The NO.1 Food Stall in the Wasteland novel Chapter 63

Chapter 63: Chapter 63: Buying a Building

Boss Cao adopted a very humble attitude, and Ma Laosan chimed in to support him.

"Boss Shen, the first two shops were indeed a bit lacking, which is why they’ve been empty for a year or two with no takers. Old Cao’s shop is different. You’re lucky to have stumbled upon it. Otherwise, the moment word gets out, it’ll be snatched up in minutes."

Ma Laosan had his own selfish motives.

Gold Street’s management fees were collected based on a shop’s square footage. Previously, he hadn’t collected a fee from Shen Lu, partly out of respect for Xue Can, and partly because Shen Lu was running a street stall. It took up so little space that the fee would have been negligible; it was better to just do her a favor.

But renting a shop was a different story.

Shen Lu didn’t answer right away. She took a careful look around the back kitchen.

There was a large hole in the wall, and the stove had collapsed. The repairs would cost a fortune.

Moreover, Boss Cao’s attitude was just too suspicious. Her intuition told her he was definitely up to no good.

Shen Lu wasn’t some naive fool who didn’t understand how the world worked. She didn’t reject him outright. "I’ll think about it."

"Boss Shen, a good shop won’t give you much time to hesitate." Boss Cao was getting a little anxious. ’This girl is so slippery. The bait is right at her lips, and she won’t even open her mouth?’

"The transfer fee... I can be flexible. My wife is still in the clinic, and I need this money urgently."

To get Shen Lu to agree, Boss Cao even started telling a sob story.

Shen Lu’s lips pulled into a humorless smile. With a look of great concern, she said, "I have a half-dead fiancé to take care of, too. I’m just trying to earn a bit more money to send him to the hospital. Sigh... Boss Cao, I understand how you feel, but I have my own difficulties."

’What a perfect excuse.’

As Shen Lu walked out of Cao’s Noodle House, she glanced back suddenly, just in time to see the gloomy-faced Boss Cao clenching his fists, looking like he wanted to kill someone.

’See? I knew he was up to no good.’

Ma Laosan followed her out, still trying to persuade her on Boss Cao’s behalf. "Old Cao’s shop really is in a great location. There aren’t many vacant storefronts on Gold Street, and even fewer are up for transfer. His place is the best one available."

Shen Lu didn’t deny it, but when it came to people with malicious intentions, she preferred to keep her distance.

The young woman looked up. The post-rain sunlight had an ineffable clarity, shining diagonally onto a tall building at the end of the street.

Shen Lu had noticed this building the very first time she came to Gold Street.

It was the tallest on the street, looking to be about ten stories high. It had a concrete frame—an unfinished building.

Shen Lu pointed at the unfinished building and asked, "Does that also belong to Gold Street?"

Ma Laosan followed her finger. "That unfinished building? Boss Shen, don’t be foolish."

"Can you take me to see it?"

Ma Laosan agreed. He figured he would take her for a look; after she saw it, she would realize Old Cao’s shop was her best option.

The appearance of the unfinished building became clearer as they got closer.

The entire structure was a rough concrete shell. The walls were mottled in places, revealing the steel rebar within. Behind it was a large patch of barren land where not even a blade of grass grew. Whenever the wind blew, it stirred up clouds of dust.

"Strictly speaking, this area isn’t part of Gold Street’s territory, but since it’s so close, the government has us manage it as well." Ma Laosan stepped over some rocks. "During the sandstorm season, this place is just sand all day, every day. Forget opening a restaurant; it’s a miserable place even to live."

"The shops deeper inside the street are better off, since they have other buildings blocking the way. This spot gets the full brunt of it."

Shen Lu, however, recalled what the system had once told her: ’You can open it anywhere, but it’s best if the place is a bit bigger.’

This unfinished building really didn’t look like much, but it certainly met the "a bit bigger" requirement.

"Is this place for rent?" she asked.

Ma Laosan gave her a look as if she were a monster. "For sale only, not for rent."

No one would ever rent this dilapidated building. It had been weighing on the street management office for years, and they were desperate to get rid of it in exchange for something of tangible value.

That’s why the director of the management office had said this unfinished building was for sale only, not for rent.

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