The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 279 I'm not renting it anymore (Combined Chapter)

Time: 11:30 AM, the 11th day after the journey back.

Location: Inside the Deyuelou shop.

More than a week later, the landlady, who was fifty-two or fifty-three years old, finally called Hu Biao to tell him that she had returned from a trip.

We can have a proper discussion about the lease of the children's clothing store next door, as well as the renewal of the lease for the original braised chicken rice shop at Deyuelou.

So at this moment, she sat with her legs crossed in a spot near the door.

After putting down his teacup, he spoke to Hu Biao and Annie as if issuing an ultimatum:
"Little Hu! That's the situation. It's definitely not that I'm intentionally making things difficult for you, but the rent on this street has gone up."

Since this is the normal market price, I can't possibly rent it to you at a loss instead of making a profit, can I?
Okay, let's not count today. I'll give you three more days to consider. If you can accept it, then we'll sign the new contract.

If you can't accept that, your current shop still has half a month left on the lease.

You can use it normally for the next two weeks, but the storefront must be vacated by then, and all your belongings must be moved out, not even for a day longer.

After saying that, she stood up straight, grabbed an LV bag, and beckoned the male landlord standing next to her to leave together.

After the male landlord gave Hu Biao an awkward smile, he also hurriedly left.

Before Hu Biao, the boss, or Annie, the future boss's wife, could say anything, Ling Lanfang had already started shouting indignantly:
"Where can you find rent increases like this? It's practically robbery."

As soon as the voices fell, the other new and old employees, including Four-Eyes, Sister Lin, and Tightwad, echoed them with equally intense emotions.

It wasn't that they were planning to put on a show of shared hatred in front of their boss and future boss's wife.

Rather, it was because the landlady's asking price during the negotiations was simply outrageous.

According to Hu Biao's original plan, he wanted to rent the children's clothing store next door as well.

So, the total price is 150% higher than the original rent per year, plus an additional 8 yuan for "tea money".

Compared to other areas in Majuqiao, where many landlords have lowered rents to some extent due to poor business conditions, the female landlord's appetite and attitude are quite frightening.

However, Mr. Hu and his future wife remained unusually calm under these circumstances.

Once everyone's indignant voices had subsided a little, Annie asked Hu Biao with great interest, "You saw through the landlady's plan a long time ago?"

"I didn't pay attention to it for the first two days, but after making a few phone calls, I felt something was wrong. After thinking about it for a while, I basically guessed what was going on; I just didn't expect the landlady to have such a big appetite."

Upon hearing this, Hu Biao replied with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.

It's no wonder he had that expression, because the rent for shops in Majuqiao is already quite high.

If the price is increased by another 150%, plus an additional 8 yuan for tea, it's safe to say that over 95% of the shops in the entire area won't make any money.

So this isn't a market price at all; it's just that the landlady is jealous of how well their Deyuelou shop is doing and is treating them like fat pigs to be slaughtered.

After hearing Hu Biao's answer, Annie pressed on, "So what are you going to do?"

Hu Biao said dismissively, "The landlady probably has some misunderstanding about her own shop, thinking that our good business is all because of its good location."

If it were really that good, why did so many shops go out of business?

Therefore, our Deyuelou relies entirely on its delicious food and reasonable prices; even if we move to another location, our customers will still follow us there on their own, and our business will not suffer much.

Okay, after we close at noon, I'll take a look around the surrounding streets. It's just a matter of renting a suitable shop; there's nowhere I can't do business.

Hearing Hu Biao's calm reply, all the employees in the store were relieved.

They believe that with the delicious food in their own shop, even if they move to a new location, the business will still be just as good, and they are not worried that their well-paid and excellent job will fall through.

Annie couldn't help but furrow her brow slightly.

How to put it? I can only say that my own pig's trotter is good in every other way, but because of the failure of his previous business, he had to lie down for a while.

Nowadays, people are quite content with a modest level of wealth.

