1996: Starting from a bankrupt farmhouse restaurant

Chapter 133 The Golden Shopfront, Taken!

"It's too small, it's like a coffin, what can you do with it?" Lu Yuan said.

"Brother, your words are too harsh. How can you speak like a coffin? Look at all these shops, they're all mine, and everyone else is doing just fine!" The landlord retorted, but his tone was very gentle.

Lu Yuan walked to the door, glanced at the row of shops, and then his gaze settled on Yang Er Mazi's mutton offal soup next door. He asked, "What's going on? Why is it closed in broad daylight?"

The landlord immediately replied, "He's quitting. He was doing really well when he was in business!"

Lu Yuan didn't expose his lie, but looked around Yang Ermazi's mutton offal shop with great interest, occasionally peeking inside through the window.

"Hey bro, are these two apartment layouts the same?"

"Yes, exactly the same."

Lu Yuan took a few steps back and stood a little further away, his gaze sweeping from left to right and then from right to left, his eyes constantly moving between the two shops.

This move delighted the landlord, who had originally given up hope on the young man, Lu Yuan.

I only stayed with him for so long because he was wearing designer clothes.

I was just trying it out, but I didn't expect this young man to complain that the shop was too small.

Judging from his posture, he intends to take over both shops.

So the landlord immediately ran over and stood with Lu Yuan, following his gaze as he looked around.

"Brother, wouldn't it look great if we combined these two shops and hung a big sign outside?" the landlord asked.

Lu Yuan replied calmly, "Whether it's beautiful or not is not for you to decide, nor for me to decide."

"Then who decides?"

"price!"

When Lu Yuan mentioned the price, the landlord's face lit up with joy. Usually, when a tenant asks about it, it means he's genuinely interested.

"One shop is 3000, but I'll give you a 500 discount on both shops, so it's 5000. Isn't that great?"

"It's so beautiful!" Lu Yuan grabbed the landlord's hand and turned to his uncle, saying, "Uncle, go get the money and sign the contract with the landlord!"

"Huh? Aren't you going to take another look?" the uncle asked in surprise.

"What are you still looking at?" The landlord came over and patted his uncle on the shoulder, saying, "Even though you're the younger uncle, sometimes you have to listen to the younger generation. This young man has such good taste; he's made the decision right away!"

Lu Yuan nodded in agreement, saying, "That's right, look how generous this guy is. Let's get to the contract. Look, I even brought my bankbook!"

As Lu Yuan spoke, he actually pulled a bankbook out of his pocket and quickly flipped it open, then flicked it around.

The landlord had sharp eyes; in that split second, he spotted a five-figure bank account.

"To be honest, you're a straightforward guy, brother. How about this, let's go straight to the village chief's house. He's my uncle, so we can get things done today!"

The landlord has finally found such a capable tenant, so he certainly won't let him go.

He thought of Yang Ermazi's stingy ways, how he had to scrape together a month's rent with pennies, and he felt utterly disgusted.

It's infuriating to compare yourself to others; this guy in front of me is just so pleasing to the eye.

These days, rural housing transactions require the village collective to act as an intermediary, because the land most likely belongs to the village collective.

Therefore, for this type of transaction, finding a middleman like the village chief is the most credible option.

However, village collective houses can only be transferred between villages, and disputes are likely to arise later when the laws are improved.

Just like Lu Wangtan Village, Lu Yuan was able to buy so easily entirely because he was a native of the village.

However, the situation is different for the shops along the main street in the town.

Many shops are built on state-owned land and then transferred to private individuals. Once transferred to private individuals, there are no restrictions on how they can be traded afterward.

The landlord's shops are in this situation; Lu Yuan had his uncle inquire about it.

The landlord, through his uncle's connections, took over several shops on state-owned land at a low price.

If it weren't for this reason, Lu Yuan wouldn't have made up his mind to buy this shop.

After all, even the cheapest shop can be a huge pitfall if the property rights are unclear.

This is also an advantage of the village being close to the town. Even if they can't get state-owned shops, they will have the opportunity to convert their houses into shops when the town expands.

When they are rented out, it will be a considerable source of income for the farmers.

The village chief's house was not far away, and Lu Yuan and his companion arrived at the place quickly with the landlord.

