eurekapd Chapter 164 A good start
Chapter 164 A good start
The church members, including Nan Yi, played mahjong, and Wen Yuxia took them to play billiards. Afterwards, they did climbing and maze activities, and finally, they went to the square to experience the joy of riding a miniature train.
Old Wang did absolutely nothing but follow Wen Yuxia and her group around, playing and playing. After experiencing all the activities, Old Wang grinned mischievously and said:
"Have someone deliver a message to Young Master Zhang tomorrow, asking him to invite noble young men and women from the capital to the town for the opening ceremony of the entertainment center in the name of the Crown Prince!"
Wen Yuxia nodded slightly, "Alright, I'll send a letter to Brother Jinxuan tomorrow, telling him that the entertainment room will open in ten days." Since Xia Yichen wasn't around, Wen Yuxia decided on the opening date herself.
After trying it out, Old Wang was very confident in these amusement facilities that no one had ever used before. He nodded vigorously and said excitedly:
"Mahjong should be a popular pastime for the young ladies, while billiards, climbing, and mazes are the favorites of the young gentlemen. The little train will surely be loved by every child who comes to town..."
Old Wang could already foresee the scene of these entertainment facilities becoming all the rage in Daxia. He proposed opening a workshop to produce and sell mahjong sets, mahjong tables and chairs, as well as pool tables, balls and cues.
Mahjong and billiards are easily counterfeited, so Wen Yuxia didn't plan to open a workshop. She had already decided to make a quick buck when the mahjong parlor and billiards room opened.
"Old Wang, how many sets of mahjong and billiards have you made so far?" Wen Yuxia asked calmly.
She had anticipated that the mahjong parlor and billiards room would be very popular after they opened, so she instructed Old Wang not to stop production and to continue making mahjong sets and billiard balls.
Old Wang thought for a moment and then said, “I went back to the capital a few days ago and saw that there were 500 sets of mahjong and 420 sets of billiards. They should have made one or two more sets in the last few days!”
Wen Yuxia smiled with satisfaction. "Old Wang, have someone go to Beijing tomorrow and bring over two sets each of mahjong and billiards. We'll put them in the shop I ordered."
Wen Yuxia had just come up with the idea of having the three Yang sisters-in-law help sell mahjong and billiards sets. The shop wouldn't charge rent, and they would receive a commission of two hundred copper coins per set sold.
Wen Yuxia thought that the Yang family would be very happy to act as temporary distributors.
Old Wang asked with some doubt, "Princess, do you plan to sell mahjong and billiards in your shop?"
“Yes,” Wen Yuxia told Lao Wang about her plan and asked him how much the materials and labor would cost for a mahjong set and a billiards set.
Based on the cost price provided by Lao Wang, Wen Yuxia priced a set of mahjong at one hundred taels of silver and a set of billiards at one hundred and fifty taels of silver.
Old Wang was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth for a long time. A set of mahjong tiles, a mahjong table, and four chairs, along with the materials and labor, cost only fifteen taels of silver, yet Wen Yuxia wanted to sell it for one hundred taels.
The billiards set, including the table, cues, and tripod, cost less than twenty taels of silver in materials and labor, yet the price was a whopping one hundred and fifty taels. Old Wang felt that Wen Yuxia was overcharging.
Wen Yuxia said with a faint smile, "Things are valued for their scarcity. We're the only ones who have mahjong and billiards sets in stock. Let alone one hundred taels of silver, people would buy a set for two hundred taels of silver."
Upon hearing this, Old Wang suddenly realized and said, "A single conversation with you is worth more than ten years of study. What the princess says is absolutely right; no matter how expensive it is, there will always be buyers."
With the opening imminent, Wen Yuxia still had many things to arrange. She asked Nan Yi to go to Gujia Village to call over Yang Shi, Zhang Shi, and Hua Shi, and also notified Wen Zibai and others to come to town to work.
"Old Wang, have Zhang Jinxuan arrange for four managers and eighteen employees to come over tomorrow. We also need two riders for the square; find two from the horse farm when you have time tomorrow," Wen Yuxia instructed slowly and methodically.
After explaining the staffing arrangements, Wen Yuxia set uniform prices for tea, snacks, and treats in the mahjong parlor, billiards room, climbing room, and maze rest area. Then, Wen Yuxia changed the subject...
"Mahjong and billiards are charged per table, at four taels of silver per hour. The climbing room and maze are charged per person, at one tael of silver per hour for the climbing room. The maze is open every half hour, and it costs five hundred copper coins to enter..."
