Chapter 82 Opening a Shop "Buying a storefront?" Chen Mian instinctively wanted to shake her head...
Chen Mian was squatting down, trying to reason with the kitten, while also groping the beautiful calico girl.
Chen Muhe smiled slyly and secretly fed Da Huang a fish ball. When she fed him the third one, Da Huang refused to eat it and pushed her hand with his head towards Xiao Hua.
Chen Muhe pretended not to understand, which made Da Huang anxious, pacing around on the ground, its tail swishing like a tornado, and occasionally letting out low whimpers.
Chen Muhe waited until Da Huang was so anxious that it had already bitten her trouser leg and was pulling it out before she finally got up and rescued Xiao Hua from her sister's hands.
"Sis, you go ahead with your work, I'll take them out to play for a while."
"Okay, be good, okay?" Chen Mian reluctantly gave Da Huang and Xiao Hua one last pat, then picked up Xiao Hua and put her on Da Huang's back, patted Da Huang's plump bottom, and said, "Go play."
Big Yellow barked happily, while Little Flower on its back blinked its dark green eyes, licked its paw with a displeased expression, turned its little head, and meowed, "Meow, meow meow meow." Human, the cat doesn't want to talk to you anymore.
After leaving the house, Chen Muhe secretly placed a fish ball she had hidden in her hand into Xiaohua's bowl.
Little Flower proudly raised her head, gave a reserved "meow," and signaled to her servant that she could leave.
The day before Lunar New Year's Eve, Chen Mubai took leave from military school to go home. This was the first time in so many years since he joined the army that his family of five could spend the New Year together.
Seeing the large bags her son was carrying, Lin Huijun said with heartache, "You don't need to buy so much. We have everything at home. Just come back safe and sound."
Chen Mubai smiled gently: "It's alright, Mom, it's not much money." He paused, then comforted her, "Don't cry, be careful with your eyes. I'll try my best to stay home with you every Chinese New Year from now on."
"Really?" Lin Huijun looked up in surprise, confirmed with her son, and gently wiped away the tears from the corner of her eyes with her right hand.
Chen Mubai nodded: "Really, I promise."
New Year's Eve dinner.
Chen Mian and her sister neatly arranged the various ingredients they had prepared in advance on the table. The spicy hot pot broth in the stove was already boiling, and the air was filled with the aroma of Sichuan peppercorns and chili peppers.
While the ingredients were simmering in the pot, Chen Mian began to prepare the dipping sauce.
Minced garlic, chili powder, chopped green peppers, and crushed peanuts form a base, then hot oil is poured over it, creating a sizzling sound that releases the aroma of the garlic and chili powder.
Then add a spoonful of "Erba Sauce," which is a mixture of peanut butter and sesame paste, making it more fragrant than either. This is a Northeastern Chinese way of eating peanut butter, which Chen Mian and Yu Xiaoyue learned. People in Chongqing eat it with an oil-based dipping sauce.
The dipping sauce also includes vinegar, soy sauce, chopped green onions, and other seasonings. The soul of the dish is the hot pot broth. Stir everything together to add a variety of flavors to the ingredients.
Considering that everyone's tastes may differ, Chen Mian also prepared oil-based and dry dipping sauces.
Although it's a hot pot meal made from a single pot, which seems simple and convenient, it actually takes just as much thought and effort as preparing a whole table of dishes.
To make the hot pot more fragrant, the broth for the hot pot base is a pork rib soup that has been simmered in advance, and the egg dumplings and rice cakes are also made in advance.
Before we started eating, Mr. Chen said a few words as usual. He raised his glass of rice wine and said, "I hope our family will have a better and better life in the future, and I also hope that there will be more family members in the family next year for the Spring Festival."
After saying that, he looked at Zhijia, who was sitting alone in the corner and looked a little lonely. "Zhijia is also a good child. She has lived in our house for so long. We drank this glass of wine together today. From now on, we are all family."
Lin Huijun smiled and said, "Xiao Zhi, don't just stand there, try the yellow wine that Auntie brewed herself."
Zhijia was moved, tears welling in her eyes: "Hey, thank you uncles and aunts, and thank you Mian too. I'll toast you with this glass."
.
A few days after the New Year, Chen Muhe and Chen Mubai packed their things and returned to school. Chen Muhe went back early to prepare for graduation, while Chen Mubai went back to participate in training.
After resting at home for a few days, Chen Mian and her parents couldn't stay idle and started thinking about opening a snack shop again.
During her pre-Chinese New Year shopping spree, she took the opportunity to observe the shops of all sizes in the city. There were noodle shops, restaurants, and breakfast shops, but snack shops were nowhere to be found.
They had a pretty good harvest from their previous stalls, and many regular customers were urging Chen Mianmian to open a shop. With the addition of Qiaofang, whom her grandmother had mentioned before the Lunar New Year, they now had enough manpower.
All we need now is a suitable storefront.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yu volunteered to drive Chen Mian to the city. "There's a small restaurant right across from our workplace that's closed down. Everything's ready-made. I've already inquired about it for you. If you want to rent it, the owner can offer you a five-year contract."
“Or if you want to buy it, I can help you ask around,” Ji Yu said.
Ji Yu also harbored a selfish motive: if Chen Mian's new store could open across from his workplace, he might be able to see her more often.
"Buy a storefront?" Chen Mian instinctively wanted to shake her head. Where would she get so much money? Besides, the store hadn't even opened yet, and she was already investing so much. What if she lost money?
But then I thought about it again. Ji Yu's current workplace is in the city center, and houses in that area will likely appreciate in value in the future, so buying one shouldn't be a bad deal.
