After his father passed away, Wang Hai took over the shop. Because of its remote location and low rent, he decided to keep it and do some small business like his father.
However, he did not inherit his father's silver tongue.
After running his rouge shop for so long, all he did was lose money. Wang Hai gradually realized that he was not suited for business.
That's when he decided to close the rouge shop and rent out the store; it was better than losing money in his own hands.
Pei Yao first asked Wang Hai to take her to the second floor to take a look. She had already had an idea in mind when she looked at the second floor from downstairs.
Although Wang Hai's house is in a remote location, the shop is large. His business is small, so he doesn't need such a large space.
I had thought about renting out the vacant shops next door before, but no one had ever come to rent them.
So when he saw Pei Yao's serious expression, he realized that she genuinely wanted to rent the shop, unlike many people who only came to ask questions but didn't really want to.
So he became more patient, and upon hearing that Pei Yao wanted to see the second floor, he immediately offered eagerly:
“Miss Pei, I had previously sealed off this second floor because I didn’t need such a large area. If you rent it in the future, you just need to move the things downstairs to use it.”
As Wang Haibin spoke, he moved the things aside, clearing a path to the second floor.
Pei Yao nodded and followed Wang Hai upstairs, with Manager Qian following behind.
The layout of the second floor is almost identical to that of the first floor. The side facing the river is almost exactly the same as the first floor, with a large number of windows.
Pei Yao was very satisfied with the window. She planned to clean up the second floor and place a few tables and chairs next to the window.
Imagine sitting by the window on a summer afternoon, enjoying a cool breeze while eating refreshing ice jelly and soft, delicious pastries, all while admiring the beautiful riverside scenery – wouldn't that be wonderful?
Moreover, the second floor offers better privacy, which will be perfect for receiving important guests in the future.
Pei Yao became more and more satisfied with the shop, but she didn't show it on her face. She asked, "Manager Wang, how do you plan to rent this place out?"
Wang Hai was an honest man. When Pei Yao asked him this, he didn't answer directly, but instead asked, "Miss, are you really planning to rent it?"
Pei Yao nodded, somewhat puzzled as to why Wang Hai would ask such a question.
Wang Hai explained, "If you really want to rent, young lady, I, Wang Hai, will not beat around the bush or use any tricks. The whole building has two floors, and eight taels of silver a month is acceptable?"
Wang Hai's shop has lost a lot of money, and he is currently short of funds.
When Pei Yao came from Deyun Restaurant, she had actually discussed the rent issue with Manager Qian.
Shopkeeper Qian meant that the better shops in the middle of this alley generally cost twenty taels of silver a month, the slightly more secluded ones cost fifteen taels of silver, and the even more secluded ones cost less than ten taels of silver.
Although Wang Hai's shop was in a remote location, it was spacious and a detached building. When the two of them arrived, they were worried that Manager Wang would overcharge them.
Unexpectedly, Wang Hai only asked for eight taels of silver.
Pei Yao thought the price was reasonable, and most importantly, the environment was really appealing to her.
So she signed the contract with Wang Hai without hesitation.
The shop rents for eight taels of silver per month, but you have to pay six months' rent in advance.
This is the rule here; almost all businesses follow this rule.
Pei Yao said she could understand.
The lease agreement for the shop was written by a scholar that Manager Qian found on the roadside.
However, a shop is not like setting up a stall at the dock, where you can just put up a table and shout to do business.
To properly open a shop, there are local regulations. You need to go to the county to complete the relevant procedures and pay taxes to the government.
The manager was quite knowledgeable about these matters, so he simply took over the business himself.
“Miss Pei, leave this to me. I’ll find someone to take care of it for you. It’ll be quick.”
Pei Yao felt a little embarrassed, but after thinking about it, she realized that if Manager Qian had connections, it would be much faster than if she did it herself.
So he didn't refuse Manager Qian's kindness, only thinking that he would find an opportunity to repay Manager Qian later.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Uncle Qian."
Speaking of repaying kindness, Pei Yao remembered the matter that the Liu family had asked her to do yesterday.
When they returned with Manager Qian, Pei Yao told him about the incident.
Upon hearing this, Manager Qian agreed without hesitation. This time, Manager Qian didn't need to ask for money to bribe anyone; Pei Yao gave him some money on her own initiative.
Upon seeing the silver, Manager Qian immediately said, "Miss Pei, you've given me a bit too much."
“Uncle Qian, I know that you need to bribe people everywhere when you ask for favors. You can use this money to bribe people and also buy some good wine and food to reward the brothers.” Pei Yao smiled frankly and looked calm, without any hesitation.
This made Manager Qian look at Pei Yao with even higher regard, and he admired her in his heart. At such a young age, Pei Yao was so clever and insightful.
If this were a man, he would likely have a very bright future!
As Pei Yao was leaving, she looked up at the sky; it was already getting late.
Pei Yao did not go directly to the stalls at the dock.
She figured her family's ice jelly stall had long since sold out, and her family had all gone home.
Pei Yao had told them before leaving home this morning that they didn't need to wait for her if the goods were sold out.
Manager Qian glanced at the sky and said:
“Miss Pei, it’s getting late. It will probably take some time to walk back. Let me find someone to take you home.”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yao didn't stand on ceremony and thanked Manager Qian, saying, "Then thank you, Uncle Qian."
Manager Qian waved his hand, indicating it was no big deal.
Large restaurants like Deyun Restaurant usually have their own horse-drawn carriages in the backyard for transporting important clients.
Manager Qian arranged for a carriage to take Pei Yao.
Horse-drawn carriages are much faster than oxcarts, so Pei Yao returned to Liangshui Well Village in no time.
Pei Yao told the carriage to drop her off at the village entrance, and she could walk the rest of the village road back by herself.
She had just run out of mint at home, so she planned to pick some from the stream at the village entrance to take home.
As Pei Yao was thinking this, she had already picked a large handful of mint leaves. When she came up from the riverbank, she ran into Niu Qingshan, who was on his way home.
"Yao-mei is back?" Niu Qingshan greeted her warmly.
Pei Yao nodded, and then the two of them walked together into the village.
However, as soon as she arrived at the village entrance, she saw several women standing there, chatting enthusiastically about gossip.
Pei Yao keenly sensed a hint of gossip.
He quickly joined them, along with Niu Qingshan.
Everyone was engrossed in their conversation and didn't notice the sudden appearance of another person in the crowd.
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