After rebirth, I became a great master

Chapter 492 In a group of three, there must be one who can teach me.

As it turns out, Producer Zhou wasn't lying.

The next day, Dong Lan was called in for a talk by her workplace.

She is to be promoted to deputy director of the Arts and Culture Center of Red Star TV!

According to past standards, that would be equivalent to a deputy division-level cadre.

Dong Lan first called her parents, then shared the good news with her partner, her eyes welling up with tears of excitement. Only then did she return to the program team to celebrate with her colleagues.

Unfortunately, she searched the entire office.

She didn't find the figure she most wanted to see.

Zhou Haoran now spends even less time at work, showing up at the office twice a week, making a quick look around, and leaving once nothing major happens.

At this time, he invited Mr. Zhang from Antarctica to have tea at the Red Mansion Teahouse.

"welcome!"

Zhou Haoran arrived at the teahouse first, where a row of girls dressed in ink-wash style silk sleeveless fitted high-slit cheongsams stood at the entrance.

That head...

Wearing high heels, she's about the same height as Zhou Haoran, who's 1.8 meters tall!

They were all tall and stunning.

These are clearly not the waiters borrowed from the Red Mansion Teahouse, but rather those recruited according to new requirements.

They all look like models.

In fact, she is indeed a model.

"No need for a welcome. Let me introduce you. This is Zhou Haoran, the owner of Haoran Mansion and the head gentleman of our Honglou Teahouse."

The woman who walked over, also dressed in a cheongsam, was Ms. Meng, the borrowed teahouse manager.

"Manager Meng, are all these girls new?"

Zhou Haoran's eyes lit up.

I know my plan was absolutely right.

The teahouse in the Red Mansion was frequented by prominent business figures. What kind of beautiful women hadn't they seen? The ordinary ones were no longer pleasing to the eye and offered too little aesthetic value.

Only a row of tall, slender legs can truly showcase a woman's charm.

These days, with the supply of goods just starting to improve, girls with height, good looks, and great figures are rare! If they do exist, most of them are trying hard to enter the modeling industry.

This is the advantage of a seaport.

At present, the domestic modeling industry has not really taken off. If it does, it's only a small market in the harbors, where most of the country's top models are based.

This created favorable conditions for the recruitment of staff at the Red Mansion Teahouse.

Miss Meng chuckled and said, "Yes, they're all new here, all models."

"Can models work part-time?"

It was Zhou Haoran's first time meeting them, and not wanting to just leave, he deliberately tried to say a few more words. He then noticed that among the seven girls in the row was... wasn't that Pei Hui, one of Ji Yingyang and Hu Xiaochen's best friends?

Pei Hui suppressed a laugh, winked playfully at him, and made a shushing gesture.

“Part-time work is possible, but there are very few opportunities…” Miss Meng gave a look to one of the girls who looked very familiar, “Linlin, tell Mr. Big about your situation?”

The long-legged girl bowed gracefully and said softly, "Sir, I'm new to the harbor. Modeling opportunities are scarce; I only earn a little over 1000 yuan a month. I share a room with two other friends... it's these two."

She pointed to the two models next to her.

It turns out they were good friends who came to the harbor together to make their fortune.

“But the rent is 700 yuan per person every month.” The long-legged girl was quite elegant, and seemed to have been trained. She was poised and graceful. “Luckily, we heard that they were hiring here and that there was a salary of 2000 yuan per month, so we came here.”

Zhou Haoran nodded. "Two thousand in salary isn't high, but the work is easy and the hours are flexible. If you get modeling work outside, you can take time off to go out. Honglou Teahouse won't restrict you from pursuing your dreams."

"Thank you, sir."

Seven girls in a row bowed in unison.

The high slit of the cheongsam revealed a row of long legs, which was truly pleasing to the eye.

These girls are a whole level above the ones we borrowed before!
Zhou Haoran felt the girl looked familiar, so he asked, "What's your name?"

“Lynn Hung”.

"Oh!"

"Does the gentleman know me?"

Lynn Hung's big eyes seem to speak volumes.

Zhou Haoran smiled and said, "No, I just think you're pretty."

Then, I asked the names of several other girls, but I didn't recognize any of them. Several of them were contestants from the New Silk Road Model Contest. I said a few words to each of them.

"Miss Meng, when the teahouse gets some good tea later, if there's any left, please give some to each of the girls to take back to their elders at home..."

Zhou Haoran had no intention of making a profit from the Red Mansion Teahouse.

High-end venues shouldn't be too shabby.

Upon entering the teahouse, one finds it crowded with customers.

Of the 28 tea rooms in total, only 3 were empty.

"So many guests?"

Zhou Haoran was a little surprised.

Miss Meng chuckled and said, "The Spring Festival is over, and the bosses are all busy negotiating business. Yesterday there were even more people, and everyone had to queue up."

