Ever since Su Qingluan met Shopkeeper Liang, she had never seen such an embarrassment on his face. This made her curious about who the owner of the shop was that made Shopkeeper Liang look like he had a "toothache".
Shopkeeper Liang was silent for a moment, then sighed, "It's hard to explain it in a few words. Let's go and take a look."
Su Qingluan naturally obeyed the order and happily followed Manager Liang along the street.
On the way, Liang, the shopkeeper, told Su Qingluan, "I've sent Qian Liu, the guy who whispered to Master Xu that you were going to replace him, away with you."
Huh? Su Qingluan raised her head abruptly: "What good does he get from doing this?"
"That's just a mean-spirited person," Shopkeeper Liang snorted coldly. "I can tolerate those people in the kitchen stealing food and taking things, but people who make unwarranted assumptions and stir up trouble like this are definitely not people of good character. It's best to kick them out as soon as possible."
Su Qingluan nodded in agreement.
She also had a vague impression of Qian Liu. Although he was clever, Su Qingluan had discovered more than once that he would sneak around when Xu Yuanwei wasn't noticing.
This is not a hard-working attitude in the first place. If he adds gossip and even makes Xu Yuanwei dissatisfied with the owner, Manager Liang, it is really dangerous. It will be a good thing for both Xu Yuanwei and the entire Hongfulou to let him leave as soon as possible.
"Thank you." Su Qingluan said with a smile.
"What are you thanking me for?" Shopkeeper Liang patted his round belly nonchalantly. "Originally, I would have fired someone like this who had no real skills and was always looking for trouble."
Su Qingluan shook her head: "Although it was not your original intention, Qian Liu's fundamental purpose was to drive me out of Hongfulou." But he was wrong. Su Qingluan and Hongfulou only had a cooperative relationship.
By doing this, Manager Liang was able to vent some of the frustration for Su Qingluan.
Shopkeeper Liang waved his hands with a smile: "My dear niece, you have helped me out again. What's this little favor worth?"
The two of them walked and talked, and unknowingly came to a shop.
Su Qingluan looked at the area in front of her and was very surprised: even if this was not the most prosperous place in the town, it was still a prosperous area close to the main street.
The only difference was that unlike the other shops that were bustling with people, this one's door was ajar, and it looked empty. Looking through the gap between the two doors, the inside was also pitch black, making it difficult to see clearly.
Su Qingluan approached Shopkeeper Liang cautiously and asked in a low voice, "Uncle Liang, my budget isn't particularly generous, and I'll probably have to pay the rent half a year or even monthly. The price for this kind of location..."
She had once roughly inquired about the rental prices of shops in various areas of the town.
Although Lefeng Town is not a densely populated town, it is located on a major transportation route. Pedestrians, merchants, and scholars taking exams come and go in an endless stream at all times except in the cold winter.
As a result, although the town itself was not particularly prosperous, it was driven by the coming and going of guests, and its economy actually prospered.
Therefore, the rent of shops here, especially those near the main prosperous areas, is slightly higher than that of shops in ordinary small towns, and is even comparable to that of some less prosperous cities.
The rent of shops in Lefeng Town is basically between 200,000 and 300,000 taels per year, and the better ones are between 400,000 and 500,000 taels. However, Su Qingluan estimated that given the location of the shop in front of her, the rent would probably be over 500,000 taels.
To be more confident, Su Qingluan didn't rush into the shop. Instead, she pulled the shopkeeper Liang aside and asked nervously, "Uncle Liang, can you tell me the truth? How much is the rent for this shop?"
Shopkeeper Liang’s round face looked as tangled as a chrysanthemum bun. Could it be that he met someone who asked for an exorbitant price?
Thinking of this, Su Qingluan was afraid that Shopkeeper Liang would be embarrassed, so she added, "Uncle Liang, although I want to have my own shop as soon as possible, I also know that this cannot be rushed. Besides, I still have the income from Hongfu Building, so there is no need to rush."
Shopkeeper Liang shook his head and said, "The rent for this shop is this much per year!" Then he held up two fingers.
"Two...!" Su Qingluan was so surprised that she almost shouted, but immediately found that everyone around her turned their strange eyes to her, so she quickly lowered her voice, "Twenty taels? Even the rent for a shop in a remote back alley should be seventeen or eighteen taels, right? In such a prosperous area, only twenty taels?"
It's no wonder that Su Qingluan was so surprised. The street where Su Qingluan lived was once her ideal location for opening a store, but the rent was too expensive. Any small shop would cost sixty or seventy taels of silver, and it was difficult to bargain. Moreover, this was the annual payment price. If it was paid monthly or quarterly, it would be much more expensive.
Of course, the annual rent of sixty or seventy taels brings in a considerable amount of customers - after all, this street is the only way from the entrance to the town to the exit, so there is no shop on this street that cannot be rented out, only when there are not enough people to pay the rent.
Then, Su Qingluan thought of a possibility: when a product that seems to be very good is sold at a price significantly lower than the market price, there must be a trap.
Thinking of this, Su Qingluan gave Manager Liang a puzzled look, and received a nod of assent from Manager Liang.
Haha, there is indeed a pit.
Su Qingluan complained silently in her heart, but she also knew that Shopkeeper Liang would not deliberately cheat her. It was true that the shop was in a good location and the prices were low.
Seeing the girl keep her head down and remain silent, Shopkeeper Liang thought Su Qingluan felt that she was being unfair, asking him to come even though she knew there was something fishy going on. Thinking of this, he quickly explained, "Don't misunderstand, niece. I really feel that if I miss this opportunity, I'll miss this shop forever."
Being able to rent a store in such a great location at one-third of the usual price is simply pie in the sky!
Su Qingluan smiled and nodded: "Uncle Liang would naturally not cheat me, but it seems that this shop does have some shortcomings - and they are not easy to solve."
Shopkeeper Liang nodded. "My dear niece, you don't know this, but this is where I'm really struggling. If this shop were worthless, I wouldn't have bothered you to come here."
Su Qingluan nodded: "Hearing Uncle Liang say this, I am actually a little curious about what is happening with this shop." How could Manager Liang be in such a difficult situation?
Although he was mentally prepared, what made Manager Liang feel embarrassed was definitely not a trivial problem.
However, when Su Qingluan knocked on the door and entered, she was still a little shocked when she saw the specific environment inside the shop.
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