The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 340: Chapter 340: Buy, Never Rent

Ye Feng just smiled without telling him the truth.

After all, it was just a guess and not a certainty.

”Work’s not too busy, so I came back. Xiao Rui might be returning today, so I’m here to pick her up,” Ye Feng said with a smile. ”How has business been? Has Kuno Hiroo been causing any trouble for you?”

At the mention of business, Yang Jianguo perked up.

”Trouble? Of course. We give him the fingerlings, and he still complains we’re not giving him enough.” Yang Jianguo shook his head with a wry laugh. ”Xu Shu is the same way. Wherever there’s money, there are plenty of rich people! Sales are up not just for high-end ornamental fish and Fengshui Fish, but even for common, smaller varieties. Orders from Europe and America are also steadily increasing.”

Ye Feng praised him, ”That’s excellent. You really live up to your reputation as the local model for foreign trade.”

Just as they were speaking, Yao Ziqian walked in carrying a briefcase.

”Everyone’s here!” Yao Ziqian was now well-acquainted with both Ye Feng and Yang Jianguo.

Since opening his shop recently, Yao Ziqian had hired a young man to help mind the store. This freed him up to wander around, browse, or work on the fengshui for the Jinshan Bay project.

Yang Jianguo smiled and asked, ”Are the designs all finished?”

Yao Ziqian nodded. ”All done. Take a look.”

”For the Fengshui Fish tanks?” Ye Feng asked.

Yao Ziqian nodded. ”That’s right. The tastes in Hong Kong and Japan are different, so I created separate designs. What do you think?”

Yang Jianguo took the designs. ”This one you’ve drawn... it’s not a dragon, is it? It looks like a snake.”

Yao Ziqian nodded. ”Correct. Snakes are objects of reverence in Japanese culture, so I added one. If you’re not sure, you can fax it to the client for their approval. If they don’t like it, we can always change it!”

Yang Jianguo smiled. ”Alright. The client from Japan is coming the day after tomorrow. He speaks Chinese, so you can explain the symbolism behind each design to him then.”

”No problem!” Yao Ziqian agreed.

Yang Jianguo looked at the design for the Hong Kong market and nodded. ”This one should be fine. It looks good.”

Yao Ziqian smiled. ”My hometown is in Yue Province, very close to there. A lot of people used to swim across back in the day, so it’s easy for me to understand their tastes. This style will sell well in Hong Kong!”

Ye Feng nodded in approval. ”It really is excellent. Thanks for your hard work.”

Yao Ziqian waved it off. ”It’s no trouble. I’m getting paid, so of course I have to do a good job. Besides, Lingling is so good to me, letting me do what I love. When you enjoy it this much, it doesn’t feel like work.”

Yang Jianguo was pleased by his future brother-in-law’s frankness. ”Is the clothing store doing well?”

”It’s great. That fifty thousand yuan worth of merchandise my sister sent Lingling has already sold out, and the profit margin is huge,” Yao Ziqian said with a grin. ”Now Lingling is getting ready to open a second store; she’s scouting for a location. We just had a small disagreement, actually. She even said I don’t get it.”

Yang Jianguo paused, a curious look in his eyes. ”What happened? Did you two have a fight?”

Yao Ziqian shook his head. ”We didn’t fight. Lingling said that my sister is working really hard sourcing styles for us over there. Even though it’s convenient for us, it’s a lot of work for her. So Lingling wants to give my sister a ten-percent cut of the profits, so she’s not working for free.”

”But my sister refused. She thinks it’s completely unnecessary—that there’s no need to be so formal when you’re doing something for family. I said the same thing, but Lingling told me I wasn’t seeing things clearly and that I was wrong.”

Hearing Yao Ziqian’s explanation, Yang Jianguo laughed heartily. ”Well, in that case, I’m on Lingling’s side. This isn’t just about buying a few clothes to wear. This is a business. The workload is huge, and it’s not a one-time thing. She has to source merchandise constantly.”

”Your sister might have to go to the market every single day to check for suitable merchandise. That’s genuinely hard work. She might not mind doing it for you, her brother, but what about her in-laws? The bottom line is, if you want to do this long-term, you have to give her a cut.”

”Lingling is right about this, and you’re wrong. You should be convincing your sister to accept it. The key reason Lingling’s business is succeeding is the resources your sister is providing. After all, not just anyone can get fifty thousand yuan worth of merchandise with only five thousand yuan upfront.”

Ye Feng also nodded in agreement. ”If you want this to be a long-term arrangement, your sister absolutely should accept the ten-percent cut. Even if her husband’s family is wealthy, that’s their money. The money you and Lingling give her can be her own personal savings. It’s not convenient for a public servant to accept money directly, so you could have her deposit it under your parents’ names. That would be a form of security for her, too.”

Seeing that both Ye Feng and Yang Jianguo agreed, Yao Ziqian smiled. ”Alright then, I’ll go back and try to persuade her again. On that note, my sister has a really great eye. These clothes are more popular here than the big-name brands. And since Lingling sells them a little cheaper, we can’t keep them in stock.”

Yang Jianguo chuckled. ”That just proves you’re meant to get rich. Oh, and by the way, regarding the storefront—whether it’s in a mall or on the street—if you can afford to buy it, don’t rent. If you can’t buy, at least get a long-term lease.”

Yao Ziqian waved his hand. ”I already told Lingling: we’re buying, not renting. It costs more upfront, but it’s totally worth it. Storefronts appreciate in value. When my brother-in-law’s family home was demolished, they took storefronts as compensation, and now they’ve tripled in value. It was much better than taking the cash.”

”A storefront is a fixed asset. As long as you have the property, you have money. It’s a case of money making money. It’s like that in Yue Province, and I think Shencheng is the same. After all, Shencheng is developing and changing every single day. If the clothing business ever goes under, we’ll still have the properties to rent out for a good income.”

”Exactly, that’s what I think too,” Yang Jianguo said with a smile. ”I made a good bit from dividends last year, so I bought a number of storefronts myself. I even bought a Western-style villa.”

”The seller let it go for seven hundred fifty thousand yuan, took the money, and the whole family emigrated. It makes me angry just thinking about it. They used public funds to study abroad and then just never came back. Now the family sells their house to join them, all so they can go ’breathe the free air’ over there.”

”I just don’t get it. What’s so wrong with our own country? Is the air here suddenly unbreathable for them? And what’s so great about going abroad? Maybe you earn a little more money, but you’re a second-class citizen in someone else’s country, maybe even third-class. What’s there to be proud of in that?”

”Our economy here is developing so well right now. Sooner or later, they’ll regret it. I can guarantee you, that villa I bought is going to be worth a fortune in the future.”

Yao Ziqian chuckled. ”There are plenty of people like that! Never mind them—even my master and I were completely dazzled the first time we went to Hong Kong. Last year, my master and I also took a trip to the United States. It’s so much more advanced there than here. It’s no wonder people go and don’t want to come back.”

”People in the United States believe in fengshui, too?” Yang Jianguo asked, surprised. The conversation was starting to drift.

Yao Ziqian nodded. ”The foreigners don’t, but there are Chinese people abroad. And the influential figures in Chinatown are very particular about this stuff. But you’re right, Brother Jianguo. A lot of people who emigrate don’t regret it now, but they will in the future. That’s what my master says, and my master is always right.”