Liu Yong was considering bidding for the conference rooms. While conference rooms had lower requirements, Xia Xiaolan wanted him to bid for the restaurant instead.

Lower requirements meant more competitors. Even decades later, government conference rooms would remain uniformly dull and dated. In comparison, restaurants offered more vibrant possibilities. The guest house had two restaurants: an open-plan main restaurant and a smaller one divided into private rooms. The main restaurant needed to accommodate around 300 diners simultaneously – about the same capacity as the largest conference room. During major conferences, the guest house would likely be close to outside customers.

Conferences exceeding 300 people were rare – even the first Pengcheng City People’s Congress in 1990 had only 266 representatives.

Accommodating 300 diners meant more than just cramming people into a space. Different table sizes required different areas, and the guest house restaurant had to be more upscale than a staff cafeteria. Xia Xiaolan suggested tables for 2, 4, 6, and 8 people. Tables for 10 or more weren’t necessary – large groups either split up or used private rooms.

She planned for 10 two-person tables, 20 four-person tables as the main option, 10 six-person tables, and 5 eight-person tables, totaling 200 seats.

This capacity wasn’t based on the conference room size but on the guest house’s 67 rooms. Even at full occupancy, including children not requiring beds, guest numbers wouldn’t exceed 200. With few people dining simultaneously and some walk-in customers, 200 seats in the main restaurant would suffice.

For 300-person conferences, the small restaurant could provide additional capacity.

With 45 tables total, they needed proper spacing for guest comfort and server access. Calculating roughly 1.5 square meters per person, the dining area required at least 300 square meters – better to plan for 350 square meters for a more spacious feel.

This was just the dining area. A restaurant with 200 seats and 350 square meters of dining space needed at least 150-200 square meters for the kitchen.

Adding storage, restrooms, and offices, the total area shouldn’t be less than 700 square meters.

Though Pengcheng was designated as a Special Economic Zone, land wasn’t yet extremely precious in 1984. The municipal government guest house wasn’t stingy – Liu Yong mentioned the building plans allocated 850 square meters for the main restaurant. Xia Xiaolan thought her uncle would be fortunate just to win the bid for this space.

Kitchen and bathroom renovations were the most expensive. Commercial standards differed from residential ones but weren’t necessarily cheaper.

The dining area’s furniture, flooring, and lighting would be major expenses.

Various soft furnishings and compelling design elements would cost more than standard cafeteria specifications. The municipal guest house’s public tender aimed for quality – Xia Xiaolan worried that their 70,000 yuan might not be enough for the main restaurant bid.

What about the smaller restaurant as a backup option?

The small restaurant had only nine private rooms sharing the main restaurant’s kitchen. These nine rooms were essentially like renovating nine standard rooms, and surprisingly, this was offered as a separate bid rather than being bundled with the main restaurant.

Of course, the private rooms needed privacy and might require more luxurious finishing than the main restaurant.

Pengcheng’s summers were intensely hot – they couldn’t have guests dining in private rooms dripping with sweat.

Nine air conditioners were essential.

The air conditioners could be procured by the guest house staff, giving them some room to profit.

For a small restaurant with just nine private rooms, renovation costs were quite flexible – Liu Yong’s 70,000 yuan would suffice.

“So, Uncle, what are your thoughts?” asked Xia Xiaolan.

After analyzing the pros and cons, the decision rested with Liu Yong. He knew the small restaurant would be simpler, both in terms of funding and effort – just like renovating nine rooms, work he was familiar with.

But he remembered Xia Xiaolan’s frequent advice: the early years weren’t about maximum profit, but learning opportunities.

How much could he learn by only taking simple jobs?

He’d never renovated a restaurant kitchen – wasn’t this the perfect opportunity? An 850-square-meter project would provide a better experience than renovating nine rooms!

“I want to bid for the main restaurant. The guest house won’t require full advance payment – we can defer workers’ wages and some material costs. The initial 70,000 yuan should barely cover it.”

With Liu Yong choosing the main restaurant, Xia Xiaolan could only support his decision.

“I have another 10,000 yuan, and we should get another dividend soon. Our two families could probably gather another 20,000, totaling 100,000… If that’s not enough, I’ll figure something out.”

If necessary, they could get a loan. While they preferred avoiding personal favors, they wouldn’t let it hinder development. Rather than using Tang Hong’en’s connections, Xia Xiaolan planned to secure a loan in Shangdu using ‘Blue Phoenix’ as collateral.

Family matters were straightforward – Liu Yong felt uncomfortable that Xia Xiaolan’s investment money was being diverted because of him.

Having agreed to bid for the main restaurant renovation, Liu Yong needed to work toward winning the bid.

First, Liu Yong sent the building floor plans back to Shangdu for Xia Xiaolan to review and establish the design concept before having Gong Yang draw it up.

Liu Yong’s second task was to meet with the guest house restaurant manager.

Documents couldn’t rely on mail – they’d be too late. Fortunately, they could use fax for the materials.

While building plans could be faxed to Shangdu, design, and rendering drawings needed personal delivery, going through Yangcheng before reaching Liu Yong in Pengcheng. This left limited time for Xia Xiaolan and Gong Yang. This wasn’t like staying up one night to draw renderings for a few dozen square meters – this was a design proposal for a municipal government guest house with 67 rooms, 12 conference rooms, and 2 restaurants.

Xia Xiaolan and Liu Yong had never been interested in the staff dormitory bid. While the restaurant could build a reputation, the staff dormitory needed no complex design and offered little profit, as the guest house would minimize investment in staff accommodations.

Hearing about new work, Gong Yang’s spirits lifted, remembering his recent contribution to his family.

When he’d presented 1,000 yuan to his family, they were shocked, fearing he’d done something illegal. Gong Yang explained it came from drawing designs, without mentioning his two months as a renovation worker. While his parents were overjoyed, they refused to accept all the money. Gong Yang insisted on leaving 800 yuan, saying there would be more work opportunities. Knowing his parents would be reluctant to spend it, he mandated that they must eat meat every two weeks… He’d arranged with the village butcher that the Gong family must buy at least two jin of meat bi-weekly, threatening to quit school and return home to eat pickled vegetables with noodle soup if they didn’t comply!

When even eating meat twice a month had to be assigned as a task, Gong Yang knew he needed to earn more. Only with a higher and stable income could his family’s life truly improve.

As for Xia Xiaolan, with just one month until the college entrance exam, she still had to find time to complete this design proposal. The bid’s success now depended on Liu Yong’s efforts in Pengcheng!