All the heavens begin with the love in the courtyard.

It was the eldest sister who couldn't help but ask first.

"Xiao Wu, how much does it cost to open a soup shop?"

Seeing that everyone was really interested, Han Chunming sighed helplessly in his heart, but still smiled and said on the surface.

"It wouldn't cost much. If I opened a shop similar to mine, in a less desirable location, the total cost would probably be around a thousand yuan!"

Upon hearing this, everyone became even more interested, and the second brother couldn't help but ask.

Are there any shops available for rent on your street?

Han Chunming pondered for a moment before speaking.

"There really is one. There's a huge shop at the end of the street from my shop. You can see it now, right? It's a restaurant now, but business is so-so. The location is a bit out of the way, but the rent isn't too expensive, I think it's 150 a month. Because it's at the end of the street, there isn't much foot traffic, but it's more than twice the size of my shop!"

Everyone's eyes lit up. The older brothers and sisters exchanged glances, each having made up their minds. The eldest brother spoke up.

"Xiao Wu, how about this, let's discuss it tomorrow, and if it's acceptable, we'll give you an answer tomorrow night, okay?"

Han Chunming nodded casually, and that was the end of it.

The next day, the eldest brother and sister went to check out the market again at noon, and sure enough, they saw the sign for "For Rent" at the end of the street.

The landlord happened to be there too. Upon inquiry, it turned out that it was indeed only 150 yuan a month. The landlord had previously run a restaurant, but the food was bad and business was so-so that he decided to rent out the house instead.

The location was at the end of the street, opposite a ditch, and not many people passed by; the foot traffic was very low. However, the house was quite large, and the eldest brother was still undecided. It was the second brother who couldn't help but speak up first.

"Brother, the rent is only 150 a month, which is cheaper than Xiao Wu's shop. The boss also said that we can pay for six months in advance. Look at how big the place is, we can totally set up stir-fry dishes as well, and sell soup and vegetables. Business will definitely be good!"

The older sister nodded in agreement, her face full of anticipation as she imagined making a fortune with this shop!

The second sister hesitated for a moment, and asked somewhat embarrassedly.

"Big brother, do you think Xiao Wu will be angry if we do this?"

The second brother, hearing what his second sister said, retorted somewhat indignantly.

"Why is he so angry? He won't change even when we tell him to. There's no such thing as a static business. Don't you see how good business is at that soup shop? It's already midday and there's still a queue. I'm telling you, Second Sister, if our business were half as good as his, we could earn several thousand yuan a month!"

The second brother's words immediately drew the agreement of the others, and they finally made up their minds to take over the shop.

Chapter 45: Double the Refund

When the older siblings first saw this storefront, they immediately bought it, fearing that someone else would rent it out.

After discussing it for a while, the group paid a deposit of two hundred yuan, and the landlord happily wrote them a receipt.

What my siblings didn't know was that this house had been rented out four times in just over two years since 1980, and no shop had ever lasted more than six months.

When it comes to opening a shop and doing business, you often can't just rely on your own feelings.

If you observe this storefront carefully for a day, you'll find that this location isn't actually suitable for a food stall.

This place isn't even at the end of the street, so there's not much foot traffic. Plus, none of the surrounding shops are food stalls, so there's no clustering effect.

Even just two shops away, there's another one that makes animal feed and also sells veterinary medicine; you can spot those two big veterinary medicine signs at a glance.

So even if people see a restaurant next door, they subconsciously don't want to go in to eat.

But at this moment, the older brothers and sisters were already attracted by the large storefront, as well as the several soup shops not far away, and the bustling crowds. Everyone was already itching to try it.

If they did a little investigation, they would know the truth.

But these older brothers and sisters are all doing business for the first time. Xiao Wu can earn tens of thousands of yuan a month, so they can too. Such a big place with such cheap rent, what if someone else takes it if we don't rent it?

The house was rented, and the siblings discussed again how to divide the shares of the shop. The eldest brother suggested bringing Han Chunming in as well, so that each of the five Han siblings would take 20% of the shares.

However, when asked, Han Chunming said he didn't want to get involved, and his excuse was that he didn't have the energy to manage it.

Han Chunming's absence sparked a variety of reactions among the participants; some were delighted, while others fell into deep thought.

One monk jumps into the water to drink, two monks carry the water together to drink, and these four monks are not quite able to figure out the situation for a while, but these are all minor issues.

