Xiao Kai's eyes lit up briefly before he regained his composure.
Ruan Meng smiled, "What? You don't believe me?"
Xiao Kai neither nodded nor shook his head, his expression unusually serious. "As long as the girl can do it, I'll be happy even if I don't take the monthly salary!"
Ruan Meng also looked serious, "Is it a deal?"
Xiao Kai nodded firmly, as if making a vow, and then blurted out words that broke the silence of Ruan Meng and her brother.
"You still need to provide meals!"
?
"Ha ha!"
"Hahaha!"
After laughing, Ruan Meng lifted the carriage curtain and reminded the third brother:
"Third Brother, stop when we pass He Family Restaurant."
Ruan Meng turned around and said earnestly to Xiao Kai:
"When you go back, you can suggest to Manager Yu that we look for a larger shop in the four counties. I've already figured out the business. I'll have you handle the arrangements."
Xiao Kai beamed and blurted out, "Really? I thank you in advance, young lady, on behalf of the shopkeeper!"
"I've said before that we shouldn't put all our eggs in one basket. The previous menu was just a trial run, after all, it's a difficult start for us."
"Now that we've established initial trust, there's no reason for me to only consider the Sun family when it comes to profitable deals..."
Xiao Kai was excitedly about to jump off the carriage, but Ruan Meng did not follow.
"It's getting late. I'll go with A-Yuan to look at the shop first. If there's enough time, I'll go visit Manager Yu at the shop."
"If there's not enough time, please tell Manager Yu for me and ask him not to take offense!"
Even so, after getting out of the car, Xiao Kai still exchanged a few words with A Yuan in the car behind him.
Ah Yuan caught up and led the way.
It turned out that Sun Chengen had bought a street of shops, right behind the main street, where there would be a steady flow of people and the cost of those shops wouldn't be too high.
New businesses always need to endure a period of hardship at the beginning. Reducing costs is conducive to a virtuous cycle.
Many of the shops on both sides of the back street had "For Sale" signs hanging up, and some were moving things out.
The carriage stopped in one place, and the group walked along the street.
Sun Chengen remained silent the entire way, while Ruan Meng walked from one end of the street to the other.
Ruan Meng stopped at the street corner, looked around, and then looked at the things being sold in the shops behind the main street, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long while, Ruan Meng pointed to the entrance of a shop with obvious scratches and asked A Yuan:
"Were there stalls here before?"
A-Yuan exclaimed in surprise, "Girl, you're amazing! You figured it out?"
Ruan Meng nodded, "The scratches are square, some are at the four corners, so there must have been a table there."
Ah Yuan excitedly explained, "This street was specifically surveyed and recommended by the manager who stayed on South Island. Besides the large shops and good foundation, it doesn't require major repairs..."
"The street was wide, and there used to be food and drink stalls on both sides, which was one of the reasons why the manager recommended it."
Ruan thought about it and came up with a basic plan.
Ruan Meng turned around and walked through the path again before Sun Chengen spoke.
"Have you come up with an idea?"
Ruan thought about it for a moment and nodded in agreement.
Sun Chengen smiled and tossed a sentence to A Yuan, "That's enough, let's go!"
Ah Yuan followed behind, "Young Master, is that all? Didn't you say you wanted to discuss it with the young lady? What kind of business are you going to do?"
"Let her decide."
Ruan Meng refused, but called out to Sun Chengen, "Wait, I need one more thing."
Sun Chengen turned around.
"A topographical map, not just for this street, but also for several streets around the city, showing me what each street sells, so I know exactly what's on it."
Sun Chengen looked at A Yuan, who was confident, "This is not difficult. I will find the manager and arrange for two meticulous painters. They can be finished in half a day."
Just before getting into the carriage, a distinct "gurgling" sound caught Ruan Meng's attention.
The second son pressed his stomach and said embarrassedly:
"It's alright, little sister! Let's get down to business first."
Sun Chengen glanced at it but remained silent.
"Gurgle!"
The third brother's belly also made a sound. He wasn't embarrassed at all. Instead, he blatantly reminded Ruan Meng that he was hungry!
A Yuan frantically tried to signal to her young master with her eyes, but Sun Chengen remained unmoved.
Ah Yuan sighed inwardly, "I can't carry him, I can't carry him!"
With a smile on his face, he stepped forward and suggested, "Miss, why don't we go to He Family Restaurant first? We can have some food there. You and the two gentlemen must be tired."
"Before Xiao Kai left, he reminded us to go there, saying that if the young master knew we were coming, he would definitely have prepared something for the young master and young lady, and we should take it back with us."
Ruan Meng naturally had no objection. When the carriage passed through the main street, Ruan Meng saw an old man in tattered clothes holding something in his hands, hawking it along the street.
Nobody paid any attention to him. Even when he took the initiative to introduce himself, pedestrians not only ignored him, but even pushed him. He fell down, but was caught by a pair of hands.
Ruan Meng was surprised. Lin Qingyu!
He wore a moon-white robe with exquisite embroidery, which revealed his family's wealth.
The old man's clothes were covered in dust, and when Lin Qingyu helped him up, the dust rubbed against his clean clothes, leaving some marks.
How much does it cost?
Lin Qingyu's voice, like his personality, was cold and devoid of warmth.
The old man was overjoyed and almost burst into tears, and quickly said:
"Ten coins, just ten coins!"
He grabbed Lin Qingyu's arm with his other hand, as if worried that he would leave, and explained:
"These are soft-shelled turtle eggs, caught by myself, all fresh and good! Young master, would you like to buy some? They're very good for your health!"
Lin Qingyu touched her pocket and seemed stunned.
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