Chapter 49: Specialized Personnel for Specialized Tasks
Qiao Yichi had originally thought this was a technical question that needed explaining, but he hadn't expected Boss Lin to know how to steal the area. He casually drew a cross-section of a sloping-roof building on a piece of paper and said, "Yes, our official application is still a row of five large north-facing houses. From the street, it looks like a single story. However, during future renovations, we can add a floor, open windows on the south side, or add skylights. Lighting and ventilation won't be a problem, and we can gain an extra floor."
Lin Ruoyan understood immediately. She had originally purchased this small courtyard on the north side for one million yuan. It covered over 300 square meters, with a construction area of less than 200 square meters. If a mezzanine was added, it would be equivalent to an additional floor, and the construction area would probably reach 300 to 400 square meters. In a courtyard house in X City within the Second Ring Road, an extra 100 square meters of usable area would be equivalent to 10 to 20 million yuan in a dozen years.
Unfortunately, the housing prices have not risen yet, so she can only think about it. She cannot spend the money herself, and can only record this income for her son first.
Qiao Yichi sketched as he described the new plan to Boss Lin. The large, three-story courtyard in the front, originally had a row of back rooms adjacent to the courtyard in the back. These could be repurposed for business purposes, creating a roughly 500-square-meter area, enough for a B&B with its own coffee shop and light meals.
In the future, Lin Ruoyan would live on her own, entering from the main gate of the large courtyard on the south side and using only the first two entrances. Her private living quarters would be located behind the hanging flower gate on the second entrance. The reception and exhibition area would be placed in the first, southernmost entrance. With clear division of labor and no interference, the more she thought about it, the more perfect it became.
"Professor Qiao, can the part of my house I live in be renovated quickly? My child is in kindergarten and I drive back and forth from the suburbs every day to work. It's a bit tiring running back and forth."
Qiao Yizhi nodded: "Of course, this has already been considered for Mr. Lin."
He pulled out the latest set of drawings and, right there with Lin Ruoyan, explained the layout of the second courtyard's hanging flower gate. Seeing the scale in person and combining it with the exquisite details on the drawings, Lin Ruoyan, an industry expert herself, understood immediately and nodded in agreement.
As long as the plan is finalized quickly, construction can certainly follow. Those precious renovation materials and a slew of expensive foreign kitchen appliances are already on their way. In short, Qiao Yichi promised that the keys to the first and second courtyards could be handed over by the middle of next month. The remaining 500 square meters would be used for business purposes, and further market research could be conducted on this.
After all, the term "homestay" is still a rare imported word nowadays. Generally, people who come to Beijing to travel stay in star-rated hotels if they have money, and stay in small hotels or guesthouses if they don't, or stay overnight at relatives' or friends' homes. Short-term rentals for a few days are informal and lack a unified understanding.
Lin Ruoyan suddenly thought of the fact that the understanding of tourism in China at that time was still relatively backward as described in the book. People only took photos at scenic spots, or went shopping for souvenirs in places like Xi D where there were many shopping malls. There was no higher-level spiritual need to experience the local life.
But overseas, the tourism industry is more mature than in China. Many foreigners, especially young people, don't enjoy staying in high-end hotels, and they aren't as wealthy as Chinese people imagine. Low-end hotels in China aren't accredited to accommodate foreign guests. Foreigners, drawn to the elegant and quaint Chinese residences, yearn to stay there, but lack the opportunity and access.
As China's development catches up with the rest of the world, the tourism industry has gradually been liberalized. B&B accommodation is gradually flourishing during this period in the book, and of course, a host of related management policies are constantly being improved.
The Beijing Siheyuan residential experience has become a popular attraction after its overseas launch. While it won't make a fortune, it will still generate some income in the future. This is the inheritance she's leaving to her son, so she needs to plan ahead and establish a good reputation.
