"No need, I've already chosen them and marked them with chalk. Brother Jun, have someone send these rough stones back to China later..."
Zhuang Rui was initially surprised by Hu Jun's sudden enthusiasm, but after a moment's thought, he understood that Hu Jun must have asked Hu Rong about the batch of US dollars.
In fact, Zhuang Rui was wrong. Hu Rong hadn't even had a chance to mention the $800 million yet. He had only mentioned it to Hu Jun, saying that he would need Zhuang Rui's help to return to China in the future.
It should be noted that the Hu family has longed to return to China for generations, and this extends to the education of their children. If Zhuang Rui can truly accomplish this, the Hu family will not say a word even if they give him some ancestral stones or move the entire storehouse.
"Brother Zhuang, why don't you pick out a few more pieces?"
According to Hu Jun's thinking, in just over 10 minutes, how many pieces could Zhuang Rui possibly choose?
"That's enough, Brother Jun. If we keep picking on you, we'll be at a huge loss. Let's go eat, we're a bit hungry after a long day..."
Zhuang Rui chuckled. The rough stones he selected were the best materials from the warehouse. Zhuang Rui was determined that when he cut these rough stones in the future, the Hu family members must not find out, otherwise they would be so angry that they would vomit blood.
After dinner, the Hu family held a family meeting, and Zhuang Rui was fortunate enough to attend. He saw many elderly people in their seventies and eighties with missing teeth. When Hu Rong announced that the family was expected to return to China, many people were moved to tears.
Seeing this scene, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but sigh. The Hu family was considered to be doing relatively well in overseas Chinese communities, and they still had such a strong desire to return to their homeland. As for those Chinese who were not doing well, their feeling of not being able to return to their homeland was probably even stronger.
When they heard that Zhuang Rui had proposed the matter and would even assist in it, the old guys held Zhuang Rui's hands tightly and wouldn't let go. All night long, Zhuang Rui heard words of gratitude all he heard. As for how Hu Rong and the others discussed it, Zhuang Rui couldn't hear a single word.
The next day, Zhuang Rui went to Warehouse No. 2 to select some more rough stones, and then he and Peng Fei left Hpakant and returned to Mandalay to take their private plane directly to Beijing.
Before Zhuang Rui could even spend a few days with his family, Huangfu Yun, who had been eagerly awaiting his arrival, dragged him to the museum. The shipwreck exhibition hall was already built, and even the ancient Song Dynasty shipwreck had been transported in, just waiting for Boss Zhuang to preside over the opening ceremony. ...
"Brother Huangfu, everyone, just treat me as a decoration. These things can be handled just fine without my presence, can't they?"
Zhuang Rui sat in Huangfu Yun's office. Yun Man, Manager Wu of "Qin Ruilin", and even Zhao Hanxuan of "Xuanrui Zhai" had come over.
It was rare for Boss Zhuang to seriously inquire about business matters, and these managers almost burst into tears. However, the purpose for which Zhuang Rui had gathered these people today was something none of them had expected.
"Boss, if you keep saying that, I'm quitting! What kind of boss are you? You don't care about anything. So even if our shop gets squeezed out, you don't care at all?"
Zhao Hanxuan was older and had been a boss himself before, so he spoke to Zhuang Rui without any reservations. Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's irresponsible remarks, he immediately jumped up.
"Hey, Lao Zhao, isn't your place the most hassle-free? Otherwise... I'll take this shop back from you?"
Zhuang Rui was most afraid of these trivial business matters. If any trouble arose, he would have already considered transferring "Xuanrui Zhai" to another company.
Firstly, "Xuanrui Zhai" doesn't make much money, but it has a lot of business. Every day, it has to deal with things like industry and commerce bureaus, tax bureaus, and police stations. Some of the people there are quite arrogant. They know that Zhao Hanxuan is just the manager, not the boss. Several times, when Zhuang Rui was notified to attend some kind of security meeting, he didn't go and was even given a hard time.
It was Ouyang Jun who eventually settled the matter, which made Zhuang Rui very unhappy. The smaller the business, the more people are in charge. Fortunately, Panjiayuan has a relatively large influence now, otherwise even the urban management officers could get involved.
Secondly, given Zhuang Rui's reputation, he no longer needs to set up a shop in Panjiayuan to buy antiques. The Dingguang Museum is a living advertisement, and Huangfuyun's online collection is very successful, with many items being sold internally. Therefore, whether Xuanruizhai exists or not is not so important to Zhuang Rui.
