The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 529 Are there really that many side businesses in the funeral industry?

After Zhou Hu confidently stated that he could handle any plan and that they would do their best as long as the money was available, Zhao Cheng'an then said that he actually had an older friend who needed funeral planning more than him, because this friend would most likely die before him.

Then Shi Dadan said that he also wanted to buy a funeral plan, even though he might not need it, but he wanted to buy a plan to satisfy his craving.

Shi Dadan even asked Qin Huai if he wanted to buy one too, since there were more of them and they might be able to negotiate a better price.

Qin Huai said he didn't need it anymore, as he had no plans to die anytime soon, and everyone should buy as needed, and only buy if necessary.

The above conversation was conducted in front of Zhou Hu.

It only took Zhou Hu 0.01 seconds to accept the fact that these people might not be mentally sound, but they were really rich.

In terms of clothing, Qin Huai, Chen Huihong, Zhao Cheng'an, Shi Dadan, and Qu Jing all follow a simple style, wearing whatever they have. Qin Huai, Qu Jing, and Zhao Cheng'an, in particular, usually wear work clothes, and their personal clothes are basically just things they buy casually.

Luo Jun follows a high-end, bespoke style. According to Chen Huihong, every piece of clothing Luo Jun owns is custom-made by a tailor who regularly visits Luo Jun's home to take his measurements. Qin Huai said he couldn't tell; he had always assumed Luo Jun bought his clothes online, since Luo Jun doesn't like going out and still holds the record for the longest period without leaving the Yunzhong community.

Gong Liang, Chen Gong, and Shi Dadan all wore brand-name clothes, but in different styles. Gong Liang had a flamboyant business style, Chen Gong had a business elite style, and Shi Dadan had a nouveau riche but simple style. On him, a coat worth tens of thousands of yuan looked like a 50-yuan item bought at a market.

Zhou Hu was clearly a sharp-eyed person.

Putting aside the clothes, Zhou Hu wasn't blind; he recognized the double-R logo and the Maybach emblem on the car parked in the parking lot.

From the moment Luo Jun got out of the car, Zhou Hu knew this was a big order.

But he hadn't expected this order to be not only expensive but also large in number, leaving even a professional funeral planner like Zhou Hu momentarily at a loss as to which customer to communicate with. After three seconds of hesitation and assessment, Zhou Hu decided to prioritize serving Luo Jun, the major client. Clearly, Luo Jun was the center of attention among these clients; only if Luo Jun's funeral was handled well would the remaining clients feel more comfortable purchasing plans from him.

No matter how you look at it, Luo Jun was the first to die among this group.

Luo Jun had already stated his needs, but Zhou Hu knew very well that customers could never have all their needs. If you think a customer has no needs, it means you haven't helped them discover them. Often, customers don't even know what they need, especially for services like funeral planning.

Unlike marriage, which some people can get married several times in their lifetime, a funeral can only be held once. For this kind of once-in-a-lifetime event, 99.99% of people have absolutely no experience with it.

Zhou Hu led Luo Jun through every hall of the funeral home, trying to help the customer choose the hall he would be most satisfied with for a three-day stay.

Luo Jun clearly didn't care about this and casually chose a fairly large ordinary lounge. The reason for choosing this lounge was simple: it could fit at least three mahjong tables, enough for Chen Huihong to play mahjong.

Chen Huihong felt that Luo Jun's choice of this hall was a bit extravagant. Given Luo Jun's interpersonal relationships, it would be good enough if two tables of mourners could be gathered for him to play mahjong at his funeral. Three mahjong tables were completely unnecessary.

Upon hearing this, Luo Jun's classic remarks finally echoed through the mourning hall.

"Chen Huihong, are you sick?"

Zhou Hu, standing to the side, seemed unfazed, as if to say, "We've seen all kinds of families in this line of work. You two are such a loving family." He tried to mediate, saying, "Mr. Luo, if you have few relatives and friends but still enjoy a lively funeral, we also have professional vigil staff with excellent mahjong skills. We guarantee that there will be people playing mahjong in your funeral hall 24 hours a day."

"Speaking of mahjong, we have many different styles here. Take a look and see if there's a style you like. Would you like to choose from our collection or have a few sets custom-made for you?"

Qin Huai: ...

Isn't Zhou Hu's hourly funeral service a bit too professional?

Damn, he was starting to get a little tempted.

After the funeral hall was arranged, Zhou Hu began to explain the layout of the funeral hall to Luo Jun one by one, including where to place the offering table, where to place the flowers, and where Luo Jun would lie down. Facing a major client, Zhou Hu decisively offered the most expensive plan and asked Luo Jun if he needed their company to set up a rough layout first to see the effect.

The setup cost isn't expensive, a few tens of thousands is enough, the main problem is the high cost of fresh flowers.

Luo Jun wrote a few lines and said he would like to see the color combinations first.

After visiting the mourning hall, Luo Jun expressed his desire to see the village where the branch venue was located. He doesn't like going out, and when he does, he wants to get everything done in one go.

