Chapter 108 Buying a Shop and People

Chapter 108 Buying a Shop and People

Early in the morning, Shen prepared a large table of sumptuous breakfast. After breakfast, everyone was leaving today. Zhuge Ling was going to the capital, while Shen Changzhou, Lu Jie and Lu Zheng were going back to Yuanzhou.

They say you eat dumplings when you get on the bus and noodles when you get off. For breakfast today, I cooked two kinds of dumplings, made some pancakes, and porridge.

Shen had already packed a carriage with them. The bacon almost filled up half of the carriage, and there were also various dried meats that could be eaten directly. Ah Si also prepared various clothes, hats, shoes and socks for Shen Changzhou.

After reluctantly seeing these four people off, the Shen family returned to peace.

Shen Zhi drove the carriage with Eunuch Cao to the Sifang Yahang in the town. Shen Zhi had asked Mrs. Song in advance that the most trustworthy place in the town was the Sifang Yahang in the east of the city, which did business honestly and never cheated anyone.

As soon as we entered the door, a middle-aged man who looked like a manager came forward to greet us warmly, "My two guests, I am the manager of this dental shop, my last name is Yang. Are you here today to look at the shop and the property or to buy someone?"

Eunuch Cao said, "We want to find a bigger shop. You have a ready-made shop here."

"Yes, yes. Please wait a minute, I'll get the booklet." Manager Yang immediately went to the counter and brought over a booklet.

"Look, there are two shops on East Street. One used to be an inn, and the other is a jewelry store. Both shops are quite big. The people living next to East Street are all dignitaries, so the customers of these shops are all high-end people. There is also a shop on West Street, which used to be a bookstore, and most of the customers there are ordinary people. Which shop do you want to consider?" Manager Yang took a booklet and introduced them one by one.

"Let's all go and take a look," Eunuch Cao made the final decision.

"Okay, I'll go get the keys," Manager Yang moved quickly and drove himself to take Eunuch Cao and Shen Zhiyi to check out the store.

The first place we looked at was the East Street where the pawnshop was located. The first one was the inn, which could not be opened due to poor management. Everything inside was cleaned up very cleanly, not a single stool was left. There were two rooms and a large kitchen in the backyard, which still retained traces of oil smoke. The price was five hundred taels, and the owner only sold it and did not rent it out.

The other one is a silver shop. The decoration inside is new and very elegant. There are also different VIP rooms on the second and third floors, which are quite large. There is also a row of houses in the back yard, which are decorated elegantly and have kitchens and bathrooms. It seems to be the resting place of the owner, and it is very clean. The yard is relatively large, with pavilions, swings, a large bamboo forest, and a magnolia tree outside the window. It seems that the former owner is a person who knows how to live. The price of this room is 800 taels, and if you rent it, it is 10 taels of silver per month.

The last place they looked at was the bookstore on West Street. This bookstore was not big, a bit old, and there was no yard at the back. They ruled this out without asking the price.

The two of them were attracted by the silver shop. The decoration did not need to be changed. It already met the requirements of the photo studio. If Shen Zhizhao designed it according to the drawings, it might not have achieved the current effect. It is said that the aesthetics of the ancients were still good. The most important thing is that the second and third floors of the silver shop have dressing rooms, so there is no need to rearrange them. The row of houses in the backyard can be used as a studio for post-production photo editing and printing. The kitchen and dining room are also ready. When the time comes, we can hire a cook and solve the problem of working meals.

The scenery in the yard is nice and can be used as a background for outdoor shooting.

"Can you give me a better price for the courtyard in the silver shop?" Shen Zhi asked after making up his mind.

"My lady, the lowest price given by the boss is seven hundred and fifty taels. He will not bid for anything lower than this." Manager Yang said.

"Okay, then let's take that courtyard. Let's take a look at the people. We also need to buy some people." Eunuch Cao said.

"Okay, the two of you get in the car and sit down. I'll take you back to the pawnshop to pick someone out." Shopkeeper Yang enthusiastically invited the two to get in the car. He didn't expect that a big customer would come on the first day of opening in the New Year. It seems that the business this year will not be bad.

Back at the dental office, Manager Yang asked them what kind of people they needed to buy.

"It's best to find someone who can work and has a solid foundation in martial arts, not someone who is cunning and treacherous," said Eunuch Cao.

Manager Yang immediately went to the backyard and brought a group of people over, including men, women, and families. He said, "These are basically the wives of officials who were convicted in Linzhou and their servants who were sold."

Eunuch Cao had a sharp eye and scanned them one by one.

Shen Zhi stepped forward and said, "Please introduce the skills you have learned."

The group looked at each other, and a woman in her thirties stepped forward and said, "My name is Chunhua, and I can cook."

After she started, another young lady said, "I am good at dancing."

"This servant is good at playing the zither."

"This servant is good at calligraphy and painting."

Shen Zhi frowned and said, I bought people to work, not to admire.

"Stop," Eunuch Cao interrupted the women and said, "This kind of person doesn't need any introduction. We buy people to work for us, not to buy concubines."

The women's faces turned red and they couldn't help but secretly glare at Shen Zhi.

Shen Zhi...

Next, a strong girl with a face as big as a plate stood up and said, "My name is Ruhua. I am strong and good at fighting, but I eat a lot. I need to eat at least two bowls of rice at a time to feel full. Everyone dislikes my ability to eat and doesn't want me." As she spoke, Ruhua glanced at Shen Zhi nervously, fearing that she would not want her either.

"You stand over there first," Shen Zhi said. Eating more is nothing, the last thing he lacks is food.

Then several young men stood up, all saying that they were strong and able to work.

Eunuch Cao had a sharp eye and noticed at a glance that two of them had wild eyes and were not reliable. Apart from these two, he wanted all the others.

The self-introductions continued. Eunuch Cao asked them some questions and asked about their previous masters, and then selected more than ten people.

Next, a family came forward. The man was in his forties, named Wang Hu, his wife was Li, his son was Wang Feng, and his daughter-in-law was Zhan Yurong. The family were all servants of a small official in Linzhou. Later, the family of the eldest brother of the master, who had already separated from the family, committed a crime, and the master's family was implicated. All the slaves and women in the family were sold. The man used to be in charge of purchasing, and his wife, Li, was the cook in the small kitchen of the mistress of the house, and was good at tea and food. The son followed the young master since he was a child, knew a few words, and could do accounts. The daughter-in-law Zhan Yurong served the young lady in dressing and makeup, and was good at makeup.

Shen Zhi was quite satisfied with this family. They were upright in nature, so he asked them to stand aside first.

Then a woman caught Shen Zhi's attention. This woman was in her twenties, looked very heroic, and was standing alone at the back without fighting or competing.

"The last woman in black, what's going on with you?" Shen Zhi asked.

The woman ignored Shen Zhi, but Manager Yang stood up and said, "This girl is a little special. She was originally from an official family and had been living a life of luxury since she was a child. However, she was sold because of her relatives' involvement. When she first came, she brought her younger brother with her. She demanded that the host family must buy her younger brother as well before she would sell herself. However, her younger brother has a terminal illness and his health is getting worse day by day. Who is willing to buy him? It has been delayed until now, and her younger brother is dying. I am afraid that by then she will be discouraged and commit suicide. She is also a pitiful person."