Chapter 81 Delicious Snack Shop
Song Xinran had wanted to buy a house for a long time, but she was limited by not having enough money in the past. Later, after she made money, she always paid attention to real estate transaction information in the town.
However, there are still too few people selling houses, and the overall real estate market in the town is not active enough. Moreover, Song Xinran is quite picky about houses. She wants to live in the house herself, so she is particular about the age of the house, its location, and its size. This makes it even more difficult to find a suitable house.
Song Xinran is very satisfied with her current place. The house has two bedrooms, which may seem small to an ordinary family, since a large family would need at least three bedrooms to live together.
Nowadays, houses are generally built to a larger area. For example, in Song Xinran's previous life, a two-bedroom apartment was mostly 60 or 70 square meters, but the place she lives in now is more than 80 square meters, and there is no shared area. Even the kitchen is wider than the small living room in some of the houses in her previous life.
After renting the room, Song Xinran did some simple renovations. She didn't have high requirements for the living environment; she didn't need it to be elegant or beautiful, just convenient. The furniture and appliances she bought later were all for the convenience of life.
So it's getting more and more comfortable to live in, but moving is also a hassle. It's not good to ask Wanmei if she's selling her house. If she is, she'll definitely tell her first.
Song Xinran never expected that this would actually happen, and she immediately wanted to buy it.
Wan Mei was also surprised to hear this, but then smiled and said, "Xinran, it's of course best if you want to buy it. I don't need to bother to keep track of the market. I'll just tell you the selling price directly, the lowest is 22,000."
Song Xinran had already learned about the real estate market in Lingde Town. On this street, a house of this size would cost around 20,000 yuan. Other influencing factors included the house's decoration and the floor level.
The decoration of Wanmei's room was considered acceptable, and it was on the first floor, which was considered a very good floor at that time.
Song Xinran had known Wan Mei for a year. From the moment Wan Mei rented the house to her, she knew that Wan Mei was a person who would rather have nothing than something bad. After thinking for a moment, she nodded: "Okay, Sister Wan Mei."
Wan Mei was stunned for a few seconds by her very straightforward words. Her first thought was whether she had quoted too low a price.
After all, buying and selling a house is a big deal, and a little bargaining can save hundreds or thousands of dollars. Although Wan Mei has a regular job and a decent income, the thought that she might be losing money still made her hesitate.
However, Wan Mei must have known about the prices before selling the house. The bottom price she quoted must be the bottom price. She also had a good impression of Song Xinran and knew that Song Xinran was a young woman struggling to make a living with a child, so she wouldn't cheat her in this matter.
But it was too straightforward... Wan Mei felt a little uneasy about it.
As a businesswoman, Song Xinran naturally understood Wan Mei's thoughts and hesitated before saying, "But Sister Wan Mei..."
Wan Mei: "What's wrong?"
"Can we discuss the transfer fee for the house?" Song Xinran frowned slightly, looking somewhat conflicted. "To be honest, Sister Wanmei, the price of this house is still beyond my budget. But I know you're a straightforward person, and the price you quoted is reasonable. I don't want to keep arguing about the price. We've known each other for so long. It's just that the various fees for the house transfer add up to two or three thousand, which is really too high."
Song Xinran spoke very sincerely, directly stating her views and needs.
She knew Wanmei's character. If she had haggled over the price from the beginning, Wanmei might have felt that she hadn't lost money selling the item, but Wanmei might not have sold it to her at all.
From what Wan Mei said at the beginning, Song Xinran knew that Wan Mei was not in a hurry to sell, otherwise she would not have said that it would not be easy to find a buyer and told her to live there with peace of mind.
Therefore, Song Xinran agreed to Wan Mei's offer, and then, seeing Wan Mei's expression, made some other requests.
Wan Mei thought for a moment and said, "Actually, you don't need to pay taxes if you don't go through the transfer process, but since you want to go through the Minglu Road, I will definitely agree."
When Song Xinran made this request, Wan Mei couldn't help but have a slight opinion in her mind. These days, how could the transfer tax be split 50/50? However, at the same time, she felt a little more at ease, as if this proved that she hadn't sold at a loss.
