1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 336 What I Saw (2)

The next morning, Tao Quan stared at the ceiling, which already had some spider-web cracks, for a full five minutes. Then he gathered his energy, let out a low shout, and suddenly exerted force to sit up.

After finally getting rid of the heavy feeling that was suffocating him, he let out a long sigh, and listening to the noise coming from outside the house, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Since Niu Wa had called a black car for him yesterday that was about to break up at any time, it was no surprise that the place he was introduced to would be a homestay.

Moreover, it is different from the "B&B" of later generations. This is a B&B in the true sense...to put it bluntly, it means living in ordinary people's homes.

According to Niu Wa, although it is not necessary, since your first consideration is personal safety, then Uncle Zhang's house is the safest place nearby... Uncle Zhang has not only practiced Kung Fu for more than ten years, but also has a very good relationship with his neighbors. He is the type who does not even need to lock the door when he goes out.

Tao Quan didn't understand what it meant that one didn't need to lock the door when going out in this old industrial city these days. He only knew that this family's conditions were not very good.

In fact, when he heard that it only cost three yuan to stay here for a night, he no longer had any expectations for the accommodation conditions here... What a joke, now in Shantou, it costs more than ten yuan to find a shabby house and sleep in a large bunk bed with a dozen people!

A homestay that costs three dollars a night, plus a dinner, is this something that people can afford to stay in?

As expected, the dinner was terrible. It was just two large plates of multi-grain pancakes with a few green onions, a plate of pickles, and a large bowl of fairly thick egg and tomato soup... For someone like him who was used to a life of luxury in Shantou, such a table of food would be so shabby that it would be shabby if thrown to a dog.

But he still gritted his teeth and ate half a roll of pancake.

There was no other reason, I just had this meal with Uncle Zhang’s family.

Northerners have hot tempers and are very concerned about their reputation. He was afraid that if he didn't eat it, he would be beaten up by the angry host... Although Uncle Zhang said embarrassedly that he was in a hurry and didn't have time to buy some delicious food to entertain his guests, from his expression, he seemed very satisfied with the big bowl of egg and tomato soup with thick oil.

It turned out that such a big bowl of tomato and egg soup with at least three eggs beaten in it and a full spoonful of lard added was indeed a good thing for them... After Tao Quan set out his chopsticks, the rest of the family quickly gobbled up the bowl of egg drop soup.

Well, although the dinner was not very good and Tao Quan frowned at the room that was vacated as a guest room, the subsequent actions of Uncle Zhang's family really made him feel that even if it was thirty dollars, let alone three dollars, this night was not a loss.

Thinking of this, Tao Quan pressed the mattress with a strange expression.

This bed is not a good bed. It is just an ordinary wooden bed. The four legs are reinforced with some messy wooden strips in invisible places.

The mattress was not the Simmons mattress he usually slept on in Shantou, but a palm mattress that was as rough as it could be.

But the mat underneath is not one layer, but three layers.

Thinking of how Uncle Zhang last night was afraid that he was sleeping too hard and insisted on using the palm mat used by him, his wife and their youngest son for him, Tao Quan suddenly felt that this palm mat was actually quite comfortable to sleep on.

Of course, it would be better if one less quilt could be sent over.

Thinking of Uncle Zhang who was worried that he would catch a cold at night and insisted on covering himself with two layers of quilts yesterday, Tao Quan could not help but smile bitterly... The quilts here in Dezhou are very heavy, at least ten kilograms each. When he covered himself with these two quilts, the heavy feeling like sleep paralysis really made him unable to sleep well for half the night.

Although for him, this night's ordeal was not a very pleasant experience.

but……

Doesn’t seem that bad?

Tao Quan touched the sweaty vest on his back, looked at the clean spittoon at the foot of the bed, and a roll of clean old towels and an unopened toothbrush quietly placed on the table. His expression was a little strange.

………………

Ten minutes later, Tao Quan, who had just finished brushing his teeth, had not yet had time to ask what these people who ran into the yard early in the morning were doing, when he saw Niu Wa walking in carrying a few plastic bags.

"Uncle, aunt, Xiaohu, Mr. Tao, hurry up and have breakfast... I had to wait in line for a long time to get Lao San's plain tofu pudding... Hey? Grandma Niu, you're here too? What a coincidence, I didn't know you were coming today, so I didn't bring you a portion... Why don't you have mine!"

