Chapter 140: Would You Like to Change the Channel
He Yunzhi quickly pulled up a market report on domestic electric scooters and showed it to the two women. “Look. According to the latest figures from last year, there are currently more than 350 million electric scooters in China, with annual sales exceeding 50 million units. This is a huge market.”
The two of them stared at the densely packed data on the phone, their eyes glazing over almost instantly. “Sister, how about you just give us a summary?”
They had been out of school for far too long. Whatever learning ability they once had, they had long since returned to their teachers.
He Yunzhi skimmed through the report and quickly summarized it for them. “Joining a branded dealership, combining online promotion with offline service—that’s an option worth considering.”
Their eyes lit up at once. “Really?”
Could they actually open an electric-scooter shop?
He Yunzhi nodded. “You can, but you can’t just jump into it recklessly.”
Opening a shop wasn’t something you decided on a whim. They had to take everything into consideration: calculating the initial investment, choosing a brand, selecting a location, analyzing foot traffic, and more. Only by planning everything properly could they at least ensure they wouldn’t lose money.
Far too many people started businesses without using their heads. They saw a franchise hotline online and called it without thinking. Whatever the person on the other end said, they responded with, “Yes, yes, yes,” and, “Mm-hmm, you’re absolutely right!”
They didn’t even have twenty or thirty thousand yuan in savings, yet they dreamed of becoming bosses from the comfort of home and making money while lying around.
They hadn’t even figured out that a steamed-bun shop had to sell steamed buns and a milk-tea shop had to sell milk tea before they started throwing money into the business.
Franchise fee? Pay it!
Mentor guidance fee? Small change!
Rent and renovation costs? Small change!
The shop hadn’t even opened, and they were already hiring several employees. How could a boss be expected to do the work personally? Would they still be a boss then?
They didn’t care about choosing the location, overseeing the renovation, or training employees. They didn’t care about anything.
Then, once the shop finally opened, there would be no business, no customers, and no money left to keep it running.
Within a couple of days, they would have to post a short video saying, “Then let’s say a proper goodbye~ The river of time flows into the sea~ We together...”
He Huanhuan and Qi Meili were both left completely bewildered.
He Huanhuan asked, baffled, “Were those people very rich?”
He Yunzhi shook her head. “Most of them didn’t have much money at all.”
“Then why would they do that?”
Wouldn’t it be better to save that money properly? Why waste it for no reason?
He Yunzhi sighed. “Because they want to change their economic status, but they don’t have enough understanding to do so. They want to get rich and change their circumstances, but they don’t know how. So they try to gamble with the little savings they have.”
To a certain extent, it was the mindset of a gambler.
He Huanhuan hurriedly shook her head. “We won’t do that!”
She couldn’t bear to waste money.
Even if the money came from Gu Jingchen and she didn’t have to work hard to earn it herself, she still couldn’t bear to waste it.
It was money, after all. Why waste it when it could be put to good use?
Still, after thinking about all the people He Yunzhi had described, she couldn’t help becoming more cautious.
Those people probably thought they wouldn’t waste their money either. No one started a business believing they were destined to fail.
It was only after everything had become irreversible that they suddenly realized every step they had taken was wrong.
After thinking for a moment, she asked He Yunzhi, “Sister, could you send me a copy of that report later?”
She wanted to study it carefully. She needed to understand the industry before deciding whether to open an electric-scooter shop.
Her serious attitude made He Yunzhi nod approvingly. “Sure. I’ll send you a few more documents later. Take a look at all of them.”
Foot-traffic analysis and planning, evaluating and selecting commercial locations...
Once she finished reading through all of that, she would have a much clearer idea of what to do.
The entire day passed with the two of them earnestly poring over those mind-numbing materials under He Yunzhi’s guidance.
They went through them bit by bit, asking He Yunzhi whenever they encountered something they didn’t understand. She would explain the obscure professional terminology in plain, everyday language.
It wasn’t until the sky outside had darkened that Meili clapped her hands and urged He Yunzhi to leave. “Sister, you and our brother are newlyweds. Hurry home—don’t make our brother spend the night alone!”
After spending the afternoon together, the three of them had grown much closer. He Yunzhi’s face flushed faintly, but she still stood up. “Then I’ll head back first. This week is my long week. Mark anything you don’t understand, and I’ll explain it to you again on Friday.”
Her teaching schedule alternated between long and short weeks. During a long week, she worked four days and had three days off; during a short week, she worked three days and had four days off.
Qi Meili nearly burst into tears when she heard that. They both worked alternating long and short weeks, so why had her factory’s “long week” meant working six days and taking only one day off, while the “short week” still meant working six days?
And if you asked what the difference was, the factory would tell you that during the short week, Saturday overtime came with extra pay...
Two extra yuan an hour...
After He Yunzhi left, the two of them leaned over the table and studied for another hour or so. They were still completely absorbed in their work when Han Mo called He Huanhuan.
Meili waved her off. “I’m not going. Just bring me back a packed meal after you eat.”
These days, she was living off Huanhuan. If the two of them started a business, Huanhuan would be the one putting up the money.
She had nothing to contribute except herself.
That was why she had to study even harder and understand everything thoroughly.
If they really opened a shop one day, she would also learn how to repair electric scooters. She didn’t want to be a hands-off boss. She wanted to be the kind of boss who could handle anything herself.
After being best friends for so many years, He Huanhuan naturally understood what she was thinking. She nodded seriously. “All right. You keep studying, then.”
Huanhuan was naturally happy that Meili was willing to learn. The more they knew, the more secure their business would be.
When she went downstairs, Han Mo’s car was already waiting there. She jogged over and climbed inside.
As usual, Han Mo asked, “What did you do today?”
Their daily lives were fairly repetitive: playing on their phones, going out for a stroll, visiting the park, feeding stray cats...
But today, He Huanhuan gave him a different answer. “We studied with Sister Yunzhi!”
Han Mo was surprised. “Studied?”
He Huanhuan nodded. “I want to find a job to pass the time, but Sister Yunzhi said that, given my current situation, I’d be better off starting a business and creating jobs for other people...”
She repeated everything He Yunzhi had told them. After listening, Han Mo nodded in agreement. “She’s right. There’s no need for you to go work for someone else. But if you want to start a business, have you decided what you want to do?”
He Huanhuan’s eyes shone. “Sell electric scooters!”
After spending the afternoon reading the materials, she had become even more determined. She wanted to open an electric-scooter shop.
She wanted to sell electric scooters and hire the “spiritual girls” who couldn’t find jobs as salespeople.
She had once been part of that scene herself, so she knew that many girls in that circle had a very hard time. Their fathers didn’t care about them, their mothers didn’t love them, and their families wouldn’t give them a single cent.
She also knew that many of the people in that circle weren’t bad. It wasn’t that they didn’t want to work. They had simply ended up as “spiritual girls” through a series of circumstances, and after dyeing their hair and getting tattoos, they could no longer find employment.
She wanted to give them jobs so they could support themselves and live stable, peaceful lives.
She earnestly explained her idea to Han Mo. After thinking it over, he said, “That won’t be easy. Have you considered how the image of the spiritual girls might affect the shop’s image?”
He Huanhuan nodded. “Of course I have. That’s why it’s only an idea for now. I’ll think it through carefully.”
She certainly didn’t want to end up making short videos and singing, “The river of time flows into the sea...”
Without realizing it, Han Mo began calculating how they might open a shop like that while balancing the store’s image with the spiritual girls’ employment.
Lost in thought, he suddenly heard He Huanhuan ask, “Han Mo, do you want to change the channel?”