The Wealthy Eldest Sister Rules Supreme

Zhuang Qingning’s laughter broke through the serious atmosphere, causing Zhang Yongchang to burst into laughter as well.

“You little imp! You’re quite the trickster, there’s just no dealing with you,” he said.

Zhang Yongchang shook his head helplessly, “If you’re really keen on renting this shop, come with me. I’ll lead you to the landlord. It’s lest they take advantage of a young lady like you, and start quoting ludicrous prices.”

“Thank you, Uncle Zhang.” Zhuang Qingning said sweetly.

“Oh, don’t thank me! I’m not exactly excited about doing this,” Zhang Yongchang grimaced.

“Well then! No thanks for you, Uncle Zhang, I’ll just make up for it by giving you a few more salted duck eggs. Just yesterday, while salting some eggs, I saved a jar of them for you. They’re perfect for a meal.” Zhuang Qingning chuckled.

Here, the tradition was that salted duck eggs were not considered a delicacy, but they were quite suitable for a meal. The chicken eggs were salty and sandy, no worse in taste than duck eggs.

“You actually remembered that.” Zhang Yongchang smiled mirthlessly, “You do have some consideration after all. I promise to treat you generously if you ever come over for a meal. Is that fair?”

“Okay, it’s all good,” Zhuang Qingning smirked for quite a while.

After the laughter, Zhuang Qingning followed Zhang Yongchang to find the landlord of the shop.

The landlord of the shop was originally a man surnamed Jin – Jin Sanbao. After he passed away due to illness, the deeds to the land and building of the shop fell into the hands of his wife, Mrs. Deng.

Jin Sanbao and Mrs. Deng had no sons, only two married daughters. So, Mrs. Deng was the only one living here.

Being elderly and unable to do heavy labor, she lived off the money given to her by her daughters and the rent of the shop. Thanks to being the only one to take care of, she had a rather comfortable life.

Along the way, Zhuang Qingning got a rough idea of the situation from Zhang Yongchang’s mouth, and by the time they were done, the two had already arrived at the doorstep of Mrs. Deng’s house.

It was a clean, typical small rural courtyard.

The roof appeared to have been recently repaired, the tiles looked quite new, and even the window panes were freshly changed. Even the stone mill in the corner of the courtyard, which seemed to have not been used for a long time, looked clean with hardly any dust on it.

Mrs. Deng was feeding some caged chickens in the courtyard. Seeing Zhang Yongchang and Zhuang Qingning coming, she quickly cleaned her hands with a scoop of water from nearby tank.

“Chef Zhang, what wind brought you here today?” she asked.

Everyone in the town knew each other, and Mrs. Deng also recognized Zhuang Qingning. “Aren’t you the girl selling tofu at the market? Your tofu tastes really nice. I was planning to buy some, but by now, your tofu might be sold out. I’ll go early tomorrow instead.”

“Mrs. Deng, we came to ask if your shop is for rent?” Zhang Yongchang cut to the chase drastically.

“Yes, I am renting out the shop. That’s advertised outside.”

Mrs. Deng looked up and down both Zhuang Qingning and Zhang Yongchang, chuckled, “Is this young lady interested in renting? You do have a good ideal. This shop is big and quite imposing with great location. Such good storefronts are rare in the whole town. If you’re late, it might already be rented out…”

“Mrs. Deng.”

Zhang Yongchang, having had enough, interrupted her, “We all know what’s what here in town, including all about the shop. Zhuang Qingning has been here for a while, so she is aware of the situation.”

“Let’s not beat around the bush, we’re familiar folks here. It’d be inappropriate to say anymore. Just tell us about the rent. As it stands, the shop isn’t exactly easy to lease out. Considering that Zhuang Qingning is a young woman trying to start a business, perhaps you could offer her a discount.”

Mrs. Deng’s previously cheerful face collapsed. She put her hands on her hips, “What do you mean my shop doesn’t rent out easily? What’s wrong with my shop? You shouldn’t listen to and spread rumours. Don’t even think about discounting the rent by belittling my property. I tell you what, that’s not going to happen!”

“The rent is fixed dear – not even a penny less. Rent it or not, it’s up to you. If you don’t want it, try to find something else. I don’t rely solely on the rent of the shop. Worst case scenario, I’ll just open a shop myself. That’s far better than dealing with idle talk all day.”

Hearing people whispering about bad Feng Shui and her shop’s failure to attract tenants, it was only natural for Mrs. Deng to lose her temper.

Yet Zhang Yongchang, who was somewhat stubborn himself, was provoked by her remarks. He retorted, “I didn’t say anything false! Who in town doesn’t know about it? Mrs. Deng, you should be more flexible when doing business. Don’t hold grudges over money speaking, the truth could save you from leaving empty-handed!”

“You…” Mrs. Deng, not one to back down, prepared to argue with Zhang Yongchang.

“Aunt Deng, Uncle Zhang, don’t argue anymore…”

Zhuang Qingning felt helpless about the two who had started squabbling in just a few words. She said, “While I want to rent the shop, that doesn’t mean I’ll finalize it and pay the rent in a single conversation. Aunt Deng, you should take me to see the shop first.”

It’s not sufficient to only look at the exterior. A thorough look inside is necessary.

Upon hearing Zhuang Qingning’s words, both Zhang Yongchang and Mrs. Deng realized they were neglecting the main issue. Without further quarrelling, Mrs. Deng went into the house to get the keys and led Zhuang Qingning to see the shop.

However, during the journey, she never uttered a single word to Zhang Yongchang.

Zhang Yongchang also felt exasperated by Mrs. Deng’s petty-mindedness and inability to accept the truth and avoided speaking to Mrs. Deng as well.

On the way, Zhuang Qingning was left asking about the former tenants of the store.

For instance, what items did the antique shop owner sell?

And where did the man who broke his leg trip and fall?

Subjects related to these.

Mrs. Deng didn’t hide anything and told the truth.

The antique shop sold calligraphy and paintings by well-known masters, ceramics, bronzes, and other items. They all looked nice and were also priced accordingly.

As for the person who broke his leg, she said that he fell inside the store. As for exactly how he fell, Mrs. Deng hadn’t seen it and thus had no idea..