"Oh?" Xu An looked at the landlord next door with a half-smile. Since you're pretending to have amnesia, I'll play along: "I wonder how much the rent is per month, how much is the deposit and how much is paid in advance, and how much rent do you pay in one lump sum?"
Xu An said this in a teasing tone, but to his surprise, the landlord next door actually lowered his head and started thinking.
An absurd thought popped into Xu An's mind: Could they really be planning to rent the shop to me?
"Two thousand. Two thousand a month!" The landlord next door hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Three months' deposit and three months' rent in advance, payable quarterly!"
For a moment, Xu An even wondered if he had misheard.
Not long after their last unpleasant encounter, this person not only came to their door but also took the initiative to lower the price.
If the landlord had offered this price during the last negotiation, Xu An would have readily agreed. However, things are different now!
I've already rented a delicious fast food restaurant. Although the location is a bit worse than the shop next door, as a kitchen, as long as it's close by, nothing else matters.
Secondly, the delicious restaurant is fully equipped; I only spent a little over three thousand yuan to buy the whole set of equipment. All the equipment in the fast food restaurant next door was taken away. If I take over this shop, I will have to set up a whole new set of equipment.
If the landlord next door had come looking for him yesterday, Xu An would definitely have refused outright.
But the coincidence is that the landlord next door came to us after he learned that Xuguang Real Estate was going to give meal subsidies to the workers, and he was willing to take on the job for 2,000 a month.
However, judging from the landlord's appearance, the price can be negotiated down further.
"Two thousand is still too high. Sixteen thousand is better. If possible, we can sign the contract right now," Xu An said decisively.
This time, it was the landlord next door who stared wide-eyed, looking utterly incredulous, almost as if to say, "Why don't you just rob me?"
But the urgency to rent out the shop made him swallow those words.
"Mr. Xu, I'm not greedy. How about 1900 a month? If you can accept that, we can sign the contract immediately."
"Let's compromise. 1,800 a month, anything higher is out of the question." Xu An pointed to the construction site across the street and said, "You know business is tough here right now. If the rent goes any higher, we'll lose money."
The landlord next door looked at the construction site across the street, then at Xu An, and then at the nearby shops, and finally agreed.
"Okay, 1800 it is!"
The two went to a nearby print shop and printed out the contract.
Because the landlord had a history of changing his mind, Xu An wrote a clause in the contract: the lease term is two years, the rent is 1,800 yuan per month, and either party who breaches the contract shall pay three times the deposit as compensation.
The landlord was also worried that Xu An might think the business wasn't doing well and would quit after two months, so he had no objection to this clause.
Yes, Xu An had no objection to depositing three months' rent this time.
If the landlord chooses to breach the contract and take back the house, he'll have to pay himself a hefty sum, so we won't lose out.
The contract was signed, and the fast food restaurant next door is now the third branch of Xu's Fast Food Restaurant.
At the hotel.
After watching her nephew and niece-in-law complete all the wedding ceremonies, Aunt He finally felt she had finished her task and could sit down for a proper meal and chat.
As we chatted, the topic turned to everyone's retirement life.
Some people lead extremely colorful retirement lives, traveling all over the country to visit tourist attractions and enjoy delicious food.
Some people's retirement life is filled with children and grandchildren, and they go to take care of their sons and daughters' children;
But many others, like Aunt He, have grandchildren who are already in elementary school and don't need much care anymore, leaving them with plenty of free time.
"Sister He, what have you been busy with lately? You look healthier and have gained a little weight."
"Oh, me? I found an easy job, two or three hours a day, and it even includes lunch. It's good for earning some pocket money and passing the time." Hearing someone praise her for looking good, Aunt He felt pleased and unconsciously reached out to touch her face.
"Wow! Sister He, you really know how to manage a household." The man gave Aunt He a thumbs up and then asked, "Which hotel is it? Do they need any more staff? Do you think I'm suitable?"
“It’s not a hotel.” Aunt He smiled and waved her hands repeatedly. “It’s just a fast food restaurant. There are less than ten people in total. We’re not hiring part-time workers right now. Everyone has to work full-time.”
Upon hearing that it was a fast food restaurant, the person abandoned the idea, then seemed to remember something and asked, "Sister He, so you had lunch at this fast food restaurant?"
Aunt He nodded directly, not feeling that there was anything wrong with it.
Several people at the table looked surprised and offered their advice.
"Fast food restaurants are unhealthy. Look at those news reports—gutter oil, expired food, and substandard hygiene. It might be okay once or twice, but if you eat there every day, you're going to ruin your health!"
"Yes, there was a news report a few days ago about construction workers getting food poisoning after eating at a fast food restaurant!"
Aunt He wore a polite smile and nodded no matter what anyone said, saying "Yes, yes, yes," "That's right," "That's right," as if she were completely unmoved by anyone's words.
You can say whatever you want; whether I listen or not is my business.
After the banquet ended and Aunt He left, the group gathered together to discuss the matter.
The final decision was made—for He Gu's health, she must be "reformed"!
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