Renting a Shop

 

Jing YiJing Yi prefers the second one. As for the first one, let’s not mention it. The surrounding neighbors have little purchasing power, directly affecting the shop’s turnover. The third one is good for doing business, but Jing YiJing Yi is worried about Jing’s mother or Xiao Shu coming to help in the shop.

 

Actually, the location of the second one is quite advantageous. Although it’s located at the end of the east side of the main road, it’s not far from the harbour. Many people from the harbour used to come to the town to eat, and some of them come here.

 

Moreover, this place is the must-pass route from the harbour to the town.

 

And the most crucial point is that although this shop has a high asking price, according to the background introduced by the intermediary, the landlord is the most hassle-free.

 

This shop used to do a business of noodles. The owner is kind and enthusiastic, with many regular customers, and the family is well-off.

 

The owner is quite visionary, sending his son to study in a private school for a few years and later using connections to send him to work in Qingzhou.

 

I heard that he recently obtained a good job in Qingzhou Prefecture, and relying on his abilities, he has already bought a house and settled down in Qingzhou. After settling down, he plans to bring his parents over to enjoy their lives, and they won’t come back again. So, he is either renting or selling this yard.

 

As long as it doesn’t go below the price set by the landlord, the intermediary can make the final decision.

 

Jing YiJing Yi thinks that as a modern person who transmigrated to ancient times, it is reassuring to live in one’s own house. When he earns money from buying and selling, he definitely wants to purchase this shop.

 

After explaining the situation of the three shops to his parents, Jing’s father and mother also lean towards the second one, without any other reason, just for the sake of safety.

 

Their roots are in Xiwan Village, and they can be considered unrelated and without background in the town, even though they have cooperation with Jixiange Pavilion. But it’s not good to bother shopkeeper Huang, whenever there’s an issue. So, it’s best to cut off any potential instability at the source.

 

(T/N: Jixiange Pavillion and Jixiange restaurant are one and the same.)

 

As for the increased cost of three to four taels of silver per year, their family now earns nearly two taels of silver each month. They can work harder and earn it back.

 

The people in the village are not afraid of putting in effort.

 

Since they have already made a decision, to avoid unnecessary delays, Jing’s father and Jing YiJing Yi bring money and wait for the stall to close the next day before going to find the intermediary.

 

“Zhang San, it’s me, Jing YiJing Yi. I’ve come to trouble you again.” Jing YiJing Yi enters the intermediary’s shop and sees Zhang San, the intermediary, talking with a few other people. He greets them loudly.

 

“Jing, my brother! And this must be uncle Jing. Have you made a decision?” Zhang San, seeing a business opportunity, immediately switches to a professional mode and warmly welcomes Jing’s father and Jing YiJing Yi.

 

“Yes, after analyzing it later, we thought the one on the east side of the main road should be given top priority. Could you please take us to have a look again?” Jing YiJing Yi performs a cupped-hand salute and smiles as he speaks to Zhang San.

 

“No need to be so polite! Not troublesome at all! Let’s go!” Zhang San nods and happily takes the keys.

 

He’s happy when business comes his way. He is just an ordinary intermediary, and it’s not his turn to handle important transactions. Normally, he only deals with renting shops and houses like this.

 

For Jing YiJing Yi, even if it’s only renting for a little over ten taels of silver a year, it’s not a small deal for him. So, he is extremely courteous and even helps Jing’s father lift the curtain when they leave.

 

The intermediary’s shop is also on the main road, not far from that shop, and it only takes about fifteen minutes to walk there.

 

Along the way, Zhang San once again introduces the landlord’s information and the structure of the shop to Jing’s father. Although the content of the conversation is dry and boring, Zhang San’s eloquence brings out the fun, making Jing’s father laugh heartily.

 

“Uncle, take a look, it’s this one. How is it? The shop is elegant and new! I’m not exaggerating, right?” Zhang San shows off as he introduces it to Jing’s father.

 

Indeed, this shop faces north and south and has two doors. The door is on the east side and is designed to be wide, making the entrance very transparent. When the door is opened, the shop is well-lit, making it very suitable for business.

 

The entire shop is square-shaped, so on this side facing the main street, there are also two windows, each consisting of two opening windows. The windows are currently sealed with wooden boards, but one can imagine that when the windows are opened, it will definitely appear spacious and bright.”

 

The shop is actually not small, about 20 square meters. It has some tables and chairs, and although they are not new, they are clean and tidy, indicating that the owner takes good care of them. The landlord said that if they rent the shop, these things will be given to them.

 

The main door of the shop faces the north wall and has a small door that leads to the backyard. The backyard is not big, with a narrow front and a wider back.

 

The yard of Jing’s family in Xiwan Village is already considered small, but this small yard is probably less than half the size of Jing’s family yard, with an estimated usable area of about 70-80 square meters.

 

In the east side of the yard, there is a not-so-big water well, which has been covered with a sturdy wooden board to prevent dirt from falling in since it’s not inhabited for a long time. In front of the well is a small room, probably a storage room and a small firewood room.

 

Further south from the small room, there is a larger room connected to the shop, which is the kitchen. The kitchen has two stoves, a row of cabinets along the east wall, and two large water tanks.

 

On the west side of the yard, there is another small room and a row of low plants surrounding it. According to the landlord, it is the latrine, and the plants are aloe and mint planted by the previous owner to prevent odor and insects.

 

Finally, there are three rooms in the main house, similar to the shop, all made of blue bricks and black tiles. The floors and walls are well maintained, but there is not much furniture, only a bed.

