Qiu Yumei was very satisfied. The location of this shop was good, much better than the wonton shop where she used to work.

When the workshop owner saw Qiu Yan come again, this time with accomplices, and inquire about selling the shop again, he asked, "Miss, would you like to buy it? There's a small courtyard in the back of my workshop where people can live."

Qiu Yumei shook her head repeatedly when she heard the price quoted by the shopkeeper.

Where would they get so much money?

Furthermore, Xiaoyan is building a house, which will cost a lot of money.

Qiu Yan really wanted to buy it, but the price... was beyond her current means.

Qiu Yan looked the shop inside and out, and then glanced at the shop across the street again.

The shopkeeper gave a bitter smile. His face darkened as he spoke of this, clearly feeling dejected.

Seeing Qiu Yan's hesitant expression, the shopkeeper extended two fingers with his right hand, and then stretched out his entire left hand.

"Girl, how about this amount for you?"

This shopkeeper really made her look like a complete idiot.

She didn't have that number either.

Qiu Yumei kept tugging at Qiu Yan's clothes, "Xiao Yan, let's not take this shop anymore, it's too expensive."

Her behavior made the workshop owner somewhat anxious.

Qiu Yan held up one finger. "Shopkeeper, I'll take this amount. But can you settle the payment for the shop in installments? I'll pay you 30% upfront, and the rest in three months."

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper nearly vomited blood; he really wanted to kick Qiu Yan out immediately.

His voice involuntarily rose several times.

"No, no, girl, go ask around outside. Is this amount of money enough to buy a shop?"

Also, if you still have no money after three months, who am I supposed to ask for it from?

Qiu Yumei's expression changed repeatedly, while Qiu Yan smiled faintly: "We have written it clearly in black and white in the contract, and there are government officials as witnesses. Are you afraid that I will renege on the debt?"

If I can't come up with all the money after March, you can take the shop back.

But if I settle the remaining balance, the shop will belong entirely to me.

Qiu Yumei shook her head at Qiu Yan, who gave her a reassuring smile.

Seeing the workshop owner begin to ponder, Qiu Yan continued, "If you list it with a brokerage firm, won't they also take a cut? You should keep the money for yourself."

Can you guarantee that your workshop will be successfully sold within three months?

"This...this is a prime location for me, how could it be difficult to sell..." Actually, the shopkeeper couldn't really answer that question.

However, he was also really eager to make a move.

"Paying in three installments is feasible, but your price is absolutely unacceptable!"

Qiu Yan pursed her lips and extended two more fingers with her other hand.

Looking at this shrewd young woman, the shopkeeper reluctantly held up two fingers.

He wouldn't sell the girl even if the price was lower.

Just as the shopkeeper was thinking this, Qiu Yan readily spoke up.

"make a deal!"

Qiu Yumei's eyes widened suddenly. Was it really decided?

When the workshop owner saw Qiu Yan's calm and composed face, he almost doubted whether this girl could see through his thoughts.

With the matter settled, Qiu Yan's shop problem was finally resolved, but Qiu Yumei's heart began to pound with anxiety.

"Xiaoyan, how much does our wonton stall earn in a month? Where are we going to come up with so much money?"

“Auntie, didn’t we agree to pay him in installments? You don’t need to worry about the money. I’ve made quite a bit of money at Xingyue Tower these days, and I’ve also made some from selling herbs.”

Even if they can't earn this money, Qiu Yan can still use the silver notes left by Gu Qian.

"But you're building a house."

“Dad’s pension is quite substantial.”

"Alright, whatever you say." Qiu Yumei was still a little worried about the money, but seeing Qiu Yan's relaxed expression, she could only hope that they could pay off all the money owed to the workshop manager within three months.

Next, both parties write a contract, sign and affix their fingerprints, and then report it to the government for record-keeping.

The contract specifies how much to pay upfront, and how much to pay each month for the remainder.

After Qiu Yan and the workshop owner confirmed that everything was correct, they both signed and sealed the document.

That day, Qiu Yan and Qiu Yumei spent the whole afternoon cleaning the shop and moving tables, chairs and other items over, preparing to choose a day to start business.

Qiu Dafu was utterly shocked when he learned that Qiu Yan had bought the shop.

My eldest niece is a very opinionated person.

However, Xiaoyan is now good at making money, so he fully supports her and even went to the shop to take a look. He also felt that it suited his taste perfectly.

Two days before the opening, Qiu Yan went home and bought some rice, flour, cooking oil, vegetables, and other necessities, asking her second uncle to handle all the matters related to building the house. After that, she came to Baiyang alone.

A day later, Qiu Yan and Qiu Yumei went to the market again to buy ingredients.

The first thing they wanted to buy was meat.

There are two meat stalls in the market, one of which belongs to Butcher Lai.

When Lai the butcher saw Qiu Yan and the other woman arrive, the fat on his face twitched. Thinking of the humiliation he suffered that day, he wanted to find someone to fight him to the death, but reason told him that if he did, he would die a terrible death.

"Qiu Yumei, you're here to buy meat again?"

Lai the butcher spoke in a rough, loud voice, but today he was no longer as arrogant as before; he spoke in a completely ordinary tone.

He took a fancy to Qiu Yan and wanted to marry her as his concubine.

Qiu Yumei ignored him. When she looked at Lai the butcher, her eyes were filled with fear, as if she was afraid that he would suddenly attack and threaten them with the pig-slaughtering knife in his hand to hand over ten taels of silver.

Lai the butcher took the initiative to make peace, but was ignored by Qiu Yumei, which made him lose face.

Qiu Yan glared coldly at Butcher Lai, who grinned at her with a mouthful of yellow teeth, which truly disgusted her.

Qiu Yan held her aunt's hand tightly and pulled her directly to another meat stall across the street. The stall owner's name was Sun Yidao.

"Mrs. Zhao, you're here to buy meat again?" Sun Yidao greeted her warmly.

Qiu Yumei lives in Baiyang year-round and is familiar with many of the regular vendors on this street.

"Yes, give me another eight pounds of meat."

"Alright." Sun Yidao's knife moved swiftly and cleanly, slicing the meat apart perfectly. "That'll be 112 coins in total, plus a pig's ear for you."

Because Qiu Yumei has been patronizing his business recently, he gave her a discount.

Lai the butcher was furious when he saw Qiu Yumei buying meat from Sun Yidao.

He shouted loudly to Qiu Yan across the street, "Miss Qiu, come buy meat from me, I'll give you a two-coin discount."

Sun Yidao's smile froze. He thought for a moment, then took the string of copper coins from Qiu Yan's hand, counted out four coins, and returned them to Qiu Yan. "Miss, today it's twelve coins per catty."

He makes a profit even selling it for twelve coins a pound.

Lai the butcher's face changed instantly. So all that talk was about helping these two women bargain?

Sun Yidao found it strange and couldn't help but ask Qiu Yan and the other person if they could finish eating all the meat they bought each time.

Upon hearing Qiu Yan's explanation that they bought the meat to open a wonton shop, Sun Yidao immediately said...

"Next time you two come, I'll charge you this price."