Ch 78: The World’s Number One Resort

At 7 a.m. the next morning, Tang Huai and Da Huang got off the plane.

Tang Huai bought a bottle of mineral water at a nearby airport shop and then headed straight to the Great Tang Fruit Store.

“Place the bananas here, and make sure the ’10 yuan for 3 jin’ sign is more visible… Boss Tang?”

At the entrance of the Great Tang Fruit Store in the Yu Hai Garden community in Shengze, Zhao Xingkai was arranging fruits with Li Xiaoyun. He had just set up the banana rack and was about to return to the shop to get some apples when he looked up and saw Tang Huai.

“Manager Tang, here is the sales report for this period… Strawberries and cherries sold very well during the New Year.”

Zhao Xingkai seemed a bit nervous as he hurriedly pulled out a report from the cash register. Although Tang Huai had been away from the shop for several months, perhaps because of their superior-subordinate relationship, Zhao always felt a bit tense whenever he saw Tang Huai.

“You’ve done very well,” Tang Huai said with a smile as he glanced through the report. Zhao Xingkai was steady and meticulous, so Tang Huai was very confident in his abilities.

“Is Master Hao’s warehouse still available?” Tang Huai asked after a brief conversation. Master Hao, whose full name was Hao Jianguo, was 55 years old and a regular customer of the Great Tang Fruit Store.

Hao Jianguo was in the vegetable wholesale business. However, due to the fierce competition in Shengze’s vegetable market and his advancing age, he planned to quit the business. He owned three large warehouses with five years remaining on the lease. When he last bought fruits, he had mentioned to Tang Huai that he was looking to sublease them. Now, three months had passed, and Tang Huai wondered if those warehouses were still available.

“I have a delivery order for Master Hao at 10 o’clock. I can ask him when I make the delivery,” Zhao Xingkai quickly responded. The Great Tang Fruit Store, located on a street-facing side of Yu Hai Garden, offered free delivery services, and Hao Jianguo lived in the same community. This was a good opportunity for Zhao Xingkai to inquire.

“Thank you,” Tang Huai said gratefully.

“Just doing my job… Boss Tang, by the way, who is this?”

Zhao Xingkai scratched his head in embarrassment and pointed towards the entrance. A golden-furred native dog was lying lazily at the shop’s doorway. He had noticed the dog for a while; it was well-built with a sleek golden coat, exuding an air of elegance. But… he was afraid of dogs.

As Zhao Xingkai pointed towards Da Huang, the dog turned to glance at him. Though it didn’t make a sound, he could sense a certain disdain in its eyes…

“This is Da Huang… it’s probably not in the best mood these days,” Tang Huai explained.

Yesterday, in the showdown between Pudding Bird and Golden Dog, Pudding Bird unsurprisingly won. Golden Dog then uttered its usual loser’s line and was KO’d again. Since last night, Da Huang had been in low spirits.

“Ahem, this dog certainly has a strong presence,” Zhao Xingkai coughed awkwardly. He wasn’t knowledgeable about dogs, but Da Huang definitely gave off the vibe of one that wouldn’t easily back down.

Zhao Xingkai weighed the fruits that Hao Jianguo had ordered and carefully walked past Da Huang.

“Want some bananas?” Tang Huai squatted down beside Da Huang after Zhao Xingkai left, petting it gently. Da Huang hadn’t eaten much since last night.

“Woof,” Da Huang whimpered in a pitiful manner. First, it had been seasick, and then it faced defeat as Golden Dog… It felt the world was deeply unfair.

“It’s okay,” Tang Huai comforted it again. Based on Da Huang’s habits, Tang Huai estimated it would take about two days for it to regain its lively spirit.

“Boss Tang!” Tang Huai had just bought some soy milk and fried dough sticks nearby and was preparing to catch up on the latest news when, at around 10:30, he saw Zhao Xingkai returning. Following him was a man in his fifties.

The man was Hao Jianguo.

“Boss Tang, you’re interested in my three old warehouses?” Hao Jianguo greeted enthusiastically upon seeing Tang Huai. Now officially retired, he had put the warehouses up for rent on a property website. However, due to their relatively remote location, while many had inquired, none had committed to renting them.

Tang Huai and Hao Jianguo were familiar with each other, so Old Man Hao was eager about the potential cooperation.

“Can I take a look first?” Tang Huai asked.

“Of course,” Hao Jianguo said, patting his chest confidently.

Half an hour later, they arrived at National Highway 209 in the southern district of Shengze. Hao Jianguo’s three warehouses were located on the southern side of the highway. Tang Huai estimated that the distance from the warehouses to the Great Tang Fruit Shop was about five kilometers, roughly a ten-minute drive.