The cost of opening a shop is easy to calculate. With Han Chunming's soup shop as a model, the only difference is the ingredients for making the soup. Everything else can be copied. Just buy bigger soup bowls and supply other things like buns and steamed buns. These won't cost much.

However, everyone had their own agenda regarding the shareholding issue, and they couldn't reach a consensus for the time being.

Finally, the eldest brother suggested that since Xiao Wu had experience in running a shop, they should consult him on this matter!

Everyone agreed that this made sense, so they convened another family meeting of the Han family. This time, it wasn't just the older brothers and sisters who were present, but also their partners, such as the eldest sister-in-law and the brother-in-law.

Even my second brother's soon-to-be wife came along after hearing that opening a shop could make a lot of money.

Although they were supposed to be consulting Han Chunming, it was clear that Han Chunming wasn't the main character today. Even without Han Chunming's advice, everyone had their own plans based on the situation.

The dozen or so people crowded the house. Han's mother boiled water and made tea. Xiao Qiao saw that there was no room to even put her feet down, so she simply stayed inside and didn't come out.

This family meeting was a grand affair, a rare and important family gathering for the Han family in recent years.

The meeting began, and naturally, it was Boss Han who gave his speech, rambling on and on.

The gist of the meeting is that the Han siblings have decided to do something big: open a soup shop. This meeting is to discuss the investment ratio, staffing arrangements, and so on.

Because of Xiao Wu's example, everyone was full of enthusiasm and high spirits. The room was bustling with activity, as if everyone was about to embark on a path of common prosperity.

Han's mother also brought out melon seeds and dried fruit. Han Chunming cracked melon seeds and sat in the crowd, inconspicuous. This time, he was only willing to be a bystander and provide reference for everyone.

After the elder brother finished speaking, he handed a small notebook to Han Chunming and said something.

"Xiao Wu, we've calculated the costs of opening this shop. Take a look at the accounts and see if there's anything we need to add!"

Han Chunming smiled as he took it and examined it carefully.

Everyone calculated very carefully and in detail, including pots, pans and other utensils. Since there was a restaurant in front of the shop, the siblings didn't plan to renovate. They just planned to customize a shop sign and menus before opening.

Han Chunming glanced at the costs; they weren't much. Pots, pans, tables, chairs, and even the initial ingredients and procurement costs—all added up to just over 1,900 yuan. This included six months' rent of 900 yuan. Money still had value these days.

It's obvious that the older siblings had already figured it out yesterday. Today's meeting was just a formality, meant to impress Han's mother and Han Chunming.

To avoid conflicts among the brothers later when they've made money, we can clarify things through a family meeting now, so that no one has any objections.

Han Chunming nodded, indicating that he had nothing to add, and his elder brother nodded in satisfaction before continuing.

"The initial costs have been calculated. The remaining issue is the share distribution. Originally, each of the five of us would own 20%, but Xiao Wu said he wouldn't participate. I'd like to ask Xiao Wu again: are you sure you don't want to participate?"

Han Chunming noticed that everyone was looking at him, then stood up and said with a smile.

"Brother, I'm too busy with my own shop right now to participate. Let me tell you all first that opening a shop isn't as easy as you might think. There are many costs that can't be calculated. I hope you brothers and sisters can understand each other. That's all I'll say. I wish you all great fortune!"

No one took Han Chunming seriously. At the moment, everyone was in high spirits and obviously hadn't thought about those things. Seeing this, Boss Han continued.

"Since Xiao Wu isn't participating, here's my plan: the shares will still be divided into ten shares, each worth two hundred yuan. After deducting the cost of one thousand ninety-six yuan, we'll keep some cash as a reserve. What do you all think?"

The eldest brother's suggestion was something that the siblings had already discussed, and they had even discussed it with their own family members. At this moment, everyone nodded and had no objections, agreeing to this distribution.

Seeing that everyone nodded in agreement, the eldest brother smiled and continued.

"Here's my plan: each of us can buy two shares, and the remaining two shares will go to Mom. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing the elder brother's words, the expressions on everyone's faces changed slightly, and they all looked at Han's mother, who was standing on the outermost edge.

Clearly, the eldest brother did not consult them beforehand about this idea; they were still discussing how to divide the shares at noon.

At the time, the eldest sister-in-law's idea was that whoever contributed more people would get a larger share, because the Han siblings all had formal jobs and some of them had to work and didn't have time to manage the shop.

The eldest sister-in-law happens to have many younger brothers and sisters, and she herself is currently free.