"Hey, Zhuang Rui, I didn't mean that at all. I was just...venting..."
Zhao Hanxuan was stunned for a moment after hearing Zhuang Rui's words. He was very happy with his job as the head manager, earning hundreds of thousands every year and not having to worry about the store's profits and losses. If he were to go back to being the boss, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.
"Old Zhao, don't worry, I'm really overwhelmed right now and can't take care of many things. The shop is doing quite well, you can consider it. The price is negotiable. If you don't have the money, you can hold onto it for now..."
Zhuang Rui has no real interest in doing business. What he wants most now is to see his children grow up healthy and, in his lifetime, to discover as many shipwrecks and treasures buried by history as possible.
Of all the businesses he's currently involved in, only the museum is something Zhuang Rui is really interested in. After all, the artifacts he's explored or salvaged need to be displayed there, which aligns with his interests and hobbies.
Zhao Hanxuan thought about Zhuang Rui's words seriously for a while, but in the end he shook his head and said, "Zhuang Rui, it won't work. I don't have the same sharpness as before. My child will be graduating from university soon. Why should I worry about that?"
Although he was doing something similar to the boss, Zhao Hanxuan knew that his mindset was nowhere near Zhuang Rui's. Zhuang Rui could afford to lose any amount of money, but he couldn't.
“Old Zhao, for the past two years, you and Da Xiong have been managing the business. I haven’t put in any effort as the boss. I’m really not a very good boss…”
Zhuang Rui first offered a self-criticism, then presented his pre-thought-out plan: "I'd like to change the shareholding structure of this shop. Old Zhao, you've worked incredibly hard these past few years, so take 30%. Old Zhao, don't rush, let me finish... Da Xiong is starting to get the hang of things, so give him 20%. Monkey has made a lot of money in seal engraving, so 10% will do. The remaining 40% will still be mine, but from now on I'll only be responsible for profit sharing; you guys can handle the specific operational matters..."
Zhuang Rui had been considering this plan for a long time. He was a little reluctant to transfer the entire "Xuanrui Zhai" business, as the name held great sentimental value.
In recent years, "Xuanrui Zhai" business has been booming, which can be attributed to Zhao Hanxuan, Daxiong and others. Although he has treated them well and given them a lot of money, they are not as attentive as he is to his own business. He believes that after the shares are distributed, he will not have to worry about the store anymore.
Zhuang Rui is a sentimental person. Da Xiong and Monkey followed him to Beijing from Peng Fei, so he should give them a chance to be independent. No matter how high the salary is, it's not as comfortable as being your own boss.
"So... Zhuang Rui, then... then aren't you at a huge disadvantage?"
Old Zhao hesitated a bit upon hearing this. He knew the history of this shop best. The current "Xuanrui Zhai" was not the same as it was two years ago. It was doing very well in Panjiayuan. The signboard alone was probably worth several million.
Moreover, Xuanrui Zhai now earns more than five million yuan a year, so this 30% share is 1.5 million yuan, which is equivalent to more than three years' wages for Lao Zhao.
"Old Zhao, as long as you guys make this shop bigger and better, I might even make a profit. Alright, that's settled then. Go back and discuss it with Da Xiong and Monkey first, then come see Brother Huangfu later. He's my personal lawyer; you can talk to him about the specifics..."
In ancient times, specifically before the liberation, antique shops typically had three managers. These managers received a share of the profits to prevent other shops from poaching their staff. Of course, back then, the owners wouldn't have given Zhuang Rui such a high percentage of the profits.
"Okay, I'll go back now and see what Nobita and the monkey have to say..."
Seeing that Zhuang Rui had made up his mind, Zhao Hanxuan didn't say much. He knew that with Zhuang Rui's current wealth, the money "Xuanrui Zhai" earned was really nothing. Zhuang Rui would be better off salvaging a couple of shipwrecks overseas with the skills he used to manage "Xuanrui Zhai."
"Hey Mr. Zhuang, what's going on here?"
After Zhao Hanxuan left, Huangfu Yun looked at Zhuang Rui with a face full of doubt. He felt that Zhuang Rui's words today were all pre-planned.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Brother Huangfu, don't rush, we can talk about your business later. Manager Wu, tell me about Qin Ruilin's recent work..."
"President Zhuang, Qin Ruilin's sales in the first two quarters of this year increased by 130% compared to the same period last year, with total revenue of 168.3 million. The vast majority of the jewelry sold were jade ornaments... After deducting various expenses, there is still a surplus of 154 million..."
