she pulled the man's wrist and led him into another jewelry gift shop. After a short while, they came out carrying large packages and hailed a taxi from the street corner, getting into the backseat a...Volume 3: To That Distant Place Chapter 81: Better Development
The Dragon's Vigor period arrived, and since his mother’s shop had an adequate number of employees, Su Pǔ rarely got the chance to work at her store. On the other hand, Wang Ming took care of five stationery stores, which were flourishing. Through their supply channels, several proxy logistics companies in Xia Hai also grew significantly.
Su Càn had his reasons for only opening five stores rather than more; retail sales of stationery are highly location-dependent. Currently, there should be no more than thirty specialized stationery stores across all of Xia Hai that aren't mixed with other businesses. These shops were in locations with some geographical advantages and surrounding environments, but the market wasn’t very active around them. However, Su Càn knew this situation would soon change as the golden age of the stationery industry arrived, leading to a surge of new stores emerging like spring bamboo shoots.
Once these cultural product sales networks took shape, what would truly stand out would be brands.
The consecutive openings of Shushan Stationery's chain stores made Su Càn feel that he had taken the first step in his brand strategy.
Wang Ming chose locations near schools, hospitals, and residential areas, which had great potential. Currently, the markets around Xia Hai’s state-run middle schools were mostly saturated—No. 3 Middle School, No. 1 High School, along with a few vocational high schools. These places represented the "territory" of Xia Hai's cultural products, making it impossible for Su Càn to compete directly against his mother in these areas.
Shushan chose other regions like Waihai and around No. 2 High School, No. 7 Middle School, and No. 1 Primary School; in these places, Shushan's market share was roughly fifty percent. With their expansion, Shushan had virtually captured half of Xia Hai’s retail stationery industry’s golden market.
Since its opening, Shushan's revenue for June reached 250,000 yuan. In July, the market entered a low season, but sales were still around 200,000 yuan. This didn't affect employees' enthusiasm because their wages weren't affected.
This situation will continue until September when schools start reopening, and then a peak period arrives. The intensity of this peak period and its potential revenue generation can be gauged by observing the搶手程度of products in his own store and those at Sanzhong School's stores, so it is still worth looking forward to.
In Su Cen's view, for every increase of 100,000 yuan in turnover, not only does profit increase, but there are also many additional benefits: reputation, brand awareness, customer recognition and loyalty will all be greatly enhanced. The hard-core perception of the brand by customers will deepen as trust accumulates over time, forming intangible assets.
Su Cen believed that these intangible assets were even more attractive than the profits he was currently earning. It represented potential massive wealth. When the market becomes crowded with many players, his brand flag would naturally stand out and occupy a leading position.
The main building of Star Ocean Plaza had already been completed, and the construction period was now in its mid-late phase. Both Zong Jianjun and Su Cen's father, who served as deputy director at the bureau level, were very satisfied with the progress. Recently, Zong Jianjun often came to Su Cen's house for dinner.
At the dinner table, he did not stop talking to Su Licheng, "Old Su, you need to keep a close eye on the mechanical and electrical installation team. The rascal leading that group isn't honest in the province; they often try to pull strings behind the scenes. These guys know the supervisors here well, so we must guard against them causing trouble during this critical period, especially for the supermarket and mall units in the裙樓. This is where mistakes are most likely to occur during standard inspections!"
Su Licheng bumped glasses with him, "Last time I gave those old guys a good scolding; they've now calmed down somewhat. Last time, I let their building materials sit idle on the square for nearly half a month without construction starting. The client almost cried when they came to find me. I set a deadline and said that if it wasn't completed by then, I'd issue a fine every day. Now these guys are rushing to complete the work."
Zong Jianjun nodded. "The mechanical and electrical team three (Team Du San) is under Li Yuhé's group at headquarters. It seems like he is Li Yuhé’s cousin-in-law, but Li Yuhé isn't very strong. Yang Kaifu is still the grandson of the old man and also a manager in the company. When we brought him into the team to lead this mechanical and electrical team for these few years, how many benefits do you think he has taken You wouldn’t believe it; when we were handling the dam state power bureau project, he dragged all the engineering supervision, managers, and client representatives over to 'Golden Splendor'."
Seeing Su Cen sitting beside him, Zong Jianjun coughed twice before quickly changing topics. "Dealing with a place like Golden Splendor This matter infuriated headquarters; they were going to investigate it. But Li Yuhé and Yang Kaifu managed to suppress the investigation by pulling their people down. They just brought out some low-level deputy group leaders who had been playing tricks under them, but you can imagine how much influence these guys have within the company Nowadays, most of what goes on in board meetings involves these people taking advantage of system loopholes for money-making. The managers hired to push for reforms were all overpowered by them; these fellows graduated with master's and doctoral degrees yet couldn't get their work done because they had to constantly review everything and could barely move forward!