She was also planning to bring her younger siblings over, and quite a few others shared the same idea.

Now, the eldest brother directly said that each family would take two shares, and the remaining two shares would go to their mother. Everyone was a little surprised, even the eldest sister-in-law. Obviously, the eldest brother hadn't discussed this with her.

However, Han's mother could see through her children's thoughts at a glance. She glanced at Han Chunming and saw him grinning foolishly at her. Han's mother immediately shook her head and said to everyone.

"I won't get involved in your affairs, what would I do with so much money?"

Hearing their mother's words, the older siblings all breathed a sigh of relief, and the eldest sister-in-law glared fiercely at her eldest brother.

When his mother refused, the older brother smiled awkwardly and said...

"How about we each take two and a half shares?"

No one objected to the elder brother's words, but the elder sister-in-law couldn't help but clear her throat and say something.

“I think that opening a shop requires management. To open such a big shop, you need at least seven or eight helpers, right? You two, the third and fourth sons, both have to work. As for me, I’m currently unemployed at home. In addition, I have several younger brothers and sisters who can come out and help. I think it’s reasonable for my family to contribute so many people and take a larger share, right?”

The eldest sister-in-law's words finally ignited the conflict at today's family gathering. As soon as she said that, the second brother couldn't hold back any longer and stood up to speak to the eldest brother and sister-in-law.

“Sister-in-law, I don’t agree with what you’re saying. Fangfang and I have to work, but we can help out after get off work. Besides, Fangfang has two younger sisters, and I can ask them to come and help too. My brother already said that the shares should be divided equally. Now you’re saying this, so we can’t agree to it!”

The girl next to the second brother, Fangfang, was clearly not someone to be trifled with, judging from her appearance. However, since it was her first time attending a meeting like this with the Han family, she didn't dare to speak loudly, but instead made noises from the side.

"Exactly, how much is labor worth?"

The girl's voice was quite loud, and the older woman next to her heard it too. She nodded in agreement and then said to her sister-in-law.

“That’s right, sister-in-law. Labor costs are labor costs, and shares are shares. If you mix them up, it’s pointless. I think we should do as brother said. Each family should have two and a half shares, and each family should contribute five hundred yuan. As for labor costs, we can discuss whether to pay wages or hire people. I think either is fine!”

The eldest sister's words were met with unanimous nods of agreement from everyone, and many family members also expressed their opinions, saying that they had younger siblings who could help.

These days, it's common for families to have several siblings, and it's also normal to not be able to find a job. Besides, with such high profits from running a soup shop, no one wants to see others share the profits more.

Seeing that everyone had said so, the eldest brother gave his wife a reproachful look, and then the matter of the shares was settled.

Han Chunming watched the commotion while munching on sunflower seeds. He had originally intended to offer some advice, but after listening for a while, he lost the will to speak.

This shop is 100% going to fail, and it will definitely be a complete mess. It's best to say as little as possible.

The less you say, the fewer mistakes you make; if you don't say anything, you won't make any mistakes.

The shareholding structure has been finalized, but the most crucial issue of manpower for managing the store has been completely overlooked.

After a brief discussion, they decided that each family would contribute two people, making a total of eight people involved in the shop management. The eldest sister-in-law had transferred her job to her younger brother last year and was currently unemployed at home, so after discussion, everyone decided that the shop would be temporarily managed by the eldest sister-in-law.

The result of their discussion was that the two people from each family would not receive wages; their wages would be paid by themselves. In other words, wages would be paid after they earned money. Since they were all relatives, how much they were paid was their own business.

This childish personnel arrangement made Han Chunming want to speak up several times, but in the end he didn't say a word.

After everyone had finished their discussion, and their eyes were glancing at Han Chunming intentionally or unintentionally, Han Chunming naturally knew it was time for him to step forward, since they were still concerned about withdrawing their shares.

Everyone was too embarrassed to bring this up, so Han Chunming had to take the initiative.

Han Chunming, of course, was self-aware and didn't want to waste time arguing with everyone. He patted the sunflower seed shells off his clothes, took out the ledger he had prepared for a long time and the cash he had specially withdrawn today, and then addressed everyone.

"Brothers and sisters, now that you've discussed it, let's talk about withdrawing your shares. As we agreed before, I'll refund you double your investment. Here, I've already written the agreement; you just need to sign it!"

After Han Chunming finished speaking, his older brothers and sisters were a little embarrassed, and the second sister spoke up.