It has to be said that monkeys are quick-witted; they immediately came up with an idea. Liu Chuan's eyes lit up when he heard it. He hadn't paid much attention to the elderly market before, and his business was mostly with young people.
"Alright. Monkey, you two brothers, work hard, and you'll have no problem buying a house and getting married in the future. You know what kind of person I, Da Chuan, am. As long as we make money, I'm not a stingy person."
Liu Chuan has now stepped into the role of the boss and started encouraging his employees. These people are now his core team, and he may merge the pet shop and the mastiff kennel in the future.
"Oh, right, there's something else I need to announce. Since you two are here, Li Bing, you and Xiao Zhang can put down what you're doing and come over here. I have a few things to announce."
Liu Chuan called out to the two busy shop assistants, Li Bing, who had been working for him for over three years. Li Bing was the son of one of his mother's colleagues, and his monthly salary had now increased to 3,000 yuan. When Liu Chuan wasn't at the store, Li Bing was in charge. He was a very honest person, and Liu Chuan trusted him. However, he was a little lacking in market development skills, but he was perfect for managing the store.
"Today, Da Xiong and Monkey have officially joined our pet shop. I have a few things to tell them. This is Brother Zhou. When I'm not in the shop, Brother Zhou will be in charge of everything. If Brother Zhou isn't in the shop either, Li Bing will be in charge. Da Xiong and Monkey will be in charge of market development. Xiao Zhang, you'll assist Brother Zhou and Li Bing. Keep things in order at the shop. Okay, that's all for now. Li Bing, you two should find a place to get together tonight. The shop will reimburse your expenses."
Liu Chuan introduced Zhou Rui to everyone and clarified everyone's responsibilities. Da Xiong and Li Bing knew each other before, so it was easy for them to get along.
Zhou Rui remained cool, nodded to everyone, and didn't say anything. Liu Chuan had told him before that he probably wouldn't be staying in the shop for long. At the very least, he would be returning to Tibet in a few days to bring Renqing Cuomu from the grasslands to Pengcheng.
Liu Chuan then inquired about the situation at the store. Business had been quite good since the Lunar New Year. During the more than two weeks he had been away, the store was running out of stock of many pets. After clarifying which pets needed to be restocked, Liu Chuan took the phone and contacted the customers.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service. Sorry, the number you dialed is not in service."
A synthesized female voice suddenly rang out in the store. Everyone looked at Zhuang Rui upon hearing the sound. After a moment of surprise, Zhuang Rui remembered that it was the ringtone he had just downloaded on Liu Chuan's computer. He quickly took out his phone and answered the call.
"Hey Zhuang, what's Liu Chuan doing? I've been trying to call him for ages, and it's always busy. I've arrived at Pengcheng Airport. Pick me up? No need, I'll just take a taxi straight to Tiandu Hotel. You guys can come over later too. Okay, we'll talk when we meet."
The call was from Song Jun. He had already gotten off the plane. Zhuang Rui had offered to pick him up at the airport, but he refused and took a taxi to the Tiandu Hotel instead. This was something they had arranged beforehand, as Liu Chuan was still thinking about the Australian lobsters there.
After waiting for about half an hour, Liu Chuan finished dealing with things at the pet shop, then called Zhou Rui, and the three of them drove towards the Tiandu Hotel.
When they arrived at the hotel, Song Jun was already waiting there. When he saw the two Tibetan Mastiffs running towards them, Song Jun didn't even have time to greet them. He immediately widened his eyes and began to examine them carefully. He had already told Liu Chuan that he could choose the two Tibetan Mastiffs first.
Zhuang Rui's little white lion didn't bother with the two mastiffs at all, and instead followed behind Zhuang Rui.
Strangely enough, the offspring of that golden-haired iron-clad dog turned out to be a tiger-headed mastiff and a lion-headed mastiff, both a little over a month old and about the same size. Song Jun looked at them for a long time before choosing the golden-haired lion-headed mastiff, which made Liu Chuan feel very sorry for him. He also liked the golden-haired dog, but since Song Jun was the patron, he had to give it up.
After selecting the puppy, Liu Chuan introduced Zhou Rui to Song Jun. Knowing that Zhou Rui was from the military, Song Jun was also very happy. He invited the group into a private room and they sat down. When Song Jun saw Zhuang Rui's snow mastiff, his eyes lit up and he said enviously, "Zhuang Rui, this must be the snow mastiff. You're lucky, kid. I heard that someone offered 40 million, but you didn't sell it."
