Era: Starting from divorce from female college student

Chapter 155: Human greed

Inside the office of South China Economic Daily in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Looking at the fleeing figures of Li Yongan, Zheng Dahua, Wu Xianwen and other gangsters, Fan Chunbao first flattered Zhao Mancang, and then expressed his concern.

Because thugs like Li Yongan are not unknown people, but well-known gangsters in the area around Yau Ma Tei.

This group of people suffered losses at the hands of the South China Economic Daily Company and will definitely retaliate immediately.

"Haha, I was worried they wouldn't retaliate."

Zhao Mancang sneered and immediately changed the subject:
"Okay, hurry up and pack your bags. Our entire company is moving to Hollywood Road in Central, Hong Kong Island. We only have a little over a week left on our lease here, and we have no plans to renew it."

When he heard that they were going to move away from here and to Central, Fan Chunbao was immediately overjoyed.

The other employees of the South China Economic Daily were all excited. After all, being able to work in Central was very prestigious.

Yau Ma Tei is a very backward place.

On the other hand, the economy in Central is developed and very prosperous.

But some employees looked worried because if the company moved to Central, what would happen to them who already lived on the Kowloon Peninsula?
I have to take the ferry to work in Central on the other side of the river every day. Not only does the commuting time increase, but the ferry fare also costs money.

Even though Zhao Mancang said that he would increase wages, they didn't know how much the increase would be, because before Zhao Mancang finished speaking, Li Yongan and others came to make trouble.

Seeing the rather unpleasant expressions of the group in front of him, Zhao Mancang quickly reacted and immediately smiled and soothed them:
"Everyone, rest assured. The company will provide everyone with a transportation allowance of 30 yuan per month. You won't suffer any loss."

The ferry costs fifty cents a trip, and a round trip costs one Hong Kong dollar a day.

If the company gives a transportation allowance of 30 yuan, it means that the employee can earn a few yuan per month.

why?
Hong Kong's public holidays originated from the Bank Holidays Order 1871, which was enacted by Great Britain in the 19th century. Its purpose was to close banks on designated bank holidays, suspend general business transactions, and allow the entire community to enjoy holidays on these days.

Due to historical reasons, Hong Kong and Kowloon almost completely copied the practices of Great Britain.

At this time, Hong Kong Island also implements a single-day-off system. Banks are closed every Sunday. Other closed days include January 1st, Chinese New Year, Mid-Autumn Festival, etc.

To sum up, there are nine days in total, including traditional Chinese festivals, important festivals and important Western festivals. These are the public holidays in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

In other words, there are at least four days of vacation every month, and Zhao Mancang provides a transportation subsidy of 30 yuan, which means that they can save four yuan every month, which is their free money.

With the transportation subsidy, everyone has no worries and is more motivated to work.

Because they were worried that Li Yongan and his group would come to take revenge soon, Fan Chunbao and his group quickly packed their luggage and moved out in less than an hour.

It was not until more than half an hour after they left that Li Yongan and his team arrived here.

At this time, Zhao Mancang suddenly received experience points contributed by Luo Guangliang, the former boss of South China Economic Daily. Only then did he realize that it was this bastard who was behind this.

After understanding the general situation, Zhao Mancang did not rush to retaliate, but instead dealt with the current situation first.

The staff of the South China Economic Daily, which moved to Hollywood Road in Central, also began their work in an orderly manner. The first thing they did was to change the name of the newspaper.

Zhao Mancang is not planning to remove the economic newspaper and will keep it.

The word "South China" was too big, so Zhao Mancang simply changed the name to "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily".

The editor-in-chief is Bruce Chapman, the deputy editor-in-chief is Chen Liangsheng, and Fan Chunbao was demoted to an ordinary editor.

The original printing factory was also incorporated into the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily, so the printing manager was no longer needed and Bruce and his team could directly manage it.

"We will continue to subdivide the business sectors I previously specified and recruit more people. Our founding principles for the newspaper are fairness, independence, and objectivity."

