CH 62

When Luo Bei was about to explain to Uncle Cheng, Zhou Jianguo arrived with breakfast in hand. He was surprised to see Uncle Cheng there but quickly calmed down.

“Good morning, Uncle Cheng.”

Although his attitude was not particularly warm, it was not unfamiliar either.

Uncle Cheng nodded in response to his greeting.

“I bought some Xiaolongbao, red bean paste buns, and custard buns. And there’s soy milk and fried noodles too. Beibei, which one do you want?” Zhou Jianguo took out the breakfast one by one and placed it on the table.

“I’ll have the fried noodles. Did you put chili in it?” Luo Bei was starting to feel a bit hungry.

“Yes, I did.”

Grandma Luo had the red bean paste bun, and although Uncle Cheng had already had breakfast, he picked up a xiaolongbao with his chopsticks and dipped it in chili oil to eat while watching them.

“Xiao Zhou, Beibei told me that you’re planning to open a car beauty shop, right?” Cheng Shu asked slowly.

“Yes, we’re planning to open a shop like that.”

“In that case, I happen to have a storefront under my name with a good location and sufficient space for both car washing and detailing.” Uncle Cheng put his chopsticks down, “Later, I’ll have someone take you guys to have a look. If you’re satisfied, we can sign the contract today. The price is negotiable, and I won’t rip off Beibei. It will be cheaper than the market price, but not too much cheaper. After all, I’m also a businessman and have a family to support.”

It’s true that when you’re sleepy, someone brings you a pillow.

Why would Zhou Jianguo be unhappy? If Uncle Cheng said the price was cheaper than market value, then they would be making a profit.

After breakfast, Uncle Cheng had someone wait by the storefront, gave the address to Luo Bei, and the two of them were ready to go. Having a ready-made storefront would save them a lot of time.

After Luo Bei and Zhou Jianguo left, Cheng Shu told Grandma Luo, “Actually, it’s not a bad thing that this kid has poor conditions. I asked him, and he doesn’t have any relatives. If he marries Beibei in the future, he will stay here, and we can take care of each other. You can also enjoy your old age by your granddaughter’s side.”

Uncle Cheng felt that, with Zhou Jianguo’s poor conditions, he could be easily controlled, and he wouldn’t dare to cause trouble or fool around in the future.

Grandma Luo nodded with a smile, “Whether or not Xiao Zhou is good has nothing to do with his conditions. But it’s their own business as young people, and we shouldn’t interfere. Let them solve it themselves.”

“That’s true. But I just can’t bear to see Beibei suffer any loss. It would be better to find a son-in-law who comes to our door,” Uncle Cheng said with a smile.

Zhou Jianguo had no idea that he was such a good candidate as a poor, easy-to-control son-in-law in the eyes of such a big shot.

He sat in the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt, complaining to Luo Bei, “I feel like I’m facing a father-in-law as a son-in-law with this Uncle Cheng…”

Luo Bei laughed, “Uncle Cheng doesn’t have a daughter, only a son.”

“I mean, he sees you as a daughter.”

“…”

The storefront that Cheng Shu mentioned wasn’t too far from where they were. It took them only about ten minutes to drive there.

As Cheng Shu had said, the location was good, with a decent amount of traffic and a sizable population. Most importantly, the storefront itself was quite nice. There was enough space for car washing, a decent sized interior, a small warehouse for storage, and a small office on the attic floor. Overall, it seemed like a great location.

Zhou Jianguo was quite satisfied with the storefront and pulled Luo Bei aside to whisper, “What price did Uncle Cheng tell you? This storefront is great. If this is rented out, it probably has no other shortcomings other than being expensive.”

Luo Bei also liked the location. “It’s cheaper than market price, and we won’t be able to find anything like this elsewhere. Look,” she tugged him over to the small warehouse, “I was thinking of starting an online store. We could use this small warehouse as our office, store things here, and there’s enough room for everything. Plus, there’s a lot of express delivery around here, so it’s convenient. And when I have free time, I can help you wash cars.”

Zhou Jianguo hurriedly waved his hand. “If Uncle Cheng finds out, he’ll dislocate my arm.”

Both of them were in agreement, and they didn’t need to look at any other storefronts. This was the best one. The attic would serve as their office, the ground floor for car washing, and the open space outside for parking and storage. They would store their goods in the warehouse, which was a reasonable and practical arrangement.

Not to mention Luo Bei, even Zhou Jianguo didn’t expect that they would own their own car beauty shop so quickly.

Uncle Cheng was worried that they didn’t have enough money, so he suggested that they pay the rent in six months. This relieved them a lot, as they didn’t have much money either. Luo Bei made tens of thousands of yuan from stock trading, and she had a few tens of thousands left from buying a car. After paying the car loan with the profit from the disposable supplies and the unmanned shops, she still had one or two thousand yuan left every month. After saving up for a few months, they finally managed to open the shop after a month of hard work.

