Chapter 135: Victory in the First Battle
The next day, Sunday, Fang Mingche reserved an hour to go to the Capital Airport with Xiao Hu, the father and daughter of the Qiu family, Wang Dexian, and Teacher Gao to welcome the tourists flying in from France.
He asked Lin Yan to buy uniform clothes for the travel agency some days ago.
Lin Yan still has some unique aesthetics. She bought black woolen clothes for everyone and made them according to their body measurements. All of them were made into the style of Zhongshan suits.
Zhongshan suits are good. Nowadays, national leaders also wear Zhongshan suits in public occasions. It seems that it will not be until 1985 that they will all change to suits.
It just so happens that Sister Qiu and Lingzi are both slender and look very good in them. Everyone unified and looked very similar. Even Teacher Qiu looked very energetic in such clothes. The old man is tall and has no hunchback. Wang Dexian and Teacher Gao also wore good clothes, after all, they are not short.
Teacher Gao also went with work clothes today and took Wang Dexian's car. Today's development is also related to his personal interests.
On the first day, everyone was a little nervous. Everyone knew that the 5,000 yuan start-up capital had been spent and there was almost nothing left. The 4,500 yuan car rental fee, the cost of hiring international students to shoot print ads, etc. Now it was really a state of waiting for the rice to cook.
Fortunately, Teacher Fang borrowed 3,000 yuan from Boss Cui and got it yesterday. Otherwise, it would be really penniless.
Lin Yan is pregnant, so she didn't go and stayed at home to take care of Yanyan. She was also a little nervous and didn't even have time to go back to her parents' home.
Lingzi stayed behind in case someone called for consultation and someone had to answer the phone. She was even more nervous, "My spoken English is not very good. Teacher Qiu, you have to come back early!"
She practiced and memorized a lot of English phrases for answering the phone, and even wrote them down. But it was really hard to avoid being nervous.
Teacher Qiu said: "We will display the phone number on the poster only after we go there. Don't be too nervous! Besides, those who dare to travel to China by themselves can speak some Chinese."
The time was almost up, and everyone got on the bus. Yanyan waved to her father and said loudly: "Dad, success!"
"Okay!" Fang Mingche smiled.
Sister Qiu said: "Yes, yes, success!"
Yesterday, she said that success or failure depends on this one move, and the old man said that it is impossible to fail! At that time, she felt that people who had studied abroad in their early years were so superstitious. However, she had to ask for good luck!
Lin Yan also came out to see her off at the entrance of the alley.
The business car stopped at the entrance of the alley last night. She also sent some food to the people who came in and out of here, which affected their entry and exit. However, everyone knew that they were going to earn money from foreigners, so they were more tolerant.
Xiao Hu and Sister Qiu got on the business car, and when they came back to pick up the tourists, they would be the only two people to follow the car. A driver and a tour guide, who are the people who usually take tourists on tours. Everyone else got on Wang Dexian's car.
After waiting for a long time at the Capital Airport, they finally heard the broadcast that the plane had arrived on time. Everyone immediately stood up and walked towards the exit.
According to what was discussed before, they held up the printed promotional pictures. It's not strange to hold a sign in this place. Many people who come to pick up people hold one.
When the foreign tourists and overseas Chinese come out, they see a few people wearing the same clothes, holding signs, and smiling.
Fang Mingche has been training everyone during this period, training on service. For example, you should show eight teeth when you smile. For this reason, Sister Qiu is very serious about brushing her teeth.
However, he also told everyone that too much is as bad as too little. Foreign tourists don't like excessive enthusiasm. Just keep a certain level of enthusiasm.
Some tourists left the station directly, although they looked in their direction.
Wang Dexian whispered in Fang Mingche's ear: "Is it really okay to wait for someone to come?"
"Well, being too enthusiastic will make you look cheap."
Before he finished speaking, Teacher Gao whispered: "Here they come, here they come, stop chatting."
Although everyone has learned some spoken English during this period, when two tourists with suitcases and backpacks came to consult, only Teacher Qiu, Sister Qiu and Fang Mingche spoke to them in English and introduced their travel agency to them. The others still couldn't open their mouths.