Manager Wu, speaking in a Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, opened his notebook and began reporting the revenue of Qin Ruilin Jewelry Store to Zhuang Rui.
"Sales for two quarters totaled over 160 million?"
Zhuang Rui was also startled when he heard this. He remembered that when he first took over Qin Ruilin a few years ago, the sales volume in a quarter was only about 30 million. Now it has more than doubled.
Moreover, unlike before, Qin Ruilin's current main product, the series of top-quality jadeite jewelry, is sourced entirely by himself, including the raw materials. With fewer intermediaries, the profit margin is many times higher than before.
Zhuang Rui did a rough calculation and found that after deducting various expenses, there would be at least 120 million yuan in net profit out of the 160 million yuan. Of course, this was also inseparable from his skill in gambling on stones.
Chapter 1006 Integration (Part 2)
Because the jade jewelry sold by "Qin Ruilin" in Beijing is not only of high quality but also entirely hand-carved, it has become the most famous jade jewelry specialty store in the country in just two or three years.
Not only do you find high-end jadeite jewelry here that you won't find in other shops, but you can also occasionally find top-quality jadeite such as blood jade bracelets and imperial green pendants.
As a result, not only big stars in the film and television industry, or jade collectors and enthusiasts, but even some well-known auction houses will take the initiative to propose cooperation to Qin Ruilin to help him auction some extremely rare jade pieces on the market.
Even though Zhuang Rui never interfered with the operation of the jewelry store, Manager Wu was very dedicated. He built a large consumer network based on the different spending power of consumers and formulated a relevant VIP customer system.
Whenever new goods arrive at the store, Manager Wu will immediately notify customers with purchasing power. Often, many newly manufactured jade ornaments are bought by customers who have heard about them before they even have a chance to be put on the shelves.
Therefore, in recent years, the "Qin Ruilin" store in Beijing has become synonymous with luxury jade. Those who come here to select and buy jade are all wealthy and noble, and naturally, money rolls in.
The process of putting a high-end jadeite ornament on the market involves only two steps: raw materials and processing. All the jadeite ornaments in Zhuang Rui's store are made from raw materials obtained through gambling on rough stones, which greatly reduces costs.
As for processing, Zhuang Rui started last year to expand Luo Jiang's studio in Pengcheng into a small jade processing factory. Luo Jiang serves as the factory manager, and his apprentices have also grown up. Some small ornaments are carved by them.
Although Zhuang Rui has improved the treatment of Luo Jiang and others in the past two years, it is still a small amount of money compared to the continuous flow of jade ornaments from the factory. Looking at the jewelry industry across the country, Zhuang Rui's Qin Ruilin probably has the lowest cost.
After listening to Manager Wu's introduction, Zhuang Rui turned to Yun Man and asked, "President Yun, what is Qin Ruilin's monthly employee salary expense?"
Zhuang Rui would never relinquish his shares in this jewelry store, but Manager Wu's skillful management could compensate for it elsewhere.
"Including Manager Wu, the monthly employee expenses are 580,000 yuan..."
Yunman was in charge of all of Zhuang Rui's business finances and could readily provide information on Qin Ruilin's expenses. Of the 580,000 yuan she mentioned, 300,000 yuan was Manager Wu's salary, while the remaining 280,000 yuan was the salaries of the deputy manager and sales staff in the jewelry store.
Don't be fooled by the fact that the remaining people only received 280,000 yuan; it was actually quite a lot. Qin Ruilin only had eighteen salespersons in total. Apart from the deputy manager and team leader, whose salaries were slightly higher, even the ordinary salespersons earned more than 10,000 yuan.
It's worth noting that in today's society, an ordinary sales clerk can earn over 10,000 yuan a month, almost the same as a flight attendant. The pay is quite high, which makes Qin Ruilin Jewelry Store a place full of beautiful women, creating a beautiful scene.
Zhuang Rui pondered for a moment, weighing the options in his mind, and then said, "Manager Wu's previous annual salary was around 3 million, right? Let's raise it to 5 million. As for the store's employees, their monthly salaries can be increased by 1,000 to 5,000 yuan depending on their performance. Manager Wu can formulate the specific rules..."
In Zhuang Rui's business empire, besides the Dingguang Museum, the Qin Ruilin Jewelry Store is now a goldmine. If things continue to develop as they are, it can bring Zhuang Rui hundreds of millions of RMB in revenue every year, which is much better than Zhuang Rui's vague overseas investments.