 

Jing YiJing Yi thinks that in the future, the two side rooms can be used as bedrooms, while the middle one can be used as a reception room for guests. When the business grows, there will definitely be business people visiting, and they can’t directly invite them into the bedrooms.

 

Even if there are no clients to receive, they still need a place to receive the Lin family. It’s not appropriate for Xia Xia to go straight to the latrine when he arrives.

 

Going around the back of the main house, there is a spacious passage about four meters wide between the main house and the yard wall. A simple shed has been built against the west wall, which the landlord said used to be a donkey shed.

 

There is another large gate facing the inner street of the yard. This gate is used by the landlord’s family for daily life. It is not small and can accommodate donkey carts and horse carriages.

 

After a complete tour, Jing YiJing Yi is even more satisfied. They were in a rush the past few days, and they only had a rough look at each place. Today, they took a closer look and found that the previous owner was someone who knew how to live and took care of their belongings. The shop doesn’t require major repairs, and some furniture can be used directly, saving a lot of trouble.

 

After seeking Jing’s father’s opinion, they felt that except for the small size of the yard, everything else was good, but their main focus was on the shop for their business, and they could overcome the other issues.

 

Once they agreed, Jing YiJing Yi began negotiating the price with the landlord. Since the house is indeed good and there is not much room for negotiation, they finally settled on a yearly rent of 15 taels of silver for a two-year lease.

 

“Zhang San, if I want to buy this shop, how much would it cost?” After signing the lease agreement, Jing YiJing Yi felt relieved and started chatting with Zhang San again.

 

“This shop, along with the house, is indeed very good. If it was after the New Year, it would have been taken within a few days. It’s still available for a long time because winter is approaching, and business is not doing well.”

 

Zhang San just closed a deal worth 30 taels of silver, so he is in a good mood and doesn’t hold back any information from Jing YiJing Yi.

 

“But the owner is not in a hurry for money, so they haven’t lowered the price. If you want to buy it, I’ll give you the actual price, 180 taels of silver.” Zhang San sighed, feeling envious as well. He himself lives on the outskirts of the town and can only dream of having a shop and house on the main street.

 

Upon hearing the price, Jing YiJing Yi felt it was reasonable. He had originally thought that a property in this location and layout would cost at least 200 taels of silver, so he asked further, “What about the remaining rent if I decide to buy after a year?”

 

Zhang San suddenly became serious. He initially didn’t take it seriously, but since Jing YiJing Yi asked about terminating the lease, there must be a possibility.

 

“If you decide to buy after a year, the remaining rent will be directly deducted from the purchase price, and you only need to make up the difference.” Zhang San reassured him, “You can rest assured about this. Our intermediary has its own rules. We are directly governed by the government and are very strict. We wouldn’t dare to deceive you.”

 

After saying that, he thought for a moment and added, “Seeing your demeanor, I’m sure you will make big deals in the future. If you have any needs, just come to me, Zhang San. I will definitely give you the best price.” This is to ensure that Jing YiJing Yi won’t go elsewhere and secure future business opportunities.

 

“Definitely, definitely,” Jing YiJing Yi replied. The cooperation was pleasant, and Jing YiJing Yi didn’t intend to change partners. Zhang San initially warmly welcomed both Jing YiJing Yi and his father, who were dressed plainly as rural folk, and his pricing was fair. He had a good character.

 

With the shop ready, Jing YiJing Yi decided to open the Jing family’s small shop in ten days. There were many things to do in these ten days, so tomorrow, during the stall, he needed to inform the customers about the situation and temporarily halt the small stall’s business.

 

He also needed to explain to Grandma Lin. Since the two families were now close, if the Lin family had any mountain products or game to sell in the future, they could directly consign them in the shop or set up a stall in front of the shop. This way, they could seek shelter from the wind and rain and avoid being exposed to the sun at the dock every day.

 

Therefore, the next day, when he met with Aunt Lin, Jing YiJing Yi informed him about renting the shop and opening a business.

 

Aunt Lin was naturally very happy. He was always easygoing, didn’t like to compare, and didn’t feel envious or jealous when the Jing family could rent a shop for business.

 

Moreover, the more capable Jing YiJing Yi was, the happier he felt, as it meant a better future for his beloved son.

 

“Aunt, I was thinking, since our family has rented a shop in town, we should make the most of it. What do you think about putting your goods in our shop for sale? It won’t take up much space, and in the future, we could even set up a stall in front of the shop. This way, even during windy or rainy days, you can come inside to take shelter. It’s better than staying exposed to the elements at the dock every day,” Jing YiJing Yi said.

 

Aunt Lin naturally refused. It wouldn’t be fair to take advantage of the Jing family like that, and besides, their goods were scattered, which would inconvenience others in their business.

 

With the joint persuasion of Jing’s father and Jing YiJing Yi, Aunt Lin reluctantly agreed to set up a stall outside the Jing family’s shop, with the option to rest inside the shop. However, they would have to pay a monthly rent of 80 wen to the Jing family.

 

Originally, Aunt Lin wanted to pay 150 wen because they earned five wen in market per day at the dock. But Jing’s father and Jing YiJing Yi firmly refused to accept it, causing Aunt Lin to become a little anxious. Eventually, Jing YiJing Yi managed to negotiate the price down to 80 wen.

 

The two families agreed that three days before the grand opening, Jing YiJing Yi would use the stall in front of the shop for promotional activities. So, Aunt Lin and his family could start coming over from the fourth day.

 

Jing YiJing Yi also extended a formal invitation to the entire Lin family to attend the opening ceremony, and Aunt Lin gladly accepted.