This was the first time Old Wang had ever heard of charging by the hour. Of all the time-based services, the cheapest was the little train, which cost two copper coins for a round trip, taking about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
After Wen Yuxia finished speaking, she turned to look at Bei San and asked, "Did you write it all down?"
Bei San calmly closed his notebook and said respectfully, "I've written it down."
Wen Yuxia nodded slightly: "You are responsible for posting the detailed consumption list on the walls of each entertainment venue. It must be posted within five days."
Bei San clasped his hands in a fist and replied, "Your subordinate obeys."
"Bei Si, you're in charge of purchasing tea, pastries, and snacks. Lao Wang, build me a small wooden hut next to the ticket booth in the small square. I want to open a snack shop there. I'll have Nan Yi send you the blueprints later."
"Bei Si, I guarantee the mission will be completed!" Bei Si clasped his hands in a salute and said. Old Wang also said with a serious expression, "This subordinate will definitely build the wooden house within five days."
"The snack shop's success depends on business. If business is good, we'll assign two employees; if business is bad, we'll assign one. We'll find the employees at the horse farm," Wen Yuxia continued.
There weren't many horses at the horse farm, and fearing the veterans would get bored, Wen Yuxia decided to assign them any suitable tasks.
The snack shop near the little train was a last-minute addition she made for the veterans. After everything was arranged, Wen Yuxia breathed a sigh of relief.
In the following days, the whole town was bustling with activity. North Three was busy posting detailed expense lists, while North Four was running around buying tea, pastries, and snacks.
Yang, Zhang, and Hua arrived excitedly. Their eyes lit up when they saw the exquisite mahjong and billiard sets. Wen Yuxia gave them a brief sales training session, and the three of them took up their posts.
The Wen brothers didn't come; they gave up their future job opportunities in town to their son.
Wen Yuxia arranged for Wen Yunjiang to sell train tickets at the square, Wen Yunbo to work as a lifeguard in the maze, and Wen Yunchen to work as a waiter in the climbing room.
Old Wang found two disfigured veterans from the horse farm. To prevent the children who came to take the train from being afraid of the scars on the veterans' faces, Old Wang thoughtfully prepared masks for the two veterans.
The owners and staff of the mahjong parlor, billiards room, maze, and climbing room were personally delivered by Zhang Jinxuan, along with the work uniforms that Wen Yuxia had asked him to prepare.
Upon receiving the work uniforms, Wen Yuxia immediately instructed Lao Wang to distribute them to the town's management personnel, the owners and staff of various entertainment rooms, the train ticket sellers, the train drivers, and the snack stall workers.
Li Jiating and Zhang Jinxuan spread the news of the opening of the Leisure Town Entertainment Center throughout the capital, and many young noblemen and ladies eagerly awaited the opening day.
Li Jiarui and Wen Yunhai also promoted the leisure town at the academy, and Wen Yunhong even invited classmates from the Imperial College to form a team to help support the leisure town.
Finally, the day arrived for the opening of the mahjong parlor, billiards room, maze, and climbing wall. The town was packed with people, bustling with excitement.
Wen Yuxia, Wen Yunhong, Zhang Jinxuan, Li Jiating, and Meng Xiaoyi simultaneously cut the ribbon for the mahjong parlor, billiards room, maze, climbing wall, and the miniature train in the square.
Nan Yi and his team, responsible for teaching guests how to play mahjong, billiards, climbing, and navigating mazes, stood spiritedly at the entrances of each entertainment room, warmly greeting visitors and patiently explaining the rules.
Inside the mahjong parlor, the ladies chattered excitedly; the billiard room was filled with cheers from the young gentlemen; and people were constantly going in and out of the climbing wall and the maze.
The little train in the square was packed with laughing children, speeding along the square again and again, while the park benches were filled with pedestrians.
Wen Yuxia stood to the side, watching this prosperous scene, her heart filled with a sense of accomplishment. She believed that after today, Fancheng's leisure town would become the most bustling town in Fancheng.
The opening of the recreation room attracted a large number of tourists and also boosted business for other shops in the town. The mahjong and billiards shop run by the three Yang sisters-in-law was the most popular.
Fortunately, Wen Yuxia had prepared a thick stack of delivery slips for the Yang family in advance. All they needed to do was collect the money, send the delivery slips to the customers, and tell them to pick up their goods at the address on the delivery slip.