Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

The next morning at eight o'clock, Yang Fan's courtyard was already bustling with activity.

Wang Xiuying, Li Cuihua, and Lin's mother, three "mothers," had already taken over the kitchen early on.

Lin Xiaoyu was also very diligent, shuttling back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen, helping to set out the bowls and chopsticks.

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell rang, and Xiaoya ran to open the door. Zhou Yao and Zhou Jin appeared at the door right on time.

"Auntie! We've come to freeload a meal!" Zhou Yao's voice preceded her arrival, her face beaming with a bright smile.

"Come in, come in! The food is freshly made!" Wang Xiuying greeted them warmly.

Zhou Jin today was clearly dressed up carefully.

His signature messy hair was washed clean, and he had changed into a clean gray sweatshirt, making him look much more energetic.

Unfortunately, in Yang Xiaoya's eyes, this effort was still unsatisfactory.

The breakfast was quite lively, but there were only two boys at the table: Yang Fan and Zhou Jin.

Yang Fan's father, his third uncle, and his cousin Yang Hao went to the vegetable stall early in the morning.

After finishing his meal, Yang Fan took out his phone, opened the document Zhou Yao had sent him the night before, and showed the screen to everyone.

"Alright, everyone's here. Let's have a short meeting." His voice wasn't loud, but it naturally drew everyone's attention.

"Zhou Yao compiled information on three potential shops last night, all near the university town. Let's look at them in that order today."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Jin immediately raised his hand high and waved the tablet computer he had brought as if presenting a treasure.

"I've prepared an evaluation form! Later, I'll score each store based on several dimensions: location, rent, foot traffic, size, layout, surrounding competition, and difficulty of renovation. Finally, I'll generate a comprehensive score to ensure objectivity and fairness!"

"I'll be in charge of assessing the renovation potential and the photogenic appeal!" Xiaoya declared confidently. "Whether a store becomes a hit depends at least half on its storefront and interior environment! It has to make girls want to go in and take photos!"

When it was Lin Xiaoyu's turn, she was a little embarrassed, but still said softly but firmly, "I... I can help check the layout and ease of operation of the kitchen. Whether the flow of movement is reasonable and whether three people can work together effectively are all very important."

Lin's mother followed behind her daughter, adding somewhat nervously, "I...I just wanted to see if the kitchen was big enough and if it was convenient to have fire and water."

Wang Xiuying and Li Cuihua exchanged a smile and waved their hands, saying, "We don't understand these things. We'll listen to you young people."

Seeing everyone performing their duties with great enthusiasm, Yang Fan nodded in satisfaction and began making final arrangements.

"Okay, then let's divide the work. Today we'll use two cars. My car will seat five people, and Zhou Jin, you'll drive your car with Zhou Yao."

He looked at Zhou Jin, and the boy immediately straightened his back.

"At each store, everyone should take notes of their opinions and questions as they go. Don't be afraid to take the time. We'll summarize and discuss them at the end."

"The key factors are: location, rent, size, layout, surrounding competition, and difficulty of renovation."

"Let's try to review these three before noon. If none of them are suitable, we'll continue looking this afternoon. Understand?"

"Understood!" everyone responded in unison.

"Okay, let's go!"

……

At 9:30 a.m., two cars stopped one after the other in the middle of the food street in the university town.

This is one of the most central and busiest areas in the university town. Even on weekday mornings, you can still see stylishly dressed students in twos and threes everywhere on the streets.

The first shop they wanted to look at was in a prime location on this street.

The landlord was a middle-aged man in his forties with a beer belly and a thick gold chain around his neck, looking every bit the shrewd businessman.

"This is it." The landlord unlocked the glass door with his key, and a sweet smell mixed with creamer and spices wafted out.

The shop is small, about 60 square meters, and has a long and narrow rectangular layout.

The interior still retains the decor of the previous milk tea shop, with fresh and clean wallpaper on the walls and several uniquely designed lamps hanging from the ceiling, making it look quite new.

"I don't need to say more about this location, do I?" the landlord boasted, spitting as he introduced the spot. "The prime location on the entire food street! Look at this foot traffic! Open a shop here, and you'll make money even if you're just lying down!"

Zhou Yao was the most direct of them all. She frowned as soon as she entered the door. Ignoring the landlord's boasting, she asked bluntly, "Is there a transfer fee for this shop?"

"Yes! Eighty thousand!" the landlord demanded, "Let me tell you, this renovation was all done last year. If you take over, you can just make a few minor changes and it'll be ready to use. The renovation alone cost more than eighty thousand!"

"Eighty thousand?" Wang Xiuying and Li Cuihua gasped in shock, muttering to themselves, "My God, this tiny place costs eighty thousand for a transfer fee?"

Xiaoya, meanwhile, held up her phone and kept taking pictures of every corner of the store, commenting as she went:

"The storefront is indeed quite eye-catching, and the lighting is good. With a little renovation inside, adding some greenery and decorations, it should be very photogenic, perfect for girls to take pictures and check in."

Lin Xiaoyu and her mother immediately went into the innermost control room.

Upon seeing this, both mother and daughter frowned.

The operating room is really too small, probably only seven or eight square meters, with a long stainless steel workbench taking up more than half of the space.

"Mom, this place... is too crowded," Lin Xiaoyu said softly. "If you, Aunt Yang, and Third Aunt were all in there at the same time, it would probably be difficult to even turn around."

Lin's mother took two steps in the cramped space, barely managing to squeeze through by turning sideways. She nodded, her face showing difficulty.

"It's a bit small. If you're making hot pot, there's simply no room for a large pot of soup, a sink for washing vegetables, a preparation table... It's barely usable, but it would definitely be extremely tiring."

Zhou Jin was holding his tablet computer, recording data with a serious expression, while muttering to himself.

"Location, 9/10; foot traffic, 9/10; store size, 6/10; layout, 5/10; rent... how much is the monthly rent again?" He looked up and asked the landlord.

"Twenty-two thousand! Three months' deposit and one month's rent in advance, not a penny less!" the landlord quoted the price.

Zhou Jin typed quickly, and the tablet automatically calculated a fraction:

"Rental value for money: 7/10... Overall score: 7.3/10. Average."

"The location is undeniably prime, a golden spot," Zhou Yao said to Yang Fan in a low voice as she walked over, "but the transfer fee is outrageous, it's pure robbery."

"And look at how glib this landlord is, he's probably not someone you can talk to easily. Once we sign the contract, there will definitely be some hidden tricks regarding the water, electricity, and property management fees."

Yang Fan remained silent, simply listening and observing.

Only then did he walk up to the landlord and speak calmly.

"Boss, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"Go ahead," the landlord said, head held high.

"First, are the necessary exhaust ducts for restaurants installed here? Do they meet environmental standards?"

"Secondly, is the kitchen's electricity commercial or residential? What is the maximum load? Will using high-power appliances trip the circuit breaker?"

"Third, what are the specific monthly property management fees and garbage collection fees?"

Yang Fan's series of professional questions left the landlord, who had been talking non-stop, speechless.

His eyes flickered, and he answered vaguely, "Exhaust ventilation...we used to have that in bubble tea shops too, of course! Electricity...there's enough electricity, don't worry! The property management fee isn't much, it's nothing!"

This answer was full of flaws.

Yang Fan already had the answer in his heart.

He didn't ask any more questions, but just gave everyone a wink and then smiled politely at the landlord.

"Thank you, boss. We understand. We'll think about it some more."

The group walked out of the milk tea shop, leaving behind the cloying sweet smell and the landlord's disappointed look.