Chapter 149 The Legendary Rent Collector

In the afternoon, when Zhao Xiaojing finished making the dessert and went out to look for a store, she felt stupid.

Chen Huiping and her husband have been in Jiangcheng for so many years and are very familiar with this area. She had lunch with them at noon. It was such a good opportunity, but she didn't even think of asking them about the situation first.

At least you can understand the market situation in this area, which streets have more restaurants and more traffic.

Instead of being like now, when I go out I can only run around every street like a headless fly, looking around to see if there are any shops with sublease signs.

Zhao Xiaojing rode a pork trotter rice cart and walked around the snack street next to the school, the residential area behind the night market, and several streets near the farmers' market, and got a general understanding of the situation.

The shops on the street in the residential area are a little more expensive. A shop of about 30 square meters costs 4,000 yuan a month, and the transfer fee is 100,000 yuan. The shops on the back streets are cheaper, about 3,000 yuan. There are two shops that do not require transfer fees, but there is nothing inside, they are just unfinished.

The farmers' market is close to several clothing wholesale cities and is a bit remote. Most of the people who come here are vendors buying goods. The rent for a 40-square-meter house on the street is 2,500 yuan, and for a house on the back street is 2,000 yuan. It is also rented directly from the landlord, and there is nothing to pay, and no transfer fee.

But overall they are cheaper than the snack street near the school. The braised meat shop that Zhao Xiaojing looked at last time has been sold. Zhao Xiaojing then looked at a dumpling shop, which is also about 30 square meters, and costs 4,500 yuan a month, with a transfer fee of 120,000 yuan.

The rent transfer fees varied widely, and the price difference was quite large. Each had its own advantages and disadvantages, but none of them were ideal. Zhao Xiaojing thought about it for a moment, and then called Chen Huiping the next day.

"Hey! Xiao Zhao, look at you. You didn't tell me yesterday at noon that you wanted to see the shop! I already have a shop." Chen Huiping said angrily.

Zhao Xiaojing was speechless. After this misunderstanding, Chen Huiping reappeared with a bunch of keys.

Zhao Xiaojing suddenly realized that this was the legendary rent collector who wore worn-out slippers, a transparent white vest, and shorts, and was very low-key.

Zhao Xiaojing thought so in her heart and asked it out loud.

Chen Huiping burst out laughing when she heard this. "Xiao Zhao, don't tease me! I'm not some big rent collector. This bunch of keys includes not only the tenants' door keys, but also keys to the distribution box, tool box, and basement! Besides, I only have one building and seven or eight shops in a second-tier city like Jiangcheng. I'm not even qualified to be a big boss!"

Zhao Xiaojing was dumbfounded again after hearing these words. If this wasn't enough to reach the threshold, then what level would the threshold be for the big boss?

"I'll drive you there. My shop is not far from here, only five minutes' drive away, but it's hard to walk today and I'm sweating." Chen Huiping smiled all the way and took Zhao Xiaojing in her white Volkswagen. They arrived at the destination with a single step on the accelerator.

When Zhao Xiaojing got there, she realized that all her efforts were in vain.

This place is in the residential area behind the night market street where she went yesterday, but it is at the corner. She didn't come here, and there is no rent notice on the door.

"I've never rented this place out to anyone. My daughter-in-law had nothing to do at home, so I left these two shops for her. A few years ago, she opened an internet franchise supermarket here, and they even offered membership recharges. After you top up a certain amount, you'll get a certain amount of interest back each year. It was very popular back then, with many people topping up their accounts every day.

Later, when the platform collapsed, they discovered it was a scam, like a pyramid scheme. Luckily, she and her fellow members deposited only a small amount, just over 800,000 yuan combined, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to compensate the others. Chen Huiping opened the door, and dust flew everywhere. The two stood at the doorway, fanning themselves, for a long time to avoid it.

"My daughter-in-law paid the compensation to the members out of her own pocket, and then closed the supermarket. After closing it, she opened a maternity and baby products store, which sold for a while before changing to a boutique store, and later a two-yuan wholesale store.

Originally, this shop was given to her. She could open it however she wanted. But over time, she's had too many ideas. Every time she's been busy with it, she's put it aside for a long time. This time, it's been sitting there for another six months. I think it's a waste. You said you wanted to rent it out, so I said I'd just rent it to you and give her the rent. She'd still make some money.

Zhao Xiaojing laughed out loud. "Your daughter-in-law is quite thoughtful. What does she think now? Does she agree with renting a shop?"

"I've already mentioned it. She often eats your pork trotter rice. She agreed as soon as I asked her to. She's tired of it."

The dust gradually settled and the two walked into the store.

Zhao Xiaojing was secretly satisfied with this sight.

The shop is quite large, consisting of two shops connected in the middle. There is a large storage room separated by a wall at the back, which can be converted into a kitchen. According to Chen Huiping, this was where her daughter-in-law used to stack goods.

The entire store is about 100 square meters and is located on a street in a residential area. It is at the corner between two streets and has a very good location.

As for the densely packed shelves nailed to the walls, and the banners above them blatantly proclaiming "All items are two yuan, everything is two yuan," they could all be removed and repainted. Converting a storage room into a kitchen would take some work anyway, so it would need renovations.

"Auntie Chen, how much is the rent and transfer fee for this store?"

After looking around, Zhao Xiaojing felt that everything was suitable and asked about the price.

"There's nothing much to transfer about this shop. It's just a few broken-down shelves, and it's my own place, so forget about the transfer fee. The rent is 6,000 a month. If you're short on money, you can pay one month in advance as a deposit. We're old friends, so I won't charge you half-yearly payments anymore."

Zhao Xiaojing was delighted. This price was similar to what she had inquired about yesterday afternoon. Although she had encountered some shops that did not charge transfer fees yesterday, most of them were bare bones with nothing.

Although Chen Huiping's room only has a few shelves, it can be simply decorated, and the only thing that needs attention is the kitchen.

"Thank you, Auntie. I'll bring her over when the comb comes back and discuss it with her before making a decision."

"No problem! You two can discuss it. It's up to you whether to rent it or not. Don't feel burdened." Chen Huiping waved her hand cheerfully. "If you're planning to open a shop, you won't need to rent this kitchen now, right?"

"Yes, once the shop is renovated, the kitchen over there will no longer be rented."

"Okay, then if you guys want to rent this shop, I'll put the kitchen up for sublease in advance. When someone takes it over, I'll give you the money for the sublease."

Zhao Xiaojing was delighted. She and Shuzi had rented the kitchen for half a year according to the local regulations. Now the lease was still a long way from expiration, so it would be great if Chen Huiping could help find a replacement.

"Thank you so much, Auntie. I'll invite you and Uncle to dinner when the new store opens!"

"That's easy. Your uncle and I are waiting!" Chen Huiping didn't refuse and agreed with a smile.