W Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Renting a Shop

Before the Shen family came to Xiao Liucun, they were wealthy. As the younger generation in their families, their birthdays were always taken care of by their elders.

However, it wasn’t for every birthday, usually just a family meal and an extra bowl of longevity noodles in the morning.

After moving to Xiao Liucun, the Shen elders would make a bowl of noodles for the children on their birthdays, but nothing more.

In later years, only the younger Shen Lai and the sickly Shen Hai had the privilege of eating a bowl of noodles on their birthdays.

The family was simply too poor.

This year they had money, but the Shen elders didn’t think about celebrating Shen Hui’s birthday. It had always been this way in the past.

However, Xu Youfang still got up early to cook Shen Hui a bowl of longevity noodles.

It had an egg, and she was generous with the lard, even adding shredded meat.

Because they were living in someone else’s house, they had to go home to cook and eat, so they set up their stall a quarter of an hour later than usual.

Allowing time to walk back home.

Ling Xing took Shen Lai home to wash up. He had secretly delivered a cake to Shen Hui in the early morning, and he was still a bit sleepy.

Using a rough toothbrush dipped in tooth powder, he started brushing his teeth, but then stood still.

Looking closely, he was dozing off.

Shen Lai was young and needed a lot of sleep. The two of them, one big and one small, stood side by side, dozing off together.

The Shen family had built a temporary kitchen to eat, a small grass shed that could block the rain but not the cold.

Xu Youfang shivered from the cold wind, and seeing Shen Hui’s eager gaze, she slapped him on the back.

“Control your eyes.”

His eyeballs were practically glued to Ling Xing, smiling like it cost nothing!

Was he exposing himself in front of her, not even bothering to hide or restrain himself?

The more Xu Youfang thought about it, the angrier she got, and she slapped him again.

Shen Hui didn’t dare to resist, and while eating his noodles, he secretly peeked at Ling Xing.

He just thought he was very cute, cute no matter what, and he couldn’t get enough of him.

Shen Lai and Ling Xing also ate noodles today, the same as Shen Hui’s, with egg and meat.

The family had money now, and didn’t lack this little bit of food.

After eating, the three of them cleaned up and went to town. As soon as Ling Xing set up his stall, customers lined up.

The soup dumpling stall had a stable income and was on the right track.

It wouldn’t be bad to keep going like this.

However, while warm weather was good, the stall was really not as good as having a shop in cold or rainy weather.

Moreover, Ling Xing wanted to support Ling Yue in finishing his studies.

The imperial examinations were difficult, and the financial cost was an immeasurable figure. Relying on a single stall business, there was no way to support Ling Yue to go too far.

Ling Xing himself also wanted to grow bigger, so that he would have enough security in the future and could relax a little.

He also wanted to buy a house in town.

He didn’t dare to think about it when he first arrived, but now he felt that with some savings, he could buy a house.

Not too big, just enough for two people to live in.

Ling Yue would eventually separate from the Shen family, and he would come out with Ling Yue at that time.

It wasn’t that the Shen family was bad, but the last incident with Yu Guihua made Ling Xing a little worried.

His position in the Shen family was indeed a bit awkward.

Separating would also reduce a lot of gossip. The people in town were much better than the people in the village.

Having been here for so long, he already regarded the Shen family as relatives.

He would have to discuss this matter carefully, he didn’t want to distance himself from the Shen family.

Thinking of a shop, Ling Xing would go to the brokerage today after closing his stall to take a look.

He planned to decide before December, renovate it before the New Year, and then choose an auspicious day to open after the New Year.

During the slack season, there were many more people in the brokerage waiting to be hired than usual.

When Ling Xing and the others entered, seeing their simple clothes, they all thought they were looking for work.

The clerk had been dealing with people looking for work these days, and he glanced at them and lazily lowered his head, saying, “If you’re looking for work, report your name and say what you can do.”

Ling Xing knew that the other party had misunderstood, and explained, “I’m not here to find work, I want to rent a shop.”

Rent a shop?

The clerk stood up straight with a whoosh, his eyes shining as he sized up Ling Xing.

Although he wasn’t wearing silk, his energy was definitely not that of a poor person.

He immediately began to greet him, “Yo, you’ve come to the right place to rent a shop. May I ask, are you a man or a Ge’er?”

Looking at him, he couldn’t see an Adam’s apple, and there was no beard or stubble, which met the external characteristics of a Ge’er. But to avoid making a mistake, it was still prudent to ask.

Ling Xing replied that he was a Ge’er, and said his name.

The clerk nodded, full of energy, “My name is Lin Sanshu.”

He could see that Ling Xing was the spokesperson among the three, so he didn’t say anything to the Shen Hui and Shen Lai brothers.

He just asked Ling Xing what requirements he had for the shop.

Ling Xing had already thought about what kind of shop he wanted.

Because he was doing food, he wanted one with a well.

If it had a well, the rent would be higher than one without a well.

Even good wine needs advertising. Even if the shop wasn’t in the bustling city, it couldn’t be too remote.

Ling Xing wanted it to be on Sugar Workshop Street or the surrounding streets, so that he could do business with old customers.

