Chapter 200 - 201: Renting a Shop

Chapter 200: Chapter 201: Renting a Shop

Li Yang gave a dry laugh. "Aunt Rong, what’s the big deal? We’ve already come this far, so we might as well go all in. It would be a shame to waste our resources, after all."

Aunt Rong shot him a sideways glance. "You had this planned all along, didn’t you?"

"No!" Li Yang shook his head firmly. "Absolutely not. It was a spur-of-the-moment idea. But giving them some perks... I did think of that beforehand. By the way, since they don’t know the ingredients in the medicine anyway, you have to tell them it’s made with many precious herbs and has a high production cost. This will make them feel like we’re giving them a massive deal, and it will also make them describe it as more expensive when they recommend it to others. Otherwise, when we do sell it at a high price, people who thought it was cheap will come in and complain we’re overpriced. We’re targeting the high-end market, after all."

Aunt Rong looked at him. "You really are a sly businessman!"

Li Yang chuckled. "Aunt Rong, it’s settled then. If that’s all, I need to get going and take care of other business."

"What other business..." Aunt Rong stood up and said, annoyed, "Come on. We’re going to look at a storefront. *That’s* your other business!"

"Huh?" Li Yang froze for a second before jumping to his feet. "Aunt Rong, you already found a place? I knew it! Let’s go, let’s go..."

Li Yang’s spirits lifted. He’d been worried she wouldn’t agree to work with him, but it seemed his fears had been unfounded.

Aunt Rong had been going stir-crazy at home all day, every day. She needed something to do.

"Don’t get so excited..." Aunt Rong chuckled, feigning annoyance. "I’ve found a place I like. The location is great, but the owner might not be willing to rent to us. I already spoke with them once, but they seem to have changed their mind about leasing it."

"What?" Li Yang was surprised. "Is that right? Don’t worry, I’ll handle it. Come on, let’s go check it out and get this sorted."

"Fine," Aunt Rong said as she headed for the door. "If you can pull it off, then we have a deal."

"Our deal?" Li Yang’s eyes lit up. "You mean the deal where we sleep together...?"

"You little brat!" Zhang Rong stomped her foot in frustration.

Li Yang burst out laughing. "Aunt Rong, I’m just kidding."

"You can forget about sleeping tonight," Aunt Rong snorted.

Li Yang’s mind immediately flashed back to the night Aunt Rong had sent him those photos, and his heart gave a lurch.

"I’m telling you, Aunt Rong, if we’re going to play, let’s play for real," Li Yang said with a completely straight face. "None of these empty threats. It’s not right."

Zhang Rong rolled her eyes. ’Play for real with you? Do you take me for a fool?’

"All right, that’s enough nonsense. Let’s get a move on!" Aunt Rong said.

...

They arrived at the storefront to find it closed up.

Aunt Rong made a call.

About half an hour later, the landlord finally sauntered over.

"Landlord Xu," Aunt Rong said, stepping forward. "Have you had a chance to think about what we discussed yesterday?"

The landlord, who looked to be in his forties, shook his head at Aunt Rong. "I’d like to rent to you, but I need the space for my own use now. You should probably look for another place."

Li Yang took a look around. The location really was excellent.

Aunt Rong had told him there were several upscale residential communities in the area.

"Sir..." Li Yang began after a moment of thought. "Are you planning to run a business here yourself?"

The landlord just smiled and didn’t answer.

"Sir, if you plan on running your own business here, then of course we have nothing more to say. Your needs come first," Li Yang said with a sincere expression. "But if you’re just renting it out to someone else for their business, then you might as well rent it to us."

The landlord hesitated. Li Yang had been so earnest that it felt rude not to respond.

So, he finally spoke. "I have a relative who wants to open a little shop here, just a small business. He’s family, so it’s hard for me to say no. And to be frank, the rent I’m charging him is even lower than what I’d offer you. What can I do? He’s family."

"Then, if I may ask, what kind of business is he in?" Li Yang inquired.

"He’s a cook," the landlord said earnestly. "He’s got a real talent for it. He ran a small restaurant before, but the rent was too high, and he couldn’t afford it. So now he’s thinking of moving his business here. What am I supposed to say to that?"

"Is it a fast-food place?" Li Yang asked.

"His cooking is excellent, but he doesn’t have a lot of capital, so he can only manage a fast-food joint..." the landlord explained.

"Do you think there’s a market for fast food here?" Li Yang asked with a smile. "As far as I know, these are all upscale communities around here. You probably live in one of them, right? Do you really think a business like that would succeed? We all know what the hygiene is like at those places. Would *you* eat there?"

The landlord stood there, stunned. For a moment, he was at a loss for words.

"I’m in the personal wellness and care business," Li Yang said seriously. "I specialize in treating ailments and disease prevention. For instance, your overall health is quite good, isn’t it, sir?"