Chapter 21: Business Expansion
"Alright, thank you very much." Yang Wendong took the six business cards, knowing this marked the first step in expanding his business.
Brian continued, "You should go see them this afternoon. They've already asked about the price—20 Hong Kong dollars per week isn't an issue. You're not planning to raise the price, are you?"
"Of course not," Yang Wendong shook his head immediately.
He had no intention of changing the price. It wasn't too expensive, which made it easier for the warehouses to agree, and it was slightly more profitable than running a street stall, without having to deal with harassment from the hawker control teams.
Of course, that's assuming a single person was doing the job. Previously, four people had been working the Jordan warehouse, mostly to learn the trade. Every new business requires extra effort at the beginning.
As their operations grew and the four of them split up, if they could manage seven warehouses in total, their profits would skyrocket.
Brian nodded. "Good. One more thing—although Hong Kong has many warehouses owned by different companies, many of us managers know each other. If you do a good job, some of them might recommend you to others."
"Understood," Yang Wendong nodded.
A lot of business comes from returning customers or referrals, especially in the 1950s, when advertising wasn't very effective. Word of mouth was far more powerful.
Brian thought for a moment and added, "Mr. Yang, once you have more clients, don't neglect my place. I don't want the rats returning to the Jordan warehouse."
"Don't worry, Mr. Brian. I'll personally take care of the Jordan warehouse. If possible, I'll make sure to exterminate every last rat," Yang Wendong said with a smile.
He wasn't interested in "raising pests to inflate value"—for him, doing a stellar job meant there would be endless new business opportunities. That was far more important.
"Alright, then that's settled."
"Okay. I'll take my leave now," Yang Wendong said politely.
After stepping outside, he told his three partners the news, and they were all thrilled.
They stopped at a roadside stall, where each of them had a bowl of wonton noodles for 30 cents. Then Yang Wendong led them to visit the six warehouses listed on the business cards.
Thanks to the business cards, the guards at each warehouse let them in. However, unlike with Brian, Yang Wendong didn't get to meet any of the British managers at these six warehouses.
Perhaps this was the norm. Being able to meet Brian in person—and later even chat with him casually—was likely due to Brian's personality, or perhaps because of Elena.
By late afternoon, as the sun was setting, the group exited the sixth warehouse.
"Dong-ge," Su Yiyi said, "I feel like these warehouses aren't as reliable as the Jordan one."
Yang Wendong smiled, "That's normal. Running this kind of business is like running a street stall—we'll meet all kinds of clients. The Jordan one was a great start. We got lucky. But as the business grows, we're bound to meet different kinds of people. That's just how it goes."
None of the six warehouse visits were particularly difficult, but the tone and attitude of the people they met varied widely. Some were polite, others nearly ignored them altogether.
That's the nature of doing business—you have to deal with all types. In his past life, Yang Wendong had worked in sales and ran his own business. He was used to it.
These minor figures, once given a bit of power, often took pleasure in making things difficult for others.
Zhao Liming, chewing on a stem of wild grass, muttered, "Talking to them was worse than getting scolded by the foreman at the docks."
Yang Wendong replied calmly, "But it pays better than working at the docks. If you want to make money, you've got to take the hardships. Otherwise, everyone would be doing this."
"True," Zhao Liming nodded. Even with his poor math skills, he could tell they were earning a lot more than they used to.
Yang Wendong continued, "Don't overthink it. Our first priority is doing our job well. If we do that, we can handle any challenges that come our way."
"Right," Su Yiyi agreed.
Yang Wendong added, "Their tough attitude can actually help us grow. In the future, when the business gets bigger, you'll all need to handle things independently."
"What about you, Dong-ge?" Lin Haoyu asked.
"I'll have my own challenges to face," Yang Wendong said. "If you don't learn how to deal with these things, I won't be able to handle everything by myself."
"Don't worry, Dong-ge. I'll definitely work hard to learn," Su Yiyi said with a smile.
Yang Wendong shook his head. "Yiyi, you'll probably handle internal affairs in the future. You'll need to help with the accounting, so you'd better learn the math I've been teaching you."
In a society like Hong Kong's, girls were at a disadvantage when it came to doing business, especially someone like Su Yiyi. When they lived in the shantytown, she was too thin to attract attention. But now, after a month of better living conditions, she had gained a bit of weight and become quite pretty—probably comparable to a Miss Hong Kong contestant from the 1980s with some grooming.
Luckily, they were still poor. Their clothes and hygiene barely met basic standards, and the three guys were always with her. Otherwise, she might have already drawn unwanted attention from local thugs.
"Oh, okay." Su Yiyi also understood that business outside wasn't ideal for women.
Yang Wendong continued, "Don't worry too much. These six warehouses are now our top priority. Use every method we have and aim to wipe out the rats within a week to prove our value."
After hearing this, Zhao Liming hesitated and said, "Dong-ge, about that Jiayun warehouse... I get the feeling that if we really do eliminate all the rats, they might just get rid of us afterward."
"That would actually be a good thing," Yang Wendong chuckled. "They're choosing us, but we're also choosing them. If they're that kind of client, it's better to weed them out early and save us the trouble later."
"In business, there'll always be setbacks and clients who won't bring profit. The key is to cast a wide net—if even a few clients are satisfied and become long-term partners, it's worth it."
"Some of them might even be like Brian and introduce us to new clients, helping us grow quickly. That's what really matters."
"Oh," Zhao Liming nodded. That made sense.
Yang Wendong finished, "Let's all go home and rest. Starting tomorrow, let's work hard. If all goes well, we might be able to move out of the shantytown soon."
"Yeah!" All three of them brightened up at the thought, their eyes full of hope.
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