Chapter 146 (Transitional Chapter & Expanding the Store and Buying a House) [First Update]...

Yang Tao had this idea on the way back, and now that he understood his mother's injuries, he was even more certain.

"Mom, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone. The doctor also said that at your age, even if you recover completely, you still need to be careful afterwards."

Song Hui's small shop has several shelves, and she often has to move and lift things around. In the summer, she also has to put in a lot of effort to push the freezer out of the house. In the winter, there's also a heated cabinet, which she has to put out in the mornings and evenings. When it rains, she has to use umbrellas; when the sun shines, she has to put up sunshades...

Given Song Hui's physical condition, it's questionable whether she'll be able to do these things in the future.

Moreover, during the more than six months that Song Hui was sick and recovering, she was definitely not going to the store.

Yang Tao counted on his fingers as he explained to his mother, "With the business at the store right now, hiring someone is simply not worthwhile. Even if I take a break from school to manage the store, the profits won't be nearly as good as what I make from my self-media work..."

Since her fall, Song Hui hadn't thought about these things. Now, after her son brought it up, although she knew he was right, she still felt a deep sense of rejection. She was used to her work and was finding it hard to accept being suddenly retired.

But when Yang Tao said he wanted to take a leave of absence from school, she immediately became anxious: "Leave your school? Leave what! You just focus on your studies, and come back to school after my surgery!"

Yang Tao asked helplessly, "Then what are you going to do?"

Song Hui slapped the bed, feeling her mind was incredibly clear.

"Do I need your help? I have money, I'll hire a caregiver! I'll buy my own food every day! I'll order meals from Wen Ji every day!"

"You don't need to worry about the shop! Your Aunt Xia said before that the shop was too small and she wanted to expand or move. Perfect, I'm closing it down and will just transfer the business to her!"

"Anyway, I don't want you to drop out of school."

Song Hui was a little excited, and Yang Tao quickly comforted her, saying that he would not drop out of school. He had fewer classes this semester, so he could take more leave. Transportation was also very convenient, so he could come back often.

Song Hui was afraid that he would make the decision himself, so she gave him a warning look: "Don't worry about the shop. I'll talk to your Aunt Xia tomorrow. You just focus on getting your graduation certificate."

Yang Tao didn't like his major to begin with, but it wasn't realistic to talk about changing majors now. Song Hui's biggest worry was that he would get distracted and wouldn't be able to get back into his studies.

With these doubts in mind, Song Hui didn't wait a moment the next day. Taking advantage of Wen's mother coming to the hospital to see her, she told her about her plans.

Yesterday, Wen's mother went back and helped Song Hui pull down and lock the roller shutter door of the convenience store. She estimated that the store would not be able to open for at least a week. She also asked Song Hui if she wanted to turn off the power, and if so, if there were any frozen products inside that needed to be taken out.

At least last night, Wen's mother never imagined that Song Hui would choose to retire directly.

Song Hui patted her thigh with a wry smile: "Look at me like this, what else can I do in the future... I've thought it through. My child can earn money now, so I'll take a break. I've been running the shop all these years and haven't been anywhere. Once my leg is healed, I'll travel around and see the world."

Last night, she kept waking up and falling back asleep due to leg pain, and whenever she woke up, she would think about this matter.

Running a shop is really boring. It's not tiring, but it keeps you tied down.

She's kept this up for so many years, she's had enough.

Since that's the case, let's transfer it.

Consider it a token of gratitude for Wen's mother's help.

Wen's mother was both surprised and embarrassed: "Sister Hui, are you serious?"

Song Hui nodded and joked, "Of course it's true. It'll still be the same price I paid Yang Hong. There are still more than two years left on the lease, and I'll give it all to you... But during this time, I won't pay for the meals I eat at your place, haha."

Wen's mother immediately patted her chest and assured her, "What's the big deal! Don't worry, Sister Hui, I'll bring you food every day during this time!"

It's worth noting that Song Hui's deceased husband was related to Yang Hong, and the rent he paid was far lower than that of these out-of-town tenants. Song Hui sublet the property at the original price, with a two-year lease remaining, which was an extremely favorable deal.

Based on these factors alone, Wen's mother felt that delivering meals for a period of time would not be a problem at all!

Having finalized the transfer details, Song Hui didn't even want to wait and immediately called Yang Hong to discuss it.

Wen's mother: "There's no rush. We can talk about it after your surgery."

Song Hui is a decisive person: "It's bound to happen sooner or later, so I'll get it done sooner so I can have the surgery in peace and quiet."

When Song Hui called Yang Hong, she first told her that she was hospitalized, and then slightly exaggerated the danger she had faced when she collapsed on the roadside.

"If it weren't for Yingzhi saving me, I would have really been in deep trouble this time."

After briefly explaining the background, Song Hui said she wanted to transfer ownership of the store.

What else could Yang Hong say? She could only say no problem, and then ask which hospital it was, as she was visiting the patient in the next few days.

After hanging up the phone, Song Hui felt relieved: "I've asked Xiao Tao to clear out the stuff in the store these next few days, and I've also asked him to prepare the contract. We just need to sign it and that'll be it."

...

The shop deal was finalized so unexpectedly that Wen Fan was quite surprised when he heard about it.

"Aunt Hui is closing down? She's transferring both of her storefronts to us?"