The next moment, Wan Mei changed the subject again: "However, these taxes have always been paid by the buyer."
Song Xinran sighed: "Sister Wanmei, I know you are a capable person, so I didn't try to negotiate the price at first, but this tax... sigh."
Wan Mei felt a little guilty again. She already felt apologetic to Song Xinran for changing the policy over the New Year, but any apology was less effective when it came to money.
Wan Mei thought for a moment and said, "Xinran, I don't want anything in this house, so you don't need to pack. You know the gas stove I installed before was a brand name one, so I'll just leave it to you. That way, it'll be easier for you, but the price is non-negotiable."
Song Xinran said, "Thank you, Sister Wanmei. I'll go back and think about it, and see if I can scrape together enough money. I'll talk to you again tomorrow."
Wan Mei nodded: "Okay, take your time to think about it. Anyway, the lease on this house still has more than 20 days left, so I'll hold it for you for those 20 days."
Song Xinran thanked her and went home.
As soon as they entered the room, Song Yu ran up to her and asked, "What were Mom and Aunt Wan talking about?"
He knew that Aunt Wan was their landlady, but they didn't meet very often.
Song Xinran smiled and asked, "Does Xiao Yu like our current home?"
Song Yu nodded quickly: "I like it!"
But then, as if remembering something, he quietly raised his eyes and whispered, "Mom, are we moving?"
Song Xinran chuckled and patted Song Yu's hair: "It's not that we're moving, it's that Mom is going to buy this place, and it will be our real home from now on."
Song Yu's eyes widened in disbelief as she clung to Song Xinran's arm and asked, "Really, Mom? Is this our own home?"
"Of course."
Song Yu jumped up with joy: "Yay!"
After a while, Song Xinran found him cleaning. He was using a washcloth that used to be a face towel, now a hand towel, to wipe the table, benches, and bedside table. He was always very serious when he worked, wiping the tabletops until they were shiny and bright.
Song Xinran waited two days before replying to Wan Mei, saying that she had scraped together enough money to buy it, and asked when Wan Mei would be free to go and transfer the ownership together.
Wan Mei said, "Tomorrow will do."
In fact, Wan Mei had been feeling a little uneasy these past two days. Song Xinran was really a good buyer. You could tell just by looking at how she had rented the house for a year. She took good care of the furniture, was very clean, had good character, and had never been late with rent.
Wan Mei was naturally willing to sell to Song Xinran, and found it very convenient. However, if they couldn't agree on a price, there was nothing she could do, as this was her bottom line.
Wan Mei was finally reassured after receiving a call from Song Xinran.
The next day, Song Xinran gave the money to Wan Mei, and the two went to complete the property transfer together. Wan Mei smiled and said, "Xinran, that house is yours now. It's a good place, and you'll definitely have a better life there."
"Thank you, Sister Wanmei." Song Xinran thought to herself, this is getting better and better.
The house price was exactly the same as Wan Mei's initial offer, but today Wan Mei's face was full of relaxation and happiness. Song Xinran wanted to laugh a little. Sure enough, the tricks worked. She made some demands on the price and hesitated for two days. Wan Mei definitely wouldn't feel that she had sold it at a loss.
When the new property certificate was issued, Song Xinran showed it to Song Yu.
The little cub's eyes were full of amazement. He gently touched the certificate and mimicked the crow, saying, "Property ownership certificate!"
He looked up at Song Xinran, his eyes shining brightly: "Mom is so amazing! We have our own house now!"
Song Xinran smiled and said, "We'll have our own shop in the future."
Song Yu already understands a lot, and said in a childish voice, "Yes, there is, a mala tang shop."
Song Xinran said, "I meant other shops."
Song Yu's eyes widened, and he thought his mother was truly the most amazing person in the world. This left a deep impression on his young mind, and it made him like to run various businesses after he grew up and made money.
*
Now that Song Xinran has some money left after buying a house, she plans to buy another shop near the Third Middle School. She will continue to sell snacks like Bobo Chicken and Oden, but she will diversify the variety.
