Chapter 41 A New Beginning: Taking a Crucial Step...
The next day, Fu Yun's fever subsided, and she felt much better.
After he and Su Mang helped Lu Zhisheng set up the mourning hall, they boarded a carriage that Su Mang had temporarily rented and left, returning to Su Mang's childhood home.
Fu Yun stayed in the house to rest for a day. After feeling much better, she quickly called Su Mang to go to Ya'an Street together.
The two spent half a day strolling around several streets, first familiarizing themselves with the main thoroughfares of Lingzhou City, before going to the broker to inquire about shop rental matters.
Currently, there is not much money available for flexible use. In addition, the planned beverage shop will only sell milk tea drinks and not desserts or pastries. Therefore, it will only be available for customers to take away and will not be prepared for dine-in.
As for comprehensive projects that consume a lot of money, such as hotels, restaurants, and leisure and entertainment, they are not in the plans for the initial stage of starting a business.
We must wait until we have sufficient working capital and strong financial strength before starting.
Fu Jun wanted to rent a very small shop, just big enough for five or six people to move around in.
Considering that every time he stepped forward to negotiate, it would always cause unnecessary controversy, he decided not to deal with the broker himself, but to let Su Mang handle the negotiations while he stood aside and listened in, in case the broker took advantage of his position and tried to inflate the shop rent.
After scanning the market, the two approached a broker who seemed reliable.
This is an elderly woman with arched willow-leaf eyebrows, a classic oval face, and well-proportioned features; one can still vaguely discern her youthful charm.
Her temples were gray, and her face bore the marks of time. She had crescent-shaped eyes that seemed to smile at everyone, giving off a very easygoing and approachable vibe.
But upon closer inspection, one will find that the smile in her eyes does not reach her eyes; there is a faint, unreal glint in her eyes that obscures the cunning and shrewdness that were originally there.
As a prominent figure in the business world, Fu Yun could naturally tell at a glance that this person was a shrewd and experienced individual.
Dealing with experienced people is less tiring; they don't just focus on immediate gains but have a longer-term perspective.
While Fu Yun was observing the manipulator, the manipulator was also scrutinizing him and Su Mang.
The broker first greeted them warmly, then quickly and subtly sized up Su Mang and Fu Yun.
Seeing that Fu Yun had a handsome face, an outstanding temperament, and was refined and noble, they guessed that he must be a young master from a wealthy family. The woman standing behind him was also quite beautiful, but her temperament was not outstanding. She was probably a servant or manager who brought the young master out to play and gain experience, and to broaden his horizons.
Young masters from wealthy families rarely show their faces in public. They mostly stay at home, except for the occasional outing to relax. They are not allowed to leave at will.
The family's farmland, land deeds, shops, and other assets were always managed by the eldest daughters of noble birth, and the male members of the family were never allowed to get involved. Even if he was occasionally taken out to see the world, it was only to let him watch the excitement.
After observing the situation, the broker had a plan in mind. All he needed to do now was persuade the woman beside the young master, and he wouldn't have to worry about renting the shop out at a high price.
Seeing that the broker had been looking at her for a moment without saying anything, Su Mang took the initiative to tell the broker about the rental requests that Fu Yun had discussed with her.
Unexpectedly, the broker shook his head with a serious expression, his usually amiable face revealing a thoughtful look, as if he felt that Su Mang's request was not quite appropriate.
If you didn't notice the subtle glint in her eyes, the newbie who had just entered the mall might have ended up on the defensive as soon as they started negotiating.
Without hesitation, she struck while the iron was hot, putting on a show of boasting to Su Mang, saying that every shop rented out from her was a booming business, and every single one of them made a fortune.
Fearing Su Mang might not believe her, she cited several other businesses as examples, emphasizing the small tavern that opened last year in the center of Ya'an Street. Located in a bustling area with heavy foot traffic, it was extremely popular, yet it was always poorly served, causing customers to leave disappointed.
The most direct reason is that the other party was only concerned with maintaining stability and did not consider that the area was the most bustling place in Lingzhou City, with a constant flow of people. The merchant only rented a very small jewelry shop and then converted it into a small tavern. As a result, many people who went to drink and eat could not be seated, resulting in the loss of a lot of customers and inadvertently offending many customers.
When she finally decided to change to a larger restaurant, there were no shops or restaurants left in prime locations.
She dared not risk changing the shop's location, fearing that a secluded spot would affect her business. She could only regret it every day, missing out on opportunities to make a fortune.
Finally, the broker concluded that if one wants to run a shop, the shop space must be large enough. The larger the space, the more impressive it will be, and the better the luck will be. Business will surely prosper, and wealth will flow in. If the shop is too small, it will not be able to hold the wealth and will not be conducive to making money.
After listening to the broker's long-winded explanation, Fu Jun merely curled the corners of his lips and remained silent with a faint smile.
Su Mang was stunned by the words of the broker.
After all, when she was at the Su residence, she was just an ordinary servant who guarded the courtyard and prevented thieves from entering. She had never been involved in any business related to the Su family's shops. Therefore, this was the first time she had faced such a situation. The broker's reasonable and well-founded explanation left her dumbfounded. She was a little hesitant and kept turning to look at Fu Yun.
