Chapter Sixty-Five: Teahouse Closure

Chapter 65: The Teahouse Closes

Lu Fan pointed outside. "Shopkeeper, I see people moving things out—several crates of tea sets, and tables and chairs are being carried out too."

Shopkeeper Shi bolted upright from his recliner, but being heavier now, his movements were clumsy, and he nearly threw out his back.

His eyes lit up as he supported his waist, saying, "Let me take a look."

Shopkeeper Shi stepped out of the eatery, feigning nonchalance as he glanced over. Just as Lu Fan had said, a few familiar workers were moving items out. The teahouse was empty inside—no customers, no business—looking completely deserted.

The floor was covered in dust, clearly untouched for days.

These days, business was tough. When Lin Qiuran was in postpartum recovery, Shopkeeper Shi had been terrified, afraid the eatery might not survive.

Fortunately, the food was genuinely good. Lin Dong’s cooking was decent, and the eatery often rounded down prices or gave away extras. Still, during the days Lin Qiuran was away, business had noticeably declined compared to before, and that's not even counting the second floor.

Especially from after the New Year to the end of the first lunar month, when people were still full from the festivities and more focused on street lantern festivals and fireworks, the eatery’s business was just average. However, other shops weren’t doing well either.

The Yuxiang Teahouse on the left was dead, with hardly any customers. Though the Golden Ruyi wasn’t doing well either, they had made plenty of money before the New Year.

Later, Shopkeeper Shi, not wanting to brave the cold, often stayed inside the eatery and hadn’t come out to check. In any case, the teahouse closed earlier than the eatery every day. The two-story teahouse was relatively large by Yu'an standards.

Shopkeeper Shi turned back to the eatery, grabbed some snacks, and waved over a familiar employee. "Xiao Zhao, what’s going on?"

Xiao Zhao looked grim. "We’re closing. Business has been bad these days, and the owner decided to shut down. I’m worried sick."

With the owner closing shop, he’d lost his job and was naturally anxious about what to do next.

Shopkeeper Shi rubbed his back and cleared his throat. "Ah, what a shame. Our eatery is fully staffed, otherwise I’d definitely talk to our owner about it."

Xiao Zhao’s eyes brightened briefly before dimming again. Finally, he said gloomily, "Just bad luck. Things were going fine."

Shopkeeper Shi pointed inside. "Why don’t you ask what’s really going on? The eatery has enough staff now, but if we could take over this space, with more space, we’d need more people."

The teahouse worker’s eyes lit up again. "Alright, I’ll try to find out."

The teahouse was close to home. If it could just change owners and he could keep working there, that would be ideal.

Shopkeeper Shi handed over some snacks and patted Xiao Zhao’s shoulder. "Don’t worry, it's not that hard to find work. You’re hardworking and capable—everyone would want you."

Xiao Zhao looked as if he’d just eaten something bitter, unable to hold back his grievances. "Other places might not be hiring, and even if they are, the pay and benefits won’t match what we had before. Several shops in the county have closed recently. I’ve been looking for work but haven’t heard back."

Xiao Zhao could see the teahouse wasn’t doing well. At first, there were fewer customers, then their wages were cut, with the excuse that work was lighter, so they couldn’t pay the original wages.

Yeah, when business was good, they didn’t pay much extra either.

Shopkeeper Shi offered a few words of comfort before returning to the eatery. Though the teahouse owner might not want to hear it, it had to be said—closing was the right move.

Whether the place would be rented or sold was still uncertain, but these things ultimately came down to whether the money was right.

After all, Shopkeeper Shi was just a manager. If Lin Qiuran couldn’t rent it, there was nothing he could do. He immediately went back and told Lin Qiuran, "Boss Lin, it seems the teahouse next door is closing."

Lin Qiuran remembered the teahouse next door—it was even a bit larger than Xiao Family Eatery. Her first thought was that in business, there were gains and losses. Aunt Yu had once said that snack stalls on South Street came and went—some did well, others couldn’t survive.

