vstars Chapter 16 New House Renovation, Shop Opening Preparations
Chapter 16 New House Renovation, Shop Opening Preparations
On the day the final exams were over, Li Si'an immediately paged Chen Nan.
The call came back in less than half an hour.
"Sister Nan, do you know any reliable renovation teams? Could you recommend one to me?"
"A renovation team? What do you want?"
"I bought a small two-story storefront near the school and am preparing to renovate it."
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone for two seconds.
The next second, Chen Nan's voice suddenly rose: "What the hell did you say? You're just a little kid, and you dare to buy a house? Where is it? You wait, I'm coming over to take a look right now!"
In the afternoon, Chen Nan rushed over in a flurry.
She stood at the door, looked up and surveyed the area, then went inside and looked around again. When she came out, her eyes lit up.
"This location is amazing. The ground floor must be at least 80 square meters, right?"
"You have a good eye. Eighty for the first floor, eighty for the second floor, a total of 160 square meters, and you got it for 150,000." Li Si'an leaned leisurely against the door frame. "How about it, wasn't that a good deal?"
"Alright, you're really something." Chen Nan circled the house again, gesturing with his hands, "How are you planning to decorate it?"
"The front of the first floor is used as a shop, and a warehouse is partitioned off at the back. The second floor is for living, with two rooms partitioned off."
After listening, Chen Nan winked at him, her tone slightly teasing.
"Two rooms? Who's staying in the other one?" She paused, then smiled meaningfully. "Is it that tall girl you brought over to dinner last time? The one who looks like she's mixed race?"
Li Si'an laughed out loud, and her back straightened up a bit without her noticing.
"That's her."
"You're something else." Chen Nan reached out and patted him, her tone full of envy and teasing. "You're so young, but you're already quite capable, bringing girls home already. If only my Dongzi were half as perceptive as you, he's such a blockhead, it's driving me crazy."
"Why are men in such a hurry?" Li Si'an said with the air of someone who'd been there all along. "As long as you can make money, girls will naturally flock to you."
"Stop being so cheeky." Chen Nan rolled her eyes at him, stopping the small talk. "Let's get down to business. I know a renovation team, surnamed Ma. His skills are exceptionally reliable. I'll ask him to come and take a look."
Old Ma arrived early the next morning.
He was in his forties, with a dark red face. He didn't say much, but followed behind Li Si'an with a small notebook, carefully looking around the house.
Li Si'an clearly stated her needs: the front half of the first floor should be used as a shop, and the back half should be used as a warehouse, with shelves and floor tiles installed; the second floor should be used for living, with two bedrooms, and most importantly, a separate bathroom should be added.
Old Ma squatted down and tapped the ground, then stood up and nodded: "It can be changed. It just requires digging up the ground to connect the water pipes, which will take two more days."
"How much?"
Old Ma quickly scribbled a few lines on his notebook: "Including labor and materials, four thousand eight. To be completed in one to ten days."
"Okay, it's settled then."
As soon as the renovation team started work, Li Si'an turned around and went to the school to find Tang Yun.
He waited downstairs at the girls' dormitory for about ten minutes before Tang Yun slowly came down.
Her hair was casually tied in a ponytail, and she was wearing a faded old T-shirt and athletic shorts, revealing her long, straight, and fair legs.
She was wearing a pair of plastic sandals, looking clean and casual.
"What do you want from me?"
"Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
"Where to?"
You'll find out when you get there.
Tang Yun glanced at him but didn't ask any more questions.
Li Si'an led her across the road and stopped in front of the second-to-last storefront at the far west end of the street opposite the school.
"This is mine," he said calmly.
Tang Yun was stunned for a moment, looked up at the gray brick building in front of her, then looked at him with disbelief.
"You bought it?"
"Yes, we just got it, and the renovation team has already started work."
He pushed open the door and pulled her inside. Half of the ground floor had been dug up, cement debris was piled everywhere, and the dust made people cough uncontrollably. Tang Yun stood at the doorway, not daring to step inside.
"What's so interesting about this?"
"Nothing's been done upstairs yet. Let me take you up to take a look."
The second floor is much better than the first floor; at least they didn't dig up the floor. There are two spacious rooms, with the north-facing room having a window directly opposite the school gate, providing good natural light. Some parts of the walls are slightly yellowed, but overall it's clean and tidy.
Li Si'an opened the window, and a breeze immediately blew in, carrying the faint fragrance of locust blossoms from downstairs.
"This room is for you," he said.
Tang Yun stood at the door, completely frozen.
"What?"
"Once the renovation is finished, you can move in here and won't have to squeeze into the dorm anymore."
She didn't speak, remaining silent for several seconds before finally opening her mouth softly, her voice barely audible.
"So where do you live?"
Li Si'an glanced at her, but didn't smile; his expression was even unusually serious. He leaned against the window and said in a matter-of-fact tone:
Why are you asking this? What, you want to share a room with me?
Tang Yun was stunned on the spot.
He continued speaking in a serious tone, as if he were genuinely lecturing her.
"I'm warning you, don't get any ideas. I'm still a minor, a flower of the motherland."
Tang Yun's face flushed bright red instantly, all the way down to her ears and neck. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
This man was clearly spouting nonsense, but his righteous and indignant expression made it hard for her to tell whether he was serious or just teasing her.
