The next morning, Mai Jiaqi dressed up grandly. The three shops were filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, accompanied by singing and dancing, attracting quite a crowd of onlookers.
Of course, her primary concern was the shop in Yishi. This was her own son, after all; how could she not be anxious? She was already waiting inside the shop long before opening. The other two were not hers, so why fuss over them? As long as they made money, that was all that mattered.
After a busy morning, a rough calculation showed over 80 coconuts sold, which made her beam with joy. In her happiness, she didn't forget to inquire about the other two shops. Although they weren't hers, she earned a dollar for every sale, so she had to ask. It wasn't bad; one shop sold over 60, another over 80, while the one on the pedestrian street was a bit disappointing, averaging only about 40.
In the evening, after receiving the ten thousand yuan transferred by Mai Jiaqi, Mu Shaoyang immediately transferred the entire 3.8 million yuan he had obtained from selling the car that day to Mai Jiaqi. "You continue looking for shop spaces tomorrow. If you can't solve it, call me."
Looking at the 3.8 million yuan on her phone screen, she felt a pang of covetousness, but she dared not harbor any more selfish thoughts. As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. Acting greedily would lead to no good outcome. She didn't want her long efforts to be in vain, and there might even be a risk to her life.
Now, she was a legitimate boss. This money was a matter of time. Of course, dipping her hand in for a hundred thousand or so should be fine.
The next morning, Li Haochen had a loving breakfast, then brought two watermelons and a pack of "Soft Double Happiness" cigarettes to the construction site.
Don't underestimate these watermelons and cigarettes; they are the essence distilled from thousands of years of Chinese culture. It's like the interaction between a couple; a small gift or surprise now and then can change the mood entirely.
Huang Haibo and the others had just finished breakfast and were about to start work when Li Haochen walked in. "Uncle Bo, Brother Hao, Brother Min... have a smoke first. It's not like we're short on time."
Li Haochen placed the watermelons in a bucket to soak, opened the cigarettes, and handed one pack to each person, leaving the rest on the table.
"Haochen, you didn't have to bring so much when you came," Huang Haibo said, but his expression was quite pleased as he lit up his cigarette.
Before Li Haochen could ask, he started talking about the project. "Haochen, this project is progressing very smoothly. In another two days, the main structure should be completed. The data from the earlier stages has already been sent to the factory for the production of the bridge deck and guardrails. It will take three days at the earliest, five days at the latest, and the entire walkway can be finished."
Li Haochen was overjoyed to hear this, as it was much ahead of his own estimated timeline. "Thank you all for your hard work."
Upon returning home, Murong Yanran and Liu Zijun had already changed their clothes.
Murong Yanran was wearing a beige, three-quarter-sleeved dress with light makeup, looking pure and adorable. Liu Zijun, as always, was in her signature sexy, form-fitting attire, with heavy makeup complementing her stunning figure, making her truly breathtaking.
Since Murong Yanran was wearing a dress, Li Haochen dared not use his little Aima. A sudden gust of wind could lead to significant losses, and he hadn't even... Well, he had to call for a ride-hailing car.
They got out of the car at Binhai Plaza, as they had agreed the night before. As soon as they arrived, the two women's eyes lit up. Looking for a shop? Let's browse first.
"Haochen, you go find the shop. Let us know when you've found one. We're off now, hee hee!"
"..."
What happened to looking together?
Watching the two women walk away, Li Haochen's lips twitched, finding it both amusing and exasperating. After all, it was his wife's business, and he couldn't be careless. Li Haochen had already planned his strategy and headed straight for the plaza management office.
After some inquiries, he was led by a heavily made-up young lady to view two suitable locations for opening a restaurant.
The first shop was at the entrance of the first floor, with decent foot traffic, but there was a toilet directly opposite. Li Haochen wasn't entirely pleased and kept it as a backup option.
The second was on the rooftop dining level, with the entire floor dedicated to food and beverage establishments, making competition very fierce. This particular spot was actually very good, but it was sandwiched between two well-funded shops on either side. The previous tenant had been forced to close down due to losing the competition.
Li Haochen took one look and was sold. Competition? That was non-existent. Good food fears no competition.
The shop was not large, only about 60 square meters, and the monthly rent was a staggering 20,000 yuan, almost making Li Haochen turn and leave. He then thought, this is Binhai Plaza, a place for the wealthy to spend their leisure time, so higher rent was understandable.
Good products wouldn't be affected by a higher price. Those wealthy people wouldn't care, as long as it wasn't like the "sky-high price sea shrimp counted by the piece."
"Miss, I need to ask my girlfriend. I'll reply in a bit."
"Certainly, Mr. Li. But please be quick. Binhai Plaza has no shortage of tenants, and this shop happened to become available."
Li Haochen strongly agreed with her words. Many people in this world dreamed of being bosses. It was like harvesting leeks; the roots remained the same, but the tops were replaced one after another.
Fearing any unforeseen complications, Li Haochen quickly called Murong Yanran.
Not long after, the two women, each carrying a delicate small bag, walked over with laughter and joy.
"Haochen, is this the shop you were talking about?"
"Yes, do you think it's suitable? I think it's quite good."
The two women didn't really have any brilliant ideas, nor did they have any experience as business owners. They just pretended to walk around here and there, looking around. In less than three minutes, they had made a decision. This speed caught Li Haochen completely off guard. He muttered to himself that buying a few yuan worth of hairpins could take half an hour, but a business worth tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands was decided in three minutes?
"This is it. Let's go sign the contract."
The two women strode towards the management office, moving with a swiftness that created a gust of wind. Li Haochen wondered if they had been wanting to be bosses for a long time, given how urgent they were.
Upon arriving at the property management office, they met the same charming lady. After explaining their purpose, she quickly brought out the contract. Just as they received the contract, a middle-aged man walked in to inquire about the lease of that shop. This startled Murong Yanran and Liu Zijun, and they signed the contract without even reading it. The moment they signed, they breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't resist giving Li Haochen a proud glance.
Li Haochen's face was covered in black lines. After thinking about it, it was a done deal, and there was no point in saying more. He figured that this large corporation wouldn't deceive them out of such a small amount of money.
With the contract signed and the shop secured, the two women were no longer flustered. They casually continued their shopping. After eating their fill and having their fun, they reluctantly went with Li Haochen to the administrative center, as Li Haochen had to drag them along. Otherwise, they might have shopped until ten o'clock at night.
Upon arriving at the administrative center, there were quite a few people applying for licenses and certificates. By the time it was Li Haochen's turn, over an hour had passed. Of course, they were queuing at Xie Baolian's window.
He had already spoken to Xie Baolian on the phone when he arrived. She had been eagerly awaiting his arrival, her neck practically stretching.