After returning from the academy, Jiang Miao's life was as usual, picking up the children, going to the market to buy vegetables and chop stuffing, and preparing three meals a day. On this day, Daniu came to pick up the stuffing for the buns, and by the way, he settled the bill for the past five days for Jiang Miao. In addition, he told Jiang Miao something.
"Brother Jiang, there are two new fried bun stalls over there recently. They have lowered the price very much, so our buns are not selling well. Should we also lower the price?"
Jiang Miao had a premonition about this, because Daniu had obviously ordered much less stuffing recently.
"If we don't lower the price, you get what you pay for. If we lower the price, they will lower it even more, and then we will lose money." Jiang Miao has encountered malicious competition before.
"Then what should we do?" Da Niu scratched his head. He was a simple and honest person. He was very efficient at work, but he was a little at a loss when it came to giving advice.
"From now on, we will only set up the stall for one hour every day and then close it." Jiang Miao said.
"Oh, okay." Although Daniu didn't understand why Jiang Miao made such arrangements, his natural obedience made him agree without any doubt.
"Aren't you afraid that you'll earn less money?" Jiang Miao asked.
Daniu smiled innocently: "You led me to do this business, and the good sales of the products are all due to your fillings. You are not afraid of making little money, so what should I be afraid of?"
Jiang Miao nodded, feeling very satisfied. Their business model had changed during this period, and Daniu had made more money. If it were anyone else, they would have become more confident. Jiang Miao thought that if Daniu disagreed with his approach, then their partnership would end here. He would not restrict Daniu from continuing to make money with fried buns, and he could also learn his method of making stuffing, but he would never give out the recipe for the thirteen spices.
However, since Daniu is reliable, he can rest assured to let Daniu get involved in the next business.
"Daniu, don't worry, this is only temporary." Jiang Miao patted Daniu on the shoulder and told him not to worry.
Daniu nodded. Anyway, his grandparents said that he should just follow Brother Jiang in everything.
After seeing off Da Niu, Jiang Miao returned to the house and found Pei Mu waving a straw bug in front of Little White Dot, his movements were very similar to the way Jiang Miao teased the cat today.
The little white dot was also very considerate. It stared at the little bug with its amber eyes. From time to time, it stood up and used its two front paws to scoop it up, making soft meowing sounds from its mouth.
Pei Mu still had no expression on his face, but the joy emanating from his body was clearly palpable.
"Little Wood, do you want to go out with your brother or stay home by yourself? If you stay at home, I will let the guard brother accompany you." Jiang Miao gave him two choices democratically.
Pei Mu stopped, walked to Jiang Miao, grabbed the hem of his clothes, and made a choice.
"Okay, then follow me." Jiang Miao helped him wash his hands, then turned around, locked the door, and led him out.
"Hello, Shopkeeper Wang. How's business lately?"
As soon as he went out, Jiang Miao ran into Shopkeeper Wang who was walking towards him, so he opened his mouth and greeted him.
"Business is just like that. Even if you don't make much money, you won't starve." Shopkeeper Wang said, "Who is that person you are holding? I haven't seen him for a while. Where is Little Stone?"
"Xiao Shitou is going to school. This is Xiao Mu, my younger brother. He is shy and doesn't like to speak. Please forgive me." Jiang Miao said with a smile.
Shopkeeper Wang naturally didn't care. He stared at Pei Mu for a while and said, "This little wooden boy is quite handsome. Your family has good feng shui. The children you give birth to will all be very beautiful."
"Haha, you're too kind. By the way, where are you going?" Jiang Miao asked.
"I just found the noodle shop owner over there for some business. Where are you going now?"
Jiang Miao said, "I want to go to the dental clinic to see if there are any good shops for rent recently."
When Shopkeeper Wang heard this, he immediately became happy: "Oh, you finally figured it out and are ready to open a restaurant, right? Just open it, and I'll attract customers for you! I don't ask for anything else, just call me every time you try a new dish."
He really liked Jiang Miao's cooking skills, especially the three ways of eating mutton. How could it be enough to eat it only once or twice
Jiang Miao didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Why open a restaurant? Since I make dumplings, I will open a dumpling shop. I may also sell other food." In a restaurant, you have to stay in the kitchen all day and night, busy all day long, with very little time to rest. He finally came to the ancient times of the Phoenix family, and he couldn't live such a hard life.
"A bun shop is fine. I'm used to eating buns from your shop, and it feels like something is missing when I eat buns from other shops. Come on, I'll go to the dental clinic with you. I know a few people there. I can ask them to help you find a better shop." Shopkeeper Wang looked as if he couldn't find fish, but shrimp would be fine too.
Jiang Miao smiled with his eyes curved: "I was waiting for you to say this. You are knowledgeable and popular. I believe the people in the dental clinic will give you face."
Manager Wang was very happy with Jiang Miao's flattery, and soon he brought the two of them to the largest pawnshop in West City.
"Please ask your Songya people to come out and tell them that I, Old Wang, am here." Shopkeeper Wang seemed to be a familiar customer here. He gave orders directly without waiting for the waiter to greet him.
"Hello, Manager Wang. It's been a while since we last met. Are you here again to buy new property?" Song Yaren joked.
