Chapter Forty-Two
"What? The transfer fee is three hundred yuan?!"
Ji Wanmei stood up in surprise, "This transfer fee is too expensive!"
"Dad, which friend did you ask to find you a shop? Did you get ripped off?"
Even if Ji Xingguo asked someone to inquire, or even if Ji Wanmei went to the market herself a couple of days ago and found out the market price, it wouldn't be this expensive.
What kind of prime location is this storefront that requires a transfer fee of three hundred to three hundred yuan?
Ji Wanmei only prepared one thousand yuan as initial capital to open her shop.
If the transfer fee alone costs 300 yuan, then with the addition of renovation costs, labor costs, and inventory costs, it will definitely not be possible to get it for 1,000 yuan.
Ji Xingguo had not yet visited the place himself; he had only heard a description from his old friend.
They say the shop is about 20 square meters, located across the street from the intersection. It's currently a noodle shop. After taking it over, it can be simply decorated. The water, electricity and property management fees are collected by the street office, which isn't expensive.
They only charge for what they use, according to the rules and regulations.
Ji Xingguo said, "Dad doesn't know the specifics either. It was Old Xu, the watch repairman in your county, who helped find it. If you're free tomorrow, you can go take a look first. If you're satisfied, Dad will have Old Xu negotiate the price. That noodle shop owner really seems to be trying to sell at a higher price; it's quite unethical of him."
Ji Wanmei felt dissatisfied just hearing her father say that.
The customer hasn't even officially shown up yet, and they're already asking for exorbitant prices.
Never mind, she'll arrange to meet Luo Chunyan tomorrow and go see for herself.
Around 8 p.m., while Ji Xingguo was reading the newspaper in the living room, a small stone was thrown in through the window near Ji Wanmei's bedroom in the yard.
Small pebbles landed with a soft thud.
Ji Wanmei has sharp ears. Upon hearing the sound, she instinctively guessed that it might be Lei Tingjun who had arrived.
She quickly went into the room and closed the door. Sure enough, she saw Lei Tingjun's head pop out from outside the courtyard and beyond the wall.
"Ji Wanmei," he called softly.
"What are you doing here again?" Ji Wanmei leaned on the windowsill and whispered, "My dad is in the living room, he'll find you."
"It's alright, I won't come in." Lei Tingjun deliberately stood on the side wall away from the living room to prevent Ji Xingguo from finding him.
"I just came to tell you that a friend of mine found a suitable shop in the county today. Would you like to go take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Ji Wanmei exclaimed, "What a coincidence!"
Her father also found her a store today. Perfect, since she's already decided to go see it herself tomorrow, she can also go see the one Lei Tingjun found for her at the same time.
"Sure, then give me the address, and I'll ask Chunyan to come with me to go see it tomorrow."
In the darkness, Lei Tingjun looked at Ji Wanmei for a while, then suddenly squatted down and disappeared behind the courtyard wall.
Ji Wanmei waited anxiously for a while, and Lei Tingjun's head popped up again.
This time, he was holding something in his hand and threw it towards the window where Ji Wanmei was.
The thing was very light, and it only made a slight sound when it landed.
Ji Wanmei turned around and saw a small crumpled piece of paper.
"I've written the address here, along with my friend Xiaoqiang. If I'm free tomorrow, I'll go with you."
Ji Wanmei bent down to pick up the crumpled paper, unfolded it, glanced at it, and quickly urged Lei Tingjun to leave: "Okay, I understand, you should go back now!"
"Well, if you're going tomorrow, go find my friend Xiaoqiang first. Just tell him he's my friend, and he'll know."
"Okay, I understand."
Lei Tingjun lingered for a few moments, looking at Ji Wanmei under the dim yellow light of the window, before turning and leaving.
This simple feeling of being content with just being able to see someone you like from afar, even when they are right in front of you, and hearing their voice, is probably something only a naive young person experiencing first love would have.
Lei Tingjun felt like each day was an eternity after not seeing Ji Wanmei for just one day and one night.
After dinner, I went back to my dorm and lay on my bed. I couldn't concentrate on reading, and while smoking, all I could think about was Ji Wanmei.
When he had a crush on her before, it was only occasionally when he saw other guys with partners, and he would think of himself as a single guy. The first time he met Ji Wanmei, he almost hit her with his bicycle, and she looked up at him like a startled deer.
At that time, Lei Tingjun knew very well that there was no possibility between him and Ji Wanmei.
Therefore, he never lets himself indulge in wild thoughts.
Sitting with a group of brothers at the factory gate, just glancing at her from afar, that was the maximum Lei Tingjun could allow himself to do.
Otherwise, he dared not imagine what kind of infatuation he would fall into if he allowed these feelings to grow wildly.
Although Lei Tingjun himself is a rough, unkempt, and wild man, he likes delicate and gentle girls like Ji Wanmei.
People nowadays say that when choosing a wife, one should choose a virtuous one, someone who is diligent, capable, honest, and fertile.
But Lei Tingjun didn't think so.
He has no elders above him and no children below him.
He doesn't need his wife to take care of his family, nor does he need her to do his laundry and cook for him; he can take care of himself.
He just wanted to find someone he liked, marry her, pamper and protect her, give her all the good food and clothes, and give her all the money he earned.
Even though Lei Tingjun's parents are still alive and his grandmother is still alive, his primary requirement for finding a partner is not that she can take care of his family or bring any benefits to his family.
He believed that only men who lacked ability would be picky about women and would rely on a woman's family to climb the social ladder.
Therefore, Lei Tingjun has absolutely no interest in women who are so-called "diligent and capable" or "have a big, round face and are good for their husbands," and he wouldn't even give them a second glance if he were walking down the street.
In his view, the matchmakers and the husband's family who always pick on the woman with these conditions are actually disrespecting his future partner and showing that he is not sincere enough.
Unfortunately, the girl he liked happened to be Ji Xingguo's daughter.
He didn't like Ji Wanmei because she was Ji Xingguo's daughter.
He initially liked Ji Wanmei, but then discovered that she was Ji Xingguo's daughter. This realization made him understand the vast difference in their social status and backgrounds, and he suppressed the urge to pursue her regardless of the consequences.
But now, Ji Wanmei seems to have feelings for him too, and seems willing to date him.
Just thinking about this "seems" made Lei Tingjun's blood boil and his body burn with excitement, filled with longing for the future.
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