Their atlas was specially designed by someone majoring in fine arts, and it was very eye-catching. The route map and text introduction of the five-day tour were also clear at a glance. There were two versions in Chinese and English.
But because there was no registered business license, the tourists were a little hesitant.
Fang Mingche had to explain to them: China's reform and opening up has not been a year yet, and currently no private enterprise in the capital has its own business license.
They will first send tourists to the Friendship Hotel, which specializes in receiving foreign guests. If everyone thinks this tourist route is not bad, it will not be too late to sign a contract and pay a deposit.
The tourists were shocked and said, "Your private enterprises don't have business licenses yet?"
Teacher Qiu said, "There are a few places in the Northeast that are trying it out. We think this is a field that others have not entered, so we want to intervene first while we have the language advantage."
In the end, it was his and Wang Dexian's work permits, and Fang Mingche and Gao Xiang's student permits that convinced people. A university teacher, a government worker, and two college students are still relatively credible.
With two foreign tourists coming to inquire about the situation, more and more people came over from the exit personnel. In the end, all eleven tourists were gathered.
"This way please!" Sister Qiu led the way with a smile, taking everyone to the parking lot.
The others got on Wang Dexian's car and led the way.
Xiao Hu got in the car and fastened his seat belt. This car was produced after 1968, and the production standard is to have seat belts.
Sister Qiu gave each of the other tourists a bottle of mineral water, and then reminded them to fasten their seat belts. Teacher Fang told them that these details must reflect professionalism. Details determine success or failure!
Along the way, she introduced the capital's attractions and some buildings on the road to the tourists in English.
The destination is the Friendship Hotel, and Lingzi has already booked a room. This is consistent with what the foreign tourists learned before coming.
When leaving the airport, Sister Qiu confirmed with the tourists how many rooms they needed and told Fang Mingche. He called back from the public phone at the airport to tell Lingzi that Lingzi had made the reservation over the phone.
The Wang family had already established connections, and the Friendship Hotel directly reserved a room. Now, Sister Qiu led the tourists to check in and pay.
"I'm in the cafe downstairs. Everyone go upstairs to rest and think about it. If you are willing to sign a contract with us, just come downstairs. I will be waiting for you downstairs within an hour. It doesn't matter if you don't plan to sign a contract with us in the end. China and the Chinese people welcome you very much."
She asked for a glass of boiled water and waited in the cafe, while others were in the parking lot.
Half an hour later, Fang Mingche, who was sitting in Wang Dexian's co-pilot seat, watched Sister Qiu come out with a smile.
"It's done. They have signed contracts with us and paid 30% of the fees in advance! Other guests at the Friendship Hotel are also asking about it. I told them that there are only eleven seats available, but I also gave them the brochures we made."
Fang Mingche nodded, "Okay, go back. Tomorrow morning, you and Xiao Hu will come here to pick up the guests and tour according to the planned route."
Sister Qiu said, "I think it's very promising. Several foreign tourists asked me just now. It would be great if we could have more tour guides and more business cars."
Fang Mingche said, "Let's serve the first batch of guests first. Do you think I don't want to? You have to eat one bite at a time."
The route was discussed by everyone, and the cost was calculated repeatedly by him, A Yan and Gao Xiang. After deducting all expenses, they can earn 100 yuan from each tourist. 1,100 per trip, and they can make four trips a month.
International flights are naturally not available every day, but once a week. However, the first trip was full, which is still worth celebrating.
Wang Dexian took the signed contract and looked at it. "Does it have any legal effect?"
Fang Mingche said, "There is no relevant law in our country at present. This is to guard against gentlemen but not villains. Signing one like this makes us look more professional. However, foreigners still have a strong sense of contract."
Of course, he also carefully considered the terms of the contract and asked a classmate majoring in law to go over it.
Wang Dexian drove home by himself. He also took one of the contracts back and prepared to explain it to the old man. The others went back together in a business car.
