The next day, Yan Qingqing got up very early, ready to go to town with A'da to look at the shops.
Yan Qingqing was dressed in men's clothing this time, which made everyone in the family stare in disbelief.
Not only did their wives become husbands, but their appearance was also very elegant and refined.
Yuan Huiniang teased from the side, "If Mother were truly a man, what chance would anyone else have?"
Unfortunately, apart from Li Xiangyang, none of the Li family's children resembled Yan Qingqing; instead, they looked like the deceased Li Erniu.
However, their shrewdness was inherited from Yan Qingqing.
Sometimes Yan Qingqing had her doubts. Li Erniu might not have many other redeeming qualities, but his genes were certainly quite strong.
Why did Yan Qingqing wear men's clothing this time? Because she wanted to ride a horse so that the round trip would be faster.
Moreover, since arriving in ancient times, she hasn't had the chance to showcase her horsemanship. In this era, you can't drive a car or fly in a plane, so she has to experience the joy of galloping on horseback.
Yan Qingqing nimbly flipped over and mounted her horse, with A'da and Mu Xi following closely behind.
Soon the three of them left Canghe Village and went straight to the brokerage firm after arriving in the county town.
The brokers were quite familiar with Ah Da. They all knew he was Ming Zhao's confidant, so wherever he went, people were willing to give him some face.
The brokerage owner quickly welcomed Ah Da in upon seeing him, and noticed the two men beside him who exuded an air of great importance. He wondered to himself which family's VIPs these men were.
However, he didn't show it on his face and just smiled and said, "Grandpa, you've come to see the shop today. Let me personally show you around."
Yan Qingqing chuckled when she heard the address, "Grandpa," what kind of weird address is that?
Ah Da sighed helplessly and said, "Manager Cao, how many times have I told you, I'm just a servant. Please don't call me 'Master.' People who don't know better might think I'm abusing my power."
Manager Cao replied dismissively, "Master, you're mistaken. Even if you're a servant, everyone knows you're highly regarded, otherwise such an important matter wouldn't have been entrusted to you."
It's said that even a seventh-rank official is respected before the prime minister's gate; as someone close to the magistrate, your status and position naturally cannot be low.
In front of Yan Qingqing, A Da didn't want to listen to his nonsense, so he said, "Alright, Manager Cao, I know you guys in the dry goods business are eloquent, but you can't talk nonsense. If my wife hears this, she'll think I'm just using others to bully others."
"We need to get down to business. This is my master; he's here specifically to check out the shop. Please take us there quickly."
Manager Cao was secretly surprised. Everyone knew that Yan Qingqing was a widow who raised seven children on her own.
Therefore, her being bestowed the title of Mingzhao Renren (明昭令) was even more shocking and legendary to others. Could it be that after receiving the imperial decree, Mingzhao Renren already had a lover in her boudoir?
However, Manager Cao only dared to mutter these words to himself and dared not say them aloud.
Although Ah Da didn't know what Manager Cao was thinking, Yan Qingqing was a very shrewd person and saw through Manager Cao's thoughts at a glance.
But she didn't care; she couldn't stop someone else from having their own brain.
Manager Cao dared not delay and took Yan Qingqing to see the two shops.
The one in the west of the city is about the same size as the one where they currently sell cooked food.
And indeed, just as Ah Da said, the surrounding area is full of moderately wealthy families.
Yan Qingqing was quite satisfied with the result, and this place was perfect for her plan to open a branch.
Moreover, this shop is far from their current shop, so they won't affect each other's customer base.
Then they went to see a restaurant, which wasn't far from Yuelaiju, although it wasn't as big as Yuelaiju. But it wasn't small either.
However, these days there aren't many customers who can afford to buy a restaurant.
Manager Xue from Yuelaiju did inquire, but complained that the place was too small and too close to Yuelaiju, making it unsuitable for opening a branch.
The others felt it was a waste of money; it was too close to Yuelaiju, and even if they opened a restaurant there, business might not be good. Besides, even if the restaurant was cheap, it would still cost at least three thousand taels of silver.
Seeing that Yan Qingqing was satisfied with the place, Manager Cao said, "Sir, this place has a good location and a good position. It's just that the owner didn't manage it well, so he thought of selling it and going back to his hometown to retire."
In the past, it would have cost at least four thousand taels of silver, but now they only ask for three thousand five hundred taels.
To be honest, the price of three thousand five hundred taels is not high, but no one's money comes from thin air. Moreover, judging from Manager Cao's shrewdness, this is definitely not the landlord's bottom price, and Yan Qingqing will definitely try to bargain.
So Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Manager Cao, don't try to fool me. Although this restaurant is quite good, I am very satisfied."
However, it's not very useful to actually buy it.
"If I were to open a restaurant here, this place wouldn't be very big, and there's a Yue Lai Ju restaurant right next door. Manager Cao knows how good their business is. I might not even be able to recoup my investment."
Manager Cao's face grew increasingly grim as he listened. Had the business, which had finally found someone interested in the restaurant, fallen through again?
Yan Qingqing suddenly laughed again: "Of course, if the price is right, I might consider it. Who knows, it might come in handy in the future."
Upon hearing that there was still a chance, Manager Cao cautiously asked, "Then, sir, what price would you like?"
Yan Qingqing said, "Three thousand taels."
Manager Cao's face immediately fell again. Three thousand taels was the bottom price they had given him. If he sold it at that price, he wouldn't make a single penny and would have to work for nothing.
But he didn't dare offend Yan Qingqing, so he could only say with a wry smile, "Sir, the price you offered is too low. Please increase it a little."
I have a family to support too.
Seeing Manager Cao's reaction, Yan Qingqing knew she had probably crossed his bottom line. She estimated she wouldn't even get Manager Cao's commission anymore.
Yan Qingqing is not the kind of person who doesn't care about appearances when doing business.
So he said, "I'll add another hundred taels. If Manager Cao thinks this can be done, we can go to the yamen to process the contract at any time. If not, don't feel embarrassed. Even if the deal falls through, we can still be on good terms."
When Manager Cao heard that Yan Qingqing had added another hundred taels, even after deducting the thirty taels for the transfer fee, he would still have seventy taels left to take.
Although I earned less than usual, seventy taels was still good.
So he immediately said, "I'll go find the homeowner to negotiate, and once we've finished negotiating, we'll go to the government office to transfer the property. Please wait here for me."
Without waiting for Yan Qingqing's reply, he hurried off to find someone.
Yan Qingqing found it somewhat amusing; was Manager Cao perhaps afraid that they would change their minds?
Ah Da, standing to the side, was also speechless. Was Manager Cao really this unreliable? How come he hadn't noticed it before?
So he whispered to himself, "Madam, if you think this restaurant is useless, we don't have to do with it."
Yan Qingqing glanced at him and smiled, "When have you ever seen me make a losing deal? Since you bought it, it must be useful."
Seeing Yan Qingqing say this, A-Da finally breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Yan Qingqing would buy the shop and then be stuck with it.
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