The broker was somewhat surprised by this situation. He hadn't expected that a young master who was still young and likely to be married off would have such a high status in his family. The person in charge couldn't make decisions directly and had to ask for his opinion.
She immediately adjusted her strategy, focusing her attention on Fu Yun, and said with a smile, "This young master has an outstanding appearance, is extraordinary and otherworldly, like a celestial being descended from heaven. He is truly destined for great wealth and honor, and is blessed with riches and fortune. He will surely be protected by the God of Wealth and enjoy a life of glory and wealth."
Seeing that the broker had practically exhausted all his knowledge to praise him to the skies, Fu Yun couldn't help but chuckle and quipped, "In your line of work, do we also have to learn to read faces?"
The man with the tooth was slightly taken aback, and opened his mouth as if to say something.
Fu Yun waved her hand and stopped her with a light laugh: "I appreciate you spending so much time sharing these businesses' stories with us, but I'm sorry, my situation is completely different from theirs, so it's not a valid reference."
The broker frowned slightly, but did not show any displeasure. Instead, his eyes deepened a little. Knowing that Fu Jun had more to say, he did not respond and waited for him to finish speaking.
Fu Yun continued, "To be honest, what we're going to open isn't a tavern, a restaurant, or an inn, but a small shop where you don't need to sit down to eat and can just grab what you need and go. It's similar to the kind of small tavern we often talk about, but mine will be more convenient. You won't need to weigh the goods or bring your own wine pot. You can just pay with one hand and take the goods with the other."
The broker paused, seemingly intrigued by Fu Yun's words, and pressed for details: "What exactly do you intend to sell?"
Instead of answering, Fu Jun asked, "Have you heard anyone mention in the past few days that there's a drink stall at the fork in the road at the end of Ya'an Street that sells sweet and novel drinks?"
The broker's pupils dilated slightly, quite surprised: "Could it be that the tea that has been making headlines these past few days, hailed by everyone as a heavenly delicacy, is the one you're selling?"
Fu Yun nodded and readily admitted, "That's right, it's us. So to put it bluntly, our needs are very simple: a smaller shop that is more practical, and of course, more open space in front of the shop would be even better."
The broker looked enlightened, then, as if remembering something, a pleasant smile appeared in his eyes: "My two granddaughters, who are always picky eaters, have been full of praise for your tea."
Fu Jun smiled slightly and suggested, "Our drinks are suitable for all ages. You can try them if you have the chance."
The broker's eyes flickered, realizing he had been daydreaming. He coughed, quickly straightened up, and asked somewhat unwillingly, "What if your business is booming and the standing area is too small, leaving no place for customers to queue? What will you do then?"
Fu Yun said, "Wouldn't it be even better if business was booming? Then let's open another branch in another location. If one store isn't enough, then let's have two, and so on."
Before the broker could respond, he added, "Don't worry, when my family opens a branch, I'll come back to you to rent a shop. Our opportunities to cooperate will only increase. So I hope you can give me an honest rent, based on the current market price, neither too much nor too little, so that we can continue our cooperation in the future. Otherwise, I'll have to ask your other business partners."
Upon hearing this, the broker's eyebrows twitched. He knew that although the other party was young, he was not to be underestimated. In the past two days, he had heard many people say that the new beverage stall owner at the street corner was a very eloquent person who had made his tea drinks widely known in just a few days and had found a shop so quickly.
It's easy to see that he has a good business sense and is a natural businessman; we absolutely cannot let this business opportunity slip away.
Although the shop he wants right now is small, it wouldn't be bad if the quantity is large.
Thinking of this, the broker readily agreed: "Okay, I can give you a fair price, but you have to keep your word and rent shops from me from now on."
Fu Yun smiled with satisfaction: "Deal."
After the two parties reached an agreement, Fu Yun did not participate in the subsequent on-site inspection of the shop and the specific matters of finalizing the lease agreement with the landlord, but left them to Su Mang to handle.
Fu Yun was responsible for providing new product development, marketing strategies, and operational management, while Su Mang and Lu Zhisheng were in charge of running the store. He had many important things to follow up on and implement.
Opening a beverage shop was just the first step into the business district, but it was a crucial first step. It would be a brand new starting point, and a new key for him to unlock the door to commerce in a completely different capacity. Taking advantage of the early hour, he bought some small gifts for his visit and hurried to the General's Mansion.
Time was of the essence; with only two days left until his meeting with the Empress, he needed to quickly check with General Qian to see how the workers he had asked her to find were progressing and whether the previously mentioned vacant space had been secured.
Just as he arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion, whether by coincidence or not, he heard General Qian's slightly surprised voice behind him: "Young Master Su, what brings you here?"
Fu Yun looked back and saw two figures at the intersection not far ahead. The one in the lead was General Qian, who was full of vigor. The person behind her was not clearly visible due to obstructed vision, but he was probably a deputy general who served with General Qian.
As the distance closed, Fu Yun was surprised to find that the person behind General Qian was not a deputy general, but Ye Lan, the commander of the Imperial Guards, who was dressed in a black outfit and looked somewhat like someone in night clothes.
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