"Alright, we're here!" Fang San parked the car on the side of the road and called for Xu Keke to get out.
In front of me was a storefront; the sign was still there, but the store was completely empty. A car was parked in front, and a man with permed hair, not yet forty years old, stepped out.
"Hey, Fang San! You're here."
Fang San introduced them, "This is Du Wenting, a teacher at No. 2 Middle School and our old neighbor. Her husband works at the medical school, and she came here to take care of some business, so I gave her a ride."
Fearing the man might misunderstand and say something inappropriate, Fang San said a few more words. He then turned to Xu Keke and said...
"Fan Tao, Brother Fan. This storefront was confiscated from their family before, and they just got it back."
As they walked inside, Fang San looked around and asked, "Brother Fan, they just cleared this out for you. How are you going to calculate the cost of the extra days they took up?"
Fang San rummaged through the scrap metal on the ground, trying to see if there was anything still usable.
Upon hearing his words, Fan Tao waved his hands in fright, "Forget it, that store manager isn't reasonable. I'd be grateful if he could make room for me."
Fang San threw the wooden board back to the ground and looked at Fan Tao in confusion. "Why? This is a return according to national regulations. They're the ones who wasted your time. Besides, it's not like I'm making him pay out of his own pocket. What business is it of his? It's not like it belongs to them."
Fan Tao rolled his eyes. "You don't know, Xiao Da and I used to be neighbors. That guy has been a troublemaker since he was a kid. If I want to go back to my house, their store will have to close down. His mother pulled a lot of strings and spent money to get him this job. I heard that he went to their head office to cause trouble several times during this eviction."
Xiao Da? Xu Keke thought it couldn't be such a coincidence. Du Wenting had only met Xiao Yujie's family in her previous life when she attended Fang Minghui's wedding. She didn't know much about them. She was just thinking of asking around about Xiao Yujie's family, and it seemed like even the heavens were on her side.
Xu Keke hurriedly asked, "Were you neighbors with Xiao Da before? Did you know he had any other siblings?"
Fang San gave her a strange look, and then heard Fan Tao say, "Yes, his sister isn't as good-looking as him, but she's much more successful. She's always been a good student. I heard from his mother that she's a doctor at that affiliated hospital."
Xu Keke and Fang San exchanged a glance. Fang San noticed the interest in Xu Keke's eyes and nudged Fan Tao with his shoulder.
"Hey, Brother Fan, tell me about his family situation. He's just a store manager, so why is he so arrogant?"
Fan Tao hadn't expected these two to be so interested in Meng Da, but he didn't care, since there were no outsiders around. "That Xiao Da. Their family used to live behind here, next to our house. Her mother worked at the sewing machine factory's union, two streets ahead. A couple of years ago, their factory allocated them apartments, and the whole family moved into an apartment building. Their yard has been empty for a while now. Just a couple of days ago, another family moved in. Apparently, they're relatives."
"What about his dad? What does his dad do?" Xu Keke asked curiously.
"His biological father died a long time ago, and his sister died the following year. She was walking on the street in the middle of the night when she was hit by a car. The key is that it was so late at night that no one saw what kind of car hit her. The sanitation workers only found out when they were cleaning in the morning. But his mother found him a stepfather who is quite capable. He works in the Commerce Bureau and drives for the director."
Xu Keke glanced at Fang San and said, "Since you're going to sell, don't just sell tape recorders. Sell all kinds of appliances. But his warehouse isn't that big or that small. Why don't you open up all the rooms and rent a yard in the back? You can use it as a warehouse normally, and also stay there if needed."
Fang San hadn't expected Xu Keke to be even bolder than him. But he understood she was right; if they were going to do it, they might as well go all out. Fang San took out a cigarette case from his pocket, opened it, and asked Fan Tao, "I just didn't know there were any empty courtyards left."
"Hey!" Fan Tao took the cigarette Fang San handed him. "Now that you mention it, it makes perfect sense. But the back is all residential, there's no empty space. Only Xiao Da's house used to be empty. But you're too late, aren't you? People are already living there. Just walk one more street ahead, my sister's cardboard box factory has an empty warehouse there. It's a bit far, so it's inconvenient for you to haul goods."
Fang San took out a lighter from his pocket and lit Fan Tao's cigarette. "Why don't you ask around for them? What if they're not staying for long? We can just pay them more rent. If that doesn't work, the cardboard factory's warehouse will do too. I have a car, and if all else fails, we can use a tricycle to haul it away."
"If you offer more money, this might actually work out. Xiao Da's mother is really a money-grubber. Otherwise, how could their family have saved so much money? But let me put it this way, she's a bit shady. Knowing you're serious about it, she might ask for a much higher price."
After hearing Fan Tao's words, Xu Keke quickly made up her mind. "No problem, she can name her price, any amount is fine."
Fan Tao was taken aback by her extravagant gesture. He turned to look at Fang San, as if to ask him what was going on.
Fang San smiled and said, "Didn't I tell you? This business is a joint venture between a few of us. She's one of the partners, so what she says goes."
Xu Keke then realized she had crossed the line. However, considering that she would probably come here often in the future, she smiled and nodded in agreement.
Fan Tao was decisive and made arrangements with Fang San regarding how he would rent the house and when Fang San and his team would come to clean it. Once everything was settled, he added that he would call the Xiao family's courtyard when he got back to inquire about the deal, and he would reply to them in the next day or two.
By the time the two returned to the School of Economics and Management, it was already past 2 p.m.
Xu Keke called Fang San into her house. She took out the money she had given as a gift that day and handed it to Fang San.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
