Chapter 40: You

Zhao Bin, while tidying tea bowls, said casually: "Sure, as long as you're willing to come, I'll quit, everything's yours."

Lu Cheng gave a wry smile: "You feel uneasy because you just knocked my Train Police position off, right?"

Zhao Bin, with a mournful face, said: "It's not just feeling uneasy; these past few days I can't even eat. You're so smug now, those female comrades must be flocking to you, unlike me…"

Huang Chunjiao, who was wiping the table, heard and tossed the towel: "Comrade Zhao Bin, please watch your revolutionary thoughts; your current ideological problem is serious—you've already taken what's in the bowl and are still thinking about what's in the pot."

Zhao Bin pursed his lips and dared not speak.

Lu Cheng smiled without replying; actually marrying Huang Chunjiao is quite fun, because under daily influence his political awareness is surely high.

"Binzi, seriously, do we actually need people?"

After being lectured, Zhao Bin finally got serious, shook his head and said: "We definitely don't need people. Look, our little Tea Stall just opened less than two days ago, and already ten people have been assigned, at least half of them are idle."

Now arranging a job is too hard; when a unit finally gets a collective stall, they don't need to recruit normally—just those with connections can fill it to the point of overcrowding.

Zhao Bin's statement is also factual: a small Tea Stall only needs four people, yet it's split among ten for meals.

"Ask your uncle to think of a solution!" Lu Cheng said persistently; after all, there are already ten people, adding another wouldn't hurt.

Zhao Bin shook his head helplessly: "Who exactly are you trying to arrange?"

"Someone you've met—my Er Jie's friend, Lin Qingyan, who is now my wife."

"Who? Lin Qingyan? Already your wife?" Zhao Bin opened his mouth in surprise: "Whoa, she's a real beauty; you must have terrible luck."

Seeing Huang Chunjiao beside him glare again, Zhao Bin hurriedly stopped admiring other women.

"Given the connection, if it were earlier I'd definitely have arranged it for you, but now it's really impossible."

"You don't know, we now have ten people each receiving a monthly salary of 22 yuan, regardless of profit or loss, the final result is a collective profit/loss."

Lu Cheng understood: "Your Tea Stall not making money?"

Zhao Bin nodded vigorously: "That's exactly the issue; because it's a collective profit/loss, even if we don't make money, the superiors still have to pay us wages."

"If we at least make some profit, the leaders are happy to pay; precisely because we don't make profit, the leaders get upset. How can I still ask my uncle to arrange someone?"

Lu Cheng nodded as if understanding.

He leaned sideways, glanced around; despite the massive foot traffic at the train station, since he arrived only a few people have bought Big Bowl Tea.

He estimated that in a day they'd sell at most about two hundred bowls, each costing two cents, four yuan a day, about 120 yuan a month, not counting costs.

Total wages 220 yuan, a loss of nearly half.

Logically, with such huge foot traffic at the train station, selling at these prices is indeed too little.

Lu Cheng thought briefly and said: "Here's what I can do: I have a way to turn your loss into profit; in exchange, you get your uncle to arrange another person for me. How about it?"

Zhao Bin, skeptical, said: "What method could you possibly have? We shout our lungs out, the customers only ask a couple of questions and leave, I get bored, the tea isn't pricey, we use plenty of tea leaves, keep it heated all day—how come nobody buys?"

Lu Cheng smiled and said: "The problem lies in the heating; I just tasted it, it's too scalding to swallow."

Zhao Bin didn't see this as a problem; rather, he thought it an advantage.

"It's winter now, it's freezing outside, people definitely want hot tea to warm themselves. We're not afraid of it being not hot enough; we reheat it every half hour on the stove. The service can only be this good."

Lu Cheng shook his head: "Good service is fine, but if you moved to somewhere like the Summer Palace entrance or the front‑gate Arrow Tower, hot tea would be fine—people have plenty of leisure time. But you must know this is a train station."

Zhao Bin blinked: "What's wrong with a train station?"

"Train stations are full of people rushing to catch trains; if you make the tea this hot, they have no time to leisurely drink."

"Sss!"

Zhao Bin inhaled a cool breath, nodded: "A single word can awaken a dreamer; indeed someone asked whether the tea was hot, I always said, 'Definitely hot; if it's not hot, no money.' No wonder they turned and left."

Understanding this, Zhao Bin excitedly pounded the counter.

Because Lu Cheng's remark hit the issue, Zhao Bin couldn't help but ask: "Then tell me quickly, what other good methods are there to make our little Tea Stall earn money?"

Lu Cheng pointed at the counter, saying nothing.

"Fine, fine, I'll go ask my uncle to arrange Lin Qingyan to come in, just tell me."

Having heard Zhao Bin's promise, Lu Cheng finally said.

"There are many ways; for example, you guys, I just looked, you don't even have a bench for people to sit and rest—that's a small service detail."

"Add, we'll add it later."

"Also, you can't just sell tea; add some roasted sunflower seeds, roasted peanuts. It's cold now, maybe roast some sweet potatoes. Since you have a tea‑leaf supply, maybe also make tea eggs…"

"Enrich the stall a bit; as long as one item attracts customers, it can drive sales of the other things, boosting turnover—surely it'll multiply several times."

The other eight employees were drawn by Lu Cheng's words, a clear bewilderment in their eyes.

"Sss, ah!" Zhao Bin, hearing it, kept clutching his thick hair.

Lu Cheng tugged a strand of his hair: "How about it? With more varieties, don't say that now the ten of you have half the time idle; later even twenty will have no idle time."

Huang Chunjiao said: "Great, wonderful, we only know how to sell Big Bowl Tea every day, why didn't we think of this? Lu Cheng, you really have the most clever ideas; even back in school you were always the most capable."

Zhao Bin also said: "Lu Cheng, you have such a knack for business; just quit being Train Police and sell Big Bowl Tea with us."

Lu Cheng was speechless: "Forget it, who would sell Big Bowl Tea with you? I'm trying to get into the department."

"Progress is a good thing, a good thing…"

Zhao Bin muttered while recalling Lu Cheng's words; if run this way, the little Tea Stall would surely turn a loss into profit.

After waiting long enough, a Comrade wandering outside returned: "Lu Cheng, it's time; we should go to Beijing Station Railway Bureau."

Lu Cheng replied "Alright", then patted Zhao Bin's shoulder.

"I've told you the method; now go find your uncle, I have to go to the Railway Bureau for an important meeting."

"When I return, I hope to hear good news; otherwise, I'll keep bringing people here to sip Big Bowl Tea and bankrupt you."

Zhao Bin replied: "Got it, got it, bro, you always handle things reliably."