Shen Zhangyu then began drafting the contract. When he got to the amount of money, he painfully confirmed with the maid, "Miss Jiang, Master! Are you sure you want to buy this restaurant for two thousand five hundred taels of silver?"

Xiao Youran corrected, "It's about buying this restaurant and everything currently stored there, right, manager?"

The old shopkeeper nodded. "Yes, that's right!"

Shen Zhangyu sighed deeply and resignedly finished writing the contract.

The shopkeeper couldn't wait to take it over and sign it.

Shen Zhangyu covered the paper and said, "Young Master Jiang hasn't returned yet. Besides, my elder brother hasn't finished listing the items for the restaurant. We can't rush it."

Xiao Youran wasn't in a hurry; she leisurely looked around.

While looking around, he complained, "Brother Octopus, all these tables, chairs, and benches on this floor are dirty and broken, they all need to be replaced with new ones. The candlesticks on these four walls and the floor are also greasy and need to be replaced with new ones."

Hmm... this floor is made of blue bricks. It would be better if it were tiled... why not replace it all with wooden flooring? Apply a layer of tung oil, it will be slip-resistant and beautiful.

And this window paper, it hasn't been changed in decades, has it? It's dark and filthy, it's enough to make any guest lose their appetite. Is there any glass?

Shen Zhangyu's face grew darker and darker as he listened, until he almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He said tremblingly, "Miss, I've never heard of glass, but I've heard of stained glass windows."

He had already determined that this young lady from the Jiang family was definitely a spendthrift, and the kind whose family was so wealthy that she could squander money at will.

In her eyes, money was nothing but dirt.

The shopkeeper's eyes lit up, clearly having figured it out himself. He secretly regretted not asking for a higher price of five thousand taels, which would have made this young girl a complete sucker.

Xiao Youran looked at the shopkeeper with a smile, "Grandpa Shopkeeper, do you regret setting the price too low? You can raise the price, but we have something to say beforehand: if you raise it by even one coin, I won't buy it."

The shopkeeper quickly waved his hand, "No, no, no, a businessman must keep his word. How could I, an old man, be such a dishonest person?!"

Xiao You Ran chuckled.

He then asked Shen Zhangyu, "Brother Octopus, what's the interior design style of Cyclamen?"

Shen Zhangyu had a bitter expression on his face. He had used all his silver notes to buy the restaurant, and he didn't have a single penny left. How could he possibly have any money left to replace the tables, chairs, and window paper? Let alone make any repairs.

However, he still answered very seriously, "Xiankelai is a restaurant that has been passed down from my Shen family ancestors. It has been open for more than two hundred years and has always been mainly frequented by literati. Therefore, the restaurant has been renovated several times with a focus on solemnity, elegance and art."

He glanced up at the second floor and thought, "It coincides with the manager's idea."

Actually, he put it very tactfully. In truth, he could see that the old man was simply imitating the decor of Cyclamen, deliberately picking up fakes from antique markets to feign sophistication. Little did he know that it was precisely this poor imitation that earned him the contempt of many scholars and artists, and the place gradually dwindled in customers. Of course, the subpar food might also be a contributing factor.

The old shopkeeper indeed looked a little embarrassed and touched his nose.

Xiao Youran thought for a moment and asked Shen Zhangyu, "Brother Octopus, have you thought about how you plan to run this restaurant?"

Shen Zhangyu smiled wryly, "We had thought about it before. I just discussed it with my elder brother and sister-in-law, and we originally planned to open the first floor as a small eatery that the general public could come to eat. This place is bustling with traffic and people. There are also many laborers doing hard labor near the dock on the east side, and the brothers can't go home for lunch. We thought we could provide them with simple, cheap, and good meals, since they are short-lived and can leave after eating. The second and third floors can be turned into private rooms for some distinguished guests who want to order food."

Xiao Youran nodded. Basically, this idea was the same as the idea behind the large restaurant they would open a few years later.

As they were talking, Jiang Youchen ran back, panting.

He had just returned to Fuyue Inn and was nervously telling his mother that his sister needed to raise five hundred taels of silver when he expected to be met with a storm of anger from his mother.

Unexpectedly, his mother only confirmed with him once that his sister had sent him back to get the money.

After he nodded, his mother, without saying a word, had Zhao Mama open the jewelry box, wrapped up several valuable pieces of jewelry, and handed them to him.

He didn't even have time to savor the sour taste before he hurriedly inquired about the location of the pawnshop, asked Old Feng to accompany him, pawned six hundred taels of silver, and rushed back.

When Xiao Youran saw her brother return, she happily invited him to sit down and poured him a bowl of water, handing it to him, saying, "Brother, you've worked hard. Have some water."

Jiang Youchen gulped down a bowl of water. At that moment, the eldest brother of the Shen family also came down. "The tables and chairs in the lobby on the first floor were going to be thrown away anyway, so I didn't register them. The tables and chairs in the private rooms on the second and third floors can still be repaired and used. Also, all the items and paintings on display have been recorded."

Xiao Youran took the paper, glanced at it casually, and was relieved to confirm that the bronze statue was on the list.

So he handed the list and the contract to his brother, saying, "Brother, sign this."

Jiang Youchen took the form with trembling hands.

No way, are you going to make him sign another contract for 2,500 taels?

Shen Zhangyu, however, was more cautious. "Don't rush, Young Master Jiang. Take a good look at this contract, and then go upstairs with your brother to verify that everything on this form is true before you sign it."

The subtext is, "Young Master, you should think this over again. You'd better give up this crazy idea!"

Jiang Youchen glanced at Shen Zhangyu with some gratitude, nodded, and began to carefully examine the contract.

Taking advantage of the break, Shen Zhangyu quickly copied the list, and then accompanied his older brother to walk around and check the items on the list one by one.

He said with a heavy heart, "This is a fake, that is a fake, it's probably only worth a few taels or tens of taels..."

Jiang Youchen watched with a heavy heart.

Jiang Youchen finally came downstairs and checked with his sister several times. Under Xiao Youran's determined gaze, he reluctantly and tremblingly signed his name.

Shen Zhangyu and the other two were already in despair.

Go ahead and lose, now look what's happened, the business is ruined.

The old shopkeeper excitedly signed his name and pressed his fingerprint on the document.

Xiao Youran then had Shen Zhangyu and Jiang Youchen take out the silver notes and hand them to the old shopkeeper.

Then the old shopkeeper handed over the land deed he was carrying to Jiang Youchen.

The old shopkeeper left in high spirits, giving Xiao Youran a silly look as he went.

Xiao Youran gave him a look that said "You're such an idiot," and then, right in front of him, she ordered Shen Zhangyu to move the bronze statue down from upstairs.