The Tender Beauty is Sweetly Doted in the 20th Century Novel!-Chapter 190 - 189: No Pain Without Comparison

"What’s the price for this place?"

Ye Xiaotong looked around the store both upstairs and downstairs, feeling very satisfied and suitable for her to live with her child, so she asked about the price.

She had been eyeing this shop they opened for a long time, but she didn’t have money before, only able to enviously long for it in her heart, amazed that they managed to find such a good location to do business.

Seeing the thriving business of Love Vine Sweet and Spicy Duck daily, with a constant stream of customers, she could just imagine how much profit they were making, and Ye Xiaotong couldn’t help but feel itchy inside.

Now that she had money, and couldn’t find any other shop with a good location, she immediately set her eyes on this place.

Anyway, Ye Manman was sure to go to college out of town, and with He Chen’s personality, he’s unlikely to let Ye Manman go out of town alone, and they would definitely transfer ownership of the store.

She had patiently waited with her money for quite a while, originally wanting to start a business after having the baby, waiting more than a month. Now her confinement period was over, and fortunately, she waited for this store transfer.

Ye Xiaotong wanted to immediately take over the store and start making money, so her tone inadvertently became a bit urgent.

The landlord held the key, smiled, and gestured with his fingers.

Ye Xiaotong took one look and immediately beamed with joy.

"Thirty a year? So cheap?"

The landlord shook his head, "Oh dear, you’re joking, thirty a month would be about right. This location is great; it’s at a crossroads, right next to a market, and there’s a huge flow of people, perfect for doing business. This ’three’ is for three hundred, three hundred a year, with a yearly lease."

"What? Three hundred a year?"

Ye Xiaotong’s eyes widened, "So expensive? Why don’t you just rob people?"

She had never rented a house before and always thought renting would be cheap. After all, a house in the village costs only around ten a year, so why is it so pricey here?

The landlord, hearing her words, felt a bit displeased too.

"Comrade, this is a prime location. Anyone doing business here can make a fortune. So many people are waiting to see this shop. I brought you first because I see you’re a woman doing business with a child; if you think it’s expensive, you can look elsewhere."

Ye Xiaotong’s budget was only one or two hundred, which she thought was already sky-high, but didn’t expect the landlord to directly quote three hundred a year, leaving her dumbfounded.

"I don’t have that much money; this is just an ordinary building, and I..."

She pulled a long face, hoping to evoke compassion from the landlord.

But Ye Xiaotong was no beauty.

Moreover, having just given birth, her figure was oddly shaped. Summer clothes were thin, revealing a roll of protruding flesh on her stomach and a face marred with pimples of various colors, stirring no interest in anyone.

The landlord had just seen the level of beauty of Ye Manman, and now looking at her unsightly appearance, was further resolved against lowering the price.

He immediately put away his keys and prepared to close the door, "Comrade, if your budget isn’t enough, you’d better look elsewhere. To be frank, all shops here are at this price, and our neighbors’ prices are even higher, some reaching four hundred. Mine’s considered cheap."

The landlord locked the door and was about to leave. For him, there were more and more people doing business, and with this great location, he wasn’t worried about not having a tenant.

Originally, he thought Ye Xiaotong was wealthy, but turned out she didn’t have enough budget after all that talk. He had wasted his time, so naturally, he wasn’t in a good mood.

Ye Xiaotong, seeing the landlord leaving, panicked immediately.

Her mind kept replaying the prosperous scenes of Love Vine Sweet and Spicy Duck back then.

She suddenly recalled the day she first saw He Chen move into town and open the shop, Ye Manman at the counter counting money. They made over three hundred on the first day.

Ye Xiaotong was insanely jealous back then, and now it’s her turn. Clutching the six hundred plus dollars in her pocket, she kept asking herself.

If she rented the shop to do business, could she also make over three hundred on the first day?

If not, even a profit of fifty or a hundred in a day would quickly cover the cost, right?

Thinking of this, Ye Xiaotong couldn’t hold back. She hurriedly rushed over to stop the landlord.

"I’ll rent it! I’ll rent this shop, three hundred it is. When can we sign the contract?"

The landlord seemed surprised by her forthrightness, and his once-gloomy face broke into a wide grin.

"Anytime is fine, we can sign now."

...

The most taxing thing about a long-distance train journey is the noise and the excessive time it takes. Ye Manman felt uncomfortable after sitting for too long and could only lie down, and soon she fell asleep, overwhelmed by drowsiness.

He Chen wasn’t in the habit of taking afternoon naps, especially not in such a place where he couldn’t sleep.

He had a lot to think about in advance, and many plans for after they arrived in Jing City. Ye Manman now had her schooling plans sorted, but he was different; he had to start from scratch.

However, He Chen wasn’t worried about the challenges of doing business. Comparatively, Jing City developed faster, so it should flourish quickly, and he was confident.

From time to time, people passed through the aisle, some going to the bathroom, others holding things and looking around aimlessly. He Chen noticed people occasionally passing by their spot, glancing at the two sleeping girls on the upper bunk.

One was Ye Manman, and the other, Qin Yan.

The two girls slept without any guard.

Qin Yan wore a dress, not to mention kept her luggage on the bed, making her an easy target.

Although Ye Manman was also asleep, she wore pants, and He Chen had covered her from the waist down with a thin layer of clothing. The bed had no luggage, and he sat across watching intently, making her less of an easy target.

Those people came now and then for a look, and He Chen couldn’t confirm if they truly intended to steal, so he kept his eyes on Ye Manman.

The train trips of this era were long, primarily because of frequent stops at various stations, consuming time while being noisy. New passengers boarded occasionally, contributing to the noise. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

Ye Manman didn’t sleep for long; whenever the train stopped, merchants pushed carts beside every window at the nearby platform, loudly hawking goods, waking her up.

The merchant beside their window was selling drinks, seemingly fruit-flavored soda. Ye Manman didn’t like such drinks, so she paid no attention.

He Chen wasn’t interested either. Seeing her awake, he quickly asked if she felt uncomfortable.

Ye Manman shook her head, moved over to lean against him to sit, tired and sleepy, not wanting to talk.

He Chen gently stroked her head with concern, "You’ve worked hard, feeling hungry? Want to eat something?"

He opened his jacket and pulled out a biscuit.

The aroma of chive-filled biscuits sparked Ye Manman’s hunger; she took little bites from his hand to eat.

Qin Yan was also jolted awake, lying atop the bunk, watching the vendor outside screaming as she hastily bought a bottle of soda.

One gulp of soda down, and she felt superbly refreshed. Qin Yan squinted contently but glanced down to see a petite woman on the opposite lower bunk nestled in a tall man’s arms, nibbling on food.

Though the man seemed intimidating with sharp eyes and a muscular physique, he appeared lovingly gentle with the woman in his arms, making Qin Yan’s heart ache with envy, and even the soda in her hand felt lacking.

She returned the unfinished soda along with the bottle to the vendor outside, then looked up to find the man on her upper bunk sound asleep.

Qin Yan felt even more sour.

There’s truly no comparison without disappointment!