Chapter 47: Feng Shui Issues

An annual rent of fifty thousand is genuinely a great deal.

After inspecting the basic condition of the shop, Madam Lin heard this price and hurriedly sat down alongside them.

Chen Zhou exchanged a few words with her, and then said to his old aunt:
"We can accept this price, but we'd like to understand the shop's conditions in more detail, such as the ventilation, water, and electricity."

The old aunt told the two of them not to worry.
Four catering businesses had operated here in the past. Although three of them had indeed gone under, that was due to management issues similar to her own.

As for the infrastructure, it hadn't lagged behind and was actually very well-equipped—
There were water, electricity, and gas, and both the ventilation and the drains had been completely upgraded.

Moreover, it was an independent commercial space, not directly above or below any residential apartments, so it wouldn't disturb the neighbors. They could just open the shop with peace of mind.

The old uncle then led Chen Zhou and his family of three on a thorough tour of the place, inside and out.
Just as he had said, even the exhaust vents had been relocated to a direction far away from the residential buildings.

The old aunt recalled:
"The tables and chairs were left behind by the first tenant, the interior decoration style was inherited from the cake shop, she also upgraded the power supply to 380 volts, and when the two of us took over, we modified the exhaust purification system."

Hearing his wife's words, the old uncle couldn't help complaining to Chen Zhou:
"This will be the fifth business here. Who knows, maybe this place just clashes with something."

Chen Zhou and his wife inspected the conditions inside the shop, feeling increasingly satisfied.
"The ventilation and drainage are both fine; the feng shui is actually quite good."

However, the fact that four consecutive catering businesses had been poorly managed had indeed shaken the old uncle's confidence a bit.
He continued to offer Chen Zhou more lenient terms:
"Xiao Chen, if you are willing to rent it, feel free to use any of these things. We have nowhere to store them anyway if we move them out. Besides, if there's anything you aren't happy with, you can modify it yourself; we won't require you to restore it to its original state when you leave."

Of course, aside from the rent,
there were property fees, management fees, utility and heating consumption costs, and so on, which Chen Zhou would need to pay out of pocket as they were not included in the rent.

These expenses were no small sum for running a shop, but such fees had to be paid regardless of where one rented, which was entirely reasonable and fair.

Sitting down once more, the old aunt even brought out the contracts of the previous two tenants for Chen Zhou to review.
"When we were just landlords, we only cared about collecting the rent. Running a catering business is different; there are simply too many things to consider."

When it came to the rental payment cycle,
the old aunt requested annual payments, wanting to get her hands on a full year's rent as soon as the contract was signed.

Chen Zhou expressed his understanding.
He remembered the old aunt mentioning earlier that they essentially lived off the rental income each year, so naturally, they wanted to see cash in hand right away.

While common tips for renting a shop recommended shortening the payment period as much as possible—preferably quarterly or semi-annually—
the old aunt had already offered a very reasonable rent here, and he would also save money on renovations.

Kindness is reciprocal.
He indicated that he could accept the terms.

Hearing Chen Zhou agree, the old aunt and her husband felt a surge of joy.
After all, the previous tenants had all paid semi-annually or quarterly, and to this day, one tenant still owed them fifteen thousand yuan.
Being able to secure a full year's rent now gave them genuine peace of mind.

Next was the question of the contract's duration.
Not wanting to change tenants back and forth every year, the old aunt decided to sign a three-year contract this time, with the option to renew upon expiration.
She still maintained a certain level of caution, but she also promised Chen Zhou:
"Rest assured, Xiao Chen, we won't raise the rent during this period. We'll write that into the contract shortly."

Addressing a few minor details through mutual concessions, both parties drafted the new contract.
And they signed it right on the spot.

Because she had enjoyed such a pleasant cooperation with Chen Zhou, and because little Chen Taotao had called her "Grandma" a few more times, the old aunt even threw in a twenty-day rent-free period until the end of the month.
"Xiao Chen, we'll be moving out in the next couple of days. Let's stay in touch."

Chen Zhou smiled and replied, "Alright, you can rest easy too. I'll wire the money over to you on Friday."
Feeling that Chen Zhou was the kind of reliable person who got things done properly, the old aunt remarked,
"We can trust Xiao Chen to handle things."

The old uncle reminded her, "You have to call him Boss Chen now. You're still calling him Xiao Chen."
Correcting herself, the old aunt said:
"Well then, Boss Chen, I wish you a booming business! Work hard, this old aunt believes in you."
"I'll take your kind words for it."

The breakfast shop was the old uncle's place of heartbreak and sweat, so he had zero attachment to it. As soon as Chen Zhou left, he urged the old aunt to hurry up and pack their things.
While cleaning the tea set, he muttered:
"If it weren't for wanting to taste his steamed buns in the future, I wouldn't ever want to come back to this place."

Meanwhile, after stepping outside, Chen Zhou said to his wife:
"For some reason, the more I look at this shop, the more satisfied I am. Once the three-year lease is up, we'll find a way to buy it outright."

...

With the shop rental finalized, parting with fifty thousand yuan all at once was certainly heart-wrenching.
Yet, Chen Zhou also felt a much clearer sense of direction for the future.
As long as he maintained his original aspiration of making steamed buns, ensured absolute food safety and hygiene, and preserved the authentic flavor of his buns,
this shop was bound to succeed.

Madam Lin was also genuinely happy for Chen Zhou; her husband was truly treating catering as his career now.
He had to be addressed as "Boss Chen" from now on.

Suddenly remembering that she had previously made an appointment with the leasing center to view another property, she asked Chen Zhou if they should give them a call to cancel.
Recalling that Manager Gao was the one who had taken him to see it, Chen Zhou felt it was only proper to let them know.
So, he made a phone call.

The young woman at the leasing center said it was no big deal—plenty of people looked at properties without buying.
However, upon hearing that Chen Zhou had rented the breakfast shop next door instead, she still looked somewhat puzzled.
Because of her connection with Manager Gao, she offered a few extra words of caution:
"Brother Chen, people always say that shop has bad feng shui."

Nothing was wrong; the ventilation and drainage were both excellent.
Chen Zhou smiled and replied, "We'll be neighbors from now on. Come over and try our food once the shop opens."

...

By evening, Chen Zhou felt even more energetic while running his street stall.
He even pasted a sign onto his steamed bun cart, notifying his regular customers about the upcoming opening of his physical shop in the residential complex's commercial area.

Some of the regulars commented, "These buns are indeed best eaten in the morning."
But the core sentiment remained—
"As long as you aren't moving away, that's all that matters."
"With your bun stall around, I feel like the happiness index of our neighborhood has gone up."

The trust of his diners was also the source of Chen Zhou's confidence.

As for who was happiest about this news, it was undoubtedly hairstylist Tony.
When he arrived a bit later in the evening, he was pleasantly surprised to discover that Chen Zhou was actually opening a shop—and right in the old aunt's former breakfast spot, no less!
"I thought you were going to slowly run their shop out of business, but you went and snuck right into their base! You're amazing, bro!"

Remembering the feud between Tony and the old aunt,
Chen Zhou joked, "Don't you worry, when the time comes, I'll tape a circle of plastic wrap around the bottom of the trash can so I definitely won't push it over to your side."

Tony laughed, running a hand through his stylish hair. "Tsh, I'm not that petty!"
"Besides, that was right in front of the tobacco and liquor shop anyway."

Watching Tony stroll toward the tobacco and liquor shop with his bag of steamed buns,
Chen Zhou figured that within two days, the entire little circle of storefront owners would know he was moving in.