Dongfu County faces the sea to the east, and a hundred miles south of the county is the newly opened Fangshi, named Dongfu Haifang.
This was originally a simple boat station, which served as a distribution center for the turnover of land and sea goods.
Under the strong promotion of the great elder Lu Yuanxiu, the state government decided to open a market here.
From introducing spiritual veins, arranging magic circles, building buildings, and mobilizing personnel...
After three years of preparation, it has now begun to take shape.
Walking into Fangshi, you can see the flat and wide ground paved with blue glazed stones. There are many shops on both sides of the street, and there are a dazzling array of all kinds of spiritual goods.
It can be seen that the state government has invested heavily here, and various facilities and equipment are modeled on the original Xianfang.
Because they had just opened, not many monks came to buy things, and some shops could even be described as empty.
"I've seen all five stores. Have you two decided which one to choose?"
The steward stopped, turned around and said to Zhao Lin and Gudzhao.
Zhao Lin and his party arrived at Dongfu Haifang, went directly to the administrative office, and explained their intention to the monk in charge of Fang City.
The head monk was very enthusiastic and told Zhao Lin that there were five shops available, and sent a steward named Liu to take them to see the shops.
Manager Liu led a few people around and looked at all five shops.
The locations, sizes, and layouts of these shops vary, and the monthly rent ranges from one thousand to three thousand spiritual stones.
"Are these five the only ones? I see there are still many empty shops."
Along the way, Zhao Lin saw many empty shops, so he asked intentionally.
"It has been rented out, but it is not open for the time being. Within a month, all the stores will be open."
Manager Liu explained with a smile.
"Please wait a moment, steward."
Zhao Lin apologized, pulled Gudzhao aside, and whispered: "Gu Gu, which store do you think is suitable?"
Gu Guzhao said thoughtfully: "I have my eye on two shops. One is the one on Ding'an Street in the northwest. It doesn't matter how big or small it is, but the location is not good."
"The other one is on Zhonglin Street. It's in a great location and has a lot of people. Unfortunately, the store is too small and we have a lot of goods. It might be a little cramped."
"The remaining three are either too expensive or have poor layout, so they will not be considered."
Zhao Lin thought about it for a moment and felt that it made sense. However, he was unable to make a decision for a while, so he walked back and said to Manager Liu: "Selecting a store is not a trivial matter. Please go back to the office first and let me discuss it for a while."
Manager Liu smiled and said: "It doesn't matter, you can come to me after you have discussed it." After that, he turned and left.
"Let's go check out two more stores."
Zhao Lin heard a famous saying in his previous life that there are three core factors in choosing a store: location, location, location.
However, famous quotes are famous quotes, and specific measures must be adapted to local conditions.
A few people first came to the shop on Zhonglin Street. They saw a bustling crowd and the shop was full of signs, which was obviously more lively than elsewhere.
Zhonglin Street is not far from the gate of Fangshi. When monks walk into Fangshi, they can reach here within a short walk.
“The location is great, but the store is too small.”
Gudzhao looked troubled, "Even if it's one-third bigger, I can pay more rent."
Zhao Lin also felt the same way. He must want to make the store bigger. If the business is good in the future, he will not be able to accommodate more customers.
This kind of place is more suitable for shops selling a single product.
Not long after, several people came to the shop on Ding'an Street again.
This shop is more than twice the size of the shop on Zhonglin Street. It is spacious and spacious with a reasonable layout. The only drawback is that there are not many monks visible on the whole street.
"Oh, it would be great if we could move this store to Zhonglin Street."
Gu An let out a sigh.
"Hey, if you move here, it won't be at this price!"
Tang Zhengquan joked.
"Ancient, what do you mean?"
Zhao Lin looked at Gude Zhao.
"The monthly rent for both shops is 1,500 spiritual stones. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. It's hard for me to decide. It's up to shopkeeper Zhao to make the decision."
Gude Zhao is an old man and will never get involved in this kind of thing. If the management does not go well in the future, Zhao Lin will put the responsibility on him, and he can't explain clearly.
Zhao Lin naturally understood what he was thinking and did not continue to ask. He frowned and glanced back and forth on the street.
After a while, he finally made the decision: “This is it!”
Everyone was a little surprised as to why he made the decision so quickly. Gudzhao was stunned and asked, "Why did Shopkeeper Zhao choose this company?"
Zhao Lin did not answer but asked: "What do you think monks use most when traveling?"
"Of course it's spiritual rice, elixirs, and talismans." Gu An rushed to answer.
"There are also magic weapons and armor." Tang Zhengquan added.
Zhao Lin nodded, raised his hand and pointed to the right side of the store, "Look, the famous Xifutang."