No more to be said; these people will eventually cause big trouble, and there'll be a time when it's their turn to cry! Zhong Jianjun pours another small cup of wine, seemingly intent on drinking away the resentment that has built up over the years.
On the coffee table between Zhong Jianjun and his father Su Licheng still lies a thick construction document. Work is progressing faster than expected, and for Zhong Jianjun and Su Licheng, seeing the city landmark Xiahai Square completed under their guidance probably brings them more satisfaction than anything else, including smoking and drinking.
Opening up the plans to sketch out details: "The basement levels one and two will be connected to Xiaohai City's water supply network. Floors three through fifteen above ground will be supplied by high zone variable frequency pumps, with condensate pipes having a slope of no less than 0.006; maximum pressure for the system is 1.1 bar. Pay special attention to the water pump, which must have mechanical seals. The third-floor conference room will use low-speed single-duct air systems with diffusers for air delivery, while the fifth-floor business center will feature swirl outlets at supply air ducts. Low-voltage power distribution circuits should be equipped with undervoltage release devices. When one power source fails, another must automatically take over to ensure fire safety loads are adequately powered."
The two continue drinking and discussing work details until the sky outside Su Cen's window darkens.
After finishing their discussions, Zhong Jianjun rolls up the plans, saying, "Once we complete the Xiahai Square project, our careers will be truly fulfilling. This isn't just any ordinary job; it's a key municipal project that has been completed by us two. When we return to the province, there'll definitely be a celebratory banquet waiting for us! Several construction giants in the province have been eyeing this Xiahai Square project, and now they've all been outmaneuvered. I'm certain our names are already making waves at the provincial level, which is likely why Li Yuhé has been causing trouble."
Zhong Jianjun feels very pleased, indeed. The Xiahai Square project is a major undertaking in their local area and represents concrete achievements for government work. For those working in high-rise construction like them, such projects are irreplaceable credentials that command significant respect within the industry.
Before this point, Su Licheng might still have been struggling to pay salaries due to financial difficulties. But now, with this project under his belt, he would be a prime target for headhunters in any construction group, especially given the implementation of annual salary systems in state-owned enterprises. In a provincial capital city like Xiahai, he could earn between 30,000 and 50,000 yuan.
Before Su Cen started his cultural goods store in Zenghe, such an income would have immediately lifted the family into a comfortable middle-class lifestyle.
Of course, his father would also need to go to the provincial city for development. In the construction project's fourth department, the salary system was still old-fashioned, and it was unlikely that any reforms could be implemented. Hidden income His honest father would never get involved with such things.
"The higher-ups have also hinted at wanting me back. They are quite pleased with my achievements in Xia Hai. When I return this time, I don't want to take all the credit myself, so I recommended you to them. How about it Do you want to move up with me It's just one more personnel slot. You know that without the assistance of the parent company, could the fourth department have independently completed construction on Star Ocean Square The fourth department is too thin and lacks a solid foundation; there are many problems. To be honest, it would be quite difficult for it to develop."
Su Licheng frowned; Zhen Jianjun's offer was undoubtedly an extremely attractive one. When he went out to serve in the military years ago, his intention had been to get away from the fourth department, but after completing his service, he returned and worked there for several years, eventually settling down and raising a family. Now, however, Su Can was telling him that he had an opportunity to move up within the parent company. The pay and benefits would be entirely different than what they were now. Twenty years ago, how alluring would such an offer have been
Su Can was stunned as well; Zhen Huan looked troubled. When one has lived in a place for a long time, it's hard to leave behind the familiar environment. To be honest, their construction company might not compare with government-constructed housing projects or high-end properties in Xia Hai City, but the emotional attachment they had to this place and all the years of struggle to establish themselves here—how could one so easily sever such ties
"I know you've worked hard for a good part of your life here. I understand how much you care about this place too. But people always need to aim higher, right Your son Su Can is such an outstanding young man with excellent grades; in Rongcheng, countless schools would be willing to pay for him to attend. The Twenty-Seven Middle School is far superior to Xia Hai's No. 1 High School and is also a national key school. I have some relatives involved in recruitment there; although they are very strict about admissions, your son’s credentials should make it possible for him to receive full scholarships or at least avoid transfer fees when enrolling—just one phone call on my part."
"You should think this over carefully. You might not care, but you're in your forties now and will retire after another decade of work; your son needs access to better educational resources and opportunities. Plus, moving up to the parent company would solve any residency issues for him as well. When he gets married and has a grandson, that child could be a Rongcheng resident from birth—just think about all the top schools there!"
Zhen Jianjun stood up and smiled at Zhen Huan, then ruffled Su Can's hair affectionately: "Your parents are creating good conditions for you; make sure to study hard!" He turned to Su Licheng and said, "I'll be going now. Take your time deciding."
Thanks to those who voted with monthly votes for the grilled fish chapter!utdated storefronts. However, Su Cen had already taken the initiative to use peach-patterned wood to decorate the entrance, and internally, he commonly used particle board, giving an immediate impress...
