As mentioned before, in order to repay Ning Weimin's second generous donation, he bought back important cultural relics lost overseas and donated them to the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau free of charge.
The Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau asked Ning Weimin to choose an empty storefront in Liulichang and let him use it for free as a reward.
The specific location of the store chosen by Ning Weimin is opposite Rong Baozhai.
The usable area is more than 200 square meters. It is a small building with a duplex structure, which is quite spacious.
Although in this era, the state has strict price restrictions on store rentals.
If the cultural relics bureau rents out this shop, it will charge a rent of 800 yuan per month at most.
Although this duplex structure has a bad orientation, it is an inverted child's house that is neither warm in winter nor cool in summer.
But after all, such a store is in a relatively advantageous location in a popular business district, so it does not delay business.
It is still not a prosperous shop that ordinary people can get involved in.
Only state-owned units are eligible to apply for leasing, and they must rely on connections.
To be honest, Ning Weimin has not made any progress in the past few years, and he is still as greedy and philistine as he was when he was obsessed with stalls at Xiushui Street and Donghuamen Night Market.
As long as he cuts the shop into small pieces like cutting tofu, and then rents it out as a second landlord, he can earn at least tens of thousands of yuan more in income every month.
It is far more nourishing than those self-employed people who are still racking their brains to find cool things to sell.
So, his good fortune is quite enviable to others.
At the beginning, Ning Weimin really didn’t think much about it.
He thought that since there were many foreigners in Liulichang's Ancient Culture Street and the layout of the buildings was similar, he thought of turning this two-story building into a branch of Huiwen Hall.
It is also like the bookstore in Roppongi, Tokyo, which attracts customers as a literary cafe and sells high-end products and works of art without being obvious.
Like utensils from Donghua Market, silk figurines from Brocade Box Factory, antique porcelain from handicraft factory, handicrafts from Meishi Street, and personal works of students from the sculpture department of art colleges.
It is actually quite appropriate to use these gadgets to "slaughter" the foreign tourists who come here for their reputation.
At the same time, you can also sell coffee and make simple meals, which can make extra money for those "high-class people" who worship foreign countries and think coffee is better than tea.
In fact, he has even thought about personnel issues, and there is no need to bother recruiting from the public at all.
Because the impact of the educated youth returning to the city has not yet been fully digested, there are many unemployed young people in Meishi Street. They are all fresh graduates who have graduated from high schools in recent years.
I took this opportunity to help Director Li solve the employment placement problems for several people.
In terms of training, he also has a unique advantage. He only needs to recruit a few people from the shops and cafes of Zhai Palace in Tiantan Park to serve as teachers for these young people.
Even the store manager can let people from Zaigong take turns at the beginning.
Later, when these newcomers get used to it and do well, we can then find a seedling worth cultivating among them.
To put it bluntly, he doesn’t want to worry too much about this store.
In this case, no matter where he is, everyone knows everything about him.
Once he leaves, they will be able to take care of the store like this, and they will still be worry-free and assured. How good is it?
Not only can he win-win with the street, but he can also make money while lying down.
If you include the unemployed young people who are looking for jobs and those who earn extra money through training, the situation will be even better.
To be able to do things like this, I have no choice! Even he wanted to praise himself a few words.
But later, when Ning Weimin came into contact with the eight young people recommended by the street, he didn't think so.
Don't look at it. These young people have relatively poor high school graduation, failed to pass the college entrance examination, and have no social experience or skills.
Many people blushed when they saw strangers and even said a few words.
No one dared to ask how much the salary was, whether there was labor insurance, or whether there was food subsidy.
For them, as long as they have a job that is not dirty, smelly or tiring, it is already a great blessing.
But three of these eight people subconsciously asked the same question - can they borrow books from the store after get off work?
This surprised Ning Weimin and made him very curious.
He couldn't help but ask back.
"Do you like reading books so much? Then why don't you go to the library to borrow books?"
The three people were silent, probably thinking that Ning Weimin was not happy.
While looking at each other, they lost the courage to answer.
It was another person who explained for them.