Everyone knew business could make money, but few actually tried their hand at it, and even fewer truly succeeded.

Logically, whether other shops stayed or left wasn’t her concern, but Lin Qiuran quickly realized that if the teahouse closed, whether the place was rented or owned, it wouldn’t stay vacant. It might be used for another business or rented out again.

Lin Qiuran was considering opening a branch, but she hadn’t decided whether to do it in Yu'an or expand to Xuzhou.

Yu'an isn't very big, and there are plenty of restaurants and eateries. She worries that opening another location might not be worth it, and besides, they’d need a head chef. Currently, at the eatery, it's just her and Lin Dong, and juggling two locations would be too much hassle.

Going to Xuzhou is too far, and Tangyuan’s still little, so it's unlikely they’ll go to Xuzhou in the short term.

If they could buy the neighboring property and expand the eatery, that would be a pretty good idea.

Lin Qiuran considered the idea. Occasionally, there were customers waiting downstairs—though these were just the ones willing to wait even when the first floor was full. Some would simply leave if they saw they had to wait.

Upstairs, there are only four rooms, and there are times when it’s not enough. More space would help a lot—no need to run back and forth, and Lin Qiuran could manage things more easily.

Lin Qiuran decided on the spot: "Shopkeeper Shi, go and check if they’re planning to keep renting or sell the place."

She wanted to buy it, and the reason was simple: fixing up the second floor would cost a pretty penny. If they only rented for a few months and then stopped, even if the owner compensated for a month’s rent, she’d still come out behind.

Shopkeeper Shi said, "I had the tea house staff look into it. We should have news soon."

Lin Qiuran trusted Shopkeeper Shi completely and found it easy to talk to someone like him.

Shopkeeper Shi also asked, "Are you thinking of buying it, Madam Lin?"

Lin Qiuran nodded. "Renovations cost too much. If the owner suddenly decides not to rent anymore, it wouldn’t be worth it."

That made sense. Shopkeeper Shi nodded. "I can ask about this."

Lin Qiuran felt that two shops side by side like this don’t come along often. If the tea house had been doing well, she wouldn’t have considered it, but since they suddenly stopped...

She said, "We can negotiate on the price."

The Xiao Family Eatery was valued at around 110 taels. The tea house is larger than the eatery, so the price would certainly be higher. Lin Qiuran had the money, but she worried the owner might not want to sell.

Shopkeeper Shi said, "Don’t worry, I’ll handle it."

It wasn’t that he was overconfident. Lin Qiuran had connections to the Xu family, and Xu Yuanhang was well-known in Yu'an. Most people wouldn’t easily offend her. If Lin Qiuran was willing to offer a bit more, even if the owner loved the property, they might be willing to sell it to stay on good terms.

Lin Qiuran said, "I’d appreciate it if you could take care of this, Shopkeeper Shi."

Shopkeeper Shi had put a lot of effort into the eatery. The second floor was his idea, and today’s matter about the tea house was also brought up by him. Lin Qiuran was always in the kitchen and unaware of outside developments. If they waited until the tea house started another business, it would be too late.

Shopkeeper Shi patted his stomach and said with a smile, "It’s for the good of the eatery. As long as Madam Lin remembers my efforts, that’s enough."

Lin Qiuran certainly wouldn’t just keep it in mind. If the deal went through, she would either raise Shopkeeper Shi’s salary or give him a share of the eatery’s profits.

In any case, she wouldn’t just offer verbal thanks.

With this matter unsettled, Lin Qiuran couldn’t concentrate. Even while cooking, she was thinking about the tea house.

The wait felt long and nerve-wracking. It wasn’t until the second-floor customers finished their meal and Shopkeeper Shi came to collect the dishes that he said, "Madam Lin, there’s news. I’ll talk to you after we close."

Seeing Shopkeeper Shi’s relaxed expression, Lin Qiuran guessed things looked promising.

