I Can Fish Up Everything!

Yi Chen didn’t recognize him and walked up to ask, "Hello, can I help you with something?"

Wei Jingxue said with a smile, "I’m here to see your boss."

"Brother Wei." Just then, Gu Nan came out and greeted him with a smile, then waited for him to state his purpose.

The two of them were fairly familiar with each other. Wei Jingxue had visited a few times right after the shop opened.

However, he usually spent his time in Bazhou City and rarely came to Yangjiang Port, so they didn’t run into each other often.

"Ah Nan, I hear business is going well for you now. You’ve finally made a success of this shop," Wei Jingxue said with a smile.

"Just got lucky. I found some channels for imported seafood," Gu Nan said with a smile.

If it had been any other landlord, Gu Nan would have immediately suspected he was about to raise the rent after hearing that.

But this landlord was decent enough. The neighboring shops had been open longer than his. The abalone shop, in particular, had been open for three years with business getting better each year, and there had been no word of a rent increase.

Because the storefronts were divided by three rolling metal doors, the resulting shop sizes were different. Gu Nan’s shop was on the smaller side, and like two of the other shops, its annual rent was 60,000.

As for Ji Jinxin’s place, the shop was twice the size of Gu Nan’s, with an annual rent of 115,000.

This rent hadn’t changed since the seafood market first opened, so Wei Jingxue’s visit today definitely wasn’t about the rent.

He made a bit more small talk before explaining his reason for coming.

It turned out that Ji Jinxin had kept his shop closed recently because he was trying to transfer the lease.

Some people had come to inquire about it, but they either weren’t interested or tried to lowball him aggressively. After all, the shop had been investigated, and the sign for short-weighting customers was still on display!

Left with no other choice, he thought of Gu Nan.

Since the two of them didn’t get along, he had no choice but to go to the landlord and ask him to step in and mediate, hoping to convince Gu Nan to take over his shop.

Ji Jinxin had come to this conclusion because he had been keeping an eye on the shop next door.

Now that Gu Nan’s shop was stocking an ever-increasing variety of seafood, it was inevitable that he would want to expand to grow his business further.

Compared to renting a new place that would require renovations, taking over his shop and simply tearing down the wooden partition between them would be much more convenient. It would require almost no construction.

That’s why he wondered if he could transfer it to Gu Nan. He figured that since Gu Nan also needed the space, he wouldn’t be able to drive the price down too aggressively.

However, after hearing all this, Gu Nan didn’t show the slightest bit of interest.

Although Wei Jingxue was there as a go-between, he was ultimately the landlord and had to consider the rental situation of his properties. This was business, and personal feelings had no place in it.

Gu Nan looked slightly apologetic and said, "Brother Wei, to be honest, I’m planning to open a shop in another seafood market."

"You see, I’m focusing on imported seafood now. I’ve recently found an import channel from Australia, so I’ll be taking a mid-to-high-end route in the future."

"At that point, I’ll mainly be working with seafood restaurants and hotels. Most of the time, those places prioritize sourcing from the other seafood market, so I don’t need the shop next door."

Wei Jingxue’s heart sank. He had been hoping to rent the adjacent shop to Gu Nan as well, saving himself the trouble.

Otherwise, if Ji Jinxin couldn’t transfer the lease before it expired, he would have to find a new tenant himself. That would probably mean frequent trips here to show the space to potential renters, which would be a huge hassle.

To his surprise, not only had he failed to persuade Gu Nan to take the shop next door, but the man himself was also thinking of moving out. This would not do.

The two shops combined brought in 180,000 a year. That was no small sum.

So, Wei Jingxue said in an earnest tone, "Ah Nan, you haven’t thought this through completely. Moving over there might give you a chance to work with some restaurants or hotels, but it’s not actually that easy."

"Besides, not only is the rent cheaper here, but your daily revenue is solid too. Look at the abalone shop next door. He works with plenty of restaurants and hotels, and didn’t he move here from that other market?"

"When it comes to business, it doesn’t matter where your shop is. What’s important is that you learn how to go out and get clients yourself."

But Gu Nan was insistent. "The shops over there are bigger and cleaner, and the rent isn’t that much more expensive."

"If you rent the one next door and knock down the wall, your shop will be big too! How could the rent over there not be more expensive? For a comparable space, you’d only pay 180,000 a year here. Over there, it would be at least 250,000!"

"The environment over there is better, and you’re exaggerating the price. I’ve asked around. It’s only 200,000, which is just a 20,000 difference."

"Who said it’s only—" Wei Jingxue stopped abruptly. He saw other shop owners peering in curiously and gestured for Gu Nan to step inside to talk.

Once they were over by the counter, he lowered his voice. "Ah Nan, look, how about I reduce the rent by 5,000 for you?"

"Brother Wei, it’s not really about the money. My business is doing better and better, so I’m not worried about a small amount like that. My main issue is with Ji Jinxin. I don’t want to pay him a transfer fee. Even if I wanted to rent his shop, why wouldn’t I just wait until his lease expires?"

"This shop may be small, but... if it really comes down to it, I can just move!"

That sudden twist nearly threw out Wei Jingxue’s back. He had thought Gu Nan was going to say that if it really came down to it, he would just wait.

He instantly understood what Gu Nan was getting at. ’He still thinks the rent is too expensive!’

In reality, Wei Jingxue owned more than just these six shops. While 180,000 a year wasn’t a small amount, to him, it was basically pocket change.

But having been a landlord for many years, he understood that a vacant shop was a direct loss for him. Moreover, stability was crucial.

Shops constantly opening and closing was a hassle, and it inevitably created periods of vacancy. On top of that, it would make people think the location had bad feng shui.

Gu Nan’s current success, however, promised stability. He was the most desirable kind of tenant.