“Boss Tang, if you rent annually, I can give it to you at 80% of the market price,” Hao Jianguo offered after seeing Tang Huai inspecting the three warehouses. He gritted his teeth as he made this offer. The warehouses were currently empty, so renting them out sooner would help settle a matter that had been on his mind.

After speaking, Hao Jianguo looked at Tang Huai expectantly. The 80% rate was already his bottom line.

“If the warehouses are in good condition, we can sign the contract,” Tang Huai replied after completing his inspection.

Hao Jianguo’s three warehouses had a total area of 520 square meters, with a monthly rent of around 8,000 yuan. Tang Huai was satisfied with the location and size, and with both parties willing, they quickly finalized the contract.

Tang Huai signed a three-year lease, which was concluded much faster than Hao Jianguo had anticipated.

“Manager Tang, is the Great Tang Fruit Store opening a new branch?” Hao Jianguo asked after putting the contract away. The Great Tang Fruit Store was only about 100 square meters; it didn’t seem like it could manage a 500-square-meter inventory.

“I’m planning to open an online store,” Tang Huai explained with a smile.

“An online store? That’s great! My wife is always buying clothes online…” Hao Jianguo nodded knowingly, then started chatting about other topics. Although he didn’t show it on his face, he still had some doubts. Even with an online store, could the Great Tang Fruit Store handle such a large inventory? However, since he wasn’t that close to Tang Huai, he didn’t want to pry.

After a bit more conversation, Hao Jianguo left feeling content. Now that they had wrapped up their business, he could enjoy the rest of the holiday without any worries.

Over the next two days, Tang Huai spent his time shuttling between his Shengze apartment and the Great Tang Fruit Store.

Yu Hai Garden was a high-end residential area, home to many golden retrievers, Labradors, corgis, and other pet breeds. After some cautious attempts, Da Huang quickly befriended the other dogs in the community. Tang Huai spent his spare time each day walking Da Huang around the neighborhood.

In this lively routine, the morning of the third day at 10 a.m., the Daqing Transport fleet finally arrived in Shengze.

…

“Manager Tang, here are the twelve tons of goods. Please check them,” said the leader of the transport team, handing Tang Huai a cigarette with a smile. Meanwhile, the workers Tang Huai had hired for the past two days were unloading the cargo one box at a time.

Even though it was still the holiday season, Tang Huai had paid a fair transportation fee, so the crew had a smooth journey.

An hour later, the workers finished unloading, and Tang Huai carefully counted the goods.

“Everything is in order. Here’s the remaining payment,” Tang Huai said, transferring the final amount. The Great Tang Fruit Store’s packaging was neat and organized.

“Manager Tang, you’re straightforward. Feel free to contact us again if you need help in the future,” the transport team leader responded, satisfied with the cooperation. Usually, collecting payment was the trickiest part in such arrangements, so Tang Huai’s promptness was greatly appreciated.

Tang Huai smiled. After a brief chat, the Daqing Transport fleet left, leaving Tang Huai and the ten workers alone in the warehouse.

“Your main task for the next couple of days is to keep an eye on the fruits…” Tang Huai clapped his hands and gave a brief meeting to the workers.

Tang Huai hadn’t been idle these past two days. Besides hiring workers, he also rented an office near the Great Tang Fruit Store and recruited five customer service representatives. With the rapid growth of online shopping in China, Tang Huai planned to open a Great Tang Fruit Taobao store to take advantage of this trend.

He had mapped out a plan: with the current popularity of the Great Tang Resort, the Great Tang Fruit Shop could capitalize on this fame and sell well for a while. However, its long-term success would depend on the fruit’s quality and customer feedback.

Tang Huai was confident in the future of Sora fruits.

After setting up the fruit warehouse, Tang Huai drove to the new Great Tang Fruit office. The office was located near Yu Hai Garden, only a five-minute drive from the Great Tang Fruit Store. He had registered a Taobao store back when he first started the fruit shop, but it went unused after two initial sales due to the shop’s small scale.

Now, a year later, that Taobao store was still operational.

With plans for the Taobao store in place, Tang Huai hired a professional designer to revamp the storefront. The new online shop for Great Tang Fruits looked much simpler and more elegant than before.

…

“I heard our company is collaborating with Great Tang Resort, the one that’s gone viral on Douyin.”

“Really? I just came because the pay here is good.”

“Not sure, but that’s what the interview manager said. By the way, did you notice our manager is quite handsome…”

…

When Tang Huai walked into the office, he found the newly hired customer service representatives chatting away. The desks and computers were already set up, and the space was clean, but since the online store had yet to officially launch, everyone seemed to have too much free time.

“Ahem, Manager Tang.”

In the midst of their lively conversation, one of the employees spotted Tang Huai out of the corner of her eye and quickly stood up.