Inside the office, Zhao Mancang looked at Chen Liangsheng, Fan Chunbao, Bruce Chapman and the others, and talked freely:

"If I find that an article published in the newspaper is obviously biased, then I'm sorry, I'll warn you twice. The third time, you'll submit your resignation letter."

"I've already said this before, you can just pretend you didn't hear it. It's okay, and if you lose your job later, don't blame me for being ruthless."

When everyone heard this, they felt a chill in their hearts.

This naked threat is so intimidating.

Just now in the office in Yau Ma Tei, everyone saw clearly that Zhao Mancang alone made Wu Xianwen and his group of thugs dare not step forward.

Even though Zheng Dahua, Wu Xianwen and others were holding machetes, they did not dare to move anymore.

The mere use of force was enough to silence Chen Liangsheng and others, not to mention that Zhao Mancang was smart and the salary he paid was very high, so of course everyone cherished him very much.

"I'll give you two days. After two days, I want to see a completely new version of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily. Can you complete it?"

Chen Liangsheng and his colleagues agreed that they could complete the task, but Fan Chunbao and other newly joined employees did not dare to say a word.

Because Chen Liangsheng and others had joined a few days ago, and Zhao Mancang had already completed the relevant layout design, content sections, etc. of the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily".

In the sub-edition about increasing newspaper sales, Zhao Mancang directly used the novel.

Anyway, Louis Cha hadn't written The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre yet, so Zhao Mancang simply spent his experience points to redeem the novel.

Regardless of whether Louis Cha will join the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily in the future, Zhao Mancang has already copied the novel The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.

Because only in this way can he quickly earn more experience points.

At the same time, Zhao Mancang also arranged a marketing plan for the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily", which was to distribute newspapers for free for three days.

This so-called free is of course not free for consumers, but free for dealers.

A newspaper costs only two or three cents. Taking thirty cents as an example, the dealer takes seven to ten cents of profit, leaving about twenty cents.

The costs of labor, water, electricity, shop rent, etc. are at least one or two cents, and the profit is only about one cent.

In other words, if 10,000 copies are sold, the profit is only 1,000 yuan.

However, Hong Kong and Kowloon are so large that only medium-sized and large newspapers can sell 10,000 copies a day, while small newspapers only sell a few thousand copies.

Therefore, many tabloids will follow the example of high-selling newspapers and use some pornographic illustrations, graphics or text descriptions to attract more consumers to buy.

These concessions allow dealers to earn more, although not much, but better than nothing.

The intention of giving profit concessions is to encourage these distributors to promote the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily more. As long as they can get through the first three days, the future sales of newspapers will definitely explode.

After leaving the office, Zhao Mancang went to a nearby coffee shop to meet and chat with Joseph Grant.

Asking someone out is not just about chatting, but about asking for help with something.

Zhao Mancang had just arrived and had no connections in Hong Kong and Kowloon, but it was inevitable that he would have to deal with both the black and white sides, such as the police station and the Dongxing Red Star. He just didn't expect it to come so soon.

"You want me to introduce you to the police station party? Is someone giving you trouble?"

Joseph Grant frowned when he heard this and asked.

He didn't know much about Zhao Mancang, but he had found out a little bit these days. It turned out that Zhao Mancang also had money deposited in Standard Chartered Bank and First Citibank.

Even though it's not a lot, what if he deposited it all in HSBC? Wouldn't that mean he could complete his savings target for this year?

Therefore, Joseph Grant had to take it seriously and become nervous.

After all, if he could help Zhao Mancang, maybe the other party would really be able to deposit more money in HSBC, or even get a loan.

For banks, deposits must be taken, and the same applies to loans.

However, Zhao Mancang was a newcomer and had no credibility at all with HSBC, so he naturally could not get a loan.

However, as Zhao Mancang bought properties in Hong Kong and Kowloon, Joseph Grant began to pay more and more attention to him.

I believe that it won’t be long before Zhao Mancang will need a loan business.