There isn't a single milk tea shop in town yet, but Song Xinran knows that milk tea will become popular everywhere in the future, especially among young girls. With a school nearby, there's a steady stream of young customers. She can add milk tea to her snack shop, but these days, milk tea isn't handmade; it's made directly from milk tea powder.
However, Song Xinran had this idea but could not implement it because she could not find a suitable store.
Businesses on this street near the Third Middle School are doing quite well. As long as the products sold there are of high quality, it's very easy to build a loyal customer base.
However, Song Xinran was very patient and waited until she saw a shop with a "For Sale" sign. It used to be a braised meat shop, which had only been open for about half a year.
The timing is quite subtle; it was around the time Song Xinran opened her shop after her braised meat business had been thriving.
Song Xinran wasn't bothered or unhappy about this at all. Braised meat is a very common type of food. The reason she was able to do so well was firstly because the taste was good, and secondly because she only set up her stall on market days, and the quantity was limited, which was almost a kind of scarcity marketing. But Song Xinran really didn't do any marketing; she relied on word of mouth.
She knew all along that Lingde Town wasn't very big, and if a new shop opened, everyone would see it. Seeing that other people's businesses were doing well, she wanted to give it a try too, but whether she could keep it open depended on her own abilities.
When Song Xinran saw the "For Sale" sign, she contacted the owner. The owner initially asked for a hefty 25,000 yuan, but it was a very small shop, only about 20 or 30 square meters. With the counter, there were two or three small tables, which was about the same size as many of the street-side milk tea shops that Song Xinran had seen in her previous life.
Song Xinran refused immediately, convinced that no one would buy at that price. She then ignored the owner for a few days and asked a stranger to inquire about the price again. Sure enough, the price dropped to 20,000. However, Song Xinran felt that the price was still inflated, so she called a professional to negotiate with the owner. Finally, the price was set at 17,500.
This price is considered normal market price, so Song Xinran didn't hesitate, signed the contract with the boss, and paid.
At this moment, Song Xinran remembered her mala tang shop, which was twice the size of this place. She bought it for less than 20,000 yuan back then, which was a real bargain.
To her surprise, on the day she signed the contract, the boss recognized her as soon as he saw her: "Aren't you the one who wanted to buy my shop the first time that day?"
Song Xinran smiled brightly and said, "Yes, boss, you have a really good memory."
"Here's the final payment, please count it. We should go and complete the property transfer today." She handed the cash to the shop owner.
A deposit of one thousand yuan is required, with a penalty of three times the amount if the contract is breached.
The shop owner immediately felt he had sold at a loss, thinking that Song Xinran must really want to buy his shop, but was unwilling to pay the penalty for breach of contract, so they went to complete the transfer together. However, she kept sighing and complaining along the way, and kept saying how great her shop was.
Song Xinran wanted to roll her eyes. If the shop wasn't only 20 or 30 meters away from where she usually set up her stall, making it easy to attract regular customers, she would have thought twice.
However, Lingde Town will vigorously develop its tourism industry in the future, and these shops will be able to usher in another spring in at most twenty years.
As for why it's twenty years later, it's because Song Xinran doesn't know exactly when things will develop. The original text doesn't explicitly mention a timeframe either, so she can only speculate based on Song Yu's age when he grows up.
However, it's good that there's a future. Unlike countless remote towns in China, which have become increasingly desolate as urbanization accelerates and people flock to big cities, with few pedestrians even at market days, the shops and houses in the town are basically worthless.
After buying the shop, Song Xinran put some effort into the renovation. However, compared to when she first renovated the mala tang shop, she is now much more at ease.
Money is a person's greatest source of confidence. When she bought the mala tang shop, she didn't have much money left. The renovation funds were all invested from the profits of the day's business. Now she has savings, and she can use better renovation materials.
After the renovation was completed, Song Xinran moved the stall to a shop. The shop's name remained simple and unpretentious: "Delicious Snack Shop." Below the sign, some of the main items were listed: Bobo Chicken, Oden, and Milk Tea.
