novelhk Chapter 135 Shops - Part 1
Chapter 135 Shops - Part 1
Jing Yan took it with a puzzled look and was shocked: "How come there's so much money here?"
When He Zhijun heard Jing Yan say this, he also leaned over and took a look. Wow, good heavens, there were two bankbooks, one with 50,000 yuan and the other with 30,000 yuan. This amount of money really shocked the young couple.
Grandma smiled gently: "The larger of these two bankbooks is the compensation the government gave my father when he donated his property. Some of it was used back then, and the rest is here."
The missing piece is the money your grandfather and I saved up over the years for our funerals. Although your grandfather passed away early, I was still a military officer's wife, so I received a monthly allowance. I didn't have to pay anything at the nursing home, and even after we moved here, I didn't have to pay anything.
I plan to give the 50,000 yuan to both of you, and the 30,000 yuan note to Zhicheng and his wife. I know I can't possibly treat them all equally in this lifetime, so I'll give you yours first. When I give it to Zhicheng, I won't mention how much I gave you, and neither of you should either.
Although I'm certain that all the children in the family are good, if at some point in the future they leave a lingering resentment, it won't be good for anyone. Don't worry about it too much, just remember what I said.
The young couple exchanged a glance and nodded. "Okay, Grandma, we have enough money right now. Keep this for now, and we'll ask you for it if we ever run into financial difficulties." Jingyan said, handing the passbook back to her.
Grandma took the savings book with 30,000 yuan, and pushed the other one towards her: "Don't think I don't know, all your money is tied up in the house now. Given Jingyan's lifestyle, she'll definitely still need to build a kang (heated brick bed) and a stove."
Now that the house is finished, we need to furnish it. The money you have isn't enough. Jingyan won't just stay home obediently; she'll need to do something over there. Nothing comes without money.
Alright, I'll give you this money sooner or later, so I might as well give it to you when you need it most. I'll live with you, eat well and stay comfortably, so it won't really cost me much. And if I become unable to move one day, you won't abandon me, will you?"
Seeing the young couple shaking their heads in unison, Grandma smiled and said, "That's it! Alright, don't be shy with me, take it."
Jingyan looked at He Zhijun, who pushed the passbook to her: "Grandma gave it to you, so just keep it. You manage all the money in our family, so just keep it."
Jingyan accepted the bankbook. "Zhijun, we're not short of money now. I'd like to ask around about the procedures for opening a restaurant. Are there any shops or markets on the island? We didn't get to explore properly this time because there were so many of us."
“I still have two days of vacation left. Let’s set off early tomorrow. I’ll show you around the island. If you have any ideas, just tell me, and I’ll find out for you.” He Zhijun really supported Jing Yan’s ideas.
Grandma was relieved to see the two of them discussing things amicably: "I won't interfere with the rest. You two can handle it yourselves. I'm taking the children to bed now."
Jingyan was an impatient person, and He Zhijun was also a person with strong execution ability. The couple went to the island early the next morning. There were residents on Changxing Island. They used to make a living by fishing. Later, the government selected the island and the original residents were relocated to the outskirts of Haishi, leaving the island completely empty.
All the buildings were redesigned and rebuilt, so they look very neat and the house styles are very uniform. After arriving on the island, I inquired and found out there was indeed a place that could be considered a commercial area.
It seems the news that the country is going to vigorously develop the economy is not unfounded. The shops along the street have already been reserved. Although most of them are currently vacant, one can still foresee the bustling scene in the future.
He Zhijun led Jing Yan around to look at the shops. There were tailor shops, state-run restaurants, and private eateries, and so on. "It looks like this area will become a commercial hub in the future. I don't know if these shops are for sale or for rent," Jing Yan said.
"Let's go ask someone," He Zhijun said, dragging her to a tailor shop. He asked the shopkeeper, who was tidying up the shelves, "Comrade, is this shop rented or owned?"
The shopkeeper was very enthusiastic. Even though he knew the two people weren't buyers, he still answered seriously, "It's for rent, five yuan a month, minimum six months. I just don't have the money, otherwise it would be more cost-effective to buy."
