Chapter 31: You’re to My Liking

“Comrade, you forgot to pay,” the boss said, his face flushed.

“Oh, I came out to pay,” Yan Xiaoyue said, pulling a wad of cash from her pocket. She counted out thirty bills for the boss. “I’ll come eat here when you open.”

The boss waved her off and left. Yan Xiaoyue was speechless. He hadn’t even told her his name! If she just said she’d come back, they might not even remember what he looked like.

“Little sister, weren’t you a little too fast?” Li Shumei commented, referring to renting the shop they’d only discussed that morning.

“We should also discuss the rent with the landlord. Ideally, we’d pay three years upfront,” Yan Xiaoyue said, glancing at her two brothers and their wives. She figured the shop would be profitable within a year at most. With good food, it wouldn’t lack customers.

Looking at the university across the street and the commercial district next door, her desire to make money, to make more money, was overwhelming. She wondered if a trip to Hong Kong now could yield a profit.

“Xiaoyue, when are you planning to open?” Li Shumei asked, eyeing the relatively complete inventory.

“No rush to open. Big brother’s skills still need work. I’ll prepare some special seasonings for the shop. And the existing decor needs to be completely redone.” Yan Xiaoyue was excited about the little shop. If business was good, they could recoup their investment in six months. No, considering they could supply their own ingredients, it would be even faster.

“That’s too much trouble and expense,” Yan Heng objected. The shop’s current decor, while nice, was costly.

“Big brother, if we’re renting long-term, we can’t skimp on this. University students value quality of life.” The shop they were considering, Yan Zhitao’s Qingyin Pavilion, clearly catered to a refined clientele. The same old foibles of literati and refined scholars persisted through the ages.

“How do we find the landlord?” Yan Heng asked. They hadn’t seen a landlord when they’d rented before.

“The guy just now was the landlord,” Yan Xiaoyue said, shaking her head and sitting down to wait. She’d just realized that when the boss had retrieved something, he’d left the rest behind. Normally, when a business is transferred, everything is taken except what’s needed for the shop’s operation. Unless he didn’t care… or the shop was his to begin with.

“What?!” The others were shocked.

Yan Xiaoyue smiled. “Brothers, you need to study harder! You need to develop your observation skills. Otherwise, you won’t know what the person sitting across from you is thinking.”

She glanced at the doorway. The man hiding there came out.

“How did you know I was the landlord?” he asked, curious. He hadn’t revealed anything.

“You don’t look like a chef,” Yan Xiaoyue replied, shaking her head. “Boss, let’s talk about the rent. We want to rent for three years.” She stated her intentions directly; there was no point in beating around the bush.

“You’re sure? The last guy only lasted two months. If it weren’t for pity, and the fact that it would be a waste to throw away all this stuff, I wouldn’t have helped,” the landlord said, still incredulous. No one had ever rented for three years upfront. “And this location really isn’t suitable for a food business. So many have failed here.” He sighed. Logically, this location should be perfect for a food business.

“Don’t worry about that. Let’s sign the contract. Three years,” Yan Xiaoyue said, still liking the location. Even if students didn’t come out, they could order takeout from the back, which was more convenient than going off campus.

“I can give you a discount. Could you give me a job? I want to work for you,” Zhu Qiang, the landlord, said hesitantly. He hadn’t been trying to steal trade secrets; he just wanted to meet more girls. His family was constantly pressuring him to find a wife.

“Sure. Ten yuan a month, does that work?” Yan Xiaoyue offered. Ten yuan was a pretty good wage.

“Deal! Call me Brother Zhu or Brother Qiang. Don’t call me Boss, or people will think I’m the shop owner,” Zhu Qiang said, shaking his head and starting to write the contracts – a lease and an employment agreement.

Yan Xiaoyue received the contracts and paid, feeling happy. The landlord was generous to offer three years.

“Brother Qiang, that makes our contract four years,” Yan Xiaoyue said, pointing to the dates. That was plenty of time to get started.

“Got it, got it,” Zhu Qiang replied, confirming the dates before leaving.

Yan Xiaoyue was relieved. Yan Zhitao probably hadn’t rented the shop because of bad luck. But as long as the shop itself was fine, that was all that mattered. The entire shop needed demolition, including the oppressive loft. The space utilization was terribly low. The more she looked, the more she frowned.

“I forgot to ask Zhu Qiang if he has any apartments for rent,” she realized. Living at home was an option, but commuting would be tiring. Renting nearby would be more convenient.

“There’s one over there,” Yan Heng said, pointing to a “For Sale/Rent” sign on the wall outside the window.

She felt a little disheartened. If only she had more money, she could buy a house.

The rental process had gone smoothly. Hopefully, everything else would go just as well.

Yan Xiaoyue raised an eyebrow. “Let’s go take a look.”

After locking the shop, they headed in the indicated direction. Seeing Zhu Qiang sunbathing at the entrance, she couldn’t help but twitch her lips. The guy was clearly well-off, yet he was so unkempt. If he could find a wife, he must have burned a lot of incense to his ancestors.

“What brings you here?” Zhu Qiang stood up and asked.

“We’re looking for a place to rent. We heard there are rooms available and want to rent one to rest in,” Yan Shu said, stepping forward. His sister had done all the negotiating so far; it was his turn now. If their sister ever joined the army, they couldn’t just abandon her.

“Rent, huh? I have a place. Upstairs. It’s cheap, five yuan a month,” Zhu Qiang said, pointing to the unoccupied upstairs rooms.

“I’m picky. I won’t rent anything I don’t like. But I really appreciate you guys. If you want to rent, ten yuan, and you can have all the rooms,” Yan Xiaoyue said, looking at him. “Let’s go upstairs and take a look.”

She was particular about her living environment and needed to inspect it.

Downstairs were only Zhu Qiang and an elderly woman with gray hair. The woman remained silent but smiled at them.

Upstairs, there were two clean bathrooms and four clean rooms, though a little dusty.

“I wasn’t lying. My place is the cleanest in this area. Many student couples wanted to rent, but I was worried about something happening, so I didn’t rent it out,” Zhu Qiang said frankly.