There's nothing wrong with that in itself, because if he runs the business step by step, Hu Biao can earn at least twenty or thirty thousand a month after deducting labor and other expenses, which is already quite excellent.

She has always been financially independent and self-reliant, and how much a man earns is not important to her.

The key question is, when will Hu Biao be able to pay off his debts?
Then, I can take her to that small county town that I've been thinking about for a long time; I even often come across various related content when I'm scrolling through Douyin (TikTok).
Go see where he lived and grew up, and see his relatives and friends?
Another point is that what girl doesn't hope that her boyfriend can make a name for himself through hard work?

However, none of these situations could stump a clever girl like Annie; after a little thought, she had an idea.

After speaking, he said calmly to Hu Biao:

"Majuqiao is, after all, just a corner on the edge of the capital city, and its potential for development is ultimately limited."

Mr. Hu, with such excellent skills, have you ever thought of opening your shop in the capital and gradually turning Deyuelou from a small shop into a real grand restaurant?
"Make more money so that when you take me back to my hometown in Hunan Province, we can get a really nice car. Although driving a small van is quite fun, a nice car would be much more prestigious."

Annie's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded like a grand, resounding bell to Hu Biao.

He went outside, squatted on the curb, and silently smoked a cigarette. During this time, Hu Biao came to a realization:
Ultimately, I've been used to being poor, which has led to a mindset of being content with small gains; despite having a winning hand, I've played it rather timidly.

Fortunately, I had Annie's reminder. What's that old saying again? That's right! It's: A virtuous wife is better than a vast field of fertile land.

As for Annie, she's just a girlfriend now, not a wife yet; that doesn't matter, she definitely will be in the future.

After figuring all this out, Hu Biao stubbed out his cigarette and threw it in the trash can; after entering the store, he hugged Annie and kissed her.

As Annie yelled that he was "crazy," she gave him a light tap.

This guy was already bursting with energy, and started talking about a brand new plan:
"Listen up, everyone! The original plan to open a shop in Majuqiao has been cancelled and replaced with the following three measures."

The first point is to open a flagship store in the capital city. The flagship store can operate in two ways: one is to cater to the current mass market, and the other is to prepare several private rooms and supply a limited number of tables each day, making the prices as high as possible.

It's okay if the dishes I'm good at right now can't fill a whole table.

Finding a location and renovating both take time.

By the time the customized banquet menu is officially launched next month, I should have learned a few more dishes; in addition, I can hire one or two good chefs who can also help with some cooking.

Secondly, a branch was also established in Majuqiao.

However, the branch no longer sells banquet dishes; it mainly sells roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), as well as various braised dishes with rice bowls and braised dishes available for individual order.

Because the soul of roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), the braised meat, along with various other braised dishes, can be kept warm and delivered in large quantities from the main store without affecting the food quality.

For now, Sister Lin will be in charge of the Majuqiao branch, as it's inconvenient for her to go to work at the main store while she's with her child.

Don't worry, everyone else, the Majuqiao branch is just a trial. If it proves successful, we'll open more chain stores in other locations.
Everyone present will have the opportunity to become a senior executive at the head office or a branch manager.

Article 3: Except for categories like oil-splashed noodles that are not suitable, all other categories will be offered for delivery.

However, we won't use any platforms; we'll hire our own delivery drivers and deliver the food ourselves. We believe that with the daily order volume, we can definitely maintain or exceed their labor costs.

After hearing Mr. Hu's confident words, everyone in the shop cheered and became full of energy.

In reality, there's no such thing as a "cow or horse" in the workplace. The key issue is that the boss only makes empty promises and doesn't provide any tangible benefits.

Then, Hu Biao said to Annie, "Boss lady! I'm not familiar with the capital city either. If you have some free time these next few days, why don't you help me choose the location for the main store?"

The specific location and required area are entirely up to you.

“No problem! My cousin Mina has something to do and will be coming a few days later. I don’t have much work lately either, so I have plenty of time.”

Seeing her husband's big, chubby son perk up, Annie happily agreed.