That evening, after closing, the eatery staff sat down to eat. Shopkeeper Shi said unhurriedly, "The tea house space is rented. They leased it for five years, and only a year and a half has passed so far."

Lin Qiuran remembered the tea house had been there since the eatery opened. She hadn’t realized it had been operating for so long. There were various reasons for it failing, and she couldn’t comment much.

Lin Qiuran said, "Long-term leases are cheaper, right? There are still three and a half years left."

She had learned from Zhao Guangcai that short-term leases, one-year leases, and three-to-five-year leases were all different.

Shopkeeper Shi replied, "That’s right, but there’s a downside. For long-term leases, the deposit is more than just one month’s rent—it’s usually six months’ worth, and rent is paid every six months. Otherwise, they wouldn’t offer a discount. With three and a half years left, the tea house owner is looking for someone to take over the lease. If no one does, they’ll consider starting another business."

Shopkeeper Shi felt three years would be enough; they were open to a long lease, and once the three-and-a-half-year lease expired, Lin Qiuran could renew it. The rent was cheap—what a good deal.

As soon as Shopkeeper Shi heard this, he thought taking over would be even better.

Lin Qiuran didn’t respond immediately after listening. After thinking for a while, she muttered, "Shopkeeper Shi, do you think the landlord is willing to offer a long-term lease because they’re in urgent need of money? And perhaps they want to save trouble—maybe they don’t even live here often."

Shopkeeper Shi hesitated. "Hmm, yes."

Lin Qiuran seemed to prefer buying it.

Indeed, Lin Qiuran wanted to buy it—not just because the renovation would be costly, but also because if she only rented for two or three years and the landlord later refused to renew, the property would have to be split again.

Finding another location wouldn’t be as good as having both spaces combined. It might even lead to losing customers. In any case, it wouldn’t be as hassle-free as a permanent solution. Unless she rented with the condition that if the property were ever sold, she’d have priority.

Moreover, with her own property, she’d call the shots. Lin Qiuran didn't really want to deal with landlords. Her assumption that the landlord didn’t live in Yu’an often was just speculation—perhaps they simply wanted to avoid trouble.

If the landlord was easygoing, that would be fine. But if they were meddlesome and frequently stopped by the restaurant, Lin Qiuran would find it troublesome.

Shopkeeper Shi nodded. "Alright then, I’ll ask the teahouse owner to see if we can set up a meeting with the landlord."

A long-term lease with rent collected every six months suggested the landlord might urgently need money. Perhaps they really would be willing to sell, and at a lower price.

The only worry was if they weren’t in Yu’an, making it difficult to meet.

But if it were easy, Lin Qiuran would have handled it herself. Shopkeeper Shi sighed—difficulty was good. The harder it was, the more Lin Qiuran would remember his efforts.

Lu Fan hadn’t expected that his casual mention would lead to such a situation. Shopkeeper Shi even asked Lin Qiuran if, should they successfully buy the teahouse, they could hire one of the teahouse’s employees. "I got the information from him—Xiao Zhao is quite sharp."

Lin Qiuran replied, "Hiring him is fine. The eatery is short-staffed anyway. But if he’s lazy or doesn't work hard, there’s nothing we can do."

If he turned out to be someone who avoided work, Lin Qiuran wouldn’t let him get away with it. It wouldn’t be fair to the other employees otherwise.

Shopkeeper Shi said with a warm smile, "Don’t worry, Lin Qiuran. If this works out, I’ll keep an eye on things."

After the eatery was cleaned up, Lin Qiuran went home. When she arrived, Tangyuan was still awake. He had gotten a little heavier, and Xu Niangzi mentioned that he had tried to lift his head today.

But because he was still too young, he hadn’t succeeded.

She held him for a long time, eventually unable to resist kissing his cheek and pressing her face against Tangyuan’s chest, as if nuzzling a cat. "Tangyuan, don't you think it would be nice if our family had a big eatery?"