Chapter 62: Looking at the Storefront
From a distance, Bai Lei saw the long line snaking from Shen Lu’s stall. He glanced at the time in astonishment.
’Today isn’t a weekend, and it’s already two in the afternoon. Why are there still so many people?’
’How long will I have to wait in a line this long?’
Bai Lei had no choice but to use his money to solve the problem. He paid his way to the front, buying a spot for 50 Star Coins.
"Shen Lu, can I buy an extra portion? It’s for my sister."
"No," Shen Lu refused without even looking up, the spatula in her hand moving so fast it was a blur. "But you can share your portion with your sister."
Bai Lei knew Shen Lu wouldn’t agree. He had started recording beforehand and sent the clear video of her rejection to Bai Wanwan.
Bai Wanwan: How can she be so heartless!
Bai Lei: (gloating) Who told you not to come? Even I came, and I’m a germaphobe.
Bai Wanwan: But she’s right. Give me half of yours.
Bai Lei: That’s not fair, Sis. Seriously, that’s not fair.
Bai Lei: Every bite of this food is precious to me!
Bai Wanwan: Cut the crap. Just you try not giving it to me.
Bai Lei pouted and reluctantly headed back with his takeout.
His sister meant what she said. She had plenty of dirt on him. ’Sigh, it’s just food. I guess I can give her half.’
Shen Lu buried herself in her work, stir-frying nonstop, single-mindedly focused on completing the system’s task before time ran out. She refused to rest even when her arm grew sore from cooking.
Finally, a DING sounded in her ear, and the system notified her that the task was complete.
[DING-DONG. Detected sales: Mint Water 60/60, Egg Waffles 50/50, Malatang 50/50, Fried Rice 30/30, Fried Noodles 30/30, Braised Snacks 20/20. Task complete. Reward: one Lottery Ticket.]
[DING-DONG. Detected that the Host has completed the bonus task within the specified time. Additional reward granted—one Business Operation Permit.]
’A Business Operation Permit?’
Shen Lu wiped the sweat from her forehead. After finishing the order she was working on, she told Cai Su she was going to the back to take a short break.
She turned around and took out the Business Operation Permit to examine it.
There was nothing particularly special about it. It was the size of an A4 sheet of paper, and the large, gilded words "Business Operation Permit" were written on it. The fields for the owner’s name, address, and so on were all blank.
Shen Lu asked the system, "What’s this for? If I want to open a shop, don’t I have to go to the local commerce bureau to get the license?"
Opening a shop also meant paying taxes, and the taxes here were quite steep.
[Ahem, ahem. As a product of an Advanced civilization, we naturally want to provide the Host with some real benefits. With this permit, you can skip all the bureaucratic hassle, and you’ll even be exempt from taxes!]
[Besides, upgrading from a small stall to a small shop requires a Business Operation Permit and 1,000 popularity value.]
’So that’s how it is.’
Having figured out the purpose of the permit, Shen Lu returned to the teppanyaki grill and put away the small megaphone, which had now served its purpose.
’I’m not going to throw it away. It’s small and cute, so it can be a little decoration.’
Shen Lu was preoccupied with finding a storefront. Now that the task was complete, she no longer wanted to stay tethered to the stall.
"Sister Cai, I need to run some errands. Could you watch the stall for a bit?"
Having an employee was great. She didn’t have to be at the stall all day and could leave for a short while without disrupting business.
"Of course, Boss Shen. Be careful."
Shen Lu first went to find Ma Laosan and asked him if there were any vacant storefronts on Gold Street.
"There are two empty ones, and another one where the owner wants to transfer the lease. What size are you looking for, Boss Shen?"
"Can I take a look at them first?"
Shen Lu didn’t really have a clear idea of what kind of shop she wanted. Seeing them might give her an answer.
Ma Laosan readily agreed and took Shen Lu to see the properties.
They first went to the two vacant storefronts. Neither was in a good location. One was on the second floor, above a brothel.
The other was tiny, less than ten square meters, wedged between two eight-story buildings. You wouldn’t even notice it if you weren’t looking closely.
Neither of these matched what Shen Lu had in mind. "Let’s go see the one for lease transfer."
"Alright."
Ma Laosan led her to the middle section of the street. The moment she saw the storefront, Shen Lu felt a sense of exasperated amusement.
"Brother Ma, you’re here." Boss Cao only saw Ma Laosan at first and walked out of his shop. "Is someone interested in renting? This place of mine..."
When he spotted Shen Lu standing behind Ma Laosan, Boss Cao’s boastful speech came to an abrupt halt, and his face instantly darkened.
"It’s you?!"
Talk about enemies crossing paths. Shen Lu hadn’t expected the storefront Ma Laosan mentioned for lease transfer to be Cao’s Noodle House.
Shen Lu shrugged. "It’s me."
Ma Laosan didn’t see anything wrong with what he was doing. One person wanted to transfer their lease, and another wanted to rent. It was a simple matter of supply and demand, regardless of any past conflicts between them.
Ahem... he couldn’t deny that he was slightly enjoying the drama.
"Business is business. We can’t be throwing childish tantrums," Ma Laosan said with a cheerful smile. "Old Cao, aren’t you in a hurry to transfer your lease? Boss Shen happened to be asking, and after seeing two other places she wasn’t happy with, she’s come to check out your shop."
Boss Cao had to use every ounce of his willpower to resist the urge to start cursing.
Part of the reason he wanted to transfer the lease was to get money to hire people to teach Shen Lu a lesson. He never imagined that the first person to come looking at the property would be Shen Lu herself.
’This is so frustrating.’
But on second thought, Boss Cao didn’t feel frustrated at all.
’She definitely doesn’t know my plan. It’ll be so satisfying when she finds out the money I used to hire people came from her own transfer fee.’
"Yes, Brother Ma is right. We’re all adults here," Boss Cao said, making a welcoming gesture. "Boss Shen, you haven’t been inside my shop before, have you? Come on in and take a look."
This rapid-fire change in attitude put Shen Lu on high alert.
’To offer such kindness for no reason... he must be up to no good.’
However, she didn’t want to embarrass Boss Cao, so she walked into Cao’s Noodle House.
The noodle house was about 80 square meters, with two floors, a typical layout with a commercial space downstairs and a residence upstairs.
The commercial space alone would cost 10,000 Star Coins a month. The residence above was cheaper, almost a giveaway at 3,000 Star Coins a month. The total rent came to 13,000.
Utilities and a street management fee were extra.
"This location is really great. With Boss Shen’s skills, your monthly profit will be no less than this much," Boss Cao said, making a gesture for a number. Shen Lu just smiled without saying a word.
’My profits will be even higher than he thinks, since my ingredients don’t cost me anything.’
"If my back kitchen hadn’t been blown up, I would never transfer this lease," Boss Cao sighed dramatically. "We’re not making as much as we used to, but we can barely scrape by. The repair costs for the kitchen are just too high. My wife and I are planning to transfer the shop and try a different line of work."
"Boss Shen, you could say we got to know each other through our little conflict. It would be perfect if you rented this place."
’Rent it. Just rent this place.’
’The moment you give me the money, I’ll hire people to take care of you!’
Boss Cao’s tone was so sincere that he almost wanted to applaud himself.
He hadn’t even been this sincere when he proposed to his wife.