[Chapter 409: Training Program at the Antique Market]
After lunch, Linton asked his assistant, Meena, to wait at the hotel for Li Bingbing. He himself, accompanied by two bodyguards, Miguel and Lin Hao, headed to the Novotel Century to inspect the training environment, the instructors, and the training curriculum.
On the way, Miguel awkwardly apologized to Linton, saying, "Senor I'm sorry. I didn't do a good job screening. Somehow, someone like Lanlan slipped in. Luckily, your test today caught her."
Lin Hao apologized to Linton, saying, "Mr. Anderson I'm very sorry for the trouble. Qin Lanlan came in using my personal connection. I hope you can excuse me."
Linton nodded understandingly. "I get it. At your level, some things are tough to handle -- you have to consider so many connections and relationships. But I'm different; I don't care about all that. By the way, I kicked Lanlan out today. I hope that didn't cause you trouble?"
Lin Hao sighed, "Well, it did stir up some buzz. I've already gotten more than ten calls about it, but nothing serious. Besides, no one would support the Qin family's behavior. This incident made me realize that leaders aren't just judged by their work performance but also by how they manage their families. People like Qin Tianming who let their family members run wild often become a source of trouble. Several of my friends have even put him on their 'do-not-associate' list and plan to keep their distance."
"Are there many people like him?" Linton asked.
"Who knows? Some people have completely lost their way. But you don't have to worry about that -- they can't affect you," Lin Hao reassured him.
...
The Novotel Century was located about 8 miles from the bustling downtown area. Located in Wan Chai, it provided an elegant setting away from the city's hustle and bustle, making it suitable for business events and training sessions.
The cost was very reasonable -- renting out the entire place, including accommodations and meals for 140 people (trainers and students) for two and a half months, came to roughly HK$4 million, roughly, $500K a month.
The training was divided into three parts: spoken English, server etiquette, and hotel staff skills.
The instructors had already checked into the hotel, and Linton had brief chats with them, generally satisfied with the course content but also offering plenty of suggestions for improvement.
The spoken English classes were taught by ten teachers from New Oriental English School, arranged in small classes of about ten people each. Although Linton had emphasized focusing on conversational English, New Oriental's core curriculum was designed to prepare students for exams like IELTS and TOEFL. As a result, much of their teaching material centered on exam skills.
Linton immediately demanded the removal of all exam-focused content. "The goal of this training is simple: help the trainees quickly master everyday English conversation. Grammar, sentence structure, reading comprehension -- cut all of that."
The server etiquette instructor was a specialist hired from the hotel. The purpose was to learn the modern etiquette of five-star hotel waiters, but it seemed there was a problem in communication. The expert had a detailed understanding of the etiquette of palace maids in the Qing Dynasty and her teaching plan included many lessons on the palace maid rituals.
That was a little ridiculous. This was the 1990s -- Qing Dynasty had been gone for over a century. Training servers to act like courtiers was neither practical nor professional. Plus, these servers would have to interact with guests; adopting archaic etiquette might ruin their reputation.
Linton insisted that all content on palace maid rituals be cut. Mastering the modern etiquette of a five-star hotel was enough.
As for the hotel staff skills training, the material was practical and matched his requirements. Still, he requested an additional hands-on component, leveraging the Novotel Century's facilities for live demonstrations and practice, to give trainees real-world experience with daily server tasks.
Naturally, the instructors agreed, and after negotiations, the resort management consented too.
---
After leaving the resort, with time still before 4 p.m., Linton recalled his next destination -- Antique Market.
Originally, he planned to visit the Antique Market in the coming days, but upon learning that it was in the same direction as Novotel Century and only a ten-minute drive away, he decided to go now.
"Director Lin, I heard Cat Street has a lot of great finds. We still have some time. How about we take a look and see if we can score some treasures?" Linton suggested.
"Great, let's go together," Lin Hao said.
Turns out, Lin Hao was also an antique enthusiast and clearly a regular. He knew all the ins and outs and repeatedly warned Linton about potential scams to prevent him from getting duped.
"Upper Lascar Row, known as Cat Street, is particularly famous for its antique stalls and shops, covering a vast area. You'll find mainly jewelry, jade, quartz, porcelain, antique furniture, calligraphy brushes and ink, ancient books and paintings, old publications, and everyday items. It's the perfect spot for buying and appreciating antiques, crafts, collectibles, and decorations."
"Anything in particular I should watch out for?"
"It's a real mixed bag in there. The goods vary widely. Sure, you can find some real gems, but most of the market is filled with junk and counterfeit goods. Finding the good stuff mostly comes down to having a sharp eye.
The market is divided into two main sections: one huge area with over 3,000 open stalls, where most of the items are cheap knockoffs, but every now and then, someone stumbles on a treasure. The other section is made up of shops, where the items are relatively more reliable. But even there, many items are fake, though of much higher quality and more convincing craftsmanship -- and naturally, pricier.
If you're lucky, you might snag an incredibly valuable item at a bargain price. But more often than not, you end up buying worthless fakes.
The key here is to look more and buy less. It's a test of your judgment and knowledge."
*****
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