After returning, Fang Mingche handed the prepaid money (not yet converted into RMB, but directly received in foreign currency. Tomorrow morning, tourists will be sent to the Bank of China to exchange for RMB) to Lin Yan.
Lin Yan looked at it curiously, "Whose portrait is this?"
"Washington. This one is one dollar! Keep it first, don't rush to exchange it for the time being."
Lin Yan looked at it over and over again, "With US dollars, there will be no restrictions on buying things at the Friendship Store."
"Keep it, and try not to use it. The US dollar will definitely increase in the future."
Now it is 1.5:1. He remembered that it rose to 8.6:1 at the most. One dollar has increased by seven yuan!
"Good!"
There was no office yet, so everyone sat in the small living room of Fang Mingche's house. Teacher Gao was doing the accounts next to him.
The father and daughter of the Qiu family also took a dollar each to look at it. Sister Qiu also happily took out a dollar and showed it to Lingzi who was waiting on the phone, "Look, we received the dollars!"
Lingzi took it, "We really received the dollars. Yes, that's right, my uncle also took out this kind of money when he came back last time."
Her workplace is here, although she is itching to join in the fun, she dare not go in to join in the fun.
What if she leaves and a tourist calls. She lets her mother take over when she goes to the toilet, so she can move faster.
Hearing that there are dollars here, the neighbors are also interested and come over to see. It's very strange!
Aunt Yuan said, "So it looks like this. I always hear about dollars. Today I finally got to see one."
"Yes, this person looks like Washington."
A primary school student said, "The one cutting cherries, the first president of the United States."
The neighbor who didn't know who Washington was nodded.
Then someone said, "Our RMB is printed with working people."
"When we have big bills in the future, we can also print leaders."
...
"Can it be as big as 100? It takes a long time to open a big unity."
Now many things are a few cents, a ten-yuan big unity has a very strong purchasing power. (It is equivalent to using a thousand-denomination bill to buy something worth a few yuan)
Wang Dexian's mother also came. Her son told her that after this incident, the old man valued him very much. Therefore, his father also valued him. His stepmother was a little unstable. So, Xiao Fang is really her son's lucky star.
These days, she saw Fang Mingche, Lin Yan and others with smiles on their faces.
Sister Cui came in to see while knitting a sweater. Lin Yan was also knitting Yanyan's black woolen dress. The two of them gathered together to talk.
When Sister Qiu saw Sister Cui, she said, "Teacher Fang said that the tour is five days. We will try to arrange one day to bring the guests to Cui's Private Restaurant for home-cooked meals."
They also took the trouble to arrange meals for the five days in century-old restaurants near the scenic spots, so it should be no problem to add a home-cooked meal.
"Okay, thank you!"
Teacher Gao in the room said to Fang Mingche, "Does that mean we have to take out one or two thousand first to cushion the cost?"
"Yes, but we have to collect the remaining 70% of the money halfway through the trip, so we don't have to cushion the cost all the time."
"That's not bad."
Wang Dexian took the large promotional poster, brochure, and the sample of the contract signed today back to show his grandfather. He also took several denominations of foreign currency, including US dollars and European currencies.
Old Master Wang put on his reading glasses and looked at their brochure carefully. "It's done quite well. I think it's quite professional."
"It's just a makeshift team. We don't even have an office. The phone number is requisitioned from a company with overseas connections at the entrance of the alley. For this purpose, we hired a high school graduate girl as the operator. By the way, let me give it a try."
He picked up the phone on the table and said in his limited English: "Travel agency?"
Lingzi was obviously a little nervous on the other end, and quickly replied in English according to the memorized formula. Then she asked him if he had any questions to consult, and she could answer them here. After a few words, the girl was obviously more confident and stopped stuttering.
Wang Dexian smiled after listening to her and said, "I am Wang Dexian."
"Vice President Wang, you scared me."
Wang Dexian hung up the phone, "Grandpa, is it okay?"
Old Master Wang nodded, "Not bad. It's not bad to be able to put together such a makeshift team in a small alley like that. Then according to what you said, if it's full, you can earn more than 4,000 a month?"