"Joseph, you also know that Hong Kong and Kowloon are quite chaotic places." Zhao Mancang smiled and said it in passing, then took out an envelope and pushed it in front of the other party.

When asking someone to do something for you, of course you have to understand that interests come first.

If Joseph Grant is not fed, he will not be able to devote himself to Zhao Mancang's affairs.

In short, as far as this matter is concerned, Zhao Mancang must of course adapt to the rules in Hong Kong and Kowloon and integrate into them.

Jianghu is not about fighting and killing, but about human relationships.

Although Zhao Mancang could have other ways, other ways would take time, and others might not give him the time to grow and develop.

Joseph Grant, who received a red envelope of 5,000 yuan, introduced Zhao Mancang to a senior inspector Alex Redmayne that night.

This time, Zhao Mancang directly gave the other party 5,000 pounds, equivalent to 80,000 Hong Kong dollars.

Alex Redmayne was very happy to get the cash. After all, it was a lot of money, and for him, it was just a matter of a phone call.

As a result, after spending a total of 85,000 yuan, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily finally had a backer, and no one dared to act recklessly again.

The four major Chinese detectives in Hong Kong and Kowloon all received calls from Alex Redmayne. After hanging up the phone, they all became curious about Zhao Mancang and the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily.

As the Chief Inspector of the New Territories, Lei Luo is the leader of the four Chinese inspectors. Although he is in the New Territories and has no jurisdiction over Central, he still sent people to investigate Zhao Mancang's affairs.

In Hong Kong and Kowloon, it is impossible for him not to be curious about a person like Zhao Mancang who appears without saying a word.

With Lei Luo's current social status, he actually doesn't need to care about people like Zhao Mancang. He can even completely ignore a senior inspector like Alex Redmayne.

However, Alex Redmayne is only 28 years old this year. He has become a senior inspector at such a young age, and it won't be long before he becomes the chief inspector.

Even if he becomes a superintendent, it probably won't take long.

It's safe to say that Alex Redmayne is the rising star of the police force.

When a person like this calls, no matter how powerful Lei Luo is, he must handle it carefully.

Zhu Youqiang quickly found out the details and came to Lei Luo's office to report:

"Brother Luo, the boss behind the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily is called Zhao Changshou. He just arrived in Hong Kong this month and has a very good relationship with HSBC, Standard Chartered Bank, and others. I heard he has a lot of money deposited in these banks."

"Yesterday, when I was buying a newspaper called the South China Economic Daily in Yau Ma Tei, some thugs from Dongxing came to my door and demanded protection money. Zhao Changshou beat them up."

"Now they have moved their company to Hollywood Road in Central."

Zhao Changshou's name is the name of Zhao Mancang in Hong Kong Island. Not only because he needed to avoid the KGB, but also because the two words "Mancang" are really eye-catching in Hong Kong Island, so it is better to change his name to Changshou.

Of course, in addition to longevity, Zhao Mancang could actually change his name to other names, but he prefers the word longevity, which also implies that he can live to be a hundred years old.

After listening to this, Lei Luo immediately smiled and asked, "Why didn't I find out how much money he has deposited in HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank?"

As the leader of the four great Chinese detectives, the two words "Lei Luo" represent a lot. His methods are monstrous and his power is extraordinary.

However, in the eyes of the British, Lei Luo is just an ordinary person who relies on flattery to get to the top.

Without giving money to the middle and senior management of HSBC and without enough money, Joseph Grant would not have been able to betray his big client Zhao Mancang.

Once the money is in place, everything will be easy.

Just like that day, Joseph Grant was able to give the nouveau riche Yu Jingrong a cold shoulder, wasn't it just to please the big client Zhao Mancang even more!
The latter was willing to spend a huge amount of money to purchase the land at No. 66 Deep Water Bay, so his wealth must be over one million, which is certainly not comparable to Yu Jingrong.