Zhou Hu immediately agreed, saying that there were plenty of venues to choose from. His company had partnerships with several nearby villages, all of which could rent out venues. Luo Jun could look at them all at once and choose the one he liked best.

Then Zhou Hu went to a corner and made several phone calls non-stop. After a few calls, Zhou Hu said that he had made the arrangements and they could set off now.

The group set off in a daze.

The villages that cooperate with Zhou Hu's company are not wealthy villages. The infrastructure is not very good. There are new houses, old houses, and dilapidated houses that look like they are about to collapse. Because the houses are all built by each household, there is no planning. Some are three or four stories high, some are one or two stories high. Some are built like small villas and look very magnificent, while others are just large squares with no paint on the walls, only a layer of tiles on the front.

The common feature is that there are hardly any people in the villages. The young people have all gone to work in other places, and the children are all studying in the city. Only some elderly people are left in the villages, and there is no vitality in them.

Similar to Qinjiacun, Qinjiacun is only lively during the Spring Festival when young people from each household return to the village. At other times, there are only a dozen or so elderly people in the village, and many of them do not live in the village permanently but have moved to the town.

Qin Huai and his group drove from Yunzhong Residential Area to the funeral home, a journey of nearly two hours. From the funeral home, it took another hour to drive to the village. By the time they finished visiting the three villages, it was already dark. Luo Jun simply looked at the villages without even asking how much it would cost to rent a venue. In the end, they settled on the poorest and most dilapidated village.

Luo Jun's reasoning was that the village had a large space, and after the stage was set up, there would be plenty of room for chairs to sit on, making it convenient for watching the performance. If there were still empty spaces after the stage was set up, another stage could be built for other performances, such as crosstalk, skits, or stand-up comedy.

Zhou Hu didn't understand, but indicated that he could provide the resources.

As long as the money is right, any kind of actor can be hired.

With the venue secured, the remaining tasks were miscellaneous, such as setting up the stage. Luo Jun didn't concern himself with these matters, and Zhou Hu didn't know much about them either. In those days, there weren't many opera troupes still setting up stages in various villages and counties, but there were still quite a few. In many rural areas with a strong opera atmosphere, opera troupes would still be hired to perform for weddings, funerals, and festivals, for anywhere from half a day to three days, costing anywhere from several thousand to tens of thousands of yuan each time.

Many opera troupes travel to various places and can earn a considerable amount of money over the course of a year. They are very professional at setting up stages.

Zhou Hu has access to several small opera troupes.

These days, not many families are willing to hire an opera troupe to perform at their funerals, but it's not unheard of. Zhou Hu, a professional funeral planner, has encountered quite a few such cases.

“Mr. Luo, it’s getting late, it’s already past 7 p.m. It will probably take you more than three hours to drive back to the city, and you won’t get home until almost 11 p.m.

"How about we stop here for today? You've already arranged the funeral hall and the village. The rest are just some minor details. We'll try our best to give you a complete plan within a week. Also, please add me on WeChat so you can let us know if you have any further requests."

"I should have treated you all to a meal today, but it's getting late. I've ordered some food from a restaurant near Yunzhong Residential Area. I also need to take care of some things at your place. I'll go back with you all later and deliver the food to your home, Mr. Luo. Please make yourselves at home and don't mind the food."

"I'll send you the information about the opera troupes via WeChat later. Take a look and see which one you like. If you don't like any of them, just name your terms, and our company can find one in another city!"

Chen Gong looked at Zhou Hu with admiration in his eyes, his gaze filled with the mutual respect and appreciation of an all-around capable assistant.

"Don't send out materials, they're so annoying to look at." After a day of traveling and looking at venues, Luo Jun was exhausted and in a bad mood. "Let them come to my house to sing."

"I want to hear about their singing skills."

Zhou Hu was taken aback and said, "Of course." "It's just that traveling to perform takes a lot of time, and these troupes charge by the day; there's no audition process, so the fees might be..."

"money is not a problem."

"The troupe's expenses may need to be covered in cash..."

"Payment can be made immediately."

What can one say in the face of Zhou Hu, the wealthy and powerful backer? Of course, all one can say is:
"No problem, Mr. Luo, don't worry. I'll arrange it when I get back tonight. When do you have time?"

“I have time every day.”

"We'll arrange for an opera troupe to perform at your house tomorrow! But the music is a bit loud, might it disturb you..."

"The house, spanning several floors, belongs to me."

Zhou Hu's voice rose even higher: "Don't worry, I'll definitely arrange everything for you tomorrow!"

Qin Huai and his group drove back.

Zhou Hu ordered a rather lavish meal, with a total of 15 dishes, at least 10 of which were expensive main courses. The restaurant Zhou Hu booked even extended its closing time for this meal. Most restaurants near Yunzhong Canteen, except for late-night eateries, close around 10:00-10:30 PM. Qin Huai and the others didn't return to Yunzhong Canteen until 11 PM, and the restaurant staff and owner even worked an extra half hour for Zhou Hu.

Because there were so many dishes, Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an helped to get them, and they also took two boxes home.