Then he can get more than 1,000.
Wang Dexian nodded, "If everything goes well, it will be like this."
Old Master Wang said, "It really can't be underestimated. In this way, I have a chance to take over this courtyard house."
Wang Dexian said, "Don't count on this for now, old man. Our makeshift team can't keep living like this. Xiao Fang asked me to try to rent a house in the Overseas Chinese Apartment to use as an office. Or just rent a whole courtyard house. In case there are tourists who want to visit or reporters interview, there must be a place. In addition, I see that there are so many people on that plane, it would be better if we can rent a few more cars. We have many places to spend money, and there will be no dividends in the short term."
Today's opening was very smooth, and he was really happy. When he left, he took two bottles of military-supplied Maotai directly from the old man. He gave them to Fang Mingche together with the foreign currency he took.
Fang Mingche took the wine back to the room and locked it, and then gave the foreign currency to Lin Yan to keep.
Lin Yan said, "I don't feel comfortable keeping this at home. Someone came to our little room before and tried to steal something."
But if you take it to the bank, it will definitely be exchanged directly.
Fang Mingche smiled, "He has a legitimate income and won't do this again."
"Do you know who it is?"
"He has some money. But Aunt Yuan said that as long as he doesn't do it again, just pretend you don't know. Give the old lady this face!"
Lin Yan also had an idea in her mind, it turned out to be someone nearby.
Fang Mingche said, "It's okay, Teacher Qiu is here all day now."
He paid the old man a salary of 80 yuan a month, with a 2% profit dividend. If he can really make more than 4,000 a month, the dividend will be 90. Teacher Qiu is now very important to the travel agency. He still needs to continue to train tour guides. So his income should be higher than his daughter. But the father and daughter together make 300 a month.
In this way, what Fang Mingche told them was not just a pie in the sky. At this moment, the father and daughter were excited to calculate and were very happy. This is ten times the basic salary of Teacher Qiu before. It was a sudden rise!
Teacher Qiu said: "Well, Xiao Fang treats us very well, so we have to work hard too."
Sister Qiu nodded, "Yes, I know."
"I'll take the bus back to school to see your grandma and tell her the good news. Otherwise, she won't be willing to spend the ten yuan."
Sister Qiu said, "How about we ask Master He to take us there?"
"You're quite good at spending money. No way! There's a ten-fold difference between taking the bus and taking a taxi. You've started to spend money lavishly before we even get paid. When we buy a house nearby, we can ask a taxi to pick up your grandma." After the accident
, Beijing Normal University took back the house he had been allocated. Later, three generations of the family squeezed into the inner and outer rooms of a tube building. The daughter and the old mother shared a room, and he shared a room. If they could buy a house nearby, they could buy a bigger one and bring the old mother to live with them. Otherwise, as she gets older, it's still not easy for her to live alone.
Fang Mingche also knew that Teacher Qiu was worried about his mother. So he would go to see her almost every day when he went to school, and do things like fetching water and moving honeycomb coal for the old lady. Teacher Qiu was very grateful to him for this.
That evening, Han Mei came to pick up the eggs on her 28-bar bicycle. Lin Yi was not free every day. Now she came by herself on her father-in-law's bicycle.
"Sister, brother-in-law, mom asked me to ask why you didn't go home today?" Lin Yan usually went back to her parents' home on Sundays.
Lin Yan said, "Oh, I had something to do, so I didn't go back."
Han Mei had bought eggs on credit for ten days and went back to sell them. She estimated that she had already made ten yuan. However, Han Mei did not mention the need to pay the initial ten yuan for the eggs, and Lin Yan did not ask.
Nowadays, some places have the practice of holding back the payment of goods. But Lin Yan has no shortage of downstream customers, so except for Xiao Xie at the beginning, she has never given this treatment to anyone else.
As for Xiao Xie, it was to prevent her mother-in-law from saying in the future that Xiao Xie's initial capital for the egg business was taken from the Gao family.
(End of this chapter)
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