Reborn in the 90s, I traded my ex-husband for eight apartments.

On Monday morning, Bai Zhenzhu went to the bank first.

Nie Lei wasn't there.

I don't know if they were really not there, or if they were frightened.

After Bai Zhenzhu withdrew the money, she went to the housing management office, signed the contract, and transferred the property. Three days later, she received another property certificate.

Looking at the five property ownership certificates in the cabinet, I feel incredibly at ease and satisfied.

The weather is finally starting to cool down.

The businesses of all three stores have gotten back on track.

After dinner, Bai Zhenzhu made a phone call home.

Old Man Bai has harvested his last batch of tobacco leaves, and the three families have also harvested their rice.

Li Xiufen dried a lot of chili peppers at home and ground a lot of chili powder, planning to have a bus take them over sometime.

The children picked a lot of pine mushrooms in the mountains, and they're almost dried.

The millet has also been dried. Once the rice is milled, we'll pack two bags of it and have the bus driver take them with us.

They chatted for quite a while, with Liu Fang and Xu Yin saying a few words as well, while Bai Chenglei and Bai Chengxiang didn't get a chance to speak.

Another week passed, and Old Man Bai called.

Liu Fang answered the phone. She said that something had been delivered from home and they needed to pick it up at the station.

Bai Chenglei rode his tricycle to the bus station and brought back a load of goods.

Two bags of new rice, a bag of noodles, and a burlap sack of dried vegetables.

There were also various beans, soybeans, mung beans, red beans, and potatoes, which filled half a bag. There was even a bag of old pumpkins.

Finally, they also took two large jugs of freshly pressed rapeseed oil out of the car.

The elderly couple seemed to want to bring their entire family with them.

At noon, Bai Zhenzhu ate the familiar pumpkin rice and braised pork with dried cowpeas.

Li Yueshu ate with great relish:

"Brother Lei's cooking skills are truly amazing. Why is it that mine doesn't taste as good?"

Bai Zhenzhu said, "Finally, turn up the heat to reduce the sauce, so that the cowpeas and meat are coated with a thick sauce."

Li Yueshu suddenly realized:

"So that's how it is. I used to just boil it in a pot of water."

While they were eating, Xia He brought over a bag of steamed buns.

“These are tofu buns made by my mom, with diced cured pork in them. Don’t eat them all, leave a few for my godson to eat.”

Bai Zhenzhu handed the steamed bun to Li Yueshu and asked her to eat it.

Li Yueshu didn't eat either: "I'm already full. Let's save the food for tonight. Boss Xia, please have a seat."

Xia He waved her hand: "I won't sit. I'm looking for Pearl to look after the shop."

White Pearl was suddenly overjoyed:

"Someone's selling their shop?"

Xia He said happily:

“It’s not about selling the shop, it’s about renting a stall in the department store and opening a boutique there.”

Bai Zhenzhu's almond-shaped eyes lit up:

"It's also okay."

The new department store was only built two years ago, and it's still thriving after the turn of the millennium.

Xiahe's shop hired someone, her cousin, named Wen Min.

Wen Min had previously helped Xia He manage the shop for a while, but she had to go back because of her sister-in-law's troubles.

Bai Zhenzhu had heard Xia He tell stories about Wen Min's past.

Wen Min was originally a regular employee in the factory, but because she was both beautiful and capable, she somehow became an eyesore to some people, who spread rumors about her during the promotion evaluation period.

The matter escalated significantly, and even Wenmin's in-laws found out.

Although her husband believed in her, he couldn't bear for her to continue working at the factory, so she eventually gave up her job to her unemployed brother-in-law to go home and take care of the children.

Wen Min was quite clever; she didn't give it away for nothing. Her brother-in-law gave her a third of his monthly salary.

Now that Wen Min is helping Xia He manage the shop, Xia He has become even more unruly.

After Bai Zhenzhu finished her meal, the two rode their motorcycles to the department store.

This department store is constantly under construction, with new stores frequently being renovated.

