Ning Min, holding the contract, prepared to head to the parking spot with Shen Yao. Their car was parked in front of the landlady's shop.
Before they got close, they noticed quite a crowd gathered around the shop. As they approached, they saw what was happening.
The landlady was speaking with several men, but she no longer possessed her usual imposing demeanor. The men, at a glance, were clearly not to be trifled with. It was evident that the landlady or her family had provoked them.
The landlady, who had been bowing and scraping, caught sight of Ning Min and Shen Yao out of the corner of her eye. She immediately stood up and rushed over to them.
"Little girls, little girls, you wanted to buy a shop, right? Auntie is ready to sell her shop. I urgently need money, so I'm not asking for 800,000 anymore. You only need to give me 700,000."
The landlady gripped Ning Min's hand tightly, so much so that Ning Min couldn't help but frown. Shen Yao saw this and reached out, gently pinching the landlady's hand and pulling it away.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch," the landlady cried out in pain. She hadn't expected such strength from a young girl. However, she didn't have time to bother Shen Yao. "How about it? 100,000 less. If you're willing, we can sign the contract today."
At this point, the onlookers who had been watching from the side couldn't help but chime in.
"700,000? To buy your little shop? You must be dreaming."
"Exactly. It's called two floors, but who doesn't know that the usable space is only the ground floor? 700,000, and you have the nerve to ask."
"When it was first bought, the price for shops in this area was only a little over 7,000 per square meter, and the upstairs was 3,200 per square meter. This means she's making almost half the profit with tears!"
"This woman was never honest. Before, when people rented their shops, as soon as they saw them earning money, she found ways to raise the rent."
"I actually know about that. The contract wasn't even expired, and she told them they couldn't rent anymore. If they wanted to rent, they had to pay more, forcing that couple to find another shop and even smashing the renovations they had done."
"She's that heartless? That's really rare."
Ning Min listened to the people around her and felt a sense of relief. She was glad she had thought to bring her younger sister with her, otherwise, she might have ended up like those people.
Ning Min rubbed her wrist, which was sore from the landlady's grip. "700,000? No need. We've already bought one. Look, it's that one. You'd better keep it and sell it to someone who needs it."
Ning Min pointed to the mother and baby store diagonally opposite and showed the contract in her hand.
The landlady's face turned green at this. She started to shout, "You little unfilial girl! You clearly agreed to buy my shop, and now you've bought someone else's. Are you playing with me? Huh! Spending 800,000 on someone else's shop and not buying mine? Do you really think I'm easy to bully? I'll fight you!"
Upon hearing this, the landlady, like a fighting cock, lunged fiercely at Ning Min, reaching out to grab her hair. Shen Yao wouldn't let her succeed. She stepped forward and pulled the landlady away with a push.
"Bang."
"Ouch, it hurts so much, this is unjust! Bullying an old woman..."
The landlady began to throw a tantrum, her cries attracting more onlookers. Those who came without knowing the full story immediately assumed Ning Min and Shen Yao were bullying someone and began to condemn them. However, they were quickly rebuked by the onlookers who had witnessed everything. After hearing the whole story, they felt a pang of guilt and thought the woman rolling on the ground was truly unreasonable.
Here was a woman who insisted on selling a shop worth only around 400,000 for 800,000. When they refused, they bought another shop, and then she accused them of not buying hers. Truly, she had never seen anyone so bizarre.
Meanwhile, the few men who had been quietly watching also seemed to have lost their patience.
"Auntie Zhou, we don't have time to watch you throw a tantrum here. If you can't come up with 500,000 today, we'll break your son's legs and then send him to jail. The law doesn't allow you to not repay your debts!"
A man wearing sunglasses and smoking a cigarette stepped in front of the landlady and said condescendingly, "Auntie Zhou, we don't have time to watch you throw a tantrum here. If you can't come up with 500,000 today, we'll break your son's legs and then send him to jail. Not repaying debts is illegal!"
"Da Zhuang, no, don't send my son to jail. I have money. I'll sell this shop, and then I'll have money. Don't send him to jail!" Auntie Zhou quickly said to Da Zhuang, unable to continue her act.
"Then sell it! What's the use of just talking? I only want money. If I don't see 500,000 by tonight, I'll break his legs and call the police to send him to jail!" Da Zhuang didn't want to hear any more from her.
"Sell, sell, sell! Those two young girls have always wanted to buy it. I'll have them buy it now!" Auntie Zhou said quickly, then turned back towards Ning Min and Shen Yao.
Ning Min stepped in front of Shen Yao, blocking Auntie Zhou from getting closer, as she saw that Auntie Zhou was now lunging towards Shen Yao. After all, Yao Yao was pregnant, what if this auntie bumped into her!
"Don't come near us! We've already bought a shop. We're not buying yours. Find someone else!" Ning Min said to Auntie Zhou.
"Little girl, it was Auntie's fault before. Auntie is begging you, please buy my shop. I won't ask for 800,000 or 700,000 anymore. Just give me 500,000. I'll sell it for 500,000, just consider it a good deed to save my son!" Auntie Zhou said, starting to cry.
If the previous events hadn't happened, and if she had only asked for 500,000 from the start, Ning Min might have been willing to buy it. But things were different now.
"I'm not buying. Why does every good deed require 500,000!"
Ning Min looked at her as if asking if she thought she was stupid. 500,000, in the countryside, how long would it take to earn that much money! If it weren't for Yao Yao, let alone opening a restaurant, they would be unemployed and staying at home!
Auntie Zhou was about to say something else when she was stopped by the one called Da Zhuang. "Auntie Zhou, what are you doing? The young lady doesn't want to buy it, and you want to force a sale!"
Da Zhuang looked at Ning Min and Shen Yao, then saw Shen Yao frown and gently cover her nose with her hand. He took the cigarette from his mouth and threw it on the ground, then stomped it out. Auntie Zhou saw Da Zhuang helping Ning Min and Shen Yao and could only grind her teeth, spitting, "Hmph, as expected, good-looking people are all vamps!"
"You should leave first. This place isn't suitable for you young girls to join in the fun," Da Zhuang said to Ning Min and Shen Yao. Ning Min thanked Da Zhuang and then pulled Shen Yao away. She hadn't expected that the man, with his fierce appearance, would actually help people.