Chapter 642: Chapter 351: Very Realistic_2
"Hey, Ah Feng, let me toast you." Zhao Guozhong poured a cup of wine and toasted Chen Feng.
Among those at the table, Chen Feng was the youngest and had the lowest status. But his uncle still chose to toast him first, proving the old saying true: "Everyone toasts the wealthy first."
"I’m driving, so I won’t drink."
Chen Feng was now avoiding alcohol whenever possible, especially since he didn’t really have any reason to drink with Zhao Guozhong.
"Just let your girlfriend drive, right?" Zhao Guozhong smiled, raised his eyebrows, and glanced at the overly beautiful Wu Mengting.
"Enough, what’s the point of drinking? Aren’t you driving too? Let’s all just not drink."
Zhao Xiaolan rudely interrupted Zhao Guozhong’s toast.
Seeing this, Zhao Guozhong had no choice but put down his glass and sit back down, helplessly saying to his sister, "Sis, you really are something. It’s rare for me to meet with my nephew. What’s the harm in having a few drinks? If we get drunk, we could all just let our girlfriends drive us."
When Zhao Xiaolan heard him mention girlfriends, her expression worsened.
Seeing this, Chen Feng quickly spoke up, "Alright, Uncle, say no more. Alcohol is no good; it’s better not to drink."
Mao Xiaoling also quickly chimed in, "That’s right, Zhong, you should drink less in the future. It’s really not a good habit for you to drink almost every day."
Zhao Guozhong instantly displayed a blissful and sweet expression, smiling as he said, "I didn’t drink much."
"Anyway, listen to me, drink less. Better yet, don’t drink daily." Mao Xiaoling gently said.
"Alright, alright, I’ll listen to you." Zhao Guozhong grinned.
This scene left everyone else at the table speechless; they hadn’t even married yet, and he was already so compliant.
Following that, Zhao Guozhong indeed didn’t drink.
After eating for another ten minutes, Zhao Xiaolan, who didn’t look pleased, took the lead in standing up, pulling Wu Mengting away from the table.
Seeing this, the others also stood up and left one after another, but as Chen Feng got up to leave, Zhao Guozhong stopped him.
"Ah Feng, I need to discuss something with you."
"What is it?" Chen Feng knew it wouldn’t be anything good and frowned slightly.
Sure enough, Zhao Guozhong said with a bit of a flattering expression, "Ling previously opened a shop in Qishui Town, but the business wasn’t good, and it’s quite far from where I live in Yuelou Town. So, I was thinking of letting her open a new store here in Yuelou Town, where there are more people and the economy is more prosperous. What do you think?"
Chen Feng said directly, "You guys decide for yourselves, why ask me?"
Zhao Guozhong chuckled somewhat awkwardly and said, "Money is a bit tight. We found a pretty good shop, but the rent is somewhat high. So, we wanted to borrow some from you to help bridge the gap."
Chen Feng couldn’t help but admire his uncle’s thick-skinned nature, willing to ask him for money in front of his girlfriend.
Of course, Chen Feng couldn’t outright refuse, as Zhao Guozhong was his elder, and Aunt hadn’t yet left the table.
"What kind of shop are you planning to open?" Chen Feng asked in return.
Zhao Guozhong immediately replied, "A convenience store."
Chen Feng was somewhat surprised to hear it was a convenience store; he had thought it would still be a barbershop.
"Running a convenience store shouldn’t cost that much, right? Can’t you guys come up with the money yourselves?" As he spoke, Chen Feng glanced at Mao Xiaoling, who was silent.
Probably feeling Chen Feng’s gaze, Mao Xiaoling said a bit embarrassedly, "We can only scrape together a hundred thousand yuan, but starting the convenience store requires at least a hundred and fifty thousand."
Zhao Guozhong quickly added, "Yes, the shop rent in Yuelou Town is quite high, and because of the prime location, the rent needs to be paid yearly in a lump sum. Just the annual rent is over eighty thousand yuan."
"Is the rent really that expensive in Yuelou Town?" Chen Feng expressed doubt. As far as he knew, the rent for shops on the streets back home was no higher than thirty to forty thousand a year.
Zhao Guozhong explained, "The shop we’re renting is on the busiest Revitalization Road in Yuelou Town, as you know. It measures about a hundred square meters, and eighty thousand a year isn’t expensive. This price was even negotiated through old connections. We’ve already paid three thousand yuan as a deposit, and the landlord is giving me three days to gather the money, considering family ties. If we can’t procure the money in three days, the shop will undoubtedly be rented to someone else. The three thousand deposit would be unrecoverable."
"Doesn’t a convenience store of one hundred square meters seem too large, unnecessary?"
"One hundred square meters isn’t that large; it doesn’t even qualify as a small supermarket. Of course, it’s bigger than most small shops. We did try to find a smaller spot, but there really isn’t a location as good as this."
"Do you guys know how to run a convenience store? Uncle, it’s not that I’m saying you don’t, but a convenience store has a lot of items and variety. With your restless nature, can you have the patience to manage this store well?"
Mao Xiaoling quickly said, "Once the store opens, my mom and I will manage it mainly. When I was little, my parents used to run a small shop, and I often helped out. Later, when I was a teenager, my dad passed away, and my mom’s health wasn’t good, so the small shop didn’t continue."
Zhao Guozhong quickly pledged, "I will definitely go over frequently to help."
Mao Xiaoling gave him a sweet smile in response, making Zhao Guozhong grin even wider.
Chen Feng could see his uncle was really enjoying a second spring, knowing neither resurrecting his parents nor nine oxen could pull him back.
This rekindled passion of an old flame, being a divorced man himself, he could understand. An older bachelor like Zhao Guozhong rarely meets someone as "young" and beautiful as Mao Xiaoling, who accepts him. It’s hard to resist and easy to fall deeply.
"If this convenience store opens, is it considered a partnership between my uncle and you? How are the shares divided?" Chen Feng asked frankly, undistracted by the charms of the woman before his uncle.
"Little Feng, what are you talking about? Why would I divide assets between us?" Zhao Guozhong immediately refuted Chen Feng’s question.
Chen Feng didn’t respond, but simply looked at Mao Xiaoling.
"Of course, it would be a partnership between the two of us." Mao Xiaoling said smiling, "Your uncle can only come up with twenty thousand yuan now. Including the fifty thousand you’d lend him, that’s seventy thousand, while I have eighty thousand. If the store opens, I’ll give him 30% of the shares. What do you think? After all, he knows nothing about convenience stores, while my mom and I are quite familiar, so it would be more like a technical partnership."
While Zhao Guozhong was stunned, Chen Feng slightly smiled and asked, "Do you and your mom consider salaries?"
Mao Xiaoling squinted slightly, then smiled and said, "Of course, we need salaries. My mom and I each would earn three thousand yuan per month. What do you think?"
But Chen Feng shook his head and said, "Well, if you and my uncle get married immediately, I’ll fund your convenience store. Consider it my wedding gift to you. Otherwise, well, I won’t provide the money."