Therefore, if Zhu Youqiang was willing to give money to Joseph Grant and Pelton Lamorris of Standard Chartered Bank, he might be able to find out how much money Zhao Mancang had deposited in the two banks respectively.

"Luo Ge, you know those Britons are very arrogant. I gave them two thousand in bribes, but they just wouldn't tell me."

When Zhu Youqiang heard this, he immediately said angrily.

He wasn't exaggerating, it was just the truth.

In the world of Hong Kong and Kowloon, interests come first, especially the British people who value interests more.

Joseph Grant and Pelton Lamorris took the money but did not do the job. They were simply trying to fool him. Now that he was stuck by Lei Luo's question, he certainly would not take the blame himself.

Lei Luo was angry, but he didn't show it.

He had only been Chief Inspector for less than a year, so it was not appropriate for him to come into conflict with the British.

And at this time, Lei Luo actually didn't have much money, because there was really not much money to be made in the New Territories, a remote place.

Only places like Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula, especially Central and Tsim Sha Tsui, are the places with the most oil and water.

More than ten years later, in 1974, before the establishment of the Independent Commission Against Corruption, Lei Luo's wealth had accumulated to more than 500 million Hong Kong dollars.

At this moment, Lei Luo's net worth is really not as much as the more than 10 million Hong Kong dollars that Zhao Mancang currently has on the surface.

In addition to Lei Luo's investigation of Zhao Mancang, there are also three Chinese detectives Lu Gang, He Sen, and Yao Xiong, as well as gang leaders such as Wu Shihao, Zou Mingwei, and Su Wenchuan, who also remembered the three words Zhao Changshou.

Zhao Mancang never thought that Lu Gang would come to see him in person.

"Hello, Mr. Zhao. Congratulations on your grand opening. I'm not well-educated, so I came uninvited. Please don't mind."

Lu Gang is a very humorous person. Both his words and actions are very funny and funny, so both the police force and the underworld bosses like him very much.

A wealthy man like Zhao Mancang appeared in his own territory, and this wealthy man was able to get Alex Redmayne, the rising star of the police force, to call him personally and ask him, Lu Gang, not to provoke Zhao Mancang.

So Lu Gang was very curious, and thought he had very good connections in the police force, so he went to visit directly.

The other party was a detective, and since you shouldn't hit someone who smiled at you, Zhao Mancang naturally couldn't refuse him directly.

However, Zhao Mancang was not enthusiastic about contacting the other party. After all, Lu Gang was a pure smiling tiger. He didn't even know when he would be stabbed in the back or betrayed by the other party.

After chatting for less than two sentences, Zhao Mancang shouted to Bruce Chapman beside him:

"Bruce, go wash this teapot. It's time to change the water."

The water in the teapot had just been filled up not long ago and did not need to be changed.

Besides, Lu Gang hadn’t even taken a sip of the tea in the cup in front of him, so why would he change the water?

This is clearly an order to expel you.

Lu Gang joined the police force later than Lei Luo, but he became a detective earlier than the latter, which shows that he is not only humorous and likable, but also has good emotional intelligence.

Therefore, the Smiling Tiger Lu Gang did not get angry because he heard Zhao Mancang's voice-over, but stood up with a smile to indicate that it was time for him to leave.

Zhao Mancang didn't even try to be polite and ask the other party to stay. He just said: Inspector Lu, you have a lot of things to do, so I won't keep you here.

It's okay in terms of face, but nothing else. If you want to make a living in Hong Kong and Kowloon, you can't avoid all kinds of people.

Therefore, after a while, Zhao Mancang will definitely have to hire bodyguards.

There is no rush for all this now, because earning more experience points is Zhao Mancang’s top priority at the moment.

Two days later, in the conference room of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily office building, Zhao Mancang personally reviewed the final results of two days of hard work by Bruce Chapman, Chen Liangsheng, Fan Chunbao and others.

There are different sections such as News Live, China Online, Local Information, Entertainment Storm, Expert Comments, Martial Arts World, etc. Not all sections are available at the same time, but are adjusted according to different time periods and news content.

