The man put away his umbrella and placed it to one side, then walked to a table and made a gesture to Shen Qinglan, inviting her to sit first.
Shen Qinglan also put away her umbrella and sat down opposite the man.
The man said, "My surname is Ji, and I’m the owner of this restaurant. May I ask what your surname is, miss?"
"So, it’s Miss Shen." The man nodded and said, "Why did you think of taking over this place?"
Shen Qinglan slightly curled her lips and said, "Naturally for business. Mr. Ji, why don’t you name a price?"
The man was taken aback but then smiled and said, "I didn’t expect such straightforwardness from you, miss."
After speaking, the man put away his smile, looked around cheerfully, and sighed slightly, "When this restaurant first opened, business was great because my wife is skilled, her brewed wine is tasty, and the food she makes is good too. It’s not more expensive than other restaurants, so everyone likes to come here to eat."
He looked at Shen Qinglan with a bitter smile and said, "However, we are outsiders, with no relatives and no backing here. Even knowing we were framed, we could only swallow the bitterness and had no choice but to transfer the restaurant and return home to do some small business."
From his accent, it was clear he wasn’t local.
With a good reputation comes trouble. A newly opened restaurant doing so well, and being an outsider, who else would people bully?
It was clear that the man was reluctant to part with the place.
Shen Qinglan thought for a moment and said, "If I were to take over this place and invited you to stay, would you be willing?"
"Ah?" The man was puzzled.
Shen Qinglan said, "I won’t pay you wages. You’ll do things as you did before. I can give you and your wife a twenty-percent share of the profits."
"Profit sharing?" The man looked perplexed. Nᴇw novel chapters are publɪshed on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⟡𝘧𝙞𝙧𝙚⟡𝘯𝘦𝘵
Shen Qinglan rubbed her forehead. How could she have forgotten that the term "profit sharing" didn’t exist at that time?
She explained, "That is, twenty percent of the revenue. For example, out of a hundred taels, you get twenty."
The man suddenly understood, then delightedly asked, "Is this really possible?"
Don’t underestimate this twenty percent profit. If the annual income reaches several hundred or a thousand taels, they could earn a substantial amount.
"Yes!" Shen Qinglan nodded, "I’ll also teach you some new dishes at that time."
"That...is, of course, good!"
This restaurant was purchased with all the savings he and his wife had, intending to earn more money to provide a better life for their parents and children. Who knew that shortly after opening, they would be framed by some people with malicious intent?
Instead of returning home, it’s better to stay and earn whatever is possible.
The man said, "Miss Shen, to be honest, when I took over this restaurant, it cost me five hundred taels."
Shen Qinglan thought for a moment and said, "I can give you six hundred taels."
If you want to hire someone, it’s best to treat them well.
"This...isn’t it inappropriate?"
The man felt a bit uneasy.
Shen Qinglan said, "There’s nothing inappropriate. I’ll have many things to trouble you with in the future."
Upon hearing this, the man quickly stood up to express his gratitude.
Hence, the two of them went to the Government to process the property contract. The County Magistrate recognized Shen Qinglan and was very polite to her.
So, Shen Qinglan directly invited him to be a witness and signed the contract with the man.
The man’s name was Ji Nian, and his wife was called Fang Qiu. Ji Nian signed on behalf of his wife.
The contract had four copies in total: one for each of the Ji Nian couple, one for the Government, and one for Shen Qinglan.
Ji Nian seemed to be a straightforward person, and Shen Qinglan believed she had a good eye for people. Besides, with the contract in place, she wasn’t worried about Ji Nian running away.
She said to Ji Nian, "You go back first. The restaurant might need to be renovated, and the menu will be drafted again. You and your wife can handle the rest. As for recruiting people, I’ll have to trouble you with that."
Ji Nian said with a smile, "How can you say that, Madam? These are all as they should be. From now on, we’ll be relying on you for our livelihood!"
Shen Qinglan said, "I will be relying on you for a living. I will design a drawing for the restaurant renovations, and you find someone to do it. Let me know how much it costs. I live at the Shen Mansion on Baihua Lane."
Ji Nian agreed, and Shen Qinglan nodded. Only then did they part ways.