Siheyuan: Returning to 61 to collect waste

In the company of the smiling group, the members of the group were slightly surprised. Seeing that Chen Xiangdong did not respond, they did not say much. "Mr. Ye, you have visited our Ruixing Department Store. Do you have any valuable suggestions?" Huang Weiqiang asked politely. Considering that Ye Chuan came here from the inland, it is estimated that this is the first time for such a high-end shopping mall, and he may not have many suggestions for improvement.

Ye Chuan chewed the ribs slowly and said, "Manager Huang, I actually have a little opinion."

"Oh, go ahead. I will pass your opinions to the board of directors for in-depth discussion." Huang Weiqiang was very excited, but he actually felt quite contemptuous in his heart.

However, he knew that he had to maintain this hypocritical expression. "Manager Huang, I remember you seem to be the manager of the children's department?" Ye Chuan began his sharp inquiry.

Huang Weiqiang confirmed: "Yes, I am mainly responsible for the sales of children's clothing, milk powder and children's supplies."

Ye Chuanshi continued: "So how do you calculate the length of stay in your children's department?"

After a brief hesitation, Huang Weiqiang understood the essence of the problem.

Although the economy is developing rapidly, this is not a region that places excessive emphasis on the length of time customers stay.

He knows that according to the business model of developed countries, the longer the customer stays, the higher the single shopping expenditure will be. "If parents come in person, the stay time is usually considerable; however, if they bring babies with them, they are often worried about the noise of the children, which will limit the stay time."

Ye Chuanshi said: "After visiting Ruixing Department Store, I found that the higher the floor, the lower the space utilization of items.

Either you are trying to hide the lack of product, or you are hiring designers who lack the relevant knowledge?"

Huang Weiqiang's face showed confusion and surprise.

In fact, the high floors do have a few varieties of goods, perhaps because each counter is expanded to make it spacious and looks empty. "Indeed, there are not many types of goods, this is the truth." He had to admit.

Ye Chuanshi continued, “You just need to change your strategy a little bit: make the children’s section more attractive, such as setting up a small rotating playground or a game area with toys to help extend the parents’ stay.

Providing affordable activity prices, such as one dollar per spin and two dollars for a morning toy activity, can keep them here.

Huang Weiqiang's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he realized the feasibility of this idea - it can not only make money, but also extend the time customers stay in the store. "Usually parents bring their children together, one person takes care of the children while the other one browses the store, and when they find something they like, they will naturally want to buy it.

Today's parents attach great importance to their children's growth and may consider hiring piano or violin teachers to provide parent-child lessons.

In general, while the children are kept, the money in the adults’ wallets will also be locked up.

Huang Weiqiang was so excited that he shouted, "Mr. Ye, you are really a business genius!"

Just a few words of conversation can increase the sales of the children's area by a full 10%! "After saying that, he pulled out the chair, took a step back slightly, and then bowed deeply to express his respect to Ye Chuan.

After lunch, Ye Chuan asked Chen Xiangdong for half a day off.

Chen Xiangdong did not make things difficult for him. He agreed readily and asked him to return to the hotel early in the evening to rest.

After getting permission, Ye Chuan stood up and left.

He took out the note that Cao Xishun had handed him and called a taxi.

Soon, the taxi stopped at the destination. After paying the fare, Ye Chuan got out and walked in.

This place is a residential area, not one of those simple work sheds or luxurious white-collar communities, but rather general public housing.

Between the buildings, there was a piece of concrete space where bursts of laughter could be heard. It seemed that many children were playing football, which made Ye Chuan think of a scene in a movie. Isn't the scene here like that?

Looking around, there were indeed a few teenagers who looked like gangsters, leaning against the side with cigarettes in their mouths, looking self-righteous.

A strange thought popped up in Ye Chuan's mind, and he had the urge to go up and ask them which "Chen Haonan" they were.

These guys had messy hair and faces covered in dirt, and some of them were placing metal sticks nearby.

Ye Chuan chuckled, did not provoke them, and turned away.

The thugs obviously had no interest in paying attention to him.

According to the address on the note, Ye Chuan found an empty corner, took out the photo in the system space and began to ask: "Excuse me, does Mr. Cao Xigui live here?" He asked an old man who was enjoying the cool air. "Cao Xigui? I've never heard of this name!" The old man responded blankly.

After Ye Chuan politely thanked her, he asked another aunt, but she shook her head as well.

After asking three or four people in a row, no one knew someone named Cao Xigui, which made Ye Chuan confused.

Uncle Cao reconnected with his long-lost brother more than ten years ago. Logically, after living together for so many years, the neighbors should be somewhat familiar with each other, but why had he never heard of this name?

He was secretly terrified. Could it be that Cao Xigui had already moved away or passed away? Ye Chuan pondered in his mind.

The figure who had asked the question just now spoke again: "Young man, which household does the person you are looking for live in?" He looked a little surprised after hearing the address.

