14: Chapter 14 Welcome to our gang

Yang Shiguang was very familiar with these two voices.

These two were Zhang Zishan's best friends from high school, and they were also the ones who mocked him in that last phone call in his previous life.

When he was still acting as a simp for Zhang Zishan, he hadn't suffered less from their bossing around and humiliation; he had swallowed his pride back then so as not to leave a bad impression on Zhang Zishan.

Yet, Zhang Zishan had tacitly approved of their actions, watching with an indifferent expression as Yang Shiguang was ordered around by them.

At this moment, Yang Shiguang would not get angry over a few words from them, and he said with a calm expression:

"Ladies, if you are here to dine, then please place your order. If not, then please do not disturb the customers in the shop. Please leave; there are many people waiting outside."

Seeing that Yang Shiguang was not fawning and bowing as usual, the two girls became instantly enraged:

"Yo, you're acting like this just because Zishan isn't here, right? Have you grown a backbone?"

"Exactly, exactly. I advise you to serve us well, lest I make one phone call to Zishan and you end up like a stray dog."

The two of them were not quiet, and the surrounding customers all looked over.

Some regular customers frowned one after another and began to whisper.

They had a very good impression of Yang Shiguang; this young handsome man was very approachable, and he would occasionally give them some small seafood and beer.

Therefore, they were naturally very unhappy to see Yang Shiguang being humiliated like this.

Just as Yang Shiguang was about to kick these two out, a soft, glutinous voice filled with anger came from behind him.

"You are not allowed to talk about Brother Shiguang like that!"

An Miaomiao had seen this scene for a while; at first, she was still hesitating whether to intervene.

After all, she had seen these two before, and they had a very good relationship with School Beauty Zhang; she was afraid of ruining things for Brother Shiguang.

However, hearing these two humiliate Yang Shiguang in such a manner, she really couldn't bear it.

"What right do you have to talk about Brother Shiguang like that! How has he ever wronged you?"

An Miaomiao glared with her peach blossom eyes, her gaze full of anger, and she raised her lotus-root-like arms to point at them, shouting angrily.

The two of them were even more incensed seeing this outsider intervening, and this girl with a cute face and a superb figure made them feel jealous, so they lashed out:

"What business is it of yours? A mere waitress dares to stand up for justice here?"

"Exactly, you meddlesome bitch."

However, their words ignited the entire Shuicifang, and the surrounding customers slammed the tables and began to rebuke them.

The humiliation of Yang Shiguang had already made them somewhat annoyed, and they didn't expect them to dare to scold An Miaomiao.

One must know that the customers present all liked An Miaomiao very much.

An Miaomiao herself had the appearance of an approachable girl-next-door. Moreover, she was very good at acting cute and coquettish, making her very likable.

Young customers treated her as a little sister, while middle-aged people treated her as a daughter.

"Please leave!"

An Miaomiao said, suppressing her anger.

The two wicked women were already a bit panicked seeing the scene around them, but for the sake of face, they braced themselves and kept up a furious appearance. One of them stood up and pointed at An Miaomiao:

"You stinking..."

Slap!

Before the insults could be finished, Yang Shiguang had already slapped her across the face.

The wicked woman clutched her burning, painful face, glared at Yang Shiguang, and shrieked loudly.

"You dare hit me! Where is your store manager? I'll have her fire you!"

You Li had actually been on the scene for a while; hearing this, she walked over and said in a deep voice:

"I am the store manager. Is there a problem?"

The wicked woman clutched her face, revealing a vicious smile:

"This waiter hit me. I want you to fire him immediately!"

You Li, with an indifferent expression, said sternly to her:

"First, I saw that you were the one who started it. Second, it is impossible for me to fire my boss. Finally, please leave!"

The two wicked women were very surprised upon hearing this, and they looked at Yang Shiguang in disbelief.

"You? You are the boss?"

Yang Shiguang glanced at them, his eyes filled with killing intent; his tone was calm but carried endless pressure.

"That's right, I am. Please apologize to her, and then get out!"