In addition to these three items, Song Xinran also purchased a sausage grilling machine. This requires no technical skills at all; the machine flips automatically, and all she has to do is grill the sausages and skewer them for the students. The profit margin is not low.
On the opening day of the new store, Song Xinran also held an event where customers who spent more than ten yuan could drink milk tea for free.
Song Xinran has been setting up a stall at the entrance of No. 3 Middle School for about a year and has already made a name for herself. She told the students in advance that she was going to open a shop, so everyone easily found her after school.
Opening a shop is definitely better than setting up a stall. There are more places to sit, so students won't have to stand and eat after buying something, or eat while walking, or take it back to school to eat.
No matter the weather, we can enjoy Bo Bo Chicken every day now. In the past, Song Xinran would not set up her stall if it rained heavily, as she was quite concerned about her health.
Regular customers and students were surprised when they arrived at the store. Although it was not large, the decoration was very elegant, neat and clean.
Since the snack shop's target audience is mainly students, Song Xinran put a lot of effort into the decoration. For example, she bought some small ornaments to make it look exquisite, and various cartoon food patterns were pasted on the white walls. The overall color scheme used light blue and mostly white, and the tables were also made of natural wood.
People are used to looking at the signboard first. They are already familiar with Bo Bo Chicken, but milk tea... what is that?
Students who live in the town year-round have never been exposed to the concept of milk tea; when they see the two words, they can only associate them with the combination of milk and tea.
However, some students who had been to big cities were shocked to find that milk tea was actually sold in Lingde Town.
"Aunt Song, is this real milk tea?" A girl wearing the No. 3 Middle School uniform asked Song Xinran in disbelief.
Song Xinran thought to herself that if it were compared to the milk tea she used to drink in her previous life, it wouldn't be considered real. However, in this day and age, having a milk tea shop is already quite novel.
She nodded and smiled, saying, "It's real milk tea. When I went to the city, I saw a milk tea shop and arranged for it to be served there so that my classmates could try it out."
The girl let out a scream: "Ah! Aunt Song, you're so kind! I love milk tea the most, but I haven't seen it in Lingde Town! Is it really free if you spend ten yuan or more?"
The girl was still in disbelief that a cup of milk tea cost two yuan in the city!
Song Xinran nodded: "Of course."
The girl immediately pulled out her money: "I want to buy ten yuan's worth of Bo Bo Chicken!"
Anyway, everyone who comes to the store is going to eat Bo Bo Chicken, but I didn't originally plan to buy this much. But who can resist buying when they see free milk tea being offered!
The girl did some mental math: if you convert the milk tea into money, it's two yuan, which means the ten-yuan pot-boiled chicken is only eight yuan, which is a 20% discount!
You know, Bo Bo Chicken has always been a bestseller near the school, and it's never been discounted before. Today is a real steal!
Seeing her excited expression, the female classmate couldn't help but ask, "What is milk tea?"
The girl said, "It's a really delicious drink, with lots of flavors. It's a very trendy and fashionable thing in the city!"
As the girl thought of something, she asked, "Aunt Song, what flavors of milk tea do you have here?"
Song Xinran pointed to the sign: "They're all on the sign."
The girl was stunned when she saw it. Strawberry, taro, cantaloupe, chocolate, apple, grape... all kinds of flavors were available, almost like in the city!
I want taro flavor!
"Okay." Chen Jingfang replied and went to make milk tea. Milk tea is very simple nowadays. Just scoop out a spoonful of the corresponding powder according to the flavor you ordered, pour in hot water, add a spoonful of tapioca pearls, and a cup of milk tea is ready.
Chen Jingfang had been trained by Song Xinran long ago. Although she wasn't very good at cooking, she could easily make milk tea.
The girl took a big gulp of her milk tea, a look of deep satisfaction on her face: "It's so delicious, it tastes just like the one I drink in the city!"
Song Xinran thought to herself, "Isn't it the same taste? I even bought the milk tea powder in the city."
Students who recognized it immediately gathered around. Many of them were seeing milk tea for the first time and were very curious: "What does it taste like? Is it good?"