“Manager, the bigger libraries are far away. Where can we find them in the south? You’d have to break your legs even if you go for a bike ride. Not to mention that the barriers to entry in those places are quite high. The university library only has It is open to teachers and students in universities. The National Library and the municipal library ignore us and only accept high-level intellectuals. Who can borrow it from people like us... ”
"Oh..." Ning Weimin asked again, "What about the library in the district? Isn't there a cultural station in the district? The threshold shouldn't be so high, right?"
However, all the young people laughed this time Yes, it seems that Ning Weimin told a big joke.
The same person continued to explain, "You are right, you can borrow books in the district. But the procedure for applying for a library card is extremely troublesome, and it is more stringent than the inspection for joining the party. I wish I could have the situation of three generations of my ancestors. Not only did we need to fill out several forms, but we also had to pay a photo and a ten-yuan deposit. You see, we are eating and drinking from home, but why don’t we ask for the wine from home? Do you want to read some free books? "
This is not over yet. As soon as he finished speaking, others couldn't help but complain.
Probably the long-simmering indignation finally made them put aside their cowardice.
"Oh, that's it. The key is that the district library opens at random times. Sometimes it can be closed for ten and a half days. It's even more closed during holidays. Even if it's open every day, it's only for a short time. , three or four hours at most. That’s not enough time for me to look for books. Moreover, the books there are old and there are almost no new books. Many of them are from before the 1960s, and there are still many missing pages..." br>
"That's right, and the people in the cultural center are unreasonable, especially grandson! When you go to borrow books, it's like begging them. They all like to ignore you, and they will be scolded if you bother them a little bit. I was a classmate, and once I was wronged by a boy. When I borrowed a book, there were missing pages, but when I returned the book, my classmate was wronged and fined him 50 cents. These people can't even go to the district library..."
"Manager, it's really not that easy for us to read books. When we were in school, everyone would pass the book around to everyone. It was confiscated by the teacher. It was okay if I had relatives working in a big factory. I could borrow books from the trade union library, but the books were limited and the borrowing time was short. Relatives. When you go to Xinhua Bookstore to read a book, someone will chase you away after a few glances and ask you if you want to buy it. You are not even welcome at home. My parents get angry when they see me touching me at night, and they dislike me for wasting electricity. , Deliberately trying to bully people. Why can't you get into college if you love reading so much..."
"Manager, just promise us. We promise not to damage the books..."
"Yes, as long as you agree, we will be careful and ensure that going to work will not delay the work in the store..."
After hearing this, Ning Weimin truly realized how unrealistic his question just now was.
Unexpectedly, I accidentally became the person who asked "why not eat minced meat".
There is nothing to say, facing the eager faces and extremely fervent pleadings of these young people.
Ning Weimin, who originally felt that this request was not too much, certainly couldn't bear to disappoint them, so he nodded in agreement.
However, what he didn't expect was that these young people's reaction was very exaggerated.
I was simply overjoyed, as if I had received some extremely precious gift.
And this also made him feel even more pity for these young people.
After returning home that day, Ning Weimin felt restless and found it difficult to sleep again.
Lying in bed, he thought about this matter for a long time.
There is no doubt that as a traveler who has seen the future world, he can appreciate the value and significance of culture better than anyone else.
Although for him personally, he feels that the information and knowledge gained through dealing with people is more practical and effective than holding a book.
But he cannot deny that books are the most convenient and common channel for most people to obtain knowledge.
As a crosstalk actor said, a person can not have a diploma, but he cannot be without culture.
He deeply feels that mastering necessary knowledge and information is indispensable and should not be lacking for everyone who wants to make a difference in modern society.
Read more and read miscellaneous books. Although it may not help a person find a good job immediately, it will immediately bring him actual economic benefits.
But it can broaden a person's mind and horizons, and gain creativity and imagination.
It is also easier for people to choose the right direction at important crossroads, successfully pass the test of life, and obtain true happiness.
It is a good thing for the country and the people, for others and for ourselves.
Especially in this era, young people have a universal and huge thirst for all kinds of knowledge, new ideas and concepts.
What a rare thing this is.
Not everyone has the opportunity to go to college, but everyone should continue to enrich themselves and improve themselves.
Books are the best channel and the best tool.
Compared to thirty years later, when people are obsessed with the Internet every day, and even college students love those nutritious "nipple fun", the youth of this era have a huge need for knowledge and information. There is a huge difference. .