Actually, she did have some work, but she turned down the less important ones... ******
At the same time, Hu Biao was full of ambition, saying that Deyuelou Restaurant would have a main store, a branch store, and even a delivery team.

At the landlord's house, the male landlord, who had just returned home, finally couldn't help but complain to his wife:

"Didn't we agree that the rent would double and the 'tea fee' would be 5? How come it turned into a minimum 150% increase in rent and a minimum 8 for 'tea' when it came to Xiao Hu?"

Faced with the man's complaints, the landlady gave a reason that left everyone speechless:

"You mean you blame me? That I made a mistake by earning more money for this family?"
It's all because of that kid Xiao Hu and his girlfriend who don't know how to behave. If they begged me properly, I wouldn't mind doubling the price and adding 5 yuan for "tea money".

Turns out they have no sense of propriety at all, so don't blame me.

Upon hearing this reason, glancing at the large bag of braised food Hu Biao had given him, and recalling the scene from their conversation, the male landlord wanted to complain:
"How do you expect Xiao Hu to beg you? Does he have to kneel down and kowtow to you?"

But the words that were on the tip of his tongue turned into, "Just keep acting like this."

After saying that, he busied himself taking the braised food out of the bag, putting it into a bowl, sealing it with plastic wrap, and preparing to put it in the refrigerator to eat slowly.

During this process, the landlady picked up a chicken wing and happily started eating it.

While munching on the food, he casually said, "Don't worry! Xiao Hu will agree to my terms. He earns so much every month, what's wrong with giving me a little more rent?"
He might call me tomorrow and ask me to come over to sign the contract…

Then, the landlady didn't receive a call from Hu Biao all day the next day.

She didn't take it to heart, simply thinking that Hu Biao's braised food was excellent whether eaten with rice or as a snack while watching TV.

After that, you should definitely go to the store often to get some to eat, the kind that doesn't require payment.

Just kidding! They rented him such a big shop, so it's a favor to eat some of his braised food.

On the third day, Hu Biao still didn't call. Perhaps it was because she ate too much braised food and got a sore throat, but the landlady was in a rather bad mood that day.

After being scolded several times, the male landlord simply went night fishing.

On the fourth day, starting at 3 p.m., the landlady would pick up her phone from time to time, feeling a strong urge to call Hu Biao and ask how he was doing with his decision.
If there are really difficulties, the rent and tea expenses can actually be discussed a little.

At this point, she finally started to panic; she realized that neither she nor her husband had jobs, and the whole family lived off the rent from the shop.

Even with their son studying abroad, 20,000 yuan a month wasn't enough to cover their expenses.

What should she do if Hu Biao really doesn't want to rent her shop?

"Don't worry! My shop is in such a good location, that kid Hu is definitely supporting me and just waiting for me to lower the price; even if he doesn't rent it, other people will be begging to rent it to me."

So you can't make that call; if you do, you'll lose tens of thousands of yuan over the course of a year.

But each time, the landlady convinced herself of this and then hung up the phone...

On the fifth day, which was also the sixteenth day since the time travel back, at 11:00 AM, just as the Deyuelou shop was about to open for business.

Hu Biao and Annie stood close together at the cashier.

It wasn't that the two of them wanted to take advantage of the fact that they were about to open for business to feed the single people in the store a bit of "dog food" (a Chinese slang term for public displays of affection).

Instead, it's because Annie is extremely efficient. In just three or four days, she has already selected several good locations and even made arrangements with the landlord.

Or perhaps the boss has spoken with him and is now explaining the situation to Hu Biao in detail:
"Although our boss Hu's cooking skills are impeccable, there are many skilled chefs in the capital, and we are not well-off in terms of funds, so we will not consider such a prime location as Chang'an Street for the time being."

Our store is located within the Fourth Ring Road, which I think is fine.

So over the past few days, I've looked at several shops near Panjiayuan, and this is roughly the situation.

XXX Hot Pot Restaurant, two floors, total area of ​​450 square meters, transfer fee is 90 yuan, monthly rent is 8.9 yuan; the price is probably not low, but the owner should be able to give away all the facilities for free.

