After looking at the shop, Feng Haidong took his three children to browse the bookstores in the provincial capital. Finally, he bought some candy at the provincial capital's department store, as well as some daily necessities for his wife and niece.
Around noon, Feng Haidong and his group returned to his third cousin's house.
The morning's outing made the children very happy, but they felt exhausted as soon as they got home.
But as soon as I entered the door, I could smell the aroma of home-cooked meals again.
The children were no longer tired and gathered together outside the kitchen door, peeking inside with great anticipation, eager to see what delicious food they would have for lunch.
Liu Fenlin also returned from outside. In the morning, she accompanied Lu Wanling to buy groceries and then went to the hospital again after receiving a notification from the hospital.
When I got home after finishing my work at noon, I saw three children huddled in front of the kitchen door.
Liu Fenlin said with a smile, "Did you three have fun today? Don't crowd at the kitchen door, how are you going to serve the food out later?"
Yue Rujuan left the kitchen door first, ran up to her mother and said with a smile, "Mom, my uncle took us to a lot of places this morning and even bought me a few books."
Liu Fenlin said, "How can we let your uncle spend money?"
Feng Haidong laughed and said, "Third sister, I'm Rujuan's uncle. Can't I even buy my niece a few books?"
Liu Fenlin said, "But you are guests in the provincial capital."
Feng Haidong said, "As expected, my third sister didn't treat me like family. She treated me like a guest the moment she opened her mouth."
Liu Fenlin was taken aback for a moment, then quickly realized that she couldn't win the argument with her cousin.
"Fine, fine, I can't argue with you, I'm not going to talk to you anymore, but I can discipline my own daughter, right? Juanjuan, you can't let your uncle buy you things in the future."
Yue Rujuan said, "I understand."
Feng Haidong said, "Third Sister, if you keep doing this, I won't dare to come again. How about I rent a place and have Wanling move out too?"
Liu Fenlin immediately retorted, "You dare? Feng Haidong, you think you're all grown up now? You think your third sister can't control you?"
I could see that there was a tense atmosphere between Feng Haidong and Liu Fenlin.
Yue Rujuan quickly stepped aside, grinning as she prepared to see how the siblings would "fight".
Feng Qifan looked at his father, then at his third cousin, and decisively chose to remain silent.
Lu Yue looked bewildered, but seeing that her third aunt and uncle seemed about to argue, she quickly stepped forward and said, "Don't argue, third aunt and uncle, please don't argue."
Liu Fenlin immediately relaxed, smiled and said, "Okay, Auntie won't argue."
At this moment, Lu Wanling poked her head out of the kitchen and said, "The food will be ready soon, we can start eating."
Taking the opportunity, Liu Fenlin said to Lu Yue, "Quick, your aunt said it's time to eat. You and your older brother and sister go wash your hands first, and then we'll eat together."
This advice worked; the three children immediately went to wash their hands.
After letting the child leave, Liu Fenlin looked at her cousin and said, "You've really grown up, daring to challenge your third sister?"
Feng Haidong smiled and said, "How dare I challenge you, Third Sister? I just thought I was just buying a few books for Rujuan. Don't make a big deal out of it, Third Sister."
Liu Fenlin said, "Aren't you going to open a shop? That's exactly when you need money, how can you spend it recklessly?"
Feng Haidong said, "Third sister, don't worry. My family has already started raising money. We don't need the money for these few books. I've also bought other things. Do you think our family would starve just to open a shop?"
Liu Fenlin had no choice but to say, "Fine, you're right. Let's get ready to eat."
Soon the dining table was set, and the dishes prepared by Lu Wanling and her third brother-in-law Yue Kang were served one after another.
Everyone sat together around the dining table.
Liu Fenlin raised her glass first and said, "Come on, let's all drink to welcome Feng Haidong and Feng Qifan to the provincial capital."
So everyone raised their glasses together, and even clinked glasses with Lu Yue's side to accommodate him.
After finishing their first drink, everyone sampled the dishes on the table.
After eating, Feng Haidong said, "Third brother-in-law's cooking skills are really good. Why don't you show off your skills when you have time after I open my shop?"
Yue Kang laughed and said, "Hai Dong, you're just joking. With you and my older sister here, why would it be my turn to show off my skills?"
Liu Fenlin said, "Don't tease your third brother-in-law on purpose. His cooking skills are okay at home, but they definitely won't be good enough for your shop."
Then Yue Kang asked, "Hai Dong, how's your shop doing?"
Feng Haidong said, "I've looked at most of them and am just waiting for the landlord to agree to the price I'm offered."
Liu Fenlin asked curiously, "How much rent are you planning to pay?"
Feng Haidong repeated the amount he had given to the landlord.
Upon hearing the amount Feng Haidong mentioned, Liu Fenlin exclaimed in surprise, "Is it that expensive? It's not even on a pedestrian street, how can it cost that much in a year?"
Yue Kang wasn't so excited. He thought about it seriously and said, "The price isn't actually that high. It might be more than double the price on the pedestrian street. Besides, there are more people doing business in the past two years, and shop rents have indeed been rising. The rent that Hai Dong negotiated is quite reasonable."
Feng Haidong said, "Third sister, those two shops are quite big. Even after deducting the kitchen and restrooms, they can still seat quite a few people. So don't think they're a bit expensive now, but as long as the business gets going, making back that money won't be a problem."
Yue Kang continued, "But Hai Dong, since those two shops are privately owned, you'd better sign a lease agreement with them. Otherwise, if they see your business is doing well and get jealous, they might raise the rent or take the shops back, which would be troublesome for you."
Feng Haidong nodded and said, "Thank you for the reminder, brother-in-law. If the landlord agrees, I'll go with him to sign a formal contract."
Yue Kang said, "Yes, it's safer to have the contract notarized."
Liu Fenlin then asked, "Haidong, how long do you plan to rent it?"
Feng Haidong said, "If the landlord agrees to the rent I offer, I've decided to rent for three years at once."
At this moment, Lu Wanling spoke up: "Are you going to rent it for that long?"
Feng Haidong looked at his wife and his third sister's family and said seriously, "When I first opened the shop, the first year was to make a name for myself. The next two years are for making big money. After three years of making money, we can move to a better location or open a branch in another place."
Liu Fenlin asked in surprise, "You're planning to open a branch?"
Feng Haidong said, "Of course, this store in the provincial capital is my first branch. My main store is in my hometown."
Yue Kang thought for a moment and asked, "Hai Dong, but if you open a branch, how can you guarantee the taste will be consistent?"
Liu Fenlin chimed in, "That's right. Once you open branches, you can't possibly cook for each one personally every day. How can you guarantee that the taste will be the same in every branch? If the taste is different, the branch business will definitely suffer."
Feng Haidong said, "So my plan is to open more branches in two or three years. At that time, I need to train trustworthy kitchen staff who can help me support the kitchens of the branches."
Hearing Feng Haidong say this, Liu Fenlin and Yue Kang nodded in agreement.
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