Qin Jiao had been prepared to pay five hundred. Since they had to buy all this equipment anyway, she figured it would cost them at least eight or nine hundred.
Opening a shop is tough. Even if individual items don’t seem expensive, the cost of all the miscellaneous things really adds up.
She was surprised when Boss Li opened with an asking price of only 300.
Su Yun quickly asked, "Ma’am, is some of this equipment broken?"
Boss Li smiled. "Of course not! It’s all in good condition and hasn’t even been used for two years. Go ahead and check everything if you don’t believe me. The main thing is, you two look like kind people, and I’m in a real hurry. If I can’t transfer the lease, I’ll lose my security deposit. Plus, who knows if the next tenant will even open a restaurant? I’d have no idea what to do with all this equipment."
If she had to get rid of it in a hurry or leave it for someone else to deal with, there was no telling how much money she’d actually get for it.
Seeing that the woman was being sincere, Qin Jiao immediately took her mother to inspect everything. It was all in good condition. For three hundred, getting this much equipment was an absolute steal.
She said immediately, "Alright, let’s do it. I’ll have someone come pick everything up in the next day or two. Here’s a deposit."
"Deal! Deal!"
They drew up a contract, listing every single item, big and small. After signing, Qin Jiao and her mother, Su Yun, went on to look at other storefronts.
After they left that shop, Su Yun said, "You know, renting that place wouldn’t be so bad. The price is high, but the location is great."
But Qin Jiao couldn’t very well tell her mother about future policies, so she said, "There are plenty of other shops around here. We can keep looking. If nothing else works out, we can always come back and reconsider this one. The rent is just too expensive, especially for a short-term lease. Otherwise, all the money you’d earn from working so hard every day would just go to paying rent. It wouldn’t be worth it."
Su Yun now trusted her daughter completely. Thinking that what she said made a lot of sense, she nodded and followed her to check out the other storefronts.
The next few storefronts all had one problem or another; none of them felt quite right.
The last place they looked at was a converted residence. It had been a breakfast shop, and the owner lived in an adjacent room.
The owner was in his sixties. He was getting too old and couldn’t handle the work anymore, so he was planning to sell the storefront.
Su Yun thought the place was nice. It was quite clean. One room was small, but it had been combined with the one next to it, and there was a small kitchen in the back. It was more than enough space for a noodle shop.
She said, "Boss Wang, it’s a shame to sell this place. Don’t you have children who could take over the shop?"
Old Man Wang gave a bitter smile. "Oh, they want it, alright. But all three of my sons want the shop, and they fight about it endlessly every time they see each other. I figured it would be better to just sell it and split the money four ways. They each get a share, and I’ll keep one for my retirement."
"Then where will you live?"
"The three of them will take turns. I’ll live with each of them for three months at a time."
Su Yun fell silent. It was a solution that wasn’t really a solution. It might have sounded a bit cold, but there was no other way.
Every family has its own problems.
Qin Jiao walked around, taking a look. The place really was nice. The size was right, and while it was a little farther from North City University than the other places they’d seen, it wasn’t too far—only about an extra ten-minute walk.
Plus, the shop was very close to Rose District—just across the street.
The neighboring businesses included a hair salon and a music and video store. The rest were all small eateries. A cluster like this was good for business.
Qin Jiao asked Boss Wang, "So, how much are you asking for the shop?"