Although the hiring was done hastily, the offered salary was a thousand yuan higher than similar positions elsewhere. After a brief interview, everyone was eager to stay.

Shengze is a third-tier inland city, and jobs offering such high pay for relatively easy work were rare. The employees valued this opportunity greatly. Of the five recruits, one was an online store accountant named Li Hong, while the rest were customer service reps.

“Manager Tang, is there anything you need us to do?” Li Hong, the accountant, asked smartly as she handed Tang Huai a cup of tea.

They had been idle for two days already, and despite the downtime, the staff was more eager to get started with their customer service duties, hoping it would confirm the job’s reliability.

“Here is the product price list. Take some time to familiarize yourselves with it,” Tang Huai replied, distributing the A4 sheets he had printed at a nearby shop.

Each person took a sheet.

The prices were straightforward, but as the customer service reps scanned the list, they rubbed their eyes in disbelief.

Sora Bananas: 98 CNY/jin

Sora Pineapples: 98 CNY/jin

Sora Cherries: 388 CNY/jin

…

The A4 sheet listed a total of twelve fruits. Items like bananas and pineapples were considered the lower-priced ones, with the most expensive being Sora grapes, priced at a staggering 688 CNY per jin.

The customer service staff were taken aback. Were they selling gold?

“Manager Tang, isn’t this price a bit too high?” Li Hong collected herself and was the first to speak.

The Great Tang Resort might be a popular island, but no matter how trendy it was, pricing still needed to adhere to basic market standards. The lowest-priced item on Tang Huai’s list was bananas at 98 CNY per jin. Meanwhile, even the most premium bananas at local Shengze supermarkets were priced at just 30 CNY.

Sora fruits’ prices were simply outrageous.

“Manager Tang, are these prices just a guideline?” Li Hong continued. If they could offer a half-price discount on Sora bananas, it might be more acceptable. Even so, 49 CNY per jin for bananas was still quite steep…

After Li Hong spoke, the other customer service reps also turned their eyes to Tang Huai, seeking his response. They were all regular folks, and the idea of selling fruits at 100 CNY per jin felt almost impossible to swallow.

The prices were so high that they had never even dared to imagine such a thing.

“This is the set price for Sora fruits. I’ve also hired two graphic designers and a website manager who will arrive tomorrow,” Tang Huai replied, waving off their concerns. The designers and manager had been recruited through video interviews, and once they joined, the Taobao store team would be complete.

The customer service staff exchanged uncertain glances. They were just there to follow orders, so if this was the plan, they’d go along with it.

…

“These fruits look great; they should bring in a decent profit.” As the Great Tang Taobao store started to take shape, at the port in Shenzhen, Zheng Chenghe inspected the fruits in the container with a satisfied expression.

These fruits were imported by Yulan Trade from abroad, and their quality and appearance were top-notch.

Take, for instance, the plantains from Cambodia—they were golden and tender. In the Yue Liang Wan supermarket in Shengze, they could easily sell for 25 CNY per jin. Zheng Chenghe had been in the fruit business for over a decade and had a keen eye. He could practically see the money flowing toward him.

…

“Manager Tang, I’m a loyal fan of the Great Tang Resort! The Thrilling Racing is just so cool!” Early the next morning, after the graphic designers and website manager flew back from Beijing, they introduced themselves. One of the young designers excitedly approached Tang Huai.

She wasn’t just flattering him; she really was a loyal fan. She had originally planned to visit the Great Tang Resort in the summer, but unexpectedly, she ended up working for Great Tang now.

“Ahem, let’s work hard. If the fruit shop does well, the company will arrange a trip to the Great Tang Resort,” Tang Huai smiled and said, clapping his hands. Everyone cheered at the unexpected surprise.

“Manager Tang, is it time to launch the Great Tang Fruit Shop?” the website manager approached and asked while everyone was busy at their desks. The manager, named Zhang Hua, was a graduate of Beijing University of Economics.

“We’ll launch at 8 p.m.,” Tang Huai replied after checking the time. It was the eighth day of the lunar new year, and launching at eight on the eighth would symbolize good fortune and smooth progress.

Zhang Hua nodded and saved the product information on the backend of the website.

After finishing his tasks, Tang Huai took out his phone to contemplate the next steps. The “Great Tang Koi Pizza” event was trending, which had also boosted interest in the “Great Tang Resort.” It was all working in tandem.

Tang Huai opened Douyin.

Great Tang Overseas Resort: “On the eighth day of the lunar new year, at 8 p.m., Sora’s Fruit Kingdom officially launches in China. Link: [Fruit Kingdom]”

In Tang Huai’s freshly posted video, there was not only a brief description but also a link to the Taobao store and a live-action video of Fruit Kingdom.

His promotion was straightforward and direct.

☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️