Chapter 58: Old Xu: Is my face valuable?
Qi Yun believed that this particular model would face significant challenges in achieving success in the current market.
Lian Qingxue was aware of the problem of high costs. The high investment costs brought about tremendous operating pressure. However, when Qingxue expressed her doubts, Qi Yun swiftly dismissed them.
The second point was indeed a major hurdle. The current level of consumer spending simply couldn’t keep up with the high costs.
Using fresh milk and tea leaves to make milk tea would inevitably lead to higher prices than other milk tea shops. With such high prices, in 2008, it would be impossible to find as many people willing to purchase the product compared to ten years later.
What’s more, this was in Spring City!
In Qi Yun’s previous life, Spring City was not even on HeyTea’s radar.
Spring City was a place that could hardly be considered a third-tier city, and people paid no attention to it.
Very few people in Spring City would buy such expensive milk tea.
The more he thought about it, the more Qi Yun wanted to praise himself for being cunning!
If Qi Yun fabricated baseless claims and spouted nonsense just to justify losing money, Lian Qingxue would certainly object, as it would sound unreliable and lacking in credibility.
Lian Qingxue was not foolish, but if this seemingly promising yet ultimately disastrous plan was presented to her, the young Qingxue could be easily fooled.
……
Qi Yun and Qingxue began the preparations.
Director Li had the most to do.
She would help contact the raw material suppliers and find pastry chefs.
After all, as the orphanage’s director, she had dealt with many companies before and had a vast network.
Qingxue and Qi Yun took on the task of finding a suitable store and researching milk tea recipes. Qingxue enthusiastically pulled Qi Yun around the Yizhong area, hoping to find a potential store. However, they were soon faced with a setback—they couldn’t find anyone willing to transfer a store.
Given the bustling nature of the area near Yizhong, most shop owners were unwilling to transfer their businesses. The two of them stood at the entrance of Yizhong, feeling helpless and at a loss. Qingxue couldn’t help but feel disheartened by the situation.
This entrepreneurial path seemed to be stuck from the beginning.
“Qi Yun? Qingxue?” A familiar voice came from behind them. “It’s the weekend. What are you doing here?”
They turned around and saw Mr. Xu.
They had nothing to hide from Mr. Xu and told him about their plan to open a milk tea shop.
Mr. Xu rubbed his chin.
“A store near Yizhong? It seems to have an impression.”
That’s right!
Mr. Xu had worked at Yizhong for thirty years. Who would know Yizhong better than him?
Qingxue also realized this and stared at Mr. Xu with shining eyes.
“Ah, don’t stare at me like that. I’m not sure, either. Let me make a phone call!” Old Xu took out his phone and dialed a number.
While facing away from Qi Yun and Qingxue, Old Xu murmured a few sentences.
Qi Yun had sharp ears and caught a few phrases.
“Someone wants to reserve it? No! Keep it for me!”
“It’s not for me. It’s for my two students who want to rent it!”
“Both of them are my students. And I’m helping them out! We’ve known each other for so many years! Keep it for me! I’ll bring someone over right away! Remember to give them a good deal!”
……
After hanging up, Mr. Xu returned with an indifferent expression.
“Perfect! The shop hasn’t been rented out yet, and there are people inside. Let me take you there,” Qingxue exclaimed excitedly, offering to guide Qi Yun to the location.
“Thank you, Teacher Xu!” Qingxue was grateful.
Mr. Xu smiled faintly, “It’s no trouble at all. I’ll just introduce you to them. Besides, I have a favor. I want Qi Yun to help with it.”
“What is it?” Qi Yun was shocked.
Mr. Xu waved his hand and said, “It’s not something important. We can talk about it later. Let’s go to the shop first.”
……
The shop Mr. Xu mentioned was a storefront about a hundred meters away from the main gate of Yizhong.
It was located at the street corner, facing two roads. The location was excellent.
When the three of them entered, they saw a thin middle-aged man walking out with a helpless expression.
“This is my friend, surnamed Qin.”
“Hello, Uncle Qin.”
“Hello, hello.” Uncle Qin looked at Mr. Xu with annoyance, but Mr. Xu pretended not to notice and looked around.
Uncle Qin cursed silently but couldn’t vent his anger on the two kids. He could only ask, “You want to open a milk tea shop?” Qingxue nodded.
“This store is sixty square meters. Isn’t it a waste to open a milk tea shop?”
Uncle Qin furrowed his brows and asked.
Qi Yun and Qingxue exchanged glances.
Perfect!
They wanted a slightly larger storefront!
After all, they were not only selling milk tea but also desserts and needed to set up seating arrangements as well.
Sixty square meters should be just right.
Seeing that they seemed satisfied, Uncle Qin took them inside to look.
The more Qingxue looked, the more pleasantly surprised she became.
The store had a square layout. The lighting would be excellent if they demolished the two adjacent walls and installed floor-to-ceiling glass.
Moreover, people on both sides of the street could see inside the shop!
Seeing Qingxue’s expression, Qi Yun knew she was intrigued.
He didn’t say much and asked Uncle Qin, “Uncle Qin, how much would it cost if we take over this store?”
Uncle Qin looked at them, hesitated for a moment, and quoted a price, “200,000…”
“Cough, cough!”
Mr. Xu coughed lightly from the side.
“180,000! I’ve already paid a year’s rent of 100,000, so you only need to pay me 80,000 as the transfer fee.”
Uncle Qin glared at Mr. Xu with displeasure and changed his words.
Qi Yun remained silent.
Uncle Qin thought the price was too high and patiently explained, “This price isn’t high. Many people have asked about this shop. I wouldn’t transfer it for 200,000, but it’s because of Old Xu’s face! How about this? I’ll reduce the transfer fee by another 10,000 for you! 170,000!”
Mr. Xu stood by, chest puffed out, belly raised, and smiled modestly.
Look, my face was so valuable.
Qi Yun hesitated for a moment and spoke, “Actually… you don’t have to reduce the amount because of Mr. Xu. 200,000 is fine!”
Mr. Xu: “…”