Chapter 1643 - Handling Business Recruitment

"Unexpectedly, the Hair-bandits silently built such a small city right outside Guangzhou City!" Wu Ming sighed.

Huang Binkun said: "I'm afraid in less than a few years, there will be unbearable events in Guangzhou."

Wu Ming nodded, the expression on his face very complicated—seeming to offer both excitement and fear. Staring at this mansion for a long while, he finally said: "Let's go. Let's attend to Little Brother's business first."

Merchants coming in through the "Business Recruitment" channel walked toward the wing building on one side, following signboards. Along the way, a path was blocked off with bamboo poles, preventing wandering. Most people's faces showed uncontrollable smiles, as if they could collect money upon entering.

The three walked into the door following the flow of people and saw inside a huge room without partitions. The walls were already whitewashed, and the floor was paved with what the Australians called terrazzo. On the table in the exact middle of the entrance lay a layered floor plan of the Great World, marked with various colors. Within color blocks, Heavenly Stems, Earthly Branches, and numbers were written with ink brushes.

Many merchants and shopkeepers coming to participate in business recruitment crowded around the table. Some pointed and gestured, discussing with people beside them; some stared at the map silently; there were also those who smiled with confidence after looking a few times.

The wall side was equally lively. Large notices were pasted there, marking business recruitment instructions line by line in large Song typeface. Huang Binkun originally had no intention to look much, but Wu Ming was very interested, so they squeezed over.

First was the explanation of meanings for colors and numbers on the map. This first phase of Great World business recruitment was mainly for wing buildings on both sides, divided into different areas according to different natures of shop operation. Every numbered color block on the map was a shop. According to the shop's area and location, rent naturally varied. Seeing the rent unit marked in "square meters," Huang Binkun couldn't help secretly cursing Hair-bandits for being increasingly rampant.

Below were restrictive clauses for entering merchants: opening and closing times, employment within the shop, hygiene requirements, and so on. Knowing the Australians' requirements for hygiene and cleanliness were nearly abnormal, Huang Binkun didn't look much. Further down were "preferential conditions." It turned out shops entering the Great World could enjoy exemption from rent for the first year, and half rent for the second and third years. This was quite a substantial preference! No wonder—building shops outside this city, it was still unknown how many customers would be willing to patronize.

However, seeing the surging heads in this hall, quite a few people were optimistic about this new market. These Australians really had the art of bewitching people's hearts!

Zhang Yu followed them watching for half a day. Seeing "Catering Area" in instructions but not seeing the two characters "Tea Food," his heart settled slightly. But looking at diagram instructions, there was a category of "Food Store." Tea food could count as food too. Thinking again—this was "Business Recruitment," not Australians opening shops themselves. What shops they opened wouldn't be written on it.

Have to ask someone to know. However, after Senior Student and Young Master Huang came in, they just looked around east and west, in no hurry to inquire. He was anxious inside, looking around, and saw the "Negotiation Area" not far away. Behind a long row of tables sat Fake Hair-bandits, explaining to people coming to inquire—each with flying spittle and full of vigor.

Zhang Yu saw they also spoke Cantonese, probably not needing this Hainan Young Master Huang to translate. Being a young man after all—reckless and worried inside—he squeezed over alone first.

The line in front of the table was very long. How could he wait? Relying on being small and agile, Zhang Yu soon popped his head out in front of one table. Just as he opened his mouth to say: "This Mister—" he heard someone shout loudly: "You! Go line up!"

Following the roar, a big man with short hair and short clothes, with a short stick hanging at his waist, walked over and pointed at Zhang Yu's nose: "No cutting in line!"

"Don't be so fierce. I just have a few sentences to ask, nothing to do with business recruitment..."

"Ask anything must line up!" The big man was uncompromising.

If it were in other places, he would never buy it. At least he would gain some advantage verbally, indicating having had sexual relations with the other party's female elders. However, this was Australian territory. He hurriedly slipped out and lined up at the tail of the queue.

Wu Ming smiled. "You are actually honest today!"

"A wise man doesn't eat loss right in front of him. We're not on familiar ground here. If we were in Guangzhou City, Little Lord would definitely make him look good." Zhang Yu still talked tough.

Huang Binkun shook his head. "Fortunately this is Guangzhou—still tolerating your talking back. If in Lingao, daring to say a 'No' word to policemen, right now you would already be tied on the torture rack with buttocks whipped to bloom..."

Hearing this, Zhang Yu shivered in fright, subconsciously almost touching his buttocks. Suddenly seeing Chen Shixin flash past in the crowd, he hurriedly greeted: "Shixin!"

He saw him holding a hard folder, squeezing back and forth in the crowd—yet that big man didn't scold him. Hearing the greeting, Chen Shixin immediately squeezed over:

"What? You also came to the Great World? Your family also prepares to do business here?"

"Sort of." Zhang Yu was vague. "Why did you come?"