In addition, the advertising sub-page has also been arranged in advance.

As a formal newspaper company, how could it be possible that it does not have advertisements?
Advertising is currently one of the sources of income for the Hong Kong newspaper industry, and is even an important source of revenue for many high-selling newspapers.

Zhao Mancang frowned as he looked at the two major sections: People's Livelihood Matters and Make You Smile.

"Everyone, please take a look at these two sections. After reading them yourself, will you continue to buy our newspaper next time?"

When the editor-in-chief Bruce Chapman and the deputy editor-in-chief Chen Liangsheng heard what Zhao Mancang said, they were suddenly startled.

The boss's expression wasn't too good, and his tone wasn't right. Could it be that the boss was very dissatisfied with the two sections, "Minor Matters of People's Livelihood" and "Make You Laugh"?

To be honest, in order to increase the sales of newspapers, Zhao Mancang made many preparations.

The three sections of News Live, China Online and Local Information are all news. The former is the front-page headline and can be said to be the most essential part of the newspaper.

Needless to say, China Online reports news related to domestic and international events, allowing readers to understand what is happening in the world.

Local information refers to news related to Hong Kong and Kowloon, which needs no further explanation.

Entertainment Storm, Expert Comments, Martial Arts World, etc., these are all major changes made by Zhao Mancang in order to increase newspaper sales.

The so-called entertainment storm is actually entertainment gossip, which focuses on the private lives of movie, TV, and music stars. Sometimes, it even specifically digs into the grievances between emperors and ministers in the feudal society in the past.

After all, sometimes, when some movies and TV dramas are broadcast, they may involve these different dynasties. Where do all the gossips about the movie, TV and music stars in the 1950s come from?

So there isn’t enough gossip, so I can only piece it together.

Not to mention the experts' sharp comments, the novel serialized in the martial arts world is The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber, which Zhao Mancang took out from the system, so there is nothing much to say.

On the contrary, Zhao Mancang attaches great importance to the two major areas of people's livelihood and making people laugh.

why?

The markets in Hong Kong and Kowloon are flooded with all kinds of pornographic and vulgar magazines, and many regular newspapers also use borderline text or illustrations to increase sales.

Because for most Hong Kong and Kowloon citizens, they are more interested in the things between men and women. It can be said that it is their only entertainment life.

Therefore, the section on people's livelihood issues is, to a large extent, a guarantee of newspaper sales.

Then the quality of this part must not be bad, otherwise, readers will definitely not buy it.

"Boss, I think this little accident is pretty good. A lot of the descriptions in it are very accurate."

Chen Liangsheng carefully considered his words and spoke nervously.

Bruce Chapman also echoed the sentiment, saying that the section on small matters of people's livelihood was indeed very well done.

As a Great British, Bruce Chapman's Chinese is not bad, but his Chinese accent is still a bit awkward.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Mancang did not say anything, but looked at editors such as Fan Chunbao, Chang Pingxiu, Rong Zhizhuan, and Tuoba Xishao, hoping that they could give different opinions.

Noticing the boss's gaze, Chang Pingxiu said with a stiff upper lip:

"Boss, I think our stories in the section about people's livelihoods are not attractive enough, and we don't know how to get better submissions."

Rong Zhizhuan, Tuoba Xishao and others also expressed their suggestions and ideas, but none of them could satisfy Zhao Mancang.

After they had finished speaking, Zhao Mancang spoke:
"Have I told you before? The section on people's livelihood needs to be distinguished from other sections like the martial arts world and entertainment storm. We at Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily want to be a comprehensive newspaper, not just a news newspaper."

In this era of extreme entertainment scarcity, newspapers are not only a way and carrier for many people to obtain external information, but also an important form of entertainment.

Why did Hong Kong and Kowloon, a small city with a population of only a few million, support hundreds of newspapers in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s?

That’s hundreds of newspapers!
Judging from the limited space, the newspaper industry actually has great potential.

In order to increase sales, become famous, and earn more experience points faster, Zhao Mancang will of course do everything he can.