"If we buy it, do you know how much it will cost? Also, where do we go to handle matters related to renting or selling?" Jing Yan pressed on, seizing the opportunity.
"I think these shops are either 80 or 91 square meters. The price will vary depending on the location. If you're interested in doing business here, you can go to the community management office at the end of this street and ask them." The shopkeeper gave them directions.
After thanking them, the two continued walking around the area. "This place is quite close to the school, and not far from the house we bought. I'm thinking of choosing a shop here so we can open a braised meat and barbecue restaurant in the future."
There are certain rules regarding store locations and permits, but how will the island secure its meat supply? It doesn't look like there are any slaughterhouses or meat processing plants here.
"We can't keep buying from Haishi and shipping it here. Not to mention the transportation costs, the freshness will be affected. Food that we eat needs to be clean and fresh, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble later." Jingyan was a little worried.
He Zhijun was optimistic: "Let's go to the community and ask around. Maybe they have some connections."
Jingyan didn't have any better ideas at the moment, so she could only go to the community center. Fortunately, there were staff members there even on holidays. The two of them went straight to the staff and said they wanted to inquire about the shop.
I suspect the community has some kind of KPI, because the staff became noticeably more enthusiastic when they heard it was about a shop.
"Comrades, what kind of shop are you looking for? How big is it? What are you planning to do there? Let's be clear upfront: there are requirements for shops and residents on Changxing Island."
Only family members of employees working on this island are allowed to open shops. This is to address the employment and livelihood issues of the workers' families as much as possible. Outsiders are not permitted to rent or sell shops or residences.
This needs to be agreed upon beforehand. Otherwise, if you're outsiders and have already bought the property but it gets delayed when you're about to open the shop, you'll suffer a loss.
This was the first time Jing Yan had heard of this, and she looked at He Zhijun in shock. He Zhijun was also confused and shook his head at her: "I've never heard of this requirement either."
Seeing the two people's expressions, the community worker hesitated and tentatively asked, "Does anyone in your family work on the island?"
He Zhijun snapped out of his daze and nodded quickly: "I work as a technician at the shipyard. This is my wife. I've only been working here for about three months. I don't know if she's qualified to open a shop here?"
The clerk chuckled upon hearing this: "Of course. I wonder what kind of shop your wife wants to open. You should have been allocated housing by now. Our area is just starting construction, so housing isn't in short supply. Your batch of resettlement should be completed very quickly."
He Zhijun nodded: "The house has been allocated, but my wife will have to wait a while before moving in. She wants to see what she can do here, otherwise she might as well find something to do at home. After all, as you said, the conditions here are not yet mature."
The clerk agreed with this view: "So, has anything been decided yet?"
“I want to open a braised meat and barbecue shop. As you know, the only thing we housewives can really offer is our cooking skills. But I don’t know where I can get meat around here, preferably the kind that doesn’t require meat coupons. After all, the ration of meat coupons is too small, and it’s just a drop in the ocean to start a business,” Jing Yan replied with a smile.
The clerk thought for a moment, then shook his head somewhat helplessly: "Currently, all the supplies here are transported in daily from outside the island. Only any surplus after distribution to the various factories is put into the supply and marketing cooperative for sale."
Meat is especially precious; let alone dozens of kilograms, even ten kilograms are hard to come by. Your shop probably can't make it work. Perhaps you should think about if there's anything else you could do.”
Jingyan's heart sank. "Are these shops for sale? How much? I want to ask about the price first, so I have a better idea of what it is."
"Shops in central locations cost 90 yuan per square meter, those in slightly off-center locations cost 80 yuan, and those in the most secluded corners cost 70 yuan. The smallest shop is around 20 square meters, and the largest is 130 square meters."
And on the back street, at both ends are two-story detached houses with yards, which can be used for commercial or residential purposes, while the middle section consists of two-story shops.
However, the prices there are quite high, 100 yuan per square meter. Actually, if I had the money, I would buy a detached house with a yard, because they only charge based on the size of the house, and the yard is included for free, which is quite cost-effective for growing vegetables.
