Reborn as a Landlord-Chapter 1615 - 823: Fortune Arrives (2)
"So that’s how it is," Lian Manman nodded, "Father, Brother, I think if we can take over this pawnshop, it should be a good thing."
Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang heard Lian Manman say this and understood that Lian Manman agreed to take over Shenyi Pawnshop. The father and son exchanged a glance, feeling that this pawnshop was indeed a good business.
"This matter still requires much effort from Shopkeeper Chiang. Once it’s done, we’ll proceed according to the rules." Wu Lang said to Shopkeeper Chiang.
The Lian family already had a comprehensive system of rewards and penalties, which were the rules. According to the rules, if Shopkeeper Chiang can accomplish this task and the pawnshop becomes profitable, Shopkeeper Chiang will accordingly receive a generous silver coin reward.
At the same time, this matter will also be recorded in Shopkeeper Chiang’s achievements ledger, which will greatly benefit his future development with the Lian family.
"I will do my utmost!" Shopkeeper Chiang quickly replied.
Shopkeeper Chiang was a capable person, and Shopkeeper Wang did not want to be outdone. He informed Lian Shouxin and Wu Lang that there was another Silver Building in the county town intending to change hands. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖
Just like pawnshops, Silver Buildings require large investments but also yield high returns. If it were in the past, Manman’s family would not have dared to get involved, but now the situation was very different. This type of shop was exactly what they wanted.
Silver Buildings were not as troublesome as pawnshops, so the family quickly decided that as long as the conditions were suitable, they could take over the Silver Building.
"Mother, from now on, when we have any jewelry made, we won’t have to go anywhere else; we’ll just have it done at our own Silver Building," Lian Manman whispered with a smile to Lady Zhang.
After taking over the Silver Building, Lian Manman also planned to design some jewelry patterns herself. Which young girl doesn’t love jewelry and dressing up? Designing some new pattern accessories could meet her own needs and attract more business to the Silver Building, killing two birds with one stone.
Shopkeeper Chiang and Shopkeeper Wang also mentioned a few other shops that were not as striking as the pawnshop and Silver Building.
"If there are good locations with reasonable prices, we can also take over a couple of them; by then, renting them out is also feasible." Wu Lang said.
Currently, in the county town, besides owning Lian’s Restaurant and Lian’s Department Store, they also had a shop being rented out, which brought in a nice income yearly.
"How’s the restaurant on the front street being tidied up?" after a while, Wu Lang asked.
The ’front street’ Wu Lang referred to was the Nine-layered Pagoda Front Street, generally abbreviated as the front street in the county town. Lian’s Restaurant was at the head of the street, and before the year ended, they took over a restaurant at the tail end of the street, planning to repair and decorate it to open a branch of Shunde Store.
Opening a branch of Shunde Store in Jinyang County Town was a plan long decided by the family. The Shunde Store Roast Duck Restaurant had already established a reputation in the Prefecture City, so naturally, the branch in Jinyang County Town wouldn’t lack customers.
Jinyang County is one of the major counties in Liaodong Prefecture, with developed transportation, a large population, and bustling with merchants from south and north. In terms of wealth, Jinyang County ranks among the top in Liaodong Prefecture. The price of roast duck is relatively high, and after considering various reasons, Lian Manman planned to open only one more branch in Liaodong Prefecture, besides the one in the Prefecture City, located in Jinyang County.
Just these two shops are enough.
Another reason for opening a branch of Shunde Store in Jinyang County is that it is the Lian family’s old home; it wouldn’t make sense for hometown folks craving roast duck to travel all the way to the Prefecture City.
"... there’s only some finishing work left," Shopkeeper Wang replied quickly when Wu Lang asked about the Shunde Store branch, as he was responsible for the shop’s repairs and decorations. "It should be completed by mid-February. The owner can choose a good day to open."
"Good." Wu Lang nodded with a smile.
After all, being close makes everything more convenient. This branch of Shunde Store in Jinyang County would open even earlier than the one in the Capital City. Over there, the Lian family had already sent people to start raising ducks, just waiting to wrap up everything by New Year’s before Wu Lang heads to the Capital. On one hand, he would study earnestly for a few months with Mr. Loo and gain experience; on the other, he would oversee the opening of the Capital City Shunde Store branch.
After lunch, Shopkeeper Chiang and Shopkeeper Wang took their leave, busying themselves with their respective tasks. The few family members of the Lian family then sat together to discuss the shop acquisition matters.
"... Pawnshops and Silver Buildings both require large capital investments, don’t we also plan to buy some more good land and houses this year? Do we have enough silver on hand?" Lian Shouxin asked Lian Manman.
Nothing about the family’s accounts was hidden from Lian Shouxin. However, there were many matters where he still had to consult Lian Manman or Wu Lang. Especially Lian Manman, she, although delegating the accounts to the clerks, was still the one most familiar with the family’s asset status in the Lian family.
"I just did the math; it’s enough." Lian Manman assured Lian Shouxin, "Father, don’t worry. Even if we take over all those properties Shopkeeper Chiang and Shopkeeper Wang mentioned, the remaining money will be sufficient for us to buy land and houses."
In his bones, Lian Shouxin was still a farmer. With spare money, the first thing that came to his mind was to build houses and acquire land. Especially farmland, which was a lifeline for farmers, and was something they never had too much of. The shops, compared to farmland, were secondary.
Lian Manman somewhat agreed with Lian Shouxin’s thoughts. Farmland, which is food, was the foundation. This foundation, naturally, could not be touched; she had planned long ago to purchase some farmland each year, if possible, slowly accumulating over time. As for shops, which were commerce, they had quick turnover and fast profits, which were also essential for them.
No agriculture, no stability; no commerce, no wealth. Lian Manman’s plan was to grasp both, with equal strength on both ends.
What aspiring landlord family doesn’t have a few profitable shops?
...
A Chapter update is here, asking for pink votes, recommendation tickets. Trying for a second update later. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