"What property do you want to buy? Don't be so poor that you have to sell your house and land. Then I will thank God. Today, my little brother wants to find a shop to do some small business. Please help him look for a suitable one. If you find one, take it." Shopkeeper Wang said.
Song Yaren took out a booklet from the inner room, sat down and flipped through it, then looked up at Jiang Miao and asked, "Little brother, what kind of shop do you want? Big or small, with a yard or not, facing the street or not?"
Jiang Miao had already planned it out. When he heard him ask this, he immediately replied, "Song Yaren, I want a shop near the street with a yard. It's better to be bigger."
As soon as these conditions were put forward, Song Yaren immediately found three shops that met the requirements.
"This one is on Fulai Street. The shop is right on the street and has a very good location. The shop is also large, with two floors and a large yard at the back. In addition to the kitchen, there are four rooms where people can live." Song Yaren began to introduce the first place.
The conditions are quite good. Fulai Street is one of the bustling streets in Xicheng District. Jiang Miao used to set up a stall there.
"This shop sounds good, but I'm a little curious. Why is such a good location left vacant over there? What kind of business is that person in front doing?" Jiang Miao found it quite strange and asked directly.
Generally speaking, people in the dentistry business are reserved in what they say. But Jiang Miao was brought here by Shopkeeper Wang, and he and Shopkeeper Wang are old acquaintances, so naturally he would not hide anything from him.
"The previous tenant was running a teahouse business. I heard that the owner was caught by government officials for selling private tea. Naturally, the business could no longer be continued, and the shop was transferred back to the owner." Most business people pay attention to feng shui. Knowing that this shop had been involved in a lawsuit, who would want to come and get involved
The more Jiang Miao listened, the more familiar it sounded. When he remembered it, he immediately became embarrassed. Wasn't this the shop that Pei Che had asked people to check
"Uh, Song Yaren, can you tell me about other families?" Jiang Miao said somewhat embarrassedly.
Song Yaren was not surprised and talked about the next shop: "This shop is on Mingfeng Street. It is also a shop on the street. The shop is much smaller than the previous one. It also has two floors. There is a small yard in the back with a kitchen and two rooms for people to live in. There is a well in the yard, so it is very convenient to use water."
Jiang Miao was somewhat tempted. Mingfeng Street was only one street away from where Xiao Shitou studied. It was more prosperous and lively than Fulai Street. It was only two streets away from the city gate of the upper city, so it was considered the central area.
"Mr. Songya, why is this shop being sublet?"
"This shop belongs to the shopkeeper. He used to sell vinegar. Now that he is old and his only son has established himself in the upper city, he plans to vacate the shop and move to the upper city to help his son."
"I see." Jiang Miao nodded. It was good that there was no dispute. However, the business he wanted to do would not be done in a day or two, so it would be better to listen to a few more companies before making a decision.
Song Yaren recommended several shops to Jiang Miao, but they were either too remote, or the street they were on was not very busy, or the size of the shop was not suitable. After considering all these, the second shop he just mentioned was more suitable.
Jiang Miao expressed his intention, and Song Yaren immediately asked someone to harness a carriage and take them to see the shop.
During the field investigation, Jiang Miao found that the shop was better than he had imagined. Although the shop was smaller than the teahouse, it was set back a bit, leaving a space of four to five meters long and more than two meters wide near the street. This location was originally reserved for the convenience of placing vinegar jars. If it is used, the disadvantage of insufficient space in the shop will be compensated. And because it is right on the street and placed outside, customers coming and going can see it, and the business will definitely be good.
Jiang Miao asked for the advice of Shopkeeper Wang, who also said that it would be a good idea to clean up the place and open a steamed bun shop. Pei Mu followed by the side, and when he saw Jiang Miao looking at him, he nodded seriously.
Jiang Miao was amused. He rubbed his head, turned to Song Ya Ren and asked, "Song Ya Ren, how do I rent this shop?"
"For long-term leases, we can sign a one-year or two-year lease. The rent for one year is 120 taels, and the rent for two years is 220 taels. For short-term leases, 15 taels of silver are required per month."
When the price came out, Jiang Miao was immediately shocked. The rent was really high. Compared with Yifong Street, it was probably more than doubled.
Song Yaren had a pair of sharp eyes. He found that although Jiang Miao's clothes were simple, the child he was holding was well dressed. Just looking at the material of the clothes he was wearing, it could cover the rent of the shop for two or three months. So, he proposed another solution.
"Brother Jiang, actually the owner of this shop has put up a sign for sale. Instead of renting it and paying high rent every year, it would be cheaper to just buy it."
Jiang Miao smiled bitterly. He thought the rent was too high, so how could he afford to buy it? However, this did not stop him from asking for the price.
Song Yaren said, "The price offered by the owner is not high, only 1,400 taels, which is considered affordable among the many shops on this street. Of course, this is also because the owner is in urgent need of money recently."
Indeed, Jiang Miao thought, otherwise, he only needed to rent it out for eleven or twelve years to make the money. However, with the money he had on hand, he couldn't even rent it out for a year, so he could only give up.
"Mr. Songya, I have rented this shop. I will bring the money tomorrow and then we can sign the contract. How about that?"
The people of Songya naturally would not refuse, and they were so considerate that they sent a ox cart to take them back.
(End of this chapter)