Chapter 13: Renting the Storefront

Just as Jiang Ning was about to tease him further—

Suddenly, memories from her past life surfaced in her mind.

At that time, Tian Wenhao had already accumulated some wealth, but no matter what, he refused to get married or even go on blind dates.

Later, during a private New Year’s gathering where he drank too much, she finally learned the reason.

During university, he had missed out on a girl he really liked.

It seemed her name was something like Mingxiu.

Now she finally understood.

It wasn’t just “Mingxiu”—her full name was Xiao Mingxiu.

Since she knew her cousin would regret it in the future, the current Jiang Ning would never allow this girl to slip away from him.

So—

She immediately started calling her “Cousin-in-law! Cousin-in-law!”

This left Tian Wenhao stammering, his face turning red as he struggled to find something to say.

It took a while before Jiang Ning changed the subject to the store, giving him an opening to speak.

“The store negotiations are done. We just need to sign the contract.”

“That fast? No issues?”

Jiang Ning frowned slightly—things had gone so smoothly that it caught her off guard.

But after Xiao Mingxiu explained, she finally understood and nodded.

It turned out that the store was previously a snack shop. The owners had signed a three-year lease, which only had one year left.

Somehow, they had caught wind of a potential campus lockdown.

For snack shops, customer flow was everything.

In this era without food delivery platforms, foot traffic was the most valuable asset.

If the campus gates were sealed, students wouldn’t bother taking a long detour just for snacks.

No matter how delicious the food was, they would still lose many customers.

Because of this, the store owner wanted to transfer the lease as soon as possible, along with the contract.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning could understand their urgency.

But to confirm everything, she needed to see the place herself.

“Let’s go check it out now.”

“Now?” Tian Wenhao glanced at the pile of plush toys on the floor, reluctant to abandon the incoming business.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning turned to Xiao Mingxiu with a sweet smile.

“Cousin-in-law, can I borrow your boyfriend for a bit? You don’t mind, right?”

Xiao Mingxiu waved a hand casually.

“Just don’t lose him.”

“Got it!”

—

A few minutes later, the siblings arrived at a restaurant called “Hometown People.”

Looking through the window, Jiang Ning saw that the place was nearly empty.

She thought to herself—

Even without the campus lockdown, this store probably wouldn’t last long.

After all, this was a restaurant, located right next to a densely populated university.

With such a prime location, yet still having no business—it was clear that this place was terribly run.

But that didn’t matter to her.

She wanted the location, not the business itself.

Then—

The two of them pushed open the glass door and walked in.

As soon as she stepped inside, Jiang Ning’s first impression of the place worsened.

It wasn’t just dirty and messy—the tables were arranged haphazardly.

Flies buzzed around, and the smell of cooking oil from the kitchen filled the entire dining area.

This kind of place had managed to stay open for two years?

If this were in the future, someone would have reported it and shut it down within three days.

Just as Jiang Ning’s face showed visible disdain, a middle-aged man approached them. Judging by his expression, he recognized Tian Wenhao.

“So, kid—have you made a decision?”

“If you wait too long, you might miss out on this place.”

The owner’s face was full of anticipation.

Seeing this, Jiang Ning and Tian Wenhao exchanged glances and frowned slightly.

The latter immediately recalled their prearranged signal before entering.

So he cleared his throat twice.

“Boss, actually, we’re here to apologize…”

As soon as he spoke, the owner’s expression changed drastically, turning cold in an instant.

For a moment, the temperature in the store seemed to drop.

“What do you mean? So you were just messing with me yesterday?”

The sudden shift in demeanor startled Tian Wenhao, who had yet to graduate.

“N-no, boss, listen to me.”

Like a startled goose, Tian Wenhao blurted everything out in one breath.

“We have no issues with the rent, but you know we’re taking over the store for a different business.”

“We don’t want any of your current decorations or furniture.”

“So considering the transfer fee—could you lower the price a little?”

He rattled off hundreds of words in one go.

Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but worry that he might pass out from holding his breath.

And sure enough—

After finishing, Tian Wenhao gasped for air, then stared nervously at the short, chubby middle-aged man.

The owner frowned at first, then his expression darkened.

“So you’re saying you think my place is a dump?”

“Fine! I admit it’s not great, but I’m not cutting a single cent off the transfer fee!”

Facing such an unreasonable and stubborn landlord, Tian Wenhao felt utterly helpless.

Fortunately, at that moment, Jiang Ning spoke up.

“Well then, boss, how about this—”

Her crisp voice immediately caught his attention.

And when the owner looked at Jiang Ning, her delicate face half-hidden under her military training cap, he visibly paused.

After a brief moment of distraction, he asked,

“You’re in charge here?”

“Yes!” Tian Wenhao answered firmly.

Hearing this, the owner said nothing and just stared at the girl, waiting to hear her proposal.

“We won’t ask for a lower transfer fee or rent. But in exchange, we get to pick two kitchen appliances from your back kitchen.”

This was actually Jiang Ning’s main reason for coming.

Since they were both in the food business, the kitchen equipment was what she truly wanted.

Buying new ones outside would cost at least a few thousand yuan per set.

The restaurant owner hadn’t expected this request, but after a brief pause, he agreed immediately.

With the hardest part settled, the rest—signing the contract and paying the deposit—went smoothly.

By the time Jiang Ning and Tian Wenhao left the restaurant,

One was holding the keys, while the other clutched the contract.

They exchanged smiles.

“With the store settled, next up is renovation, securing ingredients, and getting the business license.”

“I can use my student council connections to source ingredients from the school cafeteria.”

“I’ll start handling the license application tomorrow.”

“But as for renovations…”

“I’ll take care of that.” Jiang Ning waved it off, then handed Tian Wenhao a spare key.

“Here, keep a copy. Once the owner moves out tomorrow, you can start storing your plush toys here.”

“Keeping them in your dorm storage isn’t a long-term solution. If you leave them there too long, your dorm supervisor will definitely complain.”

“Good point.” Tian Wenhao nodded in agreement, though he hesitated slightly before asking,

“Are you sure fried chicken is really profitable?”

Seeing his skepticism even at this stage, Jiang Ning rolled her eyes.

“Trust me, if you do it right, selling fried chicken is more profitable than selling yourself.”

—

(End of Chapter)