While greeting, Niu Wa placed the tofu pudding on the table and walked towards the old woman in her sixties with the bowl. After being rejected by the old woman with a smile, he took the bowl back without any hesitation.

"Niu Wa, are these people here to... visit?" Tao Quan asked in a low voice, with suspicion and surprise in his eyes.

He originally thought that these people were here to collect debts, but when he walked out and took a look, he found that it was not the case; but if you want to say they are visiting early in the morning, it doesn't seem like they are coming that early, right?
Niu Wa laughed when he heard this. "Oh, you mean these neighbors? They came here to inquire about the news... Many of their children and relatives had been working on the construction site of the drilling company's industrial park before. Now that the project in the commercial demonstration area has basically been completed, they came here to ask what kind of work is available next."

At this point, Niu Wa explained: "Uncle Zhang is the most familiar with Miss Li. When we were recruiting some time ago, Uncle Zhang was also the guarantor of this area, so it would be right to ask him for information."

Oh……

It turns out to be a labor agency!
Tao Quan looked at the man who was smiling and talking to his neighbors in dialect, and his confusion deepened.

Being a labor agent is well-known for making money quickly these days. The drilling company, no, the commercial demonstration area built by Dahua Company in the industrial park is another big project. There must be a lot of money in it. Why doesn't this Uncle Zhang look like he has money at all?

Hearing Tao Quan's question in a low voice, Niu Wa's face showed a strange expression again: "Mr. Tao, I think you have misunderstood. Uncle Zhang is not the foreman. He just helps everyone find some work."

"I don't know about other places, but in Dezhou, in the northern part of the city, if you do this, you will be scolded to death by the neighbors... Besides, whether these people can go to work is up to Miss Li and other store managers who work silently. Miss Li and her people value character the most. If Uncle Zhang is the kind of person you described, do you think Miss Li will let him be the guarantor?" "Besides, the drilling company recruits workers from here to take care of those who have difficulties in life. Letting Uncle Zhang be the guarantor is just to select the neighbors who really need help... As I said, we must not lose a penny of the money we should earn, and we will not earn a penny of the money we should not earn... If you take money for such a thing, are you still a human being!"

Tao Quan's eyes twitched, and he felt as if he was slapped hard in the face by the little guy in front of him.

In Shantou, Shekou and other areas at present, labor agency is a top-notch lucrative job. Even for myself, I asked my wife's younger brother to secretly set up a labor company. Then, taking advantage of the business, I sent batches of people going to Shantou to work to the factories of various partners, and then I made a lot of money from both ends.

He snorted with some dissatisfaction: "You are still young and don't understand many things. In this world, if you rely on passion without the guarantee of interests, it is nothing but good intentions leading to bad results!"

Tao Quan pouted as he spoke: "Take the fact that you let me stay at your uncle Zhang's house for example. Your intentions are good, and I understand that you want to take care of your acquaintances... But three dollars a night, including a dinner and a breakfast... You still make a shit! Isn't this Chunchun letting me stay for free?... After a long time, you didn't make a penny, and your uncle Zhang worked in vain. Who will be willing to give up the house in the future? Who will be willing to accept your kindness?"

He didn't say anything too profound. The other party was just a child, and his topic was limited to making money and whether to appreciate or not appreciate.

Unexpectedly, Niu Wa just looked at him in surprise and said, "Who said Uncle Zhang doesn't make money? He's already making three dollars a night... Do you know how much Uncle Zhang used to make a month doing chores for other families?"

As he spoke, Niu Wa counted with his fingers: "Forty-five, this is already the best situation. If the situation is not good, there are twenty or thirty!"

"And I also get a cut... If you stay here for one night, I can get one-tenth of it, which is 30 cents!"

Seeing the little guy's defenseless look, Tao Quan's mouth twitched: "First, you shouldn't tell others about your commission percentage. This is a business secret...especially you can't tell this to your clients."

"Second, I know that three dollars a night may seem high to you, but it's not enough. For people like us who come from other places, our expectations for accommodation are much higher than three dollars a night. Since you are a tour guide, you have to learn to judge people by their appearance... If you meet someone who dresses and behaves like me next time, even if you stay in a B&B, you should at least quote ten dollars to get the room!"

