Chapter 151 New Business Landscape

Cheng Lin was puzzled: "Sister-in-law, do you still want to buy a house?"

He found that his sister-in-law was quite enthusiastic about buying houses and wanted to spend all her savings on houses.

Houses are not cheap cabbages. Isn’t it enough to buy one or two to live in? Why buy so many?

Although he knew his sister-in-law wouldn't listen, Cheng Lin couldn't help but persuade her, "Sister-in-law, this house is a shop. We can't just leave it unused like the courtyard house we bought before. They said that once you buy it, you must open it within the specified date, otherwise they will take it back."

The city is developing this commercial street as a pilot project to see results, and it will definitely not allow housing to be hoarded."

Shi Xiaoai looked up at him and said with a smile, "Oh, you've learned a lot now. You even know about Tunfang?"

Cheng Lin was so amused that he lost his temper and complained, "I'm talking to you seriously, don't take it lightly. Also, I'm currently taking self-taught university courses, and I only need a few more to get my diploma. I'm not the same person I used to be!"

Shi Xiaoai was so amused by Cheng Lin that she actually started laughing.

She has always been aware of the child's efforts and knows that Cheng Lin is a man with high aspirations and ideas.

At first, Xiao Ai forced him to study at night school. Later, when he felt the importance of knowledge at work, he quietly signed up for a management course.

I'm working and studying at the same time, and I'm almost done with it.

Seeing Cheng Lin was getting really anxious, Shi Xiaoai stopped laughing and explained, "I don't want to hoard houses. Besides, I can't hoard houses in the commercial street. It would be a waste if I bought them and didn't use them.

I want to see if there is a suitable shop and try to open a dessert shop."

"A dessert shop? One like Yunfeng Pavilion?" Cheng Lin raised his eyebrows.

There is a small shop selling Chinese desserts on the first floor of Yunfeng Pavilion. The business is very good and there is always a queue whenever you go there.

Yunfengge is a time-honored brand, and many people have been eating the desserts here since they were young.

Even people like Aunt Liu and Director Yu who live a frugal life like Yunfeng Pavilion's mung bean paste and red date cake very much.

When Shi Xiaoai mentioned dessert shop, Cheng Lin's first reaction was Yunfeng Pavilion, and then his mind started to work rapidly.

"Aunt Song came from Yunfeng Pavilion before, she will definitely find the right person..."

Before Cheng Lin could finish his words, Shi Xiaoai denied it: "It's not Chinese desserts, it's Western style. They sell cream cakes, bread tarts, coffee, milk tea, juice, jelly pudding, etc."

Cheng Lin's brows furrowed again: "Sister-in-law, it's hard to find someone who can make Western desserts!"

"You don't need to find someone who's particularly proficient, just someone with a basic understanding will do. If you really can't find one right now, don't worry. Find a few smart ones from Aunt Song and I'll teach them first."

"You can also make Western desserts?!" Cheng Lin asked in disbelief.

"A little."

Modern baking is so popular that anyone who has a little interest in cooking will get into it. It’s just a matter of how deeply they get into it.

Shi Xiaoai didn't dare to say how proficient she was, but making a cake and baking bread were no problem at all.

As for milk tea and juice, it is even simpler. As long as you can find the right ingredients, you can make many kinds of them in minutes, right?

In the past, Xiao Ai didn’t dare to make desserts. Firstly, the raw materials were difficult to find, and secondly, the consumption level of people in Yuncheng was still low.

Western-style dim sum is generally more expensive than Chinese-style dim sum.

She was afraid that after all the effort she put into setting it up, it would end up being useless, a waste of time and effort without making any money.

But it’s different in the capital, this is the center!

The consumption level of people here is much higher than that of Yuncheng.

The many days she and Cheng Yang spent in Beijing were not in vain. They had been doing the necessary market research.

She found that most of the Western pastry shops in Beijing were located in high-end restaurants, which were beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Not only can they not afford to consume, they may not even dare to enter.

She didn't intend to do anything high-end, she just wanted to do the most common bakery and small dessert shops similar to those you see on the streets and alleys in later generations.

The main feature is a comfortable environment, good quality and low price.

Shi Xiaoai felt that something like this should be able to open up a market in Beijing.

In fact, the technical requirements for making such desserts are not high. At least for now, she should be able to do it.

Of course, a master still needs to be found. Whether to hire one or select good candidates for training can be discussed slowly.

The most important thing at the moment is to choose the location of the store first.