Seeing her embarrassed and helpless appearance, Li Si'an finally couldn't hold back and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore." He pointed to the opposite side of the corridor, "There are two rooms upstairs. You can stay in this one, and I'll stay in that one. We'll each have our own room and won't bother each other."
Tang Yun lowered her head and mumbled an "Oh."
Li Si'an added slowly, still in that serious tone:
"Even if you want my body, you have to wait until I'm an adult."
Tang Yun suddenly looked up, her cheeks even redder than before. She stared at him for two seconds, then turned and left.
"Hey—" Li Si'an called out from behind.
She didn't stop for a second, quickly walking downstairs.
Li Si'an stood at the second-floor window, watching her rush out the door, walking very fast without even turning her head back.
Tang Yun crossed the road and paused for two seconds at the entrance of the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy diagonally opposite. Then she walked in without looking back.
He couldn't help but chuckle.
Hey, this little girl is really easy to tease.
In the evening, Li Si'an accompanied Tang Yun to a small restaurant near the school gate for dinner, and then rode his bicycle to his uncle Zhou Weidong's house.
Zhou Weidong was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When he saw him come in, he moved to the side.
"have eaten?"
"have eaten."
"Did you need something?"
Li Si'an plopped down and said without beating around the bush, "Uncle, the renovation of my house started today. I wanted to discuss opening a shop with you."
Zhou Weidong glanced at him and then turned off the TV.
"Are you really planning to open it?"
"Of course, I've already finalized the shelf dimensions with the renovation contractor." Li Si'an paused for a moment, "Besides, that storefront is just sitting empty anyway, it's such a waste not to open a shop."
Zhou Weidong leaned back on the sofa and rubbed his chin twice.
"Okay. Opening a shop needs a plan. How should we calculate the capital? Shall we split it in half?"
"How could I let you pay for it?" Li Si'an waved his hand. "I'll cover all the costs."
Zhou Weidong was stunned for a moment.
"All-inclusive? Then why did you contact me?"
"I need your help with something," Li Si'an said, counting on her fingers. "Business license, approval from the Cultural Bureau, supply channels—I, as a minor, can't handle these things myself. I have to rely on you for everything."
Zhou Weidong didn't say anything, he just looked at him.
Li Si'an leaned forward and said with a grin, "Once the store opens, I'll give you 40% of the profits."
"Forty percent?" Zhou Weidong raised an eyebrow. "You're quite generous."
"Absolutely," Li Si'an said matter-of-factly. "Firstly, you're my uncle, and secondly, this shop is entirely thanks to your management. Giving you 40% is still a bargain for me."
Zhou Weidong stared at him for two seconds, then couldn't help but laugh.
"You little rascal."
"So, will you help or not?"
Zhou Weidong didn't agree directly. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and slowly put it down.
"I'll ask around for you tomorrow."
Li Si'an left her uncle's house and rode her bicycle back to school.
Not long after he left, Ma Xiaoqin came out of the bathroom after taking a shower, dried her hair, and went into the bedroom.
Zhou Weidong was leaning against the headboard reading a book when he saw her come in, so he put the book on the bedside table.
"Xiao An is gone?"
"I'm gone."
Ma Xiaoqin sat down at the dressing table, patted skincare products onto her face, and glanced at him in the mirror.
"What did he want with you tonight? It sounded like he was talking about opening a shop?"
"He planned to turn that house into a video store and asked me to help him find suppliers and handle the paperwork," Zhou Weidong said.
"A music and video store?" Ma Xiaoqin turned around, looking surprised. "What kind of store would a kid like him run?"
"A kid?" Zhou Weidong chuckled. "Have you ever seen a fifteen or sixteen-year-old who could save up over ten thousand yuan on their own?"
Ma Xiaoqin was completely stunned.
"Where did he get so much money?"
"I earned it from writing articles and from reselling phone cards," Zhou Weidong slowly counted. "I started submitting articles to magazines in 1993 and earned over 20,000 yuan in royalties. Last year, I made another 100,000 yuan from reselling phone cards. In total, I earned 120,000 to 130,000 yuan."
Ma Xiaoqin opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.
"That's not all," Zhou Weidong continued. "He talked to me tonight about opening a shop. He'll provide all the capital, I won't have to pay a penny, and he'll just ask for 40% of the profits."
"Forty percent?" Ma Xiaoqin's eyes widened in surprise. "He's that generous?"
"Of course." Zhou Weidong leaned against the headboard, his tone tinged with emotion. "This kid is sensible, mature, and knows how to get along with people. A person like that will definitely amount to something in the future."
He paused, then suddenly remembered something.
"By the way, the business license needs to be in your name; he's a minor and can't get one. Give me your ID card tomorrow."
Ma Xiaoqin nodded: "Okay."
She turned back to continue wiping her face, and after a few seconds, she couldn't help but speak again: "You seem to care quite a bit about this."
"I really need to take this matter seriously," Zhou Weidong said earnestly.
After wiping her face, Ma Xiaoqin turned off the light and crawled into bed.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly said softly, "How can a child like him cause so much trouble?"
In the darkness, Zhou Weidong chuckled softly.
"Just like his mother, she was just as troublesome back then."