Fearing that others would seize the opportunity first, Zhang Xuemei arrived at Xu Yanhong's house early the next day to wait.

Helpless, Xu Yanhong could only quickly finish her breakfast and rush to her uncle's house. Then the three of them went to the house of Teacher Chen, who was in charge of the canteen contract.

After everyone was seated, Principal Xu spoke first: "Old Chen, as I told you yesterday, this is the person who wants to contract the cafeteria. I've brought him here. You can talk to him. I'll head back now."

"No, please sit down. My sofa is so uncomfortable, is it? You just got here and you're already leaving? Let's talk. You can have some tea. I have something to tell you later." Teacher Chen pressed down on Principal Xu, who was about to get up. The two were classmates, so they spoke casually.

Principal Xu had no choice but to sit back down.

Zhang Xuemei composed herself and smiled as she spoke, "Hello, Teacher Chen, my name is Zhang Xuemei. I heard that the cafeteria at No. 13 Elementary School hasn't been contracted out yet, and I happen to be interested in it, so I asked Principal Xu to introduce me to you so I can register. What do you think of our..."

Teacher Chen had met Xu Yanhong before and naturally knew that she was her old classmate's niece, and also knew that Zhang Xuemei was a relative of hers, so she didn't mince words and said directly:

“Our school cafeteria has three floors. The first floor is the student cafeteria, the second floor used to be the teachers’ cafeteria, and the third floor is still empty. If you’re interested, you’ll need to rent all three floors together. As for the rental fee, it was originally auctioned off. The previous contractor offered 45,000 yuan a year, and if you want it now, you’ll have to pay that price.”

Logically, the three-story cafeteria should have been auctioned off separately, but the previous contractor had too much money and bought them all, driving up the price.

But just before the start of the school year, he ran into problems and couldn't continue. He couldn't let the students go hungry, so he was so anxious that he lost a lot of hair. If no one else took over, he would have to lower the price. Fortunately, a sucker came along.

"Forty-five thousand? That's a bit expensive, but what about a multi-year contract?" Zhang Xuemei thought that although the contract fee was really expensive, it would be worthwhile if she could sign a contract for several years.

Teacher Chen held up five fingers. "Five years. We usually sign five-year contracts. We were supposed to make a plan, but time is tight now. If you've decided, just go to the cafeteria and make arrangements. I won't look at any plan."

Zhang Xuemei pondered for a moment, then asked with unease, "So that means we have to pay for five years' worth of meals all at once? We'll have full control over the cafeteria, you won't interfere, right?"

“Once the contract is signed, you can manage it yourself, but the hygiene inspection will still be arranged by our school. After all, it's the children's food, so we are very strict about this. As for the contract fee, you can pay it in installments over the years, just three months in advance. We are quite lenient.”

Zhang Xuemei was still dissatisfied that she could only sign a five-year contract. What if someone with connections wanted to take advantage of her after she did well?

"Teacher Chen, I have an idea for you to hear first. Is it possible to sign a longer contract? If we can sign a ten-year contract, I will pay the contract fee for the first five years in one lump sum. What do you think?"

Teacher Chen glanced at Zhang Xuemei and said, "We don't have this precedent. It's always been five years at most. Besides, who knows what the situation will be like in ten years? What if everything goes up in price but your contract fee doesn't? We'll be at a huge loss!"

Hearing this, Principal Xu couldn't help but laugh out loud. "Old Chen, if you want to raise fees, just say so. Why all this charade? Xuemei is Yanhong's sister-in-law, and she's straightforward. Just say what you want to say, don't try to be all cheesy."

"Look at you, I haven't even said anything yet and you're already defending me. It's not impossible to sign a longer contract, but we need to sign a supplementary agreement: the contract fee will not increase for the first five years, and will increase by five percent starting from the sixth year, increasing in each subsequent year. What do you think?"

He has always been in charge of the school cafeteria, and he has the most authority in this matter, so he can make decisions directly without consulting anyone.

Zhang Xuemei lowered her head and started calculating in her mind: According to this calculation, the sixth year would cost 47,250, the seventh year would cost 49,600, the eighth year would cost around 52,000, the ninth year would cost slightly less than 55,000, and the last year would cost more than 57,000. Adding it all up, the total contract fee for these ten years would be more than 485,000, which is quite a lot of money.

Schools have winter and summer vacations. There are twelve months in a year. If we subtract three months, let's say nine months. If we also exclude Saturdays and Sundays, the actual time for the school to open is less than two hundred days at most.

The daily rent would be over two hundred yuan, plus the cost of hiring staff, utilities, and other miscellaneous expenses. Moreover, the school cafeteria is known for its affordable and delicious food, so the prices wouldn't be too high. In addition, not every student eats in the cafeteria, so Zhang Xuemei hesitated.

Xu Yanhong had also thought of these things, and said with a smile, "Uncle Chen, you see, not all the students in our school eat in the cafeteria. There aren't that many people, so naturally there isn't that much income. And the contract fee is still so expensive. I think it should be lowered a bit more?"

Teacher Chen knew the cost was a bit high, so she quietly revealed some information: "The student meal issue we discussed before should be implemented this semester."

"Old Chen, are you talking about having all the students eat at school?"

"Yes, it's basically confirmed. If the cafeteria can also be contracted out, and another building has been freed up for student accommodation, then there will be more students boarding there, and more students will be able to eat dinner at night."

"That's great news!" Zhang Xuemei smiled as well. She had already inquired with Yan Hong beforehand. There were more than two thousand teachers and students at the Thirteenth Primary School. Not counting the evening meals, there should be two thousand people eating lunch alone. Even if each person spends two or three yuan per meal, that would still be more than four thousand. After deducting various expenses, there would still be a considerable profit.

Furthermore, she plans to add other more expensive food items, as some students will have money in their pockets, which would generate a considerable profit. This idea is feasible.

"So? Have you thought it over? I'm short on time here, school starts soon. As long as you're willing to take over, everything is ready-made, including pots, pans, dishes, and plates left by the previous contractor. We won't charge you, you can just take them and use them."

As for staff, the old people are still here. If you can use them, then continue. I'll contact them on my end.” Teacher Chen made everything clear. Zhang Xuemei could start running the cafeteria immediately as long as she paid the money.

Zhang Xuemei thought about it for a moment. This wasn't something she could do alone; she should discuss it with others. But she was afraid that if she hesitated, she would miss the opportunity. After a moment's thought, she decided to sign a five-year contract first.

So he smiled and said to Teacher Chen, "Teacher Chen, I've thought it over. How about we sign a five-year contract first, and I'll think about the rest for a few days and then get back to you, okay?"