Isn’t this the foundation of our country’s strong hope and development?
Unfortunately, the current society cannot meet the spiritual needs of young people, and public cultural facilities such as libraries are seriously insufficient.
I don’t know how many aspiring young people will be delayed and how many talented people will be restricted by this situation.
So after thinking about it, Ning Weimin felt that he could actually do it, and he also wanted to do something for society in this regard.
In his opinion, if it can meet the reading needs of young people in the entire capital, it can help these young people obtain more knowledge and information.
It is very likely that it is more valuable to the country and the capital than him earning trillions of yen in wealth from Japan to subsidize his hometown. Just imagine, when the Japanese are collectively crazy about money and trapped in materialistic desires.
However, young people in China are keen on reading, absorbing spiritual nourishment and constantly improving their quality.
The impact and consequences of this trade-off are definitely worth looking forward to.
After this night, Ning Weimin's decision-making changed significantly.
He decided to give up the business model that could have made huge profits.
Instead, the semicolon of Huiwentang Bookstore was changed into a reading institution for the public, with a public welfare nature, similar to a small library.
Moreover, he is not satisfied with just opening this one store, and plans to adopt a chain store model.
It has been initially decided to open one in each of the eight districts in the capital within at least two to three years.
If conditions permit in the future, he will continue to expand the scale and head towards Tianjin.
If it can be tolerated in the future, it may open to Shanghai, Huacheng, or even all over the country, who knows.
To put it bluntly, from now on, the Huiwentang branch he opened in China does not plan to make any more money, as long as he does not lose too much.
"One yuan a month can read all the books." This was the slogan he came up with for the charity Huiwen Hall.
As for the specific method, those who love reading are registered with their ID number or household registration book, and then a deposit of 12 yuan is collected. This allows the reader to become a member of Huiwentang and freely select their favorite reading materials from the existing books in Huiwentang Bookstore.
It is up to you to decide when to return it, but you can only borrow up to five books at a time.
And the membership card issued is only valid for one year.
The deposit of twelve yuan collected in advance is equivalent to the annual borrowing fee of the reader.
After the membership card expires, if the reader does not renew it, it will automatically become invalid, which is equivalent to a monthly charge of one yuan for one year during the validity period.
Compared with public libraries, the biggest advantage of Ning Weimin's bookstore is that the procedures are simple and the deposit is small.
And there are no holidays. As long as it opens, there will be people on duty every day throughout the year, making it convenient for readers to borrow and return.
Also, he will definitely buy a batch of popular reading materials to fill the library, and it will never be like the public library.
The books inside are almost more than ten years different from the real world.
I wish they were all outdated novels like "Golden Avenue" and "Sunny Day".
Of course, you will definitely lose money if you do this.
Because even if the bookstore in Liulichang does not require rent and has 1,000 members after opening, it will only charge 12,000 yuan in one year.
This amount of money is barely enough to cover the expenses of the employees. Even water and electricity bills have to be figured out separately, let alone the cost of additional reading materials.
There is no other way, Ning Weimin still has to sell some extra tea, coffee, pastries, stationery, and handicrafts in the store to subsidize the main business.
However, the prices and grades of these things must be down to earth.
At most, they can make a few small bucks while providing convenient services.
But then again, Ning Weimin is not an ordinary person after all.
For him to open such a non-profit reading institution has a huge advantage over others. At least he can save a lot of costs.
Why?
Because first of all, he has been planning events for Pierre Cardin Company and Temple of Heaven Park in the past.
Especially the Summer Book Fair, which allowed him to establish good relationships with many publishing houses.
If he needs it, no matter which publisher will definitely give him the books in stock at the lowest discount.
If it really has been unsalable for several years, I might as well have given it to him for nothing in order to clear the inventory and sell some favors.
Secondly, Sun Wufu went around the streets collecting used goods for him. Over the years, he had collected tens of thousands of used goods for people of all ages.
Yet old books, old newspapers, old magazines, old photos, old pictures, and more.
Some of these things have been sold, but the rest is enough for two rooms and at least 20,000 books.
Originally, Ning Weimin planned to open a library in Nanshenchu. Later, Nanshenchu used it to raise money for the Journey to the West crew and hold an exhibition.
This batch of books has not been put to use, but now it is good, enough for Ning Weimin to support two or three chain stores.