You have to understand that even if Song Jun were to come up with 40 million RMB, it would take him several days to scrape together the money. Most of his money is invested in various industries, and the cash on hand is really not enough to buy such a dog.
"Hehe, Brother Song, my white lion is not something an ordinary person can raise."
Zhuang Rui affectionately stroked the little white lion's head and said proudly, and the little white lion stuck out its tongue and licked Zhuang Rui's palm.
Although the little guy is now eating raw meat, ever since Zhuang Rui started using his spiritual energy to groom its body whenever he had free time, its mouth no longer has the fishy smell that is common in dogs. Instead, it has a milky fragrance like that of a baby, which smells very pleasant. Zhuang Rui usually lets it be affectionate with him.
"I know Fatty Ma. He's not a simple guy. In the past few years, with the crackdown on mineral resources, he's actually grown bigger and bigger. He's quite a figure. You had a conflict with him. You weren't fooled by him, were you?"
Song Jun seemed to know very well what had happened to them in the black market tent. Although he praised Fatty Ma a few times, Zhuang Rui and the others could still detect a hint of disdain in his words. It seemed that Fatty Ma and Song Jun were not on the same level.
"No, that fat guy is actually quite interesting."
Zhuang Rui told Song Jun everything that happened afterward, but he downplayed the fact that he had obtained the painting. Anyway, since so many experts had failed to see through the mystery in the painting, he insisted that he was just lucky and that no one could do anything about it.
Zhuang Rui's plan was to have Song Jun introduce him to a master mounter, then use the excuse that the scroll was a bit worn and wanted to be remounted before hanging it at home. In this way, during the mounting process, Tang Bohu's "Li Duanduan" would naturally come to light openly, and no one would suspect that he had seen through the deception beforehand. However, Zhuang Rui had to be present during the mounting process; otherwise, if the painting was switched, he would be in a difficult situation.
When Zhuang Rui subtly conveyed this meaning to Song Jun, Song Jun, who was playing with the puppy, didn't pay much attention and casually said, "The art of mounting is most popular in Yangzhou, but there is also a master in Pengcheng. I'll take you to visit him tomorrow. As for whether he's willing to make a purchase, I can't guarantee it. That person is my elder. Zhuang Rui, is a fake worth it? He doesn't ask for a low price for a single purchase."
"Then thank you, Brother Song. The scroll of that painting is in terrible condition and doesn't look good hanging at home. I was thinking that instead of repairing the scroll, I should reframe it. Besides, I've already spent three thousand yuan, so I won't miss the cost of framing."
"Whether it's worth it or not, you'll know once that painting within a painting is unveiled."
Zhuang Rui thought to himself with a smug satisfaction.
Chapter 101 The Theory of Bloodline
Before long, the dishes Song Jun ordered were served in a continuous stream. Among them was Australian lobster, which Liu Chuan had specially ordered, but Liu Chuan didn't seem to have much of an appetite today, his eyes constantly glancing at the two small mastiffs playing around the table.
Song Jun saw through Liu Chuan's thoughts at a glance and said, "What's wrong? You can't bear to part with it? Don't worry, kid, I love dogs too, I won't let this little guy suffer."
Liu Chuan scratched his head sheepishly and said, "Brother Song, I've already given this puppy its vaccinations and obtained the dog license. It's still in the car. Hey, to be honest, I'm a little reluctant to part with it."
Liu Chuan had been in the pet business for four or five years and knew the ropes well. The day he returned to Pengcheng, he took photos of the Tibetan Mastiffs and used connections to obtain several city dog licenses. Private individuals aren't supposed to keep large or aggressive dogs, but Liu Chuan registered the dogs under a company's name as guard dogs. Luckily, he had the connections. Even Song Jun might not have been able to get them so quickly.
"Alright, kid, stop being so dramatic. I had the money transferred to your account yesterday. Go check it yourself later. And stop with the nonsense. Tell me how this little guy recognizes its owner. I don't want it to run away again because I can't tame it."
Seeing that Zhou Rui was present, Song Jun didn't go into details about the money. Instead, he asked about feeding the puppy. It cost millions to buy, and driving a Hummer with it would definitely be a prestigious thing in the neighborhood.
Upon hearing this, Liu Chuan said, "Brother Song, after you take it back, let this little guy go hungry for a day, but don't let it go longer than a day. Then prepare some corn porridge and dog calcium tablets for it. Uh, I've already prepared all these things for you; they're in the Hummer. It'll last for a month. Take it out to play a lot in the next few days. Once it gets used to your scent, it will consider you its owner. As for how to train it, I'll help you with that when it's a little older. Oh, and Brother Song, remember one thing: for the next two months, absolutely do not feed it meat. This little thing can't digest it yet, and it'll easily get diarrhea."
