Spring Breeze Twenty Years

Chapter 798 Han San's Advice

With mixed feelings, Xiaowei's mother and Aunt Wang took Xiaohong to the hospital. Xiaowei had run away because of something at the construction site.

The original plan was to leave those floors empty, but now we need to finalize how to do it. If we want to open a hotel, the water and electricity systems will need to be handled separately, which is completely different from a regular office building. The bathrooms also need to be designed and the pipes laid out.

Xiao Wei called Han San'er and asked him what he was thinking.

Han San said, "This matter is a bit of a headache. I would like to do it, it would be a waste not to open a hotel there, but my sister-in-law at home doesn't agree. She feels that the investment is too big. We have a lot of money tied up here and we are not in a good position."

Xiao Wei said, "So what am I supposed to do now? I don't have the energy to deal with this mess anymore; I know absolutely nothing about it. Now that the pipelines are being laid, the workers won't know what to do unless a decision is made."

Han San said, "What's the big deal? We can leave out as many layers as possible. These layers will be directly connected to the main line, separate from the top and bottom. The management is the same, and the position of the person in charge can't be changed. We can ignore the others for now and just leave room for them."

Xiao Wei said, "Then we'll have to re-lay the pipes and cables if we want to do it again?"

Han San said, "Of course! What hotel doesn't need renovations? These costs are all included in the renovation budget. You can check it when the time comes."

Xiao Wei said, "Okay then, I don't know anything about it. You should discuss it quickly and decide whether to do it or not. If you don't do it, I'll turn it into an office building and rent it out."

Han San thought for a moment and said, "How about I ask someone else for you?"

Xiao Wei said, "Just don't mess with those weirdos, I'm too lazy to bother with them."

Han San said, "Xiao Wei, you guys are fine with your current scale and everything else, but you should start thinking about building your network. Xiao Hui's side is strong, but that won't change in the future, right? With the resources you have, you can find some connections to cooperate with. You can't earn all the money in the world. It's the right way to get some people in the district, city, and province to make money together. Building your network will also benefit you in the future."

Xiao Wei said, "How about we go into business together?"

Han San said, "That's right, you're making quite a bit of money. Take your restaurant, for example. You can open branches all you want now, right? How many can you open yourself? Just bring in the right people to open them. You can collect management fees, or you can buy the property and collect rent. You can even consider it a lease. You don't have to worry about profits and losses, and you've already handed over the staff."

Xiao Wei said, "I haven't thought about this. Let me think about it, it's not impossible."

Han San said, "There are quite a few people with money on hand now, and even more who can raise money to invest. In fact, you don't need to pay much cost. Just sign the contract, and as long as they follow your rules and don't do anything wrong, that's fine. What do you think?"

Xiao Wei said, "I only handle the construction, management, and supply of materials; I don't get involved in the business operations."

Han San said, "That's pretty much the idea. Actually, if you think about it, you'll have more freedom in doing it that way. Most of the assets are yours, so whether you make a profit or a loss, you'll still have money. Take hotels, for example. You can take the properties and partner with famous hotels, hand over the management and operations to them, and just collect a certain amount of money each year."

Xiao Wei said, "It's just attracting investment, right? Basically, it's about renting space."

Han San said, "You can understand it that way if you want, it's pretty much the same. There are two ways to collect money. One is to invest with your assets, and the other is what you said, collecting rent. If you run a restaurant or other shop, you can collect rent and management fees at the same time, and you also make a profit from delivering materials."

Xiao Wei said, "I'm worried that if this goes on for too long, people downstairs might secretly do other things and ruin the brand."

Han San said, "If you're going to collect a deposit, collect a lot. Make it clear in the contract that if he breaches the contract and the company stops letting him operate, the deposit won't be refunded. Think about it, if you expand nationwide, how much deposit will you collect? Isn't that all your money? Who runs a business for only one or two years?"

Xiao Wei said, "Nationwide rollout? Is that even possible? I traveled all over the country last year, and I felt that the areas inside the Great Wall were quite different from ours. The urban planning was chaotic, the economy was not good, the consumption level was much lower, and the service attitude and service level were completely different. Even if Shanghai and Guangzhou were better, it would be by a limited extent."

Han San said, "The area inside the pass is developing faster than us now. You have to look at the national policies. Right now, the country is focusing on developing the area inside the pass, emphasizing commerce over industry. I feel that it's hard to say what will happen to our side in the future, but the area inside the pass, especially Yanhai, will definitely do well. Let's reserve a spot first."

Xiao Wei said, "Let me think about it. You need to hurry up with things at the hotel; we can't just sit here waiting."

Han San readily agreed and hung up the phone. Xiao Wei smacked his lips, feeling that it wasn't very reliable. He looked around and pondered, "Why don't I do it myself? Maybe I can poach a few people from the power company who work in the hotel industry?"

After going downstairs, the annex on the right side of the main building was not yet in use, and materials were piled up. Several mixers were working with a rumbling sound, and a few workers were working with their heads bare. Xiao Wei shouted, "Hey, you two, put on your safety helmets."

The worker glanced back at Xiaowei, but didn't react or acknowledge him. Xiaowei walked over to the annex building, where the construction site command center was located.

The foreman and technician were looking at the blueprints when Xiaowei walked over and said, "Why isn't anyone doing anything about the workers not wearing safety helmets?"

The foreman turned to look at Xiao Wei and said with a smile, "It's alright, we're used to it. There's no danger working inside now."

Xiao Wei said, "No, make them all wear helmets properly. No one can work here if they're not wearing one. Who's responsible if something happens? Will they ask me for money if something really happens? Or you can write a guarantee that you won't ask me for a single penny, and everyone puts their fingerprints on it, then you can do whatever you want."

The technician, who was stationed at the design institute, chuckled and tried to smooth things over: "It's not that serious. Old Li, you go and tell them to put on their hats. They're not heavy, and they'll be safer wearing them."

Foreman Li reluctantly carried his safety helmet out. Xiao Wei said to the technician, "Keep an eye on things for me. Anyone not wearing a helmet is definitely not allowed. Let me be clear, if anything happens, I won't be responsible, and you can forget about the money. You can sue me if you want."

The technician said, "It'll be finished in a few more days. Right now, we're just working on these few floors of the hotel. The elevator's being installed tomorrow. What could possibly go wrong?"

Xiao Wei said, "The finishing touches are crucial in basket weaving. We need to be extra careful these last few days. What if something really happens? Would I even be able to use this building? Who would compensate me? Don't give me that smug look; do you believe I'll go talk to your dean?"

The technician laughed and said, "Okay, I'll take care of it. I'm not afraid of you, alright? Actually, there's not much danger in doing the interior work. The walls are all built. Now it's just pipework and mortar laying. There's no danger in the renovation work."

Xiao Wei said, "It's not just falling objects that are dangerous; machinery, equipment, and power tools are all dangerous. What isn't dangerous—water and electricity? I'm not doing this once and then quit. I'm working in three provinces. After this one is finished, I'll be working on the Andong project, which is even bigger than this. Will I need your services then? I can't possibly spend money on a construction team and have to live in constant fear, can I?"

(End of this chapter)