Let's put it this way, if other people want to open such a bookstore, if the cost is 40,000 to 50,000 yuan, then for Ning Weimin, 4,000 to 5,000 yuan is enough.
Whether it's tables, chairs, benches, bookshelves, furniture, or lamps, it's all included
How suitable do you think it is?
As for the last thing that gave Ning Weimin a headache, there was only one.
Although such a shop does not make money, it is a matter of good deeds and is very important to the people of the capital.
Losing money is a small thing, but you must not go astray, otherwise a good thing will turn into a bad thing.
So Ning Weimin didn't dare to leave it to others to take care of him.
He must find someone who is capable, worthy of trust, and can develop and expand the bookstore according to his plan without losing track.
After much deliberation, there is really no one else, and Zhang Shihui is the most suitable candidate.
Not only did the two of them have common interests in business, but Zhang Shihui, as his agent, managed the Zhai Palace for him.
Now also responsible for organizing events and media contacts.
So he could only ask Zhang Shihui for help and shoulder one more thing for him.
Zhang Shihui was also happy that Ning Weimin suddenly found him such a money-losing deal.
Although I was extremely surprised, it is not an exaggeration to say that I was shocked.
But now he is no longer what he used to be. He can no longer spend all the money he earned from following Ning Weimin.
This made him feel very comfortable that Ning Weimin trusted him so much.
What's more, he also thinks this is a good deed. He feels that it is worth doing and should be done just like the donation of toilets to the streets last time.
The only thing that worries him is that the rules formulated by Ning Weimin seem to have loopholes - what if someone borrows a book and fails to return it in the last month?
Should we charge an extra twelve yuan to be safe?
In response to his doubts, Ning Weimin said this, "Don't always worry about such accidents. After all, membership cards require registration of ID cards or household registration books. Don't most people worry about chasing after them? Are you responsible? Think about it again, are there any cases of books being lost in Xinhua Bookstore? In my opinion, this phenomenon of stealing books is caused by young people's desire to study and lack of money and convenient channels. What we have to do is to allow people who want to read books to obtain knowledge at the lowest cost. I believe that there are still many good people around us, and most people have basic moral integrity. Even if there are still people who like to take advantage, you cannot avoid it. But the cost of our book sources is very low, and we can afford such losses. But if you charge twelve yuan more, many people from poor families may really be reluctant to read it, which is contrary to our original intention. In short, I am willing to take this risk."
Zhang Shihui was convinced, so he didn't talk nonsense and nodded after thinking for a while.
However, he was also a little selfish, so he put forward an additional condition, requiring that the store have to be renamed.
What he means is that since he is involved, let’s not call it Huiwentang.
Just go to the hotel and call it "Huimin Reading Club".
To put it bluntly, he felt that it was okay not to make money, but it couldn’t be done in vain. He had to earn some reputation along the way.
As long as Ning Weimin agrees to this, he is even willing to personally invest 50,000 yuan to help Ning Weimin share some of the losses.
For Ning Weimin, this is of course a good thing.
When he thought about it, yes.
Huiwentang is a Japanese bookstore anyway. If it has a reputation in the future, wouldn’t it mean that the Japanese will benefit from it?
Those who don’t know may have misunderstood it, and they will think of the Japanese as good.
Come on, let’s satisfy Zhang Shihui’s vanity.
So I agreed without saying a word.
And the next day I went to the industrial and commercial office to say hello and changed the name of the store where I applied for the license.
After this matter was completed, Zhang Shihui officially joined the business, and his 50,000 yuan was quickly received and became the principal of the store.
Including Ning Weimin’s own initial investment of 50,000 yuan, the total principal amount is 100,000 yuan.
In addition, in order to prevent accidents, Ning Weimin also gave Jiang Hui's contact information to Zhang Shihui.
Tell him that after he returns to Japan, if one day the book club finds a good location and wants to open a branch, the money will not be enough.
He gave his name and asked Jiang Hui for a loan.
At this time, Ning Weimin thought of the encounters in the first few days again, and he couldn't help but feel a magical feeling in his heart.
I felt that maybe it was God's will that I met Jiang Hui that day.
No, Jiang Hui has become a safety net for the book club. (End of chapter)