Avoid detours, start by running a nursing home.

Chapter 20: Growing Bigger and Stronger?

Zhang Yang stood dumbfounded at the door of the dean's office.

Inside the office, on the right-hand sofa sat two unfamiliar elderly people: an elderly woman in a short-sleeved shirt and an elderly man in a suit.

On the sofa to the left are Li Xiaoyun and... Old Mrs. Chen?

The two sat together, holding hands, seemingly whispering something to each other...

Zhang Yang stood there, somewhat stunned. Why were there three elderly people?

By the way, you mentioned before that the finance and cooking departments are managed part-time by the elderly residents of the facility. Could it be them?

Why is Old Lady Chen here too?

Seeing this old lady gave him a headache.

I don't know what's wrong with this old man, he just likes to tease him for no reason, and there's no way to avoid him...

"Dean!"

Seeing Zhang Yang push the door open and come in, Li Xiaoyun quickly stood up: "Let me introduce you, this is Grandma Xu, the head chef in charge of our cafeteria..."

She gestured to the elderly woman in the short jacket, then looked at the elderly man beside her: "This is Grandpa Zhou, he's in charge of the courtyard's finances now..."

"Hello Grandma Xu, hello Grandpa Zhou..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yang quickly stepped forward and bowed slightly to the two elderly people.

"Grandma Xu, your cooking skills are truly impeccable. I still can't forget that breakfast you made this morning."

"Hehe, then this old woman dares not take credit..."

Unlike the elegantly dressed Mrs. Chen, Chef Xu was much kinder.

The elderly woman had her short, white hair neatly combed, and her slightly round face looked kind and gentle when she smiled. You would never guess that she was once a chef at state banquets.

"These days, my two grand-apprentices mainly help out in the cafeteria. I just lend a hand and occasionally give them some pointers."

"That's because you taught me so well; a great teacher produces a great student."

Zhang Yang's words were as sweet as honey, and he made the old lady quite happy.

He secretly rejoiced as he looked at the old man's favorability rating, which had risen to 50, and the word "pleasant" that represented his current mood.

If only the other elderly people in the nursing home were like Chef Xu!

After exchanging pleasantries with the old lady, he turned and chatted for a few more minutes with Mr. Zhou.

It was only after talking to him that he realized the old man in front of him was no ordinary person either.

He was involved in the establishment of the Songhai City Stock Exchange back then, so he can be considered a veteran in the business.

Like that Chef Xu, taking on the role of managing the nursing home's finances is absolutely a waste of talent, like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

"Hehe, why were you so polite, young dean, but you've changed your attitude so drastically now that it's my turn?"

Seeing that Zhang Yang had finished talking with the two elderly people and immediately turned his head to look worried, Old Mrs. Chen, who was sitting on the sofa, couldn't help but laugh.

"We're going to discuss how to raise money for house repairs next year. Grandma Xu and Mr. Zhou both work part-time in the yard, what are you doing here?"

Zhang Yang looked at the old lady and shrugged.

"Hehe, surely I can represent the residents of the nursing home to supervise, right?"

The old lady produced a small sandalwood folding fan from who-knows-where, opened it with a whoosh, covered half her face, and whispered:

"Young Dean, you don't want everyone to know that you were so frightened you cried out in pain, do you?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Li Xiaoyun, who was sitting there.

"?!"

Zhang Yang was stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage.

Who's crying?

Isn't this slander?!

He was about to retort when he turned his head and saw Li Xiaoyun looking completely bewildered. He couldn't help but raise his hand and slap his forehead.

It's not that I'm afraid of what Li Xiaoyun will do if she finds out that he was the one screaming in the middle of the night last night.

The young woman already works very hard, and then she lost sleep because of him, so she must feel a little guilty...

"Fine, Mr. Chen, you can listen if you want..."

Zhang Yang rubbed his temples and said weakly.

In the end, he chose to compromise.

It's not that I'm afraid Grandma Chen is talking nonsense, but the main thing is that we really need to listen to the opinions of the current elderly people in the nursing home about how to run it in the future.