Chen Mian hesitated for a moment, then said, "Let's go take a look first."
This small restaurant was originally run by a young couple from Sichuan. Their dishes were too spicy, and they were unwilling to make any changes, so their business was just getting by.
Ji Yu and her colleagues had eaten there a few times, and occasionally they could hear the two arguing in the kitchen.
Before the Lunar New Year, the young couple heard that their land in their hometown might be expropriated for the construction of a highway, and that they estimated they would receive a large sum of money in compensation. So they immediately packed their things and went back to their hometown.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, everyone's mind was elsewhere, and the "For Rent" sign had been posted on the door for a month or two without any inquiries. The landlord was also worried because his son needed the money to get married, so he started to get anxious and asked someone to find a new tenant as soon as the New Year was over.
The storefront has two floors. There are seven or eight rectangular tables at the entrance, as well as a reception desk that is more than a meter wide.
Inside is the kitchen, with four large stoves and a freezer. A staircase runs to the side, leading up to a layout similar to the first floor. The larger room was previously the couple's sleeping quarters, while the smaller one was used as a storage room.
The landlord, wearing a cotton-padded coat, arrived on his bicycle: "Young lady, if you really want it, I can give you a discount, but you must pay in cash on the spot."
Chen Mian remained calm and composed, inquiring about the specific price. The monthly rent was three hundred yuan, with a five-year lease option; the rent wouldn't increase during that period, and a deposit of one month's rent plus three months' rent in advance, totaling one thousand two hundred yuan.
If it's a purchase, the price is a flat 3,000 yuan, payable in cash on the spot, and the contract will be signed and the transfer of ownership completed immediately. All the tables, chairs, freezers, beds, and wardrobes on the second floor of the shop will be left to the buyer.
The landlord was heartbroken after quoting the price. This storefront was really valuable. If it weren't for his good-for-nothing son, who was desperate for a woman, and the fact that they didn't have enough money for the bride price and most of their relatives and friends were unwilling to lend them too much, they would have had no choice but to turn to this storefront.
Otherwise, the annual rental income alone would amount to more than three thousand.
Chen Mian smiled and said, "Okay, thank you, boss. It's so cold, but we'll go home and discuss it with our families. We'll give you an answer in a couple of days."
The landlord didn't forget to continue advertising his property: "Our location is very popular, young lady, you'd better hurry, otherwise I might have already rented it out."
"Understood, understood." Chen Mian nodded.
On the way home, Ji Yu thought that Chen Mian was worried that she didn't have enough money, which was why she hadn't made a decision yet. He was thinking about how to explain to his fiancée that he was actually quite wealthy.
That's right. Ever since the two families officially met each other's parents, Ji Yu has automatically upgraded himself to the role of fiancé. Everyone in the Municipal Public Security Bureau knows that Section Chief Ji has a beautiful and intelligent fiancée. They have a very good relationship and are about to get married.
Chen Mian suddenly asked about something else: "Ji Yu, how's your legal education video coming along? When can we see it?"
Ji Yu stammered and refused to answer. In fact, it had been broadcast on TV for some time, but he was too embarrassed to show it to his family, so he kept pretending that it wasn't finished yet.
When Chen Mian asked again, Ji Yu hesitated for a long time before finally telling the truth, "The filming wasn't very good, so you might as well not watch it."
It was rare for Chen Mian to see Ji Yu in such an awkward situation, so she jokingly asked, "Even Officer Ji can be embarrassed sometimes?"
"Stop making fun of me," Ji Yu said, her ears turning bright red. The car sped up, and she couldn't wait to reach her destination.
Chen Mian: "Okay, okay, I won't say anything more. Drive slowly, safety first."
When the two arrived home, they found that Lin Qiaofang was already there. A pile of luggage lay on the living room floor, and Lin Qiaofang sat alone on the sofa, looking somewhat awkward.
Chen Mian: "If we had known you were coming today, we would have picked you up. How did you find the place by yourself?"
Lin Qiaofang lowered her head shyly and rubbed the hem of her clothes. "It was a fellow villager who brought me here. My grandma was worried that I was bad at talking and wouldn't be able to find the place, so she secretly gave the fellow villager some money to take care of me. I saw it."
"Where is she? Let's have dinner together," Chen Mian said.
"She's already left. She said she'd take the money and do the job, so she wouldn't be eating." Lin Huijun came out of the kitchen when she heard the noise, shook the water off her hands, and greeted her warmly, "Xiaoyu's here! Come sit down, the food will be ready in a bit."
Ji Yu: "No, Aunt Lin, my dinner is almost ready at home, I have to go back now, I'll eat next time."
Lin Huijun: "Then take this bottle of medicinal wine back with you. My niece brought it from her hometown. It's filled with the finest medicinal herbs and is very nourishing."
"Thank you, Auntie." Seeing this, Ji Yu didn't stand on ceremony. She simply tucked the plastic bucket of medicinal wine under her elbow and left.
He wasn't lying to decline; there really was something going on at home today—they needed to discuss the details of the engagement banquet. His parents had been in Xinjiang for so many years, and this was the first time they had a happy occasion where they could receive monetary gifts. They wanted to invite all their relatives and friends over.
After Ji Yu left, Chen Mian chatted with her cousin for a few minutes, then asked Zhi Jiayi to take her to visit the farm, while she slipped into the kitchen to discuss the location of the shop with her mother.
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Author's Note: Let me grab a bite to eat, then I'll struggle to write another chapter. I feel like I'm brainless today. Yesterday it was 40 degrees Celsius when I went to Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. It's clear I was really focused on getting rich. I blasted the air conditioning when I got home, and today I've caught a cold. [crying emoji]
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