RPAGF Chapter 211 For Sale Only, No Rent
Chapter 211 For Sale Only, No Rent
After the three finished breakfast, they drove their carriage to find a shop.
Xiao Jiu asked, "Xiao Tang, yesterday Uncle Shui Sheng and I went to ask the local people, but even they didn't have a suitable shop. If we search blindly now, will we be able to find one?"
It is indeed quite difficult!
Lin Xiaotang took a deep breath and said, "Dushui County is prosperous. If it is a prime shop, people who are doing well in business will not easily give up their leases to let us rent it. If the location is not good, it is useless for us to rent it. It is not easy to rent a suitable shop, but if we don't look for it, the shop will not fly to us."
“That’s true. We can go back a little later anyway. Let’s look for it first and try our luck.” Shen Qianchuan had already witnessed his niece’s intelligence. Even his elder brother listened to her, so he had no objections.
Xiao Jiu is usually a man of few words, but he supports Lin Xiaotang more than anyone else.
After all, the Lin family had saved his life, and it was thanks to Xiao Tang's compassion that they bought him when he was covered in wounds.
So, Xiao Tang and her fourth uncle walked ahead, while Xiao Jiu led the carriage behind them.
The three walked around and stopped frequently, until they saw an empty shop with a "For Sale" sign hanging at the door.
"Xiao Tang, there's one here, let's go check it out!" Shen Qianchuan was very excited and pulled his niece's hand towards the shop.
Xiao Jiu had no choice but to park the carriage by the roadside and wait silently outside.
Lin Xiaotang and her fourth uncle entered the shop, which was empty. They didn't know if it had been emptied by the previous owner or taken to the secondhand market to be sold by the young people.
The location of the shop is quite good, with a constant stream of customers coming and going, and the shop itself is very spacious.
Shen Qianchuan asked in confusion, "Huh, the door's open, but why is nobody here?"
"Whether there's anyone here or not, let's take a look first. If it's suitable, we'll wait here for the others to come back."
"Yes, let's take a look first."
The two walked around and found that it was just a storefront without a backyard, which did not meet their requirements.
As the two of them walked out the door in disappointment, they happened to run into an old man.
As the two passed each other, the old man quickly turned around and called out, "Please wait, gentlemen. Are you here to buy the shop?"
When the old man saw Shen Qianchuan's clothes clearly, the light in his eyes suddenly dimmed.
His blue clothes were made of coarse cloth and patched up. He was dressed so poorly that he looked like he came from a poor family. Although he had a slightly better demeanor, he probably couldn't afford this shop.
He couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
Miss was promoted to the rank of Consort after entering the palace for a year. The master and mistress only had one daughter. Unable to bear missing her day and night, they decided to sell their fields, houses and shops and move the whole family to the capital. But time was tight. How could they sell all the shops in the county at once?
Renting it out is easy, but selling it at a reasonable price is not so easy.
Sigh, it's true what they say, the master only needs to open his mouth, and the servants have to run themselves ragged!
Lin Xiaotang turned to the old man and said awkwardly, "Grandpa, we want to rent a shop, but this shop doesn't have a backyard, so it's not suitable for us."
The old man said without much hope, "If you want a shop with a backyard, we have plenty. It depends on whether you want a big one or a small one. Our master owns several shops, but we only sell, not rent them."
What?
Only for sale, not for rent?
She had never considered buying a shop. Dushui County was so prosperous, especially this street near the ferry, where land was incredibly valuable, and shops there would definitely not be cheap.
She and her father only had three hundred taels of silver, plus the three hundred taels invested by Manager Su, for a total of six hundred taels of capital. It was definitely far from enough to buy a shop in a prime location in Dushui County!
Her eyes darted around as she asked, "Grandpa, how much does this shop without a backyard cost?"
The old man held up an eight, which startled Lin Xiaotang so much that she swallowed hard.
Eight hundred taels?
This is too expensive!
