Liu Yifeng nodded in satisfaction. "Indeed, it's quite good. I have a lot of things to store, so a small area definitely won't do!"
"You're just lucky. The logistics company that previously rented here moved out only a week ago. As soon as I put up the advertisement and posted the listing online, your call came in. Otherwise, if you were any later, it would have definitely been rented out by someone else," Zheng Chengye said.
"Then, how is the rent for this warehouse calculated?" Liu Yifeng asked, as this was his biggest concern. The warehouse was this large, so the rent surely wouldn't be cheap. However, he was genuinely looking to rent it, so as long as the price was reasonable, he wouldn't look elsewhere.
"I won't overcharge you. The logistics company that rented the warehouse from me before was charged ten yuan per square meter per month. For your 8,726 square meters, that would be 87,260 yuan. If you can rent it for at least half a year, I can give you a discount of one yuan per square meter."
Honestly, a monthly rent of over eighty thousand yuan was indeed not cheap, especially in an era where the average monthly wage was only one or two thousand yuan. The rent for one month was equivalent to two or three years' worth of someone's salary. Liu Yifeng simply wanted to store his things in the warehouse; it served no other purpose.
"Boss Zheng, do you have surveillance cameras here?"
"Of course, we do. After all, surveillance is for the security of your goods. If they get stolen, who are you going to find?" Zheng Chengye replied immediately.
But Liu Yifeng didn't want a place with surveillance cameras. If the matter of the tangerines growing larger in the warehouse were to be accidentally exposed, it would be difficult to explain.
"It's like this, I'd like to rent a warehouse without surveillance cameras. Also, your rent is a bit too expensive. If I were to rent it, I'd be renting for a full year, which would amount to over a million yuan in rent for the year, which is a bit much. Do you, Boss Zheng, have any other warehouses? Perhaps something cheaper?"
"If you can really rent for a year, I'll give you a discount of two yuan, meaning a rent of eight yuan per square meter. Calculated this way, you'd save over 200,000 yuan a year! As for the surveillance you mentioned, you can have it removed if you don't want it. However, if anything happens to your goods afterwards, I won't be responsible."
"So, judging by what Boss Zheng said, are there no other warehouses available for rent?" Liu Yifeng inquired.
Zheng Chengye shook his head. "I do own several warehouses, but they are all already rented out. This warehouse is already very good, with such a large space and not too expensive rent. If you check warehouse prices in the city, they start at at least twelve yuan per square meter, and some are even more expensive."
Liu Yifeng thought for a moment and said, "How about this, seven yuan per square meter, and I'll rent it for two years. We can sign the contract now, and the rent will be paid every six months, how does that sound?"
"You're quite the businessman, young man. I'm also too lazy to keep looking for tenants. I'll agree to your terms, seven yuan per square meter it is!" Zheng Chengye had to go abroad in a few days and was anxious to rent out the warehouse. If he waited until he returned from abroad, which would be half a year later, he would lose a considerable amount of money with the warehouse sitting empty.
Liu Yifeng nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Boss Zheng. Should we sign the contract now, or..."
"We can sign it now. But let me be clear from the start: I'm only responsible for renting the warehouse to you. If there's any loss of goods or money in the warehouse later, you can't blame me. Also, I just heard you say you don't want surveillance. You're not planning to store any contraband, are you? If that's the case, no matter how much money you offer, I won't rent it to you, as I'd be implicated!" Zheng Chengye said sternly. Previously, when renting to others, they were concerned about surveillance. Now, he actually didn't want it, which made Zheng Chengye think the worst.
Liu Yifeng immediately assured him, "Rest assured, I won't do anything illegal. I'm renting this place to store fruits and the like. If you're still worried, you're welcome to inspect it anytime. If you find any contraband, you can consider it a breach of contract on my part. I'll pay the rent for two years and move everything out, no longer using your warehouse."
"That's good then. It's better for me to be cautious. If you were to do anything illegal, I, as the landlord, wouldn't be able to escape responsibility!"
"I understand, being cautious is necessary. All your concerns can be written into the contract, so you won't have to worry," Liu Yifeng said understandingly.
Zheng Chengye smiled and nodded. "That's good. I like dealing with straightforward clients like you. Let's go to my office to sign the contract now."
Subsequently, Liu Yifeng followed Zheng Chengye's car to his office, where any issues with tenants were usually resolved.
"Here, please have a seat. I'll go print the contract right away!" Zheng Chengye led Liu Yifeng into his office. His office wasn't large, but it was well-equipped for its size. Liu Yifeng sat on the sofa, and Zheng Chengye poured him a glass of water before going to print the contract. Having rented out warehouses for many years, he had contract templates that only required minor edits on the computer before printing.
In about ten minutes, two copies of the contract were printed. "Oh, right, Mr. Liu, do you have your ID with you? I need to make a copy of your original ID!"
"Yes, I always carry my ID with me!" Liu Yifeng said, taking his ID from his wallet and handing it to Zheng Chengye. Zheng Chengye took the ID and went to make copies, including his own.
Liu Yifeng glanced at the contract clauses. The terms stated that Party B would rent Party A, Zheng Chengye's, 8,726 square meter warehouse at No. 726, Changlan Street, Xuefu Road, for seven yuan per square meter per month. The lease term was two years, with rent paid every six months. Since there wasn't anything particularly valuable in the warehouse, no deposit was required. However, during Liu Yifeng's rental period, any loss of goods or property due to natural disasters or human causes, or any personal accidents, would have nothing to do with Party A, and Party B would bear all consequences (unless caused by Party A). Furthermore, contraband was not to be stored in the warehouse, nor was it to be used for criminal activities. Otherwise, Party A had the right to ask Party B to vacate the warehouse and pay two years' rent. If Party A breached the contract and refused to rent to Party B mid-term, they would have to pay three times the liquidated damages, which amounted to six years' rent. Rent could be paid in cash or by bank transfer and could not be offset by goods. Finally, there was a section for personal information to check for any errors.
As it was a contract, Liu Yifeng read it very carefully. Finding no issues, he immediately signed and affixed his thumbprint. From this moment on, he had the right to use this warehouse.
"Mr. Liu, congratulations on renting the warehouse. I wish you prosperous business and abundant wealth!" Zheng Chengye extended his hand.
"Thank you!" Liu Yifeng shook his hand.
"Oh, right. Since we've signed the contract, everything must be done according to its terms. For this half-year's rent, will you be paying in cash or by transfer?" Zheng Chengye brought the conversation back to the main point.
"I don't have that much cash on me, so I'll transfer it to you via mobile banking app!" Liu Yifeng said, pulling out his phone.
"That's fine too. Just transfer it to the account number in the contract. The total is 336,492 yuan, but you can just transfer 336,000 yuan to me, and I'll waive the odd change," Zheng Chengye said.
Liu Yifeng smiled and thanked him. "Thank you, Boss Zheng!"
Shortly after, Liu Yifeng transferred the money. Seeing the transfer record on Liu Yifeng's phone, Zheng Chengye issued him a receipt. To be honest, spending so much money all at once made Liu Yifeng feel a pang of regret. However, thinking about the significant role this warehouse would play, he felt it was worth it. After all, one had to spend money to make money.