kvmb Chapter 30 Finding a Shop
Chapter 30 Finding a Shop
Xiao Family Main Hall
"You've all seen the toys today, so I won't beat around the bush." Old Master Xiao glanced at the group of people sitting below him.
"Dad, just say what you want to say." Xiao Qiren said helplessly. His father was putting on an act.
"Ahem, well, it's like this, I'm planning to open a shop in town," Old Master Xiao said directly.
"Opening a shop?" The news brought joy to some and sorrow to others in the Xiao family.
They were happy that their family could move to town, but worried that if the shop opened, they would lose all the money they had worked so hard to earn.
"Dad, are you planning to open a shop to sell these toys from today?" Xiao Qinian asked with certainty. Hearing his father say this, he had already guessed it.
"Yes, that's what we plan to do, sell these toys." Grandpa Xiao gave his son an approving look.
"Dad, how did you come up with the idea of selling toys?" Xiao Qinian asked, somewhat puzzled.
"This wasn't my idea; it was Yue'er's. She also drew the blueprints," Grandpa Xiao said, shaking his head. If he knew how to do this, wouldn't he have opened a shop long ago?
“Yue’er thought of this,” Xiao Qinian couldn’t help but think. Since the beginning of this year, Xiao Siyue has been acting strangely. First, she made scented soap, and now she’s opening a toy shop. Before, he could say that his daughter was smart, but now, to explain it this way, when did his daughter learn to draw? He never taught her.
However, he didn't ask now, planning to wait until a suitable time to ask Xiao Siyue.
"So, Yue'er, that's what you're thinking. What are your plans?" Xiao Qinian asked his daughter, pulling himself together from his thoughts.
"Father, I'm thinking of going to town first to see if there are any suitable shops, and how much the rent is. If it's suitable, I'll rent it. Then, I'll ask Grandpa to find some carpenters in the village to help make toys, and pay them a starting wage." Xiao Siyue roughly explained her plan.
"What if the villagers learn your method?" Xiao Qinian was very curious about Xiao Siyue's thoughts.
"Don't worry about that. These toys aren't difficult to make. It's only a matter of time before someone learns them. We can't keep guarding against them forever. Besides, we have to sign contracts with the villagers." Xiao Siyue wasn't too worried about this, mainly because her blueprints were modern, and the people in this world wouldn't know how to make them.
"Alright, in that case, let's go to town and check out some shops today."
In town, there's a brokerage firm.
"Are you looking to see people or houses?" The broker didn't look down on the men, who were dressed simply. People in their line of work encounter all kinds of people, and after dealing with so many, they've long since developed a calm and composed demeanor.
"Well, young man, we're thinking of opening a shop in town. Do you know of any good locations?" Old Master Xiao replied.
"Yes, of course we have them," Ya Lang said enthusiastically.
"But where is it located?"
"There are two places. One is at the end of East Street, it has two floors and a backyard. The other is on West Street, the shop is not very big, it's only one floor, and it also has a small courtyard in the back, but there are only three rooms," Ya Lang gave a general introduction to the two shops.
"Then how much lower is the rent for these two shops?" Old Master Xiao asked again.
"The East Street is worth 9 taels a month, and the West Street is worth 7 taels."
"Yue'er, what do you think?" Old Master Xiao asked Xiao Siyue for her opinion.
"Hmm, I prefer the shops on West Street. Although the shops on East Street are larger and cheaper, East Street is too remote and doesn't have much foot traffic. If the shops open, business might not be able to keep up."
“Although the shops on West Street are small, they are enough for us. Moreover, West Street is the main street of Peach Blossom Town, and almost all the shops are located on West Street.” This was Xiao Siyue’s idea. Famous shops like Jixiang Restaurant and Liuyue Pavilion are located on West Street.
Although she was very confident in herself, she didn't want to open her shop on East Street, where there were hardly any people.
"However, Grandpa, we should go and see for ourselves to make a decision."
"Okay, let's go take a look first."
"Young man, could you show us these two shops?" Old Master Xiao asked the broker.
“Of course,” Ya Lang said, and was about to lead the Xiao family out.
The group first went to the shops on West Street.
Xiao Siyue looked up and saw that although the location of this shop was not as good as that of Jixiang Restaurant, which was in the middle of West Street, it was still not bad. It was relatively close to the entrance of Peach Blossom Town, and there were several small shops nearby.
"This location is great, why isn't it open?" Xiao Siyue asked, puzzled.
When Ya Lang saw that it was a little girl of five or six years old asking him, he was stunned for a moment, but still lowered his head and replied, "This used to be a general store, but they moved to the county a couple of days ago, so the store was empty. We just cleaned it up and happened to run into you."
Oh, I see. No wonder there were some shelves inside.
The group then went to the backyard to take a look. The backyard was indeed not very big, with only three rooms, one of which was the kitchen.
Afterwards, the group went to the shops on East Street.
The shops on East Street are indeed quite nice. The front shop is two stories high and looks very new, probably built only a few years ago. Then you walk into the back shop.
Xiao Siyue was somewhat surprised. Ya Lang had only mentioned that the backyard was quite large, but she hadn't realized it was this big. There were more than a dozen rooms of varying sizes in the yard. In the center of the yard stood a large jujube tree, under which was a small stone table, a garden, and a well. Xiao Siyue liked it very much, but now she was hesitant.
"I wonder why no one is renting this place?" Xiao Siyue asked the broker as she looked around the yard.
"This courtyard, though large, isn't very suitable for opening a shop, so it hasn't been rented out," Ya Lang said somewhat guiltily. It hadn't been rented out for several years, mainly because those who wanted to open a shop thought it was too remote.
Xiao Siyue glanced at the broker and thought to herself, "You know this place isn't suitable for opening a shop, yet you still introduce it to us. What a shrewd businessman!"
"If I were to buy this place, what would the price be?" Xiao Siyue asked casually.
Upon hearing this, Ya Lang was overjoyed; this was the plan...
"If this shop were to be sold directly, it would cost 500 taels of silver. I wonder..."
"Oh, it's nothing, I was just asking." Xiao Siyue thought to herself, 500 taels, that's really expensive. But if this place is still available for rent by next year, and they have the money, they could buy it.
This place is quite suitable for living; it's quiet but not too far from West Street. She plans to open a hot pot restaurant next year, and the front yard shop would be perfect. Two floors, a main hall on the first floor and private rooms on the second floor—just right. Although it's not on a bustling street, good food needs no bush, right? She doesn't believe that no one dislikes hot pot.
"Grandpa, I think we should rent the place on West Street. It's a good place, and it used to be a general store, so we don't need to do much to the interior. We can just tidy it up a bit and it'll be ready to use."
“Alright, then let’s do as Yue’er says,” Old Master Xiao decided to rent a shop on West Street.
Once the group returned to the brokerage firm and signed the necessary documents, the Xiao family officially rented the shop.