Wen's mother nodded, somewhat sighing, "I never expected her to make a decision so quickly."

She was hospitalized yesterday, and today she says she wants to transfer to another store.

Wen Fan looked somewhat happy, but remembering that the other party had changed shops because they were sick, he didn't show it on his face, though his eyes sparkled.

"That's great! We can renovate it bigger. Should we knock down all three rooms here? That would make the space even larger."

There are four storefronts in total. This pharmacy, which is partitioned off here, cannot have its middle wall demolished, but the other three don't have this problem. Originally, the three stores were designed together in one place, and the middle wall is empty.

Wen's mother also smiled and said, "It should be possible."

In this way, the pharmacy room was left to the daughter, who would cook her own dishes at her own kitchen, and the snack stalls were also located there. The remaining three rooms would be used for the shop's main products.

"We'll renovate properly then, at least repaint the store."

The previous renovations were very simple, just replacing some tables and chairs. Now that their business has stabilized, Mrs. Wen wants to give it a proper makeover. The three storefronts cover more than 100 square meters. With such a large space, the kitchen also needs to be expanded, not to mention the need to hire more staff.

Within three to five days, Yang Tao vacated the shop, signed a contract with Wen's mother, and handed over the keys and everything else.

Once she got the keys, Wen's mother started making arrangements for the renovation.

The contractor who renovated the store last year took on another job, and Wen's mother even hired a designer to design it.

"A little outside the kitchen, there's a space reserved for a restroom. The main dining area mainly consists of small tables, with several large windows along the walls for better views."

While she was at it, Wen's mother also made some changes to Wen Fan's room. The row of seats that originally faced the wall was completely removed, and only three large tables and two small tables were placed in the room.

Once the design drawings were released, Wen Fan liked them even more.

He kept pestering his mother to ask when construction would begin, and she finally found a date and set a time.

"This renovation alone will take a month."

Except for Yao Qingqin's stall, which can still be operated, all others must be shut down.

Wen's mother called each of the customers who had previously ordered private meals, apologizing for the renovations at the restaurant and saying that the reservations would have to be postponed by a month.

Many diners' first reaction was not anger, but relief.

"It's finally going to expand."

Wenji's taste is impeccable; the only unresolved issue is the size of the store. Now, the store is being upgraded, and I heard the area has been expanded by almost half again.

At least we can invite some business travelers in the future, so we don't lose face.

Once the notice of business closure was posted on the account, the fans below became even more enthusiastic.

[Maruko: I've been waiting for so long, today is finally here~ Will we not have to queue next time?]

[Qibao: Oh yeah, expanding the store is great! I wish it could be as big as Jin Yu Lou.]

[Momo: ...Although Jin Yu Lou has closed down, its legend still lingers everywhere. But clearly Wen Ji won't follow that path; otherwise, with its current fame, wouldn't it just be moving to a different location? Why would it need to take over the shop next door?]

[Sleep Forget Sleep: Regardless, it's still a big step forward, applause!]

[Coco: I've already marked it on my countdown calendar for the opening! Wenji underwent renovations before, and I heard they even did a customer appreciation event afterward, giving away things like osmanthus milk. I definitely won't miss it this time!]

[Between Morning and Evening: Thanks for the reminder, I'll set my alarm now.]

[Xiaoyu: No, are you all so accepting? To be honest, I'm worried that Wenji's quality control might be lax after the renovation. After all, many shops are like that; when they're small, you can praise them for being small and beautiful, but once they become big shops, all sorts of problems arise.]

[Brother Huo: You're overthinking it. I'm just asking, if Wen's restaurant reopens, are you going or not?]

Xiaoyu: ...Then I'll definitely go again.

[Brother Huo: That settles it then, doesn't it? Whether it's good or bad, a renovation won't change it that much. We can just go and try it out. If it's bad... well, the Jin Yu Lou example serves as a cautionary tale.]

[KuanKuan: 30 days to go!]

****

Just as Wen's family was renovating, the real estate agent who had been in contact with Wen's mother since after the Lunar New Year also brought good news.

"There's a house that perfectly suits your requirements right now, in that neighborhood at the end of the street opposite Qunying Middle School."

"Although it's on the ground floor with stairs, it comes with a small yard, and there's a garage and storage room next to it. There's also a basement below."

"It's very large, about 150 or 160 square meters. The rooms are very spacious."

"The owner of this house is in a hurry to sell, so you can come and take a look if you're interested."

Upon hearing this, Wen's mother took her husband and daughter to look at houses on a sunny day.

Walking from the shop to the end and then turning into the residential area, the straight-line distance was actually shorter than the previous house. Entering through the side door, the lush greenery of the residential area was particularly pleasing.

Although it's a ground-floor apartment, the lighting is surprisingly unaffected because the buildings are spaced far apart.

The original homeowner built a small gazebo in the yard, paved the rest of the yard, and had a designated storage area in one corner. Because it's on the ground floor, an iron gate was built directly into the house from the yard.

The family of three only took a quick look around inside, and they all shared the same thought.

This is the place.

The process of buying the house went surprisingly smoothly; in just half a month, Wen's mother received the keys.

After flipping through the almanac, Wen's mother could only sigh that this year had been quite smooth.

"There's no need to pick another day. We'll move the day after tomorrow, and open for business the day after that. Both days are auspicious."

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Author's note: The next chapter will probably be released around 1 PM.