"I don't ask you to write stories that are particularly attractive, but at least you should come up with one or two decent ones, right? And in the end, you only came up with these?"

Glancing at everyone, Zhao Mancang knew that these editors had tried their best. After all, the limitations of the times existed, and it was impossible for them to have such a good imagination.

"Three aunts, six grandmas, nine aunts, second uncle, fifth cousin, eighth uncle, and their respective concubines, etc. You know the story of selling oneself to bury the father? You know the story of the farmhand and the young mistress having an affair? The young man went down the mountain, seduced the second sister-in-law, and rose to fame overnight, etc. These little stories should be able to expand into a lot of texts, right?"

"These are some fairly high-quality articles. Take a look for yourself."

After saying that, Zhao Mancang took out a stack of manuscripts from his briefcase. Fan Chunbao quickly took it respectfully and distributed it to everyone.

There were several story titles, and the one Chen Liangsheng saw was: The cloth dyeing master comes to collect debts.

It tells the story of a dyeing master from Shaoxing, Zhejiang, who worked in a dye shop in Daxing during the Republic of China period. At that time, there was a mutiny and Nanbu Town on Chongming Island was in chaos. The dyeing master became greedy and joined the others in robbing 20 ingots of silver, and then the story continued from there.

Human nature is greedy, and as the saying goes: People rely on others to calculate the infinite, but they don’t know that God will not bless the wicked.

Chen Liangsheng became addicted to reading it at first sight. The article is not long, with only more than 1,200 words in total, but the story is full of ups and downs and is very attractive.

The title of the manuscript that Tuoba Xishao got was "The Kind White Chrysanthemum Fairy", the article in Fan Chunbao's hand was "The Donkey Who Remains Calm in the Face of Danger", and the article that Chang Pingzheng was reading was "The Infatuated Cold Beauty Who Robbed Six Million".

These articles are all very attractive. Although they are all very ordinary texts, the ups and downs of the stories and the flow of the plots are so fascinating that people can't take their eyes off them.

"Boss, who wrote this article? I want to recruit him as a full-time writer for our newspaper."

Rong Zhizhuan looked at the article in his hand and said to Zhao Mancang excitedly.

The article he read was titled "Before 1942, the Physics Doctor was Still a Rural Failed Youth." It looked like a story, but in fact it seemed like something that really happened, because it was about the growth process of Zhang Qidong, a former rural college entrance examination failed youth, who became Sam's Physics Doctor.

Sam is one of the most powerful superpowers in the world today, on par with the superpower Moscow on the Eurasian continent.

Zhang Qidong, a rural youth from mainland China who failed the college entrance examination, was able to successfully pass the Boxer Indemnity Foundation's study-abroad examination with the help of his widowed neighbor, and traveled across the ocean to study in Sam, becoming a Ph.D. in physics at Sam.

Just the title and the opening thousand words alone are very eye-catching.

why?
Because even Rong Zhizhuan wanted to know whether Zhang Qidong went back to marry his widowed sister-in-law and whether anything happened.

The first thousand words or so do not spend much time describing how beautiful Zhang Qidong's neighbor, the widowed sister-in-law, is. However, she is gentle, kind, independent, and self-reliant. Zhang Qidong also beat away the hooligans from the next village who bullied his widowed sister-in-law, which shows that the widowed sister-in-law is still very beautiful and very pitiful.

All in all, intellectuals like Rong Zhizhuan really have no resistance to such stories.

After all, they are all ordinary people, and their thoughts are even more disgusting than those of ordinary people.

In the early years of the Republic of China, each university recruited students independently and there was no unified college entrance examination system. During the Anti-Japanese War, that is, from 1937 to 1941, the Ministry of Education at that time established a National Unified Admissions Committee, which was responsible for formulating admission brochures, setting questions and marking papers, admission standards, formulating and issuing test questions, reviewing scores, and allocating admitted students.