The landlord and the village chief were clearly very close. After he explained his purpose, the village chief offered him tea and cigarettes, treating it as if it were his own business.

These days, contracts are all handwritten and signed with fingerprints. As the youngest, Lu Yuan is theoretically the most educated, so he is the most suitable person to write it.

Amidst their laughter and conversation, Lu Yuan wrote a standard transfer contract in a very fluent and engaging manner.

The clarity of the logic impressed even the village chief, a seasoned steward of the village.

However, after looking at it, he realized that it was a transfer agreement, not a lease agreement.

Then he immediately took off his glasses, grabbed the landlord's hand, and asked with a wink, "Gangzi, you're going to sell these two shops for 5000 yuan?"

"When did I say I was selling the shop?" The landlord looked puzzled, took the contract, glanced at it, and then stared at Lu Yuan, demanding, "Brother, what did you write here? I said rent, not sell!"

"If you're not going to sell, why are you arguing with me for so long? And going around to the village chief's and town mayor's houses? Are you kidding me?"

The landlord raised his voice slightly, and Lu Yuan raised it three points higher.

Although Lu Yuan's words were exaggerated, he remained firmly seated, showing no intention of leaving.

The village chief, being older and more composed, pressed down on the landlord with one hand and on Lu Yuan's arm with the other, saying, "Harmony brings wealth, young man. Buying a shop for 5000 yuan is indeed a bit cheap. You won't find this price in any other town."

This was exactly the effect Lu Yuan wanted, to bring the conversation to the topic of buying and selling shops.

Because the landlord doesn't have a strong need to sell the shop, he also thinks about renting it out every month so he can live a leisurely and carefree life.

So Lu Yuan followed the village chief's words and said, "Uncle, you are a reasonable person. When it comes to business, there is room for negotiation."

He said 5000 yuan, and you said that wasn't enough. Then tell me how much!

"It's not appropriate for me to say how much money to charge. It's not my shop, Gangzi. It's your shop. How much do you want to charge?" The village chief then followed Lu Yuan's words and turned the topic to the landlord.

Seeing this, the village chief knew he would definitely help his nephew raise the price, but he wasn't sure what to do. However, he didn't consider that his nephew hadn't originally intended to sell the shop.

The landlord was also confused and felt something was off, but when his uncle gave him a meaningful look, he casually said the price: "These two shops of mine will cost at least 7 yuan."

Lu Yuan chuckled and countered, "Brother, let's not talk business yet. Just tell me, within a ten-mile radius, is there anyone who can pull out 70,000 yuan and slap it on this table in one go?"

The landlord was stumped. The area within a 10-mile radius was all rural; who would have so much money?

But if he answered no directly, his confidence would be diminished, so he forced himself to answer, "Yes, there definitely is."

Lu Yuan quickly followed up, saying, "There definitely are, but who would be crazy enough to throw money away in this town!"

"Buying a car to transport passengers or goods, opening a wholesale supermarket in the county town, or even buying an apartment in the provincial capital to live like a city dweller—wouldn't that be better than throwing 7 yuan away here?"

"Aren't you right, Uncle?" Lu Yuan asked the village chief again.

The village chief completely agreed with Lu Yuan's point of view, and when he was suddenly asked, he instinctively blurted out, "Yes, right?"

"But I've gone mad!" Lu Yuan suddenly pulled out his bankbook, opened it, and slammed it heavily on the table. "I don't have 7, but I do have 5! With 5, you can still buy a car, open a wholesale supermarket in the county town, and live like a city dweller in the provincial capital!"

5 yuan may seem like 7 yuan less than 2 yuan, but it is still a considerable amount of savings in these days. The landlord and the village chief's attention were completely drawn to Lu Yuan's bankbook.

Nothing is more appealing than the zeros on a bankbook.

Then, Lu Yuan took the contract, added a zero after the 5000, and pushed it back to the landlord, saying, "Brother, you've had these two shops vacant for quite a while now, haven't you? There will come a time when you can't rent them out, right? Calculate how many years you'll have to rent them out to earn back this 50,000 yuan?"