After he told the detailed information on the note, the other party immediately looked puzzled and frowned. "There is indeed a family with the surname Cao, but the owner is not called Cao Xigui!"

Hearing this, Ye Chuan's face flashed with joy, and he eagerly asked for the details of the address: "What exactly is this address like?"

Although he had detailed address information, the roads, buildings and lanes on Hong Kong Island were so confusing that he found it difficult to figure out which door was the corresponding place.

The man was quite friendly and pointed out a clear route.

After expressing his gratitude, Ye Chuan followed the instructions and finally found a house with the corresponding house number written on the third floor of a building.

The door was open, Ye Chuan knocked lightly, and a response came from inside the house. "Excuse me, who are you looking for?" A man in his fifties, wearing glasses and reading a newspaper. "Is this Mr. Cao Xigui's home?" Ye Chuan asked the key question.

Hearing the name "Cao Xigui", the man in front of him immediately became alert. "Who are you?"

Observing the man's reaction, Ye Chuan was sure that he knew this name very well. "Hello, old man, I am from the capital of the mainland, and I need to see Mr. Cao for something."

Hearing the response from "mainland", the man seemed quite excited, with a look of disbelief on his face. "Really? Are you really from the mainland?"

"Yes, I came from the mainland." Ye Chuan confirmed. "Then do you have any proof?" the other party questioned.

Hearing this, Ye Chuan was stunned for a moment. Proof? How to prove...

He took out his ID card from his space ring and handed it over: "Hello, can this be used as my identity card?"

The person who received it looked at the ID card and saw the words "Beijing Second Electronic Factory" written on it, consulting technician, name Ye Chuan, 21 years old.

The man's hands trembled a little, and he said with great emotion: "Young man, what do you want to see Cao Xigui for?"

Ye Chuan was stunned for a moment, as the conversation in front of him had switched to standard Beijing dialect. "I'm sorry, old man, I can't say it without your permission."

"Young man, you might as well tell me, I am actually the Cao Xigui you are looking for."

"What? You are Mr. Cao Xigui? But no one around here knows you."

Cao Xigui smiled helplessly: "When I was less than 18 years old, I was recruited into the army. After the defeat, I chose to settle down and changed my name to Cao Qinglong. Of course, the neighbors were not familiar with this name.

I lived quietly on the island for more than ten years. ”

Ye Chuan suddenly understood his situation.

He sat down next to Cao Xigui and said, "Respected senior, my hometown is in a courtyard near Luoguxiang, and I am a neighbor of Uncle Cao Xishun. I came to Hong Kong this time because Uncle Cao asked me to come and see you."

Cao Xigui grabbed Ye Chuan's hand fiercely, extremely excited. "Brother, is he... is he okay?"

Looking at Cao Xigui's eager eyes, Ye Chuan sighed in his heart. "Uncle Cao is in good health, has many children and grandchildren!"

Cao Xigui nodded with satisfaction: "That's great, that's great!"

At this moment, he looked through the photos brought by Cao Xishun and recognized his parents at a glance. "Senior, this is what Uncle Cao asked me to bring to you. He told me that my parents passed away a few years ago. Although they didn't see your youngest son for the last time, they lived a happy and peaceful life before they died."

"Dad! Mom!" Cao Xigui held the photo tightly in both hands, and suddenly knelt down and burst into tears. "Your son has committed a great sin... I have been away from home for 30 years and have not seen you again."

"I wanted to go inland to see you guys, but I was too timid to go back!"

"I have not been able to fulfill my filial duties in this life. I am sorry to you two elders."

The crying in the house was desolate and painful, and it took nearly ten minutes of wailing before it gradually subsided.

He arranged the things on the table, carefully placed the photos on it, and knelt down and kowtowed three times.

Ye Chuan continued to show some photos and said, "Here are photos of Uncle Cao recalling the family reunion. He hopes you can keep them as a souvenir." Cao Xigui's calm mood turned sad again. He understood his brother's thoughts. Now that decades have passed, going home has become a luxury. "Young man, do you think... can I return to the mainland?" He was full of expectations but also a little disappointed.

Ye Chuan pondered for a moment and said slowly, "It seems that it is not possible for the time being. It may take another ten or twenty years for there to be a turning point."

Cao Xigui smiled sadly: "Ten or twenty years? I don't know how long I have left."

Faced with such a heavy mood, Ye Chuan didn't know how to comfort him for a moment, so he changed the subject and asked, "Old senior, how is your life going?"

Cao Xigui lit a cigarette, took two deep puffs, and slowly exhaled: "I was married to a nurse when I joined the army in my early years. We had a son and a daughter, but she passed away a few years later because of the relocation.

My daughter also disappeared during the war. Now I live with my youngest son and run a small business, which allows me to have a basic life.

If the organization hadn’t given me some pension at that time, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to settle down in this spacious public housing.”

Ye Chuan also told the other party about Cao Xishun's life in Kyoto. Cao Xigui was very pleased to know that his brother could make money to satisfy them.