Cheng Lin has always been interested in opening a shop. Now that he knows that his sister-in-law is not using the money to buy a house, he no longer objects. Not only does he not object, he is even willing to give his full support!

He immediately contacted the person in charge of the commercial street development department, and then took Shi Xiaoai with him to choose a house.

There was no problem in choosing a house because Cheng Lin had already established connections.

Moreover, he also asked for the largest store in the commercial street, which made him a customer who needed to be maintained in the eyes of the development staff.

When they heard that he wanted to choose another store, the other party was very enthusiastic and agreed to give Shi Xiaoai the same discount as Cheng Lin had before.

The store that Shi Xiaoai chose was different from the one that Cheng Lin chose. She chose a location closer to the middle of the commercial street.

From the drawings, we can see that a street garden will be built here in the future, and some landscaping and sculptures will be placed.

Compared to the hustle and bustle of the streets, Shi Xiaoai felt that this quiet location in the middle of a bustling city was more suitable for a dessert shop, and the prices here were much cheaper than at the front end of the street.

Shi Xiaoai chose a two-story shop, which was not very large, only about 200 square meters.

After finding out that the facade and exterior landscape of the house could be redesigned according to her requirements, she signed the contract with satisfaction and paid the deposit.

After coming out of the development department, Shi Xiaoai felt that her trip to Beijing was completely successful.

Shi Xiaoai and his friends arrived at the commercial street construction site around 8 or 9 in the morning. After inspecting the construction site, they went to the development department to sign the contract. When they came out, it was almost 1 p.m.

Both of them were so hungry that their stomachs were growling.

"Sister-in-law, I'll treat you to roast duck!" Cheng Lin said.

Shi Xiaoai waved her hand and said, "Forget about the roast duck. We have to run so far. Let's just find a place nearby to eat. I'm so hungry that I don't have the strength to run anymore." Shi Xiaoai said.

Cheng Lin looked around but didn't see any big hotels.

Shi Xiaoai pointed to a small noodle shop at the entrance of an alley not far away and said, "Let's go over there and see if they have anything to eat right now."

Cheng Lin chuckled twice: "Sister-in-law, you are saving money for me? It's a rare occasion for you to come out, so why don't you let me treat you to a good meal?"

Shi Xiaoai looked at him and said, "There will be plenty of opportunities in the future, as long as you don't mind me always killing you."

The two men crossed the street and walked to the door of the noodle shop while chatting and laughing.

Before entering the door, Shi Xiaoai heard a surprised voice from inside: "Xiaoai?"

Shi Xiaoai was stunned for a moment.

She looked inside and saw Yang Hui and her cousin eating noodles.

Shi Xiaoai was even more surprised.

"Yang Hui, why are you here?"

As she spoke, she walked in with Cheng Lin.

Xiao Ai had met Yang Hui's cousin Shi, who had helped her make sleeves for her two children.

Later, she went to the garment factory several times, but the old man was obviously not someone who liked to interact with people, and he never came out again.

She didn't expect to meet the uncle and nephew in the capital.

Yang Hui didn't seem surprised to see Shi Xiaoai in Beijing. She pulled out a bench next to her and motioned for them to sit down. Then she said, "Is that restaurant at your zoo open? I was thinking I'd go check it out after I'm done with work these past couple of days. So, it's probably going to be pretty popular, right?"

Shi Xiaoai smiled and said, "Business is pretty good."

She patted Cheng Lin as she spoke: "It's all Cheng Lin's fault. He's now experienced enough."

Cheng Lin and Yang Hui were also familiar with each other. Hearing her say this, he immediately asked, "Sister Yang Hui, where are you and uncle living now? Are you free tomorrow? If so, I'll pick you up and take you to our store."

Yang Hui waved her hand and said, "No need for you to answer it. Just go ahead and do your thing. We have something else to do tomorrow morning. I'll go over there when we're done."

"What are you busy with? Is there anything I can help with?" Cheng Lin asked.

Shi Xiaoai looked outside the hotel thoughtfully and asked, "Are you guys also planning to buy a storefront on the commercial street?"

Yang Hui was visibly stunned by her question, and nodded subconsciously before reacting: "Are you from the Development Department?"

"Yes." Shi Xiaoai said, "We also bought two houses there. Are you and uncle planning to open a store in Beijing as well?"

Shi Xiaoai became more and more excited as she spoke: "Then won't we be neighbors in the future?"

