Chapter 721: The Contradictory Sister Yang

The market's storefronts were truly up for sale.

When Li Long received the news and went to look, he found the place somewhat deserted.

In other words, not many people were interested in these storefronts.

Although the storefronts built at this time were far inferior to those Li Long remembered from later generations—being just a single row of houses without a main gate, without a second floor, and without any structures in between—meaning that within the decade from now until the turn of the new century, these storefronts would still face another round of demolition and renovation.

But buying one meant owning the property rights.

Since living with Sister Yang and her daughter was like living with relatives, Li Long planned to buy one unit for Sister Yang and purchase two or three more for himself.

In his view, once these storefronts were completed, there would surely be fierce competition to buy them, possibly leaving few available; he hadn't expected that now that sales had opened, so few people would come!

Li Long quickly realized the reason: most likely, because the original market had been spontaneous, evolving from a black market, everyone felt they were vending by their own strength and initially didn't even want to pay management fees.

Thinking back to when the county authorities first tried to collect management fees, the market had nearly fallen apart, with over half the vendors immediately moving elsewhere to set up stall.

Later, through semi-coercive and semi-standardized measures, the market was gradually built up, but how much time had passed since then? Now suddenly they wanted to build storefronts; who would be willing to pay for that?

Seeing the management office as quiet as a sparrow's nest, Li Long felt he could make an investment.

The banner above the office doorframe stated that units were available for purchase or rent, which put Li Long at ease.

Sister Yang and Han Fang's household registrations had already been processed, located in the suburban area; although they had registration but no land, they were already very satisfied.

With household registration here, many matters would become easier to handle going forward.

Li Long entered the office carrying his backpack and saw a man in a blue cloth Zhongshan suit reading a newspaper inside, while a woman was cracking melon seeds.

There were people both at the entrance and inside, but these five or six individuals were not inquiring; instead, they were discussing, reading the notice, and hesitating.

Seeing Li Long enter, the man and woman behind the desk both glanced up, then immediately lowered their heads again.

Li Long noticed a notice posted on the wall and stepped closer to read it.

The text was simple and clear: one thousand yuan per storefront, first come first served for selection. Rent was one hundred yuan per unit per year; in any case, neither option was cheap.

Although these storefronts were brick houses, plastered entirely with lime from top to bottom, looking quite clean and tidy, and the area was not small—each unit being at least thirty or forty square meters—one thousand yuan could currently buy a courtyard house in the county town, so most people would feel it wasn't worth spending that much just on a storefront.

As for the rent of one hundred yuan per year, did they plan to recover costs over ten years? That rent wasn't cheap either! After all, renting a courtyard in the county town cost only fifty or sixty yuan per year.

And this price was for just one unit!

Development in small county towns was inherently slow; those who set up stalls here instead of going to Shicheng primarily sought proximity to home and harbored some fear of larger cities.

Therefore, one couldn't expect them to possess overly forward-looking vision.

Li Long knew the price wasn't negotiable; after finishing the notice, he turned and asked:

"If an individual purchases, what is the maximum number of units one person can buy?"

"Buy how many?" The man reading the newspaper paused upon hearing this, while the woman reacted extremely quickly, tossing aside the handful of melon seeds in her hand, hurrying several steps to stand before Li Long, and asking with a smile:

"Are you buying? For individual purchase, the maximum is three units per person. Of course, if you are sincerely intent on buying, there are ways, but the absolute maximum is five units, and that includes purchases made through friends and relatives."

It seemed the management had considered this, certainly not allowing any single person to monopolize the storefronts.

Loopholes could definitely be exploited; one just needed identity documents from several unrelated people, similar to how people used others' identities to buy stocks when the stock market first opened.

However, Li Long naturally didn't concern himself with such matters; after thinking briefly, he said:

"My friend and I will buy together, five units."

Since five units could be purchased, he might as well buy five.

"Good, good, good, come, come, come; we need identity documents for at least two people. First, look at the locations; after selecting, go over there to register. You see, these marked ones have already been sold, and these are the available spots." The man also enthusiastically took out a hand-drawn sheet listing the storefront numbers.

Li Long took one glance and saw that the four storefronts at both ends of the market had already been picked; being the first ones visible upon entering the market, they were naturally the most likely to attract attention.

Li Long even wondered whether insiders had secured these units.

There was no helping it; having come from a previous life where he had seen too much of both the sunny and the dark sides of things, he couldn't help but think negatively.

But to be honest, even if these units hadn't been taken, he wouldn't have wanted them anyway. Currently, both ends of the market were open, so the first units naturally attracted easy attention. But once the main gates on both sides were constructed—with those gate towers built quite tall—the first units on either side would become corners, and attention would naturally decrease.

