Yonghe Road

Chapter 24 Visit
Tea shop owner Luo Youcai, wearing a baseball cap, sat at the tea table in the tea shop and made tea.

On the coffee table in front of him was an exquisite tea set:

A purple clay teapot, with a color as warm as jade, a delicate and smooth surface, a round and full body, and smooth and natural lines. The lid is carved with an exquisite lotus pattern. The matching teacup is of moderate size, with a slightly outward-slanting rim. The cup wall is as thin as a cicada's wing and has excellent light transmittance. The inner wall is covered with an elegant blue and white glaze, and is painted with landscapes, flowers and birds.

A purple clay teapot and several teacups are neatly arranged on a small and exquisite tea tray.

The tea tray is crafted from high-quality wood, with a specially treated surface that reveals a natural, rustic beauty. The edges are engraved with a continuous, chevron-like pattern, adding a sense of depth and reflecting the owner's meticulous attention to detail. The entire tray effectively catches spills, keeping the table clean, and serves as a platform for displaying other small artworks, achieving both practicality and aesthetic appeal.

At this moment, Luo Youcai was fiddling with the tea set on the tea tray, leisurely brewing tea, waiting for his guests tonight.

The glass door of the tea shop was pushed open, and a group of four people, two men and two women, walked in. They were young and handsome, and particularly pleasing to the eye.

Luo Youcai looked towards the door, and the four words "my humble home is filled with glory" took shape at this moment.

Two tea girls in light blue modified cotton cheongsams came over and asked, "Ladies and gentlemen, are you here to buy white tea?"

"Azhu, Azi, hurry up and make tea for the guests."

Luo Youcai stood up from the coffee table and greeted them warmly, shaking hands with Wang Zian and the others before calling over two waitresses to make tea. After Wang Zian introduced Xie Anmin as a renowned writer, Luo Youcai quickly pulled out his phone and searched for information on him. He was immediately impressed and asked Xie Anmin to take a photo. An Hongdou volunteered to take the photo.

"Thank you, writer. I'll hang our photo on the wall later..."

Following the direction of Luo Youcai's finger, Xie Anmin saw several photos of Luo Youcai with celebrities hanging on the walls of the tea shop, including tea industry masters, officials, and out-of-date stars.

"Don't hang it on this wall," Xie Anmin said, pointing at the out-of-date male star. "It's unlucky to hang it next to him."

The male star once married a top female star, but later he went into business, owed a lot of money, and has divorced the female star.

Xie Anmin knew that when his fixed life ended, he would leave Baile Village. He would be far away from home and would not be able to stop Luo Youcai from hanging a photo of him and himself in the store. He could only make this request to embarrass him.

Luo Youcai agreed immediately and pulled Xie Anmin over to another wall in the tea shop, saying that he would hang Xie Anmin's photo there. The wall was spacious and snow-white, with flowers at its base, their rich fragrance seeming to mask some strange smell.

There were three pillars on the wall, connected by several horizontal beams to form a fixed screen. Xie Anmin glanced at it and knew that behind it was the place to solve the three urgent needs of people.

"Hang that photo here. Fight poison with poison, evil with evil." Xie Anmin pointed at the photo of the outdated male stars and smiled at Luo Youcai. Luo Youcai actually thought it was a great suggestion and applauded. He then asked the tea girl to take out the most expensive tea in the tea shop and brew it again to serve Wang Zian and the others.

Although Luo Youcai was doing business in the white tea town, he was a native of Baile Village. Naturally, he knew that Wang Zian was the son of Secretary Wang Kai, so he asked Wang Zian to sell the tea produced by "Zhiyin White Tea House" in his tea shop in the future. Wang Zian was very grateful for this, because he had limited investment funds and currently did not have his own tea shop to directly sell the white tea from his factory.

Luo Youcai said that this is only a temporary measure. After all, for a tea factory, not having its own tea store will cause many inconveniences, such as losing the opportunity to directly contact customers, reducing opportunities for brand display, and limiting sales channels. Physical stores can provide the convenience of instant purchase and the opportunity to try and experience products, which helps to increase sales and customer loyalty.

In addition, the increased difficulty in market promotion, the compression of profit margins, the weakened control over key factors such as price, promotional strategies and customer service, and the difficulty in building customer loyalty are all disadvantages of not having your own stores.

Seeing Wang Zian and the others' faces growing increasingly grave as they listened to his story, Luo Youcai smiled again and said, "Despite this, not having your own stores doesn't necessarily mean you can't succeed. Many companies have achieved strong results through strong online marketing strategies, high-quality products and services, partnerships, and innovative sales models. The key is to find a business model and market positioning that suits you, and to effectively execute your strategy."