After all, the system now has both favorability and satisfaction ratings, which are directly linked to the feelings of these elderly people.

Completely ignoring their opinions is definitely not an option.

If we can win over this old lady, then I believe the other elderly people won't have too many objections.

"Ahem, now that everyone's here, let's begin..."

After scanning the room with everyone present, Zhang Yang coughed twice and began to speak.

Although he mostly just listened when he attended meetings in the past, he has accumulated quite a bit of experience.

From small milk tea shop managers to regional sales directors, everyone stood below listening to their motivational speeches and grand promises.

At least learning their way of speaking and tone of voice shouldn't be a problem, and at least I didn't embarrass myself in front of these people in the room.

"The main reason I've gathered everyone here today is to understand the operation of the nursing home, since I've only just taken over."

Looking at the crowd in front of him, Zhang Yang said sincerely, "I only found out yesterday from Director Li that there will be a large amount of maintenance expenses to be paid next year."

"In addition, the air conditioning system in the courtyard will definitely need to be installed as soon as possible so that everyone can live more comfortably in the future."

"Now that the nursing home has been converted to private ownership, we have to be responsible for these expenses ourselves."

"So I'd like to understand the current situation first."

"Ahem, since that's the case, let me say a few words first."

As soon as Zhang Yang finished speaking, Mr. Zhou, who also served as the accountant, cleared his throat and spoke first.

"My main point is about my current financial situation."

The old gentleman adjusted his glasses and took out a small notebook from the inside pocket of his clothes:

"We currently have over 60,000 yuan in cash, but most of that money is prepaid for expenses at the end of this year."

"In addition, there's the current income and expenditure situation, including subsidies from the civil affairs department..."

"If we only consider normal personnel expenses and daily expenses, the monthly surplus is about 5, most of which comes from room and board revenue."

"That's roughly the situation. Overall, the funding is still quite tight."

The old man looked at Zhang Yang, a glint of light flashing across his glasses.

"So from my personal point of view, it would be best if you, Dean, could think of another way to find some external funding."

Then a string of technical terms came out of his mouth.

What growth potential, what correlation between capital accumulation and liquidity, and then what about debt, equity, and policy outlook...

He spoke at length and eloquently.

"stop!"

Zhang Yang felt a headache coming on from what he said, so he quickly raised his hand and called out.

Goodness, before I even started making any grand promises, the old man had already given me a big bite!

To be honest, he was a little confused by what she had just said, but he could still understand the general meaning.

In summary, it all boils down to eight words: grow bigger and stronger, and create new glories!

Zhang Yang sat there, feeling both amused and exasperated.

"Sir, what you just said makes a lot of sense, but the current situation may not be quite what you imagined."

"First of all, there's a signed agreement for this house, so I can't just dispose of it in the short term. Secondly, injecting funds or anything like that is unlikely in the short term."

"So we still need to find solutions from within the nursing homes themselves first..."

"Alright then..."

The old man closed the notebook with some disappointment: "Even a skilled cook can't cook without rice. It seems my plan will have to be put on hold for now."

"However, once you have better access to funds, Dean, we can discuss this plan again."

"Alright, alright, as long as you don't find me troublesome when the time comes, sir."

Zhang Yang felt a headache coming on when he saw him, so he could only give a perfunctory reply.

They've even gotten involved in capital operations; how much do they think they are?

I'm clearly a penniless nobody!

-----------------Explanation of the previous revisions-----------------

I've made some changes to the information about the house, and I'll briefly explain it here.

Some readers previously commented that the initial restrictions were too harsh.

After reviewing it, I realized that this was indeed the case. So I made some adjustments and changes, changing the restriction from the previous condition of all elderly people passing away to the current condition of the contract expiring, with a maximum duration of ten years.

That is, ten years later, the house will truly belong to the protagonist.

If you have any questions about this change, please let me know in the comments.

I would also like to thank readers who share my thoughts: 6681, Yujianxiadiyu, and Nanfangcainong.

Thank you for your votes and for your comments.