Both Rong Zhizhuan and Fan Chunbao knew about this matter, so when they saw Zhao Mancang's article "Before 1942, the physics doctor was still a rural failed youth", they did not raise any objections.

"This is an article I wrote. You think it's good, right?"

Zhao Mancang looked at Rong Zhizhuan with a smile. Chang Pingxiu, Fan Chunbao, Chen Liangsheng and others were suddenly shocked, and then all kinds of flattery rushed towards Zhao Mancang like a tide.

Zhao Mancang, having gained a lot of experience points, was in a good mood.

This is exactly the effect he wanted. These people in front of him are all tools for him to gain experience points. There are more than 30 people in the entire editing department. Even if each person only contributes 10 experience points, he can still gain 300 at a time.

The reason for recruiting so many people is naturally not simply to keep them and make money, but also to let them provide articles for the newspaper.

After all, it’s impossible for Zhao Mancang to write the manuscripts himself all the time, right?
The section on people's livelihood requires a lot of stories. Although the section is not long and can only contain more than a thousand words at most, it is also a means to increase sales.

Take the article that Zhao Mancang just brought out, "Before 1942, the Physics Doctor was still a rural youth who failed the college entrance examination." This article could be serialized for many days.

"Okay, I overestimated your abilities before. I thought you could focus on the small things in people's livelihood and didn't need my attention too much. Now it seems that..."

Zhao Mancang looked at Bruce Chapman, Chen Liangsheng, Chang Pingxiu, Fan Chunbao and others, and said with a smile:

"We'll set up a third editorial department and hire twelve more editors. Each will receive a fixed salary of 2,000 yuan. They'll specialize in writing short stories. We'll use a last-minute elimination system, eliminating one person every three months. After the elimination, we'll hire again."

Upon hearing this, Bruce Chapman and Chen Liangsheng frowned and expressed their opinions, which was that the labor cost was too high.

why?
The normal staff of a newspaper is actually around 40 to 60 people.

Before this, Zhao Mancang had already filled the staff and directly recruited according to the establishment of 60 people.

Now that we have added more staff, the total number of employees has reached 72.

Not to mention the monthly salary of 8,000 yuan for Bruce Chapman and Chen Liangsheng, the average monthly salary of the 70 employees of the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily" alone reached 1,500 yuan, totaling 105,000 yuan.

The labor cost is as high as HK$121,000, which is a heavy burden for the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily.

The rent is 12,000 yuan per month, and water and electricity cost an average of 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. In addition, there are miscellaneous expenses such as equipment, paper, ink, pens, office desks and chairs. On average, it would cost at least 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per month, right?
All together, these costs definitely exceeded HK$150,000.

In other words, if the newspaper sales do not meet certain expectations, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily will definitely lose money.

"I know about cost control, but you also have to think about sales!"

Zhao Mancang waved his hand towards Bruce Chapman and the others, then continued:

"As long as we can ensure the quality of the newspaper, we can increase sales. If sales go up, why worry about losing money?"

Zhao Mancang has enough confidence in this regard.

As a comprehensive newspaper, all aspects need to be taken into consideration.

The front page headlines must be impartial and consistent with the purpose of the newspaper. This is the red line that must never be crossed.

Anyway, at this time, Zhao Mancang did not intend to do anything small to avoid attracting other people's attention.

Survival is Zhao Mancang’s top priority at the moment, everything else can be put aside.

Bruce Chapman, Chen Liangsheng and others nodded to show their understanding.

After the meeting, another day passed and the draft was finally finalized. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily will publish the newspaper on January 20th, which is the first publication after the suspension and rest.

January 20, 1959 was a good day. The Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily News appeared in the top corners of major newsstands, convenience stores, bookstores, etc. in Hong Kong and Kowloon at six in the morning.

Because the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily News gave discounts, the distributors could earn an extra 30 cents for every newspaper sold.

The other newspapers also sell for 30 cents, but their income is only 8 cents. Even a fool would know which newspaper they should promote.