He directly selected two units on the south side and three units on the north side, all contiguous, along the eastern side of the market.

Because in the future, the east gate would face directly onto the vegetable market, ensuring heavy foot traffic, and the road running north-south behind the east entrance would be the main thoroughfare, making this side the main entrance.

"Come, pay and register here; our property certificates are already prepared, so once you pay, you can register and take them immediately," the woman said after Li Long made his selection.

Hey, one-stop service right from the start, quite convenient.

Li Long pulled out stack after stack of banknotes from his backpack.

He had indeed brought only five thousand yuan, mainly because he hadn't expected the prices to be so high, nor had he anticipated being able to directly purchase five units.

Four units he would keep for himself, and one for Sister Yang.

He had no intention of becoming a landlord who bought up an entire street, so acquiring a few units just to make a point was sufficient.

This market would prosper for at least thirty years; that was enough.

Li Long was also thinking that once the market storefronts were built over on the Old Street area of Shicheng, he would go there to buy a few units, so that later he could simply idle away his days.

"Comrade, we also need to register the intended use here; do you plan to rent them out or use them yourself?" the woman collecting the money asked.

"Some for rent, some for personal use," Li Long replied somewhat vaguely; he wasn't sure whether his family members would want to use the storefronts for selling goods and needed to go back and discuss it.

Sister Yang would naturally be selling goods; that went without saying.

Those still watching on the sidelines, seeing Li Long make such a large purchase all at once, included one person who had actually targeted the same unit Li Long had chosen; now seeing that unit snapped up so decisively by Li Long, he became anxious, rushing over to pull out money:

"I'll buy... I also want to choose—the second unit from the north on the west side... Here is one thousand yuan!"

"I want to rent; I'll rent the second unit from the south on the west side... Please register it for me..."

Seeing these hesitant people suddenly become active, the two management staff members were also very pleased; at least today they could report success.

Occasionally, their glances toward Li Long were quite enthusiastic; which family's young man was so wealthy!

The woman responsible for registration noted down Li Long's name and address, wondering whether she should introduce him to her younger female cousin?

She didn't know if he was married or not; this was truly a wealthy person!

Li Long had just emerged holding the certificate and the door keys when someone approached and asked:

"Comrade, comrade, will you rent out the storefront you bought?"

"What, do you want to rent it?" Li Long saw this was a man in his forties, not tall, speaking with a local accent, so he asked.

"Rent, yes, but the rent inside is a bit expensive; I can't afford it. See if you can make it cheaper..."

"Ninety-five," Li Long said outright.

"Then... make it a bit cheaper?" "No discount." Li Long waved his hand, turned, and walked away.

He needed to go first and tell Sister Yang the good news about securing the storefront, to put her mind at ease.

When Li Long returned to the big courtyard, Sister Yang was coaxing the two children; hearing their laughter from time to time, Li Long felt Sister Yang was just like some live-in nannies he had seen in short videos in his previous life, exceptionally patient with children.

"Uncle, the small clothes your sister-in-law made for the children are truly excellent," Sister Yang praised Li Xia's handiwork upon seeing Li Long enter. "They fit perfectly; the children are comfortable wearing them."

Li Long went over to play with the two children. Mingming and Haohao could already recognize people; seeing Li Long, they both smiled, waving their hands and feet to express their excitement.

While playing with them, Li Long said to Sister Yang:

"The storefronts over at the market are now on sale. I bought five units, one of which is yours. When things aren't so busy here, you can open a shop in the market. In the meantime, you can think about whether to continue selling food or do something else."

"How could I let you buy it for me? I have money, enough money!" Sister Yang panicked slightly. "How much? I'll give you..."

"No, no need," Li Long said. "You take care of the two children in our home; both Gu Xiaoxia and I treat you as an elder sister. From now on, we'll visit each other like relatives. Consider this storefront a gift to you..."

Although Li Long paid Sister Yang a monthly wage, he felt that money was still not enough.

Sister Yang was an honest person, and he did not want honest people to suffer losses.

!

Sister Yang adamantly refused, rushing inside to get money. After talking for quite a while, until Gu Gu Xiaoxia returned, the stubborn Sister Yang finally stuffed four hundred yuan into Li Long's hand.

Alright, let's leave it at that for now; since we all live together, we can discuss it later.

Sister Yang found time to go check the storefronts; when she returned, she told Li Long that some people had already moved in and were renovating their spaces, looking like they would open for business soon.

