Chapter 137: Chapter 137: It's not easy to find a shop
Feng Zhenchang was also determined to make this happen, but he didn't want to spend any more money and go to the officials with a humble face to beg. So early the next morning, after delivering the shopping to a few shops, he pedalled his tricycle all the way over there, spending almost an hour, and finally found the new long-distance bus station under construction.
The main building of the station had already been completed, except that there was scaffolding outside, with two tower cranes standing in front and back, surrounded by a green net at the bottom, and heavy trucks entering and leaving from time to time through the large iron gate.
Compared to the old station he often went to, the new one was bigger and more modern, with a glass curtain wall on this side of the front that was not yet common. Feng Zhenchang stared at the second floor with some resentment. That was where the planned dining area was. Wiping the sweat from his face with the towel around his neck, he pedalled his tricycle around the station in the scorching sun.
The old man at the entrance stared at Feng Zhenchang with a vigilant expression, afraid that he would sneak in through a hole and steal construction materials. When he saw Feng Zhenchang pedal his tricycle to the other side, he was still a little uneasy and couldn't help but follow behind him.
The piece of land directly opposite the new station is also under construction in full swing, and it looks like it will be a high-rise commercial housing estate. The other three sides are older buildings, with many shops on the street frontage, but it seems that business is average at the moment, especially on this sunny morning, with very few people.
However, many of these small shops, which are clearly visible to have been redecorated, are mainly kiosks, snack bars and gift shops.
There are a few closed doors with rental advertisements posted on them. He looked at them and they were all unsatisfactory. The width of one shop is only three to five metres, and the depth is more or less the same. At least two adjacent shops would be suitable, but so far, all he has seen are single shops here and there, with no two shops next to each other.
However, it is better to have one than none, so he bought a ballpoint pen and a notebook, and carefully looked at each shop, writing down the basic information and contact numbers.
Having opened six shops, he has gained some experience in choosing locations. Shops next to the station are best if they are next to the front door, next best if they are next to the back door, and the ones on the sides are just so-so.
After walking around the station three times, he really didn't find any that suited his needs. There were some good locations, such as the current one, across the street, on the same street as the front door of the station, and just a three to five minute walk from the main entrance of the station. However, this shop was just like the small shop next door. It was less than three metres wide, and at most only ten square metres, so it really wasn't suitable.
He parked his tricycle on the roadside, took off his straw hat, and offered the old man in the neighbouring kiosk a cigarette. 'Uncle, could you please ask if there are any bigger shops for rent in the area?'
The old man had a mouthful of yellow teeth and was definitely a heavy smoker. He took the cigarette in his hand, looked him up and down, and said, 'You, rent a shop?'
He and the old man who guarded the construction site at the bus station had similar views. Feng Zhenchang was dressed in a standard way for a scavenger, and he wanted to rent a shop, and a big one at that?
Feng Zhenchang was not unaware of the old man's suspicion and disdain in his eyes. He did not want to argue about it and said sincerely, 'Yes, I want to find a bigger store, so I was wondering if there is one nearby?'
Although the old man still didn't quite believe him, he said teasingly, "If you want a bigger store, there is one. It's almost 200 square metres. Is that enough?'
Really? "More than enough,' Feng Zhenchang said repeatedly. 'Where is it?'
The old man pointed out the way, 'Go back and look up!'
Feng Zhenchang took a few steps back as instructed, looked up, and saw a row of brown glass on the second floor with a red sign pasted on it that said "Second Floor for Lease". Judging from the length, it was almost as long as the ten shops below, so the place should be big enough.
He had just walked back and forth a few times, focusing only on the downstairs shops, and hadn't really paid attention to the upstairs. Could this be the answer to his prayers?
As long as the area is large, the second floor is also good, and the rent is cheaper.
'Uncle, then could you please ask where to go up?' He asked anxiously.
The old man thought to himself, acting like it's for real, but still pointed out, 'Around the corner, go around the back, there's a staircase to go up.'
Feng Zhenchang's heart sank a little when he saw it. There were still dozens of metres to the corner, and then you had to go around the back to get up there. No matter how delicious the food was and how good the decoration, it wouldn't attract much business.
He took a chance and pedalled the bike there, confirming his suspicions. The entrance was indeed in the middle, but it was at the back.
Very disappointed, he walked back, copied down the contact number on the red paper, and with a strong spirit, thanked the old man before slowly pedalling the bike back.
Should he just give up like this? Thinking about the prospects his son had mentioned, and the thousands of yuan he had spent on those few people, Feng Zhenchang felt very reluctant.
When he returned to the first restaurant on Xueyuan Road, it was past lunchtime. He parked the tricycle in the backyard, entered the kitchen through the back door, and saw that the first floor was still full. He felt better.
He wanted to cook a bowl of noodles himself, but Mei Qiuping, who was wearing overalls, told him to go outside. 'You're all sweaty and not wearing overalls. The customers outside will get the wrong impression.' fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The young wife hired by the restaurant next door just looked on and laughed.
Mei Qiuping gave him a bowl of chicken soup and told him to eat a wheat bun to fill his stomach first. When there were fewer customers, she went out into the corridor and asked him, 'What do you think?'
'The place is definitely nice, there are shops all around, it's just that there's no suitable one,' Feng Zhenchang told her about what he had learned today.
'That's a pity, why does the second floor have to go around to the back to get up there?'
'Yes, I also think it's a pity. Although the houses over there are older, they are also home to quite a few people. It's just that they're not close to the station, so a business there wouldn't do badly,' Feng Zhenchang said.
'Why don't we go find that deputy director again?' Mei Qiuping asked tentatively.
'Let's wait a bit longer. I'll keep looking for a couple of days. Maybe we'll find something suitable?'
The next morning, he asked Mei Yiliang to borrow Cai Lei's motorcycle and take him for a spin around the station.
The two men circled the station a few times, even going to places two blocks away, but they couldn't find anything suitable. In the end, Feng Zhenchang took him to the second floor of the building with the 'for rent' sign.
Mei Yiliang also walked around the front and back, and felt that it was quite a pity. It would be better if the entrance was at the front.
However, unlike Feng Zhenchang, he had done a lot of things like knocking down walls in the past few months, and immediately thought of whether an entrance could be made at the front. After thinking for a while, he had an idea. He pulled Feng Zhenchang aside and said, 'Brother, I have an idea!'
'Really?' Feng Zhenchang grabbed him.
'Why don't we rent this second floor, along with the store on the first floor, and then build a staircase from the first floor to the second floor? Wouldn't that solve the problem?'
'Will that work?' Feng Zhenchang was very happy to hear this, but he was still a little unsure. 'Will it be okay to make a big opening on the top of the first floor?'
'I've looked it over, and this building is made of brick and concrete. The top of the first floor is just precast concrete. At most, we'll reinforce the surrounding blocks a little bit, and it won't affect the overall load-bearing capacity.'
'Really?'
'Of course it's true!' Mei Yiliang said, "Hey, where are you going?'
'To make a phone call!" Feng Zhenchang said without turning around.