Therefore, spending an extra two or three hundred thousand RMB each month is a trivial matter for Zhuang Rui, and with Yunman's financial supervision, he is not afraid of Manager Wu playing any tricks.
"Thank you, thank you, Mr. Zhuang..."
Nobody complains about having too much money. Manager Wu was also delighted when he heard Zhuang Rui's proposal. An annual salary of five million was something that even some professional managers who served as CEOs in multinational corporations might not earn.
Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Alright, Lao Wu, there are rewards for merits and punishments for demerits. You've done a really good job these past few years. You'll need to pay more attention to the shop's affairs in the future... By the way, the jade market is expected to rise in the next few years, so you can appropriately raise the prices of some jewelry. You can discuss the specifics with the Qin family in Hong Kong..."
Zhuang Rui himself studied finance. Although he wasn't very interested in doing business, he had a deep understanding of the capital market. Since he had spent a sum of money for nothing, he naturally wanted to make up for it in some way.
Given the spending power of the "Qin Ruilin" jewelry store's customer base, they wouldn't care whether an imperial green jade item sells for 5 million or 6 million. These people are like what was said in the movie "Big Shot's Funeral": they only buy expensive things, not necessarily the right ones. By selling a couple more items, they can make up for all the money they lost.
"Zhuang Rui, why do I feel like you're making your final arrangements? Is that really necessary?"
After Manager Wu left, Huangfu Yun looked at Zhuang Rui with suspicion. Wasn't everything fine before? Why did he have to split up the business?
"Get out of my way, you'll die while I won't..."
After Lao Wu and the others left, only Huangfu Yun and Yun Man remained in the room. Their relationship was more like friends than boss and subordinate, so they spoke quite casually.
"Then what are you doing? Right, everyone else got the benefits, but what about me?"
Huangfu Yun suddenly laughed, looking at Zhuang Rui with a greedy expression, rubbing his two fingers together.
Zhuang Rui glared at Huangfu Yun, annoyed, and said, "You and Yunman both get a share. The Dingguang Museum will give you two a combined 5% share. As for how you two divide it, that's none of my business..."
"Five percent of the shares in the Dingguang Museum?"
Even though Huangfu Yun knew that Zhuang Rui wanted to give him benefits, he was still shocked by Zhuang Rui's generosity.
Don't underestimate the seemingly small figure of five percent. Keep in mind that the Dingguang Museum is currently valued at at least four billion US dollars, so five percent is two hundred million US dollars. Even if Huangfu Yun and Yun Man each received half, they would immediately join the ranks of billionaires.
Huangfu Yun touched Yun Man beside him in disbelief and said, "Wife... pinch me, did I... hear that right?"
Huangfu Yun's previous annual salary was only around five million, which was enough to live comfortably in Beijing. However, he was a sword collector and had to invest a lot of money every year, so he wasn't very well-off.
"Ouch, you actually pinched me?"
Seeing Huangfu Yun jump up from the sofa, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but laugh, "Don't get your hopes up. Let me tell you, you can only receive dividends from this 5% stake every year; you can't cash it out. Also, if you leave the museum, the shares will be automatically cancelled..."
Zhuang Rui isn't stupid. Every item in this museum is a priceless cultural relic. He wouldn't give away his shares for free. Giving Huangfu Yun these "dry shares" is just to increase his annual income.
"Damn, capitalist...you're a complete and utter capitalist..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Huangfu Yun jumped even higher than before. His dream of becoming a billionaire had been shattered by Zhuang Rui's words, and he couldn't help but feel a little sullen.
Zhuang Rui laughed upon hearing this, pointing at Huangfu Yun and saying, "Come on, if your brother puts more effort into the museum, you'll earn more and get a bigger share, right?"
"That's true, but... you gave me these shares just to make me your slave? You're ruthless, you even schemed against my wife and me..."
Huangfu Yun tilted his head and thought for a moment. The Dingguang Museum now maintains a daily visitor flow of about 20,000 people, and its monthly ticket revenue alone, excluding souvenirs, is as high as 30 million.
Although tourism has peak and off-peak seasons, Dingguang Museum's annual income is around 350 million yuan, and even after deducting various expenses and maintenance costs, it still amounts to as much as 200 million yuan.
Therefore, the five percent that Zhuang Rui gave to Huangfu Yun was equivalent to giving him 10 million yuan for free every year. After carefully calculating the amount, Huangfu Yun felt relieved.
"Ah, now that I've finished dealing with this, I feel so relieved..."