As the two were chatting, a girl with pigtails walked over. She smiled sweetly and said, "Are you two looking for a shop? I happen to have one with a great location and environment. Are you interested in taking a look?"
Chen Lishu looked the girl up and down. For some reason, she felt a sense of déjà vu, but the thought didn't linger. Her mind was on the shop.
She eagerly asked, "You said you have a shop for rent? What about the price?"
The girl replied obediently, "One thousand a month."
One thousand a month was no small sum. Chen Lishu knew that rents in the area were usually between five hundred and eight hundred, so the girl's price was a bit inflated.
As if sensing Chen Lishu's hesitation, the girl calmly said, "This price isn't high. If you look down the street, all the shops are operating. My shop is in a prime location, and many people want to rent it at a high price. I see you are dressed elegantly and don't seem to be short on money. I assume your family is well-off, and your business will be long-lasting, so you won't need to switch tenants frequently. That's why I've approached you to rent the shop."
Chen Lishu, having seen her share of ups and downs, wasn't about to be led by the girl's words. She curved her lips and politely said, "Thank you for your high opinion. But it's not too late to discuss it after we've familiarized ourselves with the surrounding environment."
The girl nodded, her expression composed. "Alright, I'll wait for you here. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer in half an hour, I'll have to consider renting the shop to someone else."
Chen Lishu agreed, "Okay," and then pulled Su Nian away.
The two of them wandered around near the middle school for a long time. The situation was indeed as the girl had said. Except for the girl's shop, all other shops were rented out.
After their fruitless search, on the way back, Su Nian muttered, "That girl is truly strange. She looks like a minor, but her business style has a hint of Madam's. She seems like a natural businesswoman."
Hearing Su Nian's comment, Chen Lishu couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. "I hadn't noticed until you said it. The girl's appearance just now really did make her look like a child wearing adult clothes and pretending to be mature."
The two chatted casually, and soon they returned to their starting point. To their surprise, the girl was still waiting there.
Seeing them approach, the girl's face showed a hint of triumph. "How was it? I didn't lie to you, did I? Are you going to rent this shop or not? If you are, I can consider giving you a fifty yuan discount per month."
Chen Lishu was not one to be indecisive. After wandering around and observing the surrounding business situation, she realized that the shops near the middle school were not only for the students but also for visitors. This meant that renting a shop for 950 yuan wouldn't be a loss. The middle school's reputation alone would attract customers, and it would take at most ten days to earn back the rent. After calculating the potential profits of opening a store and confirming there would be no loss, Chen Lishu readily agreed. "Alright, but before I take over the shop, I have one condition: we must sign a contract. Also, could you tell me your surname?"
"My surname is Wu. No problem with the contract. Wait for me for 10 minutes, and I'll bring the contract to you soon." After saying this, the girl, afraid of losing the deal, ran into an alley.
For some reason, when Chen Lishu heard the girl's surname was Wu, she was reminded of Wu Xiaohong. However, Wu Xiaohong had moved out of the temporary compound, and she hadn't interacted much with her. Besides, there shouldn't be such coincidences in the world.
After waiting for about seven or eight minutes, Wu Qiaoqiao appeared before Chen Lishu with a paper contract. She said breathlessly, "The contract is drafted. Take a look. I don't have any special requirements, just that the lease term is for one year. If you break the lease before a year, you must compensate tenfold the rent."
Chen Lishu briefly glanced at the drafted contract. The regulations were complete and reasonable. A year's rent was not a big deal for her, so she happily signed her name on the contract.
The girl carefully took the contract. A calculating look of triumph flashed in her deep eyes, but she hid it well, so Chen Lishu and Su Nian didn't notice.
After signing the contract, the sky had already begun to darken. Chen Lishu didn't want to waste time inspecting the shop. She said, "I will hire decorators to renovate the shop tomorrow. Around nine o'clock, please hand over the keys to the decorators."
The girl nodded and said, "Okay, I'll also help look after your shop these few days."
After giving the necessary instructions, Chen Lishu thanked the girl and left the middle school with Su Nian.
Watching their retreating figures, the girl's smile vanished, and she walked expressionlessly back into the alley.
"Mom, I've done what you asked."
"Well done! Chen Lishu ruined my son. I vowed to make her pay with blood, and now I've finally found this opportunity!" As the words fell, the woman's frenzied laughter echoed from the alley.
...
After renting the shop, Chen Lishu drew up the blueprints and hired people for the renovation. For the past five days, she had been busy with the sausage factory and hadn't had time to manage the middle school shop. It wasn't until the sixth day, when the decorators called to say the shop was almost finished and asked her to come and inspect it, that she finally made time to visit.
The shop's renovation style was very conducive to a scholarly atmosphere, with rows of neatly arranged materials and books. Chen Lishu also gave the bookstore a resounding name: "Zhuangyuan Bookstore."
As Chen Lishu was paying the decorators, the bookstore welcomed its first customer, an elderly man wearing glasses and dressed quite plainly. The man casually browsed the books on the shelves. Seeing that the content was no different from other bookstores, he said rather absentmindedly, "Zhuangyuan Bookstore? Your bookstore has quite the hype. I have a class of students who are about to take the college entrance examination. Do you have any recommended mock exams for them?"
Chen Lishu understood the man's intention. She slapped her thigh with excitement and exclaimed, "Of course! Let me show you." With that, she eagerly picked up the specially prepared mock exams and handed them to the man.