HLnovel Chapter 231 Many Foolish Shops
Chapter 231 Many Foolish Shops
The three of them wandered through the market in Dushui County. The bustling shops were packed with people, one after another, and the business was booming. There was no empty shop at all.
Even the small stalls on both sides of the road outside the shop are lined up one after another.
After much difficulty, I finally found two shops in less-than-ideal locations, both of which were uninhabitable and had no backyard.
Life is tough, Xiaotang sighed!
"Xiao Tang, what if we can't find a suitable empty shop?"
After walking through three streets, Lin Qingchuan couldn't help but feel a little discouraged.
Shen Qianchuan, who was standing to the side, had the same question. If they couldn't find a suitable shop, not only would his older brother and the others not be able to open a braised pig's trotters shop, but he wouldn't be able to sell breakfast either. This would be a real problem.
Lin Xiaotang thought for a moment and said, "Dad, Fourth Uncle, don't worry. If we really can't find a shop with a backyard where people can live and that's suitable for us to sell braised pig's trotters, then we'll just rent an empty shop and rent a house nearby. It'll just be a bit troublesome, as we'll have to run back and forth every day."
Lin Qingchuan and Shen Qianchuan's eyes lit up, and they strongly agreed with Lin Xiaotang's suggestion.
“Xiao Tang, I think your idea is good. If we really can’t rent a suitable shop, we can rent a house. Not only can we continue to live together, but the rent for a house is definitely not as expensive as the rent for a shop. This is also very cost-effective. We don’t have to worry about running back and forth. We have a carriage, so it won’t take much effort to move things. We deliver supplies from the town to the county every day, so we have to run back and forth, and it’s such a long way.”
That's true!
"Alright, let's look again today. If we can't find one, we'll rent an empty shop and find someone to rent an empty house for us, and then we'll start moving."
So the three of them strolled around two more streets, and in the end, they actually found a suitable shop.
Not only does it have a separate courtyard, but it also has a second floor. The shop is just the right size, and the courtyard is very spacious. It is separated from the shop by a circular archway in the middle, allowing them to communicate. There are three or four small rooms in the courtyard, and several rooms on the second floor as well, which perfectly meets their needs.
The three of them glanced at it and were quite satisfied.
Lin Xiaotang suppressed her excitement and immediately went to ask the uncle who managed the shop about the prices.
She felt that this shop not only had a good location and was spacious, but also had a nice courtyard, so it must not be cheap.
Perhaps they simply don't have the means to rent it, but sentencing them to death before even asking is not her usual style.
So, she mustered up her courage and asked, "Uncle, we'd like to rent this shop. How much does it cost per month?"
The man was wearing a long gown and looked to be in his thirties, but he was dressed neatly and had his appearance very tidy, suggesting he was a meticulous person.
He looked Lin Xiaotang up and down, then asked with a smile, "Little girl, you look only six or seven years old. What's your name?"
Lin Xiaotang found it a bit strange. What was so special about her name, that she was just an ordinary little girl?
"Uncle, my name is Lin Xiaotang, you can just call me Xiaotang. You haven't answered my question yet."
Upon hearing her name, Lin Xiaotang, the man immediately became warmer. "This shop originally belonged to my master, but business has been tough lately. This morning, he ordered the shop to be cleared out and closed down. We'll just rent it out and collect rent. You can pay one month's rent as a deposit, and from now on, the rent will be paid monthly. As for how much silver each month..."
The man rested his chin on his hand, thinking about what the young lady had said. She said that Lin Xiaotang had saved her life and helped her a lot. Moreover, Lin Xiaotang was clever and quick-witted, and the young lady liked Lin Xiaotang very much. She also told him not to ask for more rent for the shop.
If not, how can we ask for more?
This shop is usually run by the family. The master owns countless fields and there are hundreds of shops in this Dushui County market. The master is good at business and has many capable people under his command. They are all shopkeepers. He really doesn't know how much the rent for this shop is.
Because the Wang family only buys empty shops, they never rent them!
Lin Xiaotang's question stumped him.
The man thought for a moment, then held up his hand and made a "five".
Lin Xiaotang was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out, and her mouth was wide enough to fit an egg.
The brothers Lin Qingchuan and Shen Qianchuan were so shocked that they stammered.
"Five hundred taels...five hundred taels? Just this shop, and the rent alone costs five hundred taels a month?"
"This is too expensive!"
Upon hearing that Shen Qianchuan thought it was too expensive, the man immediately lowered his two fingers and held up three.
Three hundred taels?
Although the man readily offered a discount of two hundred taels, three hundred taels was still very expensive for them. After all, they only had six hundred taels of silver. If they paid one month's rent as deposit, they would have to spend every last penny. If they rented an empty shop, they wouldn't even have a copper coin left. How could they do business?
Lin Xiaotang's eyes darted around. She could tell that this person didn't seem like the shrewd businessman she expected. He appeared to be gentle and approachable.
She felt the price was negotiable, so she smiled sweetly and said, "Uncle, we're just running a small business, and three hundred taels for rent is still too expensive for us. Could you lower the price for us a bit more?"
The man frowned slightly, unsure of what to do.
Although the master had never rented a shop before, and neither had the servants, Dushui County was close to the dock and was extremely prosperous, so the shops there must be expensive. He casually quoted a price and then lowered it by two hundred taels. Was three hundred taels for rent still expensive?
Anyway, the young lady had told him to order less, so he put down one finger and made a "two".
Lin Xiaotang was overjoyed, thinking that this man was too easy to talk to. She had only said a little to ask him to give her a discount, but he gave her another hundred taels, making it a direct reduction of two hundred taels.
She either met a good person, or she met a bunch of gullible people.
Lin Qingchuan couldn't hide his excitement. After all, the man had initially asked for 500 taels of rent, which they thought was too expensive. The man had lowered the price twice, bringing it down to 200 taels, which was far beyond his expectations.
He thought the man would only give them a discount of twenty or thirty taels at most, but he didn't expect him to give them a discount of two or three hundred taels.
Two hundred taels of rent was indeed expensive for them, but among the many shops in Dushui County, it was already very cheap. Moreover, their shop not only had an independent courtyard, but also a second floor, and the shop was spacious, meeting all their requirements.
Previously, he and his wife were naive and thought that the small house in the town cost a little over a hundred taels of silver, which was already very expensive. After visiting many shops, they realized that the shops in Dushui County were truly priceless.
Because of its prosperity, every inch of land there is incredibly valuable!
Fine, two hundred taels it is. The rent is expensive and the foot traffic is high. As long as they work hard and are tired, they can earn the money back.
Shen Qianchuan, standing to the side, was so surprised that it took him a long time to come to his senses.
What does a rent of two hundred taels of silver even mean?