Courtyard House: My Wife is Xu Huizhen

Page 248

He Yuzhu nodded and agreed.

The next day, the area in front of the shops on Qianmen Street was incredibly lively. Although there were no dragon dances or lion dances at the opening of the Beijing store, the area was only a few steps from Tianqiao, so He Yuzhu invited some performers to come.

It quickly attracted a lot of onlookers, who gathered in layers. It was a rare occasion that the entire He family came, and shareholders Chen Xueru and Elena were also there early in the morning.

Soon the auspicious time arrived, and the three of them together tore down the red silk covering the signboard.

The golden signboard of "Limin Electrical Appliances Store" shone brightly in the sunlight.

The crowd, who had been waiting for a long time, rushed in and filled the shop in just a few seconds.

Previously, tube radios were the norm, and they were not only bulky but also expensive, making them unaffordable for most people.

This was the only shop in the entire capital that sold transistor radios. Many people, even if they couldn't afford one, would come over to join in the fun and listen to the broadcast coming from that tiny box.

Left with no other choice, He Yuzhu had the waiter move two old counters out of the back warehouse and put a few radios outside the shop.

This relieved the pressure inside the store, allowing staff to move in and out and resume normal business operations.

He Yuzhu and his wife greeted the many friends who came to congratulate them. Everyone was envious. Judging from this, He Yuzhu's appliance store was sure to be a booming business and make a lot of money.

After dealing with this group of friends, I sold more than 30 radios, all at a 8% discount.

He Yuzhu finally had a moment to catch his breath and drank a cup of tea that Tian Zao handed him.

"Zhu Zi, your business is booming."

"It's alright. It's only open today. The hype will die down in a couple of days. It'll be really good when it's actually good."

Tian Zao was also envious, watching those radios being taken away. She wondered how much money they could make in the process. She asked, "Zhu Zi, when will the equipment you mentioned last time be ready?"

"It should be soon. Once the braised meat shop is set up, the equipment should be ready too."

"Then you'd better hurry up. Our street office and neighborhood committee have cleared out space, just waiting for your equipment."

He Yuzhu nodded, and the two chatted about the equipment for a while before the opening ceremony came to an end.

These friends who came to offer their congratulations were invited to a restaurant for a lively meal. He Yuzhu even personally cooked several stews. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, he saw them off one by one.

Back at the electronics store, Xu Huizhen exclaimed happily, "Zhu Zi, we sold over a hundred radios and more than sixty watches this morning, but the radios were still the most profitable."

"I didn't expect to sell so many. It seems that ordinary people still have money."

"Yes, this is a one-of-a-kind item; you can't buy it anywhere else."

Xu Huizhen asked, somewhat puzzled, "Why doesn't the government import and sell this?"

“You only see the money that’s going to be made, but you haven’t thought about how they wouldn’t want our money.”

"What's the meaning?"

"They can't buy anything with our money, so the country would rather use its limited foreign exchange reserves to import equipment than import finished products to sell."

He Weizhu explained the relationship in detail, and Xu Huizhen finally understood.

He Yuzhu was different; he sold silk to exchange for rupees, and then used that money to buy goods there. He didn't use gold to directly purchase goods.

There was a shop on Qianmen Street that specialized in selling imported high-end transistor radios and all-steel watches. They even sold various parts that could be used to assemble crystal radios. This news quickly spread by word of mouth, making it known to more people.

Some wealthy families came from far and wide, and after seeing with their own eyes that such a small box could play radio, they all placed orders to buy it.

Some were also alert and asked if they could wholesale the products and sell them to places like Tianjin and Shanghai.

This transistor radio is a unique and wonderful product, no matter which city it is sent to.

He Yuzhu's batch of goods consisted of several thousand radios, and he wanted to secure the profits as soon as possible, so he agreed to wholesale them.

After three busy days, the appliance store's business gradually returned to normal, and the number of customers slowly decreased.

After a few days of happiness, an unpleasant guest suddenly arrived at the door, and the waiter brought Fan Jinyou in.

He Yuzhu didn't bother to make tea and asked directly, "Is there something you need?"

Fan Jinyou said with a forced smile, "Congratulations to Boss He on your prosperous business and abundant wealth."

"You're too kind. It's better to just say what you want to say." He Yuzhu didn't give him a friendly look and didn't bother with formalities.

Fan Jinyou coughed once before beginning to speak: "The neighborhood committee attaches great importance to the business of the electronics store, considering it a good thing and worthy of praise. The neighborhood committee..."

"Alright, you'd better just say what you want to say directly, instead of beating around the bush."

"this..."

Fan Jinyou knew that He Yuzhu had a problem with him, but he didn't care. Since the polite words had been said, he would get down to business.

"The neighborhood has included the electrical appliance store on its priority list, hoping to complete the public-private partnership as soon as possible."

He Yuzhu looked at Fan Jinyou, who was all serious, chuckled twice, and then said, "Don't give me that. You're just trying to get back at me. I'll move the shop to Luogu Lane later."

"you..."

Fan Jinyou did not expect He Yuzhu to say such a direct thing; this was completely unpredictable.

