Chapter 709
Master Zhou picked up a piece of pork head and put it into his mouth. He took a sip of wine and grimaced at the spicy taste. He asked:
"Old Ma, this shop...will continue to be rented out, right? So, put up the sign tomorrow. If a stranger wanders by, I can show them around."
Uncle Ma took a sip of wine, his Adam's apple rolled heavily, and his brows furrowed slightly: "Don't worry, I haven't thought about it yet."
"What? You don't want to rent it anymore? Do you want to start your own business?" Master Zhou joked.
"Oh no! I'm already half buried in the earth, why am I doing this labor-capital business? The main thing is that this new tenant may not be as worry-free as you, and I'm old and too lazy to bother with it anymore."
Meng Sui's ears twitched, but he still lowered his head to peel peanuts, pretending not to care.
Master Zhou laughed and said, "You think collecting rent is too much trouble? Can't you just come once a month? It'll only take a cup of tea."
Uncle Ma slammed his wine glass onto the table, causing ripples to form in the wine.
"You don't know, if you meet those unrefined people who delay your rent for half a year and make the house smell like filth, that's really frustrating."
He shook his head, seeming impatient with dealing with these things.
Meng Sui joined the conversation at the right time: "What Uncle Ma said is true. My family has a small shop in Nancheng, and the tenants are always dragging their feet on the rent! We can only urge them to pay the rent every once in a while, and if we push them too hard, they will say we are cruel and inconsiderate to the tenants.
It took about three months, and when I went back to look for it, the shop was completely deserted. All the tables, chairs, and benches that were originally in the shop had been moved out, and even the faucets had been removed!"
Master Zhou has always been an honest person and finds such behavior incredible.
He stared with his eyes wide open, and after a long while he squeezed out a sentence from between his teeth:
"There are people like this? Didn't your family call the police?"
“We did report it, but the tenant was from out of town and even had a fake ID card. He just ran away.
Our Nancheng Public Security Bureau helped us find out their true identities and coordinated to contact their hometown. We learned that they hadn't been back for several years. In short, there was nothing we could do to find them.
Uncle Ma nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right! I'm just afraid of encountering such troubles. Instead of wasting time looking for someone, I might as well buy more walnuts.
Moreover, the neighborhood committee called us to a meeting some time ago, saying that with the Asian Games, our capital will become an international metropolis.
In the future, more and more people from other places and foreigners will come to Beijing. Those of us who rent out houses and shops must keep a close eye on things. If anything goes wrong, we will all be held responsible!"
"Oh, this is not easy. When you rent out a shop, the most you can do is ask the owner what kind of business they do. How can you constantly control them? If you ask too many questions, the tenants won't be satisfied!"
After Master Zhou finished speaking, he turned his eyes and looked at Meng Sui who was drinking silently:
"Xiao Meng, your store is doing so well, with customers lining up every day. Has your boss ever thought about expanding the store?"
Meng Sui played dumb and said, "It should be expanded. I heard Uncle Yuan and Miaomiao mention it before, but why they didn't mention it later, I don't know."
Uncle Ma also turned his attention to him and said:
"That's right! Xiao Meng, if your boss rents my shop and connects both sides, the scale will be completely different! It will be twice as big!
Those customers who are unwilling to wait for a table will not be lost. Look at how many people choose to go to other restaurants every day because they don’t want to queue. Isn’t that money in their pockets?
Your boss is a top student from University A. He must be well-educated and run a good business. He is definitely a stable person and won't do anything bad.
Meng Sui pretended to be hesitant. "My boss's character is truly beyond reproach. I can guarantee it, but... I need to ask Uncle Yuan and Miaomiao what they think about renting it."
Uncle Ma, under the influence of alcohol, said generously: "They bought the house next door, and now they are my neighbors. I have seen them several times before, so they should know me.
Apart from anything else, I'm a straightforward person and the price is negotiable. Please ask for me when I get back. If it works out, I'll even treat you to a drink."
Master Zhou also chimed in, "Yes, Xiao Meng, Lao Ma is a very honest man and he won't cheat you."
Meng Sui finally nodded reluctantly: "Well... I'll talk to them tomorrow, but it may not work out."
He lowered his head and continued to peel peanuts, with a barely noticeable curve at the corner of his mouth.
The next morning, Meng Sui reported the situation of the previous night in detail to Su Miao and Su Yuanzheng.
Su Miao's eyes lit up: "Brother Sui, you used this tactic of 'playing hard to get' brilliantly!"
Su Yuanzheng also smiled and nodded: "Xiao Meng is becoming more and more business-minded now."
"Hey, stop praising me. I just found out that the house next door is for rent, but Miaomiao wants to buy it.
From what Uncle Ma said, his family is not short of money, so I guess we can’t buy it at the low price we did before.”
Su Miao said with an open mind: "How can we always get a bargain? The previous ones were all blessed by our ancestors. It just happened that the previous owner was in urgent need of money. But we want to develop. We can't just passively wait for others to lower the price.
As long as it is within the market price, I can accept it. After all, the profit created after I actually buy it will be much higher than the purchase price difference.
We just don't want Uncle Ma to think we're rushing to buy it. So, tomorrow you go and tell Uncle Ma..."
During the afternoon break, Meng Sui followed Su Miao's instructions and went to find Uncle Ma at his house. It was not far away, just across the street.
Uncle Ma welcomed him in warmly and asked, "How's it going?"
Meng Sui said in embarrassment, "Uncle Ma, I told the boss today that your shop is looking for a new tenant. They really want to expand, but they feel that renting a shop is always unreliable..."
Uncle Ma's heart moved: "What do you mean?"
Meng Sui took the tea poured by Uncle Ma and sat down:
"According to previous practice, expanding a store requires unified renovations, which requires investment. If the store becomes popular after only a year or two, and the landlord seizes the opportunity to take back the property or raise the rent, it will be difficult to deal with.
It’s not that we don’t trust you, but because of this situation that happened before, the boss is also afraid.”
Uncle Ma nodded thoughtfully:
"So that's how it is. It's true. I know some landlords have ulterior motives. They wait until someone else's shop becomes prosperous and raises the rent high. If someone else moves, they'll lose their regular customers and have no choice but to pay the high price they asked for."
Or maybe you could just take it back and try to imitate someone else's business, and give them a similar name to disgust people. Your boss has only met me a few times, not even an acquaintance, so it's normal for him to have such concerns."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