The girl said, "Why don't you go buy it yourself and you'll find out?"
After learning about the trendy nature of milk tea from the girls, everyone couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon and bought some "钵钵鸡" (a type of Sichuan hot pot chicken). If they didn't have enough money, they would buy ten yuan worth with their friends so they could get a free cup of milk tea.
Students at No. 3 Middle School have weekly journal assignments, and this week several students wrote the same content in their journals:
"I had milk tea this week. I heard it's a drink only available in big cities... This is the first time I've ever tasted milk tea..."
The students at the central primary school were not as wealthy as the junior high school students, but after hearing the junior high school students' introduction to milk tea, they also became very interested. Those who didn't have money pooled their resources together, and together they had ten yuan. They drank milk tea together, taking sips from each other, and everyone got to taste it. They were having a great time.
Although Ding Sisi and her classmates have graduated, and no one is promoting Song Xinran's Bo Bo Chicken anymore, it has become a well-known delicacy.
"The food that everyone from the previous year liked is really good!"
"No wonder I come here every time after school, it's really delicious."
In the eyes of the new sixth-grade students, Bo Bo Chicken is a valuable informational legacy left to them by the previous class.
On the first day of the new store's opening, Song Xinran prepared a lot of Bo Bo Chicken, but it still didn't last long. Some students who wanted to try the milk tea were very disappointed because the Bo Bo Chicken was sold out: "Auntie, will you sell milk tea in the future? Or is it only free when you buy Bo Bo Chicken?"
Song Xinran said, "Today is our opening promotion. Spend ten yuan and get a free milk tea. The promotion ends tomorrow, and the milk tea will be sold as usual for one yuan and fifty cents a cup."
The price is 50 cents cheaper than in the city, but it's still not cheap for students who don't have much pocket money. However, milk tea is a very novel thing, so everyone is still willing to try it.
After selling out and closing the shop, Chen Jingfang remarked with great emotion, "I didn't expect these students to be so wealthy."
When Song Xinran suggested adding milk tea, Chen Jingfang thought that a drink costing 1.5 yuan a cup was a bit expensive. She clearly underestimated the students' pursuit of fashion.
Song Xinran said, "When new products come out, they always want to try them. But our focus is still on Bo Bo Chicken."
Milk tea is popular because it's novel and trendy, but it's not something that can be replicated or replaced. Whoever sees this trend first and buys the powder to make it will make money first. So let her make the money.
After all, if you only sell Bo Bo Chicken when you open a snack shop, it seems too monotonous. It's better to prepare a few more easy-to-make items, which are simple to prepare and can also increase income.
Chen Jingfang nodded: "I understand."
The new store was very crowded for the first few days, with milk tea sales even surpassing those of "钵钵鸡" (a type of Sichuan hot pot chicken). However, the situation gradually stabilized after a week, and milk tea sales declined significantly.
Song Xinran knew this was perfectly normal; she had also drunk milk tea and found it to have no particularly outstanding taste or flavor.
A week is enough time for all the students who want to try it to buy it, but because it's close to the school, it won't sell too badly in a short period of time.
Bo Bo Chicken is the restaurant's evergreen favorite. With its fresh, fragrant, spicy and numbing taste, it has become a student's favorite. Although this favorite may be taken over by other delicacies from time to time, it can never be replaced.
That day, Song Xinran approached Ge Xia. Over the past year, she had taught Ge Xia how to cook some home-style dishes. However, Ge Xia focused more on the mala tang (spicy hot pot). She showed a more meticulous approach to her work and did not maintain the status quo just because the mala tang business was good. Instead, she would adjust the flavors herself to suit different tastes.
Song Xinran got straight to the point: "Xiaoxia, you've already made a great mala tang soup base. Today I'll teach you how to make braised dishes."
Ge Xia is hardworking, conscientious, and upright. She also has a talent for cooking. Song Xinran brought her out of the countryside and wanted to teach her more.
That way, even if she leaves the town in the future, Ge Xia can still support these shops.
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