The electronics stores have been selling like hotcakes these past two days, and Fan Jinyou has seen it too. He is extremely jealous. Although he is a street cadre, he is actually just a temporary worker and doesn't receive many supplies.

Adding to the previous conflict with He Yuzhu, and unable to bear seeing him make money, she reported to the street director, wanting to first implement a public-private partnership for the electrical appliance store.

After all, this is the only trick that works best, and whether it succeeds or fails, it will only cause trouble for He Yuzhu.

He Yuzhu was also very direct, saying, "This batch of goods is a collaboration between us and our customers from Russia. If you want to engage in a public-private partnership, it will alert the consulate. If our customers from Russia get angry, can you take responsibility?"

Qianmen Street is a relatively prosperous area in Beijing, and there are many friends around. If He Yuzhu moves out after only three days, people will only think that he is incompetent and has been squeezed out.

So He Yuzhu is using Elena as a shield again. You should know that the relationship between China and Russia is the closest in history, with Russia having assisted in the construction of 156 key projects.

They built a complete industrial base from scratch, and at present, they are the only country willing to sell equipment to them. As long as the Russians are involved, it is a top priority for governments at all levels.

"Are there Russians involved in this business?" Fan Jinyou asked, looking incredulous.

"Do you think I can pull strings with the railways and diplomacy? This is a one-of-a-kind business in the whole country. Do you think I'd be the one to do it?"

Wangfujing Department Store, hailed as "China's first store," is not yet open and is undergoing final construction. It will not open until this autumn.

The stores on the market are mostly small-scale shops. Although they sell some imported goods, they don't actually sell transistor radios.

This startled Fan Jinyou. Yes, he had already learned about He Yuzhu's background.

Although he was very wealthy from his braised meat business, his social status was not high. He couldn't have managed to bring so many radios to Moscow on his own.

Could it be that people from Russia were really involved in this?

Otherwise, how can we explain how He Yuzhu managed to get to Moscow, successfully source goods, and bring them back to Beijing?

Fan Jinyou realized his mistake when he thought about it. If foreigners were involved, what right did he have to propose a public-private partnership for their electronics store?

He immediately groaned inwardly, wondering why he hadn't thought of this. He had even boasted to the street director that he could transform the appliance store into a state-owned enterprise and hand over a large amount of profits.

But how can this situation be resolved? With foreign involvement, it's impossible to continue public-private partnerships; otherwise, wouldn't we just be making empty promises again?

Last time, I didn't handle the braised meat shop matter well, and I got a scolding from the director and almost got a demerit. Will I be able to escape the fate of being given a demerit this time?

He Yuzhu looked at Fan Jinyou, who had been full of confidence just moments before, but now had a bitter expression on his face, and felt extremely happy.

The presence of foreigners in business immediately makes many people hesitant to cause trouble, ensuring that business can continue as usual.

“Fan Jinyou, this is the second time you’ve done this. If it weren’t for the fact that you’re a street-level cadre, I would have dealt with you long ago. If you mess around with me again next time, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

"you..."

Fan Jinyou was furious and shouted, "You just wait! If I find out that no foreigners were involved, I... I'll make sure you can't keep your job!"

Chapter 185 Replacement

A few days later, Tian Zao came to visit, and together they went to a nearby alley where the Limin Braised Meat Shop sign had been hung up.

"This house was confiscated, but it has now been renovated. Please see if there is anything you would like to add."

"As long as there's a place, it's fine."

The braised meat business doesn't require much from the location, as long as there's water, electricity, and coal, and the place is clean and hygienic. We've been here before and offered suggestions for improvement; this is our inspection and acceptance.

Upon entering the courtyard, one could see several construction workers putting the finishing touches on the work, with a middle-aged man in a Zhongshan suit standing nearby directing the work.

Upon seeing Tian Zao enter, the other party came to greet her.

After Tian Zao's introduction, He Yuzhu learned that this was Cui Xiangjin, the future manager of the braised meat shop.

He Yuzhu exchanged a few polite words, and the three of them toured the site together. Overall, it was the same as He Yuzhu's instructions: once completed, with the addition of some necessary tools and equipment, they could begin producing braised meat here.

As a technology provider, He Yuzhu also has two offices here, one bright and one dark, where he can rest.

Tables, chairs, benches, and small sofas are all provided, and you can move in and start working at any time.

He Yuzhu was very satisfied. Before, he had always done manual labor, but now he had finally earned the privilege of sitting in an office.

Production hasn't started yet; we came here today to check and confirm the situation. Finally, He Yuzhu said, "Judging from the scene, we can start trial production in the next few days and ensure that all the braised meat is moved here for production next month."

"Are there any technical problems?"

"Of course, there's no problem."

"That's good. This is a key project for our neighborhood. You two need to work together closely and not let each other down."

Cui Xiangjin stated, "I will definitely cooperate with Boss He to successfully produce the braised meat and put it on the dining table."

"We must be very careful, especially regarding hygiene. We can't be careless; everyone from top to bottom is watching this!"