The younger sister mistakenly identified her brother when visiting relatives and was kissed by the c

The interior was completely empty, not even a broken wooden shelf remained. The bare cement floor was pitted and uneven, and the whitewash on the walls had long since turned yellow, peeling off in large patches, like a skin disease.

"The advantage of this shop is that it's cheap; the rent is only sixty yuan a month." Uncle Zhou exhaled a smoke ring, being honest and not hiding anything. "The disadvantages, as you can see, are that it's too small! And there's no kitchen. Girl, if you're going to run a food business, you'll have to spend your own money to partition off a kitchen in the back, build a stove, and install a chimney, which is another considerable expense."

Qiao Xinxin wandered around the shop, quickly calculating in her mind.

Sixty yuan a month is indeed cheap in those days.

But it's only 20 square meters?

She will not only have to sell braised dishes in the future, but also set up tables and chairs to sell stir-fried and cold dishes. This small space is so small that it's difficult to even turn around. She will definitely be stretched thin!

Not to mention that you have to spend your own money to renovate the kitchen, which is time-consuming, laborious, and not worth it!

"Uncle Zhou, this place is indeed a bit cramped. Let's look at the next one." Qiao Xinxin turned around, her voice soft but her tone decisive and unwavering.

Lu Baizhou, who had been silently following behind with his hands in his pockets, had a hint of admiration flash in his deep eyes when he heard the girl's decisive decision.

He's straightforward, decisive, and has his own opinions.

"Alright! Let's continue."

Uncle Zhou locked the door and led the two of them about fifty meters further.

The second shop was in a much better location, right in the middle of the street.

As soon as the door opened, a lingering, musty smell of cooking oil hit my nose.

This shop was much brighter than the previous one, at least thirty square meters. What pleased Qiao Xinxin the most was that a small partitioned room had been created at the back of the shop using a brick wall.

"Girl, this shop used to sell sliced ​​noodles and soup noodles. So there's a small kitchen in the back."

Qiao Xinxin quickly walked to the back kitchen and peeked inside.

Inside was an old-fashioned double-burner stove made of red bricks, with a rusty iron pot firmly embedded on top.

Next to the stove was a greasy, dark cutting board.

Although they look dirty, they are all genuine items. After washing them thoroughly with alkaline water a few times, they will be put to great use immediately!

"Uncle Zhou, how much does this room cost per month?" Qiao Xinxin was already starting to waver.

"This place is in a good location and has a large area. The monthly rent is ninety yuan," Uncle Zhou quoted a figure, which is thirty yuan more expensive than the first place.

Qiao Xinxin pursed her moist lips, frantically weighing the options in her mind.

It's a bit pricey, but it saves money on a new stove, a cast iron pot, and kitchen renovations, so overall it's still a good deal.

However, how can a buyer make a final decision based on just one company? Comparing prices from three different companies is the best way to avoid being taken advantage of.

"Uncle Zhou, this one is nice, but let's look at the rest before making a decision." Qiao Xinxin smiled sweetly at Uncle Zhou, her eyes and brows revealing the shrewdness of a little fox.

"Alright! We need to do more research before buying and selling. Let's go, there's more ahead!"

The third shop was at the very end of the street, in a significantly more secluded location, with hardly anyone passing by.

The moment the door was pushed open—

"Cough cough cough!"

A pungent musty smell mixed with a cloud of dust hit us!

At the critical moment, Lu Baizhou reacted extremely quickly. His broad and imposing body suddenly stepped forward, like an impenetrable wall of flesh, firmly blocking Qiao Xinxin from the choking dust.

Qiao Xinxin felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and she could even smell the faint scent of soap on the man's shirt and his unique, cold aura. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Be careful." A deep, resonant voice came from above.

"Thank you, Brother Lu." Qiao Xinxin peeked out from behind him, her ears red.

The shop was over forty square meters, but it was filled with broken furniture and rotten wood with missing arms and legs. The dust on the floor was so thick that it could reach above the ankle when you stepped on it.

"This used to be a carpentry shop that made furniture, with a monthly rent of seventy. It was cheap, but look at the mess. Just cleaning up this pile of junk would be a huge undertaking."

Qiao Xinxin pinched her nose and backed out, shaking her head decisively without thinking: "No way, cleaning this up will be a nightmare, and the location is too out of the way."

Next, the three of them walked back down the street and looked at two more shops, but neither was satisfactory. Either the corner was too small, the rent was too expensive, or the building was too dilapidated and leaked.

As the sun rose high in the sky, Qiao Xinxin's initial enthusiasm was dampened, as if doused with cold water, and she became increasingly discouraged.

She lowered her head slightly, kicked the pebbles at her feet with some frustration, and sighed inwardly: Is it possible that there isn't a single shop that suits my taste on such a large street as Huaihua Street?

Taking in the little girl's dejected look, Lu Baizhou frowned slightly and said softly, "Tired? If it's not suitable, I'll take you to Dongdaemun for another stroll tomorrow."

Although her voice remained cold and aloof, anyone could detect a hint of indulgence within it.

"There's one last one!" Uncle Zhou quickly stopped in front of a shop with two large wooden doors closed. "If you still don't like this one, then I'm really out of ideas."

This shop has an excellent location, right in the middle of the street, not near a noisy intersection, but with a considerable flow of people.

"Squeak—"

The heavy wooden door was pushed open.

Qiao Xinxin glanced inside, and her previously dim eyes instantly flashed with two dazzling beams of light! Everything suddenly opened up before her!

This shop is so bright and spacious!

The room is definitely over forty square meters, square and without any dead corners, with excellent lighting. Sunlight shines through the wooden lattice windows and onto the floor, making it warm and cozy.

What surprised her the most was that she almost shouted out loud—the shop wasn't empty!

Along both sides of the wall, six or seven sturdy solid wood eight-immortal tables are neatly arranged, each table is paired with four long benches!

Although the wood is coated with slurry and looks quite old, the frame is intact. Just add some hot water and wipe it with a cloth, and it'll be the perfect setup for a traditional restaurant!

There were even two multi-tiered wooden shelves, about half a person's height, standing in the corner, clearly used to display various spice jars or showcase cold dishes!

"This..." Qiao Xinxin's voice trembled with excitement as she walked towards the back of the shop.

Pushing open the mottled wooden door, the moment Qiao Xinxin saw the kitchen inside, she gasped in disbelief!

In the kitchen, which is about ten square meters, there is a long row of sturdy stoves made of red bricks against the wall, with three black iron pots of different sizes placed side by side on them!

Next to the stove, there was a large, thick, top-quality solid wood cutting board!

In the wooden compartment under the cutting board, there were more than a dozen old-fashioned coarse porcelain bowls with big red "double happiness" characters painted on them, as well as a pile of plates used to serve food!

Although a few bowls had small chips the size of rice grains on the rim, who cares about that these days? This quantity is more than enough to handle the initial customer flow during the opening period!

What's even more amazing is that in the innermost corner of the kitchen, there was a small stack of unburnt honeycomb briquettes and two large bundles of evenly sized dry firewood!

This isn't just renting a shop; it's practically handing her a ready-made restaurant! She can open for business right away!

Qiao Xinxin turned her head sharply, her big eyes brimming with excitement as she stared intently at Uncle Zhou, who was slowly walking in: "Uncle Zhou! All of this... the tables, chairs, benches, pots and pans, and even the coal briquettes, are they all left over from the previous family?!"