Eating dinner around 11 PM is not very healthy, but it's alright. Luo Jun's meals are never on time. Chen Huihong is the type who will eat anytime as long as it's free. Shi Dadan, Gong Liang, and Chen Gong are all very free. Only Qu Jing, Qin Huai, and Zhao Cheng'an cannot go to Luo Jun's house for dinner.

All three of them have to go to work tomorrow, especially Qin Huai, whose work starts at 4 a.m., so 11 p.m. is a serious late night for him.

The restaurant owner clearly recognized Qin Huai and was surprised to find that it was Qin Huai who came to pick up the food. He exclaimed to the waiter, "Young Master Qin actually ordered takeout from our restaurant!"

Zhou Hu glanced at Qin Huai with some surprise upon hearing his boss's words, but didn't think much of it.

People who don't live or work near Yunzhong Community don't understand the true value of the name "Master Qin".

Zhou Hu dropped Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an off at the entrance of the residential area. He parked his car near the Yunzhong residential area. After dropping them off, Zhou Hu didn't leave; he just smiled and waved to them.

"Planner Zhou, you should head back soon. It's past 11 p.m., quite late. I remember you said you live near the funeral home, it'll take you two hours to get back," Qin Huai said with concern.

Zhou Hu laughed and said, "I happen to have a client who needs to talk to me, otherwise I wouldn't have come all this way."

Qin Huai: ?
Although he didn't understand why customers were still calling at 11 p.m., Qin Huai nodded in understanding, considering that Zhou Hu worked in the funeral industry and it was normal for him to still be working at 11 p.m., and walked into the residential area.

He hadn't walked two steps before he brushed past Xu Tuqiang.

Xu Tuqiang was walking very fast. When he brushed past Qin Huai, he didn't even recognize him at first. It was only after taking a few steps that he realized who Qin Huai was and turned around to exclaim in surprise, "Master Qin!"

Xu Tuqiang glanced at the takeout box Qin Huai was carrying: "Ordering takeout so late, you must be working so hard."

“Although food delivery isn’t allowed in our community, the property management always delivers it to our door. This property management is going too far; they expect you to come out and pick up your food at this hour!” Xu Tuqiang was furious.

"No, no, I got this packed from outside," Qin Huai quickly explained. "Grandpa Xu, you're going out so late?"

"I'm meeting a friend. Master Qin, you should get some rest. Are you selling glutinous rice cakes tomorrow morning?"

"It's for sale." Qin Huai nodded. He had made the rice cakes at home this morning before going out.

Xu Tuqiang walked out with a beaming smile.

Qin Huai was about to continue walking towards Luo Jun's house when he noticed that Zhao Cheng'an had stopped, staring thoughtfully at Xu Tuqiang's back, and even took a few steps toward the door.

"What's wrong?" Qin Huai asked.

"That's not right," Zhao Cheng'an said. "Zhou Hu was meeting a client at the entrance of Yunzhong Residential Area around 11:00 AM, and coincidentally, Grandpa Xu was hurrying out of the residential area at that time. Could Grandpa Xu be the client Zhou Hu was meeting?"

"Could it be that Grandpa Xu looks healthy but is actually nearing the end of his life and is secretly planning his own funeral?"

Qin Huai: ...

Very imaginative, but it's best not to be so imaginative.

"Grandpa Xu ate half a pound of glutinous rice cakes yesterday morning," Qin Huai said. "With that kind of appetite, do you think Grandpa Xu doesn't have much time left?"

"It could be a final burst of energy before death. Qin Huai, you don't understand. I've died a lot, I have experience."

Qin Huai stopped talking, pulled Zhao Cheng'an outside, indicating that seeing is believing, and they would know after walking a few steps and taking a look.

Then the two saw Xu Tuqiang standing at the entrance of the residential area. Since there was practically no one at the entrance at this time, Xu Tuqiang spoke and acted without restraint, excitedly saying to Zhou Hu:

"Master Zhou, the luck-changing talisman you gave me last time was so effective! The luck-changing talisman you gave me at the beginning of the year changed my luck a couple of days ago!"

"I originally planned to visit you at the funeral home a few days later, but I didn't expect you to be here today."

"I mainly want to trouble you to come and take a look at the feng shui of my house, to see if there is any room for change, preferably to change it to the feng shui of Master Qin making glutinous rice cakes every day."

"It would be even better if the feng shui could be changed so that I could sit in the kitchen and eat."

Zhou Hu, no longer the top strategist, now had an air of otherworldly wisdom about him. He slowly said, "Easy, easy. I can understand glutinous rice cakes, but what's the point of sitting in the kitchen to eat them?"

"Master Zhou, it's like this, do you remember when I told you about the Cloud Cafeteria in our neighborhood, the one next door? The Cloud Cafeteria..."

Qin Huai and Zhao Cheng'an, who were openly eavesdropping: ...

Both of them were stunned.

"Zhou Hu... also works as a feng shui master?"

"A side business in the funeral industry...is it that widespread?"

(End of this chapter)