"Old-fashioned, superstitious, and senile," another old man said, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan, his face full of disdain.
"If you're so capable, then throw away the pomelo leaves hanging by the door."
“That’s different. I’m just hoping for good luck, not your feudal and superstitious ideas.”
"You're the one with the most twisted logic." The old man was about to retort when he looked up and saw Xu An staring at him with bright, piercing eyes. He felt displeased and questioned in a very harsh tone, "You look a bit unfamiliar, young man. What are you doing here?"
"Sir, where is that shop you just mentioned? What's the location like? Could you take me there?"
Is he minding the shop?
The two elderly men exchanged a suspicious glance, then scrutinized Xu An for a moment. Only after confirming that the young man was alone and posed no threat did they ask, "Which agency are you with? How do you charge your fees?"
Xu An paused for a moment, then looked down at himself. He was wearing a white shirt, black suit pants, black leather shoes, and had his hair slicked back. He did look like someone who worked at a real estate agency.
Realizing that his age might not be convincing, Xu An simply went along with the old man's words and said, "Our company has just opened and is currently collecting information on shops. We will not charge any brokerage fees for any shops that are sold within this week."
No agency fees?
The old man got excited when he heard this. Since it was free, he had to grab a handful of grass, no matter what!
However, the old man, having seen much of the world, was also very wary and cautiously inquired, "No fees whatsoever throughout the process? Don't come up with some kind of referral fee or meeting fee after the deal is done."
"No, no," Xu An replied, patting his chest. "I won't take a single penny. If I really did, come find me and I'll make it up to you double."
Hearing Xu An's words, the old man felt a little relieved. He turned around and led the way, muttering to himself, "I only gave you this opportunity because you're about the same age as my grandson. Don't do anything deceitful at such a young age. When it comes time to collect money, I won't ask you to pay double. Just pay me the money."
These words left Xu An somewhat amused and exasperated. It seemed his disguise had been quite effective; the old man had truly taken him for a middleman.
After following the old man for about 300 meters, we turned into an old street.
This old street looks quite old; the cement surface is cracked and potholed, and some weeds are sprouting from these cracks. However, the street is quite spacious and can accommodate four people walking together at the same time. There are all kinds of shops on both sides of the street, mostly restaurants, offering everything from desserts and snacks to rice and noodle dishes.
The old man walked to the third shop at the street corner, took out his key, opened the roller shutter door, and invited Xu An to come in and take a look.
The shop's exterior looks a bit dilapidated, but the interior looks quite nice. I don't know if it's because it's well-maintained or because previous owners renovated it.
The walls are white, and the floor is covered with gray, glossy, dirt-resistant tiles. The entire store is square and very regular.
The shop was so clean that even a thief passing by would spit in disgust and curse.
Xu An estimated the location and figured that after pushing the two freezers to one side, there would be just enough space left to put the boxed meals, making it a perfect transit point.
"Grandpa, what's your expected rent for this shop?" Xu asked, pretending to take out his phone and take pictures of the shop inside and out.
"Let's be frank, the rent here is 3,700 yuan a month, so I'll just go with that. My shop is a little smaller than the others, but the location is good; you can see it from the street outside," the old man said very generously.
Three thousand seven hundred yuan, that price isn't expensive.
Xu An looked up at the Silver Star office building not far away and estimated the distance between them to be about 600 meters. The distance was a bit far, but still within Xu An's acceptable range.
After exchanging contact information with the old man, Xu An said goodbye and left. He sat in front of the convenience store until 5:30, then walked to the old street area to observe the flow of people there.
As soon as I reached the intersection, I saw groups of office workers passing by, as well as quite a few students in school uniforms.
Some office workers swiped their cards to enter the nearby residential area at the gate; others went to fast food restaurants on the old street to eat.
This location, this store size, perfectly meet Xu An's requirements. You're the one.
To prevent things from getting out of hand and someone else from taking advantage of him, Xu An took out his phone and called the old man.
"Hey, Uncle Chen, it's me, Xiao Xu from the real estate agency. Someone has seen the photos of this shop and is quite satisfied, and wants to rent it."
"Yes, yes, it's dry food, you know braised food, right? Yes, yes, it's selling duck necks, duck feet, duck wings and stuff like that."
"Okay, we're right at the store entrance now. You'll see me as soon as you come over."
Less than five minutes after hanging up the phone, Grandpa Chen, wearing a white vest, flip-flops, and fanning himself with a palm leaf fan, appeared before Xu An.
"Xiao Xu, why are you alone? Where's the person you said you'd watch the shop?"
Xu An flashed Chen a standard eight-tooth smile: "Uncle Chen, I'm the one who wants to rent your shop."
It seems I've tested positive again. My throat was sore all day yesterday, and I've had a low-grade fever of 37.4 degrees Celsius all day today.
(Just a spoiler: since it's just the beginning, Xu An isn't sure how much sales this braised food will have in Haishi. Once the business grows, he'll take back Zhang Dezhen's share in a reasonable way. Please be gentle with your comments.)
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