The price of shops there was indeed not expensive compared to the bustling streets.

This way, even with a well, the price could be controlled within his acceptable range.

Because Ling Xing’s requirements were detailed, Lin Sanshu searched his mind and came up with three places.

He asked, “Ling Xing, do you want to see the shops today, or another day?”

“Let’s go see them today.”

The shops were all in town, and the distance wasn’t too far, so they walked.

The one that best met Ling Xing’s requirements was on Spring Rain Street, next to Sugar Workshop Street.

Although Lin Sanshu was thin, his eyes were bright and he was eloquent.

At the entrance of the first shop, he picked up a large bunch of keys and selected one, fiddling with the lock.

“This shop used to be in the jewelry business. It was gambled away by the family’s young master, and the other party didn’t want to do business, so they put it up for rent.”

The three followed Lin Sanshu into the shop. As expected of a jewelry shop, the space inside was large and bright. The windows were pasted with good paper, which was more transparent and warmer than other paper.

Lin Sanshu continued to introduce, “This shop doesn’t have a well, but there’s a well thirty meters away, used by the surrounding shops. It’s very close, it won’t delay you.”

This shop was really good. There were even carvings on the doors and windows, and there was a high flow of people outside.

If there was nothing wrong with the shop, then there was only one drawback.

Expensive.

As Ling Xing expected, this shop cost six taels of silver a month for rent. Lin Sanshu said that if he sincerely wanted it, he could find a way to negotiate it down to five taels.

Ling Xing’s mouth twitched. He sincerely wanted it, but his purse didn’t allow it.

“Let’s look at another one.”

Lin Sanshu wasn’t annoyed, and happily agreed, locking the door and taking them to the next shop.

The second shop was on Sesame Oil Street. Wang Youmai had a stall on this street selling noodles, dumplings, and wontons.

These days, Ling Xing had been in contact with him.

They would occasionally meet.

Wang Youmai would send some things to Ling Xing, none of which were very valuable, mostly food made by his wife.

The taste was okay, and it was worth it for the care and solid ingredients.

Ling Xing didn’t refuse and would accept them, take them back and eat them with his family.

At the same time, he would return something to Wang Youmai, not involving money, but personal favors.

Dumplings and wontons didn’t have much technical content, and anyone who had eaten them could figure them out.

There were quite a few stalls selling dumplings and wontons in town now, but Wang Youmai’s business was the best.

He used the recipe Ling Xing gave him to boil bone broth, and he was generous with the seasonings in the fillings, so the taste was impeccable.

People who came out to eat in this place were mainly to satisfy their appetites, and most of them would choose the better taste.

There were also a small number who just wanted to satisfy a craving, as long as the taste was similar and cheap.

In any case, Wang Youmai’s business wasn’t affected much.

He was just one person, and no matter how much he earned, that was all there was.

When they arrived at Sesame Oil Street, there was a stall selling dumplings and wontons at the intersection. Ling Xing glanced at it and felt it was pretty good.

A small table was already full of people, and diners were burying their heads in hard eating. Steam was rising from the pot, and plump dumplings were tumbling up and down.

The shop was fifty meters away from this stall.

Sesame Oil Street was true to its name, and the air was faintly filled with the aroma of sesame oil.

There were workshops pressing sesame oil here, using ancient methods of oil extraction, and the fragrance overflowed. Ling Xing smelled it and was very greedy.

Plus, having just seen the dumplings, he really wanted to buy some fragrant sesame oil to dip the dumplings in.

He couldn’t help swallowing as he was imagining how delicious they would taste. He decided that he would wrap dumplings and dip them in sesame oil for the New Year this year.

The second shop used to be a small restaurant, with a well in the backyard, which met Ling Xing’s requirements in all aspects.

The rent was also okay, three taels of silver a month, with a two-year lease.

Ling Xing looked around and was quite satisfied. However, thinking that there was still one more, he decided to see them all before deciding.

Lin Sanshu knew that Ling Xing still wanted the third one, and hesitated.

Seeing Ling Xing looking over, he immediately restrained himself, afraid of being misunderstood as not wanting to make the trip.

“That shop, it’s a little different. But it does meet all the requirements, so I told you about it.”

Lin Sanshu no longer kept him in suspense, and said directly, “People died in the shop before. Everyone thinks it’s unlucky, and it hasn’t been rented or sold.”

Ling Xing was a little surprised, “Why did they die?”

Shen Hui and Shen Lai also looked over, obviously curious.

Lin Sanshu led them out, locking the door as he said, “It was also a small restaurant, run by a young couple. The business was pretty good. Two years ago, their five-year-old son was eating in the restaurant and suddenly got something stuck in his throat.”

“They couldn’t get it out no matter what, and he couldn’t swallow it. When the couple realized something was wrong with their son, his face was purple, and before they could send him to see a doctor, he was choked to death.”

Lin Sanshu sighed, “I guess they didn’t want to be reminded of the scene, so they insisted for half a year, but they couldn’t keep going. The couple put the shop up for rent and sale at the brokerage and left Yunxia Town, going to Moon Bay Town.”

The Yu Dynasty believed in ghosts, gods, and feng shui, and people in business believed it even more.

