After a male student transmigrated into the body of a widow,

After turning several streets, Gu Lin and Ye San arrived at a house.

He stood outside the gate, watching Ye San pull out a large bunch of keys from his waist and open the gate.

Gu Lin went inside, and as soon as he took a breath, he was choked by the dust in the air and started coughing.

He raised his sleeve to cover his nose and mouth, but Gu Lin continued to cough.

Upon seeing this, Ye San couldn't help but chuckle and say, "The house hasn't been cleaned in a long time, so it's inevitable that it's covered in dust."

After his cough subsided and he stopped coughing, Gu Lin was able to focus his attention and look up at the house in front of him.

Even before entering, Gu Lin had thought the house was too small and old just by looking at its exterior. Now that he was inside, he found that the exterior of the house didn't look too dilapidated. However, the paint on the side houses on both sides of the yard had peeled off, the floor steps were covered with thick moss, and the corners of the walls were covered with cobwebs, with spiders crawling on them in the distance.

Gu Lin's gaze swept over the scenery in the courtyard. Ye San said, "Gu husband, don't be fooled by how dirty this house is. Once it's cleaned up, it will definitely be a nice place to live. Besides, it's close to the market, so it's convenient for you to buy whatever you want."

"It's too dilapidated," Gu Lin commented.

He runs a food business, and his customers are mostly middle-class families in the county. Such families must have very clean imported goods, but given how dirty the houses are here, Gu Lin doesn't think the shop in front can be any better.

Some might say they could hire someone to renovate the shop themselves, but doing so would not only cost money but also consume a lot of time.

Gu Lin's biggest lack is time; what he needs is a house and a shop that he can move into and use immediately.

Seeing that the young man clearly didn't like the place, Ye San quickly said, "Brother Gu, although this house is a bit dilapidated, the shop in front is located on the busiest street. If you open a shop there, you'll definitely make a fortune."

"Most importantly, the landlord only charges two hundred coins a month in rent."

Two hundred coins?

Gu Lin looked at the house in front of him. Although it was a bit dilapidated, it should still be able to rent for five or six hundred coins. He then estimated the shop in front of him; it was located on a busy street, and it could conservatively be rented for eight hundred coins. So how could renting both together only cost two hundred coins? Gu Lin didn't believe in free lunches. He asked Ye San, "If it were really that cheap, shouldn't the house and shop have been rented out already?"

Even if the homeowner wanted to do a good deed by renting out the house and shop cheaply, Gu Lin felt that they should have been rented out long ago.

After all, whether in ancient or modern times, houses and shops in good locations have always been in high demand, representing a continuous stream of convenience and wealth. Why would anyone be foolish enough to turn them down and wait to snag a bargain?

Upon hearing Gu Lin's question, Ye San hesitated. But seeing that the young man in front of him wouldn't rent the room if he didn't tell the truth, Ye San hardened his heart. What if the other party was willing to rent it after he told him?

He'd had the house in his possession for six months, and if he couldn't rent it out, he'd be in serious trouble.

So, Ye San made up his mind and explained to Gu Lin with a bitter expression, "Husband Gu, you don't know this, but this house was always in high demand because it was connected to a good shop. But three years ago, a family that made sesame cakes rented the shop, and one night, all five members of that family died in the shop. The coroner from the county government came, but couldn't find out the cause of death. After that, some people became superstitious and felt it was bad luck, but some people still didn't believe in these things and continued to rent. Strangely enough, the families who rented this house and shop afterward either had fires or thefts, or suffered financial losses and illnesses. Since then, no one has dared to rent this house and shop anymore."

"However," Ye San quickly added, "aside from the family that sold sesame cakes at the very beginning, everyone else is still alive and well."

"So, a rumor spread among the people that the house was cursed. Anyone who lived there would be punished for their past misdeeds. But I don't believe it. If the rumor were true, it shouldn't be that honest, hardworking family that makes sesame cakes who died."

Ye San looked up at Gu Lin's face and said, "Gu husband, if you want to rent, I can give you the cheapest price, and I won't charge you commission."

Ye San now desperately wants someone to take over this hot potato, so he can live peacefully, do business with great success, and completely erase the rumors about the house.

Gu Lin didn't believe Ye San's claim of a curse.

He believed more that those events were man-made or accidental than that of ghosts and gods.

Looking at the house in front of him, Gu Lin pondered for a moment, then said to Ye San, "Let's go take a look at the other houses first."

Seeing that the young man in front of him didn't like the house, Ye San was very disappointed. However, he quickly composed himself and took Gu Lin to the next place.

Compared to the first house, Gu Lin could clearly feel that the second house was much quieter because it was far from the market.