Zhou Haoran asked, "How much can you earn in a day?"

"I don't know, it seems...it seems there are hundreds of thousands..."

Miss Meng's face was flushed, and she was looking forward to staying on as the front-of-house manager.

Zhou Haoran was somewhat surprised. After a moment of silence, he said, "Two things. First, I'm waiting for Mr. Zhang from Antarctica. Keep it a secret and don't let the other guests know I'm here. Second, go and tell the new girls that 2000 yuan a month is too little. They'll get a raise to ensure they can live a decent life in the harbor."

Beauty is also a form of capital.

In a market economy, scarcity determines pricing.

You can't keep a beauty if you don't have enough money.

A short while later, Zhang Yongxiang arrived.

"We're full, so only a few of the smallest rooms are left."

Zhou Haoran was sitting cross-legged in a small room, drinking tea by himself, without inviting a tea master.

Zhang Yongxiang laughed and said, "I came here yesterday too, and I saw that the Honglou Teahouse is doing very well."

Zhou Haoran said, "I didn't expect my friends to be so supportive."

"To be honest, the price is too low." Zhang Yongxiang shook his head and said helplessly, "I came here yesterday but couldn't get a spot, so I had to go somewhere else with my friend."

"The price isn't low enough..." Zhou Haoran was already embarrassed to charge any higher. "At 888 yuan per person per hour, a few friends come to drink tea in one tea room, and they can spend more than 1 yuan in just two hours." Zhang Yongxiang said, "That's normal, isn't it? On Ping'an Road, it's common for a casual social gathering to cost several thousand or tens of thousands of yuan. Where in those places can you find a place as high-end as the Honglou Teahouse?"

"It really is."

Zhou Haoran nodded. Although it was only 98, the average wage in urban areas across the country was less than 400 yuan. But this was a seaport and the most central area. The consumption power in 98 was not much different from that in 1938, 1948, 2008, and 2018.

Zhang Yongxiang offered his suggestion: "Sir, I think this is a good idea. During this trial operation period, we can offer discounts and free tea. Once we officially open, in addition to the seating fee of 888 yuan per person per hour, we should also add the cost of tea. Tea ceremony performances and musical accompaniment should also have their own pricing standards. We need to raise the prices; the Honglou Teahouse cannot become a place for small business owners to relax and chat."

"Let's try operating for a while first, see how it goes, and then ask some important clients for their opinions."

Zhou Haoran really didn't expect this.

He initially even planned to operate the Honglou Teahouse at a loss, but he never expected it to be so popular. If this trend continues, the Honglou Teahouse might earn 100 million yuan a year!

Zhang Yongxiang added, "Or maybe I should just give up on private kitchens. If we're going to do it, we could find a place and open a 'Dream of the Red Chamber Private Kitchen' restaurant. We could clean up all the rooms and turn them into tea rooms. This is the Dream of the Red Chamber Tea House; people come here to drink tea, chat, and meet friends. If we add private kitchens, it'll just get even more chaotic."

“You’re right.” Zhou Haoran also thought it should be changed immediately. “At first, I thought the Red Mansion Teahouse would be operating at a loss, and I would have to spend tens of millions of yuan of my own money every year to support it. So I thought I would add a private kitchen project to balance the income and expenditure. I didn’t expect the teahouse to be so successful.”

Zhang Yongxiang laughed and said, "Sir, you're too modest. How could you possibly lose money in business?"

"I really have no experience in this business. I'll call a few more friends and talk to them about how to make changes."

Zhou Haoran realized this at that moment.

His "letter writing" over the past year has amassed a following of believers.

For these people, the first choice for business entertainment is naturally the Red Mansion Teahouse.

However, the reason I called Mr. Zhang over this time was not for this matter.

Uncle Huai's place has a state-owned garment factory that went bankrupt.

The conditions are excellent!

Moreover, they produce winter clothing.

It fits the "Nanji Ren" brand very well, as it produces down jackets, cotton-padded clothes, wool sweaters, leather jackets, and other products.

The only limitation is that it was too rushed.

Antarctic Talents has been established for over a year.

The thermal underwear business is still fiercely competing with brands such as Arctic Velvet, Yu Zhaolin, and Qiansiniao. The huge inventory and marketing expenses are putting a lot of pressure on Antarctic's cash flow.

Acquiring state-owned factories to expand into new businesses proved somewhat difficult.

If the cash flow stops, that would be disastrous!
In his past life, Zhou Haoran had seen many, even super giants with assets of trillions, Fortune 500 companies, whether they were in insurance, real estate, aviation, e-commerce... If their cash flow was cut off, they could go bankrupt within a few months.

Given the current size of the Antarctic Man.

If a cash flow crisis occurs, Zhang Yongxiang will have to jump off a building within a month.

