Each room has about twenty bungalows. The toilets are communal and are located at the back of the bungalows. There is also a shower room, but it is definitely unusable in winter, as it would freeze people to death.
There's no kitchen, but that's alright. The factory has a canteen, and it's not far from the furniture factory, only a fifteen-minute walk. Yan Xiaoqiang was quite satisfied and asked the landlord, "I'll take all three rooms. How much will it cost?"
The landlord's attitude changed instantly, from aloof to fawning. In that instant, not only Yan Xiaoqiang, but even the old bachelor almost choked on his own saliva. Seriously, how could he change his face so quickly?
The landlord probably realized he had gone too far and could only explain that too many people had viewed the apartment, but all thought it was too expensive, and he was already disappointed, which was why he had that attitude. He hoped Yan Xiaoqiang would understand.
Yan Xiaoqiang didn't care. He was there to rent a place, not to go on a blind date, so why should he care so much?
The landlord smiled. This was a good tenant, so he had to be polite: "One yuan a month, twelve yuan a year, that's thirty-six yuan for three rooms. I'll give you a discount of one yuan, so give me thirty-five yuan. I'll write you a receipt."
Yan Xiaoqiang quickly took out thirty-five yuan and handed it over. After the landlord wrote out the receipt, he took the receipt and the key, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief. He had finally completed the task Nan Nan had given him. He could have a couple of drinks when he got back that night.
He casually handed the old bachelor five yuan: "Here, this is for your hard work. Thank you, old bachelor. There's one more thing. I saw Li Qiang in Huacheng."
Li Qiang is in Huacheng? The old bachelor didn't care at all. Who cares? He accepted the money somewhat embarrassedly. They were from the same village, and he shouldn't have accepted this money, but who could blame him when his pockets were emptier than his face? He even had to think twice before taking a puff of cigarette, let alone five silver dollars.
"Thank you, Qiangzi. I'm so sorry for the help you've given me since I came to Beijing. If I ever have the chance to succeed in the future, I will definitely repay you."
Yan Xiaoqiang quickly waved his hand, saying that he had a fairy in his family, a capable wife, and a wise mother, so it was no one's place to repay him.
I rode my bike to the grocery store. Yan Jian sent a telegram saying that all the goods had been shipped and would arrive in the next couple of days. The grocery store would be renovated by next week at the latest, and the week after that, university would start and new students would be registering, so business could begin.
Imagining himself sitting behind a counter selling things, Yan Xiaoqiang involuntarily let out a goose-like quack. What a wonderful life!
The old bachelor looked at Yan Xiaoqiang, who was pedaling his bicycle with great enthusiasm, with mixed feelings. They were both men, but in Mushroom Village, he couldn't compare to Qiangzi, and in the capital, he was even less comparable. It was fate.
On August 28th, the general store officially opened. Yan Xiaoqiang, dressed in a brand-new suit, stood inside the store, waiting for Yan Aidang to light the firecrackers. As the firecrackers went off, Yan Xiaoqiang opened the store door, and a group of people rushed in. Upon closer inspection, they realized that this Yan family general store was different from other general stores.
Yan Xiaonan had decorated the grocery store like a supermarket, with items displayed on open shelves and clearly priced, allowing customers to take what they wanted and then pay at the counter. However, this novel approach backfired, and many people were hesitant to buy anything.
Yan Ai's close friends and Xue Ying's colleagues took the lead, saying, "This tea mug is nice, two yuan each, I'll take it, boss, pay up."
This oil bottle is so pretty, it's different from the one at my house, I'll buy one.
Is this a sugar bowl? It's so special! I want to buy a pair to take home as part of my dowry.
People who had chosen their items lined up, waiting for Yan Xiaoqiang to pay. Yan Xiaoqiang glanced at the items in their hands, expertly quoted the prices, collected the money, and left—he couldn't have been more efficient.
After seven or eight people paid and left, the real customers finally realized what was happening and started queuing up to pay for what they actually needed. Yan Xiaoqiang watched this with delight. Nan Nan's decision was right; look how happily they were buying!
Yan Aidang and Ye Chen'er mingled among the customers, watching them select goods. They felt a little uneasy, wondering if they would be robbed. However, Yan Xiaonan took precautions and put up a sign in a prominent place: "Thieves will be handed over to the police station."
Yan Xiaonan suggested that her father hire two people to organize the shelves, with the same working hours and pay as the clothing store, working one day and resting one day, for twenty yuan a month. Yan Xiaoqiang was initially unwilling, as it would cost forty yuan a month, but after two days, he realized he couldn't handle it and nodded in agreement.
Xue Ying approached Grandma Wang again, and Grandma Wang readily agreed. Since the two girls started working at the clothing store, they had encountered a lot of envy and jealousy. At the same time, they had also built a good relationship with Grandma Wang, in case there was any work to be done in the future, wouldn't they have a chance to do so?
Sure enough, as soon as the news spread that Yan's General Store was looking for two young men, a crowd gathered in front of Grandma Wang's house. Grandma Wang pointed out a few names and led them to find Xue Ying.
Xue Ying inquired about the character and conduct of these people from the sidelines, and selected two of the best-qualified young men to go to Yan's General Store to find Yan Xiaoqiang. If Boss Yan took a liking to them, the recruitment would be over; otherwise, there would be a few more replacements.
The substitute players were praying to the gods, hoping that Boss Yan wouldn't think much of them and would give them an interview opportunity.
However, Yan Xiaoqiang was a person who hated trouble. Since he was introduced by his sister-in-law, he decided to start working. Yan Xiaoqiang taught him step by step while explaining the rules of the store. Everything can only be accomplished without rules, so the rules must be followed.
The two young men were very perceptive and kept Yan Xiaoqiang's words firmly in mind. They worked diligently every day and finally became one of the bosses themselves more than ten years later.
School is finally about to start. The day before school starts, Yan Xiaonan and Ye Chen'er made a special trip to the furniture factory. They won't have time to come here anymore, especially Yan Xiaonan, who also has to take care of the clothing store and the general store.
The furniture factory hired 20 people this time. Apart from reserving five positions for the Southwest region, a total of 15 people were hired. Eight of them were apprentices, and each of them was assigned a master. Two were experienced master craftsmen, two were designers, and the other three were general laborers.
These fifteen people were selected from hundreds of applicants. Shen Shaohua was very meticulous; he reviewed their resumes more than a dozen times until he could find no mistakes before making his decision.
The master craftsmen were waiting for Southwest to come and inspect, the designers were waiting for Yan Xiaonan to come and inspect, and the apprentices were also assigned mentors. Shen Shaohua then took three janitors to the work site.
One was assigned to the canteen, one to the factory, and one to the inside and outside of the building. Their job was to ensure the cleanliness and hygiene of the entire factory, as well as other tasks assigned by the leaders.
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