Chapter 69: Clothing Shop 3.0

The old couple returned to their room, tidied up, and came out to prepare a meal, while Zhang Ping'an went to Shichahai to confirm tomorrow's meeting with Lao Guan.

"Done, I'll wait for you here tomorrow morning."

Currently, as long as there are no property disputes, private sales are still permitted in the Siheyuan, which is something Zhang Ping'an learned after asking the Director of the Police Station.

The next morning, Zhang Ping'an took Zhang Laohan to the Siheyuan in Shichahai.

"Not bad, this courtyard is quite large; the Daozuofang in the front can be used as a shop."

"That's right, Dad, that's what I was thinking too."

"Creak," the door opened, and Lao Guan walked out from inside.

"Brother Ping'an, have you prepared everything?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, we'll sign the contract in the form of a loan mortgage; when the time comes, you can just take this and go transfer the title directly." Lao Guan was a cautious man and preferred to use the most primitive method.

"That works too." Zhang Ping'an did not expose the little schemes of this relic of the old era.

Both parties signed the contract and agreement, exchanging money and the land deed, and this Siheyuan finally belonged to Zhang Laohan.

"Done, I packed my things last night, I can move out later; here are the keys to the main gate, you can come take over anytime."

"Good."

Zhang Ping'an took his father to the Police Station to find the Director to handle the transfer matters.

"Ping'an, why are you here? And who is this?"

"Li Ge, this is my father. You see, my sister's children are planning to open a Clothing Shop in the city, so my father bought a house and we're here to transfer the title."

"Oh, I see. Good, Ping'an, Uncle Zhang, come with me, I'll handle it for you while I'm at it."

"Great, many thanks, Li Ge."

"Don't be a stranger. By the way, since you're opening a shop, have you registered with the Industry and Commerce Bureau and the Tax Bureau?"

"Not yet, I didn't know there were so many steps."

"How about this: I have two childhood friends who work at Industry and Commerce and the Tax Bureau respectively. The one at Industry and Commerce is named Li Chunhua, and the one at the Tax Bureau is named Chen Lie. Just mention my name when you get there, it works."

"Thank you so much, Li Ge. Next time I catch some game, I'll definitely bring some over for you to taste."

"Hahaha, deal."

Zhang Ping'an hadn't expected such an unexpected harvest from this trip; now his paperwork was basically complete, and he could just have the Lei family of master craftsmen come over to renovate.

With the help of the Public Security officer Li, the paperwork was finished quickly, and Zhang Ping'an left two packs of cigarettes before slipping away with his father.

"Ping'an, how do you know that Public Security officer Li?"

"Uh, well..." Zhang Ping'an hesitated for a moment before briefly explaining the ins and outs of the matter.

"Hmm, in the future, just report these things, don't be foolish enough to stand guard there yourself. You are the only seedling your old father has, and don't tell your mother about this either."

"I understand, Dad." The heart of a parent is truly pitiful; Zhang Ping'an naturally understood what his father meant.

The two parted ways at the traditional courtyard house, and Zhang Ping'an went straight to find the Lei family of master craftsmen. It was already November, and the weather was getting cold, but indoor renovations could still be carried out.

"Knock, knock, knock."

"Who is it? Oh, it's the young master."

"Master Lei, I have a shop and would like to ask for your help to renovate it."

"Sure, wait a moment, I'll go get my tools." It was cold now, so there was basically no outdoor work, and the father and son were both staying at home.

The father and son brought their tools and followed Zhang Ping'an to the courtyard in Shichahai.

"Young master, this is that old Guan's courtyard, right? This house is nice, it can be considered a small three-section compound."

"Yes, the person who lived here was indeed surnamed Guan."

"Then it's likely correct. How do you want to renovate it?"

"I want to turn this Daozuofang into a shop to do some business."

"Alright." The Lei family of master craftsmen gave Zhang Ping'an a strange look, but didn't say anything else and started measuring.

There were seven rooms in the Daozuofang; although each individual area was small, the total area was over a hundred square meters.

Zhang Ping'an described the style of a clothing store from his previous life, though it was a scaled-down version. The whole space would be divided into four parts: three rooms as a showroom, one as a changing room, one as a warehouse, and the remaining two as a workshop.