Wang Zian offered a cup of tea to Luo Youcai, "Mr. Cai, thank you for bothering you tonight. I would like to offer you a cup of tea instead of wine, or I would like to borrow your own tea."

"An An, you're too polite. Just call me Brother Cai. We are all from Baile Village. I should also call Secretary Wang uncle. As a Baile Villager, who hasn't benefited from Secretary Wang's help and care?" Luo Youcai drank the tea offered by Wang Zian.

Wang Zian added, "Actually, I have one more thing to ask you, Brother Cai, tonight..."

Although Luo Youcai's registered residence was still in Baile Village, he had already established himself in Baicha Town for many years, running his business there and making his entire family's life there. Because he was always passionate about Baicha Town's sports and generously sponsored the town's elementary school games and national sports events organized by the town government, he became the president of the Baicha Town Sports Association. Wang Zian had come tonight not only to ask Luo Youcai for advice on the Baicha business, but also to get him to recommend some Baile Villagers who could play basketball. After all, Wang Zian had previously spent four years studying abroad at a university and eight years in the military. It was impossible for him to know all the thousands of people in Baile Village, let alone anyone who could play basketball. As the president of the Sports Association, Luo Youcai had more connections than he did.

"Brother Cai, you are from Baile Village. We would like to invite you to be the leader of the Baile Village basketball team. We would also like to ask you to recommend candidates for basketball players and coaches. We are currently facing some difficulties in forming a team. Brother Cai, please help us."

Wang Zian's unreasonable request was exactly what Luo Youcai wanted.

The Municipal Bureau of Culture and Sports was about to host a basketball tournament as a tryout for the province-wide "Village BA" basketball tournament. A sports powerhouse like Baicha Town couldn't afford to miss such an opportunity. Luo Youcai, president of the Baicha Town Sports Association, had hoped to secure exclusive sponsorship for the town's basketball team. Unfortunately, a large portion of Baicha Town's players were members of the city's "Xuefeng" club, skilled players who were the favorites to win the tournament. Many major corporations were vying for sponsorship, and Luo Youcai, with his financial resources, simply couldn't get in the race.

If he cannot become a sponsor, he will have no say in the team formation. This is really depressing for Luo Youcai, who is used to giving orders as the president of the sports association. Unexpectedly, Wang Zian extended an olive branch.

"But our Baile Village is just a village. Do we really have the qualifications to form a team to participate in the competition?"

Luo Youcai was skeptical, but thought that if a team was formed under the name of the She ethnic group township, the possibility would be greater.

Wang Zian told him, "This is a quota given to me by Mei Wending, director of the National People's Congress. It's all thanks to Ziqi."

Wang Zian said, glancing at the dazed Zhong Ziqi, his face full of pride, "He's really good at basketball."

Zhong Ziqi, who almost fell asleep after listening to the conversation between Wang Zian and Luo Youcai all night, was pushed by An Hongdou and woke up.

"What?" Zhong Ziqi's eyelashes, stretched long by sleep, fluttered, and he instinctively wiped the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. He often drooled when he dozed off.

The silly look made Xie Anmin beside her laugh. In her eyes, Zhong Ziqi had always been the image of a foolish beauty, and now it became more concrete.

"Wang Boya said you are good at playing basketball." An Hongdou smiled and handed Zhong Ziqi a cup of tea.

Zhong Ziqi took the cup of tea and asked Hongdou: "What do you think?"

"I think you play basketball very well."

An Hongdou added, "He's still handsome even without playing basketball."

"My wife has good taste." Zhong Ziqi said, pinching An Hongdou's little face.

An Hongdou said, "That's annoying. It will hurt me." But she just kept giggling happily.

Off to the side, Xie Anmin curled his lips, hiding his original smile, and his face darkened. Wang Zian took in the expressions of the three people, and as Xie Anmin's face darkened, he also restrained his smile.

"An An, I didn't say I wouldn't agree to your request, so don't be unhappy." Luo Youcai raised a cup of tea to Wang Zian.

Fortunately, there was someone who cared about his every happiness and unhappiness. Wang Zian was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

"There are many young men in our Baile Village who can play basketball, and I will be the coach." Luo Youcai's words made Wang Zian completely cheer up.

The return trip was much more pleasant.

But Zhong Ziqi couldn't be happy because An Hongdou broke the amber silver bracelet he gave her.

(End of this chapter)