This shop closed down after only six months, so the decor and facilities are still quite new. It can basically be opened again after a little renovation.

XX Snack and Fast Food Restaurant, with an area of ​​125 square meters, has a transfer fee of 35 yuan and a monthly rent of 4.1 yuan. The location is relatively good, and you will need to pay an additional 3 yuan for its equipment.

The XX Cultural Products Store has an area of ​​201 square meters. Since the lease has been terminated, there is no transfer fee. The monthly rent is 5.7 yuan.

Although the amount of money they received for this particular establishment was small, converting it for catering purposes, even with only simple renovations, would take at least half a month to complete. They would also need to purchase a large quantity of kitchenware, tables, and chairs, and secondhand items wouldn't be cheap either…

After some thought, Hu Biao gritted his teeth and made a decision, directly choosing the largest one, namely XXX Hot Pot Restaurant.

At the same time, he expressed his opinion:
"I'm confident that business will be booming. Rather than thinking about changing locations later, I might as well go for it right away, so I might as well just choose this place."

More importantly, it's only seven or eight kilometers away from where you live on the East Third Ring Road.

When you come, you won't need to take such a long taxi ride.

When the latter part of the sentence reached Annie's ears, it inexplicably moved her, and she didn't know what to say for a moment.

In the end, all I could say was, "Okay! If it's not enough money, I'll go and have a good talk with the boss."

"Let's see if we can give him part first, and then give him the rest in two or three months. That shouldn't be a problem."

In reality, Annie was prepared to secretly pay the transfer fee herself; she didn't lend the money to Hu Biao directly, simply because she was mindful of that jerk's strong sense of pride.

Once the most difficult part—the venue and transfer fee—was settled, the other simple tasks, like renovations and hiring, became much easier.

At this point, with only two minutes left before opening time, there were already many regular customers queuing up at the shop entrance. Hu Biao put on his chef's hat and prepared to start flipping the wok.

As a result, the landlady appeared at the door, walked straight in, and asked Hu Biao, "Little Hu! You're not planning to renew your lease, are you?"

Although the landlady's tone wasn't very friendly and her actions were quite uncouth.

However, with the intention of maintaining good relations even if the deal falls through, Hu Biao still spoke up to explain: "Yes! I've been thinking about it..."

However, before he could even begin his explanation, the landlady turned and went out, taking a large advertising flyer from the bag she was carrying and sticking it on the wall next to the door.

After finishing posting, he glanced at Hu Biao with disdain and left without looking back.

Without even glancing at it, Hu Biao knew that the advertisement must be for a shop for rent.

Their contract hasn't expired yet, and they're still operating normally every day, yet they're so eager to put up rental ads. To be honest, this is somewhat offensive.

However, after exchanging a glance, Hu Biao and Annie neither took it seriously.

There's no other reason than that Deyuelou will eventually become a large restaurant and eatery. Arguing with such a short-sighted landlord would only lower your own value.

However, the two of them still headed towards the door afterward, simply out of curiosity whether the landlord had written the rent amount in the rental advertisement, and if so, how much it was.

It turned out there really was one, but the price was a shocking 150% increase from the landlady's price.

So, what did she mean by giving the two of them a disdainful look as she left? Was she implying that even if they didn't rent it, plenty of others would?

If that's the case, all we can do is silently wish her that her wish comes true.

Although the two of them really didn't believe that any sucker would be willing to pay such an exorbitant price.

After watching, the two went back to the shop together; the beautiful future boss stood in front of the cashier, explaining the reasons for having to move while taking orders from customers.

When the order came in, Mr. Hu perked up and got busy.

Indeed! Deyuelou shop earns a lot every day, and even after paying high rent, it still has a considerable profit.

Hu Biao can say with a clear conscience that every penny he earned was hard-earned money, earned through his skills and hard work.

Why should they let the other party take a large share of the money in this way...?

(End of this chapter)