Song Jun nodded repeatedly as he listened. He knew that taking care of a young Tibetan Mastiff was no easier than taking care of an infant of the same age. However, when Song Jun turned around and saw the little white lion lying at Zhuang Rui's feet, he was dumbfounded.
"Hey Da Chuan, isn't Zhuang Rui's Tibetan Mastiff about the same size as these two? How come it can eat meat?"
Before Liu Chuan could answer, Zhuang Rui tossed the shredded beef to the little white lion and chuckled, "Brother Song, that's why I say my white lion is worth forty million. Don't take it too seriously. When my white lion grows up and has offspring, I'll leave one for you."
In fact, Zhuang Rui had also groomed Liu Chuan's two Tibetan Mastiff puppies with his spiritual energy. Although they were not as good as the little white lion, they were fine to eat if they were shredded meat and mixed with cornmeal. Liu Chuan just didn't know that. Moreover, when they were in Tibet, the two little guys had diarrhea for a whole day, which scared Liu Chuan quite a bit.
"Forget it, mine is pretty good too. Who knows who will be stronger when they grow up? By the way, Dachuan, if I'm not in Pengcheng or it's inconvenient to take it out, I'll leave it to you to feed."
Song Jun looked at the golden Tibetan Mastiff puppy with eyes full of doting affection. His golden lion-headed mastiff was quite good-looking; its fur, which originally had some black streaks, had now turned completely golden, and it resembled its father quite a bit.
"Hey, Brother Song, it's just a matter of a word. Besides, we're about to open a Tibetan Mastiff kennel. We're just worried about not having enough Tibetan Mastiffs."
Liu Chuan said it in a seemingly casual manner.
"A mastiff kennel? You two brothers are going to do this? This isn't something just anyone can handle. Have you thought it through?"
Song Jun was surprised to hear this. There are many mastiff kennels in China, but they are all backed by strong financial resources. Those that are slightly larger have an investment of tens of millions of yuan. It was quite unexpected that these two young men also wanted to do this business.
"It's not just the two of us, it's the three of us, plus Brother Zhou. But I'm just going to put in the money, just throw in the three million or so I got from selling your manuscript. I don't care about anything else. But Brother Song, once this mastiff kennel is built, you'll have to bring some friends over for a visit."
Zhuang Rui carefully removed the bones from a piece of fish and tossed it to Little White Lion. Then, turning to Song Jun, he said, while distancing himself from the conversation, he did ask Song Jun, the big boss, to help introduce him to clients.
Song Jun was slightly taken aback. He hadn't expected Zhuang Rui to invest all three million yuan into this still-unknown mastiff kennel. It seemed these people were quite determined.
“Sure, no problem. As long as you two can build the kennel, get puppies of the same breed as these little guys, and provide pedigree certificates, I'll take care of the clients.”
Song Jun wasn't bragging. His friends were all wealthy and influential people. If he were to bring his Tibetan Mastiff to a hunting event and make a brief appearance, his friends would likely inquire about the golden retriever's origins without him even having to say anything.
As for the pedigree certificate that Song Jun mentioned, also known as the birth certificate, it can be said to be the household registration book of cats and dogs. It is a record of the health status, training performance, etc. of the dog and its ancestors for three generations. The owner can determine the dog's bloodline based on the records in the pedigree certificate and the merits of its ancestors, and make improvements in breeding.
A pedigree certificate typically includes the following: the dog's name, breed, sex, date of birth, coat color and other characteristics, breeder and kennel, detailed information on the dog's four generations of direct blood relatives, registration number, tattoo number, hip number and microchip implantation record, competition record and transfer record, and training level record. A dog's pedigree certificate is like a person's ID card; it is an important basis for determining a dog's lineage and identity. In the development of the canine industry, pedigree certificates have considerable significance.
However, there are currently no well-established institutions in China for this purpose, very few have actually established pedigree certificate archives, and there is no authoritative institution in China for the pedigree identification of Tibetan mastiffs.
In fact, every Tibetan mastiff kennel in China exists in the form of a club. Each kennel can issue its own pedigree certificate for Tibetan mastiffs. However, there is another way: to hold Tibetan mastiff fights at Tibetan mastiff conventions held in China. The winning Tibetan mastiff will not only become famous, but its kennel will also gain a reputation in the industry, and its pedigree will be recognized by industry professionals.
