"Come, Egg. I heard you like to eat snakes, so I had someone get a few for you last night." Some people were even bringing gifts right to the shop. Just as he returned, he ran into Mrs. Wang at the entrance—the owner of the tea shop next door and also the captain of the Baiyun District square dancing team. The moment she saw Egg, she eagerly handed over the bag in her hands.

When Shen Yibin’s shop first opened, Mrs. Wang would stop by from time to time. But as the talent show took place and business at the shop gradually boomed, her visits became less frequent. It wasn’t that Mrs. Wang was jealous; it was just that even when she came, she would only see Shen Yibin busy at work, which was a bit dull.

But today, Mrs. Wang couldn’t be bothered with such formalities. She had been absolutely stunned by Egg’s dance in the square last night. To win the championship at next month’s Yunzhong City Square Dancing Competition, Mrs. Wang felt she absolutely had to get on Egg’s good side. What would she do if Egg refused to go? Their own choreographed routine wasn’t enough to win the title.

"Egg, quickly, thank Mrs. Wang." ’If I said Egg liked gold bars, would you bring those over too?’ Shen Yibin thought to himself as he took the bag.

"Well, I’ll be! I never would have guessed, Bin, that you’re such a natural at business. When your shop first opened, I was muttering to myself that you’d probably lose money for a few months before things picked up. I didn’t expect it to get this popular so quickly," Mrs. Wang remarked with a sigh, seeing that Shen Yibin’s shop already had customers early in the morning.

Sun Qian was on vacation today, out with her best friend. However, Sylvie was there to handle the customers, so Shen Yibin could still sit on the sofa and chat with Mrs. Wang. "It’s all just good luck," he said modestly. "When it comes to business, I still have a lot to learn from a senior like you, Mrs. Wang." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Hah, what’s there to learn? My tea shop is about to go out of business." The moment business was mentioned, Mrs. Wang couldn’t help but start complaining. "Business has been getting worse and worse this year. The old customers who used to buy tea as gifts don’t come anymore, and young people these days don’t like to drink tea. If this shop wasn’t my own property, and if I had something else to do, I would have sold the business long ago."

’Huh? Mrs. Wang wants to sell her shop?’ Shen Yibin couldn’t help but ponder. ’Business is getting better and better, and this small shop is already starting to feel cramped. I was thinking of finding a chance to ask her about it someday, but I never expected her to bring it up first.’

"Er, Mrs. Wang, if you were to sell it, what would the terms be?" ’His own shop’s rent was 20,000 a month,’ Shen Yibin considered. ’Mrs. Wang’s tea shop was more than twice the size of his pet store, so the rent should come out to a little over 50,000 a month. He could afford that. But the transfer fee, renovation costs, and all that... that might be a bit difficult.’

"Hm? Bin, you want to take it over?" Mrs. Wang was an experienced businesswoman; how could she not hear the meaning behind Shen Yibin’s words? She looked at the pet cages piled up around the hall, nodded, and said, "That makes sense. Your business is getting better and better, so a small place like this probably isn’t enough anymore. If you want it, I can give you a discount."

As Mrs. Wang spoke, her eyes kept darting toward Egg. It was as if she were saying, ’As long as you promise to let Egg keep teaching us square dancing, the transfer fee, rent, and everything else are negotiable.’

"I’m barely making enough to get by. I’m still a far cry from you, Mrs. Wang. Just from the rent you collect on these few shops in this row, you make way more than I do," Shen Yibin said flatteringly, though it was the truth. Mrs. Wang had been quite a figure in her youth, making a lot of money dabbling in all sorts of businesses. Now she was just older and couldn’t be bothered to worry about such things. Her opening this tea shop wasn’t entirely about making money; it was more to pass the time.

But over the past year or so, she had found a more appealing form of entertainment in square dancing and gradually lost the desire to keep the shop open. That’s why she had started thinking about selling the business.

"Your current shop’s rent is twenty thousand. For the one next door, I’ll give you a deal. Fifty thousand a month will be fine." Shen Yibin was also renting his current shop from Mrs. Wang. "As it happens, I have a friend who plans to open a tea shop elsewhere. I can offload all the tea leaves, tea sets, and cabinets to her. So for the transfer fee... I’ll give you a good price. Just one month’s rent will do."

The price Mrs. Wang offered was extremely favorable. Not only was the rent considerably cheaper, but the transfer fee was also next to nothing. If Shen Yibin were purely interested in making money, he could take over the shop and immediately transfer it to someone else for a hefty profit.

Of course, his main reason for wanting the shop was to give Hah’Er a larger space to move around in. When he thought about the bamboo groves, thickets, and playgrounds that the pandas at the Sichuan Giant Panda Base enjoyed, and then looked at Hah’Er, who could only squeeze into a single bedroom with him, Shen Yibin couldn’t help but feel a little guilty.

"Mrs. Wang, I’m afraid this month won’t work. I’ll need some more time to save up enough money." Shen Yibin did a quick calculation. He paid his current shop’s rent every six months. If the shop next door was the same, then that plus the transfer fee would be 350,000. He didn’t have that kind of money right now.

"I can wait a month for you. My friend’s shop is opening next month. If you haven’t decided by then, I’ll have to rent it to someone else. I can’t just let it sit empty, can I?" Glancing at Egg again, Mrs. Wang lowered her terms even further. "Bin, you seem like an honest guy, not the type to be tricky and dishonest. So, I can be a little more lenient with the rent. I’ll let you pay quarterly."

’That would only be 200,000. If he figured something out, he might just be able to scrape it together.’ But there was one more question he had to clarify beforehand. "Thank you, Mrs. Wang. But I have one more thing to ask you. Can the shop be heavily modified?" With that, Shen Yibin pulled out a photo of the sunroom at the Western restaurant where he had first met Sun Qian and showed it to Mrs. Wang.

"See? I want to renovate it like this, so Hah’Er, Egg, and the others have a place to play." To persuade Mrs. Wang, Shen Yibin even brought Egg into the conversation.

"Let me see." Mrs. Wang studied the photo for a moment. "This would require knocking through to the second floor, but it doesn’t seem to affect the main structure. As long as you’re willing to sign a long-term lease, I’ll allow it. Of course, when you eventually want to terminate the lease, you’ll have to restore it to its original condition. And the security deposit will have to be a bit higher."

These conditions were perfectly reasonable, leaving Shen Yibin with no room to object. ’But the increased security deposit and the shop renovation would both cost a fortune! Where am I supposed to find that much money in just one month? Am I really going to have to take Egg out on the street to pick up money?’