Xia He's favorite shop is on the fourth floor, which specializes in selling clothing.

I visited this place once; some of the clothes there were okay, but they were really expensive.

For the same price range, the wool coats from Bai Zhenzhu and Xia He stores are significantly higher quality.

Xia He lowered her voice:

"Even without connections, you can't get a business space here. I have to thank my ex-boyfriend for it."

Because of Xu Qinglin, Xia He got to know a leader at the department store.

Even though Xia He and Xu Qinglin broke off their engagement, it didn't affect that older woman's continued admiration for Xia He. A few days ago, she even bought clothes from Xia He's shop.

Hearing that Xia He was looking for a shop, she kept an eye out for it. As soon as a spot became available at the department store, she immediately notified Xia He.

The location is pretty good; you can see it as soon as you step out of the elevator.

It's about 100 square meters, and it also has a small storage room.

This department store is state-owned, and Xia He never dared to dream of having stalls inside, but her sister said that they are now being rented out.

This is inside information; no one outside can hear about it.

After checking the location, Xia He took Bai Zhenzhu to the office, where they met Fang Jie, an acquaintance of Xia He.

Sister Fang then led them to an office and they talked about renting a shop.

The annual rent is 2000 yuan, excluding utilities and other expenses.

Bai Zhenzhu asked, "If we rent for ten years at once, can we get a lower price?"

The other party hesitated for a moment: "Well... in theory, we should be able to offer a discount."

Bai Zhenzhu asked again, "Then... what about twenty years?"

The other party was a little confused, and Xia He was also stunned for a moment.

The other person's expression was ambiguous, whether serious or excited; they simply said:

"Whether it's ten or twenty years, I have to ask my superiors for approval."

After all, no one ever rents for ten or twenty years directly; that would cost tens of thousands.

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said, "Could you please ask around for me, boss? We'll discuss it further."

As soon as everyone left, Xia He grabbed Bai Zhenzhu:

"Pearl, what do you mean? Why rent it for so long? We're going to invest a lot in rent."

White Pearl said:

"As property prices rise, rents will definitely follow suit. Especially for prime locations like these, once more and more people start doing business, they'll be impossible to get."

Xia He was doing the accounting:

"But if I rent it for ten years, the rent will be almost 20,000 yuan, and for twenty years it will be more than 30,000 yuan."

It hurts just thinking about it.

Bai Zhenzhu asked her:

"You've been at the train station for so long, have the rents for those storefronts increased quickly?"

Xia He thought for a moment:

"...Pretty fast."

Among the shops near the train station, she knew of one that initially cost 200 yuan a year, but now it has increased to 800 yuan.

For a moment, Xia He wavered.

But I'm also conflicted:

Didn't you say you wanted to buy a house?

Bai Zhenzhu smiled and said:

"You can continue to make money to buy houses, and you are renting a shop now in order to make money as well."

Xia He was still very worried:

"But what if my business doesn't go well halfway through?"

Bai Zhenzhu: "Then you can sublet it to someone else and make a profit from the price difference."

Department stores will maintain their dominant position in Yuan City's commercial center for at least the next decade.

She believed that Xiahe's clothing store would definitely continue to operate.

Another wave of layoffs is about to begin, and there will only be more and more self-employed people in the city in the future. The shop that Xia He rented will definitely be in high demand.

Xia He was also moved by the words "directly earn the price difference".

Yes, if you don't want to do it yourself, you can rent it out.

When the leader returned, he already had a smiling face:

"Comrade Xia, how many years do you plan to rent it for?"

Xia He: "Tell me about your preferential policies first."

The man smiled and said:

"Here's the thing, I just discussed it with my superiors. If you rent for ten years, the total price will be reduced by two thousand, and if you rent for twenty years, the total price will be reduced by five thousand."

Spread out like this, the annual rent would be 1750 over twenty years.

By the year 2000, Yuan County had become a transportation hub in Yuan City.

As a prime location in Yuanshi's largest shopping mall, 1750 yuan wouldn't even be enough to rent for two months.