The crux of the problem for people who rent shops is that if they have no space for even a day, they feel restless and uncomfortable, like ants crawling all over them.

Lu Yuan didn't give him a chance to refute, pushing the passbook towards the village chief and continuing, "Brother, we're both from farming backgrounds, so why do you have so many shops? It shows you have a keen eye; you were born to do business!"

"But this place limits you. You know, those bosses in the south earn tens of thousands a day, are they better off than you?"

"No! Their platform is just better than yours. You're working yourself to the bone renting a shop, while they can just buy and sell whatever they want and make a fortune."

"What you lack compared to them is this start-up capital—5 yuan. That's enough to take you to the next level. With your talent, just a slight step up will make you a true prodigy, a dragon that can transform into a golden carp once it encounters favorable winds and clouds!"

Lu Yuan's words made the landlord blush. He had obtained these shops purely by shamelessness.

But Lu Yuan's next words hit a nerve.

No matter how he acquired the shop, he is a legitimate landlord.

But as a landlord, the thing he did most often was argue with his tenants.

Even a penny's worth of water fee would cause the tenants to argue with him for ages; he was thoroughly fed up with it.

He now collects rent and no longer farms. He spends his days wandering around the county town, and he quite envies his friends who do business with city dwellers.

They're incredibly straightforward in their business dealings; they charge whatever the price is right, and they can make thousands of dollars a day.

Thinking about how I'm stuck in this shop, not quite good enough for anything, not good enough for anything else, it's really frustrating.

He also wanted to do some business in the county town, but as Lu Yuan said, he didn't have the funds.

He used all the money in his family's savings, and even borrowed some, to buy these shops, and now he still owes people some money.

That's why he's so anxious about not being able to rent out his shop.

The 5 yuan in Lu Yuan's savings account was indeed very tempting. He calculated that it was almost 10 times more than the price he paid for the shop!

He couldn't help but think that if he had that 5 yuan, he could not only pay off his debts, but also open a shop in the county town.

Lu Yuan noticed the changes in the landlord's expression.

Environmental influences are crucial in forcing a person to make a decision.

It's like when a guy wants to ask a girl out to dinner, he sends her WeChat messages asking all sorts of questions, like where she wants to go and what she wants to eat.

Girls usually hesitate to reply when they see this kind of WeChat message, unless your character model is so good that she can let go of her reserve.

Instead of saying that you know a really good restaurant, just tell her directly and forcefully take her there.

After finishing my meal, I could watch the movie and go back home. It was too late and the school was closed, but I happened to have my ID card with me.

Selling houses is the same principle. Even if a house has only had its foundation laid, the sales office must still be decorated to resemble a model house at a 1:1 scale.

A sale can only be made if customers can imagine what it will be like to live there in the future.

This is a simple sales technique that Lu Yuan could use to target landlords.

Lu Yuan felt the pressure had been enough, so he put away the passbook and picked up the contract, making a gesture as if to tear it up. He said to his uncle, "Let's go, Uncle. I don't think this guy really means it. Let's hurry up and go to Jinling Town. The landlord there said he's going to open a shop in the county town and is in a hurry to sell the shop."

Lu Yuan spoke quickly, but his hands moved slowly as he tore up the contract. He then said to the village chief, "Uncle, thank you for your hospitality. We're sorry to have bothered you, we'll be leaving now."

After speaking, Lu Yuan slowly turned around and finally tore a small tear of half a centimeter in the contract.

At this point, the landlord finally couldn't hold back any longer and said, "Brother, don't be in such a hurry. We can discuss business together. Don't just leave like that!"

Lu Yuan then showed an impatient expression and said, "No, bro, what do you mean? We're grown men, if it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't. Don't waste time!"

When faced with someone who is hesitant like this, Lu Yuan would raise his voice and provoke him to make a decision.

The landlord, feeling a bit embarrassed, immediately asked, "Brother, is it full payment?"

Lu Yuan chuckled and said, "Only trash like me would use installment plans!"

The landlord gritted his teeth and finally made the decision: "Alright, brother, I'll transfer the shop to you. I'm afraid it's too late today, so let's meet at the land management office tomorrow morning!"

Although shops of this type can be transferred, they require approval from the land management office and payment of land revenue fees.

