After four years of living alone after marrying far away, he went back to his parents' home and

Chen Mo quickly and respectfully put down his teacup, leaning forward slightly in a cramped manner.

Mr. Lan's lips twitched, and he silently refilled the empty teacup, his eyes filled with understanding.

The atmosphere on the sofa gradually became subtle and heavy, so heavy that Chen Mo almost dared not look up.

Until an angelic "little princess" pressed her "chattering" magic wand and walked towards Chen Mo with her "clattering" high heels.

"Uncle, shall we go downstairs to play?" the little guy asked softly, tilting his head back.

With excitement bubbling over her chubby little face, she could hardly contain herself.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Lan quickly put down the purple clay teapot and coaxed in a low voice:

"Sweetie, lunch is almost here. Let's play at home."

"After your afternoon nap, Grandpa will take you downstairs to play, okay?"

The little guy pouted and shook his head firmly.

"No, we have to go now."

As she spoke, she quickly freed one of her small hands, took Chen Mo's finger, and started to walk out.

"Uncle, let's go!"

"Just play for a little while, just a short while."

Seeing this, Mr. Lan felt a pang of jealousy.

However, Mother Lan, standing nearby, seemed more relaxed, smiling and waving her hand, saying:

"It's alright, let them go!"

"She just changed into her pretty little dress. If you don't let her go downstairs for a couple of turns so the other kids can admire her, she won't feel at ease all day."

Lan Yujuan sat next to her, turned her head, and covered her stomach while secretly laughing.

Unexpectedly, Lan's mother immediately pointed at her again:

"Alright, stop sitting there grinning like an idiot, come down with them!"

"Perfect timing, we're almost out of soy sauce in the kitchen. Could you stop by the convenience store downstairs and pick up a bottle?"

Lan Yujuan immediately stood up with a smile, "Okay!"

The three of them changed their shoes and went downstairs.

Lan Yujuan casually inquired about the private kitchen courtyard, asking if it was available for rent.

Chen Mo pondered for a moment, then said seriously:

"The landlord is indeed prepared to continue renting out that small courtyard."

"However, the location isn't remote; it's quiet despite being in a busy area, and the overall area is quite large. Therefore, the rent isn't cheap."

Upon hearing this, Lan Yujuan's heart sank.

But if you think about the environment carefully, opening a coffee shop that's neither too big nor too small would be perfect!

If we could grit our teeth and rent it, that would be our life's dream!

The three of them strolled around half of the neighborhood. Lan Yujuan was still a little unwilling to give up and whispered tentatively:

"It's not cheap, approximately how much?"

Chen Mo turned and glanced at her twice, but instead of answering directly, he smiled faintly and asked in return:

"Let me hear your expectations for renting a place first."

Lan Yujuan gritted her teeth and said truthfully:

"If the rent for the coffee shop is between 1200 and 1500 per month, with my current income level, I would be able to make ends meet even if I didn't earn any money."

"If the storefront environment is my ideal type, I can accept a monthly rent of less than 2000."

"But if it's this riverside courtyard I want to rent, as long as the annual rent doesn't exceed 30,000, I'm willing to cut back on my own spending."

He gazed at her silently, listening intently to what she had to say.

"So, how much is the rent for that little courtyard?" Lan Yujuan looked back at him, as if waiting to scratch a lottery ticket.

"The rent we discussed before was 80,000 a year, with a ten-year lease," Chen Mo said truthfully.

"However, I overheard the landlady chatting and it seems the landlord wants to raise the rent."

Upon hearing the price, Lan Yujuan's hopeful heart plummeted to rock bottom.

"All right!"

"Indeed, the only downside to good things is that they're too expensive!"

It seems that renting a storefront can't be rushed; she'll just have to keep looking.

Chen Mo walked casually beside him, his hands in his pockets.

He suddenly raised his hand, scratched his brow, and whispered a suggestion:

"Or, have you considered sharing an apartment with someone?"

"Huh?" Lan Yujuan turned around in surprise. "Will this work? It probably won't!"

She instinctively rejected the proposal.

"I prefer peace and quiet and don't really enjoy interacting with people."

"Besides, I'm renting that courtyard to open a coffee shop. What kind of business would be willing to share it with me?"

"Moreover, even if you share the apartment, splitting the rent in half, the annual rent would be at least 40,000. A ten-year lease would be 400,000..."

"Forget it, forget it!"

After doing this, Lan Yujuan suddenly felt that "ideal life" didn't seem so important anymore.

The two walked to the playground in the community and stood at a distance, guarding the entrance and exit of the slide respectively.

Chen Mo smiled faintly and said, "Don't be in such a hurry to refuse, let me finish."

"You liked that little courtyard because you liked the floor-to-ceiling windows of the small storefront, the river view in the distance, and the little courtyard in the back where you could plant flowers, vines, and sunbathe, right?"

Lan Yujuan nodded gently, "Mm!"

Chen Mo continued his analysis: "Actually, the small storefront in front doesn't have a large usable area; the courtyard can be shared. The real large usable area is in the several large side rooms at the back of the courtyard."

"Is it possible for you to find a roommate like that?"

"He just happens to need a space about the size of a backyard wing. When he's resting, he needs a small yard and coffee, but he's not good at tending to the yard or brewing coffee. When he's entertaining clients, he also needs a quiet place to talk."

"This roommate needs this kind of space and has the money. And your coffee shop can provide the value they need."

Lan Yujuan smiled gently, "Hmm, it does sound quite good!"

"But where in the world is there such a good thing?"

Chen Mo raised an eyebrow and said in a low voice:

"You have so many resources around you, how will you know if you don't actively explore them?"

"Moreover, it's a mutually beneficial arrangement. It's a good thing for both sides!"

Lan Yujuan glanced at him and casually joked:

"You're all around me, so can I dig you out now?"

"Mr. Chen, look around you, do you have any powerful connections like this? If you can help me make this happen, I guarantee that as long as the coffee shop exists, you'll have a guaranteed supply of coffee!"

Chen Mo smiled and calmly said:

"Okay, I'll ask around for you later."

As the two were chatting, Lan Yujuan suddenly noticed that her daughter, who had been playing happily just moments before, suddenly stopped moving and stopped laughing.

The little one tucked his hands tightly into his sleeves, staring blankly in one direction...