"Yes! Apologize!"

"Get out!"

The customers also began to shout along with Yang Shiguang.

The two women were already scared silly, and after hastily throwing out two apologies, they scrambled out of Shuicifang.

Yang Shiguang didn't look at these two clowns anymore; he turned his head to look at An Miaomiao and said with heartache:

"Miaomiao, I'm sorry, I've let you suffer a grievance."

An Miaomiao shook her head, her peach blossom eyes blinking as she looked at Yang Shiguang and said:

"I'm fine, Brother Shiguang, it's just that they seem to have a very good relationship with School Beauty Zhang, you..."

Before she finished speaking, Yang Shiguang had already interrupted her by patting her little head, saying gently:

"No matter what, I will not let anyone bully you, no one!"

An Miaomiao was very moved upon hearing this; water rippled in her peach blossom eyes like stars shimmering in the Milky Way, and she reached out her arms to hug Yang Shiguang.

"Brother Shiguang, you are so good~"

...

One morning, inside Shuicifang, the four of them—Yang Shiguang, You Ge, An Miaomiao, and You Li—were gathered around a map of Jianning City's administrative divisions, discussing.

The map was filled with circles, dots, and various markings; these were all location sites suitable for opening stores that Yang Shiguang had spent a week researching across the city.

Yang Shiguang decided that if he was going to do it, he would do it big, opening three branches directly, one of which would be a flagship store.

As for why the shop on Hejia Avenue would not be the flagship store?

It was too small, and the decoration was too simple.

The discussion had just begun when Ah Long's signature voice came from outside the door.

"Yo, everyone's here, what are you discussing?"

Seeing Ah Long arrive, Yang Shiguang had a waiter pour him a cup of tea.

"Brother Shi, no need to be so polite, your stuff is already on the way, estimated to arrive tonight."

"Alright, thanks Ah Long, can we speak aside for a moment?"

After saying this, Yang Shiguang pulled Ah Long aside.

"What's up, Brother Shi? Just speak your mind between brothers."

Yang Shiguang thought for a moment and said:

"Ah Long, the nationwide crackdown on organized crime has already begun; I don't know when it will reach Jianning."

"Look at what you're doing now; it's inherently unstable, living a life of licking blood off a knife blade."

Ah Long put away his previous cheeky smile, his brows furrowed tightly.

"Brother Shi, I'm not afraid of you laughing at me, but actually, I've been thinking about these things lately too. Just a while ago, a few of my brothers went in."

Yang Shiguang handed Ah Long a cigarette, and Ah Long took out a lighter to light both up.

"Ah Long, I won't beat around the bush either."

"Come work with me. You should know what kind of person I am; I definitely won't treat you poorly."

"I definitely trust you, Brother, but... what can I do? I don't know how to cook."

Taking a puff of the cigarette, Ah Long lowered his head, looking dejected, and mocked himself:

"To be honest, Brother, I don't have much education or ability. Being a security guard is fine, but other things..."

Hearing this, Yang Shiguang patted Ah Long on the shoulder and began his PUA tactics.

"Ah Long, don't belittle yourself. I'll just be direct; I'm planning to open branches."

"But things like renovation have a lot of hidden costs. And negotiating rent isn't really my strong suit."

"And you, Brother, have wide connections and a lot of experience, so I want you to be in charge of branch negotiations and renovation matters."

Listening to Yang Shiguang's spiel, the dejected look in Ah Long's eyes gradually reignited with light.

After Yang Shiguang finished speaking, he didn't rush him for an answer, but smoked his cigarette, giving him time to consider.

Not long after, Ah Long spoke again.

"Brother, you've convinced me. It's just that those brothers of mine, some have followed me for several years..."

Yang Shiguang flicked the ash from his cigarette and interrupted directly:

"Don't worry, I've considered everything. Isn't that why I'm opening branches? The shops will definitely be short-staffed."

"Although the shops I'm opening this time can't re-employ all your brothers, I will definitely open more shops later."

