Two grown men, yet they didn't drink alcohol, and finished their meal in just over half an hour.
However, Xu Lin benefited a lot; although the other party seemed to be full of business, he was very sincere to him.
At least that's how he felt; he taught him a lot of business experiences and skills, and he also learned a lot.
Although he can learn with Chu Fengyi, managing a big company is still different from running a small business.
"I've already paid in advance." Seeing him reaching for his phone, the other party quickly said.
"You came all the way here to give me such a surprise, I can't let you pay for the meal..."
"I came back mainly to visit the elders. I'm a local and there's no need for formalities. Let's go, I'll take you to the shop. You can take a look."
"Alright, Uncle, you're being too kind."
"No need for formalities, let's go!"
Two people left the restaurant and found their car still stuck in traffic. Xu Lin glanced from a distance and noticed a blue metal barrier, indicating road construction.
"Can we go through?"
"We can."
"Huh?"
Following the direction of the other party's finger, he saw a storefront with a rolled-up shutter, and there was a piece of paper posted on it.
"It's not for rent temporarily, buyers call XXXXXXX."
Xu Lin turned around and glanced at the place where they were eating, which was only 1 or 2 hundred meters away. He used to pass by here every day during junior high.
"It's two floors in total, both 60 square meters, not very large. But I think running a snack-style fast food business like spicy hot pot shouldn't be a problem."
"We have specialized renovation tutorials here, we can come and help, or you can do it yourselves. Of course, this would involve spending money, considering there are costs involved."
"Uncle Cui, whether it's decoration or other aspects, training, just follow the normal procedures of the franchise stores."
To be honest, saving tens of thousands, he felt a bit embarrassed to ask for more help.
"Alright, there's actually not much training needed, mainly it's about the base sauce for this spicy hot pot. As for ingredients and such, they're pretty much standard."
"Um."
"Besides, Malatang is essentially a simplified version of hot pot, so what we want is convenience. I think in the future, with the rise of the delivery industry in small cities, it will be easier to do."
"Yeah."
Although the other party offered him a free shop, he still doesn't dare to mention his intention to develop orange and blue takeout.
[T/N: The Author might be indicating at Meituan and Ele.me takeout services of china here. It has yellow-orange and blue coloured logo respectively.]
After all, everyone wants to make money. If they open their mouths and say they'll participate, would you accept it?
"You may not have gone to college, but at least you're thinking about working hard now. As for my kid at home, he's in his twenties, but all he does is cause trouble for me!"
"Young people nowadays have too many of their own ideas. When I write, my parents don't really agree either. It's only now, with some achievements, that things are a bit better."
"Sigh~ Maybe it's because of my divorce with his mother. I'm busy with work, don't have time to communicate with him. Of course, what worries me the most is our daughter."
"She followed her mother, so her living conditions should be better. But because of our divorce, despite getting such good grades in the college entrance examination, she's now become a homebody..."
Speaking of this, Cui Niancheng, who always smiled when they met, also sighed deeply, his expression slightly solemn, revealing the loneliness of an old man.
Xu Lin didn't interrupt his emotional outburst.
Everyone has their own difficulties to bear, after all, life is not just made up of happiness and joy.
"Sorry, sorry, seeing you just made me think of my own child, and suddenly..."
"Her mother didn't let her contact me, so I stopped calling her too. I'm quite a failed father." He joked at himself, then shook his head. "Let's go in and take a look! Look at me, just wasting time."
Inside the shop, apart from the floor tiles, there was nothing on the surrounding walls—just plain white walls and a grey ceiling.
"I haven't touched it since I bought it a few years ago, I haven't even done any simple renovations. This time, you guys are renovating, it's really saving me money."
"Haha, then uncle should give us some subsidies."
"Well, I might get angry too, I don't have any savings in my pocket."
"Hahaha!"
The two people had become quite familiar with each other and were joking around. But when he heard that the uncle was getting angry, he remembered his goal for his online career.
Today's savings, should he consider investing in filming equipment? Oh right, also audio equipment. Together, at least ten thousand yuan as a starting point!
Later, the two went upstairs to take a look. Xu Lin didn't understand decoration and layout, so they figured they should just hire professionals for that.
"If we bring in support from headquarters, how long will it take to complete?"
"It's not a residential property, just a simple snack shop, so it's quite easy to decorate, about half a month. They'll also tell you what to buy. Good luck with your endeavor."
"Well, Uncle Cui gave me a free shop in a good location. If I still can't do well, it's my personal problem."
"Starting a business is not easy. Keeping a stable mindset and persisting is the most important thing."
"Mmm."
Afterward, the two people also discussed some arrangements regarding joining, all of which Xu Lin also kept in mind.
"Then I'll take my leave for now."
"Uncle Cui, I was planning to take you out for a stroll. Haven't you come back after several years?"
"No, no, I still need to go sit with the old man for a while, and I'll be heading back in the evening."
"That's quite rushed then. You've given me such a gift, and I haven't found a way to repay you."
"No problem, no problem. Like I said, this is called mutual benefit. I'll give you the key, and we can sort out the contract later when we have time."
"Okay."
Even though not signing a contract can be somewhat troublesome and difficult to handle, with the other party being a multimillionaire boss, he wouldn't do anything to a young man like him.
"I took a taxi here, so you don't need to see me off. It's so congested, I'll take a detour before getting another taxi."
"Alright, Uncle Cui, next time you come, I'll personally cook for you and show you my skills!"
"Sounds good." With that, he waved casually and walked briskly out.
Xu Lin also closed the rolling shutter door, locked the shop securely, glanced into the distance, and found the other party had already disappeared around the corner.
He held the key in his hand tightly, looked back at the shop without a sign, took a deep breath, and felt completely relieved.
This was Xu Lin's first venture, and it was finally about to begin! When he first crossed over, he never imagined he would be starting his own business.
"It really is a changing world, isn't it?"
On the other side, Cui Niancheng, who had just gotten into a taxi, looked at the words 'daughter' on his phone. His fingers trembled for a while, then finally pressed down.
A few seconds later, a voice, familiar yet strange to him, came from the other end, soft and tinged with a hint of timidity.
"Dad? I really don't want to go to school..."
"Zimeng, no, no, I'm not forcing you to go to school. I just wanted to ask, how have you been lately?"
As his daughter's voice sounded, Cui Niancheng's clenched hand slowly loosened, and a smile appeared on his face once again.