Luo Bei couldn’t imagine that just over half a year ago, she was a fresh graduate with barely any savings from her meager salary. Now, in less than a year, she had her own unmanned shop, business, car, and finally, a car beauty shop.

Although she has not yet become a wealthy woman who earns hundreds of thousands a month, she believes that day isn’t too far off.

Luo Bei resigned from her job, but she still worked just as hard every day. No, even harder than before.

She used to be able to sleep until seven o’clock, but now she had to wake up at six. She worked hard and happily every day, like a happy little bee.

After breakfast, she went to the car beauty shop with Zhou Jianguo. They opened the shop at eight o’clock, and she helped Zhou Jianguo with customer service when she had time, recommending card packages or handing out flyers on the street to promote their shop. It wasn’t easy to start an online store, and at first, not many people came to buy things. However, she was not in a hurry, as she had prepared herself mentally for this.

Perhaps their location was an advantage, coupled with the fact that almost every household in the city now owned a car. After a month of promotion, business slowly started to pick up.

Zhou Jianguo hired two people, a master and an apprentice. The business wasn’t yet so good that they needed to hire several employees. Sometimes, when he had free time, he would personally wash cars, apply wax, or install car films.

They’re making more money now than before, of course, the pressure is also greater. After all, they have to support two employees in addition to themselves.

Fortunately, besides this car beauty shop, they also have a business in unmanned stores and disposable supplies. They don’t put all their eggs in one basket, which reduces their psychological pressure.

Doing business for oneself means not slacking off. Luo Bei didn’t put in full effort when she handed out flyers during her college years, but now it’s different. As long as it’s for her shop, she’s willing to get up early and work late, smile at others all day and say all kinds of good things about her shop.

On this day, after Luo Bei restocked the unmanned vending machine in the hotel, she returned and hadn’t had time to sit down and drink some hot tea when she heard the apprentice rush in and say to the master and Zhou Jianguo, “There’s a Rolls-Royce outside, they want to get their car washed!”

Although they’ve had BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes come to their shop before, this was the first time such a luxurious car came. It’s understandable that the apprentice was so excited. If this car gets scratched or dented, who could afford to pay for it?

As an apprentice at the car beauty shop, due to his work experience, he also has some knowledge about cars. This Rolls-Royce is a luxury car worth several tens of million yuan.

Zhou Jianguo was also surprised. He had worked at a car beauty shop before, and while it wasn’t small, it was rare to encounter cars of this caliber. Generally, these types of cars wouldn’t come to their shop. After thinking about it, he said to the apprentice, “I’ll wash this car.”

It’s not appropriate to let the apprentice wash it, as he would feel too much pressure. And it’s not appropriate for the master to come over and wash it either, after all, he didn’t work here as a car-washer.

Only Zhou Jianguo is the most suitable. If there are any scratches or bumps, the shop will bear the responsibility.

Zhou Jianguo walked outside, and the driver got out of the car and respectfully stepped aside to open the door.

An elderly man with gray hair but a vigorous spirit came down in a suit.

He was different from the elderly people Zhou Jianguo saw on the road, at least in terms of aura, he was completely different. Even the big shots in urban villages like Uncle Cheng seemed to be nothing but small followers in front of him.

He appeared to be in his seventies by visual inspection, but he stood straight, and his posture alone put many young people to shame. He sized up Zhou Jianguo from head to toe and finally said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

Zhou Jianguo was neither humble nor pushy, and led him and the driver to the shop. “Do you need any other services besides car washing?”

The old man stared at him and finally spoke, “You come to wash.”

“Yes, I will do it.”

Luo Bei was also stunned, not only by the old man’s aura, but also by the luxury car outside the shop.

“Hello, we have coffee, tea, and orange juice here. May I know what you would like to drink?” Luo Bei walked up to the old man and asked in a gentle voice.

The old man finally shifted his gaze from Zhou Jianguo to Luo Bei.

He scrutinized her with an appraising look, but Zhou Jianguo pretended to casually pull Luo Bei behind him, blocking the old man’s gaze.

Luo Bei might still be naïve and ignorant about many things, but as a man, Zhou Jianguo understood that some people just had a thing for young and pretty girls, and this old man was likely no exception.

The old man obviously noticed Zhou Jianguo’s action, chuckled, and said to Luo Bei, “Young lady, just give me a bottle of ordinary mineral water. Also, please find me a chair. I’ll sit outside and watch him wash the car. Thank you.”

What kind of operation was this? On such a cold day, why would he choose to sit outside and freeze instead of sitting on the indoor sofa?

The old man cleared his throat. “I’m someone who values my car very much, so I need to keep an eye on it.”