"Alright. President Guo said we'll chat again when we meet tonight."
Wu Youzhi, along with Li Ming and two others, headed to the antique street with Guo Xuyang.
"President Wu, when we get back, please arrange to buy a few suitable houses here.
Firstly, as an investment, and secondly, as dormitories for these individuals. It's not appropriate for them to live in hotels every day.
Also, buy a few cars to facilitate travel. We'll need vehicles for moving goods in the future. These cars must be sturdy, safe, and cost-effective.
Please make the arrangements. The money will come from the company," Guo Xuyang said.
"No problem. We'll handle this after we finish at the antique street," Wu Youzhi replied.
"How are the shops in the antique street? Brother."
"I see there's good foot traffic, and the shop locations are also good. I'm not really sure about the specific business. I'll call Wang Shiping right away."
Guo Xuyang took out his phone and dialed.
"Boss Wang, are you awake? Still at the hotel? Where? How did you end up at the police station? Oh. Are you alright? That's good.
Alright, alright, President Wu and the others are coming over and want to meet you. When are you free? Okay, we'll see you tonight then. Goodbye."
"Boss Wang just got out of the police station, so he won't be joining us. We'll talk more tonight," Guo Xuyang said.
"Ah, I forgot about him at the hotel," Guo Xuyang thought to himself.
Fortunately, Wang Shiping didn't know he had spoken with Jiang Qixin, or he would have complained about him.
However, Guo Xuyang truly felt bad. In the tense situation back then, he had only thought of Jiang Qixin, who checked into the hotel with him, and had completely forgotten about Wang Shiping.
See? Even business partners have their favorites. This truly left him speechless.
As they talked and chatted, the group arrived at the antique street.
The shops here were just opening. It wasn't that the staff were lazy, but there weren't many people in the morning. Most of them started to arrive after ten o'clock.
So, over time, this situation formed: shops opened at ten every day.
Of course, they also closed quite late, at ten in the evening.
The shops here started work an hour later than those on the pedestrian street.
The group visited the gold and silver jewelry shops and left Li Ming there.
"Li Ming, from now on, all the gold and silver jewelry here will pass through your hands. You must take full responsibility," Wu Youzhi said.
"Don't worry, President Wu. I will definitely not make any mistakes here."
"Don't speak too confidently. Even if you make a mistake, call me immediately. Never try to be clever. We must operate with integrity."
"I understand, President Wu."
The group then went to the shop selling ancient jade and jadeite. They left Wang Xin and Song Yu there.
"Wang Xin is quite knowledgeable about antique jade, and Song Yu is proficient in jadeite," Wu Youzhi explained to Guo Xuyang.
"They are a good complement to each other here. We can only transfer these few people from our provincial capital's store. We'll need to hire more people in the future.
If the jadeite shops in Kyoto are to open, we'll need to hire more staff.
It's really hard to find professional talent now, especially those who understand antique jadeite."
"We should hire people as needed. If all else fails, we can look for headhunting companies," Guo Xuyang suggested.
"Headhunting companies are better at finding professional management talent. It's difficult to find specialists in antiques and jadeite," Wu Youzhi replied.
"Let's take our time. No one can become a fat person overnight.
Another thing, our main focus is jadeite, which is my specialty. Once the jadeite is mined, we've already succeeded by a large margin.
As for the subsequent carving and pricing, you are the expert. I'll be responsible for raw material supply, and you'll be responsible for stone cutting and sales.
I believe our business will only get better next year."
"Let's go. While we have time, let's go look at the real estate and cars," Guo Xuyang said, hailing a taxi.
"Driver, please take me to the nearest car dealership. I want to buy a car for commuting."
The taxi driver took them to a Mercedes-Benz 4S shop.
"Boss, please come in," a sales representative greeted them. "May I know what price range you are looking for? Do you have any requirements for the car's performance?"
"Requirements? Powerful engine, good safety performance, preferably with an alarm system."
"In that case, let me introduce you to this Mercedes-Benz. It has good collision performance, ample power, and quick acceleration. This model is around 1.5 million yuan."
"Do you have this model in stock?"
"Yes, sir. Are you paying in full or by installments? If you pay in full, you'll receive a three percent discount and two years of free maintenance."
"I'll pay in full. Excuse me, do you know if there are any houses for sale around here?"
"There should be houses for sale around here. It's best to find a real estate agency. Agencies usually have available properties. If you're buying a new house, you might have to go to the sales office."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome! Please proceed to payment here. Kindly sign this contract."
Wu Youzhi took the contract, reviewed it, and signed his name once he found no issues.
After paying, the two of them drove around the city looking for agencies.
"Look, you can find anything online these days. Why do we have to wander around aimlessly?"
Guo Xuyang said, pulling out his phone and accessing the 98 Classifieds second-hand housing page. He clicked on it.
"This property looks good. Let's go see it," Guo Xuyang said.
The two men arrived at Zhongfu Cheng, where there was a Deli Real Estate, which appeared to be a real estate agency.
"Hello! Are you looking to buy or rent a property?"
"Rent? Do you also offer rental services?"
"Yes, sir, we offer rental services here."
"What about buying? What sizes of apartments do you have?"
"We currently have apartments of fifty, seventy, one hundred, one hundred and thirty, and two hundred square meters. However, we only have one two-hundred-square-meter unit."
"Are there any ready properties in this area?"
"Please wait a moment while I check. Yes, sir, there's a one-hundred-square-meter apartment. The owner is asking for 98,000 yuan per square meter. There's an eighty-square-meter apartment, and the owner is asking for 111,000 yuan per square meter. The prices vary depending on the floor."
"Are there any larger apartments in this area?"
"The largest apartment in the vicinity is one hundred and thirty square meters, and it's priced at 121,000 yuan per square meter."
"Could you take us to see them?"
"Certainly, sir."
The two followed the saleswoman and viewed five apartments in total: one of eighty square meters, two of one hundred square meters, and two of one hundred and thirty square meters.
The locations were not too far from the antique street. The two one-hundred-and-thirty-square-meter apartments seemed most suitable.
"Brother, what are your thoughts?" Wu Youzhi asked.
"Here's my idea, what do you think? We can buy a few smaller ones under the company's name for employees to live in.
I personally lean towards buying a larger one for my own future residence here. It can also accommodate employees when needed. What do you think, President Wu?"