A Young Woman's Heart

"I'm in the shop, just come over."

"Okay." Mo Wenli hung up the phone, walked out into the rain again, and went into the grocery store.

The general store was fully stocked with all kinds of goods, and the owner was a fashionable old lady who wore gold-rimmed glasses and had permed hair.

He wasn't particularly old, probably around sixty.

"Hello, I'm the one who just called to inquire about renting a shop."

"I guessed it. Please have a seat."

"Uh... okay."

Mo Wenli wanted to have a proper talk, so he sat down on a chair in front of the counter.

The old lady seemed very approachable. She smiled kindly and poured him another glass of water. Instead of immediately mentioning the price, she asked about other things: "Why do you want to rent that shop?"

"This... of course it's for making money, haha." Mo Wenli answered with a laugh, trying to cover up the embarrassment caused by the question.

What kind of business are you planning to start?

"Let's open a fruit shop. I don't think there are any fruit shops on this street."

"Yes, that's right." The fashionable old lady looked Mo Wenli up and down. She seemed very cultured and asked, "May I ask your surname?"

“No need for the formal ‘you’,” Mo Wenli quickly said. “My surname is Mo.”

"My surname is Jin, you can just call me Aunt Jin."

"Hello, Aunt Jin." Mo Wenli smiled. "You seem to have quite a few shops."

"Actually, all the shops here belong to me."

"I see. No wonder you weren't in a hurry to rent out this empty shop."

"Yes, I was thinking that if it's just a place that's been operating for a while and then quit, it'll be a hassle to rent it out. So I'm looking for someone to rent this shop long-term and stably." Aunt Jin tapped the table with her fingers and asked with a smile, "Have you ever run a shop before?"

"I've driven it."

"Then why did you stop doing it later?"

“Uh… for various reasons…” Mo Wenli is an honest person. “Haha, I was young and naive back then, and I could never settle down. Later, I worked as a company employee for many years, but now I’ve been laid off, so I want to go back to my old job.”

"I see. Where do you live?"

"Desheng."

"It's a bit far."

"A little bit."

"Judging from your accent, you seem to be a local?"

"Haha, no, no, it's just that I've been in Hangzhou for a long time, so I can speak the Hangzhou dialect."

"Hmm, not bad. Would you like to take a look at the shop first?" Aunt Jin nodded, seemingly still not intending to tell Mo Wenli how much the monthly rent was.

He could only patiently agree.

"Aren't you going to use an umbrella?" Seeing Mo Wenli walk out like that, Aunt Jin quickly followed and covered the two of them with a large umbrella, asking.

"It's just a little rain, it's nothing," Mo Wenli, wearing a short-sleeved shirt, replied casually.

"Your health is really good; it's so good to be young," Aunt Jin exclaimed.

"Haha, am I still young? My son... my daughter is already in the first year of high school!" Mo Wenli patted his pocket, wanting to smoke a cigarette, but had to give up because of Aunt Jin standing next to him.

The roller shutter door of this vacant shop was pulled up. The space inside was neither too big nor too small; it would definitely be fine to open a regular fruit shop.

"This shop used to be a fruit shop, so a lot of things were left over. You're lucky," Aunt Jin said with a smile. "Perhaps this is fate."

"Haha... luck, luck." Mo Wenli laughed modestly. Now that he was inside, he naturally had to look around.

He examined his surroundings very professionally, not missing a single detail.

It seems like they genuinely want to open a shop here.

"What is this door...?"

"That's a small room. It can be used as a storage room or a bed, but it can probably only fit one person," Aunt Jin replied.

I took out my key and pushed open the door, and all I could see inside was dust.

The small room had no windows and felt very gloomy.

If you're going to use it for sleeping, it's really just the kind of place you'd make do with for one night.

And it must be very hot in the summer...

Overall, it's still quite satisfactory.

Although it's not big, it has all the essentials and has everything you need, saving me a lot of trouble.

"How was it?" Aunt Jin asked with a smile.

"That's good. How much is it per month?" Mo Wenli finally couldn't help but ask again.

"Hehe—actually, I'm not short of money." Aunt Jin looked at him and laughed. "But I feel a connection with you. You're a spirited young man with a sharp mind."

When Mo Wenli was called "young man," he was immediately embarrassed and broke out in a cold sweat.

Although he did look much smaller than Aunt Jin, he wasn't quite a young man.

"How about this, the rent is one thousand a month..."

"A thousand dollars?" Mo Wenli rubbed his hands together excitedly.

It only costs 12,000 a year, which is not expensive at all.

The average person's monthly salary is around one thousand, but if you open a shop, you can obviously earn more than that if the business takes off.