Liu Chuan and Zhuang Rui had already made up their minds. This time, when Zhou Rui went to Tibet, they not only wanted to bring Renqing Cuomu back, but also the Golden Mastiff King to bolster their kennel's reputation. Liu Chuan had even found out that an international Tibetan Mastiff convention would be held in Shanxi this June, and they were counting on the Golden Mastiff King to help the kennel gain fame. Therefore, Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan were not worried about their Tibetan Mastiffs' impure bloodlines or the kennel's lack of recognition in the future.
Now that Song Jun had said that, the two of them felt much more at ease. The problem of sourcing the mastiffs for the kennel could be handled by Renqing Cuomu, but Liu Chuan would have to find customers. However, with Song Jun acting as a living advertisement, they weren't worried about a lack of buyers. For a moment, the group was in high spirits, repeatedly raising their glasses to toast each other, and recounting their battles with the wolves of the grasslands in Tibet, which Song Jun listened to with great enthusiasm.
Seeing that Song Jun was in high spirits, Liu Chuan mustered up his courage and told him that the carpet in the car was ruined, but he put all the blame on the Tibetan mastiffs. Anyway, the little guys wouldn't refute it, so this reason was naturally impossible to prove.
Song Jun didn't seem to care much about it. To him, luxury goods were different from antiques; they were meant to be consumed. If you bought them and didn't use them, the money was wasted. If they were ruined, they were ruined. This was a difference between him and Zhuang Rui and Liu Chuan. If it were the two brothers in this situation, they would probably be heartbroken for days. This kind of magnanimity is determined by a person's status and wealth. ...
"Wood, what do you think about us buying a Hummer? It would make things much easier for Brother Zhou when he travels to Tibet."
After dinner, Liu Chuan first drove Song Jun back to the villa, then took his old car and prepared to take Zhuang Rui and Zhou Rui back to rest.
"Buy a Hummer? We don't have enough money. Is the dog kennel closing down?"
Zhuang Rui didn't object to buying a car. The car was already quite crowded with three people and two puppies. It would be inconvenient to drive long distances in Liu Chuan's beat-up car. But buying a Hummer was a bit of an exaggeration. That car was beyond their means.
"Wood, don't worry. I've done the calculations. The rent for those twenty acres of land is calculated based on the price of agricultural land. It's about 12,000 yuan a year. If you rent it for 20 years at once, it will cost 240,000 yuan."
As for the construction of the mastiffs, it won't cost much. We'll build a three-story building for staff accommodation, some dog kennels, put up a fence, level the land, and set up some training facilities. I found a construction team, and they quoted 2 million yuan.
"Oh, by the way, I showed your sandalwood root carving to Old Man Lü yesterday. He was willing to pay 700,000 for it, and I agreed. That brings us a total of 7.8 million in cash. After deducting the initial 2 million, we'll still have about 5 million left. That's more than enough to buy a car."
Liu Chuan seemed to have been planning this for a long time. He spoke eloquently and logically. In the future, Zhuang Rui would naturally be in charge of the finances of the mastiff kennel. Liu Chuan knew that the money could not be touched without his consent.
"Five million was all spent on cars. Does that mean the Tibetan mastiffs won't need food or water anymore? Don't we need to pay the salaries of all the people we hired? You should know that this mastiff kennel won't be profitable until the first batch of puppies are born."
Zhuang Rui shook his head again, saying that putting all the funds into one car was absolutely not an option.
Chapter 102 Jade in Stone (Part 1)
"Cough...cough. I'm telling you, Wood, we're not buying a Hummer like Brother Song's. A six-wheeled H6 Hummer costs at least 2 million, and it's even more expensive after modifications. I know I can't afford that, but I've checked, the H3 only costs 700,000 to 800,000, and its off-road performance is even better than the H6. At least it can handle the Tibet route without any problems."
After hearing what Liu Chuan said, Zhuang Rui realized he had misunderstood. Seven or eight hundred thousand was a possibility, since once the mastiff kennel was built, having too few cars would be inconvenient, and even one car might not be enough.
“Okay, if it’s the price you said, then let’s buy it. Tomorrow, you open a private account first, and I’ll transfer three million to you. Once the kennel’s license is obtained, we’ll formalize the finances. But with this car, Brother Zhou will suffer less when he goes to Tibet.”
Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and nodded in agreement. Obtaining a business license for a Tibetan mastiff kennel was not difficult. However, Zhuang Rui's goal was not limited to just one kennel. He wanted to establish an industry company related to Tibetan mastiffs and formalize it.
When Liu Chuan heard Zhuang Rui agree, he was so excited that he almost drove the car onto the roadside guardrail. He excitedly said, "I've already contacted everyone. I can pick up the car in Nanjing in a week. Then Brother Zhou can drive it to Tibet."
