Xu Lin checked the water and electricity, then went back to the lobby with the staff to sign the contract. Normally, the contract is signed once a year, but since Xu Lin had taken advantage of the Ministry of Culture, she decided to go all the way and signed a 10-year contract. This meant that the bookstore could not raise the rent at will for ten years, which earned her a lot of eye-rolls from the staff.
Rent is cheap now, only 500 points a month. Xu Lin took out her ID card and suddenly remembered that they had exchanged 500 points for temporary use. Now they only had about 300 points left in the card, which was not enough to pay a month's rent.
When considering the renovation, Xu Lin thought about the points system, but she had plenty of renovation materials in her space and didn't need to buy any, so she didn't think about exchanging them for points in advance.
Xu Lin gave an awkward smile, told the staff that she would come back to pay later, and hurried to the window to exchange supplies.
She now has a habit of carrying a backpack when she goes out, so when she took out two glass bottles from her bag, it did not surprise the counter staff. However, when the staff saw that the glass bottles were unopened bottles of liquor, they were shocked.
The extreme cold in the early stages of the apocalypse almost destroyed all the alcohol. Even those that survived couldn't take any food or supplies with them on their escape routes, let alone alcohol that was neither suitable for eating nor clothing. So now it's expensive but unavailable.
Brewing baijiu requires grain. Although the base has started planting grain and has cultivated grain varieties with shorter growth cycles, there is not enough to eat, let alone use for brewing.
Therefore, Xu Lin's liquor became highly sought after, and she directly exchanged it for 5,000 points, enough for 10 months' rent.
Xu Lin then took out another pack of cigarettes, which truly shocked the staff.
Previously, people had brought cigarettes and alcohol to exchange for points, but at most it was just a pack of cigarettes. I didn't expect Xu Lin to make such a bold move.
A pack of the most ordinary and cheapest cigarettes before the apocalypse, when exchanged for points, would have been an incredibly powerful item before the apocalypse.
There's nothing we can do; that's reality.
The Northwest Base has been established for half a year. Although various businesses are progressing steadily, the main focus is still on solving people's livelihood issues.
For example, food production, livestock breeding, production of daily necessities, infrastructure construction, etc., "luxury goods" such as tobacco, alcohol and tea should definitely be placed after people's livelihood issues.
With a huge amount of points in hand, Xu Lin returned, paid a year's rent and two months' deposit, and got the keys.
After getting the keys, Xu Lin went home, drove the truck out, and unloaded a bunch of renovation materials on the way back. After two trips like this, the renovation materials were basically all ready.
Fortunately, the commercial street is not doing well right now, and the bookstore is empty on both sides, otherwise her extravagant spending would have attracted a lot of attention.
Xu Lin sent Li Jingjing a message with the bookstore address, asking her to come directly to the bookstore the next day. Xu Lin then went home, and Zhou Pin was about to get off work.
The next day, when Xu Lin arrived at the store, Li Jingjing was already waiting at the door.
Xu Lin gave her a key and told her to go in directly next time.
Xu Lin didn't bring Zhou Pin with her. On one hand, she wanted to give Zhou Pin a surprise, and on the other hand, she wanted to work hard and have her own career.
Upon opening the bookstore door, Li Jingjing was taken aback by the piles of renovation materials in the lobby, but she didn't ask anything.
Soon after, the people Xu Lin had hired arrived.
Yes, yesterday afternoon, Xu Lin went to the service hall to hire two people while transporting renovation materials.
There's a window in the service hall that acts as an intermediary, posting all sorts of information. Xu Lin registered her hiring needs during the day and found someone that very evening.
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