Li Long thought that winter was approaching. If they wanted Sister Yang to start working in winter, they really needed to begin renovations now. He had nothing much to do lately anyway, so he could watch the children while letting Sister Yang go renovate the storefront she had chosen.

After all, what business to run in the shop was a decision Sister Yang had to make herself.

Sister Yang agreed; for the next few days, after eating and cleaning up, she would ride her bicycle out, returning past noon with groceries to cook.

Although commuting back and forth was quite busy, it was obvious she was very happy.

Li Long had thought about helping her find workers for the renovation, but Sister Yang said it wasn't necessary; there were people right by the market carrying tool bags waiting for work. She had already found someone, bought bricks and other materials, and work had already begun.

Hey, what a capable person.

"Uncle, there are still people asking if you are renting out your storefronts," Sister Yang conveyed the news while they were eating.

"How much are they offering?"

"One hundred and ten," Sister Yang said. "Nowadays, the better-located storefronts in the market have all been rented out; only your few units remain empty."

Li Long hadn't expected that in just a few days, the market situation would change so drastically.

Sister Yang explained the reason:

"The county has issued regulations; from now on, street vending on the main streets is prohibited, and everyone must operate inside the market. Unlike Shicheng's Old Street, where storefronts are sold and street vending is also allowed, here there are few sellers, and only storefront trading is permitted. Those who regularly sell goods can't carry their stalls around, and if they don't want to buy a shop, they can only rent one."

Li Long understood; it still required enforcement by powerful authorities to push this through.

Those temporary street vendors, like Li Li Qing Xia selling fish, could naturally set up a stall anywhere; if inspectors came, they would just pack up their fish and leave.

But those second-hand dealers who sold goods in the market every day were different; since they vended from morning till night, naturally, a fixed spot was best for them.

Now that fixed spots had been banned and they were forced into the market, if they didn't want to buy, they could only rent.

"Let's wait and see," Li Long said unhurriedly. "The price might still go up a bit."

"It probably will," Sister Yang said, also very confident about this.

"Then for your shop, are you still planning to sell food?"

"Yes, selling food," Sister Yang said with a smile. "I'll build a stove inside, construct a counter, and make shelves for displaying goods, all custom-made..."

It seemed Sister Yang had already made up her mind.

Indeed, since pushing a cart to sell food had been so popular before, running a restaurant at a fixed location now should be no problem.

"You'll still need to obtain some permits," Li Long reminded her. "Hygiene standards, business licenses, and so on; none of these can be neglected."

"There are people in the market to guide us; I've already applied for them," Sister Yang said with a smile.

Gu Gu Xiaoxia and Gu Gu Bo Yuan also occasionally offered suggestions, helping Sister Yang sort out the details.

Of course, for now, it was just renovation; since the storefront belonged to her, it would still take some time before officially opening for business.

"I plan to wait until the second half of next year, when the children can stand and slowly walk, before starting," Sister Yang revealed her plan. "There's no rush for the moment."

The Li family treated her and her daughter well, and she herself did not wish to leave these two children so soon to open a shop.

Actually, Sister Yang felt quite conflicted; she felt the current situation was quite good. As a rural housewife herself, she had been forced last year to come out and sell food to do business; in truth, this current lifestyle was what she habitually wanted.

Yet she also worried: when the children grew older, what if she couldn't adapt to doing business by then, or forgot how?

She also desired to have her own career; after experiencing life's great ups and downs, Sister Yang knew that having her own money, her own means of making a living, and running her own business was the only long-term solution.

But she also couldn't bear to part with this simple, happy life she had now.

Hence, the conflict.

Despite enthusiastically renovating the storefront these past few days and dreaming of one day opening a shop to do business,

Was this truly what she wanted to do?

Should she go out into the world or not?

Li Long had secured the storefront for her, intending to give it to her; in Sister Yang's eyes, this wasn't to drive her away, but to provide her with security.

She cherished every day here even more.

So she felt quite conflicted.

Li Long noticed this too; not knowing how to address it directly, after dinner when returning to his room, he told Gu Gu Xiaoxia, asking her to find time to chat with Sister Yang. Anyway, the storefront was there; she could open for business whenever she wished, with no need to worry. The two families were like relatives; neither Li Long nor Gu Gu Xiaoxia would ever drive them away.

Sister Yang was truly deeply grateful.

In half a month, the storefront over there was fully renovated; then Sister Yang locked the door and left it vacant.

The few shops on Li Long's side were ultimately rented out: one at one hundred twenty, and three at one hundred ten each. The contracts were signed for one year at a time; Li Long estimated that next year, the rent would definitely rise.

Such is the general trend. (End of Chapter)