"You should know the wages for waiters here; they aren't very high but they aren't low either. I can accept your brothers to work here, but the necessary training is still required."

Ah Long no longer hesitated; he extinguished his cigarette, gripped Yang Shiguang's hand with both of his, and said:

"Alright! Then I'll work with you, Brother!"

With Yang Shiguang's combination of crisis analysis, clarifying the pros and cons, appealing to emotion, appropriate flattery, and solving his worries, he successfully recruited a capable general.

"Hahaha, believe me, you won't regret it! It just so happens we are discussing branch location selection; let's hear your insights, Ah Long."

After saying this, Yang Shiguang pulled Ah Long towards the group studying the map.

"Interrupting for a second, I announce! From now on, Ah Long will be in charge of our Shuicifang's new store location negotiation and renovation matters!"

"Welcome Ah Long to join our gang!"

Everyone was stunned, looking at Yang Shiguang.

"Oh no, slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue, team!"

Then followed a round of applause. Yang Shiguang raised his hands to press down and continued:

"Did you guys discuss anything?"

"Young Master Yang, I think the flagship store should be placed in Hetang; the old city commercial district is mature, and the customer flow is more stable."

You Li expressed her opinion. An Miaomiao and You Ge also nodded in agreement.

Yang Shiguang did not rush to express his opinion and turned to look at Ah Long.

"What do you think, Ah Long?"

Ah Long thought for a moment, pointed to the north of the map, and said:

"Over here in Shifeng, there are several large factories and residential areas; there are many people, and mining and industrial families also have relatively stable incomes."

"We used to hang out in that area too, and the late-night snacks there are also very popular."

Jianning's two major state-owned enterprises, Jianji and Jianye, are located in Shifeng, with numerous employees and their families.

Yang Shiguang nodded, looking at Ah Long with a bit of surprise.

This former hoodlum leader actually had some business acumen; he hadn't misjudged the person.

At this moment, the four of them looked at Yang Shiguang, waiting for him to express his opinion.

Yang Shiguang smiled and directly picked up a red pen to draw a circle at the bridgehead in Hexi.

"I think the flagship store should be placed in Tianyuan, right at this location by the riverside at the bridgehead."

As the district developed latest in Jianning, Tianyuan's population density in 2007 could not compare with the other three districts. However, due to factors like a better environment, the per capita wealth level was higher than in other districts.

Yang Shiguang looked at everyone's puzzled gazes and began to explain:

"First, we must realize the difference between our flagship store and a regular store."

"The flagship store is also an image store; it needs a larger area and better decoration. As such, the flagship store's business focus must also change."

"If we only focus on late-night snacks, then the size of the current Shuicifang is more than enough. But the attributes of our flagship store mean it needs to focus on full meals."

"And our specialty for full meals is seafood; although we are affordable seafood, the per-capita consumption will still be higher than average restaurants."

"And in Tianyuan District, there are many rich people!"

There was one more point Yang Shiguang did not say: his positioning for Shuicifang had always been a seafood restaurant; late-night snacks were just used to drive traffic and build a reputation.

"Moreover, the municipal government is also in Tianyuan; it can be expected that Jianning's economic center will shift to Tianyuan in the future, including Jianning University of Technology, where Miaomiao is about to study, which will also move there."

After listening to the analysis, You Li suddenly realized and nodded continuously in affirmation.

Ah Long also understood Yang Shiguang's analysis, expressed admiration for Yang Shiguang's powerful business acumen, and felt even more confident in his own decision.

An Miaomiao, needless to say, clapped her little hands vigorously, her face full of admiration; the little stars popping out of her peach blossom eyes were enough to blind someone, and she wished she could just throw herself into his arms.

You Ge? He didn't know anything and was still babbling.

"Of course, what Sister Li and Ah Long said is also correct; we cannot let go of the customer flow in the old city and industrial area, so the other two branches will be placed in these two places."

Ah Long felt full of motivation; taking some people, he ran off to the riverside bridgehead to look for a storefront.

Decisive and swift has always been Ah Long's synonym.