Moreover, the second house was not only much larger, but its layout was also very elegant and tidy.

The paint on the windows and wooden doors was clearly freshly applied.

Its courtyard is a bit small, but it's perfectly adequate if only Gu Lin and Zheng Hao live there.

Gu Lin should have been satisfied with the house in front of him. But while the house was nice, the shop in front of it was extremely cramped. Before Ye San showed him the house, he had first shown him the shop, and when the two of them stood inside, Gu Lin could barely move.

This is without adding anything to the shop yet. If a large pot, a cutting board, and countless bamboo tubes were added, Gu Lin and Zhao's wife would probably not even be able to move around inside.

Such a small shop is only suitable for selling simple foods like steamed buns and flatbreads, and is not suitable for Gu Lin to sell cold dishes and braised food.

He directly told Ye San about the problems with the shop, and then said, "Let's go to the next one."

Gu Lin and Ye San left the second house, and coincidentally, the address of the third house was just across the street from the second house. Gu Lin walked to a unique and elegant house, and Ye San, who was in front, turned to Gu Lin helplessly and said, "Husband Gu, this house was just listed with the brokerage firm yesterday. The owner was originally a businessman, but his son is working away from home, so he entrusted our brokerage firm to rent out the house. If you are still not satisfied with this house, our brokerage firm does not have the house you want."

Gu Lin was also anxious, but he calmly replied, "It's alright, I'll take another look."

As Ye San walked in, he introduced the place to Gu Lin, saying, "This house and shop are much larger than the previous two. The best part is that the house is located in a quiet alley, while the shop is on a busy street. It won't bother you at all when you're resting."

Upon hearing this, Gu Lin carefully observed the structure of the house in front of him and found that this third place indeed had many more rooms than the previous two, with one main house and four side rooms. Moreover, a vegetable garden had been specially set up in the yard outside, which Gu Lin liked very much.

However, even faced with the best house, Gu Lin did not make a decision immediately. He said to Ye San, "I'll go back and think about it carefully, and I'll give you an answer tomorrow."

Ye San showed no impatience and readily agreed.

Everyone rents or buys houses this way. It's relatively quick for Gu Lin to give an answer tomorrow. Some people can drag it out for months and then not want any of them in the end.

.

After leaving the brokerage, Gu Lin went to Fu Man Lou. As soon as Manager Chen saw him, he said, "Boss Gu, the young master has already prepared tea and refreshments for you upstairs."

Gu Lin said to Manager Chen, "Please lead the way."

Manager Chen still had to greet the guests downstairs, so he called a waiter to lead Gu Lin upstairs.

Walking up the wooden stairs and turning the corner, Gu Lin arrived at a private room. The waiter said, "Please come in, Mr. Gu. The young master is inside."

After saying that, the waiter bowed slightly and went downstairs.

Pushing open the door, Gu Lin stepped into the private room. Looking at the familiar decor, he paused. He had initially thought it was just some random empty room, but it turned out to be the room Fang Jiyue had used to entertain him last time.

"Mr. Gu, it's been a long time."

As soon as they met, Fang Jiyue stood up and bowed to Gu Lin.

Gu Lin returned the greeting: "It's been a long time, Young Master Fang."

Fang Jiyue was not surprised by Gu Lin's rather cold demeanor. He had seen countless people and could see through them after a short time. Although Gu Lin was cold, he was not arrogant or conceited; he was simply not good with words.

Fang Jiyue has never liked to force others to do things against their will. Since the other party is not good at speaking and does not like others to be too enthusiastic, Fang Jiyue decided to stop while he was ahead and adopt a different attitude.

After the two sat down, Fang Jiyue poured Gu Lin a cup of tea and said to him, "This is tea that a friend recently gave me. Mr. Gu, please try it."

Gu Lin had been running around all afternoon without drinking any water, and his throat was parched. Upon hearing Fang Jiyue's invitation, he accepted the tea without hesitation.

However, he didn't know how to appreciate tea, so he drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

The tea served to guests by the young master of Fu Man Lou was naturally not made from tea stalks as in ordinary teahouses. The tea in Gu Lin's cup was Da Hong Pao, which contained one tael of tea leaves and one tael of gold. However, the young man drinking the tea obviously did not know how precious the tea he was drinking was.

Looking at the young man in front of him who was drinking down a large red robe in one gulp, Fang Jiyue felt that this was quite an unusual sight.

After finishing his tea to quench his thirst, Gu Lin looked up and saw Fang Jiyue staring blankly. Thinking that his boldness had startled the other man, he said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm used to drinking tea this way."

Fang Jiyue composed himself and smiled, "Tea is meant to be drunk. Savoring it slowly brings its own flavor, while drinking it all in one gulp brings its own boldness."