“Old Zhang, to be honest with you, among all the students in the group, you are the one I have the most faith in.” Zhou Haoran had a lot of confidence in Nanji Ren. With his help, Nanji Ren wouldn’t have to sell its trademark like it did in the past. “The Nanji Ren brand is catchy and easy to remember, and it has the foundation to become a famous brand.”

Zhang Yongxiang was surprised by the high praise from the master. "Master, do you think I should do it?"

Zhou Haoran narrowed his eyes and said meaningfully, "Although this state-owned garment factory went bankrupt, it has no worries about the future. If we take over this project and make it successful... Antarctic might not just be a leader in the thermal underwear market, but have the opportunity to become a leader in the domestic garment industry!"

Zhang Yongxiang suddenly realized, "Then I'll do it!"

Zhou Haoran laughed and said, "You don't need to worry about the cash flow problem. I have some influence in the business world of the harbor. We can solve a funding gap of two or three hundred million."

"Sir, I'll listen to you!"

Zhang Yongxiang's success today is due to the inspiration and encouragement he received from reading Mr. Da's letter.

Now that Mr. Da is being so sincere, how can we refuse?
Zhou Haoran said slowly, "That's how the market works. Whoever enters early and makes the first move gets to control it. If you're a step too late, the market will be taken over by someone else, and it will be difficult to snatch it back from them. Only by seizing opportunities early and withstanding risks can you accomplish great things."

“Sir, how about…” Zhang Yongxiang’s heart stirred with excitement as he cautiously inquired, “How about I give you 20% of the shares, and you join the board of directors of Antarctic Company to teach me? I know that the success of Zhongbo Bookstore and Zhongbo Software today is all thanks to your planning behind the scenes.”

"No rush, we'll talk about it later."

Zhou Haoran waved his hand, telling him to integrate the bankrupt state-owned factories first.

Seeing that he didn't refuse, Zhang Yongxiang smiled and said, "Sir, when I was a child, I met a Taoist priest who told my fortune. He said that I would meet a benefactor in this life and become very rich and powerful. It turns out that you are my benefactor."

"It's just mutual help."

Zhou Haoran waved his hand.

This pot of tea is finished.

Zhou Haoran called over a waiter and ordered another pot of tea.

It just so happened that my friend Pei Hui arrived.

"Brother, you should change the rules."

Without the other waitresses around, Pei Hui felt much more at ease, leaning against the door and watching him with a grin.

This surprised Zhang Yongxiang.

Zhou Haoran asked with a smile, "What rules should we change?"

Pei Hui said unhappily, "You shouldn't call us waiters/waitresses. It makes you seem so low-class. I've been to high-end restaurants before, and they call us 'waitresses'/waitresses.' That's much more upscale."

Zhou Haoran smiled and said, "That makes sense."

Pei Hui raised her chin slightly and snorted, "I've been thinking about this for the past few days since I joined the company. You could also call it a 'private butler,' some high-end clubs do it that way."

"Yes, I need to learn from you."

Zhou Haoran gave a thumbs up.

Pei Hui chuckled and said, "However, we are the Red Mansion Teahouse, a continuation of intangible cultural heritage. We should be more upscale than those high-end restaurants and clubs. We shouldn't be like them."

"What do you think?"

Zhou Haoran really did have a sense of "among three people walking together, there must be one I can learn from".

Pei Hui pursed her lips and said, "The Red Mansion Teahouse is related to traditional culture, so you can find it in traditional sayings. I asked Grandpa Liu, and he said that in the past, many of the waiters in the teahouse were called 'tea masters'."

"Yeah, that's good!"

Zhou Haoran's eyes lit up.

Pei Hui was delighted to receive recognition and said, "We all have dreams of becoming models and stars, and many of us are graduates of performing arts schools. It would be too shabby for us to be waiters. Instead, let's call ourselves 'tea masters,' isn't that more appealing? My name is Pei Hui, and you can call me Dr. Pei, which would make me look good!"

"Alright, this suggestion will be adopted. Doctor, please go and serve some tea!"

Zhou Haoran thought what she said made a lot of sense.

The waitresses at the Red Mansion Teahouse are all of the highest standard; they are not only young, beautiful, and have great figures, but they are also very tall and have the air of supermodels. To call them "waitresses" would be a bit vulgar.

It especially lacks romance.

A VIP customer came over and called out, "Doctor, please bring me a pot of tea."

Not only will customers find it novel and interesting, but the girls will also feel honored and respected.

It is also very meaningful for the brand building of Honglou Teahouse.

Elsewhere, girls are called waitresses. Here, all the girls are PhDs… The customers are shrewd; they know how to use words. Anyone with a bit of emotional intelligence will omit “tea expert” as “PhD”.

Even the lowest-ranking waiters are PhDs, which greatly elevates the class of the Red Mansion Teahouse.

(End of this chapter)