Chapter 97

"Why did you come looking for me?" Zhang Tianyuan's attitude had improved somewhat. After all, the first money he made from antiques was from that little picture book, and this Liu was still his benefactor. Now, hearing this man's plight, he couldn't help but feel sympathy.

"Boss Zhang, I don't want that little picture book anymore. I understand the rules. If I lost money, it's because I couldn't see the real thing. I deserve it! I just want you to help me. I really have nothing left. My girlfriend was even taken away, and now I'm almost reduced to begging."

Zhang Tianyuan looked at Liu's gaunt and ragged appearance and knew he wasn't lying. He sighed and said, "How do you want me to help you?"

"I don't want to do my old job anymore. The scam of pretending to have antiques, if you meet a coward, you can make some money, but if you meet a tough guy, you might even get your legs broken. I've been beaten several times and am full of injuries. So I was wondering if you could give me some money to start a small business here in Shangpu."

Zhang Tianyuan shook his head. "That's not possible. But my business is growing, and I need more people. You know a lot about antiques, so why don't you work for me? I'll make sure your salary is fair, of course, you have to work hard. If you do well, you might even become the manager of my shop. But if you try to cheat or do anything against my interests, I'll have to be harsh. The person next to me has killed before, so don't test me."

This combination of kindness and toughness was something Zhang Tianyuan had learned from the older generation. The more he got involved in this business, the more he realized how inexperienced he was. Although being young had its advantages, some old rules still needed to be followed, or he would be looked down upon by insiders. So he always humbly sought advice from his seniors and learned from them, and he had made some progress recently.

"Sure, sure, no problem, no problem!" Liu quickly nodded.

At this moment, Xu Gang walked over. He didn't know Liu, so he didn't say anything to him. He just looked at Zhang Tianyuan and asked, "Why are you standing at the door? Is something wrong? Who's this guy?"

Zhang Tianyuan pointed to Xu Gang and said to Liu, "This is my brother, Xu Gang, also a boss. By the way, I don't even know your name yet."

"My name is Liu Desheng!"

"Oh, Liu Desheng. Gang, this guy will stay in the shop as a helper. Our new shop is about to open, and we need someone familiar with the business. Liu Desheng has good communication skills and knows the antique business well. How much do you think we should pay him per month?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"Let's follow our rules. A regular helper gets 5,000 yuan a month, plus insurance. If he gets promoted to manager or senior helper, his salary will increase. If he makes a big deal, he'll also get a bonus." Xu Gang, despite his casual appearance, was much better at business than Zhang Tianyuan. Currently, he managed the finances, business expansion, and personnel of all the shops, while Zhang Tianyuan only dealt with antiques and solved some tricky problems, like when someone came to cause trouble or when insiders came to discuss business.

Liu Desheng was overjoyed to hear this. He thought he would be lucky to get a thousand yuan a month to make ends meet, but now he would get 5,000 yuan and even bonuses. This was beyond his expectations.

"Shouldn't there be a probationary period?" Zhang Tianyuan asked.

"This is someone you introduced, why a probationary period?" Xu Gang said.

"Still, there should be one. We need to follow our rules. But Liu Desheng has some practical difficulties, so let's advance him a month's salary. Record it clearly in the accounts. His probationary salary will be the same as a regular employee, but if he makes any mistakes during this period, he'll be fired immediately. He can keep the money, but we don't need someone who can't do the job." Zhang Tianyuan thought for a moment and said.

"Let's do it your way." Xu Gang nodded and said to Liu Desheng, "We'll give you 5,000 yuan from the account. Have a good meal, buy some clothes, and find a place to stay. You need to work hard. Our treatment is better than anywhere else. When the business grows, your salary will increase. It all depends on whether you can seize the opportunity."

"No problem, no problem. Boss Xu, you can rest assured. I've done some bad things before, but you're so kind, I can't let you down. I'll work hard, I'll work hard." Liu Desheng quickly replied.

"Alright, come in with us. This is one of our shops. You can go out and buy some clothes first. You look too pitiful."