There is a small bookstore opposite the Mong Kok Typhoon Shelter. The owner, Zhang Quangui, is 65 years old this year, but he has been running this small bookstore for nine years.

In 1949, Zhang Quangui came to Hong Kong and Kowloon from Baiyun City on the other side of the strait to make a living. After several twists and turns, he finally chose to settle down in Mong Kok.

The four big words "Xuan Shuwu" were a name he found by looking up in the dictionary, and it was also one of the things he was most proud of in his life.

Because the four words "Xuan Yan Bookstore" are very popular among nearby neighbors, everyone likes to come here to buy newspapers, books, etc.

Today, the "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily" was launched and distributed at a full profit to him, so Zhang Quangui recommended this newspaper immediately.

The reason why he recommended it to everyone was not only because of the discount, but also because the newspaper was so addictive.

The attraction is immediately maximized.

Zhang Quangui's favorite sections are "People's Livelihood Matters", "Entertainment Storm" and "Make You Laugh". As for the section on the world of martial arts, it serializes a long novel called "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber", but he hasn't figured out anything yet.

There are several jokes in this section, and Zhang Quangui laughed for a long time after reading them.

For example, there was a joke that made Zhang Quangui really want to laugh.

"I went shopping with my wife and met a blind beggar. When I was about to give her money, she said, 'Don't give it to me. She's a liar and is obviously pretending to be blind.' I pointed at her and asked the beggar, 'Is this girl pretty?' The beggar said yes, so I immediately gave her money and said, 'Yeah, she's obviously blind!'"

Just this joke made Zhang Quangui laugh for a long time.

There is another joke like this: In the history class, when the teacher was reviewing the "Zhenguan Administration", he asked: "Water can carry a boat, but what else can it do?" A student answered loudly: "It can also cook porridge!" The whole audience burst into laughter.

These jokes are obviously carefully selected and everyone can find joy in them.

Even the elite class can smile knowingly when they see these jokes, and feel relaxed for the whole day.

Sun Yutong got up a few minutes late this morning. She washed up in a hurry and prepared to go downstairs to buy breakfast.

Next to the breakfast shop is Xuyan Bookstore. Sun Yutong buys a newspaper every day when she eats breakfast, and today is no exception.

"Uncle Zhang, give me a copy of Sing Pao and Hong Kong Commercial Daily."

As Sun Yutong was about to pay, Zhang Quangui enthusiastically recommended:
"A new newspaper arrived today. It has jokes and stories, and there's also a novel called The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre. It's quite interesting. Why don't you try the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily? Trust Uncle Zhang, it's definitely right."

Sun Yutong is an editor of Sing Tao Daily, and purchasing Sing Tao Daily is her job.

She bought the Hong Kong Commercial Daily because it was serializing Louis Cha's novel The Legend of the Condor Heroes, which was so good that she loved reading it, so she bought it often.

In addition, she will selectively purchase newspapers such as Wen Wei Po, Sing Tao Daily, and Ta Kung Pao because she needs to know more information for her job.

"Is it really good?" Sun Yutong was a little hesitant, but at this time two young men came and Zhang Quangui recommended "Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily" again.

Just because Zhang Quangui was so hard at work promoting the newspaper, Sun Yutong spent another thirty cents to buy the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily.

After breakfast, Sun Yutong took a public bus to the Star Ferry Pier, then took a ferry to Hong Kong Island, and then went to work at No. 20 Liyuan Street East.

While riding the bus, Sun Yutong first flipped through the Hong Kong Commercial Daily, then thought about it for a while with a lingering feeling, and then flipped through other newspapers.

Only after she changed the ferry did she open the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily.

When reading the Hong Kong and Kowloon Daily, Sun Yutong didn't think there was anything wrong at first.

After all, the content of sections such as News Headlines is not much different from that of other newspapers.

It wasn't until Sun Yutong came across the section on people's livelihood that she was drawn in, simply because the stories in it were so fascinating.

It really is a completely different reading experience, it’s amazing.

(End of this chapter)