Yang Hui smiled bitterly and said, "My cousin and I do have this plan, but we still have to see if the houses here are expensive. We also heard about it from others, but we haven't gone in to ask specifically.

Isn’t the development department on break now? We thought they’d be off work by now and were planning to go over there in the afternoon!

"It's time to get off work. We were just signing an agreement, so we delayed them from getting off work. It's definitely not possible for you to go now. Let's go a little later."

This was also Yang Hui and the others' original plan, so they didn't care.

Since it was still early for the development department to start work in the afternoon, the few people were not in a hurry and just started talking while eating.

Seeing that the beef noodles Yang Hui and the others enjoyed were delicious, Shi Xiaoai and Cheng Lin each ordered a bowl.

After eating, seeing that the owner had no intention of sending them away, they simply sat in the store and started chatting.

Yang Hui's cousin was still quiet, so Yang Hui spoke the rest of the words.

From Yang Hui's words, we learned that their garment factory business is getting better and better, and the two of them have indeed accumulated some savings.

Although the business was good, Yang Hui and her cousin were not happy because they were always thinking about the old crafts passed down from generation to generation in their family.

Garment factories serve the low-end market, and their sales customers are mainly in the counties and cities below, so they have no requirements for the fineness of the clothing.

In the past, they had no money and no ideas. Now that they have some savings, they are thinking about opening a better fashion store, going for the boutique line and doing private customization.

Such a boutique line has relatively high requirements for customers. In addition to having purchasing power, they must also be customers who truly like vintage clothing.

There are really too few people like this in Yuncheng.

Yang Hui and her uncle decided to take a look in the capital to see if there were any suitable opportunities there.

"We have been here for a few days and have looked at some places, but none of them are particularly suitable. This place was recommended by the owner of the guesthouse we stayed in before. They said that a commercial street will be opened here, and there will definitely be a lot of people shopping there, so they asked us to come here to ask around." Yang Hui explained.

Shi Xiaoai actually thought that the location of the commercial street was good, mainly because it was the first commercial street in Beijing that allowed individual business operators to settle in, and the requirements for home buyers were not very strict.

Otherwise, self-employed people like them who have no status in Beijing may not have the opportunity to choose.

"What kind of shop are you planning to open? What is your budget? And what are your requirements for the house?" Shi Xiaoai asked.

After asking, she directly quoted the price she had just paid for the house. Cheng Lin also promised that if necessary, he could help her talk to the development department in the afternoon and try to choose a better location while maintaining the same price.

Yang Hui was naturally very happy to hear this.

She gave her budget and also shared their ideas.

The uncle and nephew were not prepared to expand their stall too much all at once, so they planned to rent a house of 20 to 30 square meters, half of which would be used as a workshop and the other half for display and communication with customers.

This reminded Shi Xiaoai of the house on the blueprint she had just looked at, which was adjacent to the dessert shop she had bought.

"Let Cheng Lin go with you this afternoon to discuss this. It would be great if we could get that house. That way we can look after each other. And people who are willing to come to the dessert shop to eat and buy cakes should be well-off. Aren't they your potential customers?"

Yang Hui's eyes lit up when she heard Xiao Ai's words.

The words "complement each other" suddenly popped up in her mind.

At this moment, she even made up her mind that even if the store was a little more expensive, even if it exceeded her budget, she would definitely get it as long as it was within her means!

After the chat, Xiao Ai left first because she had something to do in the afternoon. Cheng Lin did not leave and stayed with Yang Hui and the others while waiting to go to the development department.

Shi Xiaoai was very happy to know that Yang Hui was also going to move to Beijing, as this way she would have a familiar friend here.

Shi Xiaoai returned to their house in Beijing, but as soon as she entered the door, she heard the phone ringing at home.

She ran over quickly.

"Hello?" She answered the phone.

Soon Cheng Yang's voice came from the other side: "Out? I called several times today and you were not there."

"Well, I went to the commercial street with Cheng Lin and bought another shop." Shi Xiaoai explained.

"Bought another shop?" Cheng Yang was a little shocked.

"Yes, I plan to open another dessert shop here." Shi Xiaoai told her husband about her plan.

Cheng Yang didn't expect that after not seeing his wife for a few days, she had already started a new business. Thinking about his wife's business empire, he suddenly felt a little stressed.

Shi Xiaoai said a few more words before asking, "What's the matter that made you call back so urgently?"

Cheng Yang said, "I do have something to tell you."