"Okay. I agree with your opinion. Should we inform President Cheng and Xiao Yun about this?"
"Please call them. If they want to buy, they can come and purchase as well."
"Alright. I'll tell them right away." Wu Youzhi said, pulling out his phone and dialing.
"President Cheng, I have something to discuss with you. We've taken over three shops here, right? The employees don't have a place to live. Manager Guo and I are thinking of buying a few apartments here for the employees to live in. What do you think? Okay. Manager Guo's opinion is to buy a few small ones in the company's name. He personally wants to buy a larger one, which can be used by employees for residence and also serve as a place for him to stay when he visits. You agree. Alright. You want to buy one too? No, don't you already have enough properties? Let's not join the fray. Alright, you can come back and decide after you've looked. Okay, goodbye!"
Wu Youzhi hung up the phone and said, "President Cheng also wants to buy a property in Shanghai. I've asked him to come back and choose for himself. Should you also inform Xiao Yun?"
"No need. She doesn't bother with these matters. We'll just give her her share of the profits later," Guo Xuyang said.
After discussing, the two of them directly bought two apartments of 100 square meters and one of 80 square meters as staff dormitories. They each also bought a 130-square-meter apartment for themselves.
"Mr. Wu, are you and Xu Liping...?" Guo Xuyang asked tactfully.
"It's a long story. For men, having an outer chamber is quite normal," Wu Youzhi said.
Seeing that he didn't seem to want to elaborate, Guo Xuyang didn't press further.
"She's not from Shanghai, but from our provincial capital. She came out to make her way when she was young and we met at a club. Initially, I fancied her because she was young and beautiful. After dating for a while, I found her quite sensible, not the clingy type. So, I rented a room long-term at a hotel, giving me a place to stay when I visited. We've been together for two to three years now. That's why when you mentioned looking for another shop here last time, I called her to help find one," Wu Youzhi explained.
"Oh, I see. Then you don't need to stay in a hotel anymore. But speaking of which, it would have been better if you had bought her a place to live. Given the current housing prices, if you had bought a property back then, it would have doubled or tripled by now, wouldn't it?"
"Alas, who has foresight? If I had known houses would be so valuable, buying two or three back then would have been more profitable than doing business now."
"Yes, the book 'Rich Dad Poor Dad' was spot on. Investment vision is extraordinary. What you're saying reminds me of a joke. It's about a man who bought a house in Shenzhen and kept a mistress. Later, his legal wife found out and forced him to dismiss the mistress and sell the house. Not only did he recover all the expenses for keeping the mistress, but he also made a considerable profit. The legal wife even complained that he hadn't kept enough mistresses back then. If he had kept a few more, he wouldn't have to work now by selling the properties," Guo Xuyang said with a laugh, recounting a joke about housing.
"Houses have indeed appreciated too quickly these past few years. Ordinary people have poured all their savings into the property market. A single house requires two or even three generations to pay off, which is truly not easy."
While chatting, the two signed contracts with the sales representative.
Guo Xuyang suddenly felt a whim and wanted to flirt with the sales representative.
"Hello, young lady. Are you free tonight? How about we have a drink together?"
Wu Youzhi looked at Guo Xuyang with a bit of surprise, not understanding why Guo Xuyang would do this. The sales representative was very beautiful, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, slender, with a网红 (internet celebrity) face, it was hard to tell if it was natural or enhanced. She was curvy, wearing a uniform, exuding a unique charm, and indeed very attractive. She had clearly overheard their conversation and thought this young man was trying to emulate the older one by finding an outer chamber.
So she replied, "Are you looking for a fling or a wife, little brother?"
Guo Xuyang was taken aback by the sales representative's question and hesitated, saying, "Is there a difference?"
"If you're looking for a wife, I'm probably not suitable, as I have to go home to breastfeed my baby after work. If it's just for a drink, that's possible, but not today. How about I ask you out some other day?"
Guo Xuyang intended to flirt but ended up being flirted with. He blushed deeply and ran out, causing Wu Youzhi to burst into laughter.
"Brother, you're too thin-skinned. You need more practice. What? Did you actually fall for her? How about I get her number for you?"
"Forget it, forget it. It was just a momentary impulse to tease her."
"When I used to be in sales, people often said that female salespeople would do anything to sell houses, but I never encountered that. So, I thought I'd tease her a bit. I didn't expect my skills to be so poor. Heh heh," Guo Xuyang laughed at himself.
"There are always a few people in every industry who have no bottom line and ruin the reputation. But they are just a small minority; most people have their principles. By the way, we still don't have enough staff for these three shops. What do you think about hiring some more?"
"There are plenty of people, but very few we can trust to use. Our foundation is still too weak. How about you contact President Cheng and ask him to recommend a few more people? They don't need to be too professional, mainly to grasp the overall direction. Once we fully transition all our jade business here, the daily turnover will be hundreds of millions. This is not a small amount. As the saying goes, wealth can move people's hearts. Neither you nor I can stay here for long. If we are targeted by someone with ill intentions, we'll truly be like a mute eating bitter yellowlian – suffering without being able to speak." Guo Xuyang analyzed the situation.
"Your consideration is very pertinent. How about this: let Xiao Yun take control of the overall situation? Her current role in the provincial capital is only for stone cutting; she doesn't need to be involved in other matters for now. I believe she is the most suitable candidate, and moreover, she is a shareholder."
"We still need to get her opinion; we can't make decisions for her. Another thing is that the provincial capital is our base. All jade will be shipped out from the provincial capital in the future. This transportation team also needs to be considered in advance. Outsourcing transportation is not impossible, but it's not as reassuring as using our own people."
"In the end, it all comes down to a lack of manpower. Before, I only managed one shop, so it wasn't that difficult. Now that we have several more, there's so much to do, and I feel like my brain isn't enough."
"You still have one shop, but I'm like a mouse diving into a chimney, blindfolded, having to start everything from scratch."
Just as the two were lamenting their lack of staff, Guo Xuyang's phone rang.
"Mr. Guo, President Jiang is missing," Liu Sen's voice came from the phone.
"What? President Jiang is missing? What do you mean missing?" Guo Xuyang could tell that Liu Sen was very flustered.