Even disregarding costs, you can easily make at least three thousand yuan, so spending one thousand yuan on rent is perfectly acceptable.

This price is considered a personal discount; generally speaking, it's impossible to be that cheap.

Although this place is on the outskirts of Hangzhou, it is right next to the Cancer Hospital and is located at an intersection. As long as you are not too stupid, doing business will not be difficult.

If you do well, earning 10,000 yuan a month is a piece of cake.

After all, fruit is a very profitable product...

Mo Wenli, who had been hauling goods for almost half a month, understood this point deeply.

The price difference between buying fruit wholesale from the market and selling it in a fruit shop can be several times.

Let alone five times, even ten times is possible.

"Okay... then I can just pay six months' rent upfront, right? That is... six thousand."

"Haha, young man, why are you in such a hurry?" Aunt Jin addressed Mo Xueyao's father as "young man" again. "I haven't finished speaking yet—the rent for a month is one thousand, that's the price for the last time it was rented out. I feel we get along well, so I'll only charge you eight hundred. You can pay for the water and electricity yourself."

There are all sorts of strange things in this world, including landlords who voluntarily lower rents.

This left Mo Wenli looking completely incredulous.

It was like a pie falling straight from the sky and hitting him in the face.

"What, you don't believe me?"

"I...no, are there really such good things in this world?" Mo Wenli chuckled awkwardly. "That makes me a little uneasy."

"What's the big deal? I've never been one to just look at profits. It's mostly about my mood." Aunt Jin touched the earring on her earlobe, which she couldn't tell was either pure gold or gold-plated. "What, do you think I'd lie to you after the contract is signed?"

"Thank you, thank you... but I still need to discuss it with my wife..." The initiative to lower the rent still puzzled Mo Wenli, so he decided to calm down to avoid falling into any trap.

"Of course, you can come to see me anytime these days."

"Thank you. Was that your phone number I just called?"

"Yes—you shouldn't use 'you' anymore, it sounds too formal, doesn't it?"

"Heh, haha, the main thing is, we're not that close yet." Mo Wenli laughed and patted his chest. "Alright, I'll be going now. I'll contact you in the next few days."

"Okay, I'll wait for your news." Aunt Jin nodded with a smile, her eyes looking at her as if she were looking at her youngest son...

……

Chapter Forty: A Small Family Meeting

The continuous drizzle lasted all day, making it feel damp no matter where you sat.

My father and mother didn't get home until almost eight o'clock. My mother was soaked with rainwater, and my father was completely drenched—he didn't even seem to be wearing a raincoat.

Mo Xueyao had just finished showering and was coming out of the bathroom. Since there was no water heater in the house, she could only take a cold shower.

If it were a sunny day, it wouldn't be too cold, but on a rainy day like this with wind and rain, she was freezing.

Even so, we still have to hold out for a while until the weather really gets cold before we can go to the public bathhouse to take a bath.

It's not that the bathhouses are closed right now, but going to a bathhouse is definitely more expensive than taking a bath at home, so we should try to save money whenever possible.

"You're back?" Mo Xueyao, wearing only a pair of panties and a tank top, asked her parents as she dried her wet hair with a towel. "Did you two agree to come home together? You always do it at the same time."

"That just means your dad and I are destined for each other." The mother blinked and put her hand on the father's shoulder. "Honey, help me take off my shoes~"

"Ugh—" Mo Xueyao showed a disgusted expression as she dried her hair and returned to her room.

Su Tang was lying on its chair when it saw Mo Xueyao come in. It lazily stretched out its paw and stroked Mo Xueyao's fair and supple thigh.

"What are you doing, Su Tang? Are you here to warm up my chair?" Mo Xueyao, dressed in loose clothing, picked up Su Tang and placed her on the table, then sat down in the chair herself.

She was wearing her junior high school uniform, which she had specifically ordered two sizes larger than usual, thinking that she would grow taller and then have to spend money to buy a new uniform.

Unexpectedly, I didn't grow much taller in junior high school, only from 1.55 meters to 1.58 meters. The school uniform was still very loose on me.

Although I've worn it for three years, the clothes are still in very good condition, and I can wear them as casual clothes at home without any problem.

Especially in winter, because the school uniform is loose enough, even if you wear a lot of clothes underneath, you won't feel uncomfortable at all.

Mo Xueyao tucked both hands into her sleeves, leaving only a few fingers sticking out, and gently poked the little tabby cat, Su Tang, who was sleeping wherever she was placed.

"Have you had dinner yet?" the father asked, knocking on the door that had just been closed.