Chapter 205 Another general is added

If an accident occurs, it may take even longer.

In the capital, the only people Wang Anxin could defeat were Yun Zhao, Ergou and Tian Erlengzi.

Yun Zhao was a woman who worked as an accountant in the coal station. It was OK for her to stay out of the spotlight.

As for Ergou and Tian Erlangzi, Tian Erlangzi is severely disabled and knows nothing about doing business. It is easy for him to manage those old soldiers, but he is of no greater use.

Ergou, the only one with the potential to be a professional manager, is clever but lacks wisdom. Border business often requires dealing with officials and leaders on the grassland. A little cleverness is far from enough.

The old man in front of him, however, had been doing business for half his life. In his early years, he had traveled all over the country and even did business on the border. His knowledge and conversation were perfect.

Wang An was moved when he thought of this, and asked, "Is the old man going to return to the Liu family? Or is he going to return to the countryside to enjoy the blessings of his children and grandchildren?"

Zhao Dekui smiled bitterly and said, "Don't be afraid of Manager Wang's jokes. I encountered war disasters in my early years at the border, so I was left with a disease and unable to have children. I am watching half of my body buried in the ground, and I am still alone..."

"So, is the old shopkeeper Zhao planning to go back to the Liu family?" Wang An had changed his address and called the old man the shopkeeper.

Zhao Dekui obviously liked being called the old shopkeeper, and a smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

But the next moment he smiled bitterly and said, "The young master has always disliked me because I am an old man and can't do much work. I'm afraid he won't allow me to eat free meals at the Liu family. Alas..."

Wang An couldn't help but get angry when he heard this, and he said indignantly: "You have worked for the Liu family all your life, and when you are old, the Liu family must provide for you. This is the truth everywhere. If that young master Liu is really so ungrateful, I, Wang, will have to talk some sense into him!"

Zhao Dekui was deeply moved and waved his hand, saying, "I didn't realize that Shopkeeper Wang is actually such a kind-hearted person. However, I would like to thank Shopkeeper Wang for his kindness. I have saved more than ten taels of silver over the years. I can just rent a small house to live in, which is enough for me to survive for the rest of my life."

"How can this be possible!" Wang An pretended to be sympathetic, but the corners of his mouth could not help but curl up, "If Mr. Zhao doesn't mind, I, Wang, would like to hire someone. I wonder if Mr. Zhao is willing to give in?"

"Of course, I, Wang, will never treat Mr. Zhao unfairly. All monthly wages and food and clothing expenses will be based on the standards when Mr. Liu was alive, plus 30%!"

Zhao Dekui was shocked. Although he had been the shopkeeper of the Liu family for half his life, he could be considered experienced.

But after all, he is old, and although he is still very strong, he cannot avoid being looked down upon by outsiders.

Wang An not only wanted to hire him according to the original standards, but also wanted to add another 30%. This sincerity cannot be said to be insufficient.

Zhao Dekui couldn't help but be tempted, and asked tentatively: "Wang, is he going to open a shop selling dry goods from the north and south? If so, I do have some connections, experience, and old customers."

Wang An chuckled and shook his head, saying, "The old shopkeeper may not know this, but I, Wang, and the old shopkeeper are actually in the same business!"

"How do you mean?" Zhao Dekui asked curiously.

Wang An said with a smile: "To be honest with you, Mr. Zhao, I actually do border business, and I am a registered imperial merchant at the Honglu Temple!"

Zhao Dekui had never heard of the term "imperial merchant". Wang An explained it in a few words and Zhao Dekui understood it. However, after listening to it, Zhao Dekui couldn't help but say in embarrassment: "Don't worry about being laughed at by Shopkeeper Wang. Although I am still strong, I have been traveling back and forth to the border since I was young. It may be okay to travel once or twice, but if I do this all year round, I am afraid my body can't stand it..."

Wang An deeply agreed with Zhao Dekui's words. After all, he had been to the grassland once and had personally experienced the hardships of sleeping in the open air on the grassland.

I just made a trip and slept for a day and two nights at home before I could recover, not to mention that Zhao Dekui was 58 years old.

Even though ancient people were more able to endure hardships, as they grew older, their physical condition was still not as good as that of young people.

However, Zhao Dekui was obviously overthinking, and Wang An understood this truth, so he smiled and said, "The old shopkeeper is overthinking. I, Wang, naturally cannot bear to entrust this job to the old shopkeeper Zhao, so I will run this route myself."

"What does Shopkeeper Wang mean?" Zhao Dekui was confused.

Since Wang An doesn't want to do the North-South dry goods, and he doesn't value his experience in running around, then what is the purpose of this old man?
Wang An did not play tricks and said directly: "Don't be afraid of being laughed at by the old shopkeeper. Although I am not a wealthy businessman, I have several businesses in this capital. However, I don't have any staff that I can trust, so I would like to ask the old shopkeeper Zhao to help me stay in the capital."

Zhao Dekui felt relieved upon hearing this, as long as this old man was not forced to run to the border again, everything would be fine.

Wang An was overjoyed and immediately signed a contract with Zhao Dekui, stipulating the welfare benefits, corresponding rights and obligations to Zhao Dekui. Zhao Dekui then officially became a professional manager under Wang An.

As soon as the contract was signed, Zhao Dekui immediately got into the role and helped Wang An direct the workers to start renovating the shop.

Wang An immediately found paper and pen to prepare the floor plan.

Wang An’s idea was to turn this shop on Zhengyangmen Street into the flagship store of Wangji Chemical Factory.

The annual sales volume is not important. The most important thing is the image of Wang Ji and the products on display.

Therefore, the decoration must be luxurious, which will impress people at first sight and make them want to come in and take a look.

So Wang An changed the decoration style of ancient shops, which usually had a counter in the front and shelves in the back, where customers had to point to what they needed and ask the waiter to show it to them.

The long counters and shelves that reach the ceiling were eliminated, and the store was modeled after the boutiques of later generations. Except for the huge shelves against the wall, the entire middle position of the store is filled with lower display racks in the back room.

Guests can walk around and take out and play with anything they are interested in.

The color tone also changed the dull dark style of the time. Not only were the surrounding walls mainly white, but Wang An also planned to paint the shelves and counters in bright colors.

The shop should be decorated with more calligraphy and paintings and flowers to create a lively and bright feeling.

Although Zhao Dekui and Ergou didn't quite understand, they didn't object.

Ergou was very convinced by Wang An, while Zhao Dekui did not want to leave a bad impression on his new employer.

(End of this chapter)