Reborn as the Villain's Wife, I Shine in 80s-Chapter 121: Fertilizer water doesn’t flow into outsiders’ fields

Chapter 121: Fertilizer water doesn’t flow into outsiders’ fields

However, the process of renting shop space wasn’t going smoothly.

The owner of the property was a middle-aged woman. She looked decent, but her figure was a bit plump, showing that she lived a life more carefree than most.

The two had already talked before. Tian Sangsang spoke sincerely, "Liu Jie, I truly love your property, but this price is far too high. A hundred yuan a month—I really can’t afford it. Besides, the surrounding rentals aren’t this expensive."

She genuinely felt like she was being ripped off.

The middle-aged woman stood with her hands on her hips and smacked her lips, speaking confidently, "Girlie, let me tell you—our family is planning to move to Dongzhen City, which is why we’re even considering renting or selling the house. Otherwise, we wouldn’t part with it at all. This rent isn’t much; storefront rentals in the county go for even higher prices. The location here is excellent—right in the center of the street, near the supply and marketing co-op. If you open a shop here, you won’t have to worry about foot traffic."

But anyone with a conscience wouldn’t set such a high price. The nearby rental prices are around twenty yuan. Plus, in this era, the average salary for most people doesn’t even exceed fifty yuan. Charging a hundred yuan a month for one floor—a space of about twenty square meters—is nothing short of extortion!

"Liu Jie, can’t you lower the price a bit?" Tian Sangsang asked with a smile.

"No, it can’t go any lower. This is the price." Liu Jie’s face instantly turned stern, her attitude firm as she replied, "If you can’t afford it, then go somewhere else. I won’t rent it to you."

Tian Sangsang smiled and left with Meng Shuyan. Though she found the property agreeable, encountering such a greedy landlord made her decide not to rent it after all. She wasn’t foolish; there was no need to beg for it.

From their earlier conversation, she picked up the subtext—it was clear the woman looked down on her. Talking to people whose mindset wasn’t on the same wavelength was a waste of time, so Tian Sangsang left resolutely, without the slightest hesitation.

After Tian Sangsang left, two people walked out from the house.

"Finally! She’s gone. Such a pathetic-looking person—and coming here to rent a house? I wouldn’t rent it to her even if I had to give it away for free," Yao Fangfang said disdainfully, staring at Tian Sangsang’s retreating figure.

"She didn’t rent it, so why are you still upset?" Shui Lian looked at her, amusement written all over her face.

"I don’t know—I just can’t stand her. For some reason, I felt irritated the moment I saw her. I disliked her from the first glance," Yao Fangfang said, pursing her lips. Then, her attitude shifted, and she added apologetically, "Still, Xiao Lian, it looks like I’ve caused your older aunt trouble by making her miss out on renting the house today."

"It’s no problem." Shui Lian shook her head gracefully, radiating calm. "Even though my aunt’s family is moving away, it’s not like they’re desperate to rent out the house. If you don’t want to rent it to someone, I’ll always support your decision—we’re friends, after all. If you ask me to take care of something, I’ll make sure to take care of it for you."

Yao Fangfang was pleased by this and smiled, her almond-shaped eyes curving charmingly. Suddenly, something came to mind, and she sighed.

"I can’t believe she’s planning on opening a shop in town. Just the thought of running into her every day makes me annoyed. Last time, I asked around about her, and heard some gossip—apparently, she’s indecent; hasn’t even gotten married but was already sneaking around with men. A poor country woman—where did she even get the money? To buy a shop? Could she have found another man to cheat on?"

"No man would be into her, don’t you think?" Shui Lian smirked faintly, almost sarcastically. "Did you forget? She’s been setting up a street stall recently—that’s how she earned the money."

"Street stalls—so unrespectable. Only rural folks would ever do such things." To Yao Fangfang, only those who entered government offices or civil service jobs were truly respectable and high-ranking.

Shui Lian shrugged nonchalantly, "Yiyuan likes eating from her stall, and even Qianqian isn’t against her food anymore—it’s genuinely tasty. You and I should learn a thing or two from her."

"Hmph!" Yao Fangfang grew increasingly agitated, a small sense of threat flashing in her mind. "I don’t understand what my cousin is thinking—supporting her business like that. I bet half her earnings came from feeding people from our family! This won’t do. I’ll go back and expose that fat pig for what she really is and make sure Qianqian knows to steer clear of her whenever she sees her next time."

Just as she was speaking, a cargo truck slowly drove past. Yao Fangfang quickly covered her nose and frowned. "Who drives this stuff around, kicking up so much dirt?"

Shui Lian merely waved away the dust in front of her with a flick of her hand and responded calmly, "The driver’s new to the area—not familiar."

The air still carried leftover smoke—a man’s cigarette smoke—which lingered around Yao Fangfang. Her almond-shaped eyes widened as she stared intently at the direction the truck had driven off in, the image of the driver’s profile flashing in her mind.

"How rude," she muttered under her breath. Yet, for some reason, she was already thinking of finding out more about this person next time. Though the smoking didn’t irritate her as much as she thought it might.

...

Tian Sangsang was busy checking out other rental options with Meng Shuyan when, suddenly, a clear male voice pierced the air: "Tian Sangsang!"

A cargo truck came to a halt beside her, and an unkempt-looking Chen Ming, sporting a carefree smile, walked up to her. "What a coincidence! You’re here in town again for business, huh?"

Since the last incident, Chen Ming’s attitude towards her had vastly improved. Tian Sangsang was glad to return kindness with kindness. freewebnoveℓ.com

"Hi, Uncle Chen." Meng Shuyan grinned and called out politely.

"Yanyan is such a good kid! Uncle brought you a soda." Chen Ming broke into a wide smile. The weariness on his face disappeared completely. He swiftly opened the truck door and handed Meng Shuyan a bottle of yellow-colored soda.

"I brought it back from out of town—it’s really good."

"Well, thank you!" Tian Sangsang, caught off guard, could only let Meng Shuyan accept the drink. Meng Shuyan’s eyes gleamed as he shyly expressed his thanks.

As Chen Ming gazed at Meng Shuyan’s innocent face, memories of past mistakes surfaced, filling him with remorse. He lowered his head guiltily and said, "Tian Sangsang, about the things that happened before—it was my fault. I..."

"It’s fine," Tian Sangsang replied warmly, "We used to play together, and we’re still friends now."

Chen Ming let out a sigh of relief. "By the way, you haven’t told me—what’s your plan this time?"

"Oh, I’m looking to rent a shop space. Setting up a stall all the time is inconvenient, so I figure I’ll just take over a storefront." Tian Sangsang explained.

"Rent a shop space?" Chen Ming paused for a long moment before continuing, "What size are you looking for?"

This reaction—it looked promising. "Not too big—anything over ten square meters or twenty square meters would work," she said.

"Well, perfect timing!" Chen Ming suddenly beamed. "Why not rent my mom’s old house? She’s living with my dad now, and my aunt got married in the city, where she’s taken in my grandparents. The old house in town is just sitting empty. My wife Yingzi and I live in town now anyways, so if you rent it, we’ll move upstairs and let you use the ground floor."

Chen Ming was genuinely apologetic about his past misunderstandings with Tian Sangsang and also grateful for her helping his sister before. Seeing her now looking for a shop space, he eagerly extended the offer.

Tian Sangsang looked thoughtful. She was indeed tempted, but renting from an acquaintance required extra caution...

"Why let outsiders benefit when it could stay within the family? Our house is decent enough. Come on, let me take you over to have a look." Chen Ming said enthusiastically.