The clerk is quick-witted and articulate. There aren't many people around right now, and he's on duty alone during the holiday, so he's quite bored. He's willing to talk more if someone comes over to chat with him.
Jing Yan's eyes lit up: "How many square meters is the detached house? Is there any room for negotiation on the price?"
"That detached house... wait a moment, let me check. There are quite a few shops, but I don't remember the specifics." The clerk said, taking out documents from the office filing cabinet and slowly flipping through them.
"Here it is. The house closer to the inner perimeter is 230 square meters, with a complimentary yard of 150 square meters. The house at the end of the street is 210 square meters, with a complimentary yard of 200 square meters. The end of the street is a bit more remote, so the yard is larger." The clerk placed the floor plans of the two houses separately on his desk for He Zhijun to see.
He Zhijun looked at them and then at Jing Yan: "What do you think? I personally prefer the inner area. It has a larger flow of people when it develops. Although the courtyard at the end of the street is large, the street is quite long, and the flow of people coming here is definitely not as large as that in the inner area. But when it comes to doing business, you have the final say. You can make the decision."
Jingyan looked at the clerk and said, "Can we go and see it in person? There are some things that can't be fully understood from the blueprints. I'm not very educated, and I don't really understand what's on paper."
The clerk readily agreed: "Anyway, I don't have anything to do right now, so I'll take you there." After saying that, he locked the office door, hung up a sign saying he was out on business, and led the two people to the back street.
“We’re closer to the end of the street from here, so let’s start by looking at this building at the end of the street.”
The three arrived at the first detached house. The main gate opened to reveal a screen wall. Turning left after entering and going around the screen wall led to a small courtyard, beyond which stood a two-story building.
Upon entering the main entrance of the small building, the first floor is spacious. To the left are cement steps leading up to the second floor, which is also spacious. Both the first and second floors have glass windows.
Although each window isn't very big, if you divide the space into private rooms according to the windows, you can create eight private rooms on the second floor. Jingyan nodded in satisfaction: "This was built like a shop, wasn't it?"
The clerk nodded: "When it was originally planned, this place was actually built to the standard of a guesthouse. If relatives come to visit and there is not enough room at home, this is also an option."
"Aren't there any guesthouses on the island?" Jingyan asked doubtfully.
"There is a guesthouse, but it's government-run. We can't predict future visitor trends, so when the island was planned, the back streets were all built to accommodation standards."
Although it's a standard, it doesn't mandate any specific requirements. If you buy it and don't want to use it for accommodation, you can do other things too, as long as the relevant procedures are completed. The clerk explained in great detail.
He Zhijun asked in confusion, "How do you know so much? Do you also need to be trained on this kind of information about the island?"
The clerk scratched his head somewhat sheepishly: "No, it's not that. I probably know the most about these things in our subdistrict office. My uncle works in urban planning, and he has a lot of say in the island's planning, so he knows a lot of the planning details quite accurately."
I'm the kind of person who likes to ask questions, and I'm always bothering him, so I know a bit more details. But don't worry, this information isn't really confidential. My uncle would never reveal truly confidential information; he's still quite cautious, haha~”
He Zhijun and Jing Yan hadn't thought anything of it in the first place, so they just smiled and said, "Let's go take a look at that building on the street."
The clerk led them to the other end of the street. It was indeed quite long; it would take twenty or thirty minutes to walk to the end. Seeing this distance, Jingyan was more inclined to choose the house at the end of the street. A location that is too far to the side is definitely a big drawback for a food shop.
The inner building is similar to the one at the end of the street, except that it is a bit larger. The second floor can be divided into nine private rooms. The couple walked around and looked at each other. He Zhijun said in a low voice, "This one is better, at least the location is much better."
Jingyan agreed. The two of them saw two small rooms behind the stairs on the first floor. Jingyan pointed curiously and asked, "Why is this room here? Is it intended to be used as a storage room?"
The clerk followed the two men over, opened the door, and saw a floor drain inside. "This should be the kind of indoor toilet found in high-end guesthouses in the city, but it should be fine if you want to use it as a storage room."