Since no one objected to the shop, they began to discuss the price.
According to Su Xiaotian's wishes, buying it would be best.
After all, buying a shop at this time would not result in a loss, and they could make a profit by reselling it later.
However, the owner of the shop was only willing to rent it out, not sell it.
This made Su Xiaotian a little regretful.
She felt uneasy about renting a shop.
What if the owner decided to take back the shop after seeing how good business was?
Even with a contract, they might not adhere to it.
But for now, there was no other way, so they had to rent it first.
The shop owner asked for a rent of fifteen yuan per month, which Su Xiaotian thought was too expensive.
Qi Liangying also thought it was too expensive. After some negotiation, the owner agreed to a rent of ten yuan per month.
Ten yuan a month was not a cheap rent, but it wasn't overly expensive either.
After all, the shop was really not very big.
Seeing that such a small shop would cost ten yuan a month, Qi Liangying felt very pained.
Li Zhuzi and his wife had bought a courtyard with a shop in the county town for only two hundred yuan.
No wonder Xiaotian said that shops in Beijing were very expensive. If it was this expensive in the provincial capital, she couldn't even imagine Beijing.
In the end, the shop was rented, and a contract was signed for three years.
Signing for three years was Su Xiaotian's idea. Although Qi Liangying didn't know why, she went along with Xiaotian's wishes.
After all, the money was not paid all at once, but quarterly. The duration of the contract, in Qi Liangying's opinion, was not important.
Su Xiaotian had originally planned to pay this money herself, but Qi Liangying insisted on paying it herself.
When she left the factory, she received a severance package.
Qi Liangying planned to use this money to open the shop.
The landlord took the rent for the first quarter and left. Qi Liangying had already rolled up her sleeves and prepared to clean.
There was nothing else in the shop, but a set of cleaning tools was complete.
Su Xiaotian also helped with the cleaning.
The shop was indeed not very clean, and it was evident that no one had taken care of it for a long time.
Considering that they would be selling food, the mother and daughter cleaned very diligently.
"Xiaotian, this corner needs to be wiped thoroughly."
"There's so much dust on the ceiling, it looks so dirty."
"I'll clean here, second aunt. I promise to wipe it clean!"
The mother and daughter chatted as they worked, their spirits high.
Su Lao Er and Su Shouwen had gone out, and no one knew what they were doing.
By the time the mother and daughter had almost finished cleaning, the father and son returned.
They were carrying and shouldering various items needed to open the shop.
Qi Liangying smiled when she saw how thoughtful her husband was.
She had been worried that her husband would object to her doing business, but she didn't expect him to be so supportive.
She quickly and considerately stepped forward, urging Su Lao Er to rest.
"I'm not tired. Shouwen and I will first partition the back room and set up the stove."
Su Lao Er wiped the sweat from his forehead and said happily.
"Second aunt, this shop looks completely different after you've cleaned it."
After being cleaned, the originally dusty shop had indeed changed a lot.
"It will definitely look better when we decorate it," Su Xiaotian had already thought about how to decorate it.
The goal was to decorate the small shop with the least amount of money, making it a dazzling sight.
"We also need a counter. Then we can display the braised meat, braised dishes, and braised eggs on the counter and cover them with a mesh to keep them clean."
Su Xiaotian said, gesturing as she spoke.
Actually, it would be even better if they could get a transparent glass display case.
But at this time, glass was extremely expensive, and second aunt should be reluctant to spend the money.
They could think about it later when they made money.
"Okay, I'll go to the second-hand market again later. If that doesn't work, I'll buy wood and make a new one myself," Su Lao Er readily agreed to handle the counter, laughing heartily.
"The walls are a bit dusty. We'll get some lime later and paint them again."
Su Shouwen was also carefully considering what else could be improved.
By the end of the afternoon, the shop and the back rooms were mostly tidied up.
"We just need the counter in the front. Once the counter is set up, we can open for business on a good day."
Qi Liangying looked at the new shop with satisfaction, as if she could see the days of future profits right before her eyes.
By this time, it was completely dark. The group found a small restaurant nearby and spent three yuan on a meal before returning to the guesthouse.
After asking the front desk clerk, they learned that Su Ciliang and the others had not yet returned.
"I estimate that my second brother and the others will definitely return tomorrow morning. This time, there are fewer people but definitely a lot of goods. We should go to the train station to pick them up."
Su Xiaotian said this when she thought of it.
Su Shouwen felt that Su Xiaotian's thoughts were reasonable and said that he would go to the train station with them the next day.
"I remember there's a train to the provincial capital around eight in the morning. Let's go and see," Su Shouwen had specifically checked the train schedule.
Su Lao Er and Qi Liangying, the couple, would not object.
The next day, the four of them went to the train station early in the morning.
Qi Liangying was very excited, her eyes fixed on the platform.
She hadn't seen her son for more than half a year. When he wasn't coming, she didn't feel that much longing, but now that her son was about to arrive, the longing became even more intense.
"Second aunt, you'll be able to see your second brother soon. Aren't you happy?" Su Xiaotian, clearly noticing Qi Liangying's excitement, asked teasingly.
Qi Liangying gave Su Xiaotian a reproachful look and said, "You child, you're so mischievous!"
Just as they were talking, they saw several familiar figures.
Qi Liangying looked at her son, so excited that she was almost in tears.
This rascal, he was already home, and he didn't even come home to see them first.
Su Ciliang saw his parents in the crowd, and his jaw dropped in surprise.
Why were his parents here? And they came with Xiaotian's eldest brother.
"Dad, Mom, why are you here?"
Qi Liangying said reproachfully, "You've arrived at your doorstep and you don't even come home to see us. Don't we parents have the right to come and see you?"
Su Lao Er looked at the people following Su Ciliang, laden with bags, and quickly said, "Let's not reminisce for now. We'll take the things back first when we have time."
Women are so troublesome. There are so many people at the station. What if one or two things get lost?
Qi Liangying also realized this and quickly stepped forward to help carry the items.
It had to be said that the amount of goods they brought back this time was truly substantial.
Even with four extra people helping, they were exhausted.
After finally moving all the goods to the guesthouse, everyone was completely worn out.
Su Xiaotian poured them each a glass of hot water.
"Have some water first. Second brother, you must have had a hard journey and probably didn't eat well."
Su Ciliang smiled and said, "It was alright. We took turns resting along the way, and Lin Lin made food for us, so we're fine now."