Lin Ruoyan knew all this because, of course, the book mentioned Hua Mengmeng. Her troubled past included working as a waitress in a foreign-related restaurant. Because of her good English, she also served as a tour guide for foreigners. She was well-versed in overseas travel websites and forums. Later, Hua Mengmeng helped Li Yiqi run the company successfully, and in her spare time, she rented a large courtyard house and launched a unique leisure and experience tour program.
Now that Lin Ruoyan has determined the scale of the B&B, it would be too tiring to run it herself, and she doesn't understand it, but Hua Mengmeng does. Since she has hired a talented person, she shouldn't just use him as an English translator.
According to the description in the book, Hua Mengmeng studied hotel management, had strong English skills, and her classmates and teachers had some connections in the industry, so she was definitely capable of supporting the operation of a B&B.
So the next day after Lin Ruoyan came to work, she called Hua Mengmeng to the office alone.
"What are you mainly responsible for recently?" Lin Ruoyan asked kindly.
Hua Mengmeng was actually feeling a bit guilty. She had originally applied for a receptionist position, but ended up in the CEO's office. She'd assumed her English was valued, but she discovered that Zhao Xingxing, who worked in the design department, had studied abroad. Although he was from Country D, he spoke English both at school and at work, using only specialized architectural vocabulary. She didn't need any help at all. She wanted to help, but she was afraid they wouldn't think she was professional enough.
So she was currently following Qin Shuang, learning to organize case studies around the project and understanding some of the company operations in the real estate industry. She was starting from scratch, fearing she wouldn't make it past the probation period.
She told the truth and then took the initiative to ask: "Boss Lin, I feel that my work is not enough. I want to learn more and do more. Can I..."
"Don't you ever go home to live?" Lin Ruoyan suddenly asked.
Hua Mengmeng felt even more guilty.
Hua Mengmeng's mother died young, and her father was abusive. In junior high school, she was in the top three in her grade, and her teacher said she would have no problem getting into Peking University or Tsinghua University. However, her father forced her to attend a vocational high school so she could graduate early and earn money to support the family.
Unable to withstand the beatings and kicks, she gave in and chose hotel management as her major. She excelled academically and also took business English. While other students were struggling with exams, she had already earned a host of certifications, including business English, the Level 8 Professional English Test, and a tour guide certificate. Their vocational high school offered a tour guide program and provided information on the development of related industries abroad, which was an eye-opener for her.
Before joining Lin Ruoyan's company, she would hide in the library during the day to study for the adult college entrance examination, and when she felt tired, she would lie down and sleep. The library had free hot water and free access to the restroom. At night, she would work odd jobs in restaurants, working the night shift with meals provided, and earning extra money.
She simply refused to go home; if she did, her father would still beat her. Tour guide jobs were only available during peak tourist season. If she joined a regular travel agency, she would be traveling extensively, leading tours and having no control over her schedule, making it impossible to schedule study and exams.
When she applied for the position at Lin's, she was attracted by the high salary and the three-year contract, which would allow her to work from 9 to 5 every day and not have to work overtime on Saturdays and Sundays.
This way, she no longer needed to work odd jobs and could earn a steady salary, giving her plenty of time to study. The company was also large, with a bar, fitness equipment, and everything in between. Everyone had a huge locker, and she brought her own bedding. After everyone else got off work, she'd pretend to be leaving, then wander around outside before returning to the office and finding a corner to sleep. She even had her accommodations taken care of.
Even if her father eventually found out where she worked, he would never dare to enter such a luxurious office building. If anyone dared to come, she would dare to call the security to drive him away.
Everyone thinks she lives nearby, so she's the first one to arrive every day, even before the front desk, and leaves late. If anyone asks, she'll honestly say she has a low level of education and plans to study more, eventually taking the self-taught adult college entrance exam, so she hopes to read more after work.
Didn't I expect CEO Lin to see through her pretense and know she was just sleeping around? So, was he calling her in now to fire her? She hadn't even finished her probation period, and she hadn't done anything remarkable; she was just taking advantage of the company.
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