"It will take a week to pick up the car? Then you'll have to drive a bit further to get me to Zhonghai."
Zhuang Rui's vacation is about a week long. Since he can't take the train with Little White Lion, he can have Liu Chuan act as his driver. He has also contacted his boss in Zhonghai and asked him to help him rent a better place near the pawnshop. He doesn't mind if the rent is a bit higher. His boss has been busy helping him with that these past few days. He has also asked Liu Chuan to handle Little White Lion's documents.
However, Zhuang Rui was highly suspicious of Liu Chuan's motives, because Lei Lei should also be in Nanjing at this time. Thinking of Lei Lei, Zhuang Rui's headache returned. The gift he promised Qin Xuanbing was still nowhere to be seen, and he couldn't ask Liu Chuan, otherwise that big mouth would tell Qin Xuanbing tomorrow…
Zhuang Rui and Zhou Rui are now neighbors living in the same building, one floor above the other. Liu Chuan brought them back together, as he was busy the next day and would drive back home. Zhuang Rui took Zhou Rui to the supermarket and bought some toiletries and other daily necessities. Liu Chuan's house had everything, including a TV and refrigerator. After taking Zhou Rui upstairs, Zhuang Rui sat for a while before going downstairs to go home.
Mrs. Zhuang wasn't home right now; she must be dancing in the square with a group of old ladies. Ever since her back injury healed, she's been dancing without fail, rain or shine. Her group of old friends are all incredibly envious, praising her for having such a filial son.
"Uncle, uncle, open the door quickly."
Zhuang Rui had just been quiet for a while, pondering what gift to prepare for Qin Xuanbing, when his niece's childish voice called from the doorway.
When she opened the door, her sister's family had come over. During Zhuang Rui's trip to Tibet, they had done some simple renovations next door and moved in. This made Xiao Nannan very happy. Not only did she have her own room, but she could also see her uncle who loved her every day. In the past two days, whenever she got into trouble, she would run to her uncle's place for refuge.
"Sis, brother-in-law, how are you doing? Are you settling in well after moving in?"
Zhuang Rui has been running around these past few days since he came home. Although they are living together, they haven't had a proper chat yet. But he's been living a fulfilling life, much better than staying at home reading books before.
"It's alright. We've moved here, and things are a bit more comfortable at your brother-in-law's place now. It's just that our little girl is about to start kindergarten, so we need to find one nearby. By the way, Xiao Rui, you've been running around outside all the time these past few days since you came home. I told your brother-in-law that we'd cook you a nice meal to thank you."
Zhuang Min looked at her daughter rolling around on the ground with the little white lion. A warm smile appeared on her face. The experience of living with her parents-in-law and brother-in-law all these years had not been pleasant.
The little white lion had always ignored Zhuang Min and his wife, but it was completely helpless when it came to Nannan. Nannan would always cling to its neck and refuse to let go. The white lion was very intelligent and could sense that the little girl meant it no harm. With Zhuang Rui's orders, it could only helplessly drag the little Nannan around the house.
If Zhuang Rui hadn't seen the little white lion pounce on Liu Chuan last time, he would have felt that although the little guy was growing very fast, he didn't seem like a Tibetan Mastiff. Because he couldn't feel the ferocity of a Tibetan Mastiff at all from the little white lion. Its long white fur added to its cuteness. When Zhuang Rui took it to the supermarket just now, many people pointed and commented on it. The little guy didn't get angry even when surrounded by people. However, Zhuang Rui saw a hint of pride and disdain for the people around him in the white lion's eyes.
"Sister, what are you saying? Do we need to say thank you to each other? Don't even mention that you and brother-in-law have been taking care of the family all these years. Just based on our sibling relationship, it's nothing for me to buy you a house. Alright, let's not talk about that. I brought back some Tibetan medicine from Tibet. Brother-in-law, you can take it home for the elders to use. It's quite effective."
Zhuang Rui was both amused and exasperated by his older sister's words; spending money had somehow made him feel inferior.
This made Zhuang Rui feel very uncomfortable, as the siblings were only two years apart. From childhood, his sister would always give him the best food and buy him new clothes first. Zhuang Rui felt that doing these things for them was nothing special. This wasn't just Zhuang Rui's thinking after he became rich; even without money, he would still prioritize family and friendship over money.
Zhuang Rui went into his room and took out some Tibetan medicine he had brought from Tibet. These were all bought from a legitimate pharmacy, so they should be genuine. Zhuang Rui was very filial to his elderly parents.