I only have six hundred taels of silver in capital. I can't afford it!
Her lips twitched with laughter. "Grandpa, this shop is too expensive. Let's see where we can rent a vacant shop instead. Sorry to bother you."
After saying that, she grabbed her fourth uncle and ran outside.
When Xiao Jiu saw them running out, she led the carriage forward and asked, "Xiao Tang, how did it go with you and Fourth Uncle?"
Lin Xiaotang waved her hand, "Don't even mention it. This shop is for sale only, not for rent. They're asking for eight hundred taels right off the bat. Even if all three of us sold our shops together, we still wouldn't have enough. Let's look somewhere else."
The three of them explored all the streets near the ferry crossing in Dushui County, but apart from shops with signs advertising their wares, there wasn't a single empty shop for rent.
From elation to dejection, Lin Xiaotang couldn't help but feel annoyed. "It's all my fault for being too confident. I thought it would be easy to rent a shop in this bustling place. I didn't expect the shops here to be so sought after. It's impossible to rent one."
Seeing that Xiao Tang was unhappy, Xiao Jiu patted Lin Xiao Tang's head and comforted her, "Xiao Tang, we've only been looking for half a day. It's not that easy to rent one. Let's look around more tomorrow and the day after. Maybe we'll find something suitable."
Lin Xiaotang slapped Xiao Jiu's hand away, looking disgusted, and said, "Don't mess up my hair."
Xiao Jiu smiled and wasn't angry. He happened to see a candied hawthorn vendor in the distance, so he stuffed the carriage reins into Shen Qianchuan's hand and rushed into the crowd.
"Jiu'er, where are you going?"
Xiao Jiu did not answer and was obscured by passersby, disappearing from sight.
Lin Xiaotang came to her senses and realized that Xiao Jiu was gone, which left her dumbfounded.
Could this kid have taken the opportunity to run away?
The ferry crossing is nearby. If he sneaks onto a boat and smuggles himself to another place, it will take him three to five days by water. By then, the mountains are high and the emperor is far away, and her family doesn't have the money to catch him everywhere. He can find a way to change his identity and then he will be free.
She exclaimed, "Fourth Uncle... Fourth Uncle, you stay here and watch the carriage. I'm going to find Xiao Jiu. If he dares to run away, I will definitely not let him off."
Shen Qianchuan was confused. Seeing his niece about to run away, he grabbed her arm and said, "Xiaotang, where are you all going? Your fourth uncle doesn't know the way..."
Lin Xiaotang said anxiously, "Fourth Uncle, I can't explain it to you in just a few words. Just wait here. I'll come back as soon as I find Xiao Jiu. Don't leave if you don't know the way."
After saying that, she squeezed into the crowd in the direction Xiao Jiu had left and chased after her.
She didn't know why there were so many pedestrians today, bustling around, several times more than usual. Her body was only seven years old, and she was a girl, so she couldn't squeeze through the wall of flesh at all, and could only be carried along by everyone.
Xiao Jiu finally managed to squeeze to the side of the vendor selling candied hawthorns. He took out a few coins, bought four skewers of candied hawthorns, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Fortunately, Uncle Qingchuan paid me a good wage for working at Xiaotang's house, so I had no worries about food and clothing, and I could save money to spend as I pleased.
When Xiao Jiu returned to the carriage with the candied hawthorn, she found only her fourth uncle waiting there, and Xiao Jiu visibly became nervous.
"Fourth Uncle, where is Xiao Tang?"
Shen Qianchuan gripped the reins tightly with both hands, his eyes fixed on the pedestrians coming and going on the road, trying to find his niece in the crowd.
Hearing Xiao Jiu's voice, he turned his gaze away, but he could only see Xiao Jiu when he looked left and right, and there was no sign of Lin Xiaotang.
He angrily questioned, "Why did you run into the crowd without saying a word? Why didn't she come back with you when she went to find you? I was going to ask you where she is!"