The shop was deserted and filled with a musty, stale smell.
Behind the counter, a thin man was idly fiddling with an abacus. When he heard the noise, he only lazily raised his eyelids.
"Gentlemen, are you looking to buy some fabric?" the man asked listlessly, as if even speaking was a struggle.
Ganli replied, "Shopkeeper, we don't buy fabric."
The shopkeeper had expected this, but he was still somewhat disappointed upon hearing it: "So, you two want to ask for directions?"
“No.” Gan Li glanced at the shop, then looked at him and smiled, “We wanted to ask about renting the shop.”
"Rent a shop?"
Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper jumped to his feet, his eyes widening as if he couldn't believe his ears.
Since the shop opened, business has been dismal. He couldn't take it anymore and wanted to sublet the shop, but no one was willing to take it. He was very worried, but unexpectedly someone came to his door to rent the shop.
"Rent a shop? Are you two serious?"
He looked Gan Li and Gan Mingyi up and down. The two were dressed simply and did not seem like customers who could afford to take over a shop.
Could it be that they've come to mock him, the unlucky shopkeeper whose business is in dire straits? Thinking this, the shopkeeper's tone became more wary.
"Of course it's true. Would I make fun of you?"
Seeing her smiling and upright appearance, the shopkeeper realized she didn't seem like she was trying to coax him.
Upon closer inspection, he realized the man looked familiar: "You...aren't you Manager Gan, the one who sells popsicles under the big tree up ahead? Oh, my wife used to buy your braised pork, why aren't you doing it anymore?"
"It's me."
Gan Li nodded, but when asked his question, she avoided the main point and said:
"I've had some things to take care of at home these past few days, so I haven't had time to set up my stall. Plus, I've been thinking about opening a restaurant for a while now, so I thought I'd take advantage of the free time today to ask around. I wonder if you could help me arrange a meeting with the owner of this shop?"
The owner of Gan's Dessert Stall knew how popular it was; he'd seen it for himself. Therefore, when Gan Li asked to rent the stall, he had no doubts and, overjoyed, blurted out:
"I'm the owner! My whole family has almost lost their pants because of this shop, where would I find the spare money to hire any helpers? I'm managing everything myself!"
"Pfft!" Gan Mingyi couldn't help but laugh.
Hearing the laughter, the shopkeeper felt a little embarrassed and realized that he had spoken too rudely in front of the young lady. Fearing that he had offended her, he apologized repeatedly.
"It's alright. The shopkeeper is a straightforward and honest person."
Gan Li has seen it all in modern times, so she wouldn't be offended by such a joke. After shaking her head to indicate that she didn't mind, she steered the conversation back on track:
"How much is the rent for your shop per month?"
"Let me tell you both, I also rented this shop from someone else. Because the location is actually quite good, the rent is not low, five taels of silver a month."
"Five taels?" Gan Mingyi exclaimed in surprise upon hearing this number.
Five taels a month, that's sixty taels a year... enough for his whole family to live on for two years.
Seeing this, the shopkeeper, fearing they would think it was too expensive, quickly explained:
"I didn't ask for a single extra penny from you. This was the price I paid when I rented it!"
Gan Li carefully observed his expression and felt that he didn't seem to be lying. After all, this shop really wasn't profitable; even subletting it didn't attract any buyers. Under such circumstances, being able to rent it out at all was a profit, and the shopkeeper shouldn't be willing to scare people away by asking for a high price.
She thought for a moment and asked, "Could you show me this shop first?"
"Of course, please!" The shopkeeper gestured for them to enter, then stepped out from behind the counter and led the two on a tour of the shop.
"Actually, this shop is quite good, especially since Manager Gan plans to use it to open a restaurant, which would be even better."
He wanted to rent out the shop, so he kept saying nice things. However, looking at the layout of the shop, Gan Li felt that he wasn't wrong.
This place isn't small, but it feels a bit cramped now because of the shelves for displaying fabrics. If those shelves were removed, the space would be large enough to fit a dozen or so tables.
What Ganli liked most was that the shop also had a spacious backyard, with a well and five empty rooms, two of which were perfect for use as a kitchen and a warehouse.
The remaining three rooms can be used for living.
Ganli was eager to open the shop for another reason: Gantian had come to town to study, and it was inconvenient for her to travel back and forth every day. Now that she had this courtyard, things would be much more convenient.
Ganli became more and more satisfied with the shop and immediately decided to buy it.
The shopkeeper was overjoyed, but then a question occurred to him, and he cautiously asked, "How long do you plan to rent it?"
"You still have two years left on your lease? I'll rent it for two years."
As she spoke, she remembered something: "I wonder who the real owner of this shop is?"
When the shopkeeper heard that she wanted to rent out the remaining years of her lease, he was overjoyed. Upon hearing her question, he answered without hesitation, "Yes, Miss Zhao!"
"Miss Zhao? Could it be Zhao Juan, the daughter of Master Zhao?"
Seeing the shopkeeper nod, Gan Li raised an eyebrow. What a small world!
"It belongs to Zhao Juan? Little sister, then we can't rent this shop!" Gan Mingyi said immediately upon hearing this.
The shopkeeper finally realized what was going on, recalling the rumors he had heard in town about Ganli and the Zhao family, especially those involving Zhao Juan... His face turned deathly pale.
Seeing that the cooked duck was about to fly away, he quickly waved his hand and explained:
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