Lu Yuan immediately agreed to the landlord's request and went back with his uncle.

Lu Yuan wasn't worried that the man would go back on his word, since no one else could afford to buy the shop anyway.

If the landlord really goes back on his word, Lu Yuan can simply find some more people to pretend to be buying the shop and lower the price. Then the landlord will have to come back to him to sell it.

This transaction wasn't exactly a case of Lu Yuan gaining an advantage; at most, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

These days, with 5 yuan, this landlord might actually be able to create a lot of wealth.

Lu Yuan had no interest in those things; he was most comfortable just living a simple and peaceful life with his relatives.

On the way back, my uncle looked worried and said, "It's so far. I had to swallow my pride and borrow some money from your grandfather, which was barely enough to buy a shop. Even if you sold your own hands, you still couldn't afford these two shops!"

"What are you afraid of? Your nephew has money, I'll lend it to you and you can pay it back slowly!" Lu Yuan calculated for a moment after Zhao Yan had solved the funding problem for the greenhouse.

With the current revenue, it's more than enough to cover the daily expenses of the cafeteria and the money for the shops here.

"Really? You're so kind, nephew! But could you go all the way and talk to your grandfather with your uncle?"

"Let's go!"

So Lu Yuan and his uncle changed their route and went to his maternal grandfather's house while it was still light.

Along the way, Lu Yuan couldn't help but ask his troublesome uncle, "Uncle, why haven't you gotten married yet? You're making Grandpa so anxious."

My uncle is 27 years old this year. In the rural areas of 96, that would be considered a heinous crime.

In the first few years, my grandfather was so angry that he chased my uncle all over the village with a stick.

I've come to terms with it over the years, but sometimes I still get angry and swear a few times.

Lu Yuan once suspected that his uncle might have some unique fetish, but based on his decades of observation, his uncle was a perfectly normal man.

So, taking advantage of this moment when his uncle was most grateful to him, Lu Yuan asked the question.

When my uncle heard this question, he instinctively squeezed the brake, and the motorcycle paused for a moment.

Lu Yuan also slowed down, and his uncle slowly said, "Yuan, I have someone in my heart, so I'm afraid I'll never be able to get married in this lifetime."

"Huh?" This was the first time Lu Yuan had heard this answer.

Since his uncle had brought it up, he finally couldn't help but confide in Lu Yuan.

It turns out that he fell in love with a girl when he was in junior high school. He and this girl had a very good relationship, which was almost in the ambiguous stage, a stage where they could easily break out of it.

This girl's family is from the provincial capital. Her parents are often sent to work in other places, and she grew up at her grandmother's house.

After graduating from junior high school, the girl went back to the provincial capital to attend a vocational school and has stayed there ever since.

After graduating from junior high school, my uncle even secretly went to the provincial capital to work, but he was arrested as a vagrant and sent back.

From then on, the two could only correspond by writing letters to each other.

As time went on, the uncle felt he could understand the girl's words less and less, and so the contact was broken.

After hearing this, Lu Yuan suddenly stopped the car, and his uncle also stopped and asked, "What's wrong?"

Lu Yuan stared intently at his uncle and asked, "Uncle, is she married?"

"Who?"

Lu Yuan raised his voice and retorted, "Who the hell could it be?"

The uncle naturally understood, but he had never dared to face it. So he lowered his head and whispered, "I asked a friend in the provincial capital, and he said she still lives with her parents, so she probably hasn't gotten married."

"Coward!" Lu Yuan cursed angrily.

"What did you say?" The uncle was a little confused by the scolding.

Lu Yuan continued to berate her: "I'm telling you, you're a coward! You're a young woman, and you've turned yourself into an old maid. Don't you know why?"

"Why?" the uncle asked instinctively, but an answer was stirring in his mind.

Lu Yuan thought of the computer game his apprentices played in later years, Road Rash.

So he kicked his uncle's motorcycle hard and said, "For the sake of a donkey! That girl hasn't married yet because of a donkey, okay?"

Uncle lost his balance and was kicked over by the tall and strong Lu Yuan, who pinned him under the motorcycle.

He didn't make a sound, just lay there blankly, and Lu Yuan was too lazy to help him up.

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