Inside the shop, Zhang Tianyuan noticed that many items were missing. It seemed that the shop had done well in the past month, but they had run out of stock because they hadn't contacted Xifeng. Fortunately, they returned in time. Now they could get stock from both Xifeng and Nandu, so the shop wouldn't lack inventory. The key was to have high-quality items, which depended on Zhang Tianyuan's skills. If each shop had a standout item, it would be a different story. At the very least, the quality would be higher.

"Mr. Hu, Xiao Li, you've worked hard these past few days." Zhang Tianyuan smiled at the two busy people.

Mr. Hu and Xiao Li had already seen Zhang Tianyuan outside because they had just pushed Liu Desheng out. But in front of the boss, they had to put on a show. Seeing the boss outside, they started cleaning the shop with a feather duster.

"Not hard, not hard! The stock is almost gone, but it's good that the bosses are back." Mr. Hu smiled.

"Mr. Hu, please withdraw 5,000 yuan from the account for Liu Desheng. He will be our helper. He'll learn from you first. We'll open a new shop soon, and he might be transferred, but for now, please take good care of him." Xu Gang smiled.

"Whatever the boss says is an order. I'll follow it." Mr. Hu didn't ask why. Since he was hired, he shouldn't interfere with certain matters. He withdrew 5,000 yuan from the account and gave it to Liu Desheng, who then left.

Zhang Tianyuan said to She Lin, "Follow him, but don't let him notice. If he buys clothes and eats, leave him alone. If he takes the money and runs, take him directly to the police."

She Lin nodded and quietly followed.

After Liu Desheng and She Lin left, Xu Gang asked about the recent business of the shop. Seeing wasn't always believing, so it was better to ask and check the accounts.

Now the shop had surveillance cameras, so it was hard for the manager to falsify the accounts. Xu Gang required that all accounting be done under the surveillance camera, and the same for receiving money.

Only Xu Gang and Zhang Tianyuan could see the surveillance footage, so the secrets wouldn't leak. This was foolproof.

Zhang Tianyuan wasn't very interested in the business side, so he walked around the shop and noticed that several high-quality items, worth about 100,000 yuan, were missing. He knew that a skilled person must have visited the shop, as ordinary people wouldn't dare buy such items for fear of buying fakes.

"Tianyuan, contact Nandu as soon as possible and have Zhu Ling send the goods. According to Mr. Hu, the other shop is in a similar situation. Besides, we need stock for the new shop. A skilled cook can't cook without ingredients." Xu Gang asked after inquiring about the situation.

"Sure, I'll call my brother." Zhang Tianyuan was a decisive person. If they needed stock, they would get it. It was better than having no business at all. This was probably due to the good luck he had when the masters came to his shop for the opening.

While Zhang Tianyuan was on the phone, Xu Gang's phone rang.

"Darling, there's a call! Darling, there's a call!"

Xu Gang knew who it was from the ringtone. He had set different ringtones for his acquaintances. This was Mo Ying's ringtone.

"Yingzi, what's up?"

"My grandfather is here. Get Tianyuan to come over quickly. We're going to Fulong Beach. I'm surprised how many calls Zhang Tianyuan gets. I can't even get through to him. He should buy another phone. He's rich now, so he can have one for work and one for personal use. At least he won't be unreachable."

"Hehe, you don't know Tianyuan. He's rich but dresses more simply now. He used to wear leather shoes, but now he wears cloth shoes. He used to carry a smartphone, but now he uses an old Nokia, saying it saves power. He has two phones, but the smartphone is always off, just in case it runs out of power." Xu Gang laughed.

"Alright, I don't care about your nonsense. Get him over here quickly. My grandfather is in a hurry. If we miss this chance, we might not get another one."

"Sure, sure, right away. We're not far from here." Xu Gang hung up and saw that Zhang Tianyuan had also hung up. He asked, "How did it go?"

"Don't worry, the goods are on the way. Liang De is personally escorting them. We just need to rent a warehouse here, or the shop won't have enough space." Zhang Tianyuan said.

"Talk to Yingzi about the warehouse. She knows the area better. Let's go. Her grandfather is here, and he wants us to come quickly." Xu Gang said.

"But we don't have any gifts. That's not good." Zhang Tianyuan frowned.

"Just pick a good piece of jade from the shop. There's no time."

"Do you think you're fooling a child? He used to work in a museum." Zhang Tianyuan shook his head but then said, "Wait, I have a good idea!"