Chen Shixin's dad was a painter artisan, working for others to make a living. His family didn't open a shop—naturally wouldn't come for business recruitment.

"Heard Great World opened today. I specially came in to take a look, incidentally draw paintings. Last time the Australian I met taught me new painting methods and gave me painting materials. I want to try."

"What painting? Let me see." Hearing this, Zhang Yu's interest burst forth. He even forgot about lining up.

"Look!" Actually, Chen Shixin had hidden a little from everyone in the past. He had met that Australian several times later and learned quite a few "Australian Painting" techniques. He showed them to his father, but his father said this wasn't some "Australian Painting," but Frankish people's "Western Painting." Although small details differed, general painting methods were the same—his father had seen it when working for Franks in Macao one year. However, this was also a great opportunity for Chen Shixin. Who would come to teach him, a craftsman's son, Frankish painting skills for free? For craftsmen, one more skill meant one more mouthful of rice.

Zhang Yu opened the folder but was greatly disappointed. The drawings on this paper were extremely simple—just a few strokes outlining. Although there were sceneries of the Great World building outside and that big crane, even sand, stones, trash, and such on the square were drawn in, detailed and exhaustive. As for the back, all were various characters in the venue. Although looking vivid with a few strokes, they couldn't be called good-looking at all.

"What kind of painting is this?"

"This is called sketching." Chen Shixin said seriously. "Chief said this is one of the foundations of painting..."

A flash of inspiration appeared in Zhang Yu's brain. "So you know the Australian in the Great World?"

Chen Shixin nodded. "Yes. His surname is Hong..."

Zhang Yu said anxiously: "Can you take me to pay respects to Chief Hong?"

Chen Shixin was surprised. "Brother Zhang, what do you want to see him for? You don't want to learn painting. Besides, he doesn't eat walnut cookies..."

Zhang Yu was so anxious he wanted to kneel to him. Couldn't do it in public, so he had to hold his hands, saying with hundred and twenty percent sincerity: "Brother has an urgent matter. Still need to trouble Brother Chen to help this one time."

Chen Shixin couldn't make heads or tails of it, but the two were good friends, so he couldn't refuse this face. "I'll go ask for you. If he is willing to see you, I'll pull this thread for you. How about it?"

"Many thanks, Brother Chen!" Zhang Yu almost bowed to the ground.

At this time Huang Binkun and Wu Ming also walked over. Hearing Chen Shixin could introduce him to meet an Australian directly, Wu Ming frowned: "Whether see or not is still unknown. I think you better continue lining up here. Anyway he will take a while to come. You just ask Fake Hair-bandits here first."

"Yes, Senior Student is right."

While talking, the queue had advanced quite a bit. Seeing it was about to be Zhang Yu's turn, voices of conversation in front became clear.

"You want to open a roasted meat shop? This shop location won't do. Too much oil smoke, affecting others. Either you change a shop location, or make it outside and bring in to sell."

"Want to open a raw medicine shop? How many years has this shop been open? Twenty years? No. To open a medicine shop in the Great World requires at least three generations of inheritance."

"You say your family is a century-old shop? That needs account books from past years as proof. Posts copied from County Yamen Household Room? That thing can be got for three taels of silver. Useless."

"Told you how many times—regardless of clean or mixed, we don't do flesh business here. Willing to pay more silver won't do either."

"Your shop is good. Chief just likes your shop's taste. You want this location, no problem. Fill the form well and prepare to come sign contract."

It was Zhang Yu's turn. Before he could open his mouth, the Fake Hair-bandit sitting behind the table spoke: "Opening what shop?"

This "Fake Hair-bandit" spoke authentic Guangzhou vernacular—obviously a local native.

"Walnut cookies—" Zhang Yu was caught off guard, answering with mouth open.

"Just selling walnut cookies?" The "Fake Hair-bandit" sitting behind the table frowned. "Can this little business support a trade? Not selling some other tea foods?"

Zhang Yu hurriedly asked: "Does Great World have tea food shops?"

"Naturally have. Can't possibly let you do exclusive business." The Fake Hair-bandit said. "Besides, you only make walnut cookies. We here may not necessarily want—too single. How about you fill a form to register first."

Zhang Yu didn't care about this bit. He hurriedly asked: "May I ask—Kun—the Australians themselves also want to open tea food shops?"

"This is not clear." The Fake Hair-bandit suddenly became alert. "Why do you ask this?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Do you want to register or not after all? If not, then next one." "Fake Hair-bandit" was full of bureaucratic tone.

"Allow me to consider one..."

Before Zhang Yu's voice fell, "Fake Hair-bandit" already raised his throat: "Next!"

Zhang Yu squeezed out from the crowd in disappointment, obviously not getting the answer he wanted. Just as he was turning around in the room in a daze with no alternative, suddenly he saw Chen Shixin running in from outside, face full of excitement: "Worthy Brother Zhang, Chief is willing to see you!"

(End of Chapter)