Chapter 116 No Way! (Additional update for 30 monthly tickets, third update)
Zhuang Qingning was laughing so hard and looked so unruly that Zhang Yongchang couldn't hold back his expression and burst out laughing.
"You are such a clever girl, there is nothing we can do to you."
Zhang Yongchang shook his head helplessly: "If you really want to rent this shop, then follow me. I will take you to find the owner of this shop, so that they won't ask for a price just because you are a young girl."
"Thank you, Uncle Zhang." Zhuang Qingning thanked him in a crisp and sweet voice.
"No, I did this unwillingly, so please don't thank me." Zhang Yongchang curled his lips.
"That's fine. I won't thank Uncle Zhang then. I'll just pickle more salted duck eggs for him later." Zhuang Qingning said with a smile, "When I pickled salted duck eggs yesterday, I pickled a whole jar of them. When they're done, I'll give some to Uncle Zhang to eat with his meal."
According to the rules here, salted duck eggs cannot be served on the table, but they are very suitable for eating with rice on weekdays. The pickled eggs are salty and fragrant, with a crunchy yolk, and taste no worse than salted duck eggs.
"You are still thinking about this matter." Zhang Yongchang curled his lips and said, "At least you have some conscience. If you come to eat for free in the future, I will treat you to good food and drink. Is that okay?"
"Okay, all is fine." Zhuang Qingning grinned for a long time.
After chatting and laughing, Zhuang Qingning followed Zhang Yongchang to find the owner of the shop.
The owner of the shop was originally named Jin Sanbao. After he died of illness at an old age, the land deed and house deeds of the shop were handed over to his wife, Deng.
Jin Sanbao and Deng had no sons, only two daughters, both of whom are now married and have their own families, leaving Deng as the only one left in the family.
As she was too old to do heavy work, she lived on the filial piety of her two daughters and the rent of the shop. Since Deng was the only one in the family, they lived a comfortable life.
Along the way, Zhuang Qingning roughly understood the general situation from Zhang Yongchang, and while they were talking, the two had already arrived at Deng's doorstep.
An ordinary farmyard that is very clean.
The roof seemed to have been renovated in the past two years, and the tiles looked very new. The window paper on the window frames was also replaced in the past two days. Even the stone mill in the corner of the yard, which seemed to have not been used for a long time, seemed to be wiped frequently and there was not much dust.
Deng was feeding a few chickens in cages in the yard. When she saw Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning coming over, she scooped some water from a nearby vat and washed her hands.
"Chef Zhang, what brings you here?"
The people in the town all knew each other, and Mrs. Deng also knew Zhuang Qingning. She looked at her and smiled, "Isn't this the little girl who runs the tofu stall in the town? I have to say, your tofu tastes really good. I was thinking of buying some, but at this hour, I'm afraid the tofu will be sold out. I'd better go early tomorrow."
"Mrs. Deng, I came to see you today because I want to ask if your shop is available for rent?" Zhang Yongchang didn't say any other pleasantries, but asked straight to the point.
"For rent. There's a sign hanging on the door of my shop. This shop is naturally for rent."
Deng looked back and forth between Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning, and asked with a smile, "Is this girl going to rent a shop?"
"Oh, let me tell you, you really have good taste. You like my shop. My shop has a high entrance, a grand facade, a spacious interior, and a good location. This shop is very rare in the whole town. If you come late, I'm afraid you won't be able to rent it..."
"Sister-in-law Deng."
Zhang Yongchang really couldn't bear to listen any more, so he interrupted Deng and said, "We are not here for the first time, so we don't know what's going on here. Miss Ning has been doing business in the town for a while, so she is familiar with this shop."
"Let's not talk about other things. We are all acquaintances, so it's not appropriate to talk too much. Sister Deng, just talk about the rent. Your shop is not easy to rent out. Ning is also a young girl. It's not easy for her to run a business. You should give her a lower price."
The smile on Deng's face suddenly collapsed. She put one hand on her waist and said, "What do you mean my shop is hard to rent out? Why is my shop hard to rent out? Don't believe rumors and say that no one wants my shop. Don't think that if you say my place is useless, the rent will be cheaper. I tell you, it's impossible!"
"The rent is not a small amount. You can rent it if you want. If you don't want to rent it, you can find another place. I don't need the rent for this shop. If it really doesn't work out, I will just open my own shop in the future. It's better than being annoyed by you guys all day long here!"
The shop at home has not been rented out for a long time, and people are pointing fingers at it, saying it has bad feng shui and is unlucky. It is common to get angry.
But Zhang Yongchang himself was also stubborn. He felt unhappy when Deng said that. "What? That's not what I'm talking about. Go ask around. Who in this town doesn't know about it? Sister Deng, you can't be so stubborn when doing business. You should be more flexible. Don't go after money for no reason. You'll end up with nothing!"
"You..." Deng was not willing to be outdone and was ready to have a good quarrel with Zhang Yongchang.
"Aunt Deng, Uncle Zhang, please stop arguing..."
Zhuang Qingning was quite helpless about the fact that the two started quarreling after just a few words, and could only say, "I want to rent this shop, but they booked it without saying a word and paid the rent. Aunt Deng, you should take me to have a look at the shop first."
It's not enough to just look at the outside, you have to look carefully inside.
After Zhuang Qingning said this, Zhang Yongchang and Deng felt that this was a serious matter and stopped arguing about it. Deng went back to the house to get the key and took Zhuang Qingning to check out the shop.
However, on the way, he never spoke a word to Zhang Yongchang.
Zhang Yongchang also felt that Deng was lying with open eyes, had a narrow mind, and would not even listen to the truth, so he was unwilling to talk to Deng.
So on the way, Zhuang Qingning was the only one who asked about the previous tenants.
For example, the person who runs an antique shop, what does he sell?
And where did the man who broke his leg fall?
And so on.
Deng did not hide anything and told the truth.
Antique shops sell paintings and calligraphy by famous artists, as well as various porcelain and bronze objects. The items look nice and the prices are also attractive.
As for the man who broke his leg, he only said that he fell in the shop. As for how he fell, Deng didn't see it and didn't know.
(End of this chapter)
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