At the end of January, school was out for summer vacation.
There are only a little over ten days left until Chinese New Year.
The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth floors of He Wenlin's house have been vacant for almost three months.
He Wenlin printed out a lot of rental information and gave Ruan Min five yuan, asking her to help put up the advertisements nearby.
After the New Year, more people came out to work, and they would come looking for me when they saw the information.
He Na, whom I hadn't seen or contacted in a long time, suddenly came to my door.
"Linlin, are you still selling clothes this year?" He Na asked. "Isn't the New Year coming up soon? I'm going to buy some stock to set up a stall at home this year. Count me in."
“I don’t plan to stock up on goods to set up a stall this year. If you’re interested, you can give it a try.” He Wenlin also became much more distant from her.
Hearing this, He Na paused for a moment, then asked, "Didn't you do quite well last year? Why aren't you doing it this year?"
"It's not as lucrative as you might imagine, and I don't have the time either..."
With such a large stall this year, He Wenlin planned to go back to her hometown for the Spring Festival on the evening of the 28th. How could she possibly go back to set up a stall?
"Where do you get your goods from?" she asked.
"It's near the train station; there are several clothing wholesale markets over there."
"Can you come with me? I want to buy some goods to set up a stall."
He Wenlin wanted to say that setting up a stall wasn't that easy, but after hesitating for a moment, she swallowed her words and said, "I'm sorry, I don't have time."
He Wenlin really didn't have time. It was the end of the year, and as the boss, she planned to visit all fifteen Haoduoduo stores under the South China Business Division.
He Na left unhappily.
He Na went to He Shan, thinking of recruiting He Shan into the business, because He Shan had money and experience from last year.
After He Na's reminder, He Shan also remembered this matter.
"I need to ask Linlin's opinion."
He Na: "I asked her, and she said she didn't have time."
"I'll ask her again when I have time. We'll all listen to her; whatever she says, we'll do."
He Na was somewhat puzzled: "Why do you all listen to her so much?"
“Because she’s smart! My dad said it’s okay if you’re not smart yourself, just follow smart people,” He Shan said. “If I didn’t listen to her, how could I become the store manager?”
I'm the youngest leader!
With the cake shop doing so well, there's bound to be a hefty year-end bonus. If she hadn't listened to her, she might be working as a sewing machine operator in a garment factory now, never a manager or a high-paid employee.
That night, when He Wenlin went to the cake shop to collect the day's sales figures, He Shan asked about it.
“I don’t plan to do it this year,” He Wenlin said. “And He Shan, store manager, don’t forget, the cake shop is open all year round. Where would you find the time to go back and set up a stall to make money?”
“I can invest!” He Shan said casually. “Linlin, we can invest money and get dividends. Let your second brother and Lin Fei go back, and your cousins who set up stalls last year, it’s perfect!”
“It’s so far, how can Second Brother and Lin Fei transport the goods back?” He Wenlin said. “Last year, we had a large group of people, so we took the goods and truck back together. It was more cost-effective because it saved on transportation costs. Otherwise, it’s a round trip of 2,000 kilometers, and the fuel and toll costs would be quite high. Plus, the driver would have to travel a long distance, so we would definitely have to give him some subsidies. You can do the math yourself.”
He Shan fell into deep thought.
Last year, I carried five people in one car and saved more than 800 yuan in fare alone.
This year, Mr. He can drive on the highway, and Mrs. He still has to run the small supermarket, so the whole family will be going back home a little later this year.
"Linlin, if we use your truck, we'll also need your driver. How much will you charge us?" He Shan asked.
“I can forgo making money from you, but you’ll have to cover the fuel, tolls, and driver subsidies. It’ll be around 1,600 yuan.”
The round-trip fuel cost will be at least 900! Then there are tolls, food and drinks for the driver along the way, and a night's rest before heading back home, so it will definitely cost 1,600.
“Then let’s find a few more people, charge each person 100 yuan for the fare, which is 50 yuan cheaper than a train ticket, and we can get home earlier. I think some people will be willing to squeeze onto this bus.”
He Wenlin really admired He Shan's brains; by taking two fellow villagers back and charging each of them 100 yuan, she could reduce their costs.
"You're taking two guests back with you? Who's going to take responsibility if something happens?" He Wenlin said.
He Shan looked bewildered: "What could possibly go wrong?"
"It's better to be safe than sorry. If you bring your parents and aunt back, I won't say anything. But strangers are not allowed. I won't agree to it."
“My aunt might actually go back after the Lunar New Year. My parents will probably wait for my sister to come with her.”
He Ling's business is doing so well now, and she plans to go back again on the 28th of this year.
After He Wenlin returned home, He Na approached He Shan again and asked, "How did it go? What did Linlin say?"
"Linlin isn't doing it this year."
"If she won't do it, we'll do it together!"
He Shan shook her head and said, "I can only invest. This cake shop is open all year round. As the shop manager, I can't take a break either. I don't have time."
Hearing this, He Na rolled her eyes at her and said, "How can you be so stupid? How much does the salary here? If you ask me, you should go out and work for yourself. Look at how much your sister earns, and how much you earn. Don't you have any ambition at all?"
It's impossible to say I have absolutely no thoughts; I'm not a god.
However, He Shan couldn't bring herself to resign; she really enjoyed being a leader.
Moreover, He Wenlin had told her that she could gain some experience and then resign after a year or two. That way, even if the business failed in the future, she would have the experience of being a store manager and it would be easier for her to find a job again. This could be considered a fallback plan.
He Na continued to entice her: "Logically speaking, I think you should be doing better than your sister. Why? Because you have the advantage of being close to her. You started working for Linlin the first time, so you should be the one earning the most. But your sister now earns in one month what you do in several months. Don't be silly, okay?"
Seeing that He Shan didn't speak, He Na continued, "Shan Shan, quit your job and let's do business together. We're a perfect match, and we're sure to make a fortune!"
"Forget it."
"What do you mean?" He Na's eyes widened, her face full of displeasure. "Are you looking down on me?"
“It’s not that I look down on you, it’s that I look down on myself. I don’t think I can definitely make a fortune,” He Shan said. “But, you’ve been clamoring to partner with me, how much money do you actually have?”
“I may not have as much money as you, but I can put in more effort. At worst, I’ll take a smaller share of the profits.”
He Na eventually found a job at a clothing store, standing for more than ten hours a day, with two days off per month, a base salary plus commission, and about 600 yuan.
The take-home pay is a little more than what I earned at He Wenlin's place, but the working hours are also much longer. In the end, it's not as good as what I earned at He Wenlin's cake shop.
He Na regretted it, but was too embarrassed to say it.
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