Chapter 68: Taking the First Step in Entrepreneurship

The next day, Mo Haoyue took Mi Xia to visit Uncle Wu, and everything was taken care of that day. They also chose a storefront, right next to the Jingcheng Grand Hotel—a property owned by the hotel.

It was two storefronts, nearly 200 square meters in total, directly adjacent to the main street, in one of the most bustling areas of the capital. Mi Xia and Mo Haoyue were overjoyed.

Mi Xia measured the dimensions of the shop with a tape measure, then hurried home with Mo Haoyue. Back home, Mi Xia dove into her space, turned on her computer, and, based on the style of a bakery 40 years in the future, quickly drew up a design.

After finishing the drawing, Mi Xia printed it out and showed it to Mo Haoyue. Looking at the bright floor-to-ceiling windows and glass doors in the drawing, and the minimalist interior design, Mo Haoyue was deeply shocked.

It’s no wonder; in this era, everything was mainly black and gray. Seeing this design that leaped 40 years into the future, it’s no surprise Mo Haoyue was stunned.

“Wife, did you design this? It’s so beautiful! I feel like our shop would be a hit even if we didn’t sell anything!”

Mi Xia smiled sweetly, “Who else could it be? Come, let me explain.”

Mi Xia took the blueprint and thoroughly explained it to Mo Haoyue, from entering the store to customers selecting their own bread, and finally to the checkout counter.

“Shouldn’t the goods be placed behind the counter? Letting customers take it themselves and then pay afterwards… won’t that be problematic? What if someone comes in, takes something without paying, and just eats it?”

This business model was unimaginable in that era. Who would sell things without standing behind a counter, requiring payment before receiving goods?

Mi Xia chuckled, “Let me explain. This self-selection model, where customers pay at the end, is called a ‘supermarket’.”

“The advantage of this model is that everything is clearly priced. Customers can choose what they want, and because it’s a post-payment model, consumption is usually higher than with pre-payment.”

“Also, once the policies loosen up next year, I’ll open a bigger supermarket, selling everything imaginable, letting customers choose what they want to buy, also with post-payment.”

As Mi Xia explained to Mo Haoyue, she was also envisioning the future. Yes, she was going to be the richest person in the country this lifetime.

Actually, Mo Haoyue was completely baffled by what Mi Xia was saying. He still didn’t understand how you could let customers take the goods themselves; what if they picked all the good ones, leaving only the bad ones behind?

But regardless of his confusion, it didn’t stop him from praising Mi Xia: “My wife is amazing. Just a casual drawing, and I think it’s more beautiful than those century-old shops.”

“People say you can’t have both beauty and wealth, that beauty and intelligence can’t coexist. But with my wife, that law is broken. My wife is not only smart but also incredibly beautiful.”

Flattery will get you everywhere. Mi Xia was no exception; these words made her heart bloom.

“Alright, stop flattering me. Now that we’ve secured the storefront, we need to find someone to renovate it. I want to open the shop as soon as possible.”

“Also, I need to ask Uncle Wu for help finding a manufacturer of large ovens. Our small oven won’t be enough for the shop.”

Next, Mi Xia asked Zhang Xiaoyu to find a construction crew, and she explained her design ideas and renovation plan to Zhang Xiaoyu and Mo Haoyue.

In a blink of an eye, it was April, and Mo Haoyue started school, only able to come home once every two weeks. Therefore, the renovation team consisted only of Mi Xia and Zhang Xiaoyu.

Zhang Xiaoyu was very intelligent; he understood everything Mi Xia said once. So she entrusted him with the rest of the work.

Sometimes, Mo Zhixia played with Liu Zhaodi and Zhang Xiaobao, and sometimes Wang Fen would take her.

So Mi Xia could focus on her studies. By the way, Song Guoqing had been reinstated as a law professor.

This made it convenient for Mi Xia to take leave, and she would take time off to help Zhang Xiaoyu if he had any questions.

Soon, Mo Haoyue’s first break arrived. He brought two classmates back home; those who could study with him at the same school were all top students from various places.

Wang Fen took Mo Zhixia away so the couple could have some alone time.

“Mo Haoyue, you’re doing well, your wife is so beautiful,” Zhang Wei whispered.

“No wonder he always thinks about his wife and child. If my wife were that beautiful, I’d be thinking about her all the time too,” Xu Yong chimed in.

“Wife, these are my classmates. This is Zhang Wei,” Mo Haoyue said, pointing to Zhang Wei.

“And this is Xu Yong.”

Mi Xia greeted them warmly, “Come in and sit. I’ll get you some snacks.”

Then she went to the kitchen and cut some fruit. Mi Xia didn’t ask Liu Zhaodi to come today, so she had to do it herself.

But this was convenient for her; she took things from her space, washed a plate of strawberries, cut a plate of apples, and grabbed a bunch of bananas to bring out.

“Thank you, sister-in-law, thank you,” Zhang Wei and Xu Yong said with smiles.

Zhang Wei and Xu Yong both had large families to support—wives, children, and parents—so they rarely ate such things.

They simply had too many children, so they ate a lot.

After serving the fruit, Mi Xia didn’t bother them and went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

There was bird’s nest chicken silk soup, wind-dried mutton slices, hibiscus eggs, white radish ribs, blanched shrimp, chestnut braised chicken, and Dongpo pork.

Mi Xia also put a bottle of wine on the table. They had both days off, so it was fine if they got drunk.

“Wow, this is so exquisite! I can’t bear to eat it,” Zhang Wei exclaimed in surprise.

“Then don’t eat it. Mo Haoyue and I will eat it,” Xu Yong said with a grin, looking at Zhang Wei.

“You’re dreaming! You just want to hog it all. I won’t let you get away with it,” Zhang Wei pretended to be angry.

“Alright, stop bickering. Let’s eat,” Mo Haoyue said, used to their antics. These two guys were uncomfortable if they didn’t bicker every day.

Mi Xia went to her space to eat. Mo Haoyue brought his comrades back, and she didn’t want to go out there, especially since they would be smoking and drinking; she couldn’t stand the smell.

After eating, Mi Xia baked cakes and small breads in her space. Once the bakery was renovated, she could train the girls.

The three men in the living room ate until a little after 2 PM. Mi Xia went to check on them; only Mo Haoyue wasn’t completely drunk.

“Can you help them to the guest room?” Mi Xia asked.

Mo Haoyue nodded obediently. The two of them helped Zhang Wei and Xu Yong to the room. It must be said that drunk people were incredibly heavy; thankfully, Mo Haoyue was strong.

After getting the two of them to the guest room, she and Mo Haoyue went into the space. “Wife, I’m going to sleep. I’m so tired,” he said.

“Take a shower first, okay? You’re so dirty, and you smell bad,” Mi Xia coaxed him.

“No, no shower. They didn’t shower either,” Mo Haoyue whined.

“No, you have to shower if you want to sleep!” Mi Xia pretended to be angry.

“Okay, okay! I’ll take a shower. Wife, don’t be angry.”

If Mo Haoyue hadn’t been drunk, Mi Xia wouldn’t have seen him act so childish.

After showering, Mo Haoyue fell asleep snoring without even drying himself properly.