No one wanted to rent or buy a shop where someone had died, plus it wasn’t a great location or a top-notch shop, so it had remained untouched.

The shop was on the other side of Sugar Workshop Street, next to Sugar Water Street.

The street name followed Sugar Workshop Street. There were indeed many shops selling sugar water on this street.

Not only were there many shops selling sugar water, but there were also many shops selling food.

Candied fruit, pastries, restaurants, all kinds of food stalls, it could be said to be a foodie street.

The shop was in the middle of the street, in a location that was neither good nor bad.

Walking on Sugar Water Street, this shop stood out very much.

After all, of all the shops, only this one had its doors closed tightly, even giving off a sense of desolation.

Lin Sanshu took out his large bunch of keys again, turned them a few times, and selected the key to open the door.

With a creak, the door was pushed open, and the smell of dust wafted in the air.

The four of them covered their noses and crossed the threshold, entering the shop.

The people in the surrounding shops, seeing people coming to the shop that had been closed for years, curiously poked their heads out to look.

They were really a bit surprised. This was the first time they had seen anyone come to see the shop since it had been listed with the brokerage.

They didn’t know who was out of their mind.

The space inside the shop was quite large. Ling Xing estimated that it was seventy or eighty square meters, which was more than enough for a snack shop.

Since they were here, Lin Sanshu began to introduce the shop’s situation, “In addition to the storefront, there is also a backyard. There’s a well, a warehouse, and a small house where people can live.”

When Ling Xing heard that there was a backyard, his eyes lit up and he wanted to go see it.

Lin Sanshu led the way.

There was a fence around the well in the yard. Ling Xing thought of the child Lin Sanshu mentioned. It must have been the young couple who specially put it up to prevent the child from falling in.

Not only was there a fence, but there was also a stone slab covering the well.

Looking at the dust on the stone slab, it hadn’t been moved in a long time.

Ling Xing sighed softly and went to see the warehouse.

The so-called warehouse was just a small wooden house of about twenty square meters, with wind blowing in from all sides.

The roof was also broken, and the ground was uneven, with a foul smell and a strong smell of moldy wood.

The roof hadn’t been repaired for a long time, and it had been soaked by rain.

The house where people could live was a little better than the leaky warehouse. It was made of mud bricks with a thatched roof.

It was also very dilapidated. When they pushed the door open, the dust that was stirred up was visible to the naked eye, and it choked the four of them.

The backyard was surrounded by walls made of mud bricks, which provided some security, but not much.

Fortunately, there were clerks patrolling the streets in the town at night, which provided some protection.

The area of the backyard was larger than the front shop. An irregular stone path connected the mud house and the front shop.

Two paths branched off in the middle, one leading to the well and one leading to the warehouse.

On rainy days, they wouldn’t have to worry about their feet being covered in mud.

Ling Xing could feel that the previous shop owner had put his heart into the shop.

It was a pity that fate played tricks on people.

Lin Sanshu diligently told him about the shop’s information, “In the beginning, the shop owner wanted to sell it, but later, when no one bought it, he said it could be rented. However, the rent is for three years. But the monthly rent is cheap, only two taels.”

“Again, if you sincerely want it, I’ll try to negotiate the rent down.”

Compared to the previous two, a monthly rent of two taels was really cheap.

Moreover, Ling Xing was very interested in the backyard. It was also very close to Sugar Workshop Street, so the old customers at the stall wouldn’t be lost.

If the warehouse and mud house in the backyard were properly renovated, they could even live here.

When it rained, it would be hard to walk, and they wouldn’t have to worry about not having a place to sleep.

Ling Xing was a modern person who had transmigrated, respecting ghosts, gods, and feng shui, but not superstitious.

The reasons why others avoided the shop were nothing to him.

The scales in his heart began to tip, and Ling Xing thought even the leaky warehouse looked “pleasant.”

Ling Xing hesitated for a while and then asked, “How much silver is it to buy?”

Lin Sanshu stood up straight, his eyes shining, “Not expensive, one hundred and eighty taels, and it’s negotiable!”

Hearing the price, Ling Xing gave up.

He had about twenty-four taels of income each month, of which he had to set aside ten taels for Ling Yue to take medicine and one tael for the two brothers to spend.

Currently, he had fifty-three taels available.

The shop required a three-year lease, which would cost seventy-two taels, and he was still short of money to rent it.

Shen Hui had been paying attention to Ling Xing and saw that Ling Xing was more satisfied with this shop. He lowered his head and said softly, “Ge’er, don’t worry about the money, I have it here.”

Ling Xing’s heart settled down at once.

He wouldn’t be polite with Shen Hui, and would pay him back later when he had the money.

Learning that Ling Xing was still renting, Lin Sanshu wasn’t too disappointed. Whether it was rented or bought, this shop that had been stuck in his hands for so long had been successfully sold.

He promised, “I will set off immediately to Moon Bay Town and try to negotiate the rent down a bit.”

Ling Xing smiled and nodded, “Thank you.”

The shop was settled faster than expected, and Ling Xing’s plan needed to be brought forward.

With a month to renovate, the shop could open before the New Year.