothing, a staple in the retail industry, in our business scope in many tourist cities… We plan to adopt a direct-sales model, opening stores in tourist cities with ethnic minorities… Dali and Lijiang are our first stops… I know you've been busy setting up shops in Dali, so there's definitely an opportunity for you and our company to collaborate on this…"
As Lu Jia spoke, she took a garment out of her bag and showed it to me. She continued, "I was the lead designer for this batch of clothes... During the design process, while retaining the ethnic characteristics, I also incorporated fashionable elements... Tourists who buy one of these clothes to take home will not only have it as a souvenir, but they can also wear it casually, and it will be more fashionable than ordinary clothes..."
I glanced at it and replied, "It's fine..."
Lu Jia didn't mind my coldness. She put the clothes away and said, "We have very high requirements for the size of the store. The location isn't particularly important. In places like Dali and Lijiang, opening a directly operated store is just to make it a business card, to let customers know that our company has this kind of craftsmanship spirit. We want to preserve our national traditions, but we can't fall behind the trends... So whether the directly operated store can make money is secondary. The main thing is to have such a real place to convey our spirit, not just talk about it... Our ultimate sales channel will still rely on online platforms... Do you understand?"
"I see."
“We’ve looked at the central area of the ancient city, and there really aren’t any particularly large shops. In slightly out-of-the-way areas, there are only some shops that are less than 100 square meters for sale. So I came to ask you if there are any particularly large shops on the street you’re working on?”
"Give me a specific number. How big is considered big?"
"At least 300 square meters, do you have any?"
I went through the shops I had recently signed in my mind and replied, "The shops in Jiulongju are no more than 150 square meters. We can consider combining two shops, but we need to communicate with both owners because this would be considered as damaging the main structure."
"Communication has always been one of your strengths... I'd like you to handle this for me..."
I glanced at Lu Jia, and it seemed like we were discussing this matter naturally, so I didn't feel any negativeness or resistance. I asked, "What's your rental budget here, and how many years are you planning to sign a contract for? If it's a long term, it might be easier to negotiate. If it's a short term, it's not worth it for the two owners to combine their shops."
"We sign five-year contracts. Our directly operated store in Dali has an annual rent budget of 400,000 yuan. A little more is no problem, as long as there is enough space in the store to express our concept."
I replied truthfully, "The rent for this place definitely won't be 400,000. The market price for two 150-square-meter shops should be between 150,000 and 200,000."
“Then I’ll offer you a higher budget, 200,000, that will make things easier for you to negotiate… But you have to be quick… because there are other similar clothing companies that want to copy our idea, so we have to complete the layout before them and then implement this market strategy as soon as possible.”
As Lu Jia spoke, she took out two stacks of money from her handbag and placed them in front of me, saying, "This is the deposit."
"Why don't you go and take a look at the shop first?"
Lu Jia smiled and replied, "Before coming here, I had already visited Jiulongju with our business development manager... She really liked the environment and architectural style, which also reflects the local customs and features of Dali. If we can find a 300-square-meter shop there, she thinks it would be fine to open one."
I lit a cigarette, and after a moment of silence, asked, "How did you find my place?"
“When I was looking at shops in Jiulongju, I happened to run into Chen Jin… He asked me to come and talk to you because attracting businesses isn’t his responsibility.” After a slight pause, Lu Jia added with a sigh, “I really didn’t expect you to bring Chen Jin here too… It seems Shanghai really isn’t a place that can retain people!”
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
