Chapter 48 Renting a Shop [Second Update]

After persuading her mother, Jiang Suining began looking for a shop. Little did she expect that finding a shop would become the most pressing obstacle in her path. She had initially thought that since the policy allowed it, finding a suitable storefront wouldn't be difficult, but reality quickly dealt her a heavy blow.

She used all her free time to walk through almost every house in town that might be facing the street. The situation was much more difficult than she had anticipated.

The long-standing planned economy model has meant that the concept of "renting a house to do business" simply doesn't exist in the minds of most people. On busier streets, you can't find any signs that say "for rent".

She stood blankly at the street corner, pushing her bicycle, feeling a sense of helplessness for the first time. When she was helping her brother find a place to live, there were rentals available, but she couldn't exactly run a business selling housing.

Waiting passively won't work; I need to force myself to calm down and change my approach. Since there are no readily available shops for rent, I have no choice but to actively look for street-side houses that "might" be utilized.

She began to pay attention to houses in decent locations that seemed to have few residents or were inhabited only by the elderly... She observed and analyzed like a detective, and then mustered up the courage to knock on doors and inquire.

Through her tireless efforts, she finally discovered a promising location: a relatively quiet street corner not too far from the labor protection factory and close to several residential compounds. It was a somewhat isolated bungalow with walls made of coral stone, a common material on islands, and a small yard with a low wall. Most importantly, it had a rather large window facing the street directly, and although the house looked old, it wasn't dilapidated, just exuding a cold and desolate atmosphere of long-term vacancy.

She walked around the house a few times, becoming more and more satisfied. The location wasn't the busiest, but it had a stable potential customer base, and the street-facing window and the adjacent vacant space could definitely be converted into a decent shop.

The gate to the courtyard was locked, so she ran to the nearest residential compound and politely asked the old man guarding the gate.

The old man squinted and looked at it: "Oh, that house... I think it used to belong to an old teacher on the island, surnamed Chen. The old man passed away the year before last, and his children are all living in other places, so the house has been vacant ever since. Who is responsible for it... I guess you'd have to ask the housing management department of the neighborhood committee or the education bureau?"

This is undoubtedly good news! The island is owned, but the owner is not on the island and it is managed by the government, which means there is a high possibility of leasing it through formal channels!

Jiang Suining went home and told Lu Ye what had happened.

"It falls under the jurisdiction of the Housing Management Section of the Education Bureau?" Lu Ye pondered for a moment. "When I go to the military headquarters tomorrow, I'll ask some acquaintances if I can get in touch with someone in the Education Bureau. Going through organizational channels is better than you running around like a headless fly."

A few days later, Lu Ye brought news: he had indeed contacted the head of the Housing Management Section of the Education Bureau. When the person in charge heard that she was a military family member and wanted to respond to the policy by starting a private business, the person in charge was quite supportive and agreed to let her go see the house first. If it was suitable, she could rent it according to the policy, and the rent would be very reasonable.

After searching for so long, Jiang Suining finally found a shop and couldn't wait to go see it.

Lu Ye was well aware of Jiang Suining's thoughts, so he took some time to borrow the key from the housing management department, and the two of them went to look at it together.

There were three rooms, one large and two small. The rooms were somewhat empty, with only a few pieces of dusty old furniture. The roof was intact, and sunlight streamed in through the window of the largest room, making it very bright. She specifically checked the wall where the window was located; it was not a load-bearing wall and could be modified.

“That window faces the street, perfect for opening a door.” She turned and grabbed Lu Ye’s arm, pointing to the large window.

“Okay, I’ll talk to the housing management department.” Lu Ye offered his unconditional support.

“The two small rooms are just right to be used as bedrooms,” the two of them said, looking at each one. “My brother’s place is a bit far from here, and it’s inconvenient for my mother to come and go. She can stay here later, and my brother can move in if he wants. We can build a shed and a stove in the yard so he can cook.”

"I'll do whatever you say," Lu Ye agreed, his emotional value formula overflowing. "How could anything you arrange be bad?"

Jiang Suining was very satisfied with the property. She signed a contract with the property management department and paid a year's rent. Jiang Suining designed the shop renovation plans herself, and Jiang Fengnian found the workers. During this time, he worked at a construction company and got to know many construction workers. They got along well, and knowing that the shop belonged to his younger sister, they did a good job.