I don't know what he was feeling, Tao Quan sighed heavily: "Niu Wa, you are still young, you don't understand many things... The current prices are changing every day, it is foreseeable that money will become less and less valuable in the future;"

"So you can't look at things with the old perspective. Since you are in this business, you have to set the base price high from the beginning. As for whether to charge that much money, you can adjust it according to the actual situation!"

"Believe me, in today's situation, if the base price is set too low, it will easily cause big problems... and people like to take advantage of bargains. For the same B&B, with the same five-yuan room rate, if you raise the price from three yuan to five yuan, or lower it from ten yuan to five yuan, or even just lower it to eight yuan, the feeling it gives people is completely different!"

Seeing Tao Quan's earnest expression, Niu Wa laughed: "Originally, I heard that people from the south are very cunning, but I didn't expect... Mr. Tao thinks differently from me."

Niu Wa shrugged and said, "First, maybe in your place, the commission rate for guides like us is a trade secret, but here, it is clearly marked... If it is 10%, then it is 10%, and it is absolutely not allowed to change at will, otherwise you may not get any work at all."

"This is a special requirement from the drilling company. If you want to make a living by relying on their system, you have to abide by this rule."

"In fact, even the drilling company's own tertiary industry projects must also comply with such standards... When I have time, I will take you to Momo Baizhai, Momo Baichao, and their newly built commercial demonstration area to see that no matter what the product is, the cost and premium standards of each link are clearly marked out. The main theme is transparency."

After shrugging his shoulders, Niu Wa smiled and said, "I think this is good. Everything is explained clearly to you. Customers don't need to worry about being taken advantage of. We also earn money honestly. Everyone feels happy and doesn't feel inferior to others."

Nani! ?
Has the drilling company made public the cost and markup of each link of the product?
This, this, this...

Tao Quan was completely dumbfounded. This kind of thing was completely beyond his comprehension.

Seeing this, Niu Wa looked a little proud: "Secondly, although I think Mr. Tao's question about accommodation fees is indeed for our own good, but Miss Li said that business should be based on integrity... No matter what others do, those who make a living in the drilling company system are absolutely not allowed to use yin and yang prices."

"In fact, some people wanted to set the price higher to allow for more flexibility, but their proposal was rejected."

"According to Miss Li, the people at the drilling company did some research and decided that Texas is not a tourist city. If the price is set too high, many people will be fooled and resent Texas... Instead of doing that, it is better to clearly mark the price based on the costs and benefits of the year, and within the specified period, no increase or decrease is allowed."

"Xia Liu Sales Agency often organizes us to study. In addition to teaching us how to read and be a good person, they often emphasize that we should not sacrifice long-term interests for the sake of short-term gains. They cannot control other things, but as long as we improve the business and social environment of the drilling company, we will build a tall phoenix tree and there will be no shortage of phoenixes... When more people come here, we can naturally continue to innovate and everyone can make a lot of money in a fair and honest way."

At the end, Niu Wa's face had a kind of light that outsiders couldn't understand: "If it was other people who said these empty words that sounded like pie in the sky, we would naturally not believe them, but these words were said by the drilling company, the Xialiu Sales Agency, Miss Li of Mo Mo Baichao and other store managers, so... I believe it, Uncle Zhang believes it, Uncle Li who drives a black car believes it, Brother She and the others believe it, and these neighbors believe it too!"

Tao Quan was completely dumbfounded at this moment. He even wanted to send the little guy in front of him to the hospital for a check-up to see if he had been poisoned.

No, not just this little guy, all these guys in the yard who look so hopeful should be sent to the hospital for a thorough check-up!
After a long while, thinking of his mission, Tao Quan took a deep breath and suddenly sneered: "Since you say so... then let's not go to Dezhou No. 2 Cotton and Garment City, nor to Dezhou Rubber General Factory and Zhenhua Glass today... Let's go to the industrial park you mentioned."

"Hehe, I want to see it for myself..."

Before he could finish his words, Niu Wa jumped up and said, "That's great. I'll go get you a car right now... or the same Uncle Li from yesterday, or the same long-truck Liberation from yesterday, okay?"

Tao Quan, who had choked on his words, thought of the broken car that almost broke his bones yesterday. He glanced at Niu Wa's hopeful expression and his mouth trembled.

"it is good!"

Tao Quan spat out the word from between his teeth.

........................

PS: I secretly wrote a chapter while preparing for the final exam. If I wasn’t kept in class today, I would have another chapter tonight.

(End of this chapter)