The life of Lao Liu since 1944

Hou Jie didn't take care of the business matters. Since he had handed it over to them, he had to make sure he didn't doubt the people he employed.

I rode my bike to the door of my shop and carefully observed the flow of people. I went into Chen Xueru's shop and chatted with her for a while. I recruited a few shop assistants and asked them carefully for a while. The shop was so close, they knew it best. I had an idea in my mind. I left here and came to the outside of the grain shop.

I learned from my mother that the rent of the shop was normal only in the first two years, and then it gradually decreased. In some years, there was only grain. It was a typical case of a big shop bullying its owner. It bullied its own family because they had no background. It was also my father's fault for being unreliable and not caring about these things.

When he entered the shop, the boss didn't recognize him for a moment, and was drinking tea by himself. He was well-dressed, ruddy-faced, a little fat, and looked relaxed and contented, about 40 years old. Such people usually have no worries about food and clothing, and have some family wealth, but it is limited.

I asked the waiter about the price and checked the condition of the rice and flour.

It seems that the grain shop owner is taking advantage of his own rent and the common people. He mixes things into the rice and flour, and also shortchanges them by weight. It's easy to deal with such unscrupulous merchants. Otherwise, it would be a bit troublesome if you meet a good one.

Ignoring the waiter, he walked up to the grain shop owner and knocked on the counter. The grain shop owner looked at him for a while before recognizing him. He immediately put down his tea set, stood up and greeted him.

"Oh, young master, your visit really adds a lot of color to my humble home. I am short-sighted and did not recognize you at first. I hope you will not blame me." The shopkeeper came forward with a smile on his face and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Boss, you are too polite. I have come to visit you today specially because I have something important to ask you. I wonder if it is convenient for you now?" Young master Hou Jie said politely.

"That's convenient, that's convenient. Please sit here, young master." The shopkeeper waved his hand quickly, with a warm smile on his face, and led Hou Jie to a seat in the hall on the second floor.

The layout of this shop is quite unique. The first floor is spacious and bright, and is mainly used to display and sell various goods. The second floor is a spacious hall, which is not only the place where the grain shop owner lives and lives, but also where he receives guests. The third and fourth floors are the living rooms and utility rooms for the waiters. The backyard of the shop is a spacious warehouse filled with various goods and grains.

After the two sat down, Hou Jie didn't say anything more and went straight to the point: "Boss, why hasn't the rent been paid this year yet? Can you give me an explanation?" Although his tone was calm, it revealed an unquestionable majesty.

When the grain store owner heard this question, a trace of subtle embarrassment flashed across his face. His eyes rolled, as if he was quickly thinking of a response. Then, he sighed and said aggrievedly: "Young Master, you don't know, business is really difficult nowadays. Every month, we have to pay protection fees to those hooligans, and patrolling soldiers come to collect money every now and then. I just pretended to be calm in front of you, but in fact, I did it for the customers and the guys. This business is almost unsustainable."

Hou Jie watched the grain shop owner's affected and crying appearance with cold eyes, and an indescribable disgust welled up in his heart. On the surface, he pretended to be sympathetic and understanding, but in fact, deep down in his heart, he was already full of indignation towards this man. "What do you think? Since the situation is so difficult, why not just do it this way? You don't have to rent our shop anymore, just move out! This way you can avoid all the troubles of gangs and foot patrols, what do you think?" Hou Jie's words revealed an irresistible concern and kindness, but in fact, his proposal was like a heavy hammer, directly hitting the grain shop owner's original plan to default on the debt and take advantage of the way out.

Hou Jie's words seemed to have suddenly revealed the truth of the matter, exposing the grain shop owner's already limited living space. He originally wanted to use the excuse of delaying the rent to try to take advantage of the other party, but he never expected that the other party would respond so directly and without leaving any room for maneuver. At this moment, the grain shop owner felt a mixture of helplessness, embarrassment, and embarrassment mixed with a bit of subtle cunning. Faced with Hou Jie's aggressive questioning, the grain shop owner forced a bitter smile, "Young Master, you misunderstood, what I meant was that this shop is still profitable after all, I just want to see if the rent can be reduced a little bit?"

Hou Jie had an expression of disbelief on his face after hearing this. He pointed at the grain store owner and said with a tone of reproach and confusion, "Why is the rent reduced? When we rented this store to you, the rent was already the lowest in the surrounding area. With such a large store and a prime location, the annual rent was as high as one thousand dollars. Later, my father reduced the rent for you by four hundred dollars because it was not easy for you to run the business. But over the years, your rent has been getting less and less. Last year, you only paid two hundred dollars, and this year you didn't even pay for a long time after the agreed date."

The grain shop owner's face was red, full of grievances but nowhere to vent. He still maintained that pleading look, "Young Master, there is really no money in the shop, how about waiving the rent this year."

Hou Jie's face was filled with sorrow. He cast his eyes deeply towards the grain shop owner, and his tone was full of understanding and helplessness: "Boss, your life is really too hard. How about this? The rent this year will be waived, and the shop will not be rented. You should move out quickly. You see, this way you can save a full six hundred dollars next year. In ten years, that's six thousand dollars. Do the math, is this correct? Boss, maybe you can even make a fortune from this shop."

When the grain shop owner heard this, his face, which had originally looked a little happy because of the rent exemption, turned pale in an instant. He widened his eyes, trying to understand Hou Jie's next words. But when he heard the shocking figure, he felt dizzy in an instant. Could it be... Could it be that there was something wrong with his accounting method? The grain shop owner was confused and stared at Hou Jie blankly.

After a moment, the grain shop owner finally came to his senses. He stood up angrily, pointed at Hou Jie and cursed: "Okay, boy, I finally see through it. You were just playing a trick on me! Who gave you the courage to treat me like this?" Hou Jie sneered: "You just realized it now? It's a waste of time for me to play this show with you for so long." After that, he stood up, turned around and prepared to leave.

The grain store owner was still cursing behind him: "Boy, I won't move, what can you do to me?" Hou Jie didn't look back, he turned around and rode to the vegetable market. He called a younger brother, took out a piece of paper with an address from his pocket, and handed it to him: "Go and inform Ma Wu, help me take back this shop in three days." After that, he left without looking back.