As expected of a eloquent businessman, Gu Lin compared his own eloquence with that of the other person and realized that if it were him, he really couldn't praise others as calmly as the other person.

Indeed, there is always something to learn from others when walking together; he still has much to learn in the business world.

Fang Jiyue had no idea what the young man opposite him was thinking. He raised his hand to pour tea for him, stopping when the teacup was about seven-tenths full.

Then, he took out his purse from his waist, took out a silver note and handed it to Gu Lin: "I invited Mr. Gu here today to discuss the profit sharing of cold dishes. Since we got the cold dish recipes from Mr. Gu, Fu Man Lou's business has reached a new level."

This was the first time Gu Lin had seen silver notes since arriving in this world. He took the silver notes from the other party, and after seeing the face value, Gu Lin's expression showed surprise. He asked, "Isn't this too much silver note? The profit share from the cold dishes isn't this much, is it?"

Gu Lin looked at the two hundred taels of silver notes in his hand and estimated in his mind that even if Fu Man Lou raised the price of cold dishes tenfold, the price would only be eighty coins. The county town was only so big, and only about a hundred officials and wealthy households could afford to eat cold dishes worth nearly a hundred coins. But there was no way they could get a two hundred taels of dividends.

Fang Jiyue raised his fan and chuckled, "I never said that Fumanlou only has one branch."

Gu Lin blinked and immediately understood the meaning behind the other party's words. However, he did not ask any further questions. He simply thanked Fang Jiyue and put away the silver notes in his hand.

Seeing the young man's calm demeanor, Fang Jiyue shook his head slightly, realizing that he had underestimated him.

A farmer's son was able to remain calm in the face of a huge sum of two hundred taels of silver; such a person should not be underestimated.

Fang Jiyue's upturned eyes were filled with a smile as he said, "This is just cold dishes, yet it has earned Boss Gu two hundred taels in just a few days. Doesn't Boss Gu feel tempted?"

Gu Lin looked at Fang Jiyue and said, "Young Master Fang, why don't you just speak frankly?"

Seeing Gu Lin's attitude, Fang Jiyue stopped beating around the bush and said directly, "My Fumanlou wants to buy the recipes for making hand-shredded chicken, cold pig's ear salad, and braised dishes from Boss Gu. As for profit sharing, my Fumanlou will not let Boss Gu suffer any losses. The profit sharing for these three dishes will be based on the profit sharing for cold dishes."

"Is this alright, Mr. Gu?"

Fang Jiyue was prepared for Gu Lin to give a long speech about wanting a raise, but the other party was surprisingly straightforward.

"can."

Gu Lin changed the subject, saying, "I can sell you the formula, but only in a month."

A month would be enough for him to find a suitable house and shop, and during that time he was confident that his shop would establish itself in the county.

Although Fang Jiyue did not know why the other party wanted to delay selling the child, he agreed because he saw that Gu Lin was decisive and straightforward.

After discussing a series of matters with Fang Jiyue, Gu Lin got up to leave Fumanlou.

Fang Jiyue said, "When Mr. Gu comes to Fumanlou in the future, please don't pay the bill. I already consider Mr. Gu a friend, and I can afford to treat my friend to a few meals."

Seeing the other person's unwavering and extremely sincere expression, Gu Lin couldn't bring himself to refuse and could only nod helplessly.

Fine, I'll agree to it for now.

As soon as Gu Lin stepped out of Fu Man Lou, Zheng Hao came up with his book box on his back: "Uncle Gu."

When the two parted at noon, Gu Lin told Zheng Hao that if he didn't see him outside the school after class, he should come to Fu Man Lou to find him.

Having just received a considerable sum of money, Gu Lin was overjoyed. He smiled slightly at Zheng Hao and said, "Let's go."

On the way back, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao walked very close together, and he lowered his head and whispered to the other about what had happened that afternoon.

Zheng Hao is a member of the family, and Gu Lin believes that Zheng Hao has the right to know what is happening in the family and to offer his own suggestions and ideas.

Zheng Hao had no objection to renting a house in the county town. In fact, he knew that Gu Lin's plan was likely for his own benefit. He raised his head slightly and said to Gu Lin, "I'll listen to Uncle Gu."

Skipping over the issue of renting a place, Gu Lin told Fu Man Lou about selling his recipes for braised dishes and shredded chicken with cold pig's ears. Zheng Hao listened, a dark look crossing his brows, but he didn't say anything.

He knew that Gu Lin had lost out by selling the formula to Fu Man Lou and getting a share of the profits, but he also understood that they had no powerful backers, so selling the formula to Fu Man Lou and making them their backers was the best option.

But Zheng Hao still felt that he was too weak.