Wang Zhongyi and his wife played the roles of good cop and bad cop, but their ultimate goal was the same: to get the rented-out courtyard back.
Jiang Bai's lips twitched; he was somewhat speechless.
Wang Zhongyi said apologetically, "I know your business is doing well, and it would be difficult for you to move out suddenly. How about this, I'll give you half a month, and the rent for those half a month won't apply, okay?"
He stared at Zhao Yi with hopeful eyes, hoping the other would nod.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly, and under the other party's ecstatic gaze, he sneered: "Manager Wang, I think you've asked the wrong person. You should be facing Jiang Bai, not me. She opened this shop, she signed the contract, and I have no right to make the final decision on this matter."
Wang Zhongyi looked embarrassed and forced a smile: "You two are husband and wife, so your decision is Jiang Bai's decision, isn't it?"
Zhao Yi smiled and shook his head.
After the three of them sat down, Wang Zhongyi looked at Jiang Bai directly for the first time.
Jiang Bai smiled faintly, tapping the table lightly with his fingers. Only when the silence in the room reached a point where Wang Zhongyi felt uneasy did he shake his head: "What you said won't work."
"First of all, you were the one who sent Aunt Wang home on your own. If she had been living in this courtyard before, I wouldn't have rented it to her."
Wang Zhongyi quickly explained, "My mother is used to living in the countryside and isn't quite used to it here. Besides, the rent is to supplement our household income. This is something my wife insisted on, and my mother understands."
Jiang Bai shook his head: "Pushing all the responsibility onto your mother and your wife, Brother Wang, I didn't know you were so irresponsible."
Wang Zhongyi was speechless.
Jiang Bai continued, "Secondly, you and I both know that the rent you ask for is high. If it weren't for Aunt Wang's sake, I wouldn't have rented your small and poorly located courtyard."
Wang Zhongyi defended himself: "I even promoted your restaurant in my own establishment..."
“That’s true, and I appreciate it very much, but I think the extra rent I paid should cover it, right?” Jiang Bai interrupted him. “If you save the rent money and pay it to nearby stores to help with advertising, most of them would be happy to do so, wouldn’t they?”
Wang Zhongyi was filled with shame.
It's not that most people would be willing; everyone would be willing. Earning seven or eight taels of silver a month for nothing, doing such a small thing—only a fool would disagree.
Especially if Jiang Bai were placed in other shops that don't sell food, those people wouldn't even have a competitive spirit, and they would definitely advertise more and better.
At Hongding Restaurant, he specifically instructed the staff to mention it less, and to place the flyers on the counter at the entrance of the store, only explaining it to anyone who picked them up and asked about them.
—He was afraid that Jiang Bai would steal his business.
"Finally, Brother Wang, it was you who suggested renting the courtyard to me, and now you're saying you don't want to rent it anymore. My business is doing so well, and if I really move out, I don't know how much time I'll waste. You didn't even seem a little guilty just now, and you acted all magnanimous, saying you'd give me half a month to prepare, and you wouldn't charge me rent for those half a month?"
"How dare you say such a thing? Do you think I'm easy to bully?" Jiang Bai pressed on relentlessly.
Wang Zhongyi broke out in a cold sweat.
He glanced at Zhao Yi again, then stammered, "I... I thought you wouldn't care about such a small amount of money..."
"Small change?" Zhao Yi smiled thoughtfully. "I didn't know that in Master Wang's eyes, this much silver is considered small change."
Wang Zhongyi's heart skipped a beat.
He knew that Jiang Bai was no pushover for running the medicinal cuisine restaurant so successfully on her own, but as a woman, she must have many concerns about her behavior.
If she were the only one present, she certainly wouldn't dare to turn on him like this.
Now that the issue has been raised, and Madam Wang has come and made such a scene, it's basically a complete breakdown in relations.
Wang Zhongyi took a deep breath and said seriously, "Miss Jiang, what will it take for you to agree to move out?"
Jiang Bai thought for a moment and said, "Give me half of the previous rent. Don't say I'm extorting you; half is within the normal rent range."
“After renting it, I renovated the yard. At that time, I planned to do business here for a long time. Now I can’t move these materials, so I should be compensated for the expenses.”
"In addition, you must guarantee that Aunt Wang will come back to live here."
Wang Zhongyi nodded: "That's for sure. I've always wanted to bring my mother over, but she herself didn't want to."
Jiang Bai lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then didn't ask for anything else.
Wang Zhongyi said, "I agree to all these conditions, but you'd better move out in the next couple of days."
“No problem.” Jiang Bai nodded.
After seeing Wang Zhongyi off, Zhao Yi sat in a chair and glanced sideways at Jiang Bai: "What are you planning to do next?"
"Let's take a break first," Jiang Bai said after a long pause, "and learn from this experience."
Zhao Yi said, "You can't tell what they're up to, can you?"
"So what if I can tell?" Jiang Bai looked at him suspiciously. "The courtyard belongs to someone else after all. If I don't move, there are plenty of underhanded ways to force me to move. It's better to negotiate and leave now while you're here, so we can both save face."
She frankly admitted that she had taken advantage of Zhao Yi's influence, which Zhao Yi found very pleasing.
He said, "If you still want to open a medicinal cuisine restaurant, open it next door. I've already bought this house."
Jiang Bai shook his head: "I don't want to do business under someone else's name anymore, it's too restrictive."
This means you have to buy it yourself.
Zhao Yi couldn't help but say, "We're husband and wife, why are you distinguishing between you and me? Am I some other person you're talking about?"
Jiang Bai ignored him.
Seeing this, Zhao Yi sighed and compromised: "Otherwise, I'll change the property deed here to your name."
Jiang Bai waved his hand: "I don't accept charity." In reality, he wasn't short of money.
Her medicinal cuisine restaurant had been open for about half a year. Except for a slight loss in the first month, she made a fortune in the remaining months. Strictly speaking, she might not have less cash on hand than Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi didn't expect Jiang Bai to be so stubborn.
Others try every means to squeeze money out of him, so he has to be on guard at all times. Now, if he offers money to them, Jiang Bai won't accept it.
Zhao Yi thought for a moment and said, "Where will you live after you move out? Ping An and Xiao Le are both in school now, so moving back to the village isn't realistic. It's too rushed for you to start looking for a new place right now. Why don't you move in here for a few days first?"
This relieved Jiang Bai's immediate crisis.
Zhao Yi is the father of Zhao Ping'an and Zhao Xile, so he naturally has the responsibility to raise them. Jiang Bai also doesn't want to refuse Zhao Yi's kindness too often.
She nodded and said, "Okay."
Zhao Yi glanced at the sky; the sun was getting late. He quickly said, "I'll have Tan Ji find a few maids to prepare some empty rooms for you to stay in."
Seeing that Jiang Bai was about to refuse, he quickly added, "This is also for your safety."
Jiang Bai fell silent.
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