Jiang Suining's garment shop set a good example for the private economy. The business license, tax registration, and other procedures were completed very smoothly. Jiang Fengnian carried the 'Butterfly' brand sewing machine from home to the shop, and she also bought an iron, scissors, and everything else needed for cutting and sewing. She selected a batch of fabric from the textile factory, and temporarily purchased buttons and needles from the supply and marketing cooperative.

After the signboard for Xinfeng Clothing Store was hung up, the store began its trial operation. Every day, she wore clothes that Jiang's mother had made in advance to and from get off work. These styles were all based on the patterns she drew based on popular styles from later generations. The styles were novel and the colors were eye-catching. Many people asked her where she bought them.

"It was custom-made by Xinfeng Clothing Store." This is how Jiang Suining always answers when someone asks, and she also carefully and thoroughly provides the store's address. This has brought the store quite a few customers.

After the store officially opened, more and more people started getting their clothes made, and Jiang's mother became more and more adept at handling customers. However, with so many people making custom orders, she couldn't keep up, and Jiang Suining couldn't help either. So she thought about hiring another tailor, but where could she find one in such a short time? She could only put up a job posting for a tailor on the door.

Jiang Suining went to see Zhong the tailor in person, and after much persuasion, she first explained the policy to him, then invited him to visit the store, and even showed him the clothes made by her mother.

At first, the tailor Zhong was not interested at all, because he had suffered a lot while making clothes for others and was really afraid. However, when he saw the clothes made by Jiang's mother, he remained unmoved. Instead, he pointed out some shortcomings in the tailoring of the clothes and even made modifications on the spot.

The clothes he altered indeed highlighted the beauty of the design. Seeing how skilled Zhong the tailor was, Jiang Suining was not about to miss out. The high salary attracted Zhong the tailor.

However, Zhong the tailor remained unmoved. But he did recommend his apprentice. When Jiang Suining heard the name, she thought to herself that it was indeed Wang Hai, Zhou Chunlan's eldest son.

With the apprentice here, how could the master possibly run away? According to the rules of recruiting people in later generations, hiring Wang Hai is equivalent to having two employees, Wang Hai and Master Zhong. How could Jiang Suining not agree?

As she had expected, Jiang Suining only provided the clothing pattern; the size and cutting had to be figured out by herself. Originally, it was all Jiang's mother figuring things out by herself. But since Wang Hai came, whenever he encountered something he was unsure about, he would always ask Master Zhong for advice, which raised the quality of the clothes produced by the clothing shop to a new level.

Master Zhong was getting old and retired from the labor protection factory after only a few months, which was why he initially refused to come to the garment shop.

Because of Jiang Suining, Zhou Chunlan finally understood and agreed to let Wang Hai learn to make clothes from Master Zhong. Therefore, out of gratitude to Jiang Suining, Wang Hai helped persuade Master Zhong to come and help in the shop after Master Zhong retired. Of course, that's another story.

Time flies, and the clothing store's business has gotten on track, gaining a small reputation on the island, attracting many visitors.

Jiang's mother spends her days busy and fulfilled, and she is full of energy and vitality, which is significantly better than when she first arrived.

Jiang Fengnian was still working as a temporary worker at the construction company. Last month, the seaweed farming project team held an island-wide recruitment drive, and Jiang Suining asked him to apply. However, after considering it for two days, he gave up the opportunity.

Jiang Suining didn't force her. They were all adults and had the right to choose. Even if they were family, she couldn't impose her opinions on others. Besides, she didn't think the job at the farm was that great. Although it was a formal job, given the current economic situation and the future development of society, being a worker wasn't a guaranteed job. Moreover, she could develop her career in the construction company, accumulate experience, and perhaps achieve great things when the real estate industry boomed in the future.

Liu Hongtong was quite dissatisfied that Jiang Fengnian hadn't registered. The two had originally planned to get married after Jiang Fengnian found a job, but they missed this opportunity and didn't know when they would be able to get another one. The two had been in a cold war for nearly ten days, with Jiang Fengnian looking gloomy every day. In the end, they only reconciled thanks to Jiang Suining's mediation.