Zhang Ping'an's description made the Lei family of master craftsmen's eyes light up; displaying the clothing directly in front of the customers would indeed have a much stronger impact than hiding them behind a counter.

"Done, it will take about seven days to finish the renovation, but it will take at least half a month for the weather to be suitable for use."

"No problem. Also, Master Lei, please renovate the East and West Wing Rooms of the courtyard for me as well. Change the beds inside into heated brick beds, turn the Nan'Ear Room of the East and West Wing Rooms into kitchens, and build a toilet in the corner of the courtyard."

"Done."

The two discussed the specific details further before returning to their respective homes.

"Dad, we still have to make a trip to the Industry and Commerce and Tax bureaus this afternoon."

"Alright, I don't have anything else to do anyway."

After returning in the morning, Zhang Laohan had gone to tend to that acre of wheat, weeding and tidying the ridges; he simply couldn't stay idle.

Unlike Zhang Ping'an, who didn't care about anything and let them grow wild after sowing the wheat.

In the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an and his father went to the Industry and Commerce and Tax bureaus respectively, and through Li Ge's two childhood friends, they quickly processed the relevant documents.

"There are so many rules in the city, it's not as comfortable as in the village," Zhang Laohan complained.

"Dad, you should be glad. We only got them so quickly because we have connections; if we followed the normal process, we'd probably have to wait three to five days."

Now that everything was settled, they just had to wait for the Lei family of master craftsmen's renovation. When they returned home, Qin Huairu had returned from the Hospital, and Jia Dongxu was standing at the door, handing out cigarettes with a face full of smiles.

"Grandpa, Uncle, you're back."

"Yes, are Xiaohua and the others back?"

"Yes, Grandma, Aunt, and Mom are all at my house."

"Alright, we'll go visit once your wife is out of her confinement month." It really wasn't appropriate for two grown men to go in there.

"Good." In the evening, Jia Dongxu delivered wedding candies and red eggs to every household.

A week later, the Lei family of master craftsmen had completely restored the floor plan that Zhang Ping'an had described.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Master Worker, it really has to be you guys." Zhang Ping'an did not stint on his praise; the Lei family of master craftsmen was truly worthy of being a Master Worker.

"Hahaha, as long as the young proprietor is satisfied." Hearing the praise, the Lei family of master craftsmen grinned from ear to ear.

Zhang Ping'an did not make it too high-profile; he only opened two doors, one for the shop and one for the warehouse, and there were two rows of clothing racks, upper and lower, on the four walls of the shop.

Four light bulbs hung from the ceiling, making the entire clothing store look bright and tidy; a door was opened on the east wall, leading to four small partitioned fitting rooms inside.

The warehouse and the studio were much simpler; the warehouse was filled with shelves, and the finished clothes could just be placed inside.

The studio currently only had a few tables and looked very empty; Zhang Ping'an planned to buy three more Sewing Machines to put here.

No sooner said than done; after settling the final payment with the Lei family of master craftsmen, Zhang Ping'an had his father ride his bike to buy the Sewing Machines, and subsequently, his nephews Li Chen and Li Jing each bought one at different Supply and Marketing Cooperatives; the studio was finished after a simple arrangement, and it would be about ready after letting the smell dissipate.

Three days later, Zhang Ping'an and Jia Dongxu transported all the clothes that Si Jie had made during this time to Shichahai.

Once the clothes were on the racks and the electric lights were turned on, the whole shop lit up, spacious yet not empty.

"Dongxu, how does it feel?"

"Uncle, how should I put it? Compared to the Clothing Shops I've been to before, this place feels more relaxed, refreshing to the eyes, yet not oppressive."

"Mm, not bad."

In the afternoon, Zhang Ping'an called his four nephews and nieces over; as soon as they entered, the two girls started exclaiming.

"Uncle, this place is too beautiful; I even want to buy something."

"Yeah, Uncle, I feel it's even brighter than the Supply and Marketing Cooperative."

"Hahaha, this will be the place where you work from now on. Xiaoqing, Xiao Mei, to the outside world, you are just here to help out, understand?"

"Mm, Uncle, I understand."

"Good."