Then he pointed to the left, "This store hasn't opened yet, but the signboard has already been erected, Linglong Pavilion!"
Gu Zhaodao said: "Xi Fu Tang and Ling Long Pavilion are both thousands of years old. Many monks only use these two stores to buy talismans and magic weapons. They don't care about the location. There are so many people who come here because of their reputation. I'm afraid we can't."
Zhao Lin smiled slightly, "That's right, but you see, these two shops are on the left and right, and our shop is right in the middle. With them here, are you worried about not having customers?"
Everyone was puzzled and looked at Gu Zhao.
Gudzhao frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh, "Wonderful, it turns out he was taking advantage of the situation!"
"As long as the monks come to this street, they will probably visit these two stores, so they will definitely pass by our store, which is equivalent to attracting people for us."
After he explained this, others also understood, and suddenly realized that they looked at Zhao Lin differently.
Gu An thought of a question: "One of these two stores sells magic weapons and the other sells talismans. Will it affect our business?"
Gude Zhao said with a smile: "There will definitely be some impact, but not big. The goods in these two stores are good enough, but the prices are also high, and they are not affordable by ordinary monks."
"They can't buy what they want, and if they happen to come to our store, can't we sell more things?"
A few people were talking when they suddenly saw a steward walking into the shop with several monks.
Gu An's expression changed, "They must also be here to choose a store."
Zhao Lin also noticed it and said, "Without further delay, let's go to the office now."
Several people left quickly and walked to the administrative office on the side of Fangshi.
Manager Liu saw Zhao Lin and others and asked with a smile: "How many of them have been chosen?"
"Yes, that's the shop on Ding'an Street."
"good!"
Manager Liu quickly took out the Xingyuan pen, deed paper, seal and other items.
Gudzhao was familiar with this and completed all the procedures in only a quarter of an hour.
"Everything is ready, please put it away, shopkeeper Zhao."
Manager Liu handed Zhao Lin the deed and the jade plaque for entering and exiting the market.
Zhao Lin put away the deed and felt certain in his heart, but when he thought about the rent of 1,500 spiritual stones and owed fifty spiritual stones every day when he opened his eyes, he suddenly felt the pressure doubled.
Fifty spiritual stones may not sound like much, but you have to sell at least 150 spiritual stones to make money.
This is just gross profit, the shop supports five monks, and Zhao Lin's goal is not only to survive the shop, but also to pay more taxes.
Since you have decided to do something, you must achieve results.
As soon as Zhao Lin and others walked out of the office, they saw three monks walking towards them.
The leading monk, who had a mole on his left cheek, shouted loudly before he even entered the door: "We want the shop on Ding'an Street!"
Zhao Lin and others immediately turned around after hearing this.
"You guys are late, it has already been rented out."
Manager Liu replied calmly.
"What? It was still empty in the morning, and then it was gone after a while?"
The monk said in disappointment.
Zhao Lin immediately made a gesture, and Gu Zhao and others understood and walked away quickly without looking back.
After leaving Fangshi, Gu An said with a smile: "I thought the rent was quite expensive at first, and I didn't know if I had chosen the right one. Now that someone else has taken a fancy to it, I feel like I got a big deal."
Everyone burst out laughing when they heard this.
The shop is rented and you can move in on the same day.
Everyone worked together to unload the goods from the spirit boat, move them into the shop, tidy them up briefly, and settle down before dark.
The store is divided into three halls: front, middle and back. The front hall is used to display goods and has a checkout counter. The middle hall is used to receive guests and place valuable goods. The back hall is a warehouse and resting place.
There is also a yard at the back for practicing and relaxing.
In the evening, everyone sat in the backyard drinking tea and chatting.
"Shopkeeper Zhao, what would you like to name our store?"
Gudezhao loved drinking tea and cooked a pot of spiritual tea for everyone to drink.
Zhao Lin is also considering this matter. The name of the store is very important. It must have good sound and shape, and it must be catchy and leave an impression on people.
He thought for a moment and said, "Let's brainstorm ideas and let everyone come up with one."
Everyone, look at me and I look at you, then lowered their heads and began to think hard.
It was Gu Guzhao who was the first to speak, "We sell everything. It's hard to come up with a store name. How about calling it Baishuntang?"
After saying that, he was not satisfied and shook his head, "It's too ordinary!"
"Wanbao Tower?"
"Hanchiju?"
Gu An and Zhuang Heng also thought of a name each.
Zhao Lin said nothing and glanced at Tang Zhengquan.
Tang Zhengquan smiled and said: "I am a layman, shopkeeper Zhao, please don't make things difficult for me."
Li Sancai also shook his head and said: "Senior Brother Zhao, I don't have much education, so I won't get involved."
Zhao Lin touched his chin and murmured: "We are not specialized in selling a certain kind of goods. It is difficult to come up with a distinctive name. It is better to give a loud name so that people will remember it as soon as they hear it."
“Let’s call it Jindan Hall!”
"Ah, this..."
Everyone was stunned when they heard it, thinking that this young shopkeeper really dared to name it.
"This name is good and loud enough!"
Tang Zhengquan was the first to agree.
"Would it be too ostentatious?"
Gu An pinched Yahuazi and said.
Zhao Lin smiled and said: "It's better to be more ostentatious, as long as you can remember it."
Guzhao thought about it for a long time and didn't know whether the name of the store was good or not. He said: "If someone asks why it is called Jindantang, how can we explain it?"
Zhao Lin smiled and said: "No need to explain, they can't understand it and it will be easier to spread."
He put the teacup on the table and said, "That's it."
…
Early that morning, the crisp sound of firecrackers rang out from Ding'an Street in the northwest of Fangshi.
Hearing this sound, any monk with a little experience knew that a new store had opened.
Generally speaking, newly opened stores will sell goods at reduced prices in order to gain popularity.
So with the intention of picking up bargains or watching the excitement, many monks rushed towards the direction where the sound of firecrackers came from.
Liu Chaoyuan, the shopkeeper of Linglong Pavilion, was instructing his staff to put up banners and pull up ribbons. When he heard the sound of firecrackers, he was surprised and asked: "Which store is this, opening on the same day as us?"
"It seems to be the one next door."
one of the guys replied.
"Go over and take a look."
"yes."
The waiter responded, trotted out, and came back after a while, "Go back to the shopkeeper, the shop next door is open."
Liu Chaoyuan said "Oh" and asked casually: "What's your name?"
The waiter replied: "Jindantang."
"What, what's your name?"
Liu Chaoyuan thought he heard wrongly and asked again.
The waiter said: "Jindan Hall, the golden elixir of the golden elixir monk."
Liu Chaoyuan took a breath when he heard this, "Who is the shopkeeper of this shop? He dares to call him by this name. Could it be that he is a Jindan monk?"
Outside the Jindantang store, a group of monks gathered, pointing at the store's plaque.
"Oh, Jindantang...what a loud tone!"
"If you really dare to do it, why don't you just call Huashen Hall?"
"Selling what?"
"Isn't it written on the sign? It sells all kinds of cultivation items, the road to achieving the golden elixir."
The words on the signboard were written by Zhao Linding. There is no advertising law in this world, so no one cares about exaggeration. Everyone wants to cultivate the golden elixir anyway.
Gudzhao stood at the door of the store, with a smile on his face and his hands in all directions.
"Welcome all fellow Taoists to visit our store. Our store is opening today. All goods are on sale at 10% off for three consecutive days. Don't miss it, fellow Taoists!"
Hearing this, someone immediately walked into the store and asked loudly: "What good things do you have in your store?"
Gude Zhao deliberately raised his voice and said: "The goods of our Jindan Hall come from Hanchi County. The most famous ones are Lingcha, Hidden Sword Cold Fish, silk robes, elixirs, magic weapons, and talismans."
"Of course, our store will also purchase various cultivation items at fair prices and will never deliberately lower the prices."
There are very few specialized pawn shops in the world of cultivating immortals. If a cultivator obtains a cultivating item that he cannot use, most of them will choose to sell it in a store.
Tang Zhengquan, Gu An, Zhuang Heng, and Li Sancai stood in the front hall, greeting guests entering the store, and patiently answered any questions they had.
Zhao Lin deliberately wore an ordinary monk's attire and stood next to Gude Zhao to see how he received guests and responded to various inquiries.
Liu Chaoyuan watched for a while, and when Gu Zhao was no longer busy, he stepped forward and asked, "Are you the shopkeeper?"
Looking at the other party's dress, Gu Guzhao knew that he had met a colleague. He smiled and said: "I am the second shopkeeper, and this is the chief shopkeeper." He stepped aside.
Zhao Lin bowed his hand politely, "What do you call fellow Taoist?"
"I am the shopkeeper of Linglong Pavilion next door."
Liu Chaoyuan looked at Zhao Lin and saw that he was a young monk who was only at the fifth level of Qi Refining. He immediately disapproved and said, "I also thought that there was a Jindan monk in charge of the shop. It turned out that it was not worthy of its name."
Zhao Lin didn't get angry, pointed to the sign in front of the door, and said with a smile: "The road to achieving the golden elixir does not mean that there are golden elixir monks in the store. Besides, it's just a name. It's your ability to attract people."
Liu Chaoyuan didn't know how to refute for a moment. Thinking that his shop was about to open, he said, "I don't have time to argue with you." and left quickly. (End of chapter)
