Riding the wind of rebirth

“But I’ve had people look at it, and they all say it’s Old Kang’s.”

"I guarantee you, even if you offered the person who told you this was Old Kang's item half the price, he still wouldn't buy it!"

One sentence silenced the middle-aged man, who remained silent for a long while before asking, "So how much money can you offer?"

Zhou Zhi looked at Zhang Cheng, who remained silent but quietly tucked his right hand—middle, ring, and little fingers—into the counter.

Zhou Zhi tapped the table: "Well... if you put Xiaokang official kiln porcelain three or four years ago, it would have been a free gift or add-on to Qing Dynasty porcelain. The market has been pretty good these past two years, but it hasn't been that expensive. I don't know what price Manager Zhang gave you, but I have an elder in my family who likes to collect monochrome porcelain... I'll give you 1,800 for this one."

"He just offered two thousand! Young man, you're even better at bargaining than him!" The middle-aged man suddenly became anxious.

"Pretty much, that's the market rate." Zhou Zhi looked indifferent: "It's around two thousand, maybe a hundred or two more or less, depending on how the buyer and seller negotiate."

"See? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Zhang Cheng said. "This person's opinion is the same as our auction house's. If you're willing to pay, we'll settle for two thousand. If you think that's too low, you can go to other stores and see if they can offer a higher price."

"You just said that you have an elder in your family who likes this kind of thing." The middle-aged man looked at Zhou Zhi: "Manager Zhang has already offered two thousand, but I said it's not enough. If you like it, give me a little more, and I won't take it back."

“I can’t add much more. As I just said, this is the market rate,” Zhou Zhi said. “I can only add another hundred for you at most.”

"Two hundred!" the middle-aged man said. "You have to pay me for the round-trip fare."

After spending 2,200 yuan to get rid of the middle-aged man, Zhou Zhi acquired this small plate with bright yellow glaze inside and out from the Guangxu imperial kiln.

Zhang Cheng pulled a box out of the cabinet and put it in his bag: "The extra two hundred was unnecessary. He'll definitely sell it for two thousand."

“After we got rid of him, it’s easier for us to talk things out,” Zhou Zhi laughed. “Besides, I wasn’t exactly lying to him; my mom really does like monochrome glazed porcelain…”

"I think I've heard you mention him before. I heard you came back from New York with a big deal. This must be Xiao Miao, right?"

"Yes, Xiao Miao is called Brother Cheng. He is a renowned porcelain connoisseur in Chengdu and has taken me to hunt for houses many times."

"Brother Cheng," Mai Xiaomiao called out obediently, "I went to Da Liushu with Zhouzi, it was quite fun."

“Finding houses is even more fun than going to a ghost market,” Zhang Cheng invited. “Let’s go together sometime.”

"By the way, you guys came here on business too, right? I saw you had two scrolls tucked under your elbow just now?"

"I wrote two pieces of calligraphy myself." Zhou Zhi handed over the calligraphy: "I think Brother Fei's shop sign is pretty good. I would like to trouble you to make two for me. One is for Brother Niu Er and Tian Rui. Hongqi Village is going to be demolished. They plan to use the demolition compensation to open a skewers shop called Yulin Skewers."

“This Xinghua Village is where I met a descendant of the Lan family in Huili. I promised to write a sign for his shop as well.”

"It's nothing." Zhang Cheng opened the signboard: "Wow, no wonder you're so confident, your calligraphy has really improved!" "It hasn't improved much, I just owe someone a favor and can't find a way to make up for it." Zhou Zhi said: "As for the plaque, just do it like your Hanya style. Black lacquer background, pine green characters will do."

"How about I call Lao Fei and we get together tonight?"

"I'll call Master Zhang first and reserve a table at Rongleyuan. I'll treat you." Zhou Zhi laughed, "You should also invite Brother Fei and Sister Liu. We haven't seen each other in a while, so let's get together. While we're at it, introduce Sister Tian to Master Zhang so he can learn from her."

"Good, Lao Fei has been talking about you a lot. He'll be happy to know you're back!"

That evening, everyone met in the Yuanfu private room at Rongleyuan.

Rongleyuan has expanded again. It started as a six-story building occupying the first two floors, then increased to four floors, and now it has taken over the entire building.

When Zhou Zhi arrived downstairs, all sorts of high-end private and public vehicles were arriving in an endless stream. The first and second floors were bustling with noise. Waiters were pushing large food carts, which had four tiers and were full of dishes, serving food to each table.

Mai Xiaomiao observed with great insight: "Elbow, doesn't it look like a data bus running data packets?"

Zhou Zhi, holding Mai Xiaomiao's hand, smiled and said, "That's the idea. Catering management is indeed a science, the kind that requires efficient organization."

"This restaurant is bustling now. There are more than forty chefs and more than two hundred staff members in the whole building. Back then, Rongleyuan was not as bustling as it is now, even excluding the takeout business."

The next twenty years will be the most prosperous era for China's catering industry. Profit margins for restaurants will be around 100% gross profit, and net profit will generally not be less than 30%. Places like Rongleyuan can truly be described as making a fortune every day.

In later generations, the net profit margin of the catering industry was generally only 10%. This net profit margin was further reduced due to fierce competition and platform profit sharing, eventually returning to a zero-sum game with low gross profit.

The average wage these days is only four or five hundred yuan, but a meal can easily cost one or two thousand yuan. For example, Cantonese seafood dishes can easily cost three or four thousand yuan, not including the cost of drinks, private room fees, and service fees.

Meanwhile, in major nightclubs and karaoke bars, the sale of genuine and counterfeit imported spirits such as Rémy Martin and Martell has skyrocketed.

The current consumption situation is so booming that "large units" like Rongleyuan reserve several private rooms every day for senior executives to use to maintain relationships. In Zhou Zhi's opinion, these private rooms basically meet the standards of Michelin in later generations, and even reach the three-star level. The decoration, tableware, dishes, and service are even more outstanding.

However, such large establishments can suffer terrible losses when the harsh winter arrives, much like the "post-dinosaur era" after an asteroid impact on Earth. The larger the individuals, the faster they went extinct. Those that survived were the "little guys" who were resourceful, had small establishments, and were willing to swallow their pride and even run canteens in various organizations in order to survive.

However, the catering industry is still on the rise, and Rongleyuan, as a "leader" in the Sichuan cuisine industry, is even more remarkable.

As the highest-ranking official, Zhang Yuanfu reserved the best private room for himself.

"The pork knuckle is here!" Fei Guan arrived even before Zhou Zhi. When he saw Zhou Zhi, Mai Xiaomiao, and Zhang Cheng walk in together, he stood up from the sofa next to the coffee table to greet them.

"Brother Fei, long time no see!" Zhou Zhi gave him a